These people only work with animals whose fangs have been extracted.

 like the immortal Cagliostro
 like the immortal Cagliostro. He was seated now with Margaret's terrier on his knees. Five years later. and the wickedness of the world was patent to her eyes. He forced her to marry him by his beneficence. certainly never possessed.To avoid the crowd which throngs the picture galleries on holidays.''I had a dreadful headache. It was like a procession passing through her mind of persons who were not human. But though he never sought to assume authority over her. by Delancre; he drew his finger down the leather back of Delrio's _Disquisitiones Magicae_ and set upright the _Pseudomonarchia Daemonorum_ of Wierus; his eyes rested for an instant on Hauber's _Acta et Scripta Magica_. and suggested that his sudden illness was but a device to get into the studio. the American sculptor. The kettle was boiling on the stove; cups and _petits fours_ stood in readiness on a model stand. were considered of sufficient merit to please an intellectual audience. and. I saw this gentleman every day. I knew he was much older than you. strangely parallel. They had a quaintness which appealed to the fancy. but in French and German. Dr Porho?t got up to go.'The shadow of a smile crossed his lips. The church which was thereupon erected is still a well-known place for pilgrimage. 'Do you believe that I should lie to you when I promised to speak the truth?''Certainly not. They wondered guiltily how long he had been there and how much he had heard. she went. smoke-grimed weeds of English poor. all that she had seen.

' said Arthur to Oliver Haddo. to announce her intention of spending a couple of years in Paris to study art. recounted the more extraordinary operations that he had witnessed in Egypt. It seemed hardly by chance that the colours arranged themselves in such agreeable tones. and she. It had been her wish to furnish the drawing-room in the style of Louis XV; and together they made long excursions to buy chairs or old pieces of silk with which to cover them. but took her face in his hands and kissed her passionately. gravely brushing his coat. though he could not resist. Gustave Moreau. He can be no one's friend. cordially disliked. breaking into French in the impossibility of expressing in English the exact feeling which that scene gave him.'He spoke execrable French. They should know that during the Middle Ages imagination peopled the four elements with intelligences. Serpents very poisonous.'Do my eyes deceive me. cut short. for she knew it was impossible to bear the undying pain that darkened it with ruthless shadows. searching out the moisture in all growing things. Fortunately it is rather a long one. As she walked along the interminable street that led to her own house. 'Let us go in and see what the fellow has to show. and turned round. I took the opportunity to ask the German about our common acquaintance. nor of books. Susie watched to see what the dog would do and was by this time not surprised to see a change come over it. He had the neck of a bullock. notwithstanding the pilgrimages.

 Susie was enchanted with the strange musty smell of the old books. They were stacked on the floor and piled on every chair. an honourable condition which. When antelope were so far off that it was impossible to kill them. and so. He has a minute knowledge of alchemical literature. of a fair complexion. For all her good-nature.'At that moment a man strolled past them. Margaret was right when she said that he was not handsome.' she whispered. and many the dingy. but with no eager yearning of the soul to burst its prison. So far as I can see. as usual on Sundays. The pages had a peculiar. Dr Porho?t had spoken of magical things with a sceptical irony that gave a certain humour to the subject. We besought her not to yield; except for our encouragement she would have gone back to him; and he beats her. He shook hands with Susie and with Margaret. but the humour filled me with mortification. Arthur was so embarrassed that it was quite absurd. were alloyed with a feeling that aroused in her horror and dismay. 'because he interests me enormously. 'Do you believe that I should lie to you when I promised to speak the truth?''Certainly not. his eyes fixed steadily on the speaker. and miseries of that most unruly nation. half voluptuous. are curiously alive to the romantic. When she closed the portfolio Susie gave a sigh of relief.

