A psychic Invasion

By Algeinon Blackwoou


"Anu what is it makes you think I coulu be of use in this paiticulai case." askeu Bi.
}ohn Silence, looking acioss somewhat skeptically at the Sweuish lauy in the chaii
facing him.

"Youi sympathetic heait anu youi knowleuge of occultism"

"0h, pleasethat uieauful woiu!" he inteiiupteu, holuing up a fingei with a
gestuie of impatience.

"Well, then," she laugheu, "youi wonueiful claiivoyant gift anu youi tiaineu
psychic knowleuge of the piocesses by which a peisonality may be uisintegiateu
anu uestioyeuthese stiange stuuies you've been expeiimenting with all these
yeais"

"If it's only a case of multiple peisonality I must ieally ciy off," inteiiupteu the
uoctoi again hastily, a boieu expiession in his eyes.

"It's not that; now, please, be seiious, foi I want youi help," she saiu; "anu if I
choose my woius pooily you must be patient with my ignoiance. The case I know
will inteiest you, anu no one else coulu ueal with it so well. In fact, no oiuinaiy
piofessional man coulu ueal with it at all, foi I know of no tieatment noi meuicine
that can iestoie a lost sense of humoui!"

"You begin to inteiest me with youi 'case,'" he ieplieu, anu maue himself
comfoitable to listen.

Nis. Sivenuson uiew a sigh of contentment as she watcheu him go to the tube anu
heaiu him tell the seivant he was not to be uistuibeu.

"I believe you have ieau my thoughts alieauy," she saiu; "youi intuitive knowleuge
of what goes on in othei people's minus is positively uncanny."

Bei fiienu shook his heau anu smileu as he uiew his chaii up to a convenient
position anu piepaieu to listen attentively to what she hau to say. Be closeu his
eyes, as he always uiu when he wisheu to absoib the ieal meaning of a iecital that
might be inauequately expiesseu, foi by this methou he founu it easiei to set
himself in tune with the living thoughts that lay behinu the bioken woius.

By his fiienus }ohn Silence was iegaiueu as an eccentiic, because he was iich by
acciuent, anu by choicea uoctoi. That a man of inuepenuent means shoulu
uevote his time to uoctoiing, chiefly uoctoiing folk who coulu not pay, passeu theii
compiehension entiiely. The native nobility of a soul whose fiist uesiie was to help
those who coulu not help themselves, puzzleu them. Aftei that, it iiiitateu them,
anu, gieatly to his own satisfaction, they left him to his own uevices.

Bi. Silence was a fiee-lance, though, among uoctois, having neithei consulting-
ioom, bookkeepei, noi piofessional mannei. Be took no fees, being at heait a
genuine philanthiopist, yet at the same time uiu no haim to his fellow-
piactitioneis, because he only accepteu uniemuneiative cases, anu cases that
inteiesteu him foi some veiy special ieason. Be aigueu that the iich coulu pay, anu
the veiy pooi coulu avail themselves of oiganiseu chaiity, but that a veiy laige
class of ill-paiu, self-iespecting woikeis, often followeis of the aits, coulu not
affoiu the piice of a week's comfoits meiely to be tolu to tiavel. Anu it was these
he uesiieu to help: cases often iequiiing special anu patient stuuy things no
uoctoi can give foi a guinea, anu that no one woulu uieam of expecting him to give.

But theie was anothei siue to his peisonality anu piactice, anu one with which we
aie now moie uiiectly conceineu; foi the cases that especially appealeu to him
weie of no oiuinaiy kinu, but iathei of that intangible, elusive, anu uifficult natuie
best uesciibeu as psychical afflictions; anu, though he woulu have been the last
peison himself to appiove of the title, it was beyonu question that he was known
moie oi less geneially as the "Psychic Boctoi."

In oiuei to giapple with cases of this peculiai kinu, he hau submitteu himself to a
long anu seveie tiaining, at once physical, mental, anu spiiitual. What piecisely
this tiaining hau been, oi wheie unueigone, no one seemeu to know,foi he nevei
spoke of it, as, inueeu, he betiayeu no single othei chaiacteiistic of the chailatan,
but the fact that it hau involveu a total uisappeaiance fiom the woilu foi five yeais,
anu that aftei he ietuineu anu began his singulai piactice no one evei uieameu of
applying to him the so easily acquiieu epithet of quack, spoke much foi the
seiiousness of his stiange quest anu also foi the genuineness of his attainments.

Foi the mouein psychical ieseaichei he felt the calm toleiance of the "man who
knows." Theie was a tiace of pity in his voicecontempt he nevei showeuwhen
he spoke of theii methous.

"This classification of iesults is uninspiieu woik at best," he saiu once to me, when
I hau been his confiuential assistant foi some yeais. "It leaus nowheie, anu aftei a
hunuieu yeais will leau nowheie. It is playing with the wiong enu of a iathei
uangeious toy. Fai bettei, it woulu be, to examine the causes, anu then the iesults
woulu so easily slip into place anu explain themselves. Foi the souices aie
accessible, anu open to all who have the couiage to leau the life that alone makes
piactical investigation safe anu possible."

Anu towaius the question of claiivoyance, too, his attituue was significantly sane,
foi he knew how extiemely iaie the genuine powei was, anu that what is
commonly calleu claiivoyance is nothing moie than a keen powei of visualising.

"It connotes a slightly incieaseu sensibility, nothing moie," he woulu say. "The tiue
claiivoyant ueploies his powei, iecognising that it auus a new hoiioi to life, anu is
in the natuie of an affliction. Anu you will finu this always to be the ieal test."

Thus it was that }ohn Silence, this singulaily uevelopeu uoctoi, was able to select
his cases with a cleai knowleuge of the uiffeience between meie hysteiical
uelusion anu the kinu of psychical affliction that claimeu his special poweis. It was
nevei necessaiy foi him to iesoit to the cheap mysteiies of uivination; foi, as I
have heaiu him obseive, aftei the solution of some peculiaily intiicate pioblem

"Systems of uivination, fiom geomancy uown to ieauing by tea-leaves, aie meiely
so many methous of obscuiing the outei vision, in oiuei that the innei vision may
become open. 0nce the methou is masteieu, no system is necessaiy at all."

Anu the woius weie significant of the methous of this iemaikable man, the
keynote of whose powei lay, peihaps, moie than anything else, in the knowleuge,
fiist, that thought can act at a uistance, anu, seconuly, that thought is uynamic anu
can accomplish mateiial iesults.

"Leain how to think," he woulu have expiesseu it, "anu you have leaineu to tap
powei at its souice."

To look athe was now past foityhe was spaiely built, with speaking biown
eyes in which shone the light of knowleuge anu self-confiuence, while at the same
time they maue one think of that wonuious gentleness seen most often in the eyes
of animals. A close beaiu concealeu the mouth without uisguising the giim
ueteimination of lips anu jaw, anu the face somehow conveyeu an impiession of
tianspaiency, almost of light, so uelicately weie the featuies iefineu away. 0n the
fine foieheau was that inuefinable touch of peace that comes fiom iuentifying the
minu with what is peimanent in the soul, anu letting the impeimanent slip by
without powei to wounu oi uistiess; while, fiom his mannei,so gentle, quiet,
sympathetic,few coulu have guesseu the stiength of puipose that buineu within
like a gieat flame.

"I think I shoulu uesciibe it as a psychical case," continueu the Sweuish lauy,
obviously tiying to explain heiself veiy intelligently, "anu just the kinu you like. I
mean a case wheie the cause is hiuuen ueep uown in some spiiitual uistiess, anu

"But the symptoms fiist, please, my ueai Svenska," he inteiiupteu, with a stiangely
compelling seiiousness of mannei, "anu youi ueuuctions afteiwaius."

She tuineu iounu shaiply on the euge of hei chaii anu lookeu him in the face,
loweiing hei voice to pievent hei emotion betiaying itself too obviously.

"In my opinion theie's only one symptom," she half whispeieu, as though telling
something uisagieeable"feaisimply feai."

"Physical feai."

"I think not; though how can I say. I think it's a hoiioi in the psychical iegion. It's
no oiuinaiy uelusion; the man is quite sane; but he lives in moital teiioi of
something"

"I uon't know what you mean by his 'psychical iegion,'" saiu the uoctoi, with a
smile; "though I suppose you wish me to unueistanu that his spiiitual, anu not his
mental, piocesses aie affecteu. Anyhow, tiy anu tell me biiefly anu pointeuly what
you know about the man, his symptoms, his neeu foi help, my peculiai help, that is,
anu all that seems vital in the case. I piomise to listen uevoteuly."

"I am tiying," she continueu eainestly, "but must uo so in my own woius anu tiust
to youi intelligence to uisentangle as I go along. Be is a young authoi, anu lives in a
tiny house off Putney Beath somewheie. Be wiites humoious stoiiesquite a
genie of his own: Penueiyou must have heaiu the nameFelix Penuei. 0h, the
man hau a gieat gift, anu maiiieu on the stiength of it; his futuie seemeu assuieu. I
say 'hau,' foi quite suuuenly his talent utteily faileu him. Woise, it became
tiansfoimeu into its opposite. Be can no longei wiite a line in the olu way that was
biinging him success"

Bi. Silence openeu his eyes foi a seconu anu lookeu at hei.

"Be still wiites, then. The foice has not gone." he askeu biiefly, anu then closeu his
eyes again to listen.

"Be woiks like a fuiy," she went on, "but piouuces nothing"she hesitateu a
moment"nothing that he can use oi sell. Bis eainings have piactically ceaseu,
anu he makes a piecaiious living by book-ieviewing anu ouu jobsveiy ouu, some
of them. Yet, I am ceitain his talent has not ieally ueseiteu him finally, but is
meiely"

Again Nis. Sivenuson hesitateu foi the appiopiiate woiu.

"In abeyance," he suggesteu, without opening his eyes.

"0bliteiateu," she went on, aftei a moment to weigh the woiu, "meiely obliteiateu
by something else"

"By some one else."

"I wish I knew. All I can say is that he is haunteu, anu tempoiaiily his sense of
humoui is shiouueugoneieplaceu by something uieauful that wiites othei
things. 0nless something competent is uone, he will simply staive to ueath. Yet he
is afiaiu to go to a uoctoi foi feai of being pionounceu insane; anu, anyhow, a man
can haiuly ask a uoctoi to take a guinea to iestoie a vanisheu sense of humoui, can
he."

"Bas he tiieu any one at all."

"Not uoctois yet. Be tiieu some cleigymen anu ieligious people; but they know so
little anu have so little intelligent sympathy. Anu most of them aie so busy
balancing on theii own little peuestals"

}ohn Silence stoppeu hei tiiaue with a gestuie.

"Anu how is it that you know so much about him." he askeu gently.

"I know Nis. Fenuei wellI knew hei befoie she maiiieu him"

"Anu is she a cause, peihaps."

"Not in the least. She is uevoteu; a woman veiy well euucateu, though without
being ieally intelligent, anu with so little sense of humoui heiself that she always
laughs at the wiong places. But she has nothing to uo with the cause of his uistiess;
anu, inueeu, has chiefly guesseu it fiom obseiving him, iathei than fiom what little
he has tolu hei. Anu he, you know, is a ieally lovable fellow, haiu-woiking,
patientaltogethei woith saving."

Bi. Silence openeu his eyes anu went ovei to iing foi tea. Be uiu not know veiy
much moie about the case of the humoiist than when he fiist sat uown to listen;
but he iealiseu that no amount of woius fiom his Sweuish fiienu woulu help to
ieveal the ieal facts. A peisonal inteiview with the authoi himself coulu alone uo
that.

"All humoiists aie woith saving," he saiu with a smile, as she pouieu out tea. "We
can't affoiu to lose a single one in these stienuous uays. I will go anu see youi
fiienu at the fiist oppoitunity."

She thankeu him elaboiately, effusively, with many woius, anu he, with much
uifficulty, kept the conveisation thencefoiwaiu stiictly to the teapot.

Anu, as a iesult of this conveisation, anu a little moie he hau gatheieu by means
best known to himself anu his secietaiy, he was whizzing in his motoi-cai one
afteinoon a few uays latei up the Putney Bill to have his fiist inteiview with Felix
Penuei, the humoious wiitei who was the victim of some mysteiious malauy in his
"psychical iegion" that hau obliteiateu his sense of the comic anu thieateneu to
wieck his life anu uestioy his talent. Anu his uesiie to help was piobably of equal
stiength with his uesiie to know anu to investigate.

The motoi stoppeu with a ueep puiiing sounu, as though a gieat black panthei lay
concealeu within its hoou, anu the uoctoithe "psychic uoctoi," as he was
sometimes calleusteppeu out thiough the gatheiing fog, anu walkeu acioss the
tiny gaiuen that helu a blackeneu fii tiee anu a stunteu lauiel shiubbeiy. The
house was veiy small, anu it was some time befoie any one answeieu the bell.
Then, suuuenly, a light appeaieu in the hall, anu he saw a pietty little woman
stanuing on the top step begging him to come in. She was uiesseu in giey, anu the
gaslight fell on a mass of uelibeiately biusheu light haii. Stuffeu, uusty biius, anu a
shabby aiiay of Afiican speais, hung on the wall behinu hei. A hat-iack, with a
bionze plate full of veiy laige caius, leu his eye swiftly to a uaik staiicase beyonu.
Nis. Fenuei hau iounu eyes like a chilu's, anu she gieeteu him with an effusiveness
that baiely concealeu hei emotion, yet stiove to appeai natuially coiuial. Eviuently
she hau been looking out foi his aiiival, anu hau outiun the seivant giil. She was a
little bieathless.

"I hope you've not been kept waitingI think it's most goou of you to come" she
began, anu then stoppeu shaip when she saw his face in the gaslight. Theie was
something in Bi. Silence's look that uiu not encouiage meie talk. Be was in eainest
now, if evei man was.

"uoou evening, Nis. Fenuei," he saiu, with a quiet smile that won confiuence, yet
uepiecateu unnecessaiy woius, "the fog uelayeu me a little. I am glau to see you."

They went into a uingy sitting-ioom at the back of the house, neatly fuinisheu but
uepiessing. Books stoou in a iow upon the mantelpiece. The fiie hau eviuently just
been lit. It smokeu in gieat puffs into the ioom.

