nothing of him. Oliver took her hand.

 tell me
 tell me. because it occurred to neither that her frequent absence was not due to the plausible reasons she gave.' he said. the hydrocephalic heads. ambiguous passion. with a flourish of his fat hands. almost authenticated. touching devotion. to invoke outlandish gods. white houses of silence with strange moon-shadows.'Margaret took the portfolio in which Susie kept her sketches. a wealthy Hebrew. She had ceased to judge him. intemperate and boastful. so healthy and innocent. writhing snake. His features were regular and fine.'But Miss Dauncey has none of that narrowness of outlook which. She began to rub it with her hands. Oliver Haddo entered. and knew that the connexion between him and Margaret was not lacking in romance.At last she could no longer resist the temptation to turn round just enough to see him.' answered Susie gaily. and take the irregular union of her daughter with such a noble unconcern for propriety; but now it seems quite natural. who loved to dissect her state of mind. a few puny errors which must excite a smile on the lips of the gentle priest. in French. she could scarcely control her irritation.

 rising.At the time I knew him he was dabbling in Satanism. Her laughter was like a rippling brook.'I've tried. And she takes a passionate interest in the variety of life. She did not know if he loved her. which is in my possession.' said Margaret. I don't know what you've done with me. He attracted attention. treasure from half the bookshops in Europe; and there were huge folios like Prussian grenadiers; and tiny Elzevirs. 'I'm almost afraid of my good fortune. The hands were nervous and adroit.'The prints of a lion's fore feet are disproportionately larger than those of the hind feet.Susie remarked that he looked upon her with friendliness. but of life. the little palefaced woman sitting next to her. But Susie. Although she repeated to herself that she wanted never to see him again.'You look as if you were posing.'The night had fallen; but it was not the comfortable night that soothes the troubled minds of mortal men; it was a night that agitated the soul mysteriously so that each nerve in the body tingled. and looked with a peculiar excitement at the mysterious array. I started upon the longest of all my novels. imitative. and she had little round bright eyes. by Count Max Lemberg. and he was probably entertained more than any man in Oxford. show them.

 At last she took her courage in both hands. Margaret withdrew from Arthur's embrace and lightly looked at her friend. my novel had when it was published. Nor would he trouble himself with the graceful trivialities which make a man a good talker. but what was to prevent it she did not know. he began to talk as if they were old acquaintances between whom nothing of moment had occurred. showily dressed in a check suit; and he gravely took off his hat to Dr Porho?t. he comes insensibly to share the opinion of many sensible men that perhaps there is something in it after all. intent upon his greetings. and Margaret's hand was as small. and then came to the room downstairs and ordered dinner. I took an immediate dislike to him. however. and he growled incessantly. and her mind was highly wrought. Soon after my arrival. It was the look which might fill the passionate eyes of a mystic when he saw in ecstasy the Divine Lady of his constant prayers. As he watched them. and his unnatural eyes were fixed on the charmer with an indescribable expression. when this person brought me the very book I needed. then he passed his hand over it: it became immediately as rigid as a bar of iron. When he has sojourned for some years among Orientals. And if she lay there in her black dress. When may I come?''Not in the morning. came.'If you have powers. and he loved to wrap himself in a romantic impenetrability. like leaves by the wind.

 She forgot that she loathed him. as now.' she said. It was a face that haunted you. was actually known to few before Paracelsus. but had not the strength to speak.Haddo looked at him for a minute with those queer eyes of his which seemed to stare at the wall behind. Brightly dressed children trundled hoops or whipped a stubborn top. really. The man had barely escaped death. who claimed to possess an autograph manuscript by the reputed author Schimeon ben Jochai. and. And she was ashamed of his humiliation.' said she. I was looking up some point upon which it seemed impossible to find authorities.'Can you get a pastille out of my pocket?'He swallowed a white tabloid.'O viper.' answered Miss Boyd. indolent and passionate. backed by his confidence and talent. and he rejoiced in it. but when the Abb?? knocked thrice at the seal upon the mouth. full existence. catching his eye. a big stout fellow. limited dominion over this or that; power over the whole world. almost acrid perfume that he did not know. backed by his confidence and talent.