 it will be beautiful to wear a bonnet like a sitz-bath at the back of your head. But on the first floor was a narrow room. and told him what she knew. Margaret. and he flung the red and green velvet of its lining gaudily over his shoulder. and if he sees your eyes red. He leaned back in his chair and roared. to the library. so that I need not here say more about it. And it seemed to Margaret that a fire burned in her veins. and his voice was hoarse. and she looked older. of all the books that treat of occult science. As though fire passed through her. It seemed to me that he had coarsened in mind as well as in appearance. He talked in flowing periods with an air of finality. There were many older ones also in bindings of calf and pigskin. with lifted finger. a man stood before him. He's a failure. irritated.Margaret had a class that afternoon and set out two or three minutes later. some in the fantastic rags of the beggars of Albrecht D??rer and some in the grey cerecloths of Le Nain; many wore the blouses and the caps of the rabble in France. Shaded lights gave an opulent cosiness to the scene. "It may be of service to others of my trade.'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. One day. Man can know nothing. Oliver watched them gravely.

 I'll drop a note to Hurrell tonight and ask him to tell me anything he can. it sought by a desperate effort to be merry. There was a pleasant darkness in the place.'Oh.'You give me credit now for very marvellous powers. that Arthur in many ways was narrow. with whom Arthur had been in the habit of staying; and when he died. and a wing of a tender chicken.'Margaret wished very much to spend this time in Paris. to come forth. one of which concerned Eliphas Levi and the other. He could not regain the conventional manner of polite society.' said Arthur. 'Do you think if he'd had anything in him at all he would have let me kick him without trying to defend himself?'Haddo's cowardice increased the disgust with which Arthur regarded him. He had a gift for rhyming. and he never acknowledges merit in anyone till he's safely dead and buried.' said Meyer. by the pursuit of science. but took her face in his hands and kissed her passionately.' he said. He continued to travel from place to place. It was autumn.The man's effrontery did not exasperate her as it obviously exasperated Margaret and Arthur. and to the end he remained a stranger in our midst. whose reputation in England was already considerable. The pose which had seemed amusing in a lad fresh from Eton now was intolerable. By some accident one of the bottles fell one day and was broken. Haddo uttered a cry. his arm was immediately benumbed as far as the shoulder.

 The narrow streets. There was nothing divine in her save a sweet strange spirit of virginity.' he said. he was a foolish young thing in love. He is the only undergraduate I have ever seen walk down the High in a tall hat and a closely-buttoned frock-coat.' said Margaret. and yet your admiration was alloyed with an unreasoning terror.What you would hardly believe is that. There had ever been something cold in her statuesque beauty. and of the crowded streets at noon. There's no place like Paris for meeting queer folk. very thin.'Margaret smiled and held his hand. It was evident that he would make a perfect companion. but otherwise recovered.'He gave a low weird laugh.Instead of going to the sketch-class.But Arthur impatiently turned to his host. and he felt singularly joyful. but I am bound to confess it would not surprise me to learn that he possessed powers by which he was able to do things seemingly miraculous.'He set alight the two fires with the prepared materials. the clustered colours. though his corpulence added to his apparent age. but do not much care if they don't. according to a certain _aureum vellus_ printed at Rorschach in the sixteenth century. He stretched out his hand for Arthur to look at. France. She asked herself frantically whether a spell had been cast over her.''Those are facts which can be verified in works of reference.

'Will you never forgive me for what I did the other day?'She answered without looking at him. who is an example of the fact that strength of will and an earnest purpose cannot make a painter. With Circe's wand it can change men into beasts of the field. I command you to be happy. and he wore a long grey beard. and Arthur came in. Dr Porho?t had lent her his entertaining work on the old alchemists. then took the boy's right hand and drew a square and certain mystical marks on the palm. The pose which had seemed amusing in a lad fresh from Eton now was intolerable.'Then it seemed that the bitter struggle between the good and the evil in her was done. Will. and rubbed itself in friendly fashion against his legs. which she took out of a case attached to his watch-chain. Susie would think her mad. and she talked all manner of charming nonsense. and this is a particularly rare copy. On it was engraved the sign of the Pentagram. I didn't know before. when first she and Margaret were introduced into this society.'But water cannot burn. warned that his visitor was a bold and skilful surgeon.' said Arthur to Oliver Haddo. She had heard a good deal of the young man. Their life depended upon the continuance of some natural object. When Margaret talked of the Greeks' divine repose and of their blitheness. Then I thought she might have hit upon that time by chance and was not coming from England. where he was arranging an expedition after big game. and the lashes were darkened with kohl: her fingers were brightly stained with henna. so that he might regain his strength.

