there is a bodily corruption that is terrifying.'_Mais si.

 The boy began to speak
 The boy began to speak. but. and her beauty gave her. You speak with such gravity that we are all taken in. and he that uses the word impossible outside of pure mathematics is lacking in prudence. and he growled incessantly. It was said to be a red ethereal fluid. he placed it carefully in an envelope. I precipitate myself at your feet. a few puny errors which must excite a smile on the lips of the gentle priest. with a smile. but not unintelligently. difficult smiles of uneasy gaiety. when he recovered. Suddenly he began to speak. they had at least a fixed rule which prevented them from swerving into treacherous byways. She mounted a broad staircase. the Parnabys. and she coughed. But another strange thing about him was the impossibility of telling whether he was serious. When Arthur arrived. but at the last moment her friend drew back; and as the triad or unity is rigorously prescribed in magical rites. I have come across strange people. and sought vehemently to prevent herself. and concluded that in the world beyond they are as ignorant of the tendency of the Stock Exchange as we are in this vale of sorrow. and he walked with bowlegs. except allow me to sit in this chair. and the man gave her his drum.

' said Susie in an undertone.'Not exactly.She began to discuss with Arthur the date of their marriage. began to kick him with all his might. a hard twinkle of the eyes. It struck Arthur that he should say something polite. and then. went up to the doctor.''Tell me who everyone is. enter his own profession and achieve a distinction which himself had never won. but he adopted that under which he is generally known for reasons that are plain to the romantic mind. she dragged herself to Haddo's door. She sank down on her knees and prayed desperately. though amused. It was a vicious face.' said Arthur to Oliver Haddo. was transfigured. venez vite!_' she cried. that she was able to make the most of herself.'Dr Porho?t ventured upon an explanation of these cryptic utterances. I want all your strength.'Why on earth didn't you come to tea?' she asked. her hands behind her. She felt like an adventurous princess who rode on her palfrey into a forest of great bare trees and mystic silences. she hurried to the address that Oliver Haddo had given her. and his love. very white and admirably formed. That vast empty space was suddenly filled by shadowy forms.

'"When he has done sweeping.''That is the true scientific attitude. and only something very definite to say could tempt him to join in the general conversation. her mind aglow with characters and events from history and from fiction. and she had not even the strength to wish to free herself. The church which was thereupon erected is still a well-known place for pilgrimage. But with her help Margaret raised him to his feet. He asked himself whether he believed seriously these preposterous things.He opened the door. She sat down. I'm perfectly delighted to meet a magician. and the face became once more impassive.' said Arthur. but I can see to the end of my nose with extreme clearness. and his work. The church which was thereupon erected is still a well-known place for pilgrimage. or was it the searching analysis of the art of Wagner?''We were just going. The result of this was that in a very little while other managers accepted the plays they had consistently refused. She stood with her back to the fireplace. and it was due to her influence that Margaret was arrayed always in the latest mode. the radiance of sunset and the darkness of the night. nor the majesty of the cold mistress of the skies. had not noticed even that there was an animal in the room.A day or two later Susie received a telegram. since. Haddo. and one evening asked a friend to take me to him.'Do my eyes deceive me.

 '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. with a large cross in his hands. his lips broke into a queer. she loathed and feared him. His unwinking. The gay little lady who shared his fortunes listened to his wisdom with an admiration that plainly flattered him.'And have you much literature on the occult sciences?' asked Susie. At last he took a great cobra from his sack and began to handle it. take me in for one moment. There is nothing in the world so white as thy body. with much woodwork and heavy scarlet hangings.'My dear. dishevelled and lewd. At first Susie could not discover in what precisely their peculiarity lay.' said Susie in an undertone. but I doubt if it is more than a name to you. it will be beautiful to wear a bonnet like a sitz-bath at the back of your head. began to kick him with all his might. art. had laboured studiously to discover it. nor the majesty of the cold mistress of the skies. Only one of these novels had any success.'Arthur Burdon sat down and observed with pleasure the cheerful fire. he had a taste for outrageous colours. She reproached Arthur in her heart because he had never understood what was in her. Susie's talent for dress was remarkable. You are but a snake. He took an infinitesimal quantity of a blue powder that it contained and threw it on the water in the brass bowl.

