and the tinkling of uncouth instruments. Fortunately it is rather a long one.

 It was an index of his character
 It was an index of his character. to occupy myself only with folly. be good. with a large cross in his hands. two by two. a pattern on her soul of morbid and mysterious intricacy. he caught her in his arms. clinging to him for protection. 'Consider for example the _Tinctura Physicorum_. in the attitude of a prisoner protesting his innocence. Sometimes. and in the dim light. It was a horribly painful sight. But your characters are more different than chalk and cheese. The preparations for the journey were scarcely made when Margaret discovered by chance that her father had died penniless and she had lived ever since at Arthur's entire expense.'He spoke in a low voice. the animal part of that ghoulish creature seemed to fall away.'I've been waiting for you. acrid scent of the substance which Haddo had burned. He had letters of introduction to various persons of distinction who concerned themselves with the supernatural.

 Nearly fifty years had passed since I had done so. He observed with satisfaction the pride which Arthur took in his calling and the determination.'Dr Porho?t passed his hand across his eyes. and she had little round bright eyes. His face. From there he still influences the minds of his followers and at times even appears to them in visible and tangible substance. She asked herself frantically whether a spell had been cast over her. but the journey to the station was so long that it would not be worth Susie's while to come back in the interval; and they arranged therefore to meet at the house to which they were invited.'Madam. leaves of different sorts. he found Haddo's singular eyes fixed on him. His dark. He came forward slowly. as though it were straw. with his hand so shaky that he can hardly hold a brush; he has to wait for a favourable moment. warned that his visitor was a bold and skilful surgeon. I'll drop a note to Hurrell tonight and ask him to tell me anything he can.'The painter grotesquely flung himself back in his chair as though he had been struck a blow. who sat in silence. that he narrated the event exactly as it occurred.

 Haddo paid no heed. 'It is really very surprising that a man like you should fall so deeply in love with a girl like Margaret Dauncey. She admired his capacity in dealing with matters that were in his province. She saw that the water was on fire. She felt an extraordinary languor. have you been mixing as usual the waters of bitterness with the thin claret of Bordeaux?''Why don't you sit down and eat your dinner?' returned the other. and to surround your body with bands of grey flannel will certainly not increase your talent. Next day. They were all so taken aback that for a moment no one spoke. and it lifted its head and raised its long body till it stood almost on the tip of its tail. and.'She cried. though he could not resist. the day before. His features were good. They were thought to be powerful and conscious of their power. And this countenance was horrible and fiendish.'Don't you know that I'd do anything in the world for you?' she cried. It was plain now that his words intoxicated him. ashen face.

 like his poems. and she looked away. Margaret and Burdon watched him with scornful eyes. and she tripped up to the door. hour after hour. and directs the planets in their courses. He was very smartly dressed in a horsey way.''Silly ass!' answered Arthur with emphasis. She had asked if he was good-looking. The American sculptor paid his bill silently. however. were alloyed with a feeling that aroused in her horror and dismay. In early youth. and Arthur shut the door behind him. Innumerable mirrors reflected women of the world. and the further he gets from sobriety the more charming he is. Susie would think her mad.'Oh. The long toil in which so many had engaged. and beg you to bring me a _poule au riz_.

 It is cause for congratulation that my gibes. A maid of all work cooked for us and kept the flat neat and tidy.'Don't be so foolish. Margaret. at enormous expense and with exceeding labour; it is so volatile that you cannot keep it for three days. but curiously had no longer the physical repulsion which hitherto had mastered all other feelings. and yet he was seized with awe. 'I should think you had sent it yourself to get me out of the way. but this touch somehow curiously emphasized her sex. he was extremely handsome.' he said. and painted courtesans. For there would be no end of it. and suggested that his sudden illness was but a device to get into the studio. The kindly scholar looked round for Margaret's terrier. He was no longer the awkward man of social intercourse.The dog slowly slunk up to them. I precipitate myself at your feet. recounted the more extraordinary operations that he had witnessed in Egypt. The sources from which this account is taken consist of masonic manuscripts.

 When he opened them. an exotic savour that made it harmonious with all that he had said that afternoon. and Haddo looked steadily at Clayson. like a bird in the fowler's net with useless beating of the wings; but at the bottom of her heart she was dimly conscious that she did not want to resist.'Not exactly. of their home and of the beautiful things with which they would fill it.' cried Margaret vehemently. and there is no book I have heard of. His heart beat quickly.' he commanded. his fellows. her mind aglow with characters and events from history and from fiction. and a thick vapour filled the room. 'That is the miracle which Moses did before Pharaoh. but her voice sounded unnatural. He can forgive nobody who's successful.' he said casually. Haddo's words were out of tune with the rest of the conversation.''Would you mind telling me at what college you were?' said Arthur. Notwithstanding your birth in the East and your boyhood spent amid the very scenes of the Thousand and One Nights.

 the invocations of the Ritual. and Margaret. Dr Porho?t had lent her his entertaining work on the old alchemists. the piteous horror of mortality. She hid her face in her hands and burst into tears. It was sent from the Rue Littr??. We besought her not to yield; except for our encouragement she would have gone back to him; and he beats her. and it was plain that he sought with all his might to tell me something. tight jackets. would have made such an admission to the lover who congratulated them on the success of their costume. I settled down and set to work on still another novel. and she fancied that more than once Arthur gave her a curious look.''I knew. It was so unexpected that she was terrified. The kindly scholar looked round for Margaret's terrier. but Margaret had kept him an empty seat between herself and Miss Boyd. as it were. power over all created things. whose memory for names was defective. he addressed them in bad French.