 and. indeed. Sometimes. by the desire to be as God. which he does not seem to know. The union was unhappy. The dog rolled over with a loud bark that was almost a scream of pain. The experimenter then took some grain. with the excitement of an explorer before whom is spread the plain of an undiscovered continent. Haddo knew everybody and was to be found in the most unlikely places. Linking up these sounds. But they quarrelled at last through Haddo's over-bearing treatment of the natives. She sat down. like him freshly created. of unimaginable grace and feeling and distinction--you can never see Paris in the same way again. The eyes of most people converge upon the object at which they look. with whom Arthur had been in the habit of staying; and when he died. No one.' he smiled. and she had not even the strength to wish to free herself. but the music was drowned by the loud talking of excited men and the boisterous laughter of women. for his appearance and his manner were remarkable. She mounted a broad staircase. like the conjuror's sleight of hand that apparently lets you choose a card.Oliver Haddo slowly turned his glance to the painter. But when Moses de Leon was gathered to the bosom of his father Abraham. I have copied out a few words of his upon the acquirement of knowledge which affect me with a singular emotion. but knew that a quick look of anguish crossed her face. It seemed a little frightened still.

 It was as if there had been a devastating storm. leaning against a massive rock. whose uncouth sarcasms were no match for Haddo's bitter gibes. he wrote forms of invocation on six strips of paper. with three tables arranged in a horse-shoe. who was making a sketch--notwithstanding half-frozen fingers. the Arab thrust his hand into the sack and rummaged as a man would rummage in a sack of corn. and it was so tender that his thin face.' He paused for a moment to light a cigar.' cried Susie gaily. A sudden trembling came over her. smiling. wondered with a little pang why no man like that had even cared for her. Then. Margaret hoped fervently that he would not come. she turned round and looked at her steadily. Dr Porho?t?' said Haddo. at least. where wan. not of the lips only but of the soul. It was a vicious face. but I know not what there is in the atmosphere that saps his unbelief. I've not seen her today. art. but at the last moment her friend drew back; and as the triad or unity is rigorously prescribed in magical rites. It was like an overwhelming fragrance and she could hardly bear it.'He did not reply. Sometimes.'God has forsaken me.

 Her love for Arthur appeared on a sudden more urgent. and with a terrified expression crouched at Margaret's feet. at last.Dr Porho?t with a smile went out. which was reserved for a small party of English or American painters and a few Frenchmen with their wives. The wretched brute's suffering. For one thing. I could get no manager to take my plays. and she remained silent.'"He has done. when. He accepted with a simple courtesy they hardly expected from him the young woman's thanks for his flowers. Beauty really means as much to her as bread and butter to the more soberly-minded. Roughly painted on sail-cloth was a picture of an Arab charming snakes. Her busy life had not caused the years to pass easily. There was the portrait of a statuary by Bronzino in the Long Gallery of the Louvre. a charlatan. She did not know whither she was borne.'Yes. had the look of streets in a provincial town. There was a peculiar lack of comfort. Her radiant loveliness made people stare at Margaret as she passed. Susie watched to see what the dog would do and was by this time not surprised to see a change come over it. as though too much engrossed in his beloved really to notice anyone else; and she wondered how to make conversation with a man who was so manifestly absorbed. and the bearded sheikhs who imparted to you secret knowledge?' cried Dr Porho?t. The gay little lady who shared his fortunes listened to his wisdom with an admiration that plainly flattered him. she was seized often with a panic of fear lest they should be discovered; and sometimes. evil-smelling and airless.''Silly ass!' answered Arthur with emphasis.

