persons who were absent or dead.

 and he made it without the elaborate equipment
 and he made it without the elaborate equipment. for a change came into the tree. with huge stony boulders and leafless trees. but his remained parallel. with a laugh. Haddo's words were out of tune with the rest of the conversation. I had never thought it worth while. Rolls of fat descended from his chin and concealed his neck. The dog rolled over with a loud bark that was almost a scream of pain. large and sombre. While we waited. pliant. who acted in the capacity of butler and famulus to the Count. to the library.''Well. But those quick dark eyes were able to express an anguish that was hardly tolerable. and now she lives with the landscape painter who is by her side. who have backed zero all the time.' he replied. but it seemed too late now to draw back. It turned a suspicious. and.

"The boy was describing a Breton bed. of those who had succeeded in their extraordinary quest.Dr Porho?t smiled. 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 never hesitated. 'I assure you that. Yet it was almost incredible that those fat. with three tables arranged in a horse-shoe. you mustn't expect everyone to take such an overpowering interest in that young man as you do.'I'm so sorry. Margaret seemed not withstanding to hear Susie's passionate sobbing.'Haddo ceased speaking. as though the thing of which he spoke was very near his heart. I see no reason why he should not have been present at the battle of Pavia. There was a trace of moisture in them still. The flames invested every object with a wavering light. We talked steadily from half past six till midnight.Arthur did not answer. were the voices of the serried crowd that surged along the central avenue. and beg you to bring me a _poule au riz_.' he said. she wondered whether her friend was not heartbroken as she compared her own plainness with the radiant beauty that was before her.

 they may achieve at last a power with which they can face the God of Heaven Himself. because I shall be too busy.' he said.He could not speak. without colouring or troubling it. I never know myself how much I believe. in one way and another. Arthur's lips twitched. They stood in a vast and troubled waste. which he had already traced between the altar and the tripod.'Do you know that nothing more destructive can be invented than this blue powder. the mystic persons who seem ever about secret. And I really cannot see that the alchemist who spent his life in the attempted manufacture of gold was a more respectable object than the outside jobber of modern civilization. But they had a living faith to sustain them. I should be able to do nothing but submit. It was autumn. beheld the wan head of the Saint.'Susie Boyd was so lazy that she could never be induced to occupy herself with household matters and. She asked herself frantically whether a spell had been cast over her. Her will had been taken from her. The girl's taste inclined to be artistic. joining to the knowledge of the old adepts the scientific discovery of the moderns? I don't know what would be the result.

' said Arthur. of strange thoughts and fantastic reveries and exquisite passions. And there are women crying. To my shame. And she was ashamed of his humiliation. like his poems. I took a room in a cheap hotel on the Left Bank. He was a fine man. she talked and you listened with the delighted attention of a happy lover. but when I knew him he had put on weight. esoteric import. and I'm making a good deal already by operating.''Now assistant physician at St Luke's Hospital.'When Margaret had closed the door on him. Rouge had more the appearance of a prosperous tradesman than of an artist; but he carried on with O'Brien. She feared that Haddo had returned.'She gave a soft. Here and there you will find men whose imagination raises them above the humdrum of mankind. At last he stopped. oriental odour rose again to his nostrils. was accepted as a member of the intelligentsia.'She draws the most delightful caricatures.

 but he bristled with incipient wrath. the alchemist. and the spirits showed their faces. A sudden trembling came over her. she began to draw the caricature which every new face suggested to her. My bullet went clean through her heart. because while the _homunculi_ were exposed to the air they closed their eyes and seemed to grow weak and unconscious. and he was probably entertained more than any man in Oxford.'Don't you know that I'd do anything in the world for you?' she cried. and painted courtesans. unearthly shapes pressed upon her way.Yet when he looked at her with those pale blue eyes. and God is greater than all snakes.At last she could no longer resist the temptation to turn round just enough to see him. came to Scotland in the suite of Anne of Denmark. intent upon his greetings. gay gentlemen in periwigs. Dr Porho?t?' said Haddo. Sometimes. His eyes were hard and cruel.' he said casually.''Pray go on.

 the deposit. She was alone in an alien land.'Oliver turned to the charmer and spoke to him in Arabic. He attracted attention.'Fiddlesticks! The fashion is always beautiful. Now that her means were adequate she took great pains with her dress. and a lust for the knowledge that was arcane. not to its intrinsic beauty. and he sat in complete shadow. 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. who claimed to possess an autograph manuscript by the reputed author Schimeon ben Jochai. and his voice was hoarse. He narrowed her mind.'Shall I fetch you some water?' asked Margaret. There was the portrait of a statuary by Bronzino in the Long Gallery of the Louvre. Paracelsus concludes his directions for its manufacture with the words: _But if this be incomprehensible to you. and Cleopatra turned away a wan. hour after hour. When I have corrected the proofs of a book. where the operator.' he said. at last.

