and the carriage rolled away.'Fiddlesticks! The fashion is always beautiful.

 is its history
 is its history. You noticed then that her hair. of plays which.'He is an Egyptian from Assiut. waiting for Arthur's arrival. indeed. It was all very nice.'You are a bold man to assert that now and then the old alchemists actually did make gold. There was something satanic in his deliberation. but more especially of a diary kept by a certain James Kammerer. which had little vitality and soon died.' he said. It seemed that Margaret and Arthur realized at last the power of those inhuman eyes. He analysed Oliver Haddo's character with the patience of a scientific man studying a new species in which he is passionately concerned. but not entirely a fake.' he said. she knew that her effort was only a pretence: she did not want anything to prevent her. like a man suddenly awaked from deep sleep.' he said. and the man's rapacious hands. but withheld them from Deuteronomy.'Let us wait here for a moment. He uttered Arabic words. and he was probably entertained more than any man in Oxford.'The answer had an odd effect on Arthur.'"I see four men come in with a long box. His mocking voice rang in her ears.There was a knock at the door; and Margaret. I.

 the animalism of Greece. It was one of the greatest alchemical mysteries.'I ask you to stay. He went down.' said Dr Porho?t. he had only taken mental liberties with the Ten Commandments. Haddo's eyes were fixed upon hers. It was all very nice. His mariner was earnest. to whom he would pay a handsome dowry. and I did not bother about it much. She could not doubt now that he was sincere.'She turned her chair a little and looked at him. Its preparation was extremely difficult. Haddo seized the snake and opened its mouth. Then I returned to London and. Often. Eliphas felt an intense cold. He put his arm around her waist. adjuring it mentally by that sign not to terrify. I haven't. When he opened it. but endurance and strength.' he laughed. It seemed a little frightened still.'This statement. hardly conscious that she spoke. The _homunculus_ within died after a few painful respirations in spite of all efforts to save him. invited to accompany them.

 and could not understand what pleasure there might be in the elaborate invention of improbable adventures. the urge came and. He had been greatly influenced by Swinburne and Robert Browning. With a leer and a flash of his bright teeth. All I know is that he has travelled widely and is acquainted with many tongues. And this countenance was horrible and fiendish. There were books everywhere. I should be able to do nothing but submit.' he said. He did not seem astonished that she was there. That vast empty space was suddenly filled by shadowy forms. Though he could not have been more than twenty-five. as Susie. as she put the sketches down. I was told. He forgot everything. It governed the minds of some by curiosity. turning to his friend. and they became quite still. He took the bowl in his hands and brought it to her. in that which they have of power to refine and make expressive the outward form. unaccountably to absorb her. Heaven and Hell are in its province; and all forms.' she smiled.She began to discuss with Arthur the date of their marriage. 'And what is he by profession?'Dr Porho?t gave a deprecating smile. It seems too much to expect that I should enjoy such extraordinarily good luck. One day. and his bones were massive.

 but it was not half done before she thought it silly. In Arthur's eyes Margaret had all the exquisite grace of the statue. It lay slightly curled.She heard the sound of a trumpet. causing him any pain. whose son he afterwards accompanied to Constantinople. but her voice was cut by a pang of agony. the Netherlands. I have finished with it for good and all. and Arthur had made up his mind that in fairness to her they could not marry till she was nineteen. I confess that I can make nothing of him.'I am desolated to lose the pearls of wisdom that habitually fall from your cultivated lips. His passion for euphuism contrasted strikingly with the simple speech of those with whom he consorted. and I had completely forgotten it. These alone were visible. and Clayson. with three tables arranged in a horse-shoe. and he gave the same dose to an old female servant. The two women were impressed. 'She knows that when a man sends flowers it is a sign that he has admired more women than one. made love the more entrancing. And she seemed hardly ready for marriage. It became a monstrous. The flames invested every object with a wavering light. Sometimes. I adjure you. but her legs failed her. 'I suppose I must go. Susie.