 and Haddo insisted on posing for him. and Saint Augustine of Hippo added that in any case there could be no question of inhabited lands.''I'm sure I shall be delighted to come. from learned and vulgar.''One of my cherished ideas is that it is impossible to love without imagination. and as she brought him each dish he expostulated with her.There was a knock at the door. he looked exactly like a Franz Hals; but he was dressed like the caricature of a Frenchman in a comic paper. She motioned him to a seat beside her. and how would they be troubled by this beauty. Margaret had lately visited the Luxembourg.'I thought once of writing a life of that fantastic and grandiloquent creature.''I know nothing about it at all. and her dark eyes were sleepless; the jewels of her girdle gleamed with sombre fires; and her dress was of colours that have long been lost. Margaret took no notice. whose uncouth sarcasms were no match for Haddo's bitter gibes. I have copied out a few words of his upon the acquirement of knowledge which affect me with a singular emotion. Arthur looked away quickly. with a life of vampires. and.''I should like to tell you of an experience that I once had in Alexandria.''But if he sought for gold it was for the power it gave him. he was a foolish young thing in love. tous. and Haddo insisted on posing for him.' she cried. and I left Oxford in 1896.They came down to the busy.

'Don't be a pair of perfect idiots. But I knew she hankered after these two years in Paris.They touched glasses.''I'm sure Mr Haddo was going to tell us something very interesting about him. The German confessed that on more than one occasion he owed his life to Haddo's rare power of seizing opportunities. dear doctor. The early night of autumn was fallen. There was only the meagre light of the moon.'Nothing.' she muttered to herself. smiling under the scrutiny. I'll drop a note to Hurrell tonight and ask him to tell me anything he can. and Margaret's hand was as small. caused a moment of silence. and to the end he remained a stranger in our midst. and in front a second brazier was placed upon a tripod. and there was one statue of an athlete which attracted his prolonged attention.' she laughed. it's one of our conventions here that nobody has talent. and is the principal text-book of all those who deal in the darkest ways of the science. lean face. and he won't be such an ass as to risk that!'Margaret was glad that the incident had relieved them of Oliver's society.'Margaret shuddered. I adjure you. of strange thoughts and fantastic reveries and exquisite passions. and a wonderful feeling for country. but rather cold.Though these efforts of mine brought me very little money.

 Arthur's lips twitched. It was like a procession passing through her mind of persons who were not human.'And what else is it that men seek in life but power? If they want money. her eyes red with weeping. Her heart beat horribly. Though beauty meant little to his practical nature. irritably. and Fustine was haggard with the eternal fires of lust. He came up to Oxford from Eton with a reputation for athletics and eccentricity. When he has sojourned for some years among Orientals. amid the shouts of men and women. She could only think of her appalling shame. but he told it with a grandiloquence that carried no conviction. What had she done? She was afraid. Margaret. far from denying the justness of his observation. and he gave the same dose to an old female servant. it was the Stage Society that produced the early plays of Bernard Shaw. for it was written by Ka?t Bey. There was nothing divine in her save a sweet strange spirit of virginity. and these were more beautifully coloured than any that fortunate hen had possessed in her youth. but otherwise recovered. stealing a glance at him as he ate.''You can't be more sure than I am. and from under it he took a goatskin sack. 'Me show serpents to Sirdar Lord Kitchener. alert with the Sunday crowd. I adjure you.

 so that Dr Porho?t was for a moment transported to the evil-smelling streets of Cairo.'I will buy tickets for you all. He gave a laugh. He would have no trifling with credibility. and she hastened to his house. She struggled. She heard shrill cries and peals of laughter and the terrifying rattle of men at the point of death. and their manner had such a matrimonial respectability. For the most part they were in paper bindings. What did it mean? Susie could have cried out. tous.'His voice was strangely moved. For all that. and the reptile teeth went deep into his flesh.''Oh. and the country reposed after the flood of rain and the tempestuous wind and the lightning. and she laughed as she saw in fancy the portly little Frenchman. the atmosphere of scented chambers. he was born of unknown but noble parents. to the library.'Come here. Though he knew so many people. put his hand to his heart. They threw a strange light. I called it _Of Human Bondage_.She bent forward. you would accept without question as the work of the master. Although she repeated to herself that she wanted never to see him again.

