sudden exhaustion in all his limbs that he was obliged to sit down.

 The hand of a draughtsman could not have fashioned it with a more excellent skill
 The hand of a draughtsman could not have fashioned it with a more excellent skill. And they surged onward like a riotous crowd in narrow streets flying in terror before the mounted troops. uncouth primeval things. invited to accompany them. 'except that it's all very romantic and extraordinary and ridiculous. While still a medical student I had published a novel called _Liza of Lambeth_ which caused a mild sensation. and to this presently he insisted on going. was transfigured. An abject apology was the last thing she expected. He was the first man you'd ever known. and held himself like an exhausted lily. and she put her hands to her eyes so that she might not see. leaves out of consideration the individual cases that contradict the enormous majority. or is he laughing up his sleeve at the folly of those who take him seriously? I cannot tell. Its preparation was extremely difficult. quivering still with the extremity of passion. as though they were about to die. he thought it very clever because she said it; but in a man it would have aroused his impatience.But when she heard Susie's key in the door. I tremble in every limb at the thought of your unmitigated scorn.

 that Margaret could not restrain a sob of envy.She believed privately that Margaret's passion for the arts was a not unamiable pose which would disappear when she was happily married." the boy answered.''You are very superior. Margaret could hear her muttered words. 'but I am afraid they will disappoint you. It did not take me long to make up my mind.'Oliver Haddo's story was received with astonished silence. but with a certain vacancy. shepherds. and I saw his great white fangs. was down with fever and could not stir from his bed. The comparison between the two was to Arthur's disadvantage. but Susie was not convinced that callous masters would have been so enthusiastic if Margaret had been as plain and old as herself. frightened eye upon Haddo and then hid its head. Nearly fifty years had passed since I had done so.She turned to Dr Porho?t. Margaret was ten when I first saw her. and often a love-sick youth lost his immortality because he left the haunts of his kind to dwell with the fair. and Susie gave it an inquisitive glance.

 It seemed hardly by chance that the colours arranged themselves in such agreeable tones. the heart of roses and the depth of running water.'The divine music of Keats's lines rang through Arthur's remark. The lady lent him certain books of which he was in need; and at last. religious rites. there might have been no life in it.The other shrugged his shoulders. which. Presently they went out. The wind will not displace a single fold of his garment. with heavy moist lips. who was interpreter to the French Consulate. The canons of the church followed in their more gorgeous vestments. He will pass through the storm and no rain shall fall upon his head. but.'His voice.'The words were so bitter. they claim to have created forms in which life became manifest. long afterwards. like a bullock felled at one blow.

 There was something terrible in his excessive bulk. midwives. second-hand. and it troubled her extraordinarily that she had lied to her greatest friend. The redness gave way to a ghastly pallor. passed in and knelt down. With a leer and a flash of his bright teeth. for the mere pleasure of it; and to Burkhardt's indignation frequently shot beasts whose skins and horns they did not even trouble to take.'Then it seemed that the bitter struggle between the good and the evil in her was done. Margaret stopped as she passed him. since by chance I met the other night at dinner at Queen Anne's Gate a man who had much to tell me of him. as they stood chest on. and he that uses the word impossible outside of pure mathematics is lacking in prudence. He remained where he fell in utter helplessness. and an ice. He worked very hard. He had thrown himself down in the chair.''You are very superior. and by many others. my son-in-law.

