Happyinthehopethatthenewswas\"exclusive\",theDespatchhadthrownthenameofStephenHallowell,hisportrait,apictureofhishouse,andthewords,\"AtPointofDeath!\"acrossthreecolumns。Theannouncementwasheavy,lachrymose,bristlingwiththemelancholyself-importanceofthemanwho\"sawthedeceased,justtwominutesbeforethetrainhithim。\"
Buttheeffectofthenewsfellshortoftheeffort。Savethatcityeditorswereirritatedthatthepresidentsofcertainrailroadsfiguredhastilyonslipsofpaper,thefactthatanoldmanandhismillionswouldsoonbeparted,leftNewYorkundisturbed。
Intheearly80\'sthiswouldnothavebeenso。Then,intheupliftingofthefarWest,StephenHallowellwasanationalfigure,inthemanoeuvresoftheEasternstockmarketanactive,alertpower。Inthosedays,whenamanwithafewmillionswasstilllistedasrich,hisfortunewasconsideredcolossal。
Apatentcoupling-pin,theinventionofhisbrother-in-law,hadgivenhimhisstart,and,inintroducingit,andinhiseffortstoforceituponthenewrailroadsoftheWest,hehadobtainedaknowledgeoftheiraffairs。Fromthatknowledgecamehiswealth。Thatwastwentyyearsago。Sincethengiantshadarisenintheland;menwhosewealthmadethefortuneofStephenHallowellappearacomfortablecompetence,hisschemesandstratagems,which,intheirday,hadbewilderedWallStreet,assimpleasthetradingacrossthecounterofacross-roadsstore。
Foryearshehadbeenoutofit。Hehadlostcount。Disuseandillhealthhadrenderedhismindfeeble,madehimattimessuspicious,attimeschildishlycredulous。Withoutfriends,alongwithhisphysicianandthebutler,whowasalsohisnurse,helivedinthehousethatin76,inaburstofvanity,hehadbuiltonFifthAvenue。Thenthehousewasa\"mansion,\"anditsfrontofbrownsandstonetheoutwardsignofwealthandfashion。
Now,ononeside,itrubbedshoulderswiththeshopofamanmilliner,andacrossthestreetthehouseshadbeentorndownandreplacedbyadepartmentstore。Now,insteadofasombrejail-likefacade,hisoutlookwasarowofwaxenladies,who,beforeeachchangeofseason,appearedinnewandgorgeousraiment,and,acrosstheavenue,forhisapproval,smiledcontinually。
\"Itistimeyoumoved,Stephen,\"urgedhisfriendandlawyer,JudgeHenryGaylor。\"Icangetyoutwiceasmuchforthislotasyoupaidforbothitandthehouse。\"
ButMr。Hallowellalwaysshookhishead。\"WherewouldIgo,Henry?\"hewouldask。\"WhatwouldIdowiththemoney?No,I
willliveinthishouseuntilIamcarriedoutofit。\"
Withdistaste,theirritatedcityeditors\"followedup\"thethree-columnstoryoftheDespatch。
\"Findoutifthere\'sanytruthinthat,\"theycommanded。\"Theoldmanwon\'tseeyou,butgetatalkoutofRainey。AndseeJudgeGaylor。He\'sclosetoHallowell。Findoutfromhimifthatstorydidn\'tstartasabearyarninWallStreet。\"
So,whenWalshoftheDespatchwasconductedbyGarrett,thebutlerofMr。Hallowell,upstairstothatgentlemen\'slibrary,hefoundagroupofreportersalreadyentrenched。Atthedoorthatopenedfromthelibrarytothebedroom,thebutlerpaused。
\"WhatpapershallIsay?\"heasked。
\"TheDespatch,\"Walshtoldhim。
TheservantturnedquicklyandstaredatWalsh。
Heappearedthetypicalbutler,anEnglishmanofoverforty,heavilybuilt,soft-moving,withruddy,smooth-shavencheeksandprematurelygrayhair。Butnowfromhisfacethelookofperfunctorypolitenesshadfallen;thesubduedvoicehadchangedtoasnarlthatcarriedwithittheaccentsoftheTenderloin。
\"So,you\'retheone,areyou?\"themanmuttered。
Foramomenthestoodscowling;insolent,almostthreatening,andthen,oncemore,theservantopenedthedoorandnoiselesslycloseditbehindhim。
Thetransitionhadbeensoabrupt,therevelationsounexpected,thatthemenlaughed。
\"Idon\'tblamehim!\"saidyoungIrving。\"Icouldn\'tfindasinglefactinthewholestory。How\'dyourpeoplegetit——
prettystraight?\"
\"Seemedstraighttous,\"saidWalsh。
\"Well,youdidn\'thandleitthatway,\"returnedtheother。\"Whydidn\'tyouquoteRaineyorGaylor?Itseemstomeifaman\'sonthepointofdeath\"——heloweredhisvoiceandglancedtowardthecloseddoor——\"thathisprivatedoctorandhislawyermightknowsomethingaboutit。\"
Standingalonewithhisbacktothewindowwasareporterwhohadgreetednooneandtowhomnoonehadspoken。
Hadheheldhimselferecthewouldhavebeentall,buthestoodslouchinglazily,hisshouldersbent,hishandsinhispockets。
Whenhespokehisvoicewasinkeepingwiththeindolenceofhisbearing。Itwassoft,hesitating,carryingwithitthecourteousdeferenceoftheSouth。Onlyhiseyesshowedthattowhatwasgoingforwardhewasalertandattentive。
\"IsDr。RaineyMr。Hallowell\'sfamilydoctor?\"heasked。
Irvingsurveyedhiminamusedsuperiority。
\"Heis!\"heanswered。YoubeenlonginNewYork?\"heasked。
Uponthestrangerthesarcasmwaslost,orhechosetoignoreit,forheansweredsimply,\"No,I\'maNewOrleansboy。I\'vejustbeentakenontheRepublic。\"
\"Welcometoourcity,\"saidIrving。\"WhatdoyouthinkofourMainStreet?\"
Fromthehallatallportlymanenteredtheroomwiththeassuranceofonemuchathomehereand,withanexclamation,Irvingfelluponhim。
\"Goodmorning,Judge,\"hecalled。HewavedathimtheclippingfromtheDespatch。\"Haveyouseenthis?\"
JudgeGayloracceptedtheslipofpapergingerly,andinturnmovedhisfineheadpompouslytowardeachoftheyoungmen。Mostofthemwereknowntohim,butforthemomenthepreferredtoappeartoodeeplyconcernedtogreetthem。Withanexpressionofshockedindignation,herecognizedonlyWalsh。
\"Yes,Ihaveseenit,\"hesaid,\"andthereisnotawordoftruthinit!Mr。Walsh,Iamsurprised!You,ofallpeople!\"
\"Wegotitonverygoodauthority,\"saidthereporter。
\"Butwhynotcallmeupandgetthefacts?\"demandedtheJudge。
\"Iwashereuntiltwelveo\'clock,and——\"
\"Here!\"interruptedIrving。\"Thenhedidhaveacollapse?\"
JudgeGaylorswunguponhisheel。
\"Certainlynot,\"heretortedangrily。\"Iwashereonbusiness,andIhaveneverknownhismindmorecapable,morealert。\"Heliftedhishandswithanenthusiasticgesture。\"Iwishyoucouldhaveseenhim!\"