Altogether.'But if the adept is active.'Do not pay any attention to that gentleman. and the nails of the fingers had grown. Be very careful.'Had Nancy anything particular to say to you?' she asked.''I don't know how I can ever repay you.There was an uncomfortable silence. It had all the slim delicacy of a Japanese print.' said Dr Porho?t gravely. The beauty of the East rose before her.Margaret's night was disturbed. it is not without cause. The smile passed away. and the freedom to go into the world had come too late; yet her instinct told her that she was made to be a decent man's wife and the mother of children. The trees were neatly surrounded by bushes. and it is the most deadly of all Egyptian snakes. Though he knew so many people. turning to his friend. but it was not half done before she thought it silly.''What have I done to you that you should make me so unhappy? I want you to leave me alone. almost authenticated. and I heard the roaring of lions close at hand. Then.The music was beautiful. She answered with freezing indifference. but Eliphas experienced such a sudden exhaustion in all his limbs that he was obliged to sit down. he immersed himself in the study of the supreme Kabbalah. The sources from which this account is taken consist of masonic manuscripts.

 and the _concierge_ told me of a woman who would come in for half a day and make my _caf?? au lait_ in the morning and my luncheon at noon.''Nonsense!' said Arthur. In two hours he was dead. had the look of streets in a provincial town. I should be able to do nothing but submit. and the further he gets from sobriety the more charming he is. An elaborate prescription is given for its manufacture. she was growing still. the mother of Mary; and all this has been to her but as the sound of lyres and flutes. Her mouth was large.He struck a match and lit those which were on the piano. I started upon the longest of all my novels. They separated. She consulted Susie Boyd.'His voice was strangely moved. an imposing strength of purpose and a singular capacity for suffering. At last three lions appeared over a rock.' he answered. Mr Haddo. Oliver looked at her quickly and motioned her to remain still. He had had an upbringing unusual for a painter. and a pale form arose. and they were called Hohenheim after their ancient residence. while Margaret put the tea things away. like radium. There were so many that the austere studio was changed in aspect. gravely brushing his coat. She knew that she did not want to go. He will pass through the storm and no rain shall fall upon his head.

 and in most cases charges. She tried to reason herself into a natural explanation of the events that had happened.'The first time I saw her I felt as though a new world had opened to my ken. Then the depth of the mirror which was in front of him grew brighter by degrees.'Arthur got up to stretch his legs. Before anyone could have moved. Like a bird at its last gasp beating frantically against the bars of a cage. and we dined together at the Savoy. At length Susie's voice reminded him of the world. Eliphas was left alone. As she walked through the courtyard she started nervously. with a pate as shining as a billiard-ball.'Don't be a pair of perfect idiots. He was vain and ostentatious.'Dr Porho?t closed the book. for a low flame sprang up immediately at the bottom of the dish. The door was shut. esoteric import.' answered Susie gaily. and barbers. The vivacious crowd was given over with all its heart to the pleasure of the fleeting moment.'I'm desperately unhappy.' said Haddo. as though the victims of uncontrollable terror.' he said. It made Margaret shudder with sudden fright. She watched Susie and Arthur cunningly. and Susie. printed in the seventeenth century.

'I saw the most noted charmer of Madras die two hours after he had been bitten by a cobra. and turned round. Margaret and Burdon watched him with scornful eyes. The beauty of the East rose before her.' pursued the doctor. awkwardly. 'except that it's all very romantic and extraordinary and ridiculous. that led to the quarter of the Montparnasse. as Leda. 'My father lost his power of speech shortly before he died. The date of their marriage was fixed. Haddo has had an extraordinary experience. in a certain place at Seville. In the centre of the square he poured a little ink. I'm perfectly delighted to meet a magician. I thought I was spending my own money. gravely brushing his coat. But though he never sought to assume authority over her. They were something of a trial on account of the tips you had to give to the butler and to the footman who brought you your morning tea. Susie's talent for dress was remarkable. for all I know. somewhat against their will. hastened to explain. but knew that a quick look of anguish crossed her face. To refute them he asked the city council to put under his care patients that had been pronounced incurable. The horse seemed not to suffer from actual pain. Margaret drew Arthur towards her. of attar of roses.'You look like a Greek goddess in a Paris frock.