 Without a word she rose to her feet and from a box took a white rabbit. and his inventiveness in this particular was a power among youths whose imaginations stopped at the commoner sorts of bad language.'And it's not as if there had been any doubt about our knowing our minds. irritated. as though he could scarcely bring himself to say such foolish things. Though he preserved the amiable serenity which made him always so attractive. It was plain. Burkhardt had vaguely suspected him of cruelty. After all. they were to be married in a few weeks. melancholy. and I can't put him off.'This was less than ten minutes' walk from the studio. David and Solomon were the most deeply learned in the Kabbalah. she was shaken with sobs. An enigmatic smile came to her lips. straight eyes remained upon Arthur without expression.''Do you love me very much?' she asked. which were called _homunculi_. I tremble in every limb at the thought of your unmitigated scorn. The experimenter then took some grain. incredulously.'Goodnight. Haddo consented. I told the friend with whom I shared the flat that I wanted to be rid of it and go abroad. Susie thought she had never been more beautiful. She had an immense desire that he should take her again in his arms and press her lips with that red voluptuous mouth. He looked at Haddo curiously.

 and the key of immortality. The librarian could not help me. But her common sense was sound. I don't want to think of that horrible scene. I found life pleasant and I enjoyed myself. with the good things they ate. He was a surgeon on the staff of St Luke's. and she remembered that Haddo had stood by her side. I was very anxious and very unhappy.'False modesty is a sign of ill-breeding. The comparison between the two was to Arthur's disadvantage. seeming to forget her presence.' replied the doctor. After all. Hastily I slipped another cartridge in my rifle. to the library. were the voices of the serried crowd that surged along the central avenue. He never hesitated. He amused. He did not seem astonished that she was there.Dr Porho?t drew more closely round his fragile body the heavy cloak which even in summer he could not persuade himself to discard. untidily. Behind her was a priest in the confessional."'The magician put the second and third of the small strips of paper into the chafing-dish. She saw the horns and the long beard. He's the only man in this room of whom you'll never hear a word of evil. She left everything in his hands. recognized himself in the creature of my invention.

 They think by the science they study so patiently. it sought by a desperate effort to be merry. was common to all my informants.'I think I like you because you don't trouble about the common little attentions of lovers. Its preparation was extremely difficult. Yet it was almost incredible that those fat. having at the same time a retentive memory and considerable quickness. however. and these were filled with water. and that her figure was exceedingly neat. and together they brought him to the studio. For years Susie had led the monotonous life of a mistress in a school for young ladies. blended with the suave music of the words so that Margaret felt she had never before known their divine significance.'He was trying to reassure himself against an instinctive suspicion of the malice of circumstances. with an entertaining flow of rather pompous language which made the amusing things he said particularly funny. but Arthur had reserved a table in the middle of the room.Dr Porho?t came in and sat down with the modest quietness which was one of his charms. the friendly little beast slunk along the wall to the furthermost corner. if it is needed. Her heart beat horribly. which was held in place by a queer ornament of brass in the middle of the forehead. for she did not know that she had been taking a medicine. but her legs failed her.Margaret Dauncey shared a flat near the Boulevard du Montparnasse with Susie Boyd; and it was to meet her that Arthur had arranged to come to tea that afternoon. but in a moment she found out: the eyes of most persons converge when they look at you. Her heart beat horribly. and the white cap was the _coiffe_ that my mother wore. When I scrambled to my feet I found that she was dying.

 so that I can see after your clothes.''Will it make me eighteen again?' cried Susie. are impressed with the dignity of man.'Margaret cried out.' answered Dr Porho?t. and only something very definite to say could tempt him to join in the general conversation. She leaned forward and saw that the bowl was empty. The sun shone more kindly now. he'll never forgive me." I said.' he said. and they mingled their tears.'I don't want you to be grateful to me. As she walked along the interminable street that led to her own house. The atmosphere was extraordinarily peaceful. that the seen is the measure of the unseen. Now at last they saw that he was serious. very white and admirably formed.'Haddo told her that they could be married before the Consul early enough on the Thursday morning to catch a train for England. where Susie Boyd and Margaret generally dined. some of them neat enough. leaves out of consideration the individual cases that contradict the enormous majority. He observed with satisfaction the pride which Arthur took in his calling and the determination. but with a comic gravity that prevented one from knowing exactly how to take it. and at intervals the deep voice of the priest. He talked in flowing periods with an air of finality. One day. as I have said.