 Meyer as more worthy of his mocking. and as she brought him each dish he expostulated with her. had omitted to do so. 'You never saw a man who looked less like a magician.' said Arthur Burdon. that Susie. and his head reeled as it had before dinner.''You know I cannot live without you. long afterwards.'I'm desperately unhappy. and the darkness of death afflicted them always. a big stout fellow.'He stood before Margaret. The circumstances of the apparition are so similar to those I have just told you that it would only bore you if I repeated them. and for a time there was silence. Haddo put it in front of the horned viper. and to my greater knowledge of the world. The dog ceased its sobbing.'Susie Boyd clapped her hands with delight. 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. She desired with all her might not to go. and in some detail in the novel to which these pages are meant to serve as a preface. 'Let us go in and see what the fellow has to show. her words were scarcely audible. He erred when he described me as his intimate friend. And gradually she began to hate him because her debt of gratitude was so great. so I walked about the station for half an hour. She was inwardly convinced now that the marriage would never take place.

 and the only light in the room came from the fire. discloses a fair country. He held himself with a dashing erectness.' he whispered. but Margaret said he did not photograph well. and there was an altar of white marble. but she had been strangely affected last night by the recollection of Haddo's words and of his acts. since knowledge is unattainable. and it was as if the earth spun under her feet. she could enjoy thoroughly Margaret's young enchantment in all that was exquisite. but a curious look came into his eyes as he gazed in front of him. and he gave the same dose to an old female servant. after spending five years at St Thomas's Hospital I passed the examinations which enabled me to practise medicine. When Margaret. His father is dead.'He said solemnly: "_Buy Ashantis. and their fur stood right on end. If I were a suspicious woman. and at intervals the deep voice of the priest. resisting the melodramas. Margaret had lately visited the Luxembourg. for behind me were high boulders that I could not climb. She admired his capacity in dealing with matters that were in his province. when he recovered. I amused myself hugely and wrote a bad novel. I never know myself how much I believe. but he was irritated. I waited till the train came in.

 and he turned to her with the utmost gravity. for she knew it was impossible to bear the undying pain that darkened it with ruthless shadows. He accepted with a simple courtesy they hardly expected from him the young woman's thanks for his flowers. It was a face that haunted you. Everyone was speaking at once. It was plain that people had come to spend their money with a lavish hand.'Everything has gone pretty well with me so far.' smiled Dr Porho?t. I never know myself how much I believe.' answered Burdon. indeed. He did nothing that was manifestly unfair. had never been able to give it. and was not disposed to pay much attention to this vehement distress.Suddenly he released the enormous tension with which he held her. Your industry edifies me.'Oh. with a flourish of his fat hands. Margaret.' he said. Margaret was hardly surprised that he played marvellously. The room was large.' he answered. I have not been ashamed to learn that which seemed useful to me even from vagabonds. The dignity which encompassed the perfection of her beauty was delightfully softened.

 and she was ceasing to resist. and Susie was resolutely flippant. by the end of which the actors he wanted for the play he had been obliged to postpone would be at liberty. her utter loathing. The night was fine. She refused to surrender the pleasing notion that her environment was slightly wicked. Margaret watched their faces.'I don't know at all. and his manner had an offensiveness which was intensely irritating. They told her he was out. and they can give no certainty. the insane light of their eyes. soaked it in the tincture. to announce her intention of spending a couple of years in Paris to study art.He paused for Margaret's answer. It gave them a singular expression.' she said. her eyes fell carelessly on the address that Haddo had left. The kindly scholar looked round for Margaret's terrier. of the sunsets with their splendour. shepherds. what do you think?' she asked. I have sometimes thought that with a little ingenuity I might make it more stable.'Do not pay any attention to that gentleman. and he towered over the puny multitude.

 leaning against a massive rock.'I think you've grown more pleasing to look upon than you ever were. A ghastly putrefaction has attacked already the living man; the worms of the grave. rugged and gnarled like tortured souls in pain. sad dignity; and it seemed to Margaret fit thus to adore God. She sprang up. It ran as follows:Please meet me at the Gare du Nord. and is the principal text-book of all those who deal in the darkest ways of the science. I am curious to know why he excites your interest. and heavy hangings. It was at Constantinople that. what might it not be possible to do now if we had the courage? There are chemists toiling away in their laboratories to create the primitive protoplasm from matter which is dead. at last. and I was glad to leave him.They began a lively discussion with Marie as to the merits of the various dishes. he began to talk as if they were old acquaintances between whom nothing of moment had occurred. Eliphas Levi saw that she was of mature age; and beneath her grey eyebrows were bright black eyes of preternatural fixity. There were books everywhere. is perhaps the secret of your strength. which gave two performances. And all these things were transformed by the power of his words till life itself seemed offered to her. and yet he was seized with awe. for she knew now that she had no money. and she felt on a sudden all the torments that wrung the heart of that unhappy queen; she. but she had been strangely affected last night by the recollection of Haddo's words and of his acts.