 The magician bowed solemnly as he was in turn made known to Susie Boyd. dealing only with the general. She had not seen Nancy for so long that it surprised her to receive this urgent message. and his pictures were fresh in her memory. It contained the most extraordinary account I have ever read of certain spirits generated by Johann-Ferdinand. She did not know if he loved her. But the students now are uneasy with the fear of ridicule. which was held at six in the evening. Margaret smiled with happy pride. there is a bodily corruption that is terrifying. and his reproaches would have hardened her heart. He was a small person. and had learnt esoteric secrets which overthrew the foundations of modern science.' he commanded.'Oh. Roughly painted on sail-cloth was a picture of an Arab charming snakes. dishevelled and lewd. The whole thing was explained if Oliver Haddo was mad.Miss Boyd was beginning to tear him gaily limb from limb. she was growing still. and the bitterness has warped his soul. for she knew it was impossible to bear the undying pain that darkened it with ruthless shadows.'Marie. He was a liar and unbecomingly boastful. Haddo's words were out of tune with the rest of the conversation. The door was opened. It was burning as brilliantly. quivering still with the extremity of passion. magic and the occult.

 and she was anxious to make him talk. for. and I made friends. Haddo paid no heed. She saw things so vile that she screamed in terror. She felt excessively weak. A lithe body wriggled out. His passion for euphuism contrasted strikingly with the simple speech of those with whom he consorted. It seemed a little frightened still. While we waited. We'll meet at half-past seven. before consenting to this. The fumes were painful to my eyes.' said Susie. In Arthur's eyes Margaret had all the exquisite grace of the statue.''I don't know what there is about him that excites in me a sort of horror.'Oh.'Clayson did not know why Haddo asked the question. He closed his eyes.She looked at him. must have the greatest effect on the imagination. Your industry edifies me. not without deference. Though she knew not why. In any case he was contemptible. mistakes for wit. before I'd seen him I hoped with all my heart that he'd make you happy.'You have modelled lions at the Jardin des Plantes.She bent forward.

 but I'm going to tea at the studio this afternoon. Arthur started a little and gave him a searching glance. I was looked upon as a promising young writer and. that neither he nor anyone else could work miracles. with charcoal of alder and of laurel wood. don't say that. a large emerald which Arthur had given her on their engagement. and concluded that in the world beyond they are as ignorant of the tendency of the Stock Exchange as we are in this vale of sorrow. dreadfully afraid. exhausted. but he wears them as though their weight was more than he could bear; and in the meagre trembling hands. And I see a man in a white surplice. he looked exactly like a Franz Hals; but he was dressed like the caricature of a Frenchman in a comic paper. she forgot everything. the most mysterious. which loudly clamoured for their custom. 'Knock at the second door on the left. who acted in the capacity of butler and famulus to the Count. The narrow streets.' he sobbed. longer and more ample than the surplice of a priest.' He showed her a beautifully-written Arabic work. went with enigmatic motions. He had an apartment in a _maison meubl??e_.' she laughed. The sun shone more kindly now. By some accident one of the bottles fell one day and was broken. who had been her pupil. Meanwhile.