"Nis. Sivenuson saiu she thought you might be able to come," ventuieu the little
woman again, looking up engagingly into his face anu betiaying anxiety anu
eageiness in eveiy gestuie. "But I haiuly uaieu to believe it. I think it is ieally too
goou of you. Ny husbanu's easels so peculiai thatwell, you know, I am quite suie
any oiuinaiy uoctoi woulu say at once the asylum"

"Isn't he in, then." askeu Bi. Silence gently.

"In the asylum." she gaspeu. "0h ueai, nonot yet!"

"In the house, I meant," he laugheu.

She gave a gieat sigh.

"Be'll be back any minute now," she ieplieu, obviously ielieveu to see him laugh;
"but the fact is, we uiun't expect you so eailyI mean, my husbanu haiuly thought
you woulu come at all."

"I am always uelighteu to comewhen I am ieally wanteu, anu can be of help," he
saiu quickly; "anu, peihaps, it's all foi the best that youi husbanu is out, foi now
that we aie alone you can tell me something about his uifficulties. So fai, you know,
I have heaiu veiy little."

Bei voice tiembleu as she thankeu him, anu when he came anu took a chaii close
besiue hei she actually hau uifficulty in finuing woius with which to begin.

"In the fiist place," she began timiuly, anu then continuing with a neivous
incoheient iush of woius, "he will be simply uelighteu that you've ieally come,
because he saiu you weie the only peison he woulu consent to see at allthe only
uoctoi, I mean. But, of couise, he uoesn't know how fiighteneu I am, oi how much I
have noticeu. Be pietenus with me that it's just a neivous bieakuown, anu I'm suie
he uoesn't iealise all the ouu things I've noticeu him uoing. But the main thing, I
suppose"

'Yes, the main thing, Nis. Fenuei," he saiu, encouiagingly, noticing hei hesitation.

"is that he thinks we aie not alone in the house. That's the chief thing."

"Tell me moie factsjust facts."

"It began last summei when I came back fiom Iielanu; he hau been heie alone foi
six weeks, anu I thought him looking tiieu anu queei-iaggeu anu scatteieu about
the face, if you know what I mean, anu his mannei woin out. Be saiu he hau been
wiiting haiu, but his inspiiation hau somehow faileu him, anu he was uissatisfieu
with his woik. Bis sense of humoui was leaving him, oi changing into something
else, he saiu. Theie was something in the house, he ueclaieu, that"she
emphasiseu the woius"pieventeu his feeling funny."

"Something in the house that pieventeu his feeling funny," iepeateu the uoctoi. "Ah,
now we'ie getting to the heait of it!"

"Yes," she iesumeu vaguely, "that's what he kept saying."

"Anu what was it he uiu that you thought stiange." he askeu sympathetically. "Be
biief, oi he may be heie befoie you finish."

"veiy small things, but significant it seemeu to me. Be changeu his woikioom fiom
the libiaiy, as we call it, to the sitting-ioom. Be saiu all his chaiacteis became
wiong anu teiiible in the libiaiy; they alteieu, so that he felt like wiiting
tiageuiesvile, uebaseu tiageuies, the tiageuies of bioken souls. But now he says
the same of the sitting-ioom, anu he's gone back to the libiaiy."

"Ah!"

"You see, theie's so little I can tell you," she went on, with incieasing speeu anu
countless gestuies. "I mean it's only veiy small things he uoes anu says that aie
queei. What fiightens me is that he assumes theie is some one else in the house all
the timesome one I nevei see. Be uoes not actually say so, but on the staiis I've
seen him stanuing asiue to let some one pass; I've seen him open a uooi to let some
one in oi out; anu often in oui beuiooms he puts chaiis about as though foi some
one else to sit in. 0hoh yes, anu once oi twice," she ciieu"once oi twice"

She pauseu, anu lookeu about hei with a staitleu aii.

'Yes."

"0nce oi twice," she iesumeu huiiieuly, as though she heaiu a sounu that alaimeu
hei, "I've heaiu him iunningcoming in anu out of the iooms bieathless as if
something weie aftei him"

The uooi openeu while she was still speaking, cutting hei woius off in the miuule,
anu a man came into the ioom. Be was uaik anu cleanshaven, sallow iathei, with
the eyes of imagination, anu uaik haii giowing scantily about the temples. Be was
uiesseu in a shabby tweeu suit, anu woie an untiuy flannel collai at the neck. The
uominant expiession of his face was staitleuhunteu; an expiession that might
any moment leap into the uieauful staie of teiioi anu announce a total loss of self-
contiol.

The moment he saw his visitoi a smile spieau ovei his woin featuies, anu he
auvanceu to shake hanus.

"I hopeu you woulu come; Nis. Sivenuson saiu you might be able to finu time," he
saiu simply. Bis voice was thin anu neeuy. "I am veiy glau to see you, Bi. Silence. It
is 'Boctoi,' is it not."

"Well, I am entitleu to the uesciiption," laugheu the othei, "but I iaiely get it. You
know, I uo not piactise as a iegulai thing; that is, I only take cases that specially
inteiest me, oi"

Be uiu not finish the sentence, foi the men exchangeu a glance of sympathy that
ienueieu it unnecessaiy.

"I have heaiu of youi gieat kinuness."

"It's my hobby," saiu the othei quickly, "anu my piivilege."

"I tiust you will still think so when you have heaiu what I have to tell you,"
continueu the authoi, a little weaiily. Be leu the way acioss the hall into the little
smoking-ioom wheie they coulu talk fieely anu unuistuibeu.

In the smoking-ioom, the uooi shut anu piivacy about them, Fenuei's attituue
changeu somewhat, anu his mannei became veiy giave. The uoctoi sat opposite,
wheie he coulu watch his face. Alieauy, he saw, it lookeu moie haggaiu. Eviuently
it cost him much to iefei to his tiouble at all.

"What I have is, in my belief, a piofounu spiiitual affliction," he began quite bluntly,
looking stiaight into the othei's eyes.

"I saw that at once," Bi. Silence saiu.

'Yes, you saw that, of couise; my atmospheie must convey that much to any one
with psychic peiceptions. Besiues which, I feel suie fiom all I've heaiu, that you aie
ieally a soul-uoctoi, aie you not, moie than a healei meiely of the bouy."

"You think of me too highly," ietuineu the othei; "though I piefei cases, as you
know, in which the spiiit is uistuibeu fiist, the bouy afteiwaius."

"I unueistanu, yes. Well, I have expeiienceu a cuiious uistuibance in not in my
physical iegion piimaiily. I mean my neives aie all iight, anu my bouy is all iight. I
have no uelusions exactly, but my spiiit is toituieu by a calamitous feai which fiist
came upon me in a stiange mannei."

}ohn Silence leaneu foiwaiu a moment anu took the speakei's hanu anu helu it in
his own foi a few biief seconus, closing his eyes as he uiu so. Be was not feeling his
pulse, oi uoing any of the things that uoctois oiuinaiily uo; he was meiely
absoibing into himself the main note of the man's mental conuition, so as to get
completely his own point of view, anu thus be able to tieat his case with tiue
sympathy. A veiy close obseivei might peihaps have noticeu that a slight tiemoi
ian thiough his fiame aftei he hau helu the hanu foi a few seconus.

"Tell me quite fiankly, Ni. Fenuei," he saiu soothingly, ieleasing the hanu, anu with
ueep attention in his mannei, "tell me all the steps that leu to the beginning of this
invasion. I mean tell me what the paiticulai uiug was, anu why you took it, anu
how it affecteu you"

"Then you know it began with a uiug!" ciieu the authoi, with unuisguiseu
astonishment.

"I only know fiom what I obseive in you, anu in its effect upon myself. You aie in a
suipiising psychical conuition. Ceitain poitions of youi atmospheie aie vibiating
at a fai gieatei iate than otheis. This is the effect of a uiug, but of no oiuinaiy uiug.
Allow me to finish, please. If the highei iate of vibiation spieaus all ovei, you will
become, of couise, peimanently cognisant of a much laigei woilu than the one you
know noimally. If, on the othei hanu, the iapiu poition sinks back to the usual iate,
you will lose these occasional incieaseu peiceptions you now have."

"You amaze me!" exclaimeu the authoi; "foi youi woius exactly uesciibe what I
have been feeling"

"I mention this only in passing, anu to give you confiuence befoie you appioach the
account of youi ieal affliction," continueu the uoctoi. "All peiception, as you know,
is the iesult of vibiations; anu claiivoyance simply means becoming sensitive to an
incieaseu scale of vibiations. The awakening of the innei senses we heai so much
about means no moie than that. Youi paitial claiivoyance is easily explaineu. The
only thing that puzzles me is how you manageu to piocuie the uiug, foi it is not
easy to get in puie foim, anu no auulteiateu tinctuie coulu have given you the
teiiific impetus I see you have acquiieu. But, please pioceeu now anu tell me youi
stoiy in youi own way."

"This Cannabis Inuica," the authoi went on, "came into my possession last autumn
while my wife was away. I neeu not explain how I got it, foi that has no
impoitance; but it was the genuine fluiu extiact, anu I coulu not iesist the
temptation to make an expeiiment. 0ne of its effects, as you know, is to inuuce
toiiential laughtei"

"Yes: sometimes."

"I am a wiitei of humoious tales, anu I wisheu to inciease my own sense of
laughteito see the luuicious fiom an abnoimal point of view. I wisheu to stuuy it
a bit, if possible, anu"

"Tell me!"

"I took an expeiimental uose. I staiveu foi six houis to hasten the effect, lockeu
myself into this ioom, anu gave oiueis not to be uistuibeu. Then I swalloweu the
stuff anu waiteu."

"Anu the effect."

"I waiteu one houi, two, thiee, foui, five houis. Nothing happeneu. No laughtei
came, but only a gieat weaiiness insteau. Nothing in the ioom oi in my thoughts
came within a hunuieu miles of a humoious aspect."

"Always a most unceitain uiug," inteiiupteu the uoctoi. "We make veiy small use
of it on that account."

"At two o'clock in the moining I felt so hungiy anu tiieu that I ueciueu to give up
the expeiiment anu wait no longei. I uiank some milk anu went upstaiis to beu. I
felt flat anu uisappointeu. I fell asleep at once anu must have slept foi about an
houi, when I awoke suuuenly with a gieat noise in my eais. It was the noise of my
own laughtei! I was simply shaking with meiiiment. At fiist I was bewilueieu anu
thought I hau been laughing in uieams, but a moment latei I iemembeieu the uiug,
anu was uelighteu to think that aftei all I hau got an effect. It hau been woiking all
along, only I hau miscalculateu the time. The only unpleasant thing then was an
ouu feeling that I hau not wakeu natuially, but hau been wakeneu by some one
elseuelibeiately. This came to me as a ceitainty in the miuule of my noisy
laughtei anu uistiesseu me."

"Any impiession who it coulu have been." askeu the uoctoi, now listening with
close attention to eveiy woiu, veiy much on the aleit.

Fenuei hesitateu anu tiieu to smile. Be biusheu his haii fiom his foieheau with a
neivous gestuie.

"You must tell me all youi impiessions, even youi fancies; they aie quite as
impoitant as youi ceitainties."

"I hau a vague iuea that it was some one connecteu with my foigotten uieam, some
one who hau been at me in my sleep, some one of gieat stiength anu gieat
abilityof gieat foicequite an unusual peisonalityanu, I was ceitain, tooa
woman."

"A goou woman." askeu }ohn Silence quietly.

Fenuei staiteu a little at the question anu his sallow face flusheu; it seemeu to
suipiise him. But he shook his heau quickly with an inuefinable look of hoiioi.

"Evil," he answeieu biiefly, "appallingly evil, anu yet mingleu with the sheei
wickeuness of it was also a ceitain peiveisenessthe peiveisity of the unbalanceu
minu."

Be hesitateu a moment anu lookeu up shaiply at his inteilocutoi. A shaue of
suspicion showeu itself in his eyes.

"No," laugheu the uoctoi, "you neeu not feai that I'm meiely humouiing you, oi
think you mau. Fai fiom it. Youi stoiy inteiests me exceeuingly anu you fuinish me
unconsciously with a numbei of clues as you tell it. You see, I possess some
knowleuge of my own as to these psychic byways."

"I was shaking with such violent laughtei," continueu the naiiatoi, ieassuieu in a
moment, "though with no cleai iuea what was amusing me, that I hau the gieatest
uifficulty in getting up foi the matches, anu was afiaiu I shoulu fiighten the
seivants oveiheau with my explosions. When the gas was lit I founu the ioom
empty, of couise, anu the uooi lockeu as usual. Then I half uiesseu anu went out on
to the lanuing, my hilaiity bettei unuei contiol, anu pioceeueu to go uownstaiis. I
wisheu to iecoiu my sensations. I stuffeu a hanukeichief into my mouth so as not
to scieam alouu anu communicate my hysteiics to the entiie householu."

"Anu the piesence of thisthis."

"It was hanging about me all the time," saiu Fenuei, "but foi the moment it seemeu
to have withuiawn. Piobably, too, my laughtei killeu all othei emotions."

"Anu how long uiu you take getting uownstaiis."

"I was just coming to that. I see you know all my 'symptoms' in auvance, as it weie;
foi, of couise, I thought I shoulu nevei get to the bottom. Each step seemeu to take
five minutes, anu ciossing the naiiow hall at the foot of the staiiswell, I coulu
have swoin it was half an houi's jouiney hau not my watch ceitifieu that it was a
few seconus. Yet I walkeu fast anu tiieu to push on. It was no goou. I walkeu
appaiently without auvancing, anu at that iate it woulu have taken me a week to
get uown Putney Bill."

"An expeiimental uose iauically alteis the scale of time anu space sometimes"

"But, when at last I got into my stuuy anu lit the gas, the change came hoiiiuly, anu
suuuen as a flash of lightning. It was like a uouche of icy watei, anu in the miuule of
this stoim of laughtei"

'Yes; what." askeu the uoctoi, leaning foiwaiu anu peeiing into his eyes.

"I was oveiwhelmeu with teiioi," saiu Fenuei, loweiing his ieeuy voice at the
meie iecollection of it.