 The story of this visit to Paris touched her imagination. To have half a dozen children was in her mind much more important than to paint pictures. but could not. It was strange and terrifying. and with a voice that was cold with the coldness of death she murmured the words of the poet:'I am amorous of thy body.'I want to do something for you in return for what you have done for me. but it's different now. 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. The whole thing was explained if Oliver Haddo was mad. I am no more interested in it than in a worn-out suit of clothes that I have given away. The form suddenly grew indistinct and soon it strangely vanished. whom the French of the nineteenth century called _Le Tueur de Lions_. which gave such an unpleasant impression. In a little while.''Very well. but small stars appeared to dance on the heather. and written it with his own right hand. The fragrance of the East filled her nostrils. however. Though the hint of charlatanry in the Frenchman's methods had not escaped Arthur Burdon's shrewd eyes.

 and Arthur shut the door behind him. 'I don't know what it is that has come over you of late.''I don't suppose that these were sent particularly to me. Margaret had lately visited the Luxembourg.''I don't suppose that these were sent particularly to me.''I didn't know that you spoke figuratively. and they were moist with tears. I am curious to know why he excites your interest. and yet he was seized with awe. Porho?t translated to the others. and with a voice that was cold with the coldness of death she murmured the words of the poet:'I am amorous of thy body. 'Criticism has shown that _Zohar_ is of modern origin. It was a vicious face. more vast than the creatures of nightmare. For some reason Haddo made no resistance.She did not dream of disobeying. She remembered on a sudden Arthur's great love and all that he had done for her sake. Then they began to run madly round and round the room. however. may have been fit to compare with me.

 Is he an impostor or a madman? Does he deceive himself. And in a moment she grew sick with fear. She feared that Haddo had returned. And the men take off their hats. the great hairy legs with their hoofs. that Margaret could not restrain a sob of envy. the more delicate and beautiful is his painting. gravely brushing his coat. and the acrid scents of Eastern perfumes. He had a more varied knowledge than the greater part of undergraduates. recently published. Dr Porho?t opened in person. She passed her hand absently across her forehead. and he owns a place in Staffordshire which is almost historic. intemperate and boastful. who had been left destitute. 'I don't know what it is that has come over you of late. She picked it up and read it aloud. and wish now that I had. His father was a bootmaker.

 He was no longer the same man. She gasped for breath. who was making a sketch--notwithstanding half-frozen fingers. between the eyes. had never seen Arthur. He found exotic fancies in the likeness between Saint John the Baptist. Margaret seemed not withstanding to hear Susie's passionate sobbing. He went even to India. and she took care by good-natured banter to temper the praises which extravagant admirers at the drawing-class lavished upon the handsome girl both for her looks and for her talent. He was not a great talker and loved most to listen in silence to the chatter of young people. 'He is the most celebrated occultist of recent years. evil-smelling and airless. Will you take me to her at once.He opened the door. but the spring had carried her forwards.'With that long nose and the gaunt figure I should have thought you could make something screamingly funny. She was holding the poor hurt dog in her hands. and indeed had missed being present at his birth only because the Khedive Isma?l had summoned him unexpectedly to Cairo.' he gasped.'How stupid of me! I never noticed the postmark.

 The stiffness broke away from the snake suddenly. notwithstanding his affectations. he is proof against the fangs of the most venomous serpents.' said Arthur. Dr Porho?t?' said Haddo.''Now assistant physician at St Luke's Hospital. She has a delightful enthusiasm for every form of art. He walked by her side with docility and listened. to invoke outlandish gods. 'I told him I had no taste at all. A balustrade of stone gracefully enclosed the space. lit a cigarette. in ghastly desolation; and though a dead thing. 'God has foresaken me. as though the victims of uncontrollable terror. rising. His form was lean. The room was large. but he prevented them. but he did not seem to me so brilliant as I remembered.

 my son. marched sedately two by two. had the look of streets in a provincial town. and I didn't feel it was fair to bind her to me till she had seen at least something of the world.'Don't you know that I'd do anything in the world for you?' she cried. I found that his reading was extraordinarily wide.Margaret had never been in better spirits. and it lifted its head and raised its long body till it stood almost on the tip of its tail. and his nose delicately shaped. bringing him to her friend." I said. She had read the book with delight and. and a furious argument was proceeding on the merit of the later Impressionists.''I see a little soot on your left elbow. A gallant Frenchman had to her face called her a _belle laide_. I believe that we shall always be ignorant of the matters which it most behoves us to know._ one chicken. and his hand and his brain worked in a manner that appeared almost automatic. (He was then eighteen!) He talked grandiloquently of big-game shooting and of mountain climbing as sports which demanded courage and self-reliance.'How often have I explained to you.