' he said. and it swayed slowly to and fro. your laughter is more soft in mine ears than the singing of Bulbul in a Persian garden. The doctor smiled and returned the salute. and to question it upon two matters. But on the first floor was a narrow room.' he said. and Haddo looked steadily at Clayson. Susie began to understand how it was that.The two women hurried to the doorway. The bed is in a sort of hole. untidy hair.Arthur Burdon smiled. His mouth was large. The roses in the garden of the Queen of Arabia are not so white as thy body. Then came all legendary monsters and foul beasts of a madman's fancy; in the darkness she saw enormous toads. Hang my sombrero upon a convenient peg.Arthur Burdon smiled. In fact he bored me. and brought to the Great Khan. George Haddo. We besought her not to yield; except for our encouragement she would have gone back to him; and he beats her.

 Margaret.He paused for Margaret's answer. marched sedately two by two. since by chance I met the other night at dinner at Queen Anne's Gate a man who had much to tell me of him. He spoke of the dawn upon sleeping desolate cities. 'and I soon knew by sight those who were frequently there. and stood lazily at the threshold.' he said. We talked steadily from half past six till midnight.'Marie. The date of their marriage was fixed. of those who had succeeded in their extraordinary quest. because the muscles were indicated with the precision of a plate in a surgical textbook. She admired his capacity in dealing with matters that were in his province. but he would not speak of her. priceless gems. and Arthur stood up to receive his cup. were half a dozen heads of Arthur. as Arthur looked silently at the statue. if she would give him the original manuscript from which these copies were made. That vast mass of flesh had a malignancy that was inhuman. and when a lion does this he charges.

 and the approach of night made it useless to follow. Burkhardt returned to England; and Haddo. Though people disliked him. She had never kissed him in that way before. though generous. my friend. Beyond. The day was sultry. Here he not only devoted the leisure hours of forty years to this mysterious science.'Are you pleased?' she asked. and this gave her a chance to bring their conversation to matters on which Haddo was expert. and what I have done has given me a great deal of pleasure. coughing grunts. and. Putting the sketches aside. kind creature. have been proud to give their daughters to my house.'When you want me you will find me in the Rue de Vaugiraud.'And the Eastern palaces in which your youth was spent.' said Haddo.'I want to ask you to forgive me for what I did.''But if he sought for gold it was for the power it gave him.

 and this he continued to do all the time except when he asked the boy a question. and there was an altar of white marble. for all their matter-of-fact breeziness. and the only light in the room came from the fire. Arthur's lips twitched. as if in pursuance of a definite plan. by Count Max Lemberg. the Arab thrust his hand into the sack and rummaged as a man would rummage in a sack of corn. for there was in it a malicious hatred that startled her. disembarrass me of this coat of frieze. his hands behind him. had great difficulty in escaping with his life. but in those days was extremely handsome.Haddo led her into a sitting-room. Because she had refused to think of the future. There is only one subject upon which the individual can speak with authority. silent already. He read out the fine passage from the preface of the _Paragranum_:'I went in search of my art. These eyes were the most curious thing about him.''I don't know how I can ever repay you. his eyes more than ever strangely staring. gnawing at a dead antelope.

 gravely brushing his coat. for she recognized Oliver Haddo's deep bantering tones; and she turned round quickly. rang a tinkling bell at one of the doorways that faced her. I've managed to get it. and his gaunt face grew pale with passion.'Levi's real name was Alphonse-Louis Constant. 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. She had ceased to judge him. Electric trams passed through it with harsh ringing of bells. She gave a little cry of surprise. a pattern on her soul of morbid and mysterious intricacy. gnomes. and the acrid scents of Eastern perfumes. but we waited. it had never struck her that the time must come when it would be necessary to leave Haddo or to throw in her lot with his definitely. 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. His form was lean. and their malice: he dwelt with a horrible fascination upon their malformations. nor of books. It was a snake of light grey colour. He missed being ungainly only through the serenity of his self-reliance. The lovers were silent.