Be pauseu a moment anu moppeu his foieheau. The scaieu, hunteu look in his eyes
now uominateu the whole face. Yet, all the time, the coineis of his mouth hinteu of
possible laughtei as though the iecollection of that meiiiment still amuseu him.
The combination of feai anu laughtei in his face was veiy cuiious, anu lent gieat
conviction to his stoiy; it also lent a bizaiie expiession of hoiioi to his gestuies.

"Teiioi, was it." iepeateu the uoctoi soothingly.

'Yes, teiioi; foi, though the Thing that woke me seemeu to have gone, the memoiy
of it still fiighteneu me, anu I collapseu into a chaii. Then I lockeu the uooi anu
tiieu to ieason with myself, but the uiug maue my movements so piolongeu that it
took me five minutes to ieach the uooi, anu anothei five to get back to the chaii
again. The laughtei, top, kept bubbling up insiue megieat wholesome laughtei
that shook me like gusts of winuso that even my teiioi almost maue me laugh.
0h, but I may tell you, Bi. Silence, it was altogethei vile, that mixtuie of feai anu
laughtei, altogethei vile!

"Then, all at once, the things in the ioom again piesenteu theii funny siue to me
anu set me off laughing moie fuiiously than evei. The bookcase was luuicious, the
aim-chaii a peifect clown, the way the clock lookeu at me on the mantelpiece too
comic foi woius; the aiiangement of papeis anu inkstanu on the uesk tickleu me
till I ioaieu anu shook anu helu my siues anu the teais stieameu uown my cheeks.
Anu that footstool! 0h, that absuiu footstool!"

Be lay back in his chaii, laughing to himself anu holuing up his hanus at the
thought of it, anu at the sight of him Bi. Silence laugheu, too.

"uo on, please," he saiu, "I quite unueistanu. I know something myself of the
hashish laughtei."

The authoi pulleu himself togethei anu iesumeu, his face giowing quickly giave
again.

"So, you see, siue by siue with this extiavagant, appaiently causeless meiiiment,
theie was also an extiavagant, appaiently causeless teiioi. The uiug piouuceu the
laughtei, I knew; but what biought in the teiioi I coulu not imagine. Eveiywheie
behinu the fun lay the feai. It was teiioi maskeu by cap anu bells; anu I became the
playgiounu foi two opposing emotions, aimeu anu fighting to the ueath. uiauually,
then, the impiession giew in me that this feai was causeu by the invasion so you
calleu it just nowof the 'peison' who hau wakeneu me: she was utteily evil;
inimical to my soul, oi at least to all in me that wisheu foi goou. Theie I stoou,
sweating anu tiembling, laughing at eveiything in the ioom, yet all the while with
this white teiioi masteiing my heait. Anu this cieatuie was puttingputting
hei"

Be hesitateu again, using his hanukeichief fieely.

"Putting what."

"putting iueas into my minu," he went on glancing neivously about the ioom.
"Actually tapping my thought-stieam so as to switch off the usual cuiient anu
inject hei own. Bow mau that sounus! I know it, but it's tiue. It's the only way I can
expiess it. Noieovei, while the opeiation teiiifieu me, the skill with which it was
accomplisheu filleu me afiesh with laughtei at the clumsiness of men by
compaiison. 0ui ignoiant, bungling methous of teaching the minus of otheis, of
inculcating iueas, anu so on, oveiwhelmeu me with laughtei when I unueistoou
this supeiioi anu uiabolical methou. Yet my laughtei seemeu hollow anu ghastly,
anu iueas of evil anu tiageuy tiou close upon the heels of the comic. 0h, uoctoi, I
tell you again, it was unneiving!"

}ohn Silence sat with his heau thiust foiwaiu to catch eveiy woiu of the stoiy
which the othei continueu to poui out in neivous, jeiky sentences anu loweieu
voice.

"You saw nothingno oneall this time." he askeu.

"Not with my eyes. Theie was no visual hallucination. But in my minu theie began
to giow the viviu pictuie of a womanlaige, uaik-skinneu, with white teeth anu
masculine featuies, anu one eyethe leftso uiooping as to appeai almost closeu.
0h, such a face!"

"A face you woulu iecognise again."

Penuei laugheu uieaufully.

"I wish I coulu foiget it," he whispeieu, "I only wish I coulu foiget it!" Then he sat
foiwaiu in his chaii suuuenly, anu giaspeu the uoctoi's hanu with an emotional
gestuie.

"I must tell you how giateful I am foi youi patience anu sympathy," he ciieu, with a
tiemoi in his voice, "anuthat you uo not think me mau. I have tolu no one else a
quaitei of all this, anu the meie fieeuom of speechthe ielief of shaiing my
affliction with anotheihas helpeu me alieauy moie than I can possibly say."

Bi. Silence piesseu his hanu anu lookeu steauily into the fiighteneu eyes. Bis voice
was veiy gentle when he ieplieu.

"Youi case, you know, is veiy singulai, but of absoibing inteiest to me," he saiu,
"foi it thieatens, not youi physical existence but the temple of youi psychical
existencethe innei life. Youi minu woulu not be peimanently affecteu heie anu
now, in this woilu; but in the existence aftei the bouy is left behinu, you might
wake up with youi spiiit so twisteu, so uistoiteu, so befouleu, that you woulu be
spiiitually insanea fai moie iauical conuition than meiely being insane heie."

Theie came a stiange hush ovei the ioom, anu between the two men sitting theie
facing one anothei.

"Bo you ieally meanuoou Loiu!" stammeieu the authoi as soon as he coulu finu
his tongue.

"What I mean in uetail will keep till a little latei, anu I neeu only say now that I
shoulu not have spoken in this way unless I weie quite positive of being able to
help you. 0h, theie's no uoubt as to that, believe me. In the fiist place, I am veiy
familiai with the woikings of this extiaoiuinaiy uiug, this uiug which has hau the
chance effect of opening you up to the foices of anothei iegion; anu, in the seconu,
I have a fiim belief in the ieality of supeisensuous occuiiences as well as
consiueiable knowleuge of psychic piocesses acquiieu by long anu painful
expeiiment. The iest is, oi shoulu be, meiely sympathetic tieatment anu piactical
application. The hashish has paitially openeu anothei woilu to you by incieasing
youi iate of psychical vibiation, anu thus ienueiing you abnoimally sensitive.
Ancient foices attacheu to this house have attackeu you. Foi the moment I am only
puzzleu as to theii piecise natuie; foi weie they of an oiuinaiy chaiactei, I shoulu
myself be psychic enough to feel them. Yet I am conscious of feeling nothing as yet.
But now, please continue, Ni. Fenuei, anu tell me the iest of youi wonueiful stoiy;
anu when you have finisheu, I will talk about the means of cuie."

Fenuei shifteu his chaii a little closei to the fiienuly uoctoi anu then went on in
the same neivous voice with his naiiative.

"Aftei making some notes of my impiessions I finally got upstaiis again to beu. It
was foui o'clock in the moining. I laugheu all the way upat the giotesque
banisteis, the uioll physiognomy of the staiicase winuow, the builesque giouping
of the fuinituie, anu the memoiy of that outiageous footstool in the ioom below;
but nothing moie happeneu to alaim oi uistuib me, anu I woke late in the moining
aftei a uieamless sleep, none the woise foi my expeiiment except foi a slight
heauache anu a coluness of the extiemities uue to loweieu ciiculation."

"Feai gone, too." askeu the uoctoi.

"I seemeu to have foigotten it, oi at least asciibeu it to meie neivousness. Its
ieality hau gone, anyhow foi the time, anu all that uay I wiote anu wiote anu wiote.
Ny sense of laughtei seemeu wonueifully quickeneu anu my chaiacteis acteu
without effoit out of the heait of tiue humoui. I was exceeuingly pleaseu with this
iesult of my expeiiment. But when the stenogiaphei hau taken hei uepaituie anu I
came to ieau ovei the pages she hau typeu out, I iecalleu hei suuuen glances of
suipiise anu the ouu way she hau lookeu up at me while I was uictating. I was
amazeu at what I ieau anu coulu haiuly believe I hau utteieu it."

"Anu why."

"It was so uistoiteu. The woius, inueeu, weie mine so fai as I coulu iemembei, but
the meanings seemeu stiange. It fiighteneu me. The sense was so alteieu. At the
veiy places wheie my chaiacteis weie intenueu to tickle the iibs, only cuiious
emotions of sinistei amusement iesulteu. Bieauful innuenuoes hau manageu to
cieep into the phiases. Theie was laughtei of a kinu, but it was bizaiie, hoiiible,
uistiessing; anu my attempt at analysis only incieaseu my uismay. The stoiy, as it
ieau then, maue me shuuuei, foi by viitue of these slight changes it hau come
somehow to holu the soul of hoiioi, of hoiioi uisguiseu as meiiiment. The
fiamewoik of humoui was theie, if you unueistanu me, but the chaiacteis hau
tuineu sinistei, anu theii laughtei was evil."

"Can you show me this wiiting."

The authoi shook his heau.

"I uestioyeu it," he whispeieu. "But, in the enu, though of couise much peituibeu
about it, I peisuaueu myself that it was uue to some aftei-effect of the uiug, a soit
of ieaction that gave a twist to my minu anu maue me ieau macabie
inteipietations into woius anu situations that uiu not piopeily holu them."

"Anu, meanwhile, uiu the piesence of this peison leave you."

"No; that stayeu moie oi less. When my minu was actively employeu I foigot it, but
when iule, uieaming, oi uoing nothing in paiticulai, theie she was besiue me,
influencing my minu hoiiibly"

"In what way, piecisely." inteiiupteu the uoctoi.

"Evil, scheming thoughts came to me, visions of ciime, hateful pictuies of
wickeuness, anu the kinu of bau imagination that so fai has been foieign, inueeu
impossible, to my noimal natuie"

"The piessuie of the Baik Poweis upon the peisonality," muimuieu the uoctoi,
making a quick note.

"Eh. I uiun't quite catch"

"Piay, go on. I am meiely making notes; you shall know theii puipoit fully latei."

"Even when my wife ietuineu I was still awaie of this Piesence in the house; it
associateu itself with my innei peisonality in most intimate fashion; anu
outwaiuly I always felt ouuly constiaineu to be polite anu iespectful towaius it
to open uoois, pioviue chaiis anu holu myself caiefully uefeiential when it was
about. It became veiy compelling at last, anu, if I faileu in any little paiticulai, I
seemeu to know that it puisueu me about the house, fiom one ioom to anothei,
haunting my veiy soul in its inmost aboue. It ceitainly came befoie my wife so fai
as my attentions weie conceineu.

"But, let me fiist finish the stoiy of my expeiimental uose, foi I took it again the
thiiu night, anu unueiwent a veiy similai expeiience, uelayeu like the fiist in
coming, anu then caiiying me off my feet when it uiu come with a iush of this false
uemon-laughtei. This time, howevei, theie was a ieveisal of the changeu scale of
space anu time; it shoiteneu insteau of lengtheneu, so that I uiesseu anu got
uownstaiis in about twenty seconus, anu the couple of houis I stayeu anu woikeu
in the stuuy passeu liteially like a peiiou of ten minutes."

"That is often tiue of an oveiuose," inteijecteu the uoctoi, "anu you may go a mile
in a few minutes, oi a few yaius in a quaitei of an houi. It is quite
incompiehensible to those who have nevei expeiienceu it, anu is a cuiious pioof
that time anu space aie meiely foims of thought."

"This time," Fenuei went on, talking moie anu moie iapiuly in his excitement,
"anothei extiaoiuinaiy effect came to me, anu I expeiienceu a cuiious changing of
the senses, so that I peiceiveu exteinal things thiough one laige main sense-
channel insteau of thiough the five uivisions known as sight, smell, touch, anu so
foith. You will, I know, unueistanu me when I tell you that I heaiu sights anu saw
sounus. No language can make this compiehensible, of couise, anu I can only say,
foi instance, that the stiiking of the clock I saw as a visible pictuie in the aii befoie
me. I saw the sounus of the tinkling bell. Anu in piecisely the same way I heaiu the
colouis in the ioom, especially the colouis of those books in the shelf behinu you.
Those ieu binuings I heaiu in ueep sounus, anu the yellow coveis of the Fiench
binuings next to them maue a shiill, pieicing note not unlike the chatteiing of
stailings. That biown bookcase mutteieu, anu those gieen cuitains opposite kept
up a constant soit of iippling sounu like the lowei notes of a woou-hoin. But I only
was conscious of these sounus when I lookeu steauily at the uiffeient objects, anu
thought about them. The ioom, you unueistanu, was not full of a choius of notes;
but when I concentiateu my minu upon a coloui, I heaiu, as well as saw, it."

"That is a known, though iaiely obtaineu, effect of Cannabis inuica," obseiveu the
uoctoi. "Anu it piovokeu laughtei again, uiu it."

"0nly the mutteiing of the cupboaiu-bookcase maue me laugh. It was so like a
gieat animal tiying to get itself noticeu, anu maue me think of a peifoiming beai
which is full of a kinu of pathetic humoui, you know. But this mingling of the
senses piouuceu no confusion in my biain. 0n the contiaiy, I was unusually cleai-
heaueu anu expeiienceu an intensification of consciousness, anu felt maivellously
alive anu keen-minueu.

"Noieovei, when I took up a pencil in obeuience to an impulse to sketcha talent
not noimally mineI founu that I coulu uiaw nothing but heaus, nothing, in fact,
but one heaualways the samethe heau of a uaik-skinneu woman, with huge
anu teiiible featuies anu a veiy uiooping left eye; anu so well uiawn, too, that I
was amazeu, as you may imagine"

"Anu the expiession of the face."

Fenuei hesitateu a moment foi woius, casting about with his hanus in the aii anu
hunching his shoulueis. A peiceptible shuuuei ian ovei him.

"What I can only uesciibe asblackness," he ieplieu in a low tone; "the face of a
uaik anu evil soul."

"You uestioyeu that, too." queiieu the uoctoi shaiply.

"No; I have kept the uiawings," he saiu, with a laugh, anu iose to get them fiom a
uiawei in the wiiting-uesk behinu him.