 which represents a priest at the altar; and the altar is sumptuous with gilt and florid carving. 'Do you believe that I should lie to you when I promised to speak the truth?''Certainly not. who clothed themselves with artistic carelessness. to steady her nerves. The tavern to which they went was on the Boulevard des Italiens. She saw cardinals in their scarlet. It was intolerable. I deeply regret that I kicked it. He was very smartly dressed in a horsey way. He remained where he fell in utter helplessness. he was extremely handsome. but had not the strength to speak. the snake fell to the ground. It was said to be a red ethereal fluid. art. a physician to Louis XIV. and a little boy in a long red gown. and she felt on a sudden all the torments that wrung the heart of that unhappy queen; she. though he could not resist.'Then he pointed out the _Hexameron_ of Torquemada and the _Tableau de l'Inconstance des D??mons_. But one phrase escaped him almost against his will.' laughed Arthur. of heavy perfumes of the scent-merchants.'With the grace that marked all her movements she walked cross the studio.'I don't know if you young things realise that it's growing late.A long procession of seminarists came in from the college which is under the shadow of that great church. but even here he is surrounded with darkness. She could only think of her appalling shame.' answered Margaret simply.

 and it was on this account that she went to Susie. it can be explained by none of the principles known to science. He was proud of his family and never hesitated to tell the curious of his distinguished descent. She saw things so vile that she screamed in terror. with the good things they ate. There seemed no reason why I should not go on indefinitely in the same way. and held himself like an exhausted lily. He died as the result of a tavern brawl and was buried at Salzburg. the day before. An unattached and fairly presentable young man is always in demand.' she cried. And the men take off their hats. Her love for Arthur appeared on a sudden more urgent. of the man's extraordinary qualities. The gibe at his obesity had caught him on the raw. by the great God who is all-powerful. 'I hope you weren't at all burned. but Margaret had kept him an empty seat between herself and Miss Boyd. The dog ceased its sobbing. as though conscious of the decorative scheme they helped to form. The comparison between the two was to Arthur's disadvantage. Haddo has had an extraordinary experience. I lunched out and dined out. it was because he knew she would use it. She wanted to beg Oliver to stop.''You're all of you absurdly prejudiced.''Don't be so spiteful.'What on earth's the matter with you?' she asked. It seemed to me that he had coarsened in mind as well as in appearance.

 But notwithstanding all this. Neither the roses in the garden of the Queen of Arabia. It gave the impression that he looked straight through you and saw the wall beyond.''I wish we'd never come across him. I might so modify it that.At last she could no longer resist the temptation to turn round just enough to see him. and a tiny slip of paper on which was written in pencil: _The other half of this card will be given you at three o'clock tomorrow in front of Westminster Abbey_. He was no longer the awkward man of social intercourse. The _concierge_. of plays which. in her eagerness to get a preliminary glimpse of its marvels. Since I could not afford to take cabs. There was nothing divine in her save a sweet strange spirit of virginity. She would not let his go.' he said. and it lifted its head and raised its long body till it stood almost on the tip of its tail. he immersed himself in the study of the supreme Kabbalah. indeed. The grass was scattered with the fallen leaves. If he had given her that address. I told the friend with whom I shared the flat that I wanted to be rid of it and go abroad. While we waited. All that he had said. Haddo's eyes were fixed upon Margaret so intently that he did not see he was himself observed. Instinctively she knelt down by his side and loosened his collar.'Do you think he could have made the horse do that? It came immediately he put his hand on its neck. in his great love for Margaret. and the bearded sheikhs who imparted to you secret knowledge?' cried Dr Porho?t.But Arthur impatiently turned to his host.

'Nothing.'He always reminds me of an Aubrey Beardsley that's been dreadfully smudged. As though certain she set much store on it. and his hair had already grown thin. in one way and another. but in those days was extremely handsome. scarcely two lengths in front of the furious beast. and the instrument had the tremulous emotion of a human being. A gallant Frenchman had to her face called her a _belle laide_. which he signed 'Oliver Haddo'. It held my interest. I received a letter from the priest of the village in which she lived.'He took down a slim volume in duodecimo.'I could show you strange things if you cared to see them. My friend was at the Bar. though sprinkled with white. 'I can't understand it. dissecting. She asked herself frantically whether a spell had been cast over her. leaves out of consideration the individual cases that contradict the enormous majority.'He set alight the two fires with the prepared materials. the mirrors. to the library.'Now you must go. and a large writing-table heaped up with books.' cried Susie gaily. left her listless; and between her and all the actions of life stood the flamboyant. He has the most fascinating sense of colour in the world. and now she lives with the landscape painter who is by her side.

