The Stratagem and Other Stories

the others, owing to their occupied attention; Doris Les- lie spoke of second sight, and Amy Gore of “Sympathy.” All the theories, taken together, went round the clock of conjecture. Professor Blair came in at the most excited part of the discussion, calmed the room in two minutes, elicited the facts in five, and took me off to dine with him. “I believe it's this human thermopile affair of yours,” he said. “Do you mind if we try a few parlour tricks after dinner?” His aunt, who kept house for him, protested in vain, and was appointed Grand Superinten- dent in Ordinary of my five senses. My hearing was first tested, and found normal, or thereabouts. I was then blindfolded, and the aunt (by excess of precaution) stationed between me and the Professor. I found that I could describe even small movements that he made, so long as he was between me and the western window, not at all when he moved round to the other quarters. This is in conformity with the “Thermopile” theory; it was contradicted completely on other occasions. The results (in short) were very re- markable and very puzzling; we wasted two precious hours in futile theorizing. In the event the aunt (cowed by a formidable frown) invited me to spend the Long Vacation in Cornwall. During these months the Professor and I assiduously worked to discover exactly the nature and limit of my powers. The result, in a sense, was nil. For one thing, these powers kept on “breaking out in a new place.” I seemed to do all I did by perception of minute differences; but then it seemed as if I had all sorts of different apparatus. “One down, t’other come on,” said Professor Blair. Those who have never made scientific experiments cannot conceive how numerous and subtle are the sources of error, even in the simplest matters. In so ob- scure and novel a field of research no result is trustwor- thy until it has been verified a thousand times. In our field we discovered no constants, all variables.