 to steady her nerves. Downstairs was a public room. with helpless flutterings. It seemed that he had never seen anything so ravishing as the way in which she bent over the kettle. Courtney. like the immortal Cagliostro. He threw himself into an attitude of command and remained for a moment perfectly still. Many of the flowers were withered. They travelled from her smiling mouth to her deft hands. It contained half a card. but it would be of extraordinary interest to test it for oneself. The dignity which encompassed the perfection of her beauty was delightfully softened. an air pass by him; and.' said Arthur to Oliver Haddo.''Or.'Susie was convulsed with laughter at his pompousness. drawing upon his memory. but he adopted that under which he is generally known for reasons that are plain to the romantic mind. they claim to have created forms in which life became manifest. for what most fascinated the observer was a supreme and disdainful indifference to the passion of others.

 dear doctor. His success had been no less than his courage. I hardly recognized him. Half-finished canvases leaned with their faces against the wall; pieces of stuff were hung here and there.' said Susie Boyd. Haddo has had an extraordinary experience. 'You were standing round the window. 'I'm sorry. She had at first counted on assisting at the evocation with a trustworthy person. Now their lips met.Yet there was one piece. she had hurried till her bones ached from one celebrated monument to another. She is the mistress of Rouge. from learned and vulgar.'The little maid who looked busily after the varied wants of the customers stood in front of them to receive Arthur's order. O Avicenna.'Shall I fetch you some water?' asked Margaret. a virgin.'But what is to become of me?''You will marry the excellent Mr Burdon.He could not speak.

 In a moment Oliver Haddo stood before her.'Look. 'I wonder you don't do a head of Arthur as you can't do a caricature. and she needed time to get her clothes. The lion gave vent to a sonorous roar. as Leda. The baldness of his crown was vaguely like a tonsure. She forgot that she loathed him. so that she might see he used no compulsion. I have never heard him confess that he had not read a book. fearing to trust her voice. longer and more ample than the surplice of a priest. Her heart gave a great beat against her chest.' said Susie in an undertone.''How oddly you talk of him! Somehow I can only see his beautiful. Haddo swore that he fired in self-defence. Margaret smiled with happy pride. crowding upon one another's heels. take care of me. 'It'll give me such pleasure to go on with the small allowance I've been making you.

 for her eyes expressed things that he had never seen in them before.'He took every morning at sunrise a glass of white wine tinctured with this preparation; and after using it for fourteen days his nails began to fall out. after asking me to dinner. she loathed and feared him. as a result of which the man was shot dead. but his name is Jagson. I hid myself among the boulders twenty paces from the prey. His father is dead. She wore only one ring. He was destined for the priesthood. He relates in his memoirs that a copy of this book was seized among his effects when he was arrested in Venice for traffic in the black arts; and it was there.''I wish you would. as though. who gave an order to his wife.'The rest of the party took up his complaint. His paunch was of imposing dimensions. I waited. Arthur was enchanted. To console himself he began to make serious researches in the occult. how passionately he adored his bride; and it pleased her to see that Margaret loved him in return with a grateful devotion.

'Had Nancy anything particular to say to you?' she asked. Then she heard him speak. I sent one. too. One of two had a wan ascetic look. partly from fragments of letters which Margaret read to her. laughing. 'didn't Paracelsus. Her laughter was like a rippling brook. and the darkness of death afflicted them always. The French members got up and left. and photographs of well-known pictures. But they quarrelled at last through Haddo's over-bearing treatment of the natives. But it was possible for her also to enjoy the wonder of the world. he was plainly making game of them.' she laughed. But as soon as he came in they started up. would have done. I shall then proceed to a fresh sole. The lady lent him certain books of which he was in need; and at last.

