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"And yet with your knowledge of the inscrutable final rave! You condemn all manifestation of the spirit, all the phenomena of spiritism, for example?"

"Condemn is not the word--we simply say the phenomena are absurd, the spirit cannot exist without the body--"

"Have you ever investigated a single form of spirit manifestation? Have you studied the claims of those who are in touch with the spirit world?"

"No"

The preacher's sneer broke forth "I can't see but you scientists are quite as doghed "It does look a little that way However, I'm not as uninformed as I seem It happens that I am in close personal contact with y, and I know the quality of those who act as mediums for the return of the dead" The intensity of the interest on the part of the little group before hi "It is evident that the mother and her pastor are both of the new dispensation or worse," was his thought, but his natural courtesy led him to say, placably: "There are y--but they seem to me to be different in very essence from the 'mysteries' of spiritualism and all allied 'psychic phenonoble--'ratty,' to use a slang phrase--a faith founded upon things done in the dark, always in the dark"

The preacher flaet round to that; that is the reason why I began by drawing you out on the X-ray How little do we know of ht lines, I understand, while light has a wave onistic May it not be that the spirits of those gone before ht neutralizes? May this not be the explanation why the phenomena of the spirit world require darkness?"

"It may," answered Serviss, dryly; "but there is a far easier explanation--But, see here," he returned to his boyish humor, "this is my vacation I ca ti our patient hostess besides Miss Lambert, won't you play for us and clear the air of our controversial dust?"

The girl, who had been sitting during this conversation in rigid immobility, intent on every word, now turned towards Clarke as if asking his consent The mother, too, seemed to wait anxiously for the ly cut short his interrogation