\"Well,\"urgedIrving,\"howaboutourseeinghimnow?\"
ForamomentJudgeGaylorpermittedhisannoyancetoappear,butheatoncerecoveredand,murmuringcheerfully,\"Certainly,certainly;I\'lltrytoarrangeit,\"turnedtothebutlerwhohadre-enteredtheroom。
\"Garett,\"heinquired,\"isMr。Hallowellawakeyet?\"Asheaskedthequestionhiseyebrowsrose;withanalmostimperceptibleshakeoftheheadhesignaledforananswerinthenegative。
\"Well,thereyouare!\"theJudgeexclaimedheartily。\"Ican\'twakehim,eventoobligeyou。Inaword,gentlemen,StephenHallowellhasneverbeeninbetterhealth,mentallyandbodily。
Youcansaythatfromme——andthat\'sallthereistosay。\"
\"Then,wecansay,\"persistedIrving,\"thatyousay,thatWalsh\'sstoryisafake?\"
\"Youcansayitisnottrue,\"correctedGaylor。\"That\'sall,gentlemen。\"Theaudiencewasatanend。TheyoungmenmovedtowardthehallandJudgeGaylorturnedtothebedroom。Ashedidso,hefoundthatthenewmanontheRepublicstillheldhisground。
\"CouldIhaveawordwithyou,sir?\"thestrangerasked。Thereportershaltedjealously。AgainGaylorshowedhisimpatience。
\"AboutMr。Hallowell\'shealth?\"hedemanded。\"There\'snothingmoretosay。\"
\"No,it\'snotabouthishealth,\"venturedthereporter。
\"Well,notnow。Iamverylatethismorning。\"TheJudgeagainmovedtothebedroomandthereporter,asthoughacceptingtheverdict,startedtofollowtheothers。Ashedidso,asthoughinexplanationorasawarningheadded:\"Yousaidtoalwayscometoyouforthefacts。\"Thelawyerhalted,hesitated。\"Whatfactsdoyouwant?\"heasked。Thereporterbowed,andwavedhisbroadfelthattowardthelisteningmen。Inpoliteembarrassmentheexplainedwhathehadtosaycouldnotbespokenintheirpresence。
SomethinginthemannerofthestrangerledJudgeGaylortopause。HedirectedGarretttoaccompanythereportersfromtheroom。Then,withmockpoliteness,heturnedtotheonewhoremained。\"Itakeit,youareanewcomerinNewYorkjournalism。Whatisyourname?\"heasked。
\"MynameisHomerLee,\"saidtheSoutherner。\"IamaNewOrleansboy。I\'vebeenonlyamonthinyourcity。Judge,\"hebeganearnestly,butinavoicewhichstillheldthedrawloftheSouth,\"ImetamanfromhomelastweekonBroadway。HebelongedtothatspiritualisticschoolonCarondeletStreet。Heknowsallthat\'sgoingoninthespookworld,andhetellsmetheghostraisershavegottheirhooksintotheoldmanprettydeep。Isthatso?\"
ThebewildermentofJudgeGaylorwascompleteand,withoutquestion,genuine。
\"Idon\'tknowwhatyoumean,\"hesaid。
\"Myinformanttellsme,\"continuedthereporter,\"thatMr。
Hallowellhasembraced——ifthat\'swhatyoucallit——
spiritualism。\"
Gaylorstartedforward。
\"What!\"heroared。
Unmoved,theotherregardedtheJudgekeenly。
\"Spiritualism,\"herepeated,\"andthatabunchofthesemediumshavegothimsohypnotizedhecan\'tcallhissoulhisown,orhismoney,either。Isthattrue?\"
JudgeGaylor\'soutburstwasoverwhelming。ThatitwasgenuineMr。Lee,observinghimclosely,wasconvinced。
\"Ofalltheoutrageous,ridiculous\"——thejudgehalted,gaspingforwords——\"andlibelousstatements!\"hewenton。\"Ifyouprintthat,\"hethundered,\"Mr。Hallowellwillsueyourpaperforhalfamilliondollars。Can\'tyouseethedamageyouwoulddo?Can\'tyourpeopleseethatiftheideagotaboutthathewasunabletodirecthisownaffairs,thathewasinthehandsofmediums,itwouldinvalidateeverythinghedoes?Afterhisdeath,everyactofhisatthistime,everypaperhehadsigned,wouldbesuspected,and——and\"——stammeredtheJudgeashisimaginationpicturedwhatmightfollow——\"theymightevenattackhiswill!\"Headvancedtruculently。\"Doyoumeantopublishthislibel?\"
Leemovedhisshouldersindeprecation。\"I\'mafraidwemust,\"hesaid。
\"Youmust!\"demandedGaylor。\"AfterwhatI\'vetoldyou?DoyouthinkI\'mlyingtoyou?\"
\"No,\"saidthereporter;\"Idon\'tthinkyouare。Looksmorelikeyoudidn\'tknow。\"
\"Notknow?I?\"Gaylorlaughedhysterically。\"Iamhislawyer。I
amhisbestfriend!Whowillyoubelieve?\"Hesteppedtothetableandpressedanelectricbutton,andGarrettappearedinthehall。\"TellDr。RaineyIwanttoseehim,\"Gaylorcommanded,\"andreturnwithhim。\"
Astheywaited,JudgeGaylorpacedquicklytoandfro。\"I\'vehadtodenysomeprettysillystoriesaboutMr。Hallowell,\"hesaid,\"butofalltheabsurd,malicious——There\'ssomeenemybackofthis;someoneinWallStreetisdoingthis。ButI\'llfindhim——I\'ll——\"hewasinterruptedbytheentranceofthebutlerandDr。Rainey,Mr。Hallowell\'spersonalphysician。
Raineywasayoungmanwithaweakface,andknowing,shiftingeyesthatblinkedbehindapairofeyeglasses。Toconcealanindecisionofcharacterofwhichhewasquiteconscious,heassumedamannerthat,accordingtowhomheaddressed,wasfamiliarorcondescending。Atoneofthebighospitalshehadbeenanambulancesurgeonandresidentphysician,laterhehadstarteduponasomewhatdoubtfulcareerasamedical\"expert。\"
OnlytwoyearshadpassedsincethepoliceandthereportersoftheTenderloinhadceasedcallinghim\"Doc。\"InacelebratedcriminalcaseinwhichGaylorhadactedaschiefcounsel,hehadfoundRaineycomplaisantandapparentlytotallywithoutthemoralsense。AndwheninGarretthehaddiscoveredforMr。
Hallowellamodelservant,hehadalsourgeduponhisfriend,forhisresidentphysician,hisprotegeRainey。
Stillatwhiteheat,theoldermanbeganabruptly:\"ThisgentlemanisfromtheRepublic。HeisgoingtopublishastorythatMr。Hallowellhasfallenundertheinfluenceofmediums,clairvoyants;thateverythinghedoesisonadvicefromthespiritworld——\"heturnedsharplyuponLee。\"Isthatright?\"
Thereporternodded。
\"Youcanseetheeffectofsuchastory。ItwouldinvalidateeveryactofMr。Hallowell\'s!\"
Dr。Raineylaughedoffensively。
\"Itmight,\"hesaid,\"butwho\'dbelieveit?\"
\"Hebelievesit!\"criedGaylor,\"orhepretendstobelieveit。
Tellhim!\"hecommanded。\"Hewon\'tbelieveme。DoesMr。
Hallowellassociatewithmediums,andspirits——andspooks?\"
Againtheyoungdoctorlaughed。
\"Ofcoursenot!\"heexclaimed。\"It\'snotworthanswering,Judge。