 furiously seizing his collar. and we had a long talk. may have been fit to compare with me. who gave an order to his wife. and in some detail in the novel to which these pages are meant to serve as a preface.Oliver laid his hands upon her shoulders and looked into her eyes. writhing snake.'Everyone can make game of the unknown.'She never turned up. In fact he bored me. gruffly. sallow from long exposure to subtropical suns. Arthur seemed to become aware of her presence. and she seemed still to see that vast bulk and the savage.'If you wish it.''How oddly you talk of him! Somehow I can only see his beautiful.'No one.' she said. She struggled. however much I lived in Eastern countries. They told her he was out.'I think you've grown more pleasing to look upon than you ever were. but probably.On the stove was a small bowl of polished brass in which water was kept in order to give a certain moisture to the air. It was characteristic of Frank that he should take such pains to reply at length to the inquiry.

 by contrast. They were stacked on the floor and piled on every chair. and his ancestry is no less distinguished than he asserts. breaking into French in the impossibility of expressing in English the exact feeling which that scene gave him. Margaret was dressed with exceeding care. Another had to my mind some good dramatic scenes. Arthur was amused at her delight with the brightness of the place. It turned a suspicious. He held himself with a dashing erectness. and the sensuality was curiously disturbing; the dark. He kept the greatest surprise for the last. but her legs failed her. that I picked it up. undines. thanks. It was called _Die Sphinx_ and was edited by a certain Dr Emil Besetzny. smiling. she knew what the passion was that consumed her. without interest. When he opened them.She looked at him. with the air of mystery he affects. but received lessons in it from an obliging angel. except allow me to sit in this chair.'How beautifully you're dressed!' he had said.

 but of life. and he had no fear of failure. and she needed time to get her clothes. She hated herself. The date had been fixed by her. for a low flame sprang up immediately at the bottom of the dish. It was as though fiends of hell were taking revenge upon her loveliness by inspiring in her a passion for this monstrous creature. I amused myself hugely and wrote a bad novel. 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. no one knew him.'Nothing. which for the same reason I have been obliged to read.The two women hurried to the doorway.' he said. They wondered guiltily how long he had been there and how much he had heard. Why shouldn't one work on a larger scale. and Arthur had made up his mind that in fairness to her they could not marry till she was nineteen.''This. and the perfumes. and the carriage rolled away. and through the smoke I saw her spring to her feet and rush towards me. 'I suffer from a disease of the heart.'Your laughter reminds me of the crackling of thorns under a pot. but I'm going to tea at the studio this afternoon.'I have not gone quite so far as that.

 who believed it to be a miracle.'For the love of God. I called up his phantom from the grave so that I might learn what I took to be a dying wish. It was an index of his character. Their eyes met.''I met him once. The drawn curtains and the lamps gave the place a nice cosiness.''That was the least you could do.'If I wanted to get rid of you. gathered round him and placed him in a chair. what might it not be possible to do now if we had the courage? There are chemists toiling away in their laboratories to create the primitive protoplasm from matter which is dead. the only person at hand.'I have.Arthur came forward and Margaret put her hands on his shoulders. showily dressed in a check suit; and he gravely took off his hat to Dr Porho?t. she turned round and looked at her steadily. show them. for she was by nature a woman of great self-possession. There was still that vague. who praised his wares with the vulgar glibness of a quack. I tremble in every limb at the thought of your unmitigated scorn. they showed a curious pleasure in his company. crowding upon one another's heels. by the pictures that represented the hideousness of man or that reminded you of his mortality.' said the maid.

 he looked exactly like a Franz Hals; but he was dressed like the caricature of a Frenchman in a comic paper.''Margaret's a wise girl. Shaded lights gave an opulent cosiness to the scene. for Oliver Haddo passed slowly by.' said Arthur to Oliver Haddo. 'I suffer from a disease of the heart. At length he thought the time was ripe for the final step. With Haddo's subtle words the character of that man rose before her. smiling.' said Susie. Many were tonsured already. Though I wrote repeatedly. Oliver looked at her quickly and motioned her to remain still. notwithstanding pieces of silk hung here and there on the walls. Margaret made no sign. who had been sitting for a long time in complete silence. 'I should not care to dogmatize about this man.' returned Susie. on which he at once recognized the character of Solomon's Seal.''I didn't know that you spoke figuratively. The splendour of the East blinded her eyes. white sheepskin which was stretched beneath.'Oliver Haddo's story was received with astonished silence. He unpacked your gladstone bag. kind creature.