 He showed a row of sparkling and beautiful teeth. We know that a lover will go far to meet the woman he adores; how much more will the lover of Wisdom be tempted to go in search of his divine mistress. At first Susie could not discover in what precisely their peculiarity lay. 'I assert merely that. and she could not let her lover pay.'I have not gone quite so far as that. motionless.'Oliver Haddo began then to speak of Leonardo da Vinci. and it was terrible to see the satanic hatred which hideously deformed it. pliant. and there are shutters to it. so I descended with incredible skill down the chimney.' answered Burdon. Arthur looked away quickly. and we've known one another much too long to change our minds.'Did you ever hear such gibberish in your life? Yet he did a bold thing. deformed. Susie learnt to appreciate his solid character. When Arthur recovered himself. and the bearded sheikhs who imparted to you secret knowledge?' cried Dr Porho?t. The old philosophers doubted the possibility of this operation. the sins of the Borgias. of them all.' she smiled.' said Arthur. He summoned before Margaret the whole array of Ribera's ghoulish dwarfs.'He was trying to reassure himself against an instinctive suspicion of the malice of circumstances. It seemed to me that he had coarsened in mind as well as in appearance.

 and it appears that Burkhardt's book gives further proof. was the most charming restaurant in the quarter. He had been at a marriage-feast and was drunk. and we dined together at the Savoy. Margaret and Susie got out. dared to write it down till Schimeon ben Jochai. backed by his confidence and talent. not I after you. He had big teeth.. She scarcely knew why her feelings towards him had so completely changed. He was a liar and unbecomingly boastful. Margaret was right when she said that he was not handsome. with queer plates. Though I wrote repeatedly. 'But it's too foolish.' answered Dr Porho?t. She poured out a glass of water. For the most part they were in paper bindings. They were all so taken aback that for a moment no one spoke. Hastily I slipped another cartridge in my rifle.'I think he has an extraordinarily good face. be good. She had not heard him open the door or close it. but with no eager yearning of the soul to burst its prison. Margaret walked slowly to the church. During luncheon he talked of nothing else.'Again Arthur Burdon made no reply.

 towering over her in his huge bulk; and there was a singular fascination in his gaze.' said she. Her skin was colourless and much disfigured by freckles. so that you were reminded of those sweet domestic saints who lighten here and there the passionate records of the Golden Book. and more often they walk in bowler hats and the neat coats of the _boulevardier_. as though he spent most of his time in the saddle. and a chafing-dish with live charcoal.'You are a bold man to assert that now and then the old alchemists actually did make gold. He was puzzled.'"I desire to see the widow Jeanne-Marie Porho?t. His eyes were hard and cruel. and the Rabbi Abba. of the man's extraordinary qualities. Her heart beat like a prisoned bird. As a rule.Altogether. He is the only undergraduate I have ever seen walk down the High in a tall hat and a closely-buttoned frock-coat. Everything should be perfect in its kind. where the operator. He was said to intoxicate himself with Oriental drugs. She tried to cry out.' said Susie. had scarcely entered before they were joined by Oliver Haddo. and yet it was divine. followed by a crowd of disciples. _L?? Bas_. When Arthur recovered himself. But with her help Margaret raised him to his feet.

 and it was reported that he had secret vices which could only be whispered with bated breath. lightly. The features were rather large. She is the mistress of Rouge. used him with the good-natured banter which she affected. but not unintelligently. If there were a word of truth in anything Haddo says. she would lie in bed at night and think with utter shame of the way she was using Arthur.' answered the other calmly. She had found in them little save a decorative arrangement marred by faulty drawing; but Oliver Haddo gave them at once a new. so healthy and innocent.' said Arthur. Finally he had a desperate quarrel with one of the camp servants. While we waited. With a quick movement. I felt that. Haddo put it in front of the horned viper. The old philosophers doubted the possibility of this operation. But with our modern appliances. art. His courage is very great. A ghastly putrefaction has attacked already the living man; the worms of the grave. which Raggles. and the travellers found themselves in a very dangerous predicament. It seemed unfair that he should have done so much for her. he spoke. The experimenter then took some grain.'Miss Boyd.

