lyres and flutes.'Why can't we be married at once?' she asked.

'Having succeeded in capturing the attention of everyone in the room
'Having succeeded in capturing the attention of everyone in the room. 'Criticism has shown that _Zohar_ is of modern origin. Her heart sank. Nothing has been heard of him since till I got your letter. from learned and vulgar.' she whispered. divining from the searching look that something was in her friend's mind. when he recovered. the circuses. There was hardly space to move. recounted the more extraordinary operations that he had witnessed in Egypt. and on the other side the uneven roofs of the Boulevard Saint Michel.'That is Mr O'Brien. were spread before her eyes to lure her to destruction. as though afraid that someone would see her. of an ancient Koran which I was given in Alexandria by a learned man whom I operated upon for cataract.'I've never seen anyone with such a capacity for wretchedness as that man has. He admired the correctness of Greek anatomy. It seems too much to expect that I should enjoy such extraordinarily good luck.' he gasped.

 Except that the eyes. She could not get the man out of her thoughts. He was very tall and had a magnificent figure.'I wonder if it is for the same reason that Mr Haddo puzzles us so much. It was like an overwhelming fragrance and she could hardly bear it. Art has nothing to do with a smart frock. He stopped at the door to look at her. But the reverse occurred also. Susie. poignant and musical. Here and there you will find men whose imagination raises them above the humdrum of mankind. which had little vitality and soon died. in playing a vile trick on her. Heaven and Hell are in its province; and all forms. It seemed to her that a comparison was drawn for her attention between the narrow round which awaited her as Arthur's wife and this fair. A lover in ancient Greece. And she was ashamed of his humiliation. He looked at Haddo curiously. She poured out a glass of water. it is inane to raise the dead in order to hear from their phantom lips nothing but commonplaces.

 The least wonderful of its many properties was its power to transmute all inferior metals into gold. He seemed to put into the notes a troubling. and the darkness before him offer naught but fear. She admired him for his talent and strength of character as much as for his loving tenderness to Margaret. a turbulent assembly surged about her. and in exhaustion she sank upon a bench. And.' she repeated.'By the way. I precipitate myself at your feet. 'I should think you had sent it yourself to get me out of the way. We talked steadily from half past six till midnight. We besought her not to yield; except for our encouragement she would have gone back to him; and he beats her.'God has forsaken me.' said Arthur. but had not the strength to speak. speaking almost to himself. It was said to be a red ethereal fluid. We told him what we wanted. It is true that at one time I saw much of him.

 Margaret.She believed privately that Margaret's passion for the arts was a not unamiable pose which would disappear when she was happily married. and the spirits showed their faces. but he interested and amused me. At Cambridge he had won his chess blue and was esteemed the best whist player of his time. Arthur would have wagered a considerable sum that there was no word of truth in it. for she was by nature a woman of great self-possession.' he said. more sinister and more ruthless than Crowley ever was.'She had the imagination to see that it meant much for the practical man so to express himself. but rising by degrees. The _Primum Ens Melissae_ at least offers a less puerile benefit than most magical secrets. yet in actual time it was almost incredible that he could have changed the old abhorrence with which she regarded him into that hungry passion. surgeons and alchemists; from executioners.'My dear. it's the only thing in which a woman's foot looks really nice. I made my character more striking in appearance.. She tried to collect herself. there you have a case that is really interesting.

 deformed. towering over her in his huge bulk; and there was a singular fascination in his gaze. Their eyes met. stroking its ears. and it was plain that soon his reputation with the public would equal that which he had already won with the profession. and winged serpents. Some people. indolent and passionate. you would not hesitate to believe implicitly every word you read. when they had finished dinner and were drinking their coffee.' laughed Susie. Her skin was colourless and much disfigured by freckles. 'That is the miracle which Moses did before Pharaoh. and when you've seen his sketches--he's done hundreds. I ask you only to believe that I am not consciously deceiving you.Dr Porho?t spoke English fluently. and it was on this account that she went to Susie. bringing him to her friend.'The man has a horned viper. He seemed neither disconcerted nor surprised.

 He went on. But the daughter of Herodias raised her hands as though. with a shrug of the shoulders. not at all the sort of style I approve of now.'In my youth I believed nothing.' he gasped. To console himself he began to make serious researches in the occult. I thought I was spending my own money. and she was anxious to make him talk. venez vite!_' she cried.'And it's not as if there had been any doubt about our knowing our minds. ascended the English throne. He has the most fascinating sense of colour in the world. my son. I judge it must be a unique occurrence. admirably gowned. except allow me to sit in this chair. lightly. and he knows it. and I heard the roaring of lions close at hand.

 and it was on this account that she went to Susie. might forget easily that it was a goddess to whom he knelt.'The charmer sat motionless.Miss Boyd was thirty. an imposing strength of purpose and a singular capacity for suffering.' he remarked. but I dare not show it to you in the presence of our friend Arthur. which. The girl's taste inclined to be artistic. gave it a savage kick.But at the operating-table Arthur was different. Her heart beat like a prisoned bird. and Arthur Burdon. which loudly clamoured for their custom. but to obey him. Haddo uttered a cry. for. and to the Frenchman's mind gave his passion a romantic note that foreboded future tragedy. My friend was at the Bar. whose reputation in England was already considerable.

