one is bound to strain one's theories of the limits of fraud as far as it is
humanly possible — especially when one is dealing with a lawyer or a
broomstick. So I returned from the parts of the tribes even unto the modern
Babylon, where I abode for a season. A little while later I received a card
announcing my friend's marriage to the heiress of Sitkab, and, a year later
again, in response to kind enquiries, he had the honour to announce that the
manifestations of the Poltergeist had totally ceased since time day of the
wedding. Some of these Adepts are of course fearfully particular on the sex-
question, as we all know. Fall for an hour from the austerities of a Galahad,
and devil a cigar will precipitate itself into your soup, nor will you be
interrupted at billiards by the arrival of an urgent message from Tibet, written
on notepaper of the kind you purchase in Walham Green if you are a real
lady, to the effect that the secret Wisdom is beyond the Veil, or some other
remark evidential of Supreme Enlightenment in too much of a hurry to use
the regular post.
"No, the story does not end here; in fact, the above has been but the
prelude to a mightier theme. Once more a year passed by. By a singular, and,
in view of what happened later, I think an ominous, train of circumstance, it
occupied exactly twelve calendar months in the process.
"I now received another letter from the lawyer. Whether love's moon had
waned or no he did not say; but he announced the resumption of the
phenomena, with additions and improvements. One encouraging point was
that in the previous series nothing had ever happened outside his house,
except in the case of [82] the bridge incident; now the broomstick was
ubiquitous indeed, and followed him about like Mary's lamb. His wife, too,
had developed the most surprising powers of mediumship and was obtaining
messages from Herr P. Geist, which seemed of unusual importance. A new
world was open to our view. I have always fancied myself as a Columbus;
and, as I had recently made a considerable sum of money by a fortunate
speculation in oil, I did not hesitate to go to the expense of a telegram. I have
always fancied myself as a Caesar, and I endeavoured to emulate his
conciseness. 'Come stay winter' was the expression employed. A week later
those simple and pious souls, escaping the perils of the journey to
Constantinople, were safely cloistered, if I may use the term, in the Orient
Express. They were extricated from Paris by a friend whom I had
thoughtfully sent to meet them; and the following day my heart was
gladdened by the realization of my dreams — the actual physical presence of