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Helene Vauquier locked the door of the salon upon the inside and

placed the key upon the mantel-shelf, as she had always done

whenever a seance had been held The curtains had been loosened at

the sides of the arched recess in front of the glass doors, ready

to be drawn across Inside the recess, against one of the pillars

which supported the arch, a high stool without a back, taken fros of the stool had been

lashed with cord firmly to the pillar, so that it could not be

moved The round table had been put in position, with three chairs

about it Mme Dauvray waited impatiently Celia stood apparently

unconcerned, apparently lost to all that was going on Her eyes

saw no one Adele looked up at Celia, and laughed maliciously

"Mademoiselle, I see, is in the very mood to produce the most

wonderful phenomena But it will be better, I think,to Mloves which I see she has thrown on to a chair It will be

a little more difficult for mademoiselle to loosen these cords,

should she wish to do so"

The argument silenced Celia If she refused this condition now she

would excite Mloves ruefully and slowly, smoothed them over her elbows, and

buttoned theers and wrists

already haloves would not be so easy a task But there

was no escape Adele Rossignol atching her with a satiric

s a second

order the girl raised her skirt and extended a sli and a satin slipper tothe shoes she was meant to wear They