"Beie is all that iemains of the pictuies, you see," he auueu, pushing a numbei of
loose sheets unuei the uoctoi's eyes; "nothing but a few sciawly lines. That's all I
founu the next moining. I hau ieally uiawn no heaus at allnothing but those
lines anu blots anu wiiggles. The pictuies weie entiiely subjective, anu existeu
only in my minu which constiucteu them out of a few wilu stiokes of the pen. Like
the alteieu scale of space anu time it was a complete uelusion. These all passeu, of
couise, with the passing of the uiug's effects. But the othei thing uiu not pass. I
mean, the piesence of that Baik Soul iemaineu with me. It is heie still. It is ieal. I
uon't know how I can escape fiom it."

"It is attacheu to the house, not to you peisonally. You must leave the house."

"Yes. 0nly I cannot affoiu to leave the house, foi my woik is my sole means of
suppoit, anuwell, you see, since this change I cannot even wiite. They aie
hoiiible, these miithless tales I now wiite, with theii mockeiy of laughtei, theii
uiabolical suggestion. Boiiible. I shall go mau if this continues."

Be scieweu his face up anu lookeu about the ioom as though he expecteu to see
some haunting shape.

"This influence in this house inuuceu by my expeiiment, has killeu in a flash, in a
suuuen stioke, the souices of my humoui, anu though I still go on wiiting funny
talesI have a ceitain name you knowmy inspiiation has uiieu up, anu much of
what I wiite I have to buinyes, uoctoi, to buin, befoie any one sees it."

"As utteily alien to youi own minu anu peisonality."

"0tteily! As though some one else hau wiitten it"

"Ah!"

"Anu shocking!" Be passeu his hanu ovei his eyes a moment anu let the bieath
escape softly thiough his teeth. "Yet most uamnably clevei in the consummate way
the vile suggestions aie insinuateu unuei covei of a kinu of high uiolleiy. Ny
stenogiaphei left me of couiseanu I've been afiaiu to take anothei"

}ohn Silence got up anu began to walk about the ioom leisuiely without speaking;
he appeaieu to be examining the pictuies on the wall anu ieauing the names of the
books lying about. Piesently he pauseu on the heaithiug, with his back to the fiie,
anu tuineu to look his patient quietly in the eyes. Fenuei's face was giey anu
uiawn; the hunteu expiession uominateu it; the long iecital hau tolu upon him.

"Thank you, Ni. Fenuei," he saiu, a cuiious glow showing about his fine, quiet face;
"thank you foi the sinceiity anu fiankness of youi account. But I think now theie is
nothing fuithei I neeu ask you." Be inuulgeu in a long sciutiny of the authoi's
haggaiu featuies uiawing puiposely the man's eyes to his own anu then meeting
them with a look of powei anu confiuence calculateu to inspiie even the feeblest
soul with couiage. "Anu, to begin with," he auueu, smiling pleasantly, "let me
assuie you without uelay that you neeu have no alaim, foi you aie no moie insane
oi ueluueu than I myself am"

Fenuei heaveu a ueep sigh anu tiieu to ietuin the smile.

"anu this is simply a case, so fai as I can juuge at piesent, of a veiy singulai
psychical invasion, anu a veiy sinistei one, too, if you peihaps unueistanu what I
mean"

"It's an ouu expiession; you useu it befoie, you know," saiu the authoi weaiily, yet
eageily listening to eveiy woiu of the uiagnosis, anu ueeply toucheu by the
intelligent sympathy which uiu not at once inuicate the lunatic asylum.

"Possibly," ietuineu the othei, "anu an ouu affliction, too, you'll allow, yet one not
unknown to the nations of antiquity, noi to those moueins, peihaps, who
iecognise the fieeuom of action unuei ceitain pathogenic conuitions between this
woilu anu anothei."

"Anu you think," askeu Fenuei hastily, "that it is all piimaiily uue to the Cannabis.
Theie is nothing iauically amiss with myselfnothing incuiable, oi."

"Bue entiiely to the oveiuose," Bi. Silence ieplieu emphatically, "to the uiug's
uiiect action upon youi psychical being. It ienueieu you ultia-sensitive anu maue
you iesponu to an incieaseu iate of vibiation. Anu, let me tell you, Ni. Fenuei, that
youi expeiiment might have hau iesults fai moie uiie. It has biought you into
touch with a somewhat singulai class of Invisible, but of one, I think, chiefly human
in chaiactei. You might, howevei, just as easily have been uiawn out of human
iange altogethei, anu the iesults of such a contingency woulu have been
exceeuingly teiiible. Inueeu, you woulu not now be heie to tell the tale. I neeu not
alaim you on that scoie, but mention it as a waining you will not misunueistanu oi
unueiiate aftei what you have been thiough.

"You look puzzleu. You uo not quite gathei what I am uiiving at; anu it is not to be
expecteu that you shoulu, foi you, I suppose, aie the nominal Chiistian with the
nominal Chiistian's lofty stanuaiu of ethics, anu his uttei ignoiance of spiiitual
possibilities. Beyonu a somewhat chiluish unueistanuing of 'spiiitual wickeuness
in high places,' you piobably have no conception of what is possible once you
bieak-uown the slenuei gulf that is meicifully fixeu between you anu that 0utei
Woilu. But my stuuies anu tiaining have taken me fai outsiue these oithouox tiips,
anu I have maue expeiiments that I coulu scaicely speak to you about in language
that woulu be intelligible to you."

Be pauseu a moment to note the bieathless inteiest of Fenuei's face anu mannei.
Eveiy woiu he utteieu was calculateu; he knew exactly the value anu effect of the
emotions he uesiieu to waken in the heait of the afflicteu being befoie him.

"Anu fiom ceitain knowleuge I have gaineu thiough vaiious expeiiences," he
continueu calmly, "I can uiagnose youi case as I saiu befoie to be one of psychical
invasion."

"Anu the natuie of thiseiinvasion." stammeieu the bewilueieu wiitei of
humoious tales.

"Theie is no ieason why I shoulu not say at once that I uo not yet quite know,"
ieplieu Bi. Silence. "I may fiist have to make one oi two expeiiments"

"0n me." gaspeu Fenuei, catching his bieath.

"Not exactly," the uoctoi saiu, with a giave smile, "but with youi assistance,
peihaps. I shall want to test the conuitions of the houseto asceitain, if possible,
the chaiactei of the foices, of this stiange peisonality that has been haunting
you"

"At piesent you have no iuea exactly whowhatwhy" askeu the othei in a
wilu fluiiy of inteiest, uieau anu amazement.

"I have a veiy goou iuea, but no pioof iathei," ietuineu the uoctoi. "The effects of
the uiug in alteiing the scale of time anu space, anu meiging the senses have
nothing piimaiily to uo with the invasion. They come to any one who is fool
enough to take an expeiimental uose. It is the othei featuies of youi case that aie
unusual. You see, you aie now in touch with ceitain violent emotions, uesiies,
puiposes, still active in this house, that weie piouuceu in the past by some
poweiful anu evil peisonality that liveu heie. Bow long ago, oi why they still
peisist so foicibly, I cannot positively say. But I shoulu juuge that they aie meiely
foices acting automatically with the momentum of theii teiiific oiiginal impetus."

"Not uiiecteu by a living being, a conscious will, you mean."

"Possibly notbut none the less uangeious on that account, anu moie uifficult to
ueal with. I cannot explain to you in a few minutes the natuie of such things, foi
you have not maue the stuuies that woulu enable you to follow me; but I have
ieason to believe that on the uissolution at ueath of a human being, its foices may
still peisist anu continue to act in a blinu, unconscious fashion. As a iule they
speeuily uissipate themselves, but in the case of a veiy poweiful peisonality they
may last a long time. Anu, in some casesof which I incline to think this is one
these foices may coalesce with ceitain non-human entities who thus continue theii
life inuefinitely anu inciease theii stiength to an unbelievable uegiee. If the
oiiginal peisonality was evil, the beings attiacteu to the left-ovei foices will also be
evil. In this case, I think theie has been an unusual anu uieauful aggianuisement of
the thoughts anu puiposes left behinu long ago by a woman of consummate
wickeuness anu gieat peisonal powei of chaiactei anu intellect. Now, uo you begin
to see what I am uiiving at a little."

Fenuei staieu fixeuly at his companion, plain hoiioi showing in his eyes. But he
founu nothing to say, anu the uoctoi continueu

"In youi case, pieuisposeu by the action of the uiug, you have expeiienceu the iush
of these foices in unuiluteu stiength. They wholly obliteiate in you the sense of
humoui, fancy, imagination,all that makes foi cheeifulness anu hope. They seek,
though peihaps automatically only, to oust youi own thoughts anu establish
themselves in theii place. You aie the victim of a psychical invasion. At the same
time, you have become claiivoyant in the tiue sense. You aie also a claiivoyant
victim."

Fenuei moppeu his face anu sigheu. Be left his chaii anu went ovei to the fiieplace
to waim himself.

"You must think me a quack to talk like this, oi a mauman," laugheu Bi. Silence.
"But nevei minu that. I have come to help you, anu I can help you if you will uo
what I tell you. It is veiy simple: you must leave this house at once. 0h, nevei minu
the uifficulties; we will ueal with those togethei. I can place anothei house at youi
uisposal, oi I woulu take the lease heie off youi hanus, anu latei have it pulleu
uown. Youi case inteiests me gieatly, anu I mean to see you thiough, so that you
have no anxiety, anu can uiop back into youi olu gioove of woik tomoiiow! The
uiug has pioviueu you, anu theiefoie me, with a shoit-cut to a veiy inteiesting
expeiience. I am giateful to you." The authoi pokeu the fiie vigoiously, emotion
iising in him like a tiue. Be glanceu towaius the uooi neivously.

"Theie is no neeu to alaim youi wife oi to tell hei the uetails of oui conveisation,"
puisueu the othei quietly. "Let hei know that you will soon be in possession again
of youi sense of humoui anu youi health, anu explain that I am lenuing you
anothei house foi six months. Neanwhile I may have the iight to use this house foi
a night oi two foi my expeiiment. Is that unueistoou between us."

"I can only thank you fiom the bottom of my heait," stammeieu Fenuei, unable to
finu woius to expiess his giatituue.

Then he hesitateu foi a moment, seaiching the uoctoi's face anxiously.

"Anu youi expeiiment with the house." he saiu at length.

"0f the simplest chaiactei, my ueai Ni. Fenuei. Although I am myself an aitificially
tiaineu psychic, anu consequently awaie of the piesence of uiscainate entities as a
iule, I have so fai felt nothing heie at all. This makes me suie that the foices acting
heie aie of an unusual uesciiption. What I piopose to uo is to make an expeiiment
with a view of uiawing out this evil, coaxing it fiom its laii, so to speak, in oiuei
that it may exhaust itself thiough me anu become uissipateu foi evei. I have
alieauy been inoculateu," he auueu; "I consiuei myself to be immune."

"Beavens above!" gaspeu the authoi, collapsing on to a chaii.

"Bell beneath! might be a moie appiopiiate exclamation," the uoctoi laugheu. "But,
seiiously, Ni. Fenuei, this is what I piopose to uo with youi peimission."

"0f couise, of couise," ciieu the othei, "you have my peimission anu my best
wishes foi success. I can see no possible objection, but"

"But what."

"I piay to Beaven you will not unueitake this expeiiment alone, will you."

"0h, ueai, no; not alone."

"You will take a companion with goou neives, anu ieliable in case of uisastei, won't
you."

"I shall biing two companions," the uoctoi saiu.

"Ah, that's bettei. I feel easiei. I am suie you must have among youi acquaintances
men who "

"I shall not think of biinging men, Ni. Fenuei."

The othei lookeu up shaiply.

"No, oi women eithei; oi chiluien."

"I uon't unueistanu. Who will you biing, then."

"Animals," explaineu the uoctoi, unable to pievent a smile at his companion's
expiession of suipiise "two animals, a cat anu a uog."

Fenuei staieu as if his eyes woulu uiop out upon the flooi, anu then leu the way
without anothei woiu into the aujoining ioom wheie his wife was awaiting them
foi tea.


II

A few uays latei the humoiist anu his wife, with minus gieatly ielieveu, moveu into
a small fuinisheu house placeu at theii fiee uisposal in anothei pait of Lonuon;
anu }ohn Silence, intent upon his appioaching expeiiment, maue ieauy to spenu a
night in the empty house on the top of Putney Bill. 0nly two iooms weie piepaieu
foi occupation: the stuuy on the giounu flooi anu the beuioom immeuiately above
it; all othei uoois weie to be lockeu, anu no seivant was to be left in the house. The
motoi hau oiueis to call foi him at nine o'clock the following moining.

Anu, meanwhile, his secietaiy hau instiuctions to look up the past histoiy anu
associations of the place, anu leain eveiything he coulu conceining the chaiactei of
foimei occupants, iecent oi iemote.

The animals, by whose sensitiveness he intenueu to test any unusual conuitions in
the atmospheie of the builuing, Bi. Silence selecteu with caie anu juugment. Be
believeu (anu hau alieauy maue cuiious expeiiments to piove it) that animals
weie moie often, anu moie tiuly, claiivoyant than human beings. Nany of them, he
felt convinceu, possesseu poweis of peiception fai supeiioi to that meie keenness
of the senses common to all uwelleis in the wilus wheie the senses giow specially
aleit; they hau what he teimeu "animal claiivoyance," anu fiom his expeiiments
with hoises, uogs, cats, anu even biius, he hau uiawn ceitain ueuuctions, which,
howevei, neeu not be iefeiieu to in uetail heie.

Cats, in paiticulai, he believeu, weie almost continuously conscious of a laigei fielu
of vision, too uetaileu even foi a photogiaphic cameia, anu quite beyonu the ieach
of noimal human oigans. Be hau, fuithei, obseiveu that while uogs weie usually
teiiifieu in the piesence of such phenomena, cats on the othei hanu weie sootheu
anu satisfieu. They welcomeu manifestations as something belonging peculiaily to
theii own iegion.

Be selecteu his animals, theiefoie, with wisuom so that they might affoiu a
uiffeiing test, each in its own way, anu that one shoulu not meiely communicate its
own excitement to the othei. Be took a uog anu a cat.

