“Still I should have nothing to do with Brag,” she said.

“I hope you will not,” I replied meaningly.

She did not answer me, but I fancied she blushed; and again I felt happy.

By this time Voltaire was ready with his performance.  “You will see,” he said, “that here we have no chance for stage tricks.  All is plain and open as the day.  Moreover, I will have no secrets from you even with regard to the subject itself.  The phenomena that will be brought before you are purely psychological.  The mind of my friend Kaffar will be, by a secret power, merged into mine.  What I see he will see, although in your idea of the matter he does not see at all.  Now, first of all, I wish you to blindfold my friend Kaffar.  Perhaps Mr. Blake, seeing he longs for truth, may like to do this.  No?  Well, then, perhaps our host will.  Thank you, Mr. Temple.”

With this Tom Temple completely blindfolded the Egyptian, and then we awaited the further development of the matter.

“Would you mind leading him to the library?” Voltaire continued.  “He will certainly not be able to see anything of us here, and still he will not be out of earshot.”

Kaffar was accordingly led into the library, blindfolded.

“Now,” said Voltaire, “I told you that by a secret power his mind and mine became one.  I will prove to you that I have not spoken boastingly.  Will any gentleman or lady show me any curiosity he or she may have?”

Accordingly several of the party pulled from their pockets articles of interest, and of which neither Voltaire nor Kaffar could have known.  Each time the former asked what the article was, and each time the latter, although at a distance, correctly described it.

A look of wonder began to settle on the faces of the guests, and exclamations of surprise and bewilderment were apparent.  It was apparent that nearly all were converts to his beliefs, if beliefs they might be called.  After a number of articles were shown and described, Kaffar was recalled, and was loudly applauded.

“You see,” said Voltaire, “the evident truth of this.  Certainly this is a very simple affair, and my old friend Abou al Phadre would have smiled at its littleness.  Still it must convince every unprejudiced mind that there is something deeper and more wonderful than those things which are constantly passing before your view.”

Miss Staggles, who had been almost as silent as a sphinx, spoke now.  “We are convinced that you are a wonderful man,” she said; “and what I have seen to-night will be ever a matter of marvel, as well as thankfulness that I have been privileged to see it.”

This was evidently the opinion of every one in the room.  Even Gertrude Forrest was carried away by it, while Miss Edith Gray was enraptured at what she termed “a glorious mystery.”

“I should like,” said Miss Staggles, “to hear what Mr. Blake, the Thomas of the party, has to say to it.”