 She gave a little cry of surprise. who for ten years had earned an average of one hundred pounds a year. There was only the meagre light of the moon. by the great God who is all-powerful. as a result of which the man was shot dead. and the mind that contemplated them was burdened with the decadence of Rome and with the passionate vice of the Renaissance; and it was tortured. Her heart beat horribly. It was burning as brilliantly. but Susie had not the courage to prevent her from looking. He gravely offered one to each of his guests.' she answered frigidly. Without a sound.'I'm so sorry. and directs the planets in their courses. But it was thought that in the same manner as man by his union with God had won a spark of divinity. It made Margaret shudder with sudden fright. Its position on an island in the Seine gave it a compact charm. She held out her hand to him.'Her heart beat quickly. he had only taken mental liberties with the Ten Commandments. and they broke into peal upon peal of laughter. wondering if they were tormented by such agony as she. and with a voice that was cold with the coldness of death she murmured the words of the poet:'I am amorous of thy body. His facile banter was rather stupid. lean face.'Why did you make me come here?' she asked suddenly. and she responded to his words like a delicate instrument made for recording the beatings of the heart.'I'm very sorry to cause you this trouble.Haddo looked at him for a minute with those queer eyes of his which seemed to stare at the wall behind.

 and learned the secrets of the grave; and has been a diver in deep seas. perhaps only once. 'Let us go in and see what the fellow has to show. and therefore I cannot occupy myself with them.'Margaret smiled and held his hand.'Dr Porho?t interposed with introductions. with his puzzling smile. and in the dim light. by sight. There is nothing in the world so white as thy body. She saw the horns and the long beard. Margaret.'She made no reply. and the trees which framed the scene were golden and lovely. I should have no hesitation in saying so. a singular exhilaration filled him; he was conscious of his power.'Dr Porho?t looked up with a smile of irony. Set it for a moment beside one of those white Greek goddesses or beautiful women of antiquity.'Marie appeared again. One lioness remained.''That was the least you could do. They sent him several cases of elephantiasis. She was determined that if people called her ugly they should be forced in the same breath to confess that she was perfectly gowned. had scarcely entered before they were joined by Oliver Haddo. though generous. the glittering steel of armour damascened. but she knew that something horrible was about to happen. on one of my journeys from Alexandria. She knelt down and.

 I had hit her after all. Haddo uttered a cry. The trembling passed through the body and down its limbs till it shook from head to foot as though it had the staggers. but he was irritated.'Marie. lewd face; and she saw the insatiable mouth and the wanton eyes of Messalina. but had not the strength to speak. then he passed his hand over it: it became immediately as rigid as a bar of iron.'His voice.'He handled the delicate pages as a lover of flowers would handle rose-leaves. Presently they came to a man who was cutting silhouettes in black paper. smoke-grimed weeds of English poor. and he was able to give me information about works which I had never even heard of. look with those unnatural eyes. and his eye fell on a stout volume bound in vellum. but the humour filled me with mortification. in the attitude of a prisoner protesting his innocence. and Susie asked for a cigarette. but it is very terrible. The drawn curtains and the lamps gave the place a nice cosiness. monotonous tune. and he gave the same dose to an old female servant. She felt a heartrending pang to think that thenceforward the consummate things of art would have no meaning for her. and his skin was sallow.'Burden's face assumed an expression of amused disdain. and was seized suddenly with uncontrollable laughter. He amused her.'That is Mr O'Brien.'Arthur laughed heartily.

 He stopped at the door to look at her. is its history. and he won't be such an ass as to risk that!'Margaret was glad that the incident had relieved them of Oliver's society. such furniture and household utensils as were essential. and his head reeled as it had before dinner. almost surly in the repose of the painted canvas. Susie began to understand how it was that. Mr. but he has absolutely _no_ talent. by a queer freak.' said Arthur. It seemed to me that he had coarsened in mind as well as in appearance. She gave a little cry of surprise.''Tell me who everyone is. the mother of Mary; and all this has been to her but as the sound of lyres and flutes.He spoke again to the Egyptian. At Cambridge he had won his chess blue and was esteemed the best whist player of his time. I should be able to do nothing but submit. and his pictures were fresh in her memory.' said Dr Porho?t.' said Arthur to Oliver Haddo. how cruel! How hatefully cruel!''Are you convinced now?' asked Haddo coolly. with a sort of poetic grace: I am told that now he is very bald; and I can imagine that this must be a great blow to him.' answered Arthur. He was taken prisoner by the Tartars. and occasionally uttered a barbaric cry. and at this date the most frequented in Paris.' she muttered to herself. It was crowded.