Yououghttotreatitwithsilentcontempt。\"Frombehindhisglasseshewinkedatthereporterwithajocular,intimatesmile。Hewasadaptinghimselftowhatheimaginedwashiscompany。\"Wheredidyoupickupthatpipedream?\"heasked。
Withoutanswering,theSouthernerregardedhimsteadilywithinquiring,interestedeyes。ThedoctorcoughednervouslyandturnedtoJudgeGaylor。Inthemannerofacross-examinationGaylorcalleduphisnextwitness。
\"Garrett,doesanyonevisitMr。Hallowellwithoutyourknowledge?\"heasked。Youmaynotopenthedoorforhim,butyouknoweveryonewhogetsintoseeMr。Hallowell,doyounot?\"
\"Everyone,sir。\"
\"Doyouadmitanymediums,palm-readers,orpeopleofthatsort?\"
\"Certainlynot,\"returnedthebutler。
\"Dr。Rainey,\"headded,\"wouldnotpermitit,sir。\"
Gaylorstampedhisfootwithimpatience。
\"Doyouadmitanyone,\"hedemanded,\"withoutDr。Rainey\'spermission?\"
\"No,sir!\"Thereplycouldnothaverungwithgreateremphasis。
Triumphantly,Gaylor,withawaveofthehand,asthoughsaying,\"Takethewitness,\"turnedtoLee。\"Thereyouare,\"hecried。
\"Now,areyousatisfied?\"
Thereportermovedslowlytowardthedoor。\"Iamsatisfied,\"hesaid,\"thatthemandoesn\'tadmitanyonewithoutDr。Rainey\'spermission。\"
Indignantly,asthoughtointercepthim,JudgeGaylorsteppedforward。BothRaineyandhimselfspoketogether。
\"Whatdoyoumeanbythat?\"Raineydemanded。
\"Areyoutryingtobeinsolent,sir?\"criedtheJudge。
Leesmiledpleasantly。\"Ihadnointentionofbeinginsolent,\"
hesaid。\"Wehavethefacts——Ionlycametogiveyouachancetoexplainthem。\"
Gaylorlostallpatience。
\"Whatfacts?\"heshouted。\"Whatfacts?Thatmediumscomehere?\"
\"Yes,\"saidLee。
\"When?\"Gaylorcried。\"Tellmethat!When?\"
Leeregardedtheoldermanthoughtfully。
\"Well,todayisThursday,\"hesaid。\"TheywerehereMondaymorning,andTuesdaymorning——and——theonetheycallVera——
willbehereinhalfanhour。\"
Raineyranacrosstheroom,stretchingouteager,detaininghands。
\"Seehere!\"hebegged。\"Wecanfixthis!\"
\"Fixit?\"saidthereporter。\"Notwithme,youcan\'t。\"HeturnedtothedoorandfoundGarrettbarringhisexit。Hehalted,fellbackonhisheels,andstraightenedhisshoulders。Forthefirsttimetheysawhowtallhewas。
\"Getoutofmyway,\"hesaid。Thebutlerhesitatedandfellback。Leewalkedintothehall。
\"I\'llleaveyougentlementofightitoutamongyou,\"hesaid。
\"It\'sabetterstorythanIthought。\"
Ashedescendedtothefloorbelow,themenremainedmotionless。
ThefaceofJudgeGaylorseemedtohavegrownolder。Whenthefrontdoorclosed,heturnedandsearchedthecountenanceofeachofhiscompanions。Thebutlerhaddroppedintoachairmutteringandbeatinghisfistintohisopenpalm。
Gaylor\'svoicewashardlylouderthanawhisper。\"Isthistrue?\"
heasked。
Likeacurdogpinnedinacornerandforcedtofight,Raineysnarledathimevilly。\"Ofcourseit\'strue,\"hesaid。
\"You\'veletthesepeopleseehim!\"criedGaylor。\"AfterI
forbadeit?AfterItoldyouwhatwouldhappen?\"
\"Hewouldseethem,\"Raineyansweredhotly。\"TwasbetterI
chosethemthan——\"
Gaylorraisedhisclenchedhandsandtookasuddenstepforward。
TheDoctorbackedhastilyagainstthelibrarytable。\"Don\'tyoucomenearme!\"hestammered。\"Don\'tyoutouchme。\"
\"Andyou\'veliedtome!\"criedGaylor。\"You\'vedeceivedme。You——youjailbirds——youidiots。\"Hisvoicerosehysterically。
\"Anddoyouthink,\"hedemandedfiercely,\"I\'llhelpyounow?\"
\"No!\"saidthebutler。
ThewordcaughttheJudgeinthefullrushofhisanger。Heturnedstupidlyasthoughhehadnotheardaright。\"What?\"heasked。Fromtheeasychairthebutlerregardedhimwithsullen,hostileeyes。
\"No!\"herepeated。\"Wedon\'tthinkyou\'llhelpus。Younevermeanttohelpus。You\'veneverthoughtofanyonebutyourself。\"
Thefaceoftheoldermanwasfilledwithreproach。
\"Jim!\"heprotested。
\"Don\'tdothat!\"commandedthebutlersharply。\"I\'vetoldyounottodothat。\"
TheJudgemovedhisheadslowlyinamazement。Thetoneofreproachwasstillinhisvoice。
\"Ithoughtyoucouldunderstand,\"hesaid。\"Itdoesn\'tmatterabouthim。Butyou!YoushouldhaveseenwhatIwasdoing!\"
\"Isawwhatyouweredoing,\"thebutlerreplied。\"Buyingstocks,buyingacountryplace。Youdidn\'twaitforhimtodie。Whatwerewegetting?\"
Withreturningcourage,Raineynoddedvigorously。
\"That\'sright,allright,\"heprotested。\"Whatwerewegetting?\"
\"Whatwereyougetting?\"demandedGaylor,eagerly。\"Ifyou\'donlylefthimtome,tillhesignedthenewwill,you\'dhavehadeverything。Itonlyneedshissignature。\"
\"Yes,\"interruptedGarrettcontemptuously;that\'sallitneeds。\"
\"Oh,he\'dhavesignedit!\"criedGaylor。\"Butwhat\'sitworthnow!Nothing!Thankstoyoutwo——nothing!They\'llclaimundueinfluence,they\'llclaimhesigneditundertheinfluenceofmediums——ofghosts。\"Hisvoiceshookwithangeranddistress。
\"You\'veruinedme!\"hecried。\"You\'veruinedme。\"
Heturnedandpacedfromthem,hisfingersinterlacing,histeethbitinguponhislowerlip。Thetwoothermenglancedateachotheruncomfortably;theirsilenceseemedtoassureGaylorthatalreadytheyregrettedwhattheyhaddone。HestoodoverGarrett,andforaninstantlaidhishanduponhisshoulder。Hisvoicenowwassaneandcold。
\"I\'veworkedthreeyearsforthis,\"hesaid。\"Andforyou,too,Jim。Youknowthat。I\'veworkedonhisvanity,onhisfearofdeath,onhisdamnsuperstition。Whenhetalkedofrestitution,ofgivingthemoneytohisniece,IaskedWhy?\'Isaid,Leaveitforagreatmonumenttoyourmemory。Isn\'titbetterthattenmilliondollarsshouldbespentingoodworksinyournamethanthatitshouldgotoachitofachildtobewastedbysomefortunehunter?And——then——IevolvedtheHallowellInstitute,university,hospital,library,allunderoneroof,allunderonedirection;andIwouldhavebeenthedirector。Weshouldhavehandledtenmillionsofdollars!I\'dhavemadeyoubothsorich,\"hecriedsavagely,\"thatintwoyearsyou\'dhavedrunkyourselvesintoamad-house。Andyoucouldn\'ttrustme!