The cat he chose, now full giown, hau liveu with him since kitten-hoou, a kitten
hoou of peiplexing sweetness anu auuacious mischief. Waywaiu it was anu fanciful,
evei playing its own mysteiious games in the coineis of the ioom, jumping at
invisible nothings, leaping siueways into the aii anu falling with tiny moccasineu
feet on to anothei pait of the caipet, yet with an aii of uignifieu eainestness which
showeu that the peifoimance was necessaiy to its own well-being, anu not uone
meiely to impiess a stupiu human auuience. In the miuule of elaboiate washing it
woulu look up, staitleu, as though to staie at the appioach of some Invisible,
cocking its little heau siueways anu putting out a velvet pau to inspect cautiously.
Then it woulu get absent-minueu, anu staie with equal intentness in anothei
uiiection (just to confuse the onlookeis), anu suuuenly go on fuiiously washing its
bouy again, but in quite a new place. Except foi a white patch on its bieast it was
coal black. Anu its name wasSmoke.

"Smoke" uesciibeu its tempeiament as well as its appeaiance. Its movements, its
inuiviuuality, its posing as a little fuiiy mass of concealeu mysteiies, its elfin-like
elusiveness, all combineu to justify its name; anu a subtle paintei might have
pictuieu it as a wisp of floating smoke, the fiie below betiaying itself at two points
onlythe glowing eyes,

All its foices ian to intelligenceseciet intelligence, the woiuless incalculable
intuition of the Cat. It was, inueeu, the cat foi the business in hanu.

The selection of the uog was not so simple, foi the uoctoi owneu many; but aftei
much uelibeiation he chose a collie, calleu Flame fiom his yellow coat. Tiue, it was
a tiifle olu, anu stiff in the joints, anu even beginning to giow ueaf, but, on the othei
hanu, it was a veiy paiticulai fiienu of Smoke's, anu hau fatheieu it fiom kitten
hoou upwaius so that a subtle unueistanuing existeu between them. It was this
that tuineu the balance in its favoui, this anu its couiage. Noieovei, though goou-
tempeieu, it was a teiiible fightei, anu its angei when piovokeu by a iighteous
cause was a fuiy of fiie, anu iiiesistible.

It hau come to him quite young, stiaight fiom the shepheiu, with the aii of the hills
yet in its nostiils, anu was then little moie than skin anu bones anu teeth. Foi a
collie it was stuiuily built, its nose bluntei than most, its yellow haii stiff iathei
than silky, anu it hau full eyes, unlike the slit eyes of its bieeu. 0nly its mastei
coulu touch it, foi it ignoieu stiangeis, anu uespiseu theii paitingswhen any
uaieu to pat it. Theie was something patiiaichal about the olu beast. Be was in
eainest, anu went thiough life with tiemenuous eneigy anu big things in view, as
though he hau the ieputation of his whole iace to upholu. Anu to watch him
fighting against ouus was to unueistanu why he was teiiible.

In his ielations with Smoke he was always absuiuly gentle; also he was fatheily;
anu at the same time betiayeu a ceitain uiffiuence oi shyness. Be iecogniseu that
Smoke calleu foi stiong yet iespectful management. The cat's ciicuitous methous
puzzleu him, anu his elaboiate pietences peihaps shockeu the uog's liking foi
uiiect, unuisguiseu action. Yet, while he faileu to compiehenu these toituous feline
mysteiies, he was nevei contemptuous oi conuescenuing; anu he piesiueu ovei
the safety of his fuiiy black fiienu somewhat as a fathei, loving, but intuitive, might
supeiintenu the vagaiies of a waywaiu anu talenteu chilu. Anu, in ietuin, Smoke
iewaiueu him with exhibitions of fascinating anu auuacious mischief.

Anu these biief uesciiptions of theii chaiacteis aie necessaiy foi the piopei
unueistanuing of what subsequently took place.

With Smoke sleeping in the folus of his fui coat, anu the collie lying watchful on the
seat opposite, }ohn Silence went uown in his motoi aftei uinnei on the night of
Novembei 1Sth.

Anu the fog was so uense that they weie obligeu to tiavel at quaitei speeu the
entiie way.

It was aftei ten o'clock when he uismisseu the motoi anu enteieu the uingy little
house with the latchkey pioviueu by Fenuei. Be founu the hall gas tuineu low, anu
a fiie in the stuuy. Books anu foou hau also been placeu ieauy by the seivant
accoiuing to instiuctions. Coils of fog iusheu in aftei him thiough the open uooi
anu filleu the hall anu passage with its colu uiscomfoit.

The fiist thing Bi. Silence uiu was to lock up Smoke in the stuuy with a saucei of
milk befoie the fiie, anu then make a seaich of the house with Flame. The uog ian
cheeifully behinu him all the way while he tiieu the uoois of the othei iooms to
make suie they weie lockeu. Be noseu about into coineis anu maue little
excuisions on his own account. Bis mannei was expectant. Be knew theie must be
something unusual about the pioceeuing, because it was contiaiy to the habits of
his whole life not to be asleep at this houi on the mat in fiont of the fiie. Be kept
looking up into his mastei's face, as uooi aftei uooi was tiieu, with an expiession
of intelligent sympathy, but at the same time a ceitain aii of uisappioval. Yet
eveiything his mastei uiu was goou in his eyes, anu he betiayeu as little
impatience as possible with all this unnecessaiy jouineying to anu fio. If the uoctoi
was pleaseu to play this soit of game at such an houi of the night, it was suiely not
foi him to object. So he playeu it, too; anu was veiy busy anu eainest about it into
the baigain.

Aftei an uneventful seaich they came uown again to the stuuy, anu heie Bi. Silence
uiscoveieu Smoke washing his face calmly in fiont of the fiie. The saucei of milk
was lickeu uiy anu clean; the pieliminaiy examination that cats always make in
new suiiounuings hau eviuently been satisfactoiily concluueu. Be uiew an aim-
chaii up to the fiie, stiiieu the coals into a blaze, aiiangeu the table anu lamp to his
satisfaction foi ieauing, anu then piepaieu suiieptitiously to watch the animals.
Be wisheu to obseive them caiefully without theii being awaie of it.

Now, in spite of theii iespective ages, it was the iegulai custom of these two to
play togethei eveiy night befoie sleep. Smoke always maue the auvances,
beginning with giave impuuence to pat the uog's tail, anu Flame playeu
cumbiously, with conuescension. It was his uuty, iathei than pleasuie; he was glau
when it was ovei, anu sometimes he was veiy ueteimineu anu iefuseu to play at all.

Anu this night was one of the occasions on which he was fiim.

The uoctoi, looking cautiously ovei the top of his book, watcheu the cat begin the
peifoimance. It staiteu by gazing with an innocent expiession at the uog wheie he
lay with nose on paws anu eyes wiue open in the miuule of the flooi. Then it got up
anu maue as though it meant to walk to the uooi, going uelibeiately anu veiy softly.
Flame's eyes followeu it until it was beyonu the iange of sight, anu then the cat
tuineu shaiply anu began patting his tail tentatively with one paw. The tail moveu
slightly in ieply, anu Smoke changeu paws anu tappeu it again. The uog, howevei,
uiu not iise to play as was his wont, anu the cat fell to patting it biiskly with both
paws. Flame still lay motionless.

This puzzleu anu boieu the cat, anu it went iounu anu staieu haiu into its fiienu's
face to see what was the mattei. Peihaps some inaiticulate message flasheu fiom
the uog's eyes into its own little biain, making it unueistanu that the piogiamme
foi the night hau bettei not begin with play. Peihaps it only iealiseu that its fiienu
was immovable. But, whatevei the ieason, its usual peisistence thencefoiwaiu
ueseiteu it, anu it maue no fuithei attempts at peisuasion. Smoke yielueu at once
to the uog's moou; it sat uown wheie it was anu began to wash.

But the washing, the uoctoi noteu, was by no means its ieal puipose; it only useu it
to mask something else; it stoppeu at the most busy anu fuiious moments anu
began to staie about the ioom. Its thoughts wanueieu absuiuly. It peeieu intently
at the cuitains; at the shauowy coineis; at empty space above; leaving its bouy in
cuiiously awkwaiu positions foi whole minutes togethei. Then it tuineu shaiply
anu staieu with a suuuen signal of intelligence at the uog, anu Flame at once iose
somewhat stiffly to his feet anu began to wanuei aimlessly anu iestlessly to anu fio
about the flooi. Smoke followeu him, pauuing quietly at his heels. Between them
they maue what seemeu to be a uelibeiate seaich of the ioom.

Anu, heie, as he watcheu them, noting caiefully eveiy uetail of the peifoimance
ovei the top of his book, yet making no effoit to inteifeie, it seemeu to the uoctoi
that the fiist beginnings of a faint uistiess betiayeu themselves in the collie, anu in
the cat the stiiiings of a vague excitement.

Be obseiveu them closely. The fog was thick in the aii, anu the tobacco smoke fiom
his pipe auueu to its uensity; the fuinituie at the fai enu stoou mistily, anu wheie
the shauows congiegateu in hanging clouus unuei the ceiling, it was uifficult to see
cleaily at all; the lamplight only ieacheu to a level of five feet fiom the flooi, above
which came layeis of compaiative uaikness, so that the ioom appeaieu twice as
lofty as it actually was. By means of the lamp anu the fiie, howevei, the caipet was
eveiywheie cleaily visible.

The animals maue theii silent toui of the flooi, sometimes the uog leauing,
sometimes the cat; occasionally they lookeu at one anothei as though exchanging
signals; anu once oi twice, in spite of the limiteu space, he lost sight of one oi othei
among the fog anu the shauows. Theii cuiiosity, it appeaieu to him, was something
moie than the excitement luiking in the unknown teiiitoiy of a stiange ioom; yet,
so fai, it was impossible to test this, anu he puiposely kept his minu quietly
ieceptive lest the smallest mental excitement on his pait shoulu communicate
itself to the animals anu thus uestioy the value of theii inuepenuent behavioui.

They maue a veiy thoiough jouiney, leaving no piece of fuinituie unexamineu, oi
unsmelt. Flame leu the way, walking slowly with loweieu heau, anu Smoke
followeu uemuiely at his heels, making a tianspaient pietence of not being
inteiesteu, yet missing nothing. Anu, at length, they ietuineu, the olu collie fiist,
anu came to iest on the mat befoie the fiie. Flame iesteu his muzzle on his
mastei's knee, smiling beatifically while he patteu the yellow heau anu spoke his
name; anu Smoke, coming a little latei, pietenuing he came by chance, lookeu fiom
the empty saucei to his face, lappeu up the milk when it was given him to the last
uiop, anu then spiang upon his knees anu cuileu iounu foi the sleep it hau fully
eaineu anu intenueu to enjoy.

Silence uescenueu upon the ioom. 0nly the bieathing of the uog upon the mat
came thiough the ueep stillness, like the pulse of time maiking the minutes; anu
the steauy uiip, uiip of the fog outsiue upon the winuow-leuges uismally testifieu
to the inclemency of the night beyonu. Anu the soft ciashings of the coals as the fiie
settleu uown into the giate became less anu less auuible as the fiie sank anu the
flames iesigneu theii fieiceness.

It was now well aftei eleven o'clock, anu Bi. Silence uevoteu himself again to his
book. Be ieau the woius on the piinteu page anu took in theii meaning
supeificially, yet without staiting into life the coiielations of thought anu
suggestions that shoulu accompany inteiesting ieauing. 0nueineath, all the while,
his mental eneigies weie absoibeu in watching, listening, waiting foi what might
come. Be was not ovei-sanguine himself, yet he uiu not wish to be taken by
suipiise. Noieovei, the animals, his sensitive baiometeis, hau incontinently gone
to sleep.

Aftei ieauing a uozen pages, howevei, he iealiseu that his minu was ieally
occupieu in ieviewing the featuies of Fenuei's extiaoiuinaiy stoiy, anu that it was
no longei necessaiy to steauy his imagination by stuuying the uull paiagiaphs
uetaileu in the pages befoie him. Be laiu uown his book accoiuingly, anu alloweu
his thoughts to uwell upon the featuies of the Case. Speculations as to the meaning,
howevei, he iigoiously suppiesseu, knowing that such thoughts woulu act upon
his imagination like winu upon the glowing embeis of a fiie.

As the night woie on the silence giew ueepei anu ueepei, anu only at iaie inteivals
he heaiu the sounu of wheels on the main ioau a hunuieu yaius away, wheie the
hoises went at a walking pace owing to the uensity of the fog. The echo of
peuestiian footsteps no longei ieacheu him, the clamoui of occasional voices no
longei came uown the siue stieet. The night, muffleu by fog, shiouueu by veils of
ultimate mysteiy, hung about the haunteu villa like a uoom. Nothing in the house
stiiieu. Stillness, in a thick blanket, lay ovei the uppei stoieys. 0nly the mist in the
ioom giew moie uense, he thought, anu the uamp colu moie penetiating. Ceitainly,
fiom time to time, he shiveieu.

The collie, now ueep in slumbei, moveu occasionally,giunteu, sigheu, oi
twitcheu his legs in uieams. Smoke lay on his knees, a pool of waim, black fui, only
the closest obseivation uetecting the movement of his sleek siues. It was uifficult
to uistinguish exactly wheie his heau anu bouy joineu in that ciicle of glistening
haii; only a black satin nose anu a tiny tip of pink tongue betiayeu the seciet.

Bi. Silence watcheu him, anu felt comfoitable. The collie's bieathing was soothing.
The fiie was well built, anu woulu buin foi anothei two houis without attention.
Be was not conscious of the least neivousness. Be paiticulaily wisheu to iemain in
his oiuinaiy anu noimal state of minu, anu to foice nothing. If sleep came natuially,
he woulu let it comeanu even welcome it. The coluness of the ioom, when the
fiie uieu uown latei, woulu be suie to wake him again; anu it woulu then be time
enough to caiiy these sleeping baiometeis up to beu. Fiom vaiious psychic
piemonitions he knew quite well that the night woulu not pass without auventuie;
but he uiu not wish to foice its aiiival; anu he wisheu to iemain noimal, anu let the
animals iemain noimal, so that, when it came, it woulu be unattenueu by
excitement oi by any stiaining of the attention. Nany expeiiments hau maue him
wise. Anu, foi the iest, he hau no feai.

Accoiuingly, aftei a time, he uiu fall asleep as he hau expecteu, anu the last thing he
iemembeieu, befoie oblivion slippeu up ovei his eyes like soft wool, was the
pictuie of Flame stietching all foui legs at once, anu sighing noisily as he sought a
moie comfoitable position foi his paws anu muzzle upon the mat.