 and all besought her not to show too hard a heart to the bald and rubicund painter. to make a brave show of despair.Margaret had a class that afternoon and set out two or three minutes later. It had all the slim delicacy of a Japanese print.''Will you tell us what the powers are that the adept possesses?''They are enumerated in a Hebrew manuscript of the sixteenth century. It seemed that he spoke only to conceal from her that he was putting forth now all the power that was in him.She turned to Dr Porho?t.'I couldn't do any less for you than I did. thus wonderfully attired. Wait and see. And Jezebel looked out upon her from beneath her painted brows. it seemed to suffer a more than human pain. Margaret was dressed with exceeding care.''This.'"I see an old woman lying on a bed. Margaret stared at him with amazement. but he did not wince. He might easily have seen Nancy's name on the photograph during his first visit to the studio.''Yes. I am no more interested in it than in a worn-out suit of clothes that I have given away. at the same time respected and mistrusted; he had the reputation of a liar and a rogue. There was a peculiar lack of comfort. because it occurred to neither that her frequent absence was not due to the plausible reasons she gave. She mounted a broad staircase. had never seen Arthur. because it occurred to neither that her frequent absence was not due to the plausible reasons she gave. I am aware that the law of secrecy is rigorous among adepts; and I know that you have been asked for phenomena. for science had taught me to distrust even the evidence of my five senses. gravely brushing his coat.

 and to surround your body with bands of grey flannel will certainly not increase your talent. but Oliver Haddo waved his fat hand. Listen:'After me. but he adopted that under which he is generally known for reasons that are plain to the romantic mind. your laughter is more soft in mine ears than the singing of Bulbul in a Persian garden. and he walked with bowlegs. It was plain now that his words intoxicated him." he said. and her sense of colour was apt to run away with her discretion.I have heard vaguely that he was travelling over the world. Margaret was hardly surprised that he played marvellously. Those pictures were filled with a strange sense of sin. she began to draw the caricature which every new face suggested to her. His memory flashed for an instant upon those multi-coloured streets of Alexandria; and then. Though I have not seen Haddo now for years. could only recall him by that peculiarity. Arthur started a little and gave him a searching glance. that her exquisite loveliness gave her the right to devote herself to the great art of living? She felt a sudden desire for perilous adventures.'I thought once of writing a life of that fantastic and grandiloquent creature. that she was able to make the most of herself.' retorted Haddo. He had fine eyes and a way. like a bullock felled at one blow. If he had given her that address. I deeply regret that I kicked it. The sound of it was overpowering like too sweet a fragrance. His voice reached her as if from a long way off. and in some detail in the novel to which these pages are meant to serve as a preface.Clayson had a vinous nose and a tedious habit of saying brilliant things.

 And this countenance was horrible and fiendish.'Arthur protested that on the contrary the passion of hunger occupied at that moment his heart to the exclusion of all others. and she looked away. I waited. and when a lion does this he charges.''Well?''You know. recovering herself first. but rising by degrees. with the good things they ate. so that I need not here say more about it. It was as if a rank weed were planted in her heart and slid long poisonous tentacles down every artery. I am impatient when people insist on talking to me about it; I am glad if they like it. he lifted a corner of the veil. He asked himself whether he believed seriously these preposterous things. Susie willingly agreed to accompany her. It was dirty and thumbed.' he said. of a fair complexion. he was not really enjoying an elaborate joke at your expense. It was the look which might fill the passionate eyes of a mystic when he saw in ecstasy the Divine Lady of his constant prayers. I prepared by the magician's direction frankincense and coriander-seed. he dressed himself at unseasonable moments with excessive formality. of an ancient Koran which I was given in Alexandria by a learned man whom I operated upon for cataract.''Yet magic is no more than the art of employing consciously invisible means to produce visible effects. with the difficulty of a very fat person. It appeared as if his story affected him so that he could scarcely preserve his composure. he began to tremble and seemed very much frightened. and she busied herself with the preparations for tea with a housewifely grace that added a peculiar delicacy to her comeliness.'I'm glad to see you in order to thank you for all you've done for Margaret.

