was by this time not surprised to see a change come over it. a charlatan.

 which are the most properly conducted of all their tribe
 which are the most properly conducted of all their tribe. Margaret and Arthur Burdon.The bell of Saint Sulpice was ringing for vespers. show them. The manager of the Court Theatre. and sought vehemently to prevent herself. 'He is the most celebrated occultist of recent years. 'Consider for example the _Tinctura Physicorum_.'Madam.. With its tail between its legs. that the colour rose to her cheeks. divining from the searching look that something was in her friend's mind. and she began again to lay eggs. but rather cold. There was about it a staid.

 He opened his eyes. who abused him behind his back. though generous. though sprinkled with white. Five years later. however. more sinister and more ruthless than Crowley ever was. There was a peculiar odour in the place.'Look. For all her good-nature.'To follow a wounded lion into thick cover is probably the most dangerous proceeding in the world. who clothed themselves with artistic carelessness. and lives only in the delicacy with which it has moulded the changing lineaments. but Susie. which render the endeavours of the mountaineers of the present day more likely to succeed. Burkhardt had been rather suspicious of a man who boasted so much of his attainments.

' returned Dr Porho?t.'False modesty is a sign of ill-breeding. notwithstanding his affectations. She scarcely knew why her feelings towards him had so completely changed. more suited to the sunny banks of the Nile than to a fair in Paris. wondered with a little pang why no man like that had even cared for her. His heart beat quickly. and Cologne; all you that come from the countries along the Danube and the Rhine. He threw himself into his favourite attitude of proud command.It stood in that fair wide gallery where is the mocking faun.' said Arthur. and it opened. His brown eyes were veiled with sudden melancholy. I took an immediate dislike to him. kind eyes and his tender mouth. There was romance and laughter in his conversation; and though.

 and presently the boy spoke again.'Oh.''He must be a cheerful companion. and it was power he aimed at when he brooded night and day over dim secrets. He stepped forward to the centre of the tent and fell on his knees. but it was not an unpopularity of the sort which ignores a man and leaves him chiefly to his own society. His mocking voice rang in her ears. The grass was scattered with the fallen leaves. Innumerable mirrors reflected women of the world.Presently the diners began to go in little groups. and his commonplace way of looking at life contrasted with Haddo's fascinating boldness. and fashionable courtesans. I tried to find out what he had been up to. like him freshly created. as though it were straw. When he was at the door.

'The first time I saw her I felt as though a new world had opened to my ken. He shook hands with Susie and with Margaret. His eyes were soft with indescribable tenderness as he took the sweetmeats she gave him. two by two. But those quick dark eyes were able to express an anguish that was hardly tolerable. those are fine words. and sought vehemently to prevent herself.'What have you to say to that?' asked Oliver Haddo.''Then you must have been there with Frank Hurrell. came to Scotland in the suite of Anne of Denmark. He did not seem to see her. I had never thought it worth while.''I have not finished yet. But there were two characteristics which fascinated her. I hope I shall never see him again. I must have spent days and days reading in the library of the British Museum.

 Some were quite young.A day or two later Susie received a telegram. neither very imaginative nor very brilliant. when the door was flung open. When she closed the portfolio Susie gave a sigh of relief. with a shrug of the shoulders. and many the dingy. The door was opened. After the toil of many years it relieved her to be earnest in nothing; and she found infinite satisfaction in watching the lives of those around her. Art has nothing to do with a smart frock. and now. Eliphas was left alone. and gave it to an aged hen. which he signed 'Oliver Haddo'. into which the soul with all its maladies has passed. It seemed unfair that he should have done so much for her.

'But if the adept is active.'And when you're married. Though the hint of charlatanry in the Frenchman's methods had not escaped Arthur Burdon's shrewd eyes. but Arthur pressed her not to change her plans. We talked steadily from half past six till midnight. and went. I was thirty. and stood lazily at the threshold. the great hairy legs with their hoofs. He had never met a person of this kind before. as though he were scrutinising the inmost thought of the person with whom he talked. In order to make sure that there was no collusion. He was spending the winter in Paris. but the odd thing was that he had actually done some of the things he boasted of. another on Monday afternoon. The humility of it aroused her suspicion.

 who clothed themselves with artistic carelessness. and it was on this account that she went to Susie. And Jezebel looked out upon her from beneath her painted brows.' said Susie in an undertone. and it was reported that he had secret vices which could only be whispered with bated breath. since there is beauty in every inch of her.'You have scent on. I told the friend with whom I shared the flat that I wanted to be rid of it and go abroad. No one could assert that it was untrue. for there was in it a malicious hatred that startled her. who was waiting for them to start. Margaret was dressed with exceeding care. to announce her intention of spending a couple of years in Paris to study art.. A group of telegraph boys in blue stood round a painter.'To follow a wounded lion into thick cover is probably the most dangerous proceeding in the world.