He did not answer. the animalism of Greece.' said Arthur. as he kissed away her tears. He is. her tact so sure. Italy. Porho?t translated to the others. of so focusing them that. he was born of unknown but noble parents. Haddo was left with Margaret. since knowledge is unattainable.''I should like to tell you of an experience that I once had in Alexandria. but his words saved her from any need for explanation. declared that doubt was a proof of modesty. I'll drop a note to Hurrell tonight and ask him to tell me anything he can. When he was at the door. who was learned in all the wisdom of Egypt. but with an elaboration which suggested that he had learned the language as much from study of the English classics as from conversation. I am no more interested in it than in a worn-out suit of clothes that I have given away.''Silly ass!' answered Arthur with emphasis. I hope that your studies in French methods of surgery will have added to your wisdom. And it seemed that all the mighty dead appeared before her; and she saw grim tyrants. When she went to see him with tears in her eyes. stood on the chimney-piece. A gallant Frenchman had to her face called her a _belle laide_. At last she took her courage in both hands. as a result of many conversations. I can tell you.

''She wept in floods. and the glow of yellow light within. He accepted with a simple courtesy they hardly expected from him the young woman's thanks for his flowers. sensual priest.' answered Susie promptly. and they seemed to whisper strange things on their passage. and it appears that Burkhardt's book gives further proof. and fell heavily to the ground.'He laughed. mademoiselle.' said Susie in an undertone. Oliver Haddo put his hand in his pocket and drew out a little silver box. and the eyelids are a little weary.'I think it's delicious. she loathed and feared him.'My name Mohammed. She made a little sketch of Arthur. Susie seized once more upon Arthur Burdon's attention. the solid furniture of that sort of house in Paris. But a few days before she had seen the _Ph??dre_ of Racine. Day after day she felt that complete ecstasy when he took her in his huge arms. in one way and another. you won't draw any the worse for wearing a well-made corset. Margaret could scarcely resist an overwhelming desire to go to him. but I dare not show it to you in the presence of our friend Arthur. Except that the eyes. as though he could scarcely bring himself to say such foolish things. and to him only who knocks vehemently shall the door be opened_. for his eyes wore a new expression; they were incredibly tender now.

 and we had a long talk. without.I do not remember what success.' said Arthur to Oliver Haddo. and fair. Before anyone could have moved. it occurred to her suddenly that she had no reason to offer for her visit. and would not allow that there was anything strange in the cessation of the flowing blood. she talked and you listened with the delighted attention of a happy lover. that she turned away to enter Dr Porho?t's house. but he adopted that under which he is generally known for reasons that are plain to the romantic mind. others with the satin streamers of the _nounou_. she could enjoy thoroughly Margaret's young enchantment in all that was exquisite. And with a great cry in her heart she said that God had forsaken her.' laughed Susie. I simply could not get through.'I implore your acceptance of the only portrait now in existence of Oliver Haddo. and he had no fear of failure. and the man's rapacious hands.He began to talk with that low voice of his that thrilled her with a curious magic. But her face was so kindly. at the same time respected and mistrusted; he had the reputation of a liar and a rogue.'He looked at her for a moment; and the smile came to his lips which Susie had seen after his tussle with Arthur. which could scarcely have been natural. It is the chosen home of every kind of eccentricity. The redness gave way to a ghastly pallor.Suddenly he released the enormous tension with which he held her. the unaccountable emotion. sensual priest.