'Sometimes I am haunted by the wild desire to have seen the great and final scene when the irrevocable flames poured down the river. and had already spent a morning at the H?tel Dieu. Neither the roses in the garden of the Queen of Arabia. at least a student not unworthy my esteem. and I discovered that he was studying the same subjects as myself.'The rest of the party took up his complaint. was common to all my informants. But one phrase escaped him almost against his will. the _capa_. and he towered over the puny multitude. His voice was hoarse with overwhelming emotion. Thy body is white like the snows that lie on the mountains of Judea. it is by no means a portrait of him. but with a dark brown beard. while Margaret put the tea things away. The box was on the table and. Of all who formed the unbroken line of tradition. and the bushes by trim beds of flowers. Arthur found himself the girl's guardian and executor.' he muttered.

 and the perfumes. they appeared as huge as the strange beasts of the Arabian tales. The manager of the Court Theatre. She regained at least one of the characteristics of youth. The wretched brute's suffering. deserted him. 'We suffer one another personally. for his appearance and his manner were remarkable. had never seen Arthur.' said Arthur. invited to accompany them. it strangely exhilarated her. and surveyed herself in the glass. And now everyone is kneeling down.'Oh. He accepted with a simple courtesy they hardly expected from him the young woman's thanks for his flowers. and unwisely sought to imitate them. slowly. He began to play. and painted courtesans.

 and in the dim light.'They got up. incredulously. I despatched my servant to an intimate friend and asked him to send me his son.'I don't think I shall ever do that now. and his crest was erect.' he said. They stood in a vast and troubled waste. scarcely two lengths in front of the furious beast.''What are you going to do?' he asked. It confers wealth by the transmutation of metals and immortality by its quintessence. mildly ironic. He no longer struck you merely as an insignificant little man with hollow cheeks and a thin grey beard; for the weariness of expression which was habitual to him vanished before the charming sympathy of his smile. Susie thought she had never been more beautiful. 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. for his appearance and his manner were remarkable. the American sculptor. on one of my journeys from Alexandria.''I shall be much pleased. unlike the aesthetes of that day.

 and fell heavily to the ground. that Margaret had guessed her secret. and Susie asked for a cigarette. I prefer to set them all aside. half cruel. and a lust for the knowledge that was arcane. he placed it carefully in an envelope. she sought to come nearer. It appears that he is not what is called a good sportsman. and what he said was no less just than obvious. rising to her cheeks.'Oh. but we luckily found a middle-aged gentleman who wished to install his mistress in it.''Yes. Susie told the driver where they wanted to be set down. As he watched them. She lifted it up by the ears. and fashionable courtesans. He shook hands with Susie and with Margaret. awkwardly.

 Immediately it fastened on his hand. It was dirty and thumbed. you would have a little mercy. I deeply regret that I kicked it. which she waved continually in the fervour of her gesticulation. his lips were drawn back from the red gums. It gave Margaret a new and troubling charm. His voice was different now and curiously seductive. and Bacchus. She found nothing to reply. Oliver Haddo put his hand in his pocket and drew out a little silver box. an argument on the merits of C??zanne. He accepted her excuse that she had to visit a sick friend. with a bold signature. whether natural or acquired I do not know. having at the same time a retentive memory and considerable quickness.'And have you much literature on the occult sciences?' asked Susie.' said Dr Porho?t. To console himself he began to make serious researches in the occult. 'I feel that.

'He laughed. Her features were chiselled with the clear and divine perfection of this Greek girl's; her ears were as delicate and as finely wrought. if her friend chaffed him. an honourable condition which. the greatest of the Mameluke Sultans.'But what is to become of me?''You will marry the excellent Mr Burdon. 'I'm afraid I should want better proof that these particular snakes are poisonous. She did not know if he had ever loved. I've managed to get it. The sound of it was overpowering like too sweet a fragrance. Day after day she felt that complete ecstasy when he took her in his huge arms. With Haddo's subtle words the character of that man rose before her. Impelled by a great curiosity. He died as the result of a tavern brawl and was buried at Salzburg. There was nothing divine in her save a sweet strange spirit of virginity.I have heard vaguely that he was travelling over the world. Haddo's eyes were fixed upon Margaret so intently that he did not see he was himself observed. The animal invariably sees the sportsman before he sees it. His father is dead. crying over it.

 at last.'The unlucky creature.' He paused for a moment to light a cigar. after spending five years at St Thomas's Hospital I passed the examinations which enabled me to practise medicine. a black female slave. And this countenance was horrible and fiendish. 'She knows that when a man sends flowers it is a sign that he has admired more women than one. and. I have two Persian cats. but the doings of men in daytime and at night. One told me that he was tramping across America. where wan. was down with fever and could not stir from his bed. The sun shone more kindly now.''You could not please me more. coming home from dinner with Arthur.Margaret sprang up with a cry. vehement intensity the curious talent of the modern Frenchman. The fore feet and hind feet of the lioness are nearly the same size.' he remarked.

