i was like the arabian who had been buried with the dead , and found a passage to life , aided only by one glimmering , and seemingly ineffectual , light.1 i see by your eagerness , and the wonder and hope which your eyes express , my friend , that you expect to be informed of the secret with which i am acquainted ; that can not be : listen patiently until the end of my story , and you will easily perceive why i am reserved upon that subject .