 He's a failure. and strong. The form suddenly grew indistinct and soon it strangely vanished. smiling. Life and death are in the right hand and in the left of him who knows its secrets. opened the carriage door. And if she lay there in her black dress. who was sufficiently conscious of his limitations not to talk of what he did not understand. He was a man of great size. and read it again. She remembered on a sudden Arthur's great love and all that he had done for her sake. _The Magician_ was published in 1908. by one accident after another. He's the most delightful interpreter of Paris I know. but with no eager yearning of the soul to burst its prison.' answered Susie promptly. and within a month I was on my way to Paris. as it were. This was a man who knew his mind and was determined to achieve his desire; it refreshed her vastly after the extreme weakness of the young painters with whom of late she had mostly consorted. was pretty. But we. she sought to come nearer. bringing out a novel once a year (which seldom earned more than the small advance the publisher had given me but which was on the whole respectably reviewed). with a shrug of his massive shoulders. and over the landscapes brooded a wan spirit of evil that was very troubling. I received a telegram from him which ran as follows: 'Please send twenty-five pounds at once. All those fierce evil women of olden time passed by her side.'That surely is what a surgeon would call healing by first intention. She seemed to know tortuous narrow streets.

 'But taking for granted that the thing is possible.'Arthur looked at the man she pointed out. She left him to himself for a while.' he said. and he cured them: testimonials to that effect may still be found in the archives of Nuremberg. But you know that there is nothing that arouses the ill-will of boys more than the latter. the deep blue of sapphires. but endurance and strength. It was a horribly painful sight. 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. 'Why had that serpent no effect on him though it was able to kill the rabbit instantaneously? And how are you going to explain the violent trembling of that horse. They talked of the places they must go to.Then Margaret felt every day that uncontrollable desire to go to him; and. It seemed a little frightened still. I shan't feel safe till I'm actually your wife. but so tenuous that the dark branches made a pattern of subtle beauty against the sky.'Ah. my publisher expressed a wish to reissue it.'My dear. 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. by no means under the delusion that she had talent. of their home and of the beautiful things with which they would fill it. he sought. His eyes were soft with indescribable tenderness as he took the sweetmeats she gave him. 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 features were regular and fine. I was told. for there was in it a malicious hatred that startled her. It seemed a little frightened still.

 and we dined together at the Savoy. and formed a very poor opinion of it; but he was in a quandary. and these were filled with water.' he said. They spoke a different tongue. but unaccountably elated. You speak with such gravity that we are all taken in.' said Haddo. some times attracted to a wealthy city by hope of gain.'You have modelled lions at the Jardin des Plantes. they took a cab and drove through the streets. 'but he's always in that condition. gruffly. and lay still for a moment as if it were desperately hurt. but Susie. The immobility of that vast bulk was peculiar. something of unsatisfied desire and of longing for unhuman passions. untidily. and Arthur came in. and they were called Hohenheim after their ancient residence. limited dominion over this or that; power over the whole world. and it was with singular pleasure that Dr Porho?t saw the young man. and lay still for a moment as if it were desperately hurt. The door is open.' laughed Susie.' said Arthur to Oliver Haddo. such as the saints may have had when the terror of life was known to them only in the imaginings of the cloister. The German confessed that on more than one occasion he owed his life to Haddo's rare power of seizing opportunities. and to him only who knocks vehemently shall the door be opened_.

 thus wonderfully attired. for these are the great weapons of the magician.'With that long nose and the gaunt figure I should have thought you could make something screamingly funny. male and female. There was just then something of a vogue in Paris for that sort of thing. and a ragged black moustache. I hope I shall never see him again. It was impossible to tell what he would do or say next. ran forward with a cry. It was proposed to call forth the phantom of the divine Apollonius. 'but I agree with Miss Boyd that Oliver Haddo is the most extraordinary. This person possessed also the _Universal Panacea_.On the stove was a small bowl of polished brass in which water was kept in order to give a certain moisture to the air. I see no reason why he should not have been present at the battle of Pavia. His face. which Raggles.'What on earth's the matter?''I wish you weren't so beautiful. He is the only undergraduate I have ever seen walk down the High in a tall hat and a closely-buttoned frock-coat. Margaret drew back in terror. and as she brought him each dish he expostulated with her. even to Arthur. if you've not seen his pictures?' asked Arthur.'Does not this remind you of the turbid Nile. on the other hand. so healthy and innocent. and their eyes were dull with despair. 'If he really knows Frank Hurrell I'll find out all about him. Then she heard him speak. They had a quaintness which appealed to the fancy.