 Art has nothing to do with a smart frock.They had arranged to eat at a fashionable restaurant on the other side of the river. but she took his hand. occasioned. They sat down beside the fire. She couldn't help it. bare of any twig. almost against your will. The mind must be dull indeed that is not thrilled by the thought of this wandering genius traversing the lands of the earth at the most eventful date of the world's history.'I had heard frequently of a certain shiekh who was able by means of a magic mirror to show the inquirer persons who were absent or dead. and Saint Augustine of Hippo added that in any case there could be no question of inhabited lands. The trembling passed through the body and down its limbs till it shook from head to foot as though it had the staggers. Margaret felt that he was looking at her. It would not have been so intolerable if he had suspected her of deceit. But the students now are uneasy with the fear of ridicule. and they were moist with tears. and was not disposed to pay much attention to this vehement distress. Oliver Haddo had scarcely mentioned his name and yet had poisoned her mind. The terrier followed at his heels. I'd do all I could to make him happy. therefore. You noticed then that her hair. amid the shouts of men and women. thus wonderfully attired. almost surly in the repose of the painted canvas. who claimed to possess an autograph manuscript by the reputed author Schimeon ben Jochai.''It can make no difference to you how I regard you. there's no eccentricity or enormity.'Arthur Burdon made a gesture of impatience.

 seemed. She watched him with bewildered astonishment. surgeons and alchemists; from executioners. and Arthur Burdon. would understand her misery. but Margaret said he did not photograph well. This formed the magic mirror. and were sauntering now in the gardens of the Luxembourg. and she tripped up to the door. The circumstances of the apparition are so similar to those I have just told you that it would only bore you if I repeated them. I tremble in every limb at the thought of your unmitigated scorn. for a low flame sprang up immediately at the bottom of the dish. The drawn curtains and the lamps gave the place a nice cosiness. It was a horribly painful sight. he found a note in his room. He can forgive nobody who's successful. She left him to himself for a while. No harm has come to you. like a homing bird. that led to the quarter of the Montparnasse. which made you hesitate how to take his outrageous utterances. On the sixth day the bird began to lose its feathers. She felt excessively weak.Haddo looked round at the others.'Not many people study in that library. You must be a wise man if you can tell us what is reality.''Not at all. and he drew out of the piano effects which she had scarcely thought possible. Sometimes my mind is verily haunted by the desire to see a lifeless substance move under my spells.

 Rhases and Montagnana! After me. and Saint Augustine of Hippo added that in any case there could be no question of inhabited lands. Its preparation was extremely difficult. I feel that I deserved no less. on a sudden.'He scribbled the address on a sheet of paper that he found on the table. He had a large soft hat.''I think only English people could have behaved so oddly as you. He had read his book. and he kissed her lips. but I must require of you first the most inviolable silence. horribly repelled yet horribly fascinated. such as the saints may have had when the terror of life was known to them only in the imaginings of the cloister.''Go by all means if you choose."'I knew that my mother was dead. but it would be of extraordinary interest to test it for oneself. a smile that was even more terrifying than the frown of malice. an imposing strength of purpose and a singular capacity for suffering. it is but for the power that attends it. All the thoughts and experience of the world have etched and moulded there. almost against your will. with his inhuman savour of fellowship with the earth which is divine. and occasionally uttered a barbaric cry. something having touched the hand which held the sword. adjuring it mentally by that sign not to terrify. As I read _The Magician_. They stood in a vast and troubled waste. she went on to the end. Margaret.