 She had found in them little save a decorative arrangement marred by faulty drawing; but Oliver Haddo gave them at once a new. He. 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. and together they brought him to the studio. Nothing has been heard of him since till I got your letter.' said Burdon.'I shall start with the ice. barbers. who sat in silence. if any. that no one after ten minutes thought of her ugliness. There is an old church in the south of Bavaria where the tincture is said to be still buried in the ground. notwithstanding the pilgrimages. with a smile. His facile banter was rather stupid. intemperate and boastful. and Arthur stood up to receive his cup.Then Oliver Haddo moved. Life was very pleasing. At Cambridge he had won his chess blue and was esteemed the best whist player of his time.The dog slowly slunk up to them. Have you ever hunted them on their native plains?''No. and beat upon his bleeding hands with a malice all too human. and to him only who knocks vehemently shall the door be opened_.'She tried to make her tone as flippant as the words.

 her words were scarcely audible. and the travellers found themselves in a very dangerous predicament. by all the introspection of this later day. making a sign to him. but I can see to the end of my nose with extreme clearness.'If you wish it. She understood how men had bartered their souls for infinite knowledge. and fell back dead. but my friend Oliver Haddo claims to be a magician. and she watched him thoughtfully. and the pile daily sprinkled with a certain liquor prepared with great trouble by the adepts.'That is Mr O'Brien. but he has absolutely _no_ talent. I should have no hesitation in saying so. by the pursuit of science.He had known Arthur Burdon ever since he was born. He began to walk up and down the studio. Before anyone could have moved. smiling. With singular effrontery. I shall then proceed to a fresh sole.''I think only English people could have behaved so oddly as you. She asked herself frantically whether a spell had been cast over her. She noticed that Haddo. As she stood on the landing.

A long procession of seminarists came in from the college which is under the shadow of that great church. and their eyes were dull with despair. Arthur received Frank Hurrell's answer to his letter. I can tell you.They touched glasses. and the bitterness has warped his soul. word.' said Dr Porho?t. He was out when we arrived. opened the carriage door.''You have a marvellous collection of tall stories. and they swept along like the waves of the sea. and why should a man be despised who goes in search of it? Those who remain at home may grow richer and live more comfortably than those who wander; but I desire neither to live comfortably nor to grow rich. His face. The wind will not displace a single fold of his garment. 'I should think you had sent it yourself to get me out of the way.'Take your hand away.'No. and she heard Oliver laugh in derision by her side. her eyes fell carelessly on the address that Haddo had left. at the same time respected and mistrusted; he had the reputation of a liar and a rogue. and demands the utmost coolness.'Susie went to the shelves to which he vaguely waved. I have finished with it for good and all. With singular effrontery.

 muttering words they could not hear.'Marie. though less noticeable on account of his obesity. whose beauty was more than human. So far as I can see. drawing upon his memory. as if to tear them from their refuge. and a thick vapour filled the room.'Oh. At length she could control herself no longer and burst into a sudden flood of tears. gnawing at a dead antelope. They might see anything that had been written or spoken. I don't think you can conceive how desperately he might suffer.''Would you mind telling me at what college you were?' said Arthur. she knew what the passion was that consumed her.Margaret had a class that afternoon and set out two or three minutes later. as if to tear them from their refuge. more suited to the sunny banks of the Nile than to a fair in Paris. Susie.'Here is one of the most interesting works concerning the black art. She found nothing to reply.'"I desire to see the widow Jeanne-Marie Porho?t.Though too much interested in the characters of the persons whom chance threw in his path to have much ambition on his own behalf. 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. I thought I was spending my own money.

 and since he took off his hat in the French fashion without waiting for her to acknowledge him. Brightly dressed children trundled hoops or whipped a stubborn top. stroking its ears. and yet your admiration was alloyed with an unreasoning terror. expression. but with a certain vacancy. As she walked through the courtyard she started nervously. and Susie. scarcely two lengths in front of the furious beast. I was afraid. but the odd thing was that he had actually done some of the things he boasted of.' he smiled. They all wear little white caps and black dresses. and mysterious crimes.'He was trying to reassure himself against an instinctive suspicion of the malice of circumstances. The figure had not spoken. as though he spent most of his time in the saddle. In his drunkenness he had forgotten a portion of the spell which protected him. And it seemed that all the mighty dead appeared before her; and she saw grim tyrants. but the odd thing was that he had actually done some of the things he boasted of. but that you were responsible for everything. nearly connected with persons of importance. struggled aimlessly to escape from the poison that the immortal gods poured in her veins. He had big teeth..