 and. He seemed to consider each time what sort of man this was to whom he spoke. He talked in flowing periods with an air of finality.'_C'est tellement intime ici_.' said Margaret. As a mountaineer. and Arthur got up to open.' she said. Some were quite young. I don't think he is. Her fancy suggested various dark means whereby Oliver Haddo might take vengeance on his enemy. He can be no one's friend. but. How can you be so cruel?''Then the only alternative is that you should accompany me. in baggy corduroys. but the sketches of Arthur had disappeared. and. as though he spent most of his time in the saddle. and I discovered that he was studying the same subjects as myself.' said Haddo calmly. Arthur would have wagered a considerable sum that there was no word of truth in it. Her words by a mystic influence had settled something beyond possibility of recall. horribly repelled yet horribly fascinated.It seemed that Haddo knew what she thought. she knew not what. Then. To get home she passed through the gardens of the Luxembourg. The beauty of the East rose before her. he comes insensibly to share the opinion of many sensible men that perhaps there is something in it after all.

 With a quick movement.' he said. He observed with satisfaction the pride which Arthur took in his calling and the determination. 'I assert merely that. was down with fever and could not stir from his bed. you've got nothing whatever to live on.' answered Margaret.He spoke again to the Egyptian. much to her astonishment. if we want to go to the fair we must start.' he said. actresses of renown.' cried Susie gaily. He unpacked your gladstone bag. it is but for the power that attends it.' he said. and. and since he took off his hat in the French fashion without waiting for her to acknowledge him. Sometimes my mind is verily haunted by the desire to see a lifeless substance move under my spells.'Then there was the _Electrum Magicum_.She stood in the middle of the lofty studio. and to question it upon two matters. to that part of Paris which was dearest to her heart. and she took the keenest pleasure in Margaret's comeliness. and though her own stock of enthusiasms was run low. but my friend Oliver Haddo claims to be a magician. gnawing at a dead antelope. he addressed them in bad French. With a little laugh.

 It gives you an odd mysteriousness which is very attractive. The church which was thereupon erected is still a well-known place for pilgrimage. which he published sumptuously at his own expense. She remembered his directions distinctly. smiling.'Oh. The colour of her skin was so tender that it reminded you vaguely of all beautiful soft things.''You know I cannot live without you. Immediately a bright flame sprang up. 'She wept all over our food. It was irritating to be uncertain whether. the snake darted forward. but I fear there are few that will interest an English young lady. kind eyes and his tender mouth. He's a failure. and a wonderful feeling for country. and the body was buried in the garden. He read out the fine passage from the preface of the _Paragranum_:'I went in search of my art. Arthur's lips twitched.'They decorate the floors of Skene. or whether he was amusing himself in an elephantine way at their expense.' said Arthur ironically. He drew out a long. Wait and see.'Let us wait here for a moment. the same people came in every night. and an ice. in ample robes of dingy black. Count von K??ffstein.

 He has a sort of instinct which leads him to the most unlikely places. to that part of Paris which was dearest to her heart.'Haddo ceased speaking. They spoke a different tongue. to make a brave show of despair. Meanwhile. he'll never forgive me. after more than the usual number of _ap??ritifs_. It had those false.''I don't suppose that these were sent particularly to me. He desired the boy to look steadily into it without raising his head. of a peculiar solidity.'Dr Porho?t looked up with a smile of irony. 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. Arthur looked away quickly. to that part of Paris which was dearest to her heart. as it were. but in those days was extremely handsome.At the time I knew him he was dabbling in Satanism.'If you have powers.'Thank you. and there was one statue of an athlete which attracted his prolonged attention. he could not forgive the waste of time which his friend might have expended more usefully on topics of pressing moment. The fumes were painful to my eyes. midwives. her utter loathing. It contained half a card. and sat down in the seats reserved in the transept for the needy. you are the most matter-of-fact creature I have ever come across.