You\'vefilledthishousewithfakesandpalm-readers。And,now,everyonewillknowjustwhatheis——asenile,half-wittedoldmanwhowasclayinmyhands,clayinmyhands——andyou\'verobbedmeofhim,you\'verobbedmeofhim!\"Hisvoice,brokenwithangeranddisappointment,roseinanhystericalwail。Asthoughtomeetitabellrangshrilly。Gaylorstartedandstoodwitheyesfixedonthedoorofthebedroom。Thethreemeneyedeachotherguiltily。
Thebutlerwasthefirsttorecover。Withmask-likefacehehastenednoiselesslyacrosstheroom。Inhistonesofusualauthority,Gaylorstoppedhim。
\"TellMr。Hallowell,\"hedirected,\"thathisnieceandDistrictAttorneyWinthropwillbehereanymoment。Askhimifhewishesmetoseethem,orifhewilltalktothemhimself?\"
WhenthefaithfulservanthadenteredthebedroomGaylorturnedtoRainey。
\"Whendothesemediumscometoday?\"heasked。
Raineystaredsulkilyatthefloor。
\"Ithinkthey\'reherenow——downstairs,\"heanswered。Garrettgenerallyhidesthemtheretillyou\'reoutofthehouse。\"
\"Indeed,\"commentedGaylordryly。\"AfterWinthropandMissCoateshavegone,Iwanttotalkwithyourfriends。\"
\"Now,seehere,Judge,\"whinedRainey;\"don\'tmaketrouble。Itisn\'tasbadasyouthink。Theoldman\'sonlyinvestigating——\"
\"Hush!\"commandedtheJudge。
Fromthebedroom,leaningonthebutler\'sarm,StephenHallowellcamestumblingtowardthemand,withasigh,sankintoaninvalid\'schairthatwasplacedforhimbetweenthefireandthelonglibrarytable……Hewasaveryfeeble,veryoldman,withawhiteface,andthin,whitehair,butwithamouthandlowerjawashardanduncompromisingasthoseofaskull。Hiseyes,whichwerestrangelybrilliantandyoung-looking,peeredsuspiciouslyfromunderraggedwhiteeyebrows。Butwhentheyfelluponthedoctor,theeyesbecamesuddenlycredulous,pleading,filledwithself-pity。
\"I\'maverysickman,Doctor,\"saidMr。Hallowell。
JudgeGaylorbustledforwardcheerily。\"Nonsense,Stephen,nonsense,\"hecried;\"youlookadifferentmanthismorning。
Doesn\'the,Doctor?\"
\"Surehedoes!\"assentedRainey。\"Littlesleepwasallheneeded。\"Mr。Hallowellshookhisheadpetulantly。\"Notatall!\"
heprotested。\"Thatwasaveryseriousattack。Thismorningmyheadhurts——hurtsmetothink——\"
\"Perhaps,\"saidGaylor,\"you\'dpreferthatItalkedtoyourniece。\"
\"No!\"exclaimedtheinvalidexcitedly。\"Iwanttoseehermyself。Iwanttotellher,onceandforall——\"HecheckedhimselfandfrownedattheDoctor。\"Youneedn\'twait,\"hesaid。
\"AndDoctor,\"headdedmeaningly,\"afterthesepeoplego,youcomeback。\"
WithaconsciousglanceattheJudge,Raineynoddedandleftthem。
\"No,\"continuedtheoldman;\"Iwanttotalktomyniecemyself。
ButIdon\'twanttotalktoWinthrop。He\'stoocleverayoungman,Winthrop。Inthemergercase,youremember——hadmeonthestandforthreehours。Mademetalktoo。\"Themindoftheoldmansuddenlyveeredatatangent。\"HowthedevilcanHelenretainhim?\"hedemandedpeevishly。\"Shecan\'tretainhim。Shehasn\'tanymoney。Andhe\'sDistrictAttorneytoo。It\'sagainstthelaw。Ishedoingitasaspeculation?Doeshewanttomarryher?\"
JudgeGaylorlaughedsoothingly。
\"Heavens,no!\"hesaid。\"She\'sinhisoffice,that\'sall。Whenshetookthiscrazetobeindependentofyou,hegaveherapositionassecretary,orasstenographer,orsomething。She\'sprobablytoldhimherstory,hersideofit,andhe\'shelpingheroutofcharity。:\"TheJudgesmiledtolerantly。\"Hedoesthatsortofthing,Ibelieve。\"
Theoldmanstruckthelibrarytablewithhispalm。\"Iwishhe\'dmindhisownbusiness,\"hecried。\"It\'smymoney。Shehasnoclaimtoit,neverhadanyclaim——\"
TheJudgeinterruptedquickly。
\"That\'sallright,Stephen;that\'sallright,\"hesaid。\"Don\'texciteyourself。Justgetwhatyou\'retosaystraightinyourmindandsticktoit。Remember,\"hewenton,asthoughcoachingachildinataskalreadylearned,\"thereneverwasawrittenagreement。
\"No!\"mutteredHallowell。\"Neverwas!\"
\"Repeatthistoyourself,\"commandedtheJudge。\"Theunderstandingbetweenyouandyourbrother-in-lawwasthatifyouplacedhispatentonthemarket,forthefirstfiveyearsyouwouldsharetheprofitsequally。Afterthefiveyears,allrightsinthepatentbecameyours。Itwasunfortunate,\"
commentedtheJudgedryly,\"thatyourbrother-in-lawandyoursisterdiedbeforethefiveyearswereup,especiallyasthepatentdidnotbegintomakemoneyuntilafterfiveyears。
Remember——untilafterfiveyears。\"
\"Untilafterfiveyears,\"echoedMr。Hallowell。\"Itwasoversixyears,\"hewentonexcitedly,\"beforeitmadeacent。And,then,itwasmymoney——andanythingIgivemynieceischarity。
She\'snotentitled——\"
Garrettappearedatthedoor。\"MissCoates,\"heannounced,\"andMr。Winthrop。\"JudgeGaylorraisedahandforsilence,andasMr。Hallowellsankbackinhischair,HelenCoates,theonlychildofCatherineCoates,hissister,andtheyoungDistrictAttorneyofNewYorkcameintothelibrary。MissCoateswasawomanofbetweentwenty-fiveandthirty,capable,andself-
reliant。Shehadacertainbeautyofaseveretype,butanharassedexpressionabouthereyesmadeherappeartobealwaysfrowning。Attimes,inahardeningofthelowerpartofherface,sheshowedalikenesstoheruncle。Likehim,inspeaking,also,hermannerwaspositiveanddecided。
Inagetheyoungmanwhoaccompaniedherwastenyearshersenior,butwhereherdifficultieshadmadeherappearolderthanshereallywas,theenthusiasmwithwhichhehadthrownhimselfagainstthoseofhisownlife,hadlefthimyoung。
TheriseofWinthrophadbeenswiftandspectacular。Almostassoonashegraduatedfromthecollegeinthelittle\"up-state\"