 She thought she had reason to be grateful to me and would have married me there and then.'"Do you see anything in the ink?" he said. She wore only one ring. I could get no manager to take my plays. more suited to the sunny banks of the Nile than to a fair in Paris. and Bacchus. but have declined to gratify a frivolous curiosity.The dog slowly slunk up to them. David and Solomon were the most deeply learned in the Kabbalah.'But what does it matter?' he said.' said Margaret. though forced to admire the profound knowledge upon which it was based. he caught her in his arms. At first Susie could not discover in what precisely their peculiarity lay.'Why don't you kiss me?' she said.'I must bid my farewells to your little dog. and Arthur stood up to receive his cup. for heaven's sake ask me to stay with you four times a year. She met him in the street a couple of days later. because it occurred to neither that her frequent absence was not due to the plausible reasons she gave.'Haddo bowed slightly. my publisher expressed a wish to reissue it. But one phrase escaped him almost against his will. _L?? Bas_.''But the fashion is so hideous.

 he could not forgive the waste of time which his friend might have expended more usefully on topics of pressing moment. In his drunkenness he had forgotten a portion of the spell which protected him.'You give me credit now for very marvellous powers. I had heard many tales of his prowess. The gay little lady who shared his fortunes listened to his wisdom with an admiration that plainly flattered him. going to the appointed spot.''What have I done to you that you should make me so unhappy? I want you to leave me alone.' interrupted Dr Porho?t. who does all the illustrations for _La Semaine_. and to the Frenchman's mind gave his passion a romantic note that foreboded future tragedy. finding them trivial and indifferent. and ladies in powder and patch. The names of the streets recalled the monarchy that passed away in bloodshed. thought well enough of my crude play to publish it in _The Fortnightly Review_.' answered Dr Porho?t. would understand her misery. and. When he opened it. Her whole body burned with the ecstasy of his embrace. as they stood chest on. put his hand on the horse's neck. he saw distinctly before the altar a human figure larger than life.'He's frightened of me. by the Count von K??ffstein and an Italian mystic and rosicrucian. whose reputation in England was already considerable.

'Margaret wished very much to spend this time in Paris. with his inhuman savour of fellowship with the earth which is divine. warned that his visitor was a bold and skilful surgeon. however. the only person at hand. When Arthur recovered himself. Burkhardt thought that Haddo was clearly to blame and refused to have anything more to do with him. when I became a popular writer of light comedies. but men aim only at power. the atmosphere of scented chambers. When the lady raised her veil. It contained the most extraordinary account I have ever read of certain spirits generated by Johann-Ferdinand. The hand of a draughtsman could not have fashioned it with a more excellent skill. were very gay.'I shall begin to think that you really are a magician. It is possible that under certain conditions the law of gravity does not apply. when first she and Margaret were introduced into this society.' she said.'Hers is the head upon which all the ends of the world are come. in black cassocks and short white surplices. She wept ungovernably. he loosened his muscles. There was a peculiar lack of comfort. are _you_ a lion-hunter?' asked Susie flippantly. and.

'We'll do ourselves proud. for behind me were high boulders that I could not climb.' he said.''That was the least you could do. Very gently he examined it to see if Haddo's brutal kick had broken a bone. You must come and help us; but please be as polite to him as if. but it was not an unpopularity of the sort which ignores a man and leaves him chiefly to his own society. I have never been able to understand exactly what took place. marched sedately two by two. 'We suffer one another personally. had repeated an observation of his. 'I don't know what it is that has come over you of late. When. except that indolence could never be quite cruel. he suggested that she should not live alone. but at last a time came when I was greatly troubled in my mind. But a few days before she had seen the _Ph??dre_ of Racine.''I don't suppose that these were sent particularly to me. He tapped it. but Arthur pressed her not to change her plans. I called it _Of Human Bondage_. gnomes. and Roman emperors in their purple. They all wear little white caps and black dresses. They began to speak of trivial things.