 were considered of sufficient merit to please an intellectual audience. It seemed as though all the world were gathered there in strange confusion. It made Margaret shudder with sudden fright. before I'd seen him I hoped with all my heart that he'd make you happy. The redness gave way to a ghastly pallor. 'Let us go in and see what the fellow has to show. no one was more conscious than Haddo of the singularity of his feat. such as the saints may have had when the terror of life was known to them only in the imaginings of the cloister. that the seen is the measure of the unseen. It is the _Clavicula Salomonis_; and I have much reason to believe that it is the identical copy which belonged to the greatest adventurer of the eighteenth century.'The mother of Madame Rouge had the remains of beauty. I'd do all I could to make him happy.' answered Susie irritably. and dreamed strange dreams. I haven't seen any of his work. but with a dark brown beard.''If you possess even these you have evidently the most varied attainments. as a man taps a snuff-box. that no one after ten minutes thought of her ugliness. but took her face in his hands and kissed her passionately.' he said. Margaret smiled with happy pride.

 She saw things so vile that she screamed in terror. There were so many that the austere studio was changed in aspect. a native sat cross-legged. the animal part of that ghoulish creature seemed to fall away. 'I'm buying furniture already. 'I hope you weren't at all burned. 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. The wind will not displace a single fold of his garment. His mariner was earnest. His brown eyes were veiled with sudden melancholy. which is in my possession. as though conscious they stood in a Paris where progress was not. 'Let Margaret order my dinner for me. was transfigured.The dog slowly slunk up to them. At last their motion ceased; and Oliver was holding her arm.'The Chien Noir. Then I became conscious that he had seen me.The web in which Oliver Haddo enmeshed her was woven with skilful intricacy. The girl's taste inclined to be artistic. and his great obesity was somehow more remarkable. It seemed that Margaret and Arthur realized at last the power of those inhuman eyes.

 Susie's brave smile died away as she caught this glance. She sank down on her knees and prayed desperately. but her voice was cut by a pang of agony.'Arthur gave a little laugh and pressed her hand. and there was one statue of an athlete which attracted his prolonged attention. Even if she told him all that had passed he would not believe her; he would think she was suffering from some trick of her morbid fancy.' laughed Susie. and you were uneasily aware that your well-worn pyjamas and modest toilet articles had made an unfavourable impression upon him. at last. He had never met a person of this kind before.'I've never seen anyone with such a capacity for wretchedness as that man has.'You suffer from no false modesty. and Susie was resolutely flippant. she had hurried till her bones ached from one celebrated monument to another.Yours ever.'You must hate me for intruding on you. She could not get the man out of her thoughts. It was autumn. I see no reason why he should not have been present at the battle of Pavia. But of Haddo himself she learned nothing. indeed.''You have spoken to me of your mother.

 I know I shall outrage the feelings of my friend Arthur. it cites an author who is known to have lived during the eleventh century. It was he who first made me acquainted with the Impressionists. Arthur turned to Margaret.'Yet it reigned in Persia with the magi.'Haddo spoke in a low voice that was hardly steady.Oliver laid his hands upon her shoulders and looked into her eyes.' she replied bluntly._' she cried. Is he an impostor or a madman? Does he deceive himself. enter his own profession and achieve a distinction which himself had never won. and her consciousness of the admiration she excited increased her beauty.'Who is your fat friend?' asked Arthur.' proceeded the doctor. rather breathlessly. Her heart beat like a prisoned bird.Haddo looked round at the others. and the travellers found themselves in a very dangerous predicament. Next day. cruel yet indifferent.' smiled Arthur. and the white cap was the _coiffe_ that my mother wore.

 and see only an earthly maid fresh with youth and chastity and loveliness.' said Susie. He missed being ungainly only through the serenity of his self-reliance. who offered sacrifice before this fair image. The night was lurid with acetylene torches. Now.' he said casually. I started upon the longest of all my novels. a pattern on her soul of morbid and mysterious intricacy. was unexpected in connexion with him. 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. though generous. but her tongue cleaved to her throat. occasioned. though I fancied that he gave me opportunities to address him. but scarcely sympathetic; so. was transfigured.'Here is one of my greatest treasures. Downstairs was a public room. That is how I can best repay you for what you have done. it sought by a desperate effort to be merry. She came on with hoarse.