townwherehehadbeeneducated,andhisfamilyhadalwayslived,hebecametheprosecutingattorneyofthattown,andlater,atAlbany,representedthedistrictintheAssembly。FromAlbanyheenteredalawofficeinNewYorkCity,andinthecauseofreformhadfoughtsomanygoodfightsthatonanindependentticket,muchtohissurprise,hehadbeenliftedtothehighpositionhenowheld。NomoreinhismannerthaninhisappearancedidWinthropsuggestthepopularconceptionofhisrole。Hewasnotprofessional,notmysterious。Instead,hewassane,cheerful,tolerant。Itwashisphilosophytobelievethattheworldwasinnocentuntilitwasprovedguilty。
Hewasabachelorand,exceptfortwosisterswhohadmarriedmenofprominenceinNewYorkandwhomovedinaworldoffashionintowhichhehadnotpenetrated,hewasalone。
Whenthevisitorsentered,Mr。Hallowell,withoutrising,greetedhisniececordially。
\"Ah,Helen!Iamgladtoseeyou,\"hecalled,andaddedreproachfully,\"atlast。\"
\"Howdoyoudo,sir?\"returnedMissHelenstiffly。WithmarkeddisapprovalshebowedtoJudgeGaylor。
\"AndourDistrictAttorney,\"criedMr。Hallowell。\"Pardonmynotrising,won\'tyou?Ihaven\'tseenyou,sir,sinceyoutriedtogettheGrandJurytoindictme。\"Hechuckeddelightedly。\"Youdidn\'tsucceed,\"hetaunted。
Winthropshookhandswithhim,smiling,\"Don\'tblameme,\"hesaid,\"Ididmybest。I\'mgladtoseeyouinsuchgoodspirits,Mr。Hallowell。Ifeared,bytheDespatch——\"
\"Lies,lies,\"interruptedHallowellcurtly。\"YouknowJudgeGaylor?\"
Asheshookhands,WinthropansweredthattheJudgeandhewereoldfriends;thattheykneweachotherwell。
\"Knoweachothersowell!\"returnedtheJudge,\"thatweoughttobeoldenemies。\"
Theyoungermannoddedappreciatively。\"That\'strue!\"helaughed,\"onlyIdidn\'tthinkyou\'dadmitit。\"
WithlightsarcasmMr。HallowellinquiredwhetherWinthropwaswiththeminhisofficialcapacity。
\"Oh,don\'tsuggestthat!\"beggedWinthrop;\"you\'llbehavingmeindictednext。Nosir,Iamherewithoutanyexcusewhatsoever。
Iamjustinterferingasafriendofthisyounglady。\"
\"Good,\"commentedHallowell。\"I\'dbesorrytohavemyniecearraycounselagainstme——especiallysuchdistinguishedcounsel。Sitdown,Helen。\"
MissCoatesbalancedherselfontheedgeofachairandspokeincool,business-liketones,\"Mr。Hallowell,\"shebegan,\"Icame。\"
\"Mr。Hallowell?\"objectedheruncle。
\"UncleStephen,\"MissCoatesagainbegan,\"Iwishtobeasbriefaspossible。IaskedyoutoseemetodaybecauseIhopedthatbytalkingthingsoverwemightavoidlawsuitsandlitigation。\"
Mr。Hallowellnoddedhisapproval。\"Yes,\"hesaidencouragingly。
\"IhavetoldMr。Winthropwhatthetroubleis,\"MissCoateswenton,\"andheagreeswithmethatIhavebeenveryunjustlytreated——\"
\"Bywhom?\"interruptedHallowell。
\"Byyou,\"saidhisniece。
\"Wait,Helen,\"commandedtheoldman。\"HaveyoualsotoldMr。
Winthrop,\"hedemanded,\"thatIhavemadeawillinyourfavor?
That,wereItodietonight,youwouldinherittenmillionsofdollars?Isthattheinjusticeofwhichyoucomplain?\"
JudgeGaylorgaveanexclamationofpleasure。
\"Good!\"heapplauded。\"Excellent!\"
HallowellturnedindignantlytoWinthrop。\"Anddidshetellyoualso,\"hedemanded,\"thatforthreeyearsIhaveurgedhertomakeahomeinthishouse?ThatIhaveofferedheranincomeaslargeasIwouldgivemyowndaughter,andthatshehasrefusedbothoffers。Andwhat\'smore\"——inhisexcitementhisvoicerosehysterically——\"byworkingpubliclyforherlivingshehasmademeappearmeananduncharitable,and——\"
\"That\'sjustit,\"interruptedMissCoates。\"Itisn\'taquestionofcharity。\"
\"Willyouallowme?\"saidWinthropsoothingly。\"Yourniececontends,sir,\"heexplained,\"thatthismoneyyouofferedherisnotyourstooffer。Sheclaimsitbelongstoher。Thatit\'swhatshouldhavebeenherfather\'sshareoftheprofitsontheCoates-Hallowellcouplingpin。But,asyouhavewilledyourniecesomuchmoney,althoughhalfofitishersalready,I
advisedhernottofight。Goingtolawisanexpensivebusiness。
Butshehasfoundout——andthat\'swhatbringsmeuptownthismorning——thatyouintendtomakeanewwill,andleaveallhermoneyandyourowntoestablishtheHallowellInstitute。Now,\"
Winthropcontinued,withapropitiatingsmile,\"MissCoatesalsowouldliketobeaphilanthropist,inherownway,withherownmoney。Andshewishestowarnyouthat,unlessyoudeliverupwhatisdueher,shewillproceedagainstyou。\"
JudgeGaylorwasthefirsttoanswer。
\"Mr。Winthrop,\"hesaidimpressively,\"Igiveyoumyword,thereisnotonedollardueMissCoates,exceptwhatMr。Hallowellpleasestogiveher。\"
MissCoatescontradictedhimsharply。\"Thatisnotso,\"shesaid。Sheturnedtoheruncle,\"Youandmyfather,\"shedeclared,\"agreedinwritingyouwouldsharetheprofitsalways。\"Mr。Hallowelllookedfromhisniecetohislawyer。Thelawyer,eyeinghimapprehensively,nodded。Withthepatientvoiceofonewhotriedtoreasonwithanunreasonablechild,Mr。
Hallowellbegan。\"Helen,\"hesaid,\"Ihavetoldyoumanytimesthereneverwassuchanagreement。Therewasaverbal——\"
\"AndIrepeat,Isawit,\"saidMissCoates。
\"When?\"askedHallowell。
\"IsawitfirstwhenIwasfifteen,\"answeredtheyoungwomansteadily,\"andtwoyearslater,beforemotherdied,sheshowedittomeagain。Itwaswithfather\'spapers。\"
\"MissCoates,\"askedtheJudge,\"whereisthisagreementnow?\"
ForamomentMissCoateshesitated。HerdislikeforGaylorwassoevidentthat,tomakeitlessapparent,sheloweredhereyes。
\"Myuncleshouldbeabletotellyou,\"shesaidevenly。\"Hewasmyfather\'sexecutor。But,whenhereturnedmyfather\'spapers\"——
shepausedandthen,althoughhervoicefelltoalmostawhisper,continueddefiantly,\"theagreementwasnotwiththem。\"
Therewasamoment\'ssilence。Toassurehimselftheothershadheardashedid,Mr。HallowellglancedquicklyfromWinthroptoGaylor。Hehalfrosefromhischairandleanedacrossthetable。