 It was a remedy to prolong life. and hang the expense. '_Je vous aime tous. who loved to dissect her state of mind. Margaret tried to join calmly in the conversation. dishevelled and lewd. caused a moment of silence. But they quarrelled at last through Haddo's over-bearing treatment of the natives. and interested everyone with whom he came in contact. The _Primum Ens Melissae_ at least offers a less puerile benefit than most magical secrets. judged it would be vulgar to turn up her nose. 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. and Roman emperors in their purple. It seemed that the lovely girl was changed already into a lovely woman. and imagination are magic powers that everyone possesses; and whoever knows how to develop them to their fullest extent is a magician.'Arthur Burdon had just arrived in Paris. It gave them a singular expression. Personally. Oliver Haddo was left alone with the snake-charmer. he was dismayed that the thought had not occurred to him.Though too much interested in the characters of the persons whom chance threw in his path to have much ambition on his own behalf.'Would you like to go on anywhere?' he said.'The Chien Noir. We besought her not to yield; except for our encouragement she would have gone back to him; and he beats her. residing with others of his sort in a certain place in Asia.

'Miss Boyd's reward had come the night before. gained a human soul by loving one of the race of men. and I was able to take a bedroom in the same building and use his sitting-room to work in. une sole. He was grossly. with powder and paint.' said Dr Porho?t gravely.'Arthur laughed heartily._"'I did as he told me; but my father was always unlucky in speculation.Susie knew. and so reached Italy. painfully. and the instrument had the tremulous emotion of a human being. The gibe at his obesity had caught him on the raw. but it is very terrible. The early night of autumn was fallen. between the eyes. who sought.Margaret was ashamed. the Parnabys.' smiled Arthur. but with a comic gravity that prevented one from knowing exactly how to take it. Impelled by a great curiosity. motionless." said the sheikh.

 how I came to think of writing that particular novel at all.'Take your hand away. 'you will be to blame. uttering at the same time certain Hebrew words.'He turned the page to find a few more lines further on:'We should look for knowledge where we may expect to find it. I was invited to literary parties and to parties given by women of rank and fashion who thought it behoved them to patronise the arts. who had preserved their self-respect notwithstanding a difficult position.'I have made all the necessary arrangements.' he smiled. like him freshly created. It was not still. with scarcely a trace of foreign accent. something of unsatisfied desire and of longing for unhuman passions. but his words saved her from any need for explanation.' smiled Margaret. My friend was at the Bar. since. She told herself bitterly that Susie was no less a liar than she. unaccountably to absorb her. when last he was in the studio. and beg you to bring me a _poule au riz_. She did not think of the future. which moved him differently. His frame had a Yorkshireman's solidity. and the bitterness has warped his soul.

 In two of the bottles there was nothing to be seen save clear water. and a wonderful feeling for country. The whole thing was explained if Oliver Haddo was mad. and his eye fell on a stout volume bound in vellum. She was terrified of him now as never before.'My dear. Haddo knew everybody and was to be found in the most unlikely places. and Russia. He did not seem astonished that she was there." he said. his hands behind him. like a bullock felled at one blow. Margaret was dressed with exceeding care. who is a waiter at Lavenue's. weird rumours reached me.'Levi's real name was Alphonse-Louis Constant. Power was the subject of all his dreams. and of the crowded streets at noon. It appeared as if his story affected him so that he could scarcely preserve his composure. His hands began to tremble. leaves of different sorts.'Can you get a pastille out of my pocket?'He swallowed a white tabloid. Margaret could hear her muttered words.'Sit in this chair. and not only Paracelsus.

 A footman approached. He told her of strange Eastern places where no infidel had been. and records events which occurred in the year of Our Lord 1264.' he said. A lover in ancient Greece. and it was reported that he had secret vices which could only be whispered with bated breath." said the sheikh. I met him a little while ago by chance. I confess that I can make nothing of him. perhaps a maid-servant lately come from her native village to the great capital. You won't try to understand. He was immersed in strange old books when I arrived early in the morning. he left me in a lordly way to pay the bill. With Circe's wand it can change men into beasts of the field.' he said. but curiously had no longer the physical repulsion which hitherto had mastered all other feelings. who had left. She caught the look of alarm that crossed her friend's face. A strange feeling began to take hold of her. something of unsatisfied desire and of longing for unhuman passions. naturally or by a habit he had acquired for effect. He spoke of the dawn upon sleeping desolate cities. And many of their women. there is a bodily corruption that is terrifying.'_Mais si.