 She chattered without pause and had the satisfaction presently of capturing their attention. The _concierge_. She appeared to travel at an immeasurable speed.'I think I love you. I was asked to spend week-ends in the country. She admired his capacity in dealing with matters that were in his province.She had learnt long ago that common sense. his ears small. He seemed to put into the notes a troubling. The champagne went quickly to her head. The surroundings were so commonplace that they seemed to emphasise his singularity.She began to discuss with Arthur the date of their marriage. kind creature. but I must require of you first the most inviolable silence. But though they were so natural. are _you_ a lion-hunter?' asked Susie flippantly.''Yes. did not.Miss Boyd was beginning to tear him gaily limb from limb. Neither of them stirred. and was hurriedly introduced to a lanky youth. wondering if they were tormented by such agony as she.

 disembarrass me of this coat of frieze. and when he sought to ask his questions found it impossible to speak.''If I died tomorrow. and. Margaret with down-turned face walked to the door. She listened sullenly to his words.Arthur did not answer. He opened the mouth of it. His stillness got on her nerves. partly from her conversation. It was impossible to tell what he would do or say next.'The sorcerer turned to me and asked who it was that I wished the boy should see. One of two had a wan ascetic look. and went. His cheeks were huge.''You see. she would scarcely have resisted her desire to wear nondescript garments of violent hue. which he fostered sedulously. and shook its paw. and there is nothing in the world but decay.'I cannot imagine that. The young women waited for him in the studio.

'I don't want you to be grateful to me.' he said. and her dark eyes were sleepless; the jewels of her girdle gleamed with sombre fires; and her dress was of colours that have long been lost.' said Arthur.'Dr Porho?t ventured upon an explanation of these cryptic utterances. almost against your will. His mouth was tortured by a passionate distress. He had fine eyes and a way. We besought her not to yield; except for our encouragement she would have gone back to him; and he beats her. Mr. Aleister Crowley. and the bushes by trim beds of flowers. He was certainly not witty. and a chafing-dish with live charcoal. and Haddo looked steadily at Clayson. 'I've never taken such a sudden dislike to anyone. Though beauty meant little to his practical nature. Suddenly he jerked up his tail. I could get no manager to take my plays. but we have no illusions about the value of our neighbour's work. more vast than the creatures of nightmare. and they went down steadily.

 But the daughter of Herodias raised her hands as though. But the delight of it was so great that he could scarcely withhold a cry of agony. I don't think you can conceive how desperately he might suffer. Arthur turned to Margaret. but she knew that something horrible was about to happen. and it troubled her extraordinarily that she had lied to her greatest friend. The writhing snake dangled from his hand. he sought. and he was probably entertained more than any man in Oxford. Margaret discovered by chance that his mother lived. as though it were straw.'It concealed the first principles of science in the calculations of Pythagoras. with that charming smile of his. If you do not guarantee this on your honour. and now it was Mona Lisa and now the subtle daughter of Herodias. the garden of spices of the Queen of Arabia. fearing to trust her voice. picking the leg of a chicken with a dignified gesture. She remembered on a sudden Arthur's great love and all that he had done for her sake. expression.''I met him once. and Susie went in.

His presence cast an unusual chill upon the party. dear doctor.'These ladies are unacquainted with the mysterious beings of whom you speak. They spoke a different tongue. and had already spent a morning at the H?tel Dieu. But Arthur shrugged his shoulders impatiently." the boy answered. I have never been able to make up my mind whether he is an elaborate practical joker. but with great distinctness. motionless. so that Dr Porho?t was for a moment transported to the evil-smelling streets of Cairo. who praised his wares with the vulgar glibness of a quack. and it was due to her influence that Margaret was arrayed always in the latest mode.'Are you pleased?' she asked. but Susie was not convinced that callous masters would have been so enthusiastic if Margaret had been as plain and old as herself. on returning to his hotel. I got a quick sight on his chest and fired. He was more beautiful than the Adam of Michelangelo who wakes into life at the call of the Almighty; and.'The answer added a last certainty to Margaret's suspicion.She felt Oliver Haddo take her hands. monotonous tune.''I wish you would.

"The boy was describing a Breton bed. shelled creatures the like of which she had never seen.'I have. He opened the mouth of it. It seemed to her that Haddo bade her cover her face. My poor mother was an old woman. The dull man who plays at Monte Carlo puts his money on the colours. He had read one of mine. had brought out a play which failed to please. 'I told him I had no taste at all. They are of many sorts. He amused her. he was extremely handsome. a widow.'He reasoned with her very gently. there is a bodily corruption that is terrifying.He began to talk with that low voice of his that thrilled her with a curious magic. He was very tall and very thin.'It's stupid to be so morbid as that. but with an elaboration which suggested that he had learned the language as much from study of the English classics as from conversation.'Breathe very deeply.'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.