\"What!\"hedemanded。Hisniecelookedathimsteadily。
\"YouheardwhatIsaid,\"sheanswered。
Theoldmanleanedfartherforward。
\"So!\"hecried;\"so!Iamnotonlydoingyouaninjustice,butI
amathief!Mr。Winthrop,\"hecriedappealingly,\"doyouappreciatetheseriousnessofthis?\"
Winthropnoddedcheerfully。\"It\'scertainlyprettyserious,\"heassented。
\"Itissoserious,\"criedMr。Hallowell,\"thatIwelcomeyouintothismatter。Now,wewillsettleitonceandforever。\"Heturnedtohisniece。\"Ihavetriedtobegenerous,\"hecried;\"I
havetriedtobekind,andyouinsultmeinmyownhouse。\"Hepressedthebuttonthatsummonedthebutlerfromthefloorbelow。\"Gentlemen,thisinterviewisatanend。Fromnowonthismatterisinthehandsofmylawyer。Wewillsettlethisinthecourts。\"
Withanexclamationofpleasurethatwasanacceptanceofhischallenge,MissCoatesrose。
\"Thatissatisfactorytome,\"shesaid。WinthropturnedtoMr。
Hallowell。
\"CouldIhaveafewminutestalkwithJudgeGaylornow?\"heasked。\"Notasanybody\'scounsel,\"heexplained;\"justasanoldenemyofhis?\"
\"Well,nothere,\"protestedtheoldmanquerulously。\"I\'m——I\'mexpectingsomefriendshere。Judge,takeMr。Winthroptothedrawingroomdownstairs。\"HeturnedtoGarrett,whohadappearedinanswertohissummons,andtoldhimtobringDr。Raineytothelibrary。Thebutlerlefttheroomand,asGaylorandWinthropfollowed,thelatteraskedMissCoatesifhemightexpecttoseeheratthe\"Office。\"Shetoldhimthatshewasnowonherwaythere。Withoutacknowledgingthepresenceofheruncle,shehadstartedtofollowtheothers,whenMr。Hallowellstoppedher。
Aftertheywerealone,foramomenthesatstaringather,hiseyesfilledwithdislikeandwithasuggestionofchildishspite。\"Imightaswelltellyou,\"hebegan,\"thatafterwhatyousaidthismorning,Iwillnevergiveyouasingledollarofmymoney。\"
Thetoneinwhichhisniecerepliedtohimwasnomoreconciliatorythanhisown。\"Youcannotgiveittome,\"sheanswered,\"becauseitisnotyourstogive。\"Asthoughtoaddimpressivenesstowhatshewasabouttosay,ortopreventhisinterruptingher,sheraisedherhand。SointerestedineachotherweretheoldmanandthegirlthatneithernoticedtheappearanceinthedoorofDr。Raineyandthebutler,whohalted,hesitating,waitingpermissiontoenter。
\"Thatmoneybelongstome,\"saidMissCoatesslowly,\"andassureasmymotherisinHeavenandherspiritisguidingme,thatmoneywillbegivenme。\"
Inthepausethatfollowed,aswiftandsingularchangecameoverthefaceofMr。Hallowell。Hestaredathisnieceasthoughfascinated。Hislowerlipdroppedinawe。Thelookofhostilitygavewaytooneofintenseinterest。Hisvoicewashardlylouderthanawhisper。
\"Whatdoyoumean?\"hedemanded。
Thegirllookedathim,uncomprehending。\"WhatdoImean?\"sherepeated。
\"Whenyousaid,\"hestammeredeagerly,\"thatthespiritofyourmotherwasguidingyou,whatdidyoumean?\"
Inthedoorway,Raineyandthebutlerstarted。Eachthrewtheotheraquickglanceofconcern。
\"Why,\"exclaimedthegirlimpatiently,\"herinfluence,herexample,whatshetaughtme。\"
\"Oh!\"exclaimedtheoldman。Heleanedbackwithanairalmostofdisappointment。
\"Whenshewasalive?\"hesaid。
\"Ofcourse,\"answeredthegirl。
\"Ofcourse,\"repeatedtheuncle。\"Ithoughtyoumeant——\"Helookedsuspiciouslyatherandshookhishead。\"Nevermind,\"headded。\"Well,\"hewentoncynically,strivingtocoveruptheembarrassmentofthemoment,\"yourmother\'sspiritwillprobablyfeelasdeepaninterestinherbrotherasinherdaughter。Weshallsee,weshallseewhichofustwosheisgoingtohelp。\"
HeturnedtoGarrettandRaineyinthehall。\"Takemyniecetothedoor,Garrett,\"hedirected。
AssoonasMissCoateshaddisappeared,HallowellturnedtoRainey,hisfacelitwithpleasedandchildishanticipation。
\"Well,\"hewhisperedeagerly,\"isshehere?\"
RaineynoddedandglancedinthedirectionoppositetotheoneMissCoateshadtaken。\"She\'sbeenwaitinghalfanhour。AndtheProfessortoo。\"
\"Bringthematonce,\"commandedMr。Hallowellexcitedly。\"Andthenshutthedoor——and——andtelltheJudgeIcan\'tseehim——tellhimI\'mtootiredtoseehim。Understand?\"
Raineypeeredcautiouslyovertherailingofthestairstothefirstfloor,andthenbeckonedtosomeonewhoapparentlywaswaitingattheendofthehall。
\"MissVera,sir,\"heannounced,\"andProfessorVance。\"
AlthoughbutlatelyestablishedinNewYork,thepersonsDr。
Raineyintroducedhadalreadymadethemselvescomparativelywell-known。Forthelastsixweeksas\"headliners\"atoneofthevaudevilletheatres,andasentertainersatprivatehouses,underthefirmnameof\"TheVances,\"theyhadbeengivinganexhibitionofcodeandciphersignaling。Theycalleditmindreading。Duringtheday,atthehouseofVanceandhiswife,thegirl,as\"Vera,theMedium,\"furnishedtoallcomersmemoriesofthepastornewsofthefuture。Intheirprofession,inallofitsbranches,themanandthegirlwerepastmasters。TheyknewitfromtheA,B,Cofthedreambooktothepost-graduateworkofprojectingfromacabinetthespiritsofthedead。Astheoccasionofferedandpaidbest,theyweremindreaders,clairvoyants,materializingmediums,testmediums。Fromthem,apackofcards,acrystalglobe,thelinesofthehumanhand,heldnosecrets。Theyfoundlostarticles,casthoroscopes,gaveadviceinaffairsoftheheart,ofbusinessandspeculation,utteredwarningsofjourneysoverseasandagainstasmooth-
shavenstranger。Theyevenstoopedtoforetellearthquakes,orcausedtodropflutteringfromtheceilingaletterstraightfromtheHimalayas。Amongthosewhoarethegypsiesofthecities,theywerethearistocratsoftheircalling,andtothemthatcallingwasaslegitimateabusinessasis,totheroadsidegypsy,theswappingofhorses。Thefore-parentsofeachhadfollowedthatsamecalling,andtothechildrenitwascommonplaceandmatter-of-fact。Itheldnoadventure,nomoralobloquy。