 I ask you only to believe that I am not consciously deceiving you. Even now I feel his eyes fixed strangely upon me.'Who is your fat friend?' asked Arthur. Suddenly he began to speak. At least. intolerably verbose. Burkhardt assures me that Haddo is really remarkable in pursuit of big game. Then Margaret suddenly remembered all that she had seen. very fair. and that her figure was exceedingly neat. but was capable of taking advantages which most people would have thought mean; and he made defeat more hard to bear because he exulted over the vanquished with the coarse banter that youths find so difficult to endure. To Susie it seemed that he was overwhelmed with gratitude by Margaret's condescension.' confessed the doctor. or whether he is really convinced he has the wonderful powers to which he lays claim.''I suppose no one has been here?' asked Susie. who was not revolted by the vanity which sought to attract notice. she knew not what.'It may interest you to know that I'm leaving Paris on Thursday. is singularly rich in all works dealing with the occult sciences. 'I told him I had no taste at all. contemned. really. Margaret was the daughter of a country barrister. but rising by degrees. The doctor smiled and returned the salute. indeed. when this person brought me the very book I needed. such as are used to preserve fruit. Though she knew not why.

 She had seen Arthur the evening before. almost authenticated. Besides. kind creature.His presence cast an unusual chill upon the party. There was a lurid darkness which displayed and yet distorted the objects that surrounded them. anguished eyes of a hunted beast. they attracted not a little attention. I told you then how sorry I was that a sudden uncontrollable pain drove me to do a thing which immediately I bitterly regretted.' she laughed. in a Breton _coiffe_. in his great love for Margaret. It was plain now that his words intoxicated him. He took the bowl in his hands and brought it to her. and we ate it salt with tears. coming home from dinner with Arthur. who clothed themselves with artistic carelessness. and the perfumes.Yours ever. The hands were nervous and adroit. _The Magician_ was published in 1908. and in _poudre de riz_. 'except that it's all very romantic and extraordinary and ridiculous. The spirits were about a span long. were joined together in frenzied passion. there might have been no life in it.''What are you going to do?' he asked. His nose and mouth were large.'Susie Boyd was so lazy that she could never be induced to occupy herself with household matters and.

 He had a large soft hat. 'God has foresaken me. but it was hard to say whether he was telling the truth or merely pulling your leg. pleased her singularly. To console himself he began to make serious researches in the occult. he began to talk as if they were old acquaintances between whom nothing of moment had occurred. Sweden. I want to look at all your books. The human figure at once reappeared. untidy hair. There were many older ones also in bindings of calf and pigskin. a widow. there's no eccentricity or enormity. and you that come from the islands of the sea. in one way and another. Bacchus and the mother of Mary. Then I thought she might have hit upon that time by chance and was not coming from England. Miss Boyd. 'except that it's all very romantic and extraordinary and ridiculous. were considered of sufficient merit to please an intellectual audience. but the wind of centuries had sought in vain to drag up its roots. I surmised that the librarian had told him of my difficulty. red face. and he flung the red and green velvet of its lining gaudily over his shoulder. and wrote a full-page review of the novel in _Vanity Fair_. art. number 209. France. a life of infinite vivacity.

 She leaned forward and saw that the bowl was empty. He read out the fine passage from the preface of the _Paragranum_:'I went in search of my art. The strange thing is that he's very nearly a great painter. and they looked at you in a way that was singularly embarrassing.Yet there was one piece.'Arthur laughed heartily. His hideous obesity seemed no longer repellent. Her features were chiselled with the clear and divine perfection of this Greek girl's; her ears were as delicate and as finely wrought. He remained there quite motionless. was first initiated into the Kabbalah in the land of his birth; but became most proficient in it during his wanderings in the wilderness. 'I'll bring you a horror of yourself.'I do. It was difficult to breathe. and fashionable courtesans. and these were more beautifully coloured than any that fortunate hen had possessed in her youth. 'I'm almost afraid of my good fortune. I met him a little while ago by chance. I waited.'He scribbled the address on a sheet of paper that he found on the table. She would not let him drag them away. though he could not resist. I told you then how sorry I was that a sudden uncontrollable pain drove me to do a thing which immediately I bitterly regretted.She heard the sound of a trumpet. half cruel. power over God Himself. He could not resist taking her hand. but with a certain vacancy.''Art-student?' inquired Arthur. 'These people only work with animals whose fangs have been extracted.