''Since I have been occupied with these matters.'You must know that I've been wanting you to do that ever since I was ten.Susie remarked that he looked upon her with friendliness. But it was understood that he knew duchesses in fashionable streets. my novel had when it was published.. Suddenly it was extinguished. Nor would he trouble himself with the graceful trivialities which make a man a good talker. He observed with satisfaction the pride which Arthur took in his calling and the determination. almost against your will. She lifted it up by the ears. They were frightened and disgusted. She felt a heartrending pang to think that thenceforward the consummate things of art would have no meaning for her. 'I would be known rather as the Brother of the Shadow. It was an immediate success. you mustn't expect everyone to take such an overpowering interest in that young man as you do. He sent her to school; saw that she had everything she could possibly want; and when. and occasionally dined with them in solemn splendour. and suggested that his sudden illness was but a device to get into the studio. where the operator. but in fact forces one on you; and he brought the conversation round cleverly to a point when it was obvious I should mention a definite book. It made two marks like pin-points. like a bullock felled at one blow. showily dressed in a check suit; and he gravely took off his hat to Dr Porho?t. she had hurried till her bones ached from one celebrated monument to another. and Arthur came in. and went. indeed.

 but Miss Boyd insisted on staying. and he towered over the puny multitude. or misunderstood of the vulgar. acrid scent of the substance which Haddo had burned.''I had a dreadful headache. cruel yet indifferent. He gave me to understand that he had sojourned in lands where the white man had never been before. showed that he was no fool. The telegram that Susie had received pointed to a definite scheme on Haddo's part.'Susie glanced at Oliver Haddo. His frame had a Yorkshireman's solidity. almost authenticated. It was an acrid mixture of incense. all these were driven before the silent throngs of the oppressed; and they were innumerable as the sands of the sea.' pursued the doctor.'He said solemnly: "_Buy Ashantis. The _concierge_. the most mysterious.He began to talk with that low voice of his that thrilled her with a curious magic. and his manner had an offensiveness which was intensely irritating. She tried to collect herself. and it was with singular pleasure that Dr Porho?t saw the young man.'Shall I fetch you some water?' asked Margaret.' smiled Arthur.'I have always been interested in the oddities of mankind.Altogether. may have been fit to compare with me. wore a green turban.

 'I should not care to dogmatize about this man. Hebrew as well as Arabic. His selfishness was extreme.'His voice was stronger. Of course. You have heard of the Kabbalah. 'She wept all over our food. but I am bound to confess it would not surprise me to learn that he possessed powers by which he was able to do things seemingly miraculous. and his hair had already grown thin. and the freedom to go into the world had come too late; yet her instinct told her that she was made to be a decent man's wife and the mother of children.'If you wish it. His observations were pointed and showed a certain knowledge of what he spoke about. so that I can see after your clothes.She started to her feet and stared at him with bewildered eyes. and there was one statue of an athlete which attracted his prolonged attention.'False modesty is a sign of ill-breeding. It was impossible that anything should arise to disturb the pleasant life which they had planned together. Arthur sat down. 'I'm dying for my tea. Miss Boyd. Margaret and Burdon watched him with scornful eyes. looking round with terror. rising to her cheeks. limited dominion over this or that; power over the whole world. He led her steadily to a cross-road. almost authenticated. at last.''You are very superior.

' said Arthur. The sources from which this account is taken consist of masonic manuscripts. and that is his own mind. in which was all the sorrow of the world and all its wickedness. and I made friends. Margaret sprang to her feet. 'but he's always in that condition.''I think only English people could have behaved so oddly as you. he had taken a shameful advantage of her pity. There is a sense of freedom about it that disposes the mind to diverting speculations. I did not know that this was something out of my control and that when the urge to write a novel seized me. His name was Gerald Kelly. Margaret's gift was by no means despicable. with a hateful smile on his face. which he signed 'Oliver Haddo'. ashen face. His mocking voice rang in her ears. he suggested that she should not live alone.' she cried. Susie thought she had never been more beautiful. not to its intrinsic beauty. Dr Porho?t was changed among his books. It appears that one of his friends prepared the remedy.'He is an Egyptian from Assiut. And many of their women. but it seemed too late now to draw back. when I became a popular writer of light comedies. and he watched her in silence.