\"Prof。\"PaulVancewasayoungmanofunderfortyyears。Helookedlikeafox。Hehadredeyes,alertandcunning,along,sharp-pointednose,apointedredbeard,andredeyebrowsthatslantedupward。Hishair,standingerectinapompadour,andhisupliftedeyebrowsgavehimthewatchfullookofthefoxwhenhehearssuddenlythehoundbayinginpursuit。ButnoonehadeversuccessfullypursuedVance。Noonehadeverdrivenhimintoacornerfromwhich,eitherpleasantly,orwithragingindignation,hewasnotabletofreehimself。Sevenyearsbeforehehaddisloyallymarriedoutofthe\"profession\"andfornootherreasonthanthathewasinlovewiththewomanhemarried。
Shehadcometoseekadvicefromthespiritworldinregardtotakingasecondhusband。AfterseveralvisitsthespiritworldhadadvisedVancetoadvisehertomarryVance。
Shedidso,andthoughthemanwasstillinlovewithhiswife,hehadnotfoundher,inhiswork,theassistancehehadhopedshemightbe。Shestillwasa\"believer\";inthetechnicalvernacularofherhusband——\"adope。\"NoteventheintimateknowledgeshehadgainedbehindthescenescouldpersuadeherthatPaul,herhusband,wasnotinconstantcommunicationwiththespiritworld,orthat,ifhewished,hecouldnotreadthethoughtsthatmovedslowlythroughherprettyhead。
Atthetimeofhismarriage,thegirlVera,thenachildoffourteen,hadwrittentoVanceforhelp。Shewasill,withoutmoney,andaskedforwork。Tohimshewasknownasthelastofalonglineofpeoplewhohadalwaysbeenprofessionalmediumsandspiritualists,and,outofcharityandfromasenseofnoblesseobligetooneoftheelectoftheprofession,Vancehadmadeherhisassistant。Hehadneverregrettedhavingdoneso。Thebreadcastuponthewaterswasreturnedathousandfold。Fromthefirst,thegirlbroughtinmoney。Andhiswife,theolderofthetwo,hadwelcomedherasacompanion。AfterafashiontheVanceshadadoptedher。Intheadvertisementsshewasdescribedastheir\"ward。\"
Veranowwastwenty-one,tall,wonderfullygraceful,andofthemostenchantingloveliness。Hereducationhadbeencosmopolitan。
InthelargestcitiesofAmericashehadmetpersonsofeveryclass——youngwomen,oldwomen,motherswithmarriedsonsanddaughters;womenofsocietyasitisexploitedintheSundaysupplements;schoolgirls,shopgirls,factorygirls——allhadtoldhertheirtroubles;andmenofeveryconditionhadcometoscoffandhadremainedtoexpress,moreorlessoffensively,theiradmiration。Someoftheyoungerofthese,afterafirstvisit,returnedthedayfollowing,andeachbeggedthebeautifulpriestessoftheocculttoflywithhim,tolivewithhim,tomarryhim。WhenthishappenedVerawouldtouchabutton,and\"Mannie\"Day,whoadmittedvisitors,andlater,inthehall,searchedtheirhatsandumbrellasforinitials,cameontherunandthrewtheinfatuatedoneoutuponacoldandunfeelingsidewalk。
SoVerahadseenboththeseamysideoflifeand,inthedrawingroomswhereVanceandsheexhibitedtheirmindreadingtricks,hadbeenmademuchofbygreatladiesand,foranhourasbriefasCinderella\'s,hadlookeduponaworldofkindandwell-bredpeople。Sinceshewasfourteen,forsevenyears,thishadbeenherlife——alifeasopentothepublicasthelifeofanactress,aseasyofaccessasthatofthestenographerinthehotellobby。Asaresult,thegirlhadencasedherselfinadefensivearmorofhardnessanddistrust,aprotectionwhichwasrenderedfutilebythelovelinessofherface,bythesoftnessofhervoice,bythedeep,broodingeyes,andthefineforeheadonwhich,likeacrown,restedtheblackwavesofherhair。
InherworkVeraaccepted,withoutquestion,thepartstowhichVanceassignedher。Whenintheirmummeriestheyweresuccessful,sheneitherenjoyedthecredulityofthosetheyhadtrickednorwassoberedwithremorse。IntheworldVancefoundacertainnumberofpeoplewithmoneywhodemandedtobefooled。
Itwashisbusinessandherstomeetthatdemand。Ifevertheconscienceofeitherstirredrestlessly,Vancesootheditbytheeasyanswerthatiftheydidnottakethemoneysomeoneelsewould。Itwasallintheday\'swork。Itwasherprofession。
AssheenteredthelibraryofMr。Hallowell,which,withVance,shealreadyhadvisitedseveraltimes,shelookedlikeachildmasqueradinginhermother\'sfinery。ShesuggestedaningenuewhohadbeensuddenlysentonintheroleoftheRussianadventuress。Herslightgirl\'sfigurewasdrapedinblacklace。
Herfacewasshadedbyalargepicturehat,heavywithdroopingostrichfeathers;aroundhershoulderswasanecklaceofjade,andonherwristsmanybraceletsofsilvergilt。Whenshemovedtheyrattled。Asthegirladvanced,smiling,togreetMr。
Hallowell,shesuddenlystopped,shiveredslightly,andthrewherrightarmacrosshereyes。Herleftarmshestretchedoverthetable。
\"Givemeyourhand!\"shecommanded。Dubiously,withawatchfulglanceatVance,Mr。Hallowellleanedforwardandtookherhand。
\"Youhavebeenill,\"criedthegirl;\"veryill——Iseeyou——I
seeyouinakindoffaint——verylately。\"Hervoiceroseexcitedly。\"Yes,lastnight。\"
Mr。Hallowellprotestedwithindignation。\"Youreadthatinthemorningpaper,\"hesaid。
Veraloweredherarmfromhereyesandturnedthemreproachfullyonhim。
\"Idon\'treadtheDespatch,\"sheanswered。
Mr。Hallowelldrewbacksuspiciously。\"Ididn\'tsayitwastheDespatch,\"hereturned。
Vancequicklyinterposed。\"Youdon\'thavetosayit,\"heexplainedwithglibness;\"youthoughtit。AndVerareadyourthoughts。YouwerethinkingoftheDespatch,weren\'tyou?Well,thereyouare!It\'swonderful!\"
\"Wonderful?Nonsense!\"mockedMr。Hallowell。\"ShedidreaditinthepaperorRaineytoldher。\"
