Page 68 (1/1)

I

"What a relief," sighed Mrs Stapleton "I thought we had lost hiain in Lady Laura's drawing-room soon after lunch Mr Vincent had just looked in with Laurie's note to give the news It was a heavy fog outside, woolly in texture and orange in color, and the tall s seeht; the rooe fro vapor of the street

Mrs Stapleton had been lunching with her friend The Colonel had returned for Christmas, so his wife's duties had recalled her for the present from those spiritual conversations which she had enjoyed in the autumn It was such a refreshment, she had said with a patient smile, to slip away sometimes into the purer atmosphere

Mr Vincent folded the letter and restored it to his pocket

"We must be careful with him," he said "He is extraordinarily sensitive I almost wish he were not so developed Temperaments like his are apt to be thrown off their balance"

Lady Laura was silent

For herself she was not perfectly happy She had lately co girl, daughter of a publican in the suburbs, had developed the same kind of powers, and the end of it all had been rather a dreadful scene in Baker Street She was now in an asyluainst Christianity in rather painful terms Lady Laura wondered why people could not be as well balanced as herself

"I think he had better not come to the public séances at present," went on theto ask a great favor from you, Lady Laura"

She looked up

"That bother about the rooms is not yet settled, and the Sunday séances will have to cease for the present I wonder if you would let us come here, just a few of us only, for three or four Sundays, at any rate"

She brightened up

"Why, it would be the greatest pleasure," she said "But what about the cabinet?"

"If necessary, I would send one across Will you allow ee!" she said "Dearest, I quite envy you I am afraid dear Tos on my mind," went on Mr Vincent so pleasantly that the interruption seemed almost a compliment, "and the first is this I want him to see for himself Of course, for ourselves, his trance is the point; but hardly for hih he pretends not to be But I should like hi un into trance, if possible And the next thing is his religion"