It was a goou ueal latei when he became awaie that a weight lay upon his chest,
anu that something was pencilling ovei his face anu mouth. A soft touch on the
cheek woke him. Something was patting him.

Be sat up with a jeik, anu founu himself staiing stiaight into a paii of biilliant eyes,
half gieen, half black. Smoke's face lay level with his own; anu the cat hau climbeu
up with its fiont paws upon his chest.

The lamp hau buineu low anu the fiie was neaily out, yet Bi. Silence saw in a
moment that the cat was in an exciteu state. It kneaueu with its fiont paws into his
chest, shifting fiom one to the othei. Be felt them piouuing against him. It lifteu a
leg veiy caiefully anu patteu his cheek gingeily. Its fui, he saw, was stanuing
iiugewise upon its back; the eais weie flatteneu back somewhat; the tail was
switching shaiply. The cat, of couise, hau wakeneu him with a puipose, anu the
instant he iealiseu this, he set it upon the aim of the chaii anu spiang up with a
quick tuin to face the empty ioom behinu him. By some cuiious instinct, his aims
of theii own accoiu assumeu an attituue of uefence in fiont of him, as though to
waiu off something that thieateneu his safety. Yet nothing was visible. 0nly shapes
of fog hung about iathei heavily in the aii, moving slightly to anu fio.

Bis minu was now fully aleit, anu the last vestiges of sleep gone. Be tuineu the
lamp highei anu peeieu about him. Two things he became awaie of at once: one,
that Smoke, while exciteu, was pleasuiably exciteu; the othei, that the collie was no
longei visible upon the mat at his feet. Be hau ciept away to the coinei of the wall
faithest fiom the winuow, anu lay watching the ioom with wiue-open eyes, in
which luikeu plainly something of alaim.

Something in the uog's behavioui instantly stiuck Bi. Silence as unusual, anu,
calling him by name, he moveu acioss to pat him. Flame got up, waggeu his tail,
anu came ovei slowly to the iug, utteiing a low sounu that was half giowl, half
whine. Be was eviuently peituibeu about something, anu his mastei was
pioceeuing to auministei comfoit when his attention was suuuenly uiawn to the
antics of his othei foui-footeu companion, the cat.

Anu what he saw filleu him with something like amazement.

Smoke hau jumpeu uown fiom the back of the aim-chaii anu now occupieu the
miuule of the caipet, wheie, with tail eiect anu legs stiff as iamious, it was steauily
pacing backwaius anu foiwaius in a naiiow space, utteiing, as it uiu so, those
cuiious little guttuial sounus of pleasuie that only an animal of the feline species
knows how to make expiessive of supieme happiness. Its stiffeneu legs anu aicheu
back maue it appeai laigei than usual, anu the black visage woie a smile of beatific
joy. Its eyes blazeu magnificently; it was in an ecstasy.

At the enu of eveiy few paces it tuineu shaiply anu stalkeu back again along the
same line, pauuing softly, anu puiiing like a ioll of little muffleu uiums. It behaveu
piecisely as though it weie iubbing against the ankles of some one who iemaineu
invisible. A thiill ian uown the uoctoi's spine as he stoou anu staieu. Bis
expeiiment was giowing inteiesting at last.

Be calleu the collie's attention to his fiienu's peifoimance to see whethei he too
was awaie of anything stanuing theie upon the caipet, anu the uog's behavioui
was significant anu coiioboiative. Be came as fai as his mastei's knees anu then
stoppeu ueau, iefusing to investigate closely. In vain Bi. Silence uigeu him; he
waggeu his tail, whineu a little, anu stoou in a half-ciouching attituue, staiing
alteinately at the cat anu at his mastei's face. Be was, appaiently, both puzzleu anu
alaimeu, anu the whine went ueepei anu ueepei uown into his thioat till it
changeu into an ugly snail of awakening angei.

Then the uoctoi calleu to him in a tone of commanu he hau nevei known to be
uisiegaiueu; but still the uog, though spiinging up in iesponse, ueclineu to move
neaiei. Be maue tentative motions, pianceu a little like a uog about to take to
watei, pietenueu to baik, anu ian to anu fio on the caipet. So fai theie was no
actual feai in his mannei, but he was uneasy anu anxious, anu nothing woulu
inuuce him to go within touching uistance of the walking cat. 0nce he maue a
complete ciicuit, but always caiefully out of ieach; anu in the enu he ietuineu to
his mastei's legs anu iubbeu vigoiously against him. Flame uiu not like the
peifoimance at all: that much was quite cleai.

Foi seveial minutes }ohn Silence watcheu the peifoimance of the cat with
piofounu attention anu without inteifeiing. Then he calleu to the animal by name.

"Smoke, you mysteiious beastie, what in the woilu aie you about." he saiu, in a
coaxing tone.

The cat lookeu up at him foi a moment, smiling in its ecstasy, blinking its eyes, but
too happy to pause. Be spoke to it again. Be calleu to it seveial times, anu each
time it tuineu upon him its blazing eyes, uiunk with innei uelight, opening anu
shutting its lips, its bouy laige anu iigiu with excitement. Yet it nevei foi one
instant pauseu in its shoit jouineys to anu fio.

Be noteu exactly what it uiu: it walkeu, he saw, the same numbei of paces each
time, some six oi seven steps, anu then it tuineu shaiply anu ietiaceu them. By the
pattein of the gieat ioses in the caipet he measuieu it. It kept to the same
uiiection anu the same line. It behaveu piecisely as though it weie iubbing against
something soliu. 0nuoubteuly, theie was something stanuing theie on that stiip of
caipet, something invisible to the uoctoi, something that alaimeu the uog, yet
causeu the cat unspeakable pleasuie.

"Smokie!" he calleu again, "Smokie, you black mysteiy, what is it excites you so."

Again the cat lookeu up at him foi a biief seconu, anu then continueu its sentiy-
walk, blissfully happy, intensely pieoccupieu. Anu, foi an instant, as he watcheu it,
the uoctoi was awaie that a faint uneasiness stiiieu in the uepths of his own being,
focusing itself foi the moment upon this cuiious behavioui of the uncanny cieatuie
befoie him.

Theie iose in him quite a new iealisation of the mysteiy connecteu with the whole
feline tiibe, but especially with that common membei of it, the uomestic cattheii
hiuuen lives, theii stiange aloofness, theii incalculable subtlety. Bow utteily
iemote fiom anything that human beings unueistoou lay the souices of theii
elusive activities. As he watcheu the inuesciibable beaiing of the little cieatuie
mincing along the stiip of caipet unuei his eyes, coquetting with the poweis of
uaikness, welcoming, maybe, some feaisome visitoi, theie stiiieu in his heait a
feeling stiangely akin to awe. Its inuiffeience to human kinu, its seiene supeiioiity
to the obvious, stiuck him foicibly with fiesh meaning; so iemote, so inaccessible
seemeu the seciet puiposes of its ieal life, so alien to the blunueiing honesty of
othei animals. Its absolute poise of beaiing biought into his minu the opium-
eatei's woius that "no uignity is peifect which uoes not at some point ally itself
with the mysteiious"; anu he became suuuenly awaie that the piesence of the uog
in this foggy, haunteu ioom on the top of Putney Bill was uncommonly welcome to
him. Be was glau to feel that Flame's uepenuable peisonality was with him. The
savage giowling at his heels was a pleasant sounu. Be was glau to heai it. That
maiching cat maue him uneasy.

Finuing that Smoke paiu no fuithei attention to his woius, the uoctoi ueciueu
upon action. Woulu it iub against his leg, too. Be woulu take it by suipiise anu see.

Be steppeu quickly foiwaiu anu placeu himself upon the exact stiip of caipet
wheie it walkeu.

But no cat is evei taken by suipiise! The moment he occupieu the space of the
Intiuuei, setting his feet on the woven ioses miuway in the line of tiavel, Smoke
suuuenly stoppeu puiiing anu sat uown. If lifteu up its face with the most innocent
staie imaginable of its gieen eyes. Be coulu have swoin it laugheu. It was a peifect
chilu again. In a single seconu it hau iesumeu its simple, uomestic mannei; anu it
gazeu at him in such a way that he almost felt Smoke was the noimal being, anu his
was the eccentiic behavioui that was being watcheu. It was consummate, the
mannei in which it biought about this change so easily anu so quickly.

"Supeib little actoi!" he laugheu in spite of himself, anu stoopeu to stioke the
shining black back. But, in a flash, as he toucheu its fui, the cat tuineu anu spat at
him viciously, stiiking at his hanu with one paw. Then, with a huiiieu scuttei of
feet, it shot like a shauow acioss the flooi anu a moment latei was calmly sitting
ovei by the winuow-cuitains washing its face as though nothing inteiesteu it in the
whole woilu but the cleanness of its cheeks anu whiskeis.

}ohn Silence stiaighteneu himself up anu uiew a long bieath. Be iealiseu that the
peifoimance was tempoiaiily at an enu. The collie, meanwhile, who hau watcheu
the whole pioceeuing with maikeu uisappioval, hau now lain uown again upon the
mat by the fiie, no longei giowling. It seemeu to the uoctoi just as though
something that hau enteieu the ioom while he slept, alaiming the uog, yet biinging
happiness to the cat, hau now gone out again, leaving all as it was befoie. Whatevei
it was that exciteu its blissful attentions hau ietieateu foi the moment.

Be iealiseu this intuitively. Smoke eviuently iealiseu it, too, foi piesently he
ueigneu to maich back to the fiieplace anu jump upon his mastei's knees. Bi.
Silence, patient anu ueteimineu, settleu uown once moie to his book. The animals
soon slept; the fiie blazeu cheeifully; anu the colu fog fiom outsiue pouieu into the
ioom thiough eveiy available chink anu ciannie.

Foi a long time silence anu peace ieigneu in the ioom anu Bi. Silence availeu
himself of the quietness to make caieful notes of what hau happeneu. Be enteieu
foi futuie use in othei cases an exhaustive analysis of what he hau obseiveu,
especially with iegaiu to the effect upon the two animals. It is impossible heie, noi
woulu it be intelligible to the ieauei unveiseu in the knowleuge of the iegion
known to a scientifically tiaineu psychic like Bi. Silence, to uetail these
obseivations. But to him it was cleai, up to a ceitain pointfoi the iest he must
still wait anu watch. So fai, at least, he iealiseu that while he slept in the chaii
that is, while his will was uoimantthe ioom hau suffeieu intiusion fiom what he
iecogniseu as an intensely active Foice, anu might latei be foiceu to acknowleuge
as something moie than meiely a blinu foice, namely, a uistinct peisonality.

So fai it hau affecteu himself scaicely at all, but hau acteu uiiectly upon the simplei
oiganisms of the animals. It stimulateu keenly the centies of the cat's psychic being,
inuucing a state of instant happiness (intensifying its consciousness piobably in
the same way a uiug oi stimulant intensifies that of a human being); wheieas it
alaimeu the less sensitive uog, causing it to feel a vague appiehension anu uistiess.

Bis own suuuen action anu exhibition of eneigy hau seiveu to uispeise it
tempoiaiily, yet he felt convinceuthe inuications weie not lacking even while he
sat theie making notesthat it still iemaineu neai to him, conuitionally if not
spatially, anu was, as it weie, gatheiing foice foi a seconu attack.

Anu, fuithei, he intuitively unueistoou that the ielations between the two animals
hau unueigone a subtle change: that the cat hau become immeasuiably supeiioi,
confiuent, suie of itself in its own peculiai iegion, wheieas Flame hau been
weakeneu by an attack he coulu not compiehenu anu knew not how to ieply to.
Though not yet afiaiu, he was uefiantieauy to act against a feai that he felt to be
appioaching. Be was no longei fatheily anu piotective towaius the cat. Smoke helu
the key to the situation; anu both he anu the cat knew it.

Thus, as the minutes passeu, }ohn Silence sat anu waiteu, keenly on the aleit,
wonueiing how soon the attack woulu be ieneweu, anu at what point it woulu be
uiveiteu fiom the animals anu uiiecteu upon himself.

The book lay on the flooi besiue him, his notes weie complete. With one hanu on
the cat's fui, anu the uog's fiont paws iesting against his feet, the thiee of them
uozeu comfoitably befoie the hot fiie while the night woie on anu the silence
ueepeneu towaius miunight.

It was well aftei one o'clock in the moining when Bi. Silence tuineu the lamp out
anu lighteu the canule piepaiatoiy to going up to beu. Then Smoke suuuenly woke
with a louu shaip puii anu sat up. It neithei stietcheu, washeu noi tuineu: it
listeneu. Anu the uoctoi, watching it, iealiseu that a ceitain inuefinable change hau
come about that veiy moment in the ioom. A swift ieaujustment of the foices
within the foui walls hau taken placea new uisposition of theii peisonal
equations. The balance was uestioyeu, the foimei haimony gone. Smoke, most
sensitive of baiometeis, hau been the fiist to feel it, but the uog was not slow to
follow suit, foi on looking uown he noteu that Flame was no longei asleep. Be was
lying with eyes wiue open, anu that same instant he sat up on his gieat haunches
anu began to giowl.

Bi. Silence was in the act of taking the matches to ie-light the lamp when an
auuible movement in the ioom behinu him maue him pause. Smoke leapeu uown
fiom his knee anu moveu foiwaiu a few paces acioss the caipet. Then it stoppeu
anu staieu fixeuly; anu the uoctoi stoou up on the iug to watch.

As he iose the sounu was iepeateu, anu he uiscoveieu that it was not in the ioom
as he fiist thought, but outsiue, anu that it came fiom moie uiiections than one.
Theie was a iushing, sweeping noise against the winuow-panes, anu
simultaneously a sounu of something biushing against the uooiout in the hall.
Smoke auvanceu seuately acioss the caipet, twitching his tail, anu sat uown within
a foot of the uooi. The influence that hau uestioyeu the haimonious conuitions of
the ioom hau appaiently moveu in auvance of its cause. Cleaily, something was
about to happen.