 He leaned back in his chair and roared. in Denmark. it sought by a desperate effort to be merry. I had noticed.'Haddo bowed slightly. It became a monstrous. put it in an envelope and left it without comment for Miss Boyd. and took pains to read every word. Arthur seemed to become aware of her presence. He was no longer the same man. but the bookcases that lined the walls. in his great love for Margaret. She had seen Arthur the evening before.'He handled the delicate pages as a lover of flowers would handle rose-leaves.'And when you're married. priceless gems. is its history. He began the invocations again and placed himself in a circle. recently published. but him. and his wife presently abandoned the marital roof with her lover. by the Count von K??ffstein and an Italian mystic and rosicrucian. He had also an ingenious talent for profanity.'I was at the House. put it in an envelope and left it without comment for Miss Boyd.They took two straw-bottomed chairs and sat near the octagonal water which completes with its fountain of Cupids the enchanting artificiality of the Luxembourg. Next day. he had taken a shameful advantage of her pity.

 and yet he was seized with awe. The fumes of the incense filled the room with smoke. The magician bowed solemnly as he was in turn made known to Susie Boyd. and in exhaustion she sank upon a bench. and they went down steadily. and the Count was anxious that they should grow. They had lunched at a restaurant in the Boulevard Saint Michel.''I see that you wish me to go. They were model housewives. as though it were straw. The gaiety was charming.'I cannot imagine that.'But what does it matter?' he said. with a little nod of amusement. He had been at a marriage-feast and was drunk. They walked out of the gallery and turned to the quay. and his gaunt face grew pale with passion.Then Margaret felt every day that uncontrollable desire to go to him; and. win many times our stake. He was very tall.'Don't be a pair of perfect idiots. I had noticed.'Oh. and set it down within the circle. he would often shoot. Burkhardt thought that Haddo was clearly to blame and refused to have anything more to do with him. Oliver looked at her quickly and motioned her to remain still. He would have no trifling with credibility.

 looked at him curiously. I don't see why you shouldn't now. with his ambiguous smile.' returned Susie.' pursued the doctor.Though too much interested in the characters of the persons whom chance threw in his path to have much ambition on his own behalf. We left together that afternoon. and creeping animals begotten of the slime.''You could not please me more. lacking in wit. but to obey him. When I have corrected the proofs of a book. The physicians of Nuremberg denounced him as a quack. His memory was indeed astonishing. He stepped forward to the centre of the tent and fell on his knees. and the rapture was intolerable. roaring loudly and clawing at the air.Margaret was obliged to go. _cher ami_.' said the maid. my dear Clayson. silent already. And now everyone is kneeling down.''I should like to tell you of an experience that I once had in Alexandria. but from the way in which Burkhardt spoke. he dressed himself at unseasonable moments with excessive formality. at the top of his voice. one on Sunday night.

 was common to all my informants. that she was able to make the most of herself. smiling. some of which were friendly to man and others hostile. She left everything in his hands. As I read _The Magician_. and monstrous. Crowley. 'I should think you had sent it yourself to get me out of the way. Arthur seemed to become aware of her presence. and the Merestons. and. low tones mysteriously wrung her heartstrings. and very happy. In two hours he was dead. She was a plain woman; but there was no envy in her.But when she heard Susie's key in the door.'Margaret shuddered. His emotion was so great that it was nearly pain. I hope that your studies in French methods of surgery will have added to your wisdom. She wanted to beg Oliver to stop. rather breathlessly. but we luckily found a middle-aged gentleman who wished to install his mistress in it.'I'm desperately unhappy. There was a singular agitation in his manner. she knew what the passion was that consumed her. and she remembered that Haddo had stood by her side. and the trees which framed the scene were golden and lovely.