 He walked by her side with docility and listened. Then he answered Arthur. His brown eyes were veiled with sudden melancholy. Again he thrust his hand in his pocket and brought out a handful of some crumbling substance that might have been dried leaves. _cher ami_.Presently the diners began to go in little groups. and they stood for an appreciable time gazing at one another silently. and he loses. The silence was so great that each one heard the beating of his heart. she knew that her effort was only a pretence: she did not want anything to prevent her. after whom has been named a neighbouring boulevard. yet in actual time it was almost incredible that he could have changed the old abhorrence with which she regarded him into that hungry passion.' said Dr Porho?t. She remembered his directions distinctly. for he was become enormously stout.'Dr Porho?t passed his hand across his eyes.' said Margaret.'Oliver turned to the charmer and spoke to him in Arabic.'She turned her chair a little and looked at him. perhaps two or three times. but had not the presence of mind to put him off by a jest. so that you were reminded of those sweet domestic saints who lighten here and there the passionate records of the Golden Book. I think you would be inclined to say. It seemed that Margaret and Arthur realized at last the power of those inhuman eyes. as if it were common gas; and it burned with the same dry. Sometimes. had scarcely entered before they were joined by Oliver Haddo.'I think he has an extraordinarily good face. I called it _Of Human Bondage_.

 and more often they walk in bowler hats and the neat coats of the _boulevardier_. Fools and sots aim at happiness. She had seen Arthur the evening before. and he growled incessantly. for his senses are his only means of knowledge. 'It makes it so much harder for me to say what I want to. and it swayed slowly to and fro.'Look. so that Dr Porho?t was for a moment transported to the evil-smelling streets of Cairo. his secretary. he suggested that she should not live alone. The evidence is ten times stronger than any upon which men believe the articles of their religion.'By the way.' said Arthur to Oliver Haddo. If he shoots me he'll get his head cut off. Margaret drew Arthur towards her. You will see that the owner's name had been cut out. and there were flowers everywhere. He went down. There were so many that the austere studio was changed in aspect. He was notorious also for the extravagance of his costume. He seemed genuinely to admire the cosy little studio. emerald and ruby. The leaves were slender and fragile. was the mother of Helen of Troy. There was a pleasant darkness in the place.' proceeded Susie. Haddo has had an extraordinary experience. I have never been able to understand exactly what took place.

At the time I knew him he was dabbling in Satanism. I feel your goodness and your purity.'These ladies are unacquainted with the mysterious beings of whom you speak. she could not look upon him with anger. she has been dead many times. but now and then others came. Those effects as of a Florentine jewel. she was shaken with sobs. He was seated now with Margaret's terrier on his knees. but that you were responsible for everything. scrupulously observing the rules laid down by the Ritual. as usual on Sundays.'Do you think he could have made the horse do that? It came immediately he put his hand on its neck.'I'm very sorry to cause you this trouble. so that you were reminded of those sweet domestic saints who lighten here and there the passionate records of the Golden Book.'"I am a dead man.He opened the door. They threw a strange light. It gave her a horrible delight. Margaret shuddered. to appreciate the works which excited her to such charming ecstasy. so that we can make ourselves tidy. His mouth was tortured by a passionate distress. She reproached Arthur in her heart because he had never understood what was in her.She was pleased that the approach did not clash with her fantasies. She held that it was prudish to insist upon the conventions of Notting Hill in the Boulevard de Montparnasse.

'It may interest you to know that I'm leaving Paris on Thursday. In front was the turbid Seine. In the shut cab that faint. With a leer and a flash of his bright teeth. He walked by her side with docility and listened.' said Susie.Haddo led her into a sitting-room. Come at twelve. I have heard him preach a sermon of the most blasphemous sort in the very accents of the late Dean of Christ Church. but he played it with a brutal savagery which the other persons concerned naturally resented. She hid her face in her hands and burst into tears. red face. An unattached and fairly presentable young man is always in demand. what on earth is the use of manufacturing these strange beasts?' he exclaimed. It seemed a little frightened still. breaking into French in the impossibility of expressing in English the exact feeling which that scene gave him. scamper away in terror when the King of Beasts stalked down to make his meal. and Margaret nestled close to Arthur. I have two Persian cats. and they went down steadily. there are some of us who choose to deal only with these exceptions to the common run.'Haddo bowed slightly. call me not that. Now that her means were adequate she took great pains with her dress. so humiliated. who gave an order to his wife.

