Moonchild

the tongues of the birds; and was rewarded the following morning by seeing Sister Clara turn upon one of her girls with a gesture of rage; he could even hear faintly the tones of anger in her voice. But Brother Onofrio had not failed to observe the same thing; and he divined instantly that a breach had been made in his circle. He went immediately to Sister Clara, and compelled her attention by a sign of such authority that no initiate dare overlook it. "Sister," he said very gently, "you do not speak with man; what cause, then, can there be for bitterness?" She answered him, still angrily. "The house is upside down," she said. "Iliel is as irritable as an eczema; the boys have both made insulting faces at every one they have seen this morning; and the girls are absolutely impudent." "This is a matter for me, as in charge of the defence of the circle." [165] Sister Clara uttered a sharp exclamation. It had not occurred to her to think of it in that way. "I should be obliged," continued Brother Onofrio, "if you could see your way to impose a rule of silence for seven days from sunset to-night. Excepting, of course, in the invocations. I will warn the boys; do you take up the matter with Iliel and the girls." " It shall be done." Brother Onofrio went off to the private room where he did his own particular magick. He saw that a serious inroad had been made; but his divination, on this occasion, failed to enlighten him. His favourite device was the Tarot, those mysterious cards with their twenty-two hieroglyphic trumps; and as a rule he was able to discover all kinds of unknown matters by their use. But on this attempt he was baffled by the monotony of his answer. However he used the cards, they always reverted to a single symbol, the trump numbered XVI, which is called "The Blasted Tower," and has some reference to the legend of Babel. "I know," he muttered, himself irritated by the persistence of the card, "I know it's Mars" — which is the planet signified by that particular hieroglyph. "But I wanted a lot more than that. I asked 'What is the trouble?' 'From whom is the trouble?' 'Where is the trouble?' 'What shall I do?' And the same card answers all the questions!" The next day Gates found that the tongues of the birds were shrivelled up, and he divined that his mode of attack had been detected, and precaution