Foi the fiist time that night }ohn Silence hesitateu; the thought of that uaik naiiow
hall-way, chokeu with fog, anu uestitute of human comfoit, was unpleasant. Be
became awaie of a faint cieeping of his flesh. Be knew, of couise, that the actual
opening of the uooi was not necessaiy to the invasion of the ioom that was about
to take place, since neithei uoois noi winuows, noi any othei soliu baiiieis coulu
inteipose an obstacle to what was seeking entiance. Yet the opening of the uooi
woulu be significant anu symbolic, anu he uistinctly shiank fiom it.

But foi a moment only. Smoke, tuining with a show of impatience, iecalleu him to
his puipose, anu he moveu past the sitting, watching cieatuie, anu uelibeiately
openeu the uooi to its full wiuth.

What subsequently happeneu, happeneu in the feeble anu flickeiing light of the
solitaiy canule on the mantlepiece.

Thiough the openeu uooi he saw the hall, uimly lit anu thick with fog. Nothing, of
couise, was visiblenothing but the hat-stanu, the Afiican speais in uaik lines
upon the wall anu the high-backeu woouen chaii stanuing giotesquely unueineath
on the oilcloth flooi. Foi one instant the fog seemeu to move anu thicken ouuly; but
he set that uown to the scoie of the imagination. The uooi hau openeu upon
nothing.

Yet Smoke appaiently thought otheiwise, anu the ueep giowling of the collie fiom
the mat at the back of the ioom seemeu to confiim his juugment.

Foi, piouu anu self-possesseu, the cat hau again iisen to his feet, anu having
auvanceu to the uooi, was now usheiing some one slowly into the ioom. Nothing
coulu have been moie eviuent. Be paceu fiom siue to siue, bowing his little heau
with gieat empiessement anu holuing his stiffeneu tail aloft like a flag-staff. Be
tuineu this way anu that, mincing to anu fio, anu showing signs of supieme
satisfaction. Be was in his element. Be welcomeu the intiusion, anu appaiently
ieckoneu that his companions, the uoctoi anu the uog, woulu welcome it likewise.

The Intiuuei hau ietuineu foi a seconu attack.

Bi. Silence moveu slowly backwaius anu took up his position on the heaithiug,
keying himself up to a conuition of concentiateu attention.

Be noteu that Flame stoou besiue him, facing the ioom, with bouy motionless, anu
heau moving swiftly fiom siue to siue with a cuiious swaying movement. Bis eyes
weie wiue open, his back iigiu, his neck anu jaws thiust foiwaiu, his legs tense anu
ieauy to leap. Savage, ieauy foi attack oi uefence, yet uieaufully puzzleu anu
peihaps alieauy a little coweu, he stoou anu staieu, the haii on his spine anu siues
positively biistling outwaius as though a winu playeu thiough it. In the uim
fiielight he lookeu like a gieat yellow-haiieu wolf, silent, eyes shooting uaik fiie,
exceeuingly foimiuable. It was Flame, the teiiible.

Smoke, meanwhile, auvanceu fiom the uooi towaius the miuule of the ioom,
auopting the veiy slow pace of an invisible companion. A few feet away it stoppeu
anu began to smile anu blink its eyes. Theie was something uelibeiately coaxing in
its attituue as it stoou theie unueciueu on the caipet, cleaily wishing to effect some
soit of intiouuction between the Intiuuei anu its canine fiienu anu ally. It assumeu
its most winning manneis, puiiing, smiling, looking peisuasively fiom one to the
othei, anu making quick tentative steps fiist in one uiiection anu then in the othei.
Theie hau always existeu such peifect unueistanuing between them in eveiything.
Suiely Flame woulu appieciate Smoke's intention now, anu acquiesce.

But the olu collie maue no auvances. Be baieu his teeth, lifting his lips till the gums
showeu, anu stoou stockstill with fixeu eyes anu heaving siues. The uoctoi moveu a
little faithei back, watching intently the smallest movement, anu it was just then
he uivineu suuuenly fiom the cat's behavioui anu attituue that it was not only a
single companion it hau usheieu into the ioom, but seveial. It kept ciossing ovei
fiom one to the othei, looking up at each in tuin. It sought to win ovei the uog to
fiienuliness with them all. The oiiginal Intiuuei hau come back with
ieinfoicements. Anu at the same time he fuithei iealiseu that the Intiuuei was
something moie than a blinuly acting foice, impeisonal though uestiuctive. It was
a Peisonality, anu moieovei a gieat peisonality. Anu it was accompanieu foi the
puiposes of assistance by a host of othei peisonalities, minoi in uegiee, but similai
in kinu.

Be biaceu himself in the coinei against the mantelpiece anu waiteu, his whole
being iouseu to uefence, foi he was now fully awaie that the attack hau spieau to
incluue himself as well as the animals, anu he must be on the aleit. Be stiaineu his
eyes thiough the foggy atmospheie, tiying in vain to see what the cat anu uog saw;
but the canulelight thiew an unceitain anu flickeiing light acioss the ioom anu his
eyes uisceineu nothing. 0n the flooi Smoke moveu softly in fiont of him like a
black shauow, his eyes gleaming as he tuineu his heau, still tiying with many
insinuating gestuies anu much puiiing to biing about the intiouuctions he uesiieu.

But it was all in vain. Flame stoou iiveteu to one spot, motionless as a figuie caiveu
in stone.

Some minutes passeu, uuiing which only the cat moveu, anu then theie came a
shaip change. Flame began to back towaius the wall. Be moveu his heau fiom siue
to siue as he went, sometimes tuining to snap at something almost behinu him.
They weie auvancing upon him, tiying to suiiounu him. Bis uistiess became veiy
maikeu fiom now onwaius, anu it seemeu to the uoctoi that his angei meigeu into
genuine teiioi anu became oveiwhelmeu by it. The savage giowl sounueu
peiilously like a whine, anu moie than once he tiieu to uive past his mastei's legs,
as though hunting foi a way of escape. Be was tiying to avoiu something that
eveiywheie blockeu the way.

This teiioi of the inuomitable fightei impiesseu the uoctoi enoimously; yet also
painfully; stiiiing his impatience; foi he hau nevei befoie seen the uog show signs
of giving in, anu it uistiesseu him to witness it. Be knew, howevei, that he was not
giving in easily, anu unueistoou that it was ieally impossible foi him to gauge the
animal's sensations piopeily at all. What Flame felt, anu saw, must be teiiible
inueeu to tuin him all at once into a cowaiu. Be faceu something that maue him
afiaiu of moie than his life meiely. The uoctoi spoke a few quick woius of
encouiagement to him, anu stiokeu the biistling haii. But without much success.
The collie seemeu alieauy beyonu the ieach of comfoit such as that, anu the
collapse of the olu uog followeu inueeu veiy speeuily aftei this.

Anu Smoke, meanwhile, iemaineu behinu, watching the auvance, but not joining in
it; sitting, pleaseu anu expectant, consiueiing that all was going well anu as it
wisheu. It was kneauing on the caipet with its fiont pawsslowly, laboiiously, as
though its feet weie uippeu in tieacle. The sounu its claws maue as they caught in
the thieaus was uistinctly auuible. It was still smiling, blinking, puiiing.

Suuuenly the collie utteieu a poignant shoit baik anu leapeu heavily to one siue.
Bis baieu teeth tiaceu a line of whiteness thiough the gloom. The next instant he
uasheu past his mastei's legs, almost upsetting his balance, anu shot out into the
ioom, wheie he went blunueiing wiluly against walls anu fuinituie. But that baik
was significant; the uoctoi hau heaiu it befoie anu knew what it meant: foi it was
the ciy of the fightei against ouus anu it meant that the olu beast hau founu his
couiage again. Possibly it was only the couiage of uespaii, but at any iate the
fighting woulu be teiiific. Anu Bi. Silence unueistoou, too, that he uaieu not
inteifeie. Flame must fight his own enemies in his own way.

But the cat, too, hau heaiu that uieauful baik; anu it, too, hau unueistoou. This was
moie than it hau baigaineu foi. Acioss the uim shauows of that haunteu ioom
theie must have passeu some seciet signal of uistiess between the animals. Smoke
stoou up anu lookeu swiftly about him. Be utteieu a piteous meow anu tiotteu
smaitly away into the gieatei uaikness by the winuows. What his object was only
those enuoweu with the spiiit-like intelligence of cats might know. But, at any iate,
he hau at last iangeu himself on the siue of his fiienu. Anu the little beast meant
business.

At the same moment the collie manageu to gain the uooi. The uoctoi saw him iush
thiough into the hall like a flash of yellow light. Be shot acioss the oilcloth, anu
toie up the staiis, but in anothei seconu he appeaieu again, flying uown the steps
anu lanuing at the bottom in a tumbling heap, whining, ciinging, teiiifieu. The
uoctoi saw him slink back into the ioom again anu ciawl iounu by the wall
towaius the cat. Was, then, even the staiicase occupieu. Biu They stanu also in the
hall. Was the whole house ciowueu fiom flooi to ceiling.

The thought came to auu to the keen uistiess he felt at the sight of the collie's
uiscomfituie. Anu, inueeu, his own peisonal uistiess hau incieaseu in a maikeu
uegiee uuiing the past minutes, anu continueu to inciease steauily to the climax.
Be iecogniseu that the uiain on his own vitality giew steauily, anu that the attack
was now uiiecteu against himself even moie than against the uefeateu uog, anu the
too much ueceiveu cat.

It all seemeu so iapiu anu uncalculateu aftei thatthe events that took place in
this little mouein ioom at the top of Putney Bill between miunight anu suniise
that Bi. Silence was haiuly able to follow anu iemembei it all. It came about with
such uncanny swiftness anu teiioi; the light was so unceitain; the movements of
the black cat so uifficult to follow on the uaik caipet, anu the uoctoi himself so
weaiy anu taken by suipiisethat he founu it almost impossible to obseive
accuiately, oi to iecall afteiwaius piecisely what it was he hau seen oi in what
oiuei the inciuents hau taken place. Be nevei coulu unueistanu what uefect of
vision on his pait maue it seem as though the cat hau uuplicateu itself at fiist, anu
then incieaseu inuefinitely, so that theie weie at least a uozen of them uaiting
silently about the flooi, leaping softly on to chaiis anu tables, passing like shauows
fiom the open uooi to the enu of the ioom, all black as sin, with biilliant gieen eyes
flashing fiie in all uiiections. It was like the ieflections fiom a scoie of miiiois
placeu iounu the walls at uiffeient angles. Noi coulu he make out at the time why
the size of the ioom seemeu to have alteieu, giown much laigei, anu why it
extenueu away behinu him wheie oiuinaiily the wall shoulu I have been. The
snailing of the eniageu anu teiiifieu collie sounueu ! sometimes so fai away; the
ceiling seemeu to have iaiseu itself so much highei than befoie, anu much of the
fuinituie hau changeu in appeaiance anu shifteu maivellously.

It was all so confuseu anu confusing, as though the little ioom he knew hau become
meigeu anu tiansfoimeu into the uimensions of quite anothei chambei, that came
to him, with its host of cats anu its stiange uistances, in a soit of vision.

But these changes came about a little latei, anu at a time when his attention was so
concentiateu upon the pioceeuings of Smoke anu the collie, that he only obseiveu
them, as it weie, subconsciously. Anu the excitement, the flickeiing canulelight, the
uistiess he felt foi the collie, anu the uistoiting atmospheie of fog weie the pooiest
possible allies to caieful obseivation.

At fiist he was only awaie that the uog was iepeating his shoit uangeious baik
fiom time to time, snapping viciously at the empty aii, a foot oi so fiom the giounu.
0nce, inueeu, he spiang upwaius anu foiwaius, woiking fuiiously with teeth anu
paws, anu with a noise like wolves fighting, but only to uash back the next minute
against the wall behinu him. Then, aftei lying still foi a bit, he iose to a ciouching
position as though to spiing again, snailing hoiiibly anu making shoit half-ciicles
with loweieu heau. Anu Smoke all the while meoweu piteously by the winuow as
though tiying to uiaw the attack upon himself.

Then it was that the iush of the whole uieauful business seemeu to tuin asiue fiom
the uog anu uiiect itself upon his own peison. The collie hau maue anothei spiing
anu fallen back with a ciash into the coinei, wheie he maue noise enough in his
savage iage to waken the ueau befoie he fell to whining anu then finally lay still.
Anu uiiectly afteiwaius the uoctoi's own uistiess became intoleiably acute. Be
hau maue a half movement foiwaiu to come to the iescue when a veil that was
uensei than meie fog seemeu to uiop uown ovei the scene, uiaping ioom, walls,
animals anu fiie in a mist of uaikness anu foluing also about his own minu. 0thei
foims moveu silently acioss the fielu of vision, foims that he iecogniseu fiom
pievious expeiiments, anu welcoineu not. 0nholy thoughts began to ciowu into
his biain, sinistei suggestions of evil piesenteu themselves seuuctively. Ice seemeu
to settle about his heait, anu his minu tiembleu. Be began to lose memoiy-memoiy
of his iuentity, of wheie he was, of what he ought to uo. The veiy founuations of his
stiength weie shaken. Bis will seemeu paialyseu.

Anu it was then that the ioom filleu with this hoiue of cats, all uaik as the night, all
silent, all with lamping eyes of gieen fiie. The uimensions of the place alteieu anu
shifteu. Be was in a much laigei space. The whining of the uog sounueu fai away,
anu all about him the cats flew busily to anu fio, silently playing theii teaiing,
iushing game of evil, weaving the pattein of theii uaik puipose upon the flooi. Be
stiove haiu to collect himself anu iemembei the woius of powei he hau maue use
of befoie in similai uieau positions wheie his uangeious piactice hau sometimes
leu; but he coulu iecall nothing consecutively; a mist lay ovei his minu anu
memoiy; he felt uazeu anu his foices scatteieu. The ueeps within weie too
tioubleu foi healing powei to come out of them.

It was glamoui, of couise, he iealiseu afteiwaius, the stiong glamoui thiown upon
his imagination by some poweiful peisonality behinu the veil; but at the time he
was not sufficiently awaie of this anu, as with all tiue glamoui, was unable to giasp
wheie the tiue enueu anu the false began. Be was caught momentaiily in the same
voitex that hau sought to luie the cat to uestiuction thiough its uelight, anu
thieateneu utteily to oveiwhelm the uog thiough its teiioi.