 when this person brought me the very book I needed. They spoke a different tongue. when he recovered. Margaret. and Haddo looked steadily at Clayson. began to kick him with all his might. sallow from long exposure to subtropical suns. But he sent for his snakes. and what he said was no less just than obvious. He stopped at the door to look at her. She was astonished at the change in his appearance. gained a human soul by loving one of the race of men. tell me. with much woodwork and heavy scarlet hangings.Susie flung herself down wearily in a chair. Susie's brave smile died away as she caught this glance. whose pictures had recently been accepted by the Luxembourg. But the widow (one can imagine with what gnashing of teeth) was obliged to confess that she had no such manuscript. Her love for Arthur appeared on a sudden more urgent. strolled students who might have stepped from the page of Murger's immortal romance.

 He has a sort of instinct which leads him to the most unlikely places. The names of the streets recalled the monarchy that passed away in bloodshed. 'To my thinking it is plain that all these preparations. I could never resist going to see him whenever opportunity arose. but this touch somehow curiously emphasized her sex.'He handled the delicate pages as a lover of flowers would handle rose-leaves. gipsies. though many took advantage of her matchless taste. and his verse is not entirely without merit. Her features were chiselled with the clear and divine perfection of this Greek girl's; her ears were as delicate and as finely wrought. He was the first man you'd ever known. abnormally lanky. it was found that the spirits had grown to about a span and a half each; the male _homunculi_ were come into possession of heavy beards. with huge stony boulders and leafless trees. and I'm quite sure that she will make you the most admirable of wives. Four concave mirrors were hung within it. But now Margaret could take no pleasure in its grace. She reproached Arthur in her heart because he had never understood what was in her.'I think you've grown more pleasing to look upon than you ever were. I don't know what you've done with me.

'But why did you do it?' she asked him. He did nothing that was manifestly unfair.'I am willing to marry you whenever you choose. She had never kissed him in that way before. Evil was all about her. low tones mysteriously wrung her heartstrings.'No. with wonderful capitals and headlines in gold. curled over the head with an infinite grace. though she set a plain woman's value on good looks. He could have knelt down and worshipped as though a goddess of old Greece stood before him. irritated. and with desperate courage I fired my remaining barrel. She listened sullenly to his words. till the dawn was nearly at hand. and he towered over the puny multitude.' he said.''Do you love me very much?' she asked. and the spirits showed their faces. and her heart was in a turmoil.

 and as there's not the least doubt that you'll marry. He remained where he fell in utter helplessness.'I don't think I shall ever do that now.' said Oliver. A lover in ancient Greece. She felt an extraordinary languor. but have declined to gratify a frivolous curiosity. more vast than the creatures of nightmare. and beg you to bring me a _poule au riz_. I have no doubt that they were actually generated.'Susie went to the shelves to which he vaguely waved. They were stacked on the floor and piled on every chair. half green. rough hewn like a statue in porphyry. long afterwards. was unexpected in connexion with him. and laughed heartily at her burlesque account of their fellow-students at Colarossi's. She was intoxicated with their beauty. caught sight of Margaret. Arthur looked away quickly.

 Yet it was almost incredible that those fat. but he staggered and with a groan tumbled to his knees. I settled down and set to work on still another novel. and is the principal text-book of all those who deal in the darkest ways of the science. At length Susie's voice reminded him of the world. as dainty. but never after I left Paris to return to London.' he said. I've not seen her today.''We certainly saw things last night that were not quite normal. I have never been able to make up my mind whether he is an elaborate practical joker. Since I could not afford to take cabs.'I've tried. and the spirits showed their faces. without recourse to medicine. but he adopted that under which he is generally known for reasons that are plain to the romantic mind. as though he were scrutinising the inmost thought of the person with whom he talked. and demands the utmost coolness. but with a certain vacancy. but Eliphas experienced such a sudden exhaustion in all his limbs that he was obliged to sit down.