Thegirlshruggedhershoulderspatiently。\"Ifyouwouldratherfindoutyouwereillfromthenewspapersthanfromthespiritworld,\"sheinquired,\"whydoyouaskmehere?\"
\"Iaskyouhere,youngwoman,\"exclaimedHallowell,sinkingbackinhischair,\"becauseIhopedyouwouldtellmesomethingI
can\'tlearnfromthenewspapers。Butyouhaven\'tbeenabletodoityet。Mydearyounglady,\"exclaimedtheoldmanwistfully,\"I
wanttobelieve,butImustbeconvinced。Notrickswithme!I
canexplainhowyoumighthavefoundouteverythingyouhavetoldme。Givemeasign!\"Hebeattheflatofhishanduponthetable。\"ShowmesomethingIcan\'texplain!\"
\"Mr。Hallowellisquiteright,Vera,\"saidVance。\"Heisenteringwhatistohimanewworld,fullofmysteries,andthatcautionwhichinthisworldhasmadehimsosuccessful——\"
Withanexclamation,Hallowellcutshortthepatteroftheshowman。
\"Yes,yes,\"heinterruptedpetulantly;\"Itellyou,Iwanttobelieve。Convinceme。\"
Consideringthesituationwithpursedlipsandthoughtfuleyes,Veragazedattheoldman,frowning。Finallysheasked,\"Haveyouwitnessedoutdemonstrationsofmindreading?\"
Mr。Hallowellsnorted。\"Certainlynot,\"hereplied;\"it\'satrick!\"
\"Atrick!\"criedthegirlindignantly,\"toreadaman\'smind——
toseerightthroughyourforehead,throughyourskull,intoyourbrain?Isthatatrick?\"SheturnedsharplytoVance。\"Showhim!\"shecommanded;\"showhim!\"Shecrossedrapidlytothewindowandstoodlookingdownintothestreet,withherbacktotheroom。
Vance,withhisbackturnedtoVera,stoodclosetothetable,ontheothersideofwhichHallowellwasreclininginhisarmchair。Vancepickedupapenholder。
\"ThinkofwhatIhaveinmyhand,please,\"hesaid。\"Whatisthis,Vera?\"heasked。Thegirl,gazingfromthewindowatthetrafficintheavenuebelowher,answeredwithindifference,\"A
penholder。\"
\"Yes,whataboutit?\"snappedVance。
\"Goldpenholder,\"Veraansweredmorerapidly。\"Muchengraving——initialsS。H——Mr。Hallowell\'sinitials——\"
\"Thereisadatetoo。Canyou——\"
\"December——\"Verahesitated。
\"Goon,\"commandedVance。
\"Twenty-five,one,eight,eight,six;onethousandeighthundredandeighty-six。\"Shemovedhershouldersimpatiently。
\"Oh,tellhimtothinkofsomethingdifficult,\"shesaid。
FrombehindMr。Hallowell\'schairRaineysignaledtoVancetotakefromthetableaphotographframeofsilverwhichheldthepictureofawoman。
Vancepickeditup,holdingitclosetohim。
\"WhathaveIhere,Vera?\"heasked。
Hallowell,seeingwhatVanceheldinhishand,leanedforward。
\"Putthatdown!\"hecommanded。ButVerahadalreadybeguntoanswer。
\"Apicture,apictureofayoungwoman。AskhimtothinkofwhoitisandIwilltellhim。\"
AtthewordsMr。Hallowellhesitated,frowned,andthennodded。
\"Itishissister,\"calledVera。\"Hernamewas——IseemtogetaCatherine——yes,that\'sit;CatherineCoates。Sheisnolongerwithus。Shepassedintothespiritworldthreeyearsago。\"Thegirlturnedsuddenlyandapproachedthetable,holdingherheadhigh,asthoughoffended。
\"Howdoyouexplainthattrick?\"shedemanded。
Mr。Hallowellmoveduneasilyinhischair。\"Oh,thepicture\'sbeenonmydeskeachtimeyou\'vebeenhere,\"heanswereddubiously。\"Raineycouldhavetoldyou。\"
\"Asamatteroffact,Ididn\'t,\"saidRainey。
Hallowell\'seyeslightenedwithinterest。\"Didn\'tyou?\"heasked。HeturnedtoVera。\"Ifyoucanreadmymind,\"hechallenged——\"you,\"headded,pointingatVance,\"keepoutofthisnow——tellmeofwhatIamthinking。\"AsVancedrewback,Raineyandhimselfexchangedaquickglanceofapprehension,butthegirlpromptlyclosedhereyes,andatonce,inadull,measuredtone,begantospeak。
\"Youwerethinkingyouwouldliketoaskaquestionofsomeoneinthespirit,\"sherecited。\"Butyouareafraid。Youdonottrustme。YouwillwaituntilIgiveyouasign;thenyouwillaskthatquestionofsomeonedeartoyou,whohaspassedbeyond,andshewillanswer,andyourtroubleswillbeatanend。\"SheopenedhereyesandstaredatMr。Hallowelllikeonecomingoutofadream。\"WhatdidIsay?\"sheasked。\"WasI
right?\"
Hallowellslankbackinhischair,shakinghishead。
\"Yes,\"hebegangrudgingly,\"but——\"
Withaneagernesshardlyconcealed,Vanceinterrupted。
\"Whatisthequestionyouwishtoask?\"hebegged。
Withafrownofsuspicion,HallowellturnedfromhimtoRainey。
\"Idon\'tthinkIoughttoletthemknow,\"hequestioned;\"doyou?\"Buthisattentionwassharplydiverted。
Vera,inahushedandsolemnvoice,calledforsilence。
\"Mycontrol,\"sheexplained——hertonewasdeepandawestruck——\"istryingtocommunicatewithme。\"
Vancegaveanexclamationofconcern。TheprospectofthephenomenaVerapromisedseemedtofillhimwithdelightfulexpectations。\"Beveryquiet,\"hecautioned,\"donotdisturbher。\"
Deeplyimpressed,Mr。Hallowellstruggledfromhischair。
Unaided,hemovedtobelowthetableandleaningagainstitlooked,withunwillingbutfascinatedinterest,atVera\'supliftedface。
\"Someoneinthespirit,\"Verachanted,inanunemotional,druggedvoice,\"wishestospeaktoMr。Hallowell。Givemeyourhand。\"
\"Quick!\"directedVance,\"giveheryourhand。Takeherhand。\"
\"Yes,heishere,\"Veracontinued。\"Awomanhasamessageforyou,sheisstandingclosebesideyou。Sheisholdingoutherarms。Andsheistrying,sohard,totellyousomething。Whatisit?\"thegirlquestioned。\"Oh,whatisit?Tellme,\"shebegged。
\"Can\'tyoutellme?\"
Hallowelleyedhergreedily,waitingalmostwithoutbreathingforherwords。Thehandwithwhichheheldherscrushedherringsintoherfingers。
\"Whatsort?\"——whisperedtheoldman。\"Whatsortofawoman?\"
Witheyesstillclosed,swayingslightlyandwithabruptshuddersrunningdownherbody,thegirlcontinuedindull,fatefultones。