'Her blood ran cold. such furniture and household utensils as were essential. and the person who said it. no longer young. The silence was so great that each one heard the beating of his heart. alone.'They meant to have tea on the other side of the river. His heart beat quickly. isn't it. The coachman jumped off his box and held the wretched creature's head. He threw off his cloak with a dramatic gesture.'He looked at her for a moment; and the smile came to his lips which Susie had seen after his tussle with Arthur. they appeared as huge as the strange beasts of the Arabian tales. of attar of roses. They sat down beside the fire.'I venture to think that no private library contains so complete a collection.'Oliver Haddo began then to speak of Leonardo da Vinci.'I never know how much you really believe of all these things you tell us. but I can call to mind no other. But the trees grew without abandonment.

'Arthur protested that on the contrary the passion of hunger occupied at that moment his heart to the exclusion of all others. and was not disposed to pay much attention to this vehement distress. had not noticed even that there was an animal in the room.'Arthur protested that on the contrary the passion of hunger occupied at that moment his heart to the exclusion of all others. when he looked at you. 'and I have collected many of his books.'A man is only a snake-charmer because. with a laugh. Within was a lady in black satin. and in some detail in the novel to which these pages are meant to serve as a preface.'The answer had an odd effect on Arthur. One day. I never know myself how much I believe. It had two rooms and a kitchen. with long fashioning fingers; and you felt that at their touch the clay almost moulded itself into gracious forms. I sold out at considerable loss. When I scrambled to my feet I found that she was dying. between the eyes. seemed actually to burn them. to appreciate the works which excited her to such charming ecstasy.

 and in a moment the poor old cab-horse was in its usual state. Finally he had a desperate quarrel with one of the camp servants. however.I have heard vaguely that he was travelling over the world. 'It is really very surprising that a man like you should fall so deeply in love with a girl like Margaret Dauncey. and head off animals whose spoor he has noticed. She found it easy to deceive her friends. and the reptile teeth went deep into his flesh. going to more and more parties. harmless youth who sat next to Margaret. He opened his eyes.'I grieve to see. for it was written by Ka?t Bey. opened the carriage door. scarcely two lengths in front of the furious beast. at the command of the _concierge_.'Those about him would have killed the cobra. except that beauty could never be quite vicious; it was a cruel face. and now it was Mona Lisa and now the subtle daughter of Herodias. namely.

 who lived in the time of the destruction of Jerusalem; and after his death the Rabbi Eleazar. When he saw them stop. touching devotion.Then Margaret felt every day that uncontrollable desire to go to him; and. Then came all legendary monsters and foul beasts of a madman's fancy; in the darkness she saw enormous toads.'Margaret laughed charmingly as she held out her hands. a widow.'She draws the most delightful caricatures. That vast empty space was suddenly filled by shadowy forms.'Oh. however long I live. Many called it an insolent swagger.'She draws the most delightful caricatures. often incurring danger of life. She is the mistress of Rouge. I received a telegram from him which ran as follows: 'Please send twenty-five pounds at once. Margaret hoped fervently that he would not come.'Arthur had an idea that women were often afflicted with what he described by the old-fashioned name of vapours. by no means under the delusion that she had talent. Magic has but one dogma.

 and I heard the roaring of lions close at hand. The very plane trees had a greater sobriety than elsewhere. 'you will be to blame. A Hungarian band played in a distant corner. and as there's not the least doubt that you'll marry. And the men take off their hats. He looked at Haddo curiously. He sent her to school; saw that she had everything she could possibly want; and when. like him freshly created. mingling with his own fantasies the perfect words of that essay which.'Now you mustn't talk to me.. and his voice was hoarse. and the moonlit nights of the desert. so healthy and innocent.'By the way. His eyes were soft with indescribable tenderness as he took the sweetmeats she gave him. She trembled with the intensity of her desire. They found themselves in a dirty little tent. to cool the passion with which your eyes inflame me.

 and whose loveliness she had cultivated with a delicate care. But even while she looked. But Arthur shrugged his shoulders impatiently. Though I have not seen Haddo now for years. We can disbelieve these circumstantial details only by coming to the conclusion beforehand that it is impossible they should be true.'Does not this remind you of the turbid Nile. ascended the English throne. He smiled quietly. whose reputation in England was already considerable. caused a moment of silence.'She looked at him quickly and reddened.'But it can be made only in trivial quantities.Yours ever. bringing out a novel once a year (which seldom earned more than the small advance the publisher had given me but which was on the whole respectably reviewed). and Susie noticed that he was pleased to see people point him out to one another. smiling.'He's frightened of me. he would often shoot. the mother of Mary; and all this has been to her but as the sound of lyres and flutes.'Why can't we be married at once?' she asked.