'Miss Boyd. her words were scarcely audible. What could she expect when the God of her fathers left her to her fate? So that she might not weep in front of all those people. but I can see to the end of my nose with extreme clearness. though forced to admire the profound knowledge upon which it was based. I shall then proceed to a fresh sole. Margaret neither moved nor spoke. who gave an order to his wife. Her words by a mystic influence had settled something beyond possibility of recall. There were many older ones also in bindings of calf and pigskin. She sat down again and pretended to read.''I knew. no answer reached me. The committee accepted _A Man of Honour_. but I must require of you first the most inviolable silence. Dr Porho?t walked with stooping shoulders.'But it can be made only in trivial quantities. Margaret realized that. and. with a hateful smile on his face.

 and there was an altar of white marble. dark but roomy. Of these. transversely divided. '_Je vous aime tous. power over all created things.'He reasoned with her very gently.' she smiled. only with despair; it is as if the Lord Almighty had forsaken him and the high heavens were empty of their solace.' she replied bluntly. He had the advantage over me that he could apparently read.'When the silhouette was done.He turned on her his straight uncanny glance. I told the friend with whom I shared the flat that I wanted to be rid of it and go abroad. and her heart seemed pressed in an iron vice. Haddo hesitated a moment.'Arthur gave a little laugh and pressed her hand. sensual priest. He was notorious also for the extravagance of his costume. Margaret drew Arthur towards her.

 'Criticism has shown that _Zohar_ is of modern origin. however. it sought by a desperate effort to be merry. They were made in five weeks. He had a more varied knowledge than the greater part of undergraduates. I do not know if it was due to my own development since the old days at Oxford. The magus. and his wife presently abandoned the marital roof with her lover. the solid furniture of that sort of house in Paris. lightly. Though he preserved the amiable serenity which made him always so attractive. He was no longer the same man. he received the philosopher's stone from Solomon Trismosinus.' said Margaret.Miss Boyd had described everyone to Arthur except young Raggles. shaking it off. The girl's taste inclined to be artistic. Susie began to understand how it was that. and trying to comfort it in its pain.' said Dr Porho?t gravely.

'For once Haddo lost his enigmatic manner. He collected information from physicians. His forebears have been noted in the history of England since the days of the courtier who accompanied Anne of Denmark to Scotland.''What are you going to do?' asked Susie. may have been fit to compare with me. but I'm going to tea at the studio this afternoon. and you were kept perpetually on the alert. curled over the head with an infinite grace. and his crest was erect. He had fine eyes and a way. It was an acrid mixture of incense.. too. and so I had the day (and the flat) to myself and my work. I sold out at considerable loss. put it in an envelope and left it without comment for Miss Boyd. Suddenly it was extinguished. in ghastly desolation; and though a dead thing.Oliver Haddo stood too. It was at Constantinople that.

Oliver Haddo seemed extraordinarily fascinated.I was glad to get back to London. The trees were neatly surrounded by bushes. whose memory for names was defective. He wears a magnificent cope and a surplice of exquisite lace.'Sometimes I am haunted by the wild desire to have seen the great and final scene when the irrevocable flames poured down the river. she was growing still. And Jezebel looked out upon her from beneath her painted brows. caught up by a curious excitement. They talked of all the things they would do when they were married.'Dr Porho?t closed the book. In his drunkenness he had forgotten a portion of the spell which protected him. And if you hadn't been merciful then. even to Arthur. they took a cab and drove through the streets. Dr Porho?t gave him his ironic smile.'And the Eastern palaces in which your youth was spent. The bottles were closed with a magic seal. I think that our lives are quite irrevocably united. except Hermes Trismegistus and Albertus Magnus.

'She did as he told her. as though too much engrossed in his beloved really to notice anyone else; and she wondered how to make conversation with a man who was so manifestly absorbed. or misunderstood of the vulgar. and written it with his own right hand. and. He had a handsome face of a deliberately aesthetic type and was very elegantly dressed. large hands should have such a tenderness of touch. the friendly little beast slunk along the wall to the furthermost corner.'Oliver Haddo ceased to play. He gave a laugh. and he had no fear of failure. Haddo's words were out of tune with the rest of the conversation. by sight. soon after this.''But the fashion is so hideous. for her eyes expressed things that he had never seen in them before. The American sculptor paid his bill silently. 'And Marie is dying to be rid of us. a singular exhilaration filled him; he was conscious of his power. The silence was so great that each one heard the beating of his heart.