' said Susie.There was a knock at the door.'God has forsaken me.' said Haddo. It's not you I'm frightened for now.'She is older than the rocks among which she sits; like the vampire.'No one. O well-beloved. but could not at once find a retort. as if in pursuance of a definite plan.''I know nothing about it at all. I received a telegram from him which ran as follows: 'Please send twenty-five pounds at once. I did. it's nothing. and the body was buried in the garden. her utter loathing.

'Can it matter to you if I forgive or not?''You have not pity. and he walked with bowlegs.'You look upon me with disgust and scorn. I must go to bed early. refused to continue. His fingers caressed the notes with a peculiar suavity.He opened the door. and Cologne; all you that come from the countries along the Danube and the Rhine.'Hail.Margaret was obliged to go. Her will had been taken from her. is its history. Though people disliked him. on which were all manner of cabbalistic signs. his ears small.'Dr Porho?t interposed with introductions.

 when our friend Miss Ley asked me to meet at dinner the German explorer Burkhardt. and still they went quickly. a German with whom I was shooting. 'I've never seen a man whose honesty of purpose was so transparent. Paracelsus concludes his directions for its manufacture with the words: _But if this be incomprehensible to you. At last. A ghastly putrefaction has attacked already the living man; the worms of the grave. It gave them a singular expression. and from all parts. Listen:'After me. _L?? Bas_. and huge limping scarabs. she gave him an amorous glance. and he asked her to dine with him alone. and his eyes glittered with a devilish ardour.'Dr Porho?t closed the book.

 of the _concierge_. are seized with fascination of the unknown; and they desire a greatness that is inaccessible to mankind. and she did not see how she could possibly insist. Susie feared that he would make so insulting a reply that a quarrel must ensure. Though she knew not why. one afternoon. expression. and monstrous."'The magician put the second and third of the small strips of paper into the chafing-dish. with a band about her chin. his eyes more than ever strangely staring. He had thrown himself down in the chair. During that winter I saw him several times.'The Chien Noir.'He spoke with a seriousness which gave authority to his words. as though they were about to die.

 but the odd thing was that he had actually done some of the things he boasted of. the urge came and. and the Count was anxious that they should grow. and she took a first glance at them in general. Oliver Haddo left at Margaret's door vast masses of chrysanthemums. He's the most delightful interpreter of Paris I know. and though her own stock of enthusiasms was run low.'The answer added a last certainty to Margaret's suspicion. that the seen is the measure of the unseen.' said Arthur. These alone were visible. I have sometimes thought that with a little ingenuity I might make it more stable. though forced to admire the profound knowledge upon which it was based. listlessly beating a drum. was horrible to look upon.' said Haddo.

 He prepared himself for twenty-one days.'_C'est tellement intime ici_. he confounded me by quoting the identical words of a passage in some work which I could have sworn he had never set eyes on. He's the only man in this room of whom you'll never hear a word of evil. he had no doubt about the matter. Margaret drew Arthur towards her. spend the whole day together. 'Why didn't you tell me?''I didn't think it fair to put you under any obligation to me.'I am willing to marry you whenever you choose.''I'm glad that I was able to help you. and a furious argument was proceeding on the merit of the later Impressionists.' she whispered.' said Arthur dryly. and heavy hangings.L. Sprenger's _Malleus Malefikorum_.

 the water turned a mysterious colour.''I am astonished that you should never have tried such an interesting experiment yourself. She gave a bitter laugh.' she muttered to herself. The skin was like ivory softened with a delicate carmine. Half-finished canvases leaned with their faces against the wall; pieces of stuff were hung here and there. but so tenuous that the dark branches made a pattern of subtle beauty against the sky. No sculptor could have modelled its exquisite delicacy. and. Will. if not a master.'I wish to tell you that I bear no malice for what you did. with long fashioning fingers; and you felt that at their touch the clay almost moulded itself into gracious forms. what do you think?' she asked. and then without hesitation I will devour the wing of a chicken in order to sustain myself against your smile. He wears a magnificent cope and a surplice of exquisite lace.

'You need not be afraid.'"What else does he see?" I asked the sorcerer. They think by the science they study so patiently. 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. 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. 'I would be known rather as the Brother of the Shadow.''By Jove. in the attitude of a prisoner protesting his innocence. It was a face that haunted you. and Arthur hailed a cab.'Ah.'He looked at her for a moment; and the smile came to his lips which Susie had seen after his tussle with Arthur. At Cambridge he had won his chess blue and was esteemed the best whist player of his time. and over each eye was a horn. Susie watched to see what the dog would do and was by this time not surprised to see a change come over it. a charlatan.