Diary of a Drug Fiend

Towards Madness 213 spirits and demons every day than he ever saw in ten years. They are nothing to be afraid of. I should like to see the old Boy himself. I’d—— , September 18 We found a book in the library one rainy afternoon. It told us how to make the Devil appear. Cockie’s grandfather was great on that stuff. There’s a room in the north tower where he did his stunts. We went up after dinner. Everything had been left more or less the way it was. Uncle Mortimer never troubled to alter anything. There was a legend about this room too. For one thing, grandfather was a friend of Bulwer Lytton’s. We found a first edition of A Strange Story, with an inscription. Lytton had taken him for the model of Sir Philip Derval, the white magician who gets murdered. Lytton said so in this copy. It was all very weird and exciting. The room was full of the strangest objects. There was a table painted with mysterious designs and characters and a huge cross-hilted sword; two silver crescents separated by two copper spheres and a third for the pommel. The blade was two-edged, engraved with Arabic or some- thing. Cockie began to swing it about. We thought flashes of light came from the point, and there was a buzzing, crackling sound. “ Take this,’’ said Cockie, ‘“‘ there’s something devilish rum about it.” I took it out of his hand. Of course, it was only my fancy; but it seemed to weigh nothing at all, and it gave a most curious thrill in one’s hand and arm. Then there was a golden cup with rubies round the brim. And always more inscriptions. And there was a little wand of ebony with a twisted flame at the top; three tongues, gold, silver, and some metal we'd never seen before.