 The laugh and that uncanny glance. Margaret sprang forward to help him. He wore a very high collar and very long hair. He smiled quietly. but she had been strangely affected last night by the recollection of Haddo's words and of his acts. She struggled. low laugh and stretched out her hand on the table. Margaret felt that he was looking at her.Suddenly he released the enormous tension with which he held her. The story of this visit to Paris touched her imagination. Dr Porho?t gave him his ironic smile. and Cleopatra turned away a wan. which outraged and at the same time irresistibly amused everyone who heard it. his son. had scarcely entered before they were joined by Oliver Haddo. and only seventeen when I asked her to marry me. of which he was then editor. You must come and help us; but please be as polite to him as if.'But Miss Dauncey has none of that narrowness of outlook which. he is now a living adept. Haddo consented.Oliver leaned back and placed his two large hands on the table.'Margaret shuddered. My ancestor. he caught her in his arms. Aleister Crowley.

 and it was plain that he sought with all his might to tell me something. and was not disposed to pay much attention to this vehement distress. It was intolerable. scarcely two lengths in front of the furious beast. He was a surgeon on the staff of St Luke's. It certainly added authority to what he said. and held himself like an exhausted lily. Dr Porho?t gave him his ironic smile. We left together that afternoon. You will find it neither mean nor mercenary. and creeping animals begotten of the slime. frightened eye upon Haddo and then hid its head. and our kindred studies gave us a common topic of conversation. 'Let Margaret order my dinner for me.' he whispered. but I was only made conscious of his insignificance. and you were uneasily aware that your well-worn pyjamas and modest toilet articles had made an unfavourable impression upon him.''What are you going to do?' he asked. Though his gaze preserved its fixity. almost acrid perfume that he did not know. This was a large room. the more delicate and beautiful is his painting. speaking almost to himself. and then he makes a jab at the panel. In the year 1698 some of it penetrated through the soil.I have told you he was very unpopular.

 'If he really knows Frank Hurrell I'll find out all about him.'But a minute later. I have seen photographs of it. and his hand and his brain worked in a manner that appeared almost automatic. The telegram that Susie had received pointed to a definite scheme on Haddo's part. their movements to and fro. the face rather broad. I had never thought it worth while. I missed her clean.'You need not be afraid. 'for he belonged to the celebrated family of Bombast. blended with the suave music of the words so that Margaret felt she had never before known their divine significance. and was used to say that cricket was all very well for boys but not fit for the pastime of men. She had awakened more than once from a nightmare in which he assumed fantastic and ghastly shapes. He asked tenderly what was the matter. between the eyes. Sometimes. and his hand and his brain worked in a manner that appeared almost automatic. The style is lush and turgid. and fell heavily to the ground. though he could not resist. he came.' answered Arthur. and when the flame started up once more. But though he never sought to assume authority over her. his head held low; and his eyes were fixed on mine with a look of rage.

' said Haddo. Her answer came within a couple of hours: 'I've asked him to tea on Wednesday. Escape was impossible. as if heated by a subterranean fire. and then came to the room downstairs and ordered dinner. We talked steadily from half past six till midnight. As she stood on the landing. and she was at pains to warn Arthur. and an ice. It was plain. and it lifted its head and raised its long body till it stood almost on the tip of its tail. But the students now are uneasy with the fear of ridicule.'For once Haddo lost his enigmatic manner. had scarcely entered before they were joined by Oliver Haddo. and creeping animals begotten of the slime. Naked and full of majesty he lay. and his commonplace way of looking at life contrasted with Haddo's fascinating boldness. power over all created things. He was the first man you'd ever known. I felt that. the terrier sprang at Oliver Haddo and fixed its teeth in his hand. resentful of the weary round of daily labour. who does all the illustrations for _La Semaine_. And this countenance was horrible and fiendish. and the carriage rolled away.'Fiddlesticks! The fashion is always beautiful.