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However when a reporter stopped her one afternoon, explaining that he was doing a story on the haunted house, she told his she'd seen Co a pitcher from the pantry, a man in a frock coat and top hat ould appear for a second or more on the stair

It made for a rather melodramatic article Jesse had talked too much, obviously She was called a "psychic" or "natural s all the time One of the Reeves family in Yorkshire called to tease her a little about it Jesse thought it was funny too But other than that, she didn't much care She was deep into her studies at the British Museum It just didn't matter at all

Then the Tala read the paper, came to call

Aaron Lightner, an old-fashioned gentleman hite hair and exquisite manners, asked to take Jesse to lunch In an old but meticulously h London to a sant private club

Surely it was one of the strangest s Jesse had ever had In fact, it reo summer, not because it was like it, but because both experiences were so unlike anything else that had ever happened to Jesse

Lightner was a bit on the glamorous side, as Jesse saw it His white hair was quite full and neatly grooal tweed He was the onlystick

Rapidly and pleasantly he explained to Jesse that he was a "psychic detective"; he worked for a "secret order called the Talamasca," whose sole purpose was to collect data on "paranormal" experiences and maintain those records for the study of such phenomena The Talamasca held out its hand to people with paranor ability, it now and then offered ation," which was in fact more truly a vocation, as the Talamasca demanded full devotion, loyalty, and obedience to its rules

Jesse alhtner was apparently prepared for her skepticism He had a few "tricks" he always used at such introductory ed tothe card "

As Jesse watched the salt shaker dance back and forth of its own volition, she was too ahtner confessed he knew all about her He knehere she'd come from, w

here she'd studied He knew that she'd seen spirits when she was a little girl, it had coh "routine channels," and a file had been created for Jesse She must not be offended

Please understand the Talaations with the utmost respect for the individual The file contained only hearsay reports of things that Jesse had told neighbors, teachers, and school friends Jesse could see the file any time she wanted That was always the way it ith the Talamasca Contact was always eventually attempted with subjects under observation Inforh it was otherwise confidential

Jesse questioned Lightner rather relentlessly It soon becareat deal about her, but he knew nothing whatsoever about Maharet or the Great Family

And it was this conorance that lured Jesse One mention of Maharet and she would have turned her back on the Talaly loyal But the Talamasca cared only about Jesse's abilities And Jesse, in spite of Maharet's advice, had always cared about them, too

Then the history of the Talamasca itself proved powerfully attractive Was thisthe truth? A secret order, which traced its existence back to the year 758, an order with records of witches, sorcerers,back to that remote period? It dazzled her as the records of the Great Family had once dazzled her

And Lightner graciously withstood another round of relentless questioning He knew his history and his geography, that was clear enough He spoke easily and accurately of the persecution of the Cathars, the suppression of the Knights Templar, the execution of Grandier, and a dozen other historical "events " In fact, Jesse couldn't stuicians" and "sorcerers" of whom she had never heard