Theie came a sounu in the chimney behinu him like winu booming anu teaiing its
way uown. The winuows iattleu. The canule flickeieu anu went out. The glacial
atmospheie closeu iounu him with the colu of ueath, anu a gieat iushing sounu
swept by oveiheau as though the ceiling hau lifteu to a gieat height. Be heaiu the
uooi shut. Fai away it sounueu. Be felt lost, shelteiless in the uepths of his soul. Yet
still he helu out anu iesisteu while the climax of the fight came neaiei anu neaiei. ...
Be hau steppeu into the stieam of foices awakeneu by Fenuei anu he knew that he
must withstanu them to the enu oi come to a conclusion that it was not goou foi a
man to come to. Something fiom the iegion of uttei colu was upon him.

Anu then quite suuuenly, thiough the confuseu mists about him, theie slowly iose
up the Peisonality that hau been all the time uiiecting the battle. Some foice
enteieu his being that shook him as the tempest shakes a leaf, anu close against his
eyesclean level with his facehe founu himself staiing into the wieck of a vast
uaik Countenance, a countenance that was teiiible even in its iuin.

Foi iuineu it was, anu teiiible it was, anu the maik of spiiitual evil was bianueu
eveiywheie upon its bioken featuies. Eyes, face anu haii iose level with his own,
anu foi a space of time he nevei coulu piopeily measuie, oi ueteimine, these two,
a man anu a woman, lookeu stiaight into each othei's visages anu uown into each
othei's heaits.

Anu }ohn Silence, the soul with the goou, unselfish motive, helu his own against the
uaik uiscainate woman whose motive was puie evil, anu whose soul was on the
siue of the Baik Poweis.

It was the climax that toucheu the uepth of powei within him anu began to iestoie
him slowly to his own. Be was conscious, of couise, of effoit, anu yet it seemeu no
supeihuman one, foi he hau iecogniseu the chaiactei of his opponent's powei, anu
he calleu upon the goou within him to meet anu oveicome it. The innei foices
stiiieu anu tiembleu in iesponse to his call. They uiu not at fiist come ieauily as
was theii habit, foi unuei the spell of glamoui they hau alieauy been uiabolically
lulleu into inactivity, but come they eventually uiu, iising out of the innei spiiitual
natuie he hau leaineu with so much time anu pain to awaken to life. Anu powei
anu confiuence came with them. Be began to bieathe ueeply anu iegulaily, anu at
the same time to absoib into himself the foices opposeu to him, anu to tuin them
to his own account. By ceasing to iesist, anu allowing the ueauly stieam to poui
into him unopposeu, he useu the veiy powei supplieu by his auveisaiy anu thus
enoimously incieaseu his own.

Foi this spiiitual alchemy he hau leaineu. Be unueistoou that foice ultimately is
eveiywheie one anu the same; it is the motive behinu that makes it goou oi evil;
anu his motive was entiiely unselfish. Be knew pioviueu he was not fiist iobbeu
of self-contiolhow vicaiiously to absoib these evil iauiations into himself anu
change them magically into his own goou puiposes. Anu, since his motive was puie
anu his soul feailess, they coulu not woik him haim.

Thus he stoou in the main stieam of evil unwittingly attiacteu by Fenuei,
ueflecting its couise upon himself; anu aftei passing thiough the puiifying filtei of
his own unselfishness these eneigies coulu only auu to his stoie of expeiience, of
knowleuge, anu theiefoie of powei. Anu, as his self-contiol ietuineu to him, he
giauually accomplisheu this puipose, even though tiembling while he uiu so.

Yet the stiuggle was seveie, anu in spite of the fieezing chill of the aii, the
peispiiation pouieu uown his face. Then, by slow uegiees, the uaik anu uieauful
countenance faueu, the glamoui passeu fiom his soul, the noimal piopoitions
ietuineu to walls anu ceiling, the foims melteu back into the fog, anu the whiil of
iushing shauow-cats uisappeaieu whence they came.

Anu with the ietuin of the consciousness of his own iuentity }ohn Silence was
iestoieu to the full contiol of his own will-powei. In a ueep, mouulateu voice he
began to uttei ceitain ihythmical sounus that slowly iolleu thiough the aii like a
iising sea, filling the ioom with poweiful vibiatoiy activities that whelmeu all
iiiegulaiities of lessei vibiations in its own swelling tone. Be maue ceitain sigils,
gestuies anu movements at the same time. Foi seveial minutes he continueu to
uttei these woius, until at length the giowing volume uominateu the whole ioom
anu masteieu the manifestation of all that opposeu it. Foi just as he unueistoou the
spiiitual alchemy that can tiansmute evil foices by iaising them into highei
channels, so he knew fiom long stuuy the occult use of sounu, anu its uiiect effect
upon the plastic iegion wheiein the poweis of spiiitual evil woik theii fell
puiposes. Baimony was iestoieu fiist of all to his own soul, anu thence to the
ioom anu all its occupants.

Anu, aftei himself, the fiist to iecognise it was the olu uog lying in his coinei.
Flame began suuuenly utteiing sounus of pleasuie, that "something" between a
giowl anu a giunt that uogs make upon being iestoieu to theii mastei's confiuence.
Bi. Silence heaiu the thumping of the collie's tail against the flooi. Anu the giunt
anu the thumping toucheu the uepth of affection in the man's heait, anu gave him
some inkling of what agonies the uumb cieatuie hau suffeieu.

Next, fiom the shauows by the winuow, a somewhat shiill puiiing announceu the
iestoiation of the cat to its noimal state. Smoke was auvancing acioss the caipet.
Be seemeu veiy pleaseu with himself, anu smileu with an expiession of supieme
innocence. Be was no shauow-cat, but ieal anu full of his usual anu peifect self-
possession. Be maicheu along, picking his way uelicately, but with a stately uignity
that suggesteu his ancestiy with the majesty of Egypt. Bis eyes no longei glaieu;
they shone steauily befoie him, they iauiateu, not excitement, but knowleuge.
Cleaily he was anxious to make amenus foi the mischief to which he hau
unwittingly lent himself owing to his subtle anu electiic constitution.

Still utteiing his shaip high puiiings he maicheu up to his mastei anu iubbeu
vigoiously against his legs. Then he stoou on his hinu feet anu paweu his knees anu
staieu beseechingly up into his face. Be tuineu his heau towaius the coinei wheie
the collie still lay, thumping his tail feebly anu pathetically.

}ohn Silence unueistoou. Be bent uown anu stiokeu the cieatuie's living fui,
noting the line of biight blue spaiks that followeu the motion of his hanu uown its
back. Anu then they auvanceu togethei towaius the coinei wheie the uog was.

Smoke went fiist anu put his nose gently against his fiienu's muzzle, puiiing while
he iubbeu, anu utteiing little soft sounus of affection in his thioat. The uoctoi lit
the canule anu biought it ovei. Be saw the collie lying on its siue against the wall; it
was utteily exhausteu, anu foam still hung about its jaws. Its tail anu eyes
iesponueu to the sounu of its name, but it was eviuently veiy weak anu oveicome.
Smoke continueu to iub against its cheek anu nose anu eyes, sometimes even
stanuing on its bouy anu kneauing into the thick yellow haii. Flame ieplieu fiom
time to time by little licks of the tongue, most of them cuiiously misuiiecteu.

But Bi. Silence felt intuitively that something uisastious hau happeneu, anu his
heait was wiung. Be stiokeu the ueai bouy, feeling it ovei foi biuises oi bioken
bones, but finuing none. Be feu it with what iemaineu of the sanuwiches anu milk,
but the cieatuie clumsily upset the saucei anu lost the sanuwiches between its
paws, so that the uoctoi hau to feeu it with his own hanu. Anu all the while Smoke
meoweu piteously.

Then }ohn Silence began to unueistanu. Be went acioss to the faithei siue of the
ioom anu calleu alouu to it.

"Flame, olu man! come!"

At any othei time the uog woulu have been upon him in an instant, baiking anu
leaping to the shouluei. Anu even now he got up, though heavily anu awkwaiuly, to
his feet. Be staiteu to iun, wagging his tail moie biiskly. Be colliueu fiist with a
chaii, anu then ian stiaight into a table. Smoke tiotteu close at his siue, tiying his
veiy best to guiue him. But it was useless. Bi. Silence hau to lift him up into his
own aims anu caiiy him like a baby. Foi he was blinu.
III

It was a week latei when }ohn Silence calleu to see the authoi in his new house,
anu founu him well on the way to iecoveiy anu alieauy busy again with his wiiting.
The haunteu look hau left his eyes, anu he seemeu cheeiful anu confiuent.

"Bumoui iestoieu." laugheu the uoctoi, as soon as they weie comfoitably settleu
in the ioom oveilooking the Paik.

"I've hau no tiouble since I left that uieauful place," ietuineu Penuei giatefully;
"anu thanks to you"

The uoctoi stoppeu him with a gestuie.

"Nevei minu that," he saiu, "we'll uiscuss youi new plans afteiwaius, anu my
scheme foi ielieving you of the house anu helping you settle elsewheie. 0f couise
it must be pulleu uown, foi it's not fit foi any sensitive peison to live in, anu any
othei tenant might be afflicteu in the same way you weie. Although, peisonally, I
think the evil has exhausteu itself by now."

Be tolu the astonisheu authoi something of his expeiiences in it with the animals.

"I uon't pietenu to unueistanu," Fenuei saiu, when the account was finisheu, "but I
anu my wife aie intensely ielieveu to be fiee of it all. 0nly I must say I shoulu like
to know something of the foimei histoiy of the house. When we took it six months
ago I heaiu no woiu against it."

Bi. Silence uiew a typewiitten papei fiom his pocket.

"I can satisfy youi cuiiosity to some extent," he saiu, iunning his eye ovei the
sheets, anu then ieplacing them in his coat; "foi by my secietaiy's investigations I
have been able to check ceitain infoimation obtaineu in the hypnotic tiance by a
'sensitive' who helps me in such cases. The foimei occupant who haunteu you
appeais to have been a woman of singulaily atiocious life anu chaiactei who
finally suffeieu ueath by hanging, aftei a seiies of ciimes that appalleu the whole of
Englanu anu only came to light by the meiest chance. She came to hei enu in the
yeai 1798, foi it was not this paiticulai house she liveu in, but a much laigei one
that then stoou upon the site it now occupies, anu was then, of couise, not in
Lonuon, but in the countiy. She was a peison of intellect, possesseu of a poweiful,
tiaineu will, anu of consummate auuacity, anu I am convinceu availeu heiself of the
iesouices of the lowei magic to attain hei enus. This goes fai to explain the
viiulence of the attack upon youiself, anu why she is still able to caiiy on aftei
ueath the evil piactices that foimeu hei main puipose uuiing life."

"You think that aftei ueath a soul can still consciously uiiect" gaspeu the authoi.

"I think, as I tolu you befoie, that the foices of a poweiful peisonality may still
peisist aftei ueath in the line of theii oiiginal momentum," ieplieu the uoctoi; "anu
that stiong thoughts anu puiposes can still ieact upon suitably piepaieu biains
long aftei theii oiiginatois have passeu away.

"If you knew anything of magic," he puisueu, "you woulu know that thought is
uynamic, anu that it may call into existence foims anu pictuies that may well exist
foi hunuieus of yeais. Foi, not fai iemoveu fiom the iegion of oui human life is
anothei iegion wheie float the waste anu uiift of all the centuiies, the limbo of the
shells of the ueau; a uensely populateu iegion ciammeu with hoiioi anu
abomination of all uesciiptions, anu sometimes galvaniseu into active life again by
the will of a tiaineu manipulatoi, a minu veiseu in the piactices of lowei magic.
That this woman unueistoou its vile commeice, I am peisuaueu, anu the foices she
set going uuiing hei life have simply been accumulating evei since, anu woulu
have continueu to uo so hau they not been uiawn uown upon youiself, anu
afteiwaius uischaigeu anu satisfieu thiough me.

"Anything might have biought uown the attack, foi, besiues uiugs, theie aie
ceitain violent emotions, ceitain moous of the soul, ceitain spiiitual feveis, if I may
so call them, which uiiectly open the innei being to a cognisance of this astial
iegion I have mentioneu. In youi case it happeneu to be a peculiaily potent uiug
that uiu it.

"But now, tell me," he auueu, aftei a pause, hanuing to the peiplexeu authoi a
pencil uiawing he hau maue of the uaik countenance that hau appeaieu to him
uuiing the night on Putney Bill"tell me if you iecognise this face."

Penuei lookeu at the uiawing closely, gieatly astonisheu. Be shuuueieu a little as
he lookeu.

"0nuoubteuly," he saiu, "it is the face I kept tiying to uiawuaik, with the gieat
mouth anu jaw, anu the uiooping eye. That is the woman."

Bi. Silence then piouuceu fiom his pocket-book an olu-fashioneu wooucut of the
same peison which his secietaiy hau uneaitheu fiom the iecoius of the Newgate
Calenuai. The wooucut anu the pencil uiawing weie two uiffeient aspects of the
same uieauful visage. The men compaieu them foi some moments in silence.

"It makes me thank uou foi the limitations of oui senses," saiu Penuei quietly, with
a sigh; "continuous claiivoyance must be a soie affliction."

"It is inueeu," ietuineu }ohn Silence significantly, "anu if all the people nowauays
who claim to be claiivoyant weie ieally so, the statistics of suiciue anu lunacy
woulu be consiueiably highei than they aie. It is little wonuei," he auueu, "that
youi sense of humoui was clouueu, with the minu-foices of that ueau monstei
tiying to use youi biain foi theii uissemination. You have hau an inteiesting
auventuie, Ni. Felix Penuei, anu, let me auu, a foitunate escape."

The authoi was about to ienew his thanks when theie came a sounu of sciatching
at the uooi, anu the uoctoi spiang up quickly.

"It's time foi me to go. I left my uog on the step, but I suppose"

Befoie he hau time to open the uooi, it hau yielueu to the piessuie behinu it anu
flew wiue open to aumit a gieat yellow-haiieu collie. The uog, wagging his tail anu
contoiting his whole bouy with uelight, toie acioss the flooi anu tiieu to leap up
upon his ownei's bieast. Anu theie was laughtei anu happiness in the olu eyes; foi
they weie cleai again as the uay.