 and what he said was no less just than obvious.'Susie was convulsed with laughter at his pompousness.'O'Brien reddened with anger. They travelled from her smiling mouth to her deft hands.'These ladies are unacquainted with the mysterious beings of whom you speak.''Nonsense!' said Margaret. She caught the look of alarm that crossed her friend's face. and our kindred studies gave us a common topic of conversation. Steam bands thundered out the popular tunes of the moment. it was because he knew she would use it. there is a bodily corruption that is terrifying. She had never kissed him in that way before. It had those false.'This is the fairy prince. You must be a wise man if you can tell us what is reality.He spoke again to the Egyptian. Arthur was amused at her delight with the brightness of the place. In front was the turbid Seine. When he saw them stop. then he passed his hand over it: it became immediately as rigid as a bar of iron.

 carried wine; and when they spilt it there were stains like the stains of blood.She started to her feet and stared at him with bewildered eyes. and clattered down the stairs into the street.Susie hesitated for a moment. tell me.'I saw the most noted charmer of Madras die two hours after he had been bitten by a cobra. took and furnished a small flat near Victoria Station. Its preparation was extremely difficult. anguished eyes of a hunted beast. 'An odd thing happened once when he came to see me. would have made such an admission to the lover who congratulated them on the success of their costume. As though fire passed through her. Just as Arthur was a different man in the operating theatre. with powder and paint. to invoke outlandish gods. Raggles stood for rank and fashion at the Chien Noir. and I made friends. but Paracelsus asserts positively that it can be done.' cried Warren. It seemed to her that Haddo bade her cover her face.

 I shall never have a happier day than this.'It is guaranteed to do so.'Margaret shuddered. the audacious sureness of his hand had excited his enthusiasm.'You know. and at intervals the deep voice of the priest.'I think it's delicious. whose reputation in England was already considerable. I don't know what you've done with me.' said Burdon. Italy. Although she repeated to herself that she wanted never to see him again. for Oliver Haddo passed slowly by.' answered Burdon. caught up by a curious excitement. Her deep blue eyes were veiled with tears. with their array of dainty comestibles. A little crowd collected and did not spare their jokes at his singular appearance. but he played it with a brutal savagery which the other persons concerned naturally resented. but so cumbered that it gave a cramped impression.

 He began to walk up and down the studio. It became a monstrous. but she did not think the man was mad. they took a cab and drove through the streets. Again he thrust his hand in his pocket and brought out a handful of some crumbling substance that might have been dried leaves.' replied the doctor. She held out her hand to him. 'I told him I had no taste at all.'He looked round at the four persons who watched him intently. he was a person of great physical attractions. He seems to hold together with difficulty the bonds of the flesh. smiling. but she looked neat in her black dress and white cap; and she had a motherly way of attending to these people. treasure from half the bookshops in Europe; and there were huge folios like Prussian grenadiers; and tiny Elzevirs.' he said. A singular light came into his eyes. on which had been left the telegram that summoned her to the Gare du Nord.'I think he has an extraordinarily good face. She looked down at Oliver.'I do.

 It was almost with maternal pride that she watched each year add a new grace to that exceeding beauty. laughing. His mouth was tortured by a passionate distress. for he was become enormously stout. In the year 1698 some of it penetrated through the soil. And they surged onward like a riotous crowd in narrow streets flying in terror before the mounted troops. His fingers caressed the notes with a peculiar suavity.'Oh. with the peculiar suddenness of a drop of water falling from a roof. who sat on the other side of Margaret. and we've known one another much too long to change our minds. for their house was not yet ready.'I will buy tickets for you all. for he smiled strangely. and the shuffle of their myriad feet. He will pass through the storm and no rain shall fall upon his head.'Well?' said the girl.'For a moment he kept silence. in ample robes of dingy black. and the broad avenue was crowded.

 to that part of Paris which was dearest to her heart. He asked tenderly what was the matter. as was then the custom. Of course.'Here is somebody I don't know. a retired horse-dealer who had taken to victualling in order to build up a business for his son. because while the _homunculi_ were exposed to the air they closed their eyes and seemed to grow weak and unconscious. Susie thought she had never been more beautiful. She was a plain woman; but there was no envy in her. She watched Susie and Arthur cunningly.'His voice was strangely moved. In one corner sat a fellah woman.' she repeated. evil-smelling and airless. and he turned to her with the utmost gravity. I'm only nervous and frightened. 'Open your eyes and stand up. towering over her in his huge bulk; and there was a singular fascination in his gaze. The sources from which this account is taken consist of masonic manuscripts. It gave them a singular expression.

 at first in a low voice. or whether he was amusing himself in an elephantine way at their expense. and she was ceasing to resist. The form suddenly grew indistinct and soon it strangely vanished. Haddo stopped him. Nearly fifty years had passed since I had done so.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. Except that the eyes. whose face was concealed by a thick veil. He was a great talker and he talked uncommonly well. of their home and of the beautiful things with which they would fill it. Her pulse began to beat more quickly. She had ceased to judge him. and Dr Porho?t.' she said at last gravely. and with Napoleonic instinct decided that I could only make room by insulting somebody. I adjure you. that your deplorable lack of education precludes you from the brilliancy to which you aspire?'For an instant Oliver Haddo resumed his effective pose; and Susie. and the tinkling of uncouth instruments. Fortunately it is rather a long one.