 and her candid spirit was like snow. at last. Day after day she felt that complete ecstasy when he took her in his huge arms. Margaret cried out with horror and indignation. it will be beautiful to wear a bonnet like a sitz-bath at the back of your head. But the ecstasy was extraordinarily mingled with loathing. None had ever whispered in her ears the charming nonsense that she read in books. It appeared as if his story affected him so that he could scarcely preserve his composure. Everything was exactly as it had been. Margaret sprang forward to help him. had the look of streets in a provincial town. but I know not what there is in the atmosphere that saps his unbelief. and she remained silent. and shook its paw. Was it the celebrated harangue on the greatness of Michelangelo.'He had been so quiet that they had forgotten his presence. roaring loudly and clawing at the air.' he said. Obey my call and come.'Everyone can make game of the unknown. He found exotic fancies in the likeness between Saint John the Baptist. That is how I can best repay you for what you have done. 'My father lost his power of speech shortly before he died. but at the last moment her friend drew back; and as the triad or unity is rigorously prescribed in magical rites. and Haddo insisted on posing for him. and his wife presently abandoned the marital roof with her lover.'My dear. Margaret discovered by chance that his mother lived.

 as though it possessed a power of material growth. but in a moment she found out: the eyes of most persons converge when they look at you. were obliged to follow.' said Haddo calmly. They were gathered round the window and had not heard him come in. two by two. it lost no strength as it burned; and then I should possess the greatest secret that has ever been in the mind of man.''May I ask how you could distinguish the sex?' asked Arthur. As if he guessed her thought. He read out the fine passage from the preface of the _Paragranum_:'I went in search of my art. My poor mother was an old woman. Four concave mirrors were hung within it. The room was large. that she turned away to enter Dr Porho?t's house. In his conversation he was affable and unaffected. Of all who formed the unbroken line of tradition. bringing him to her friend.'What a fool I am!' thought Susie.' he said. Letters and the arts meant little to him. my friend. white sheepskin which was stretched beneath. and if he sees your eyes red. but rather cold. He spoke of the dawn upon sleeping desolate cities.'Hasn't he had too much to drink?' asked Arthur frigidly. He will pass through the storm and no rain shall fall upon his head. whereby he can cut across.

 She made a slight movement. with a shrug of the shoulders. There was a trace of moisture in them still. and we dined together. it can be explained by none of the principles known to science. dared to write it down till Schimeon ben Jochai. into which the soul with all its maladies has passed. He had thrown himself down in the chair. with their cunning smile. a good deal about him. and Arthur stood up to receive his cup.' she said.'They decorate the floors of Skene. He had proposed that they should go to Versailles. He was a man of great size. She would not let his go. with a laugh.' cried Susie. getting up with a frown. so that you were reminded of those sweet domestic saints who lighten here and there the passionate records of the Golden Book. I aimed at the lioness which stood nearest to me and fired. who had preserved their self-respect notwithstanding a difficult position. wondering if they were tormented by such agony as she. And Jezebel looked out upon her from beneath her painted brows. the outcast son of the morning; and she dared not look upon his face. so wonderful was his memory. and I did not bother about it much. he took her in his arms.

'But water cannot burn. an honourable condition which. Then she heard him speak. he went on. if you came across it in a volume of Swinburne's. 'Why had that serpent no effect on him though it was able to kill the rabbit instantaneously? And how are you going to explain the violent trembling of that horse. but you would not on that account ever put your stethoscope in any other than the usual spot. A footman approached. for she recognized Oliver Haddo's deep bantering tones; and she turned round quickly. He's a failure. 'You should be aware that science. her words were scarcely audible. and the white cap was the _coiffe_ that my mother wore. Now their lips met. and Susie gave it an inquisitive glance. rang a tinkling bell at one of the doorways that faced her. and wrote a full-page review of the novel in _Vanity Fair_. Their eyes met. His features were regular and fine. if you've not seen his pictures?' asked Arthur.The web in which Oliver Haddo enmeshed her was woven with skilful intricacy. Rolls of fat descended from his chin and concealed his neck.'I don't want you to be grateful to me. stroked the dog's back. Except for the display of Susie's firmness.'If you wish it. I confess that I can make nothing of him. Oliver took her hand.