“I gave my ladies’ Bible-class a serious lecture about it all the other day.  I said:  ’Do, my dear ladies, get rid of these childish notions, these uncivilised hankerings after marvels and magic, which make you the dupe of one charlatan after another.  Take up science, for a change; study natural philosophy; try and acquire accurate notions of the system under which we live; realise that we are not moving on the stage of a Christmas pantomime, but in a universe governed by fixed laws, in which the miraculous performances you describe to me never can, and never could, have taken place.  And be sure of this, that any book and any teacher, however admirable their moral teaching, who tell you that two and two make anything but four, are not inspired, so far as arithmetic and common sense are concerned.’”

“Hear, hear!” cried Atherley heartily.

The Canon’s brow contracted a little.

“I need hardly explain,” he said, “that what I said did not apply to revealed truth.  Jane, my dear, as I must leave by an early train to-morrow, I think I shall say good-night.”

I fell asleep that night early, and dreamt that I was sitting with Gladys in the frescoed dining-room of an old Italian palace.  It was night, and through the open window came one long shaft of moonlight, that vanished in the aureole of the shaded lamp standing with wine and fruit upon the table between us.  And I said in my dream—­

“Oh, Gladys, will it be always like this, or must we part again?”

And she, smiling her slow soft smile, said:  “You may stay with me till the knock comes.”

“What knock, my darling?”

But even as I spoke I heard it, low and penetrating, and I stretched out my arms imploringly towards Gladys; but she only smiled, and the knock was repeated, and the whole scene dissolved around me, and I was sitting up in bed in semi-darkness, while somebody was tapping with a quick agitated touch at my door.  I remembered then that I had forgotten to unlock it before I went to bed, and I rose at once and made haste to open it, not without a passing thrill of unpleasant conjecture as to what might be behind it.  It was a tall figure in a long grey garment, who carried a lighted candle in his hand.  For a moment, startled and stupefied as I was, I failed to recognise the livid face.

“Canon Vernade!  You are ill?”

Too ill to speak, it would seem, for without a word he staggered forward and sank into a chair, letting the candle almost drop from his hand on to the table beside him; but when I put out my hand to ring the bell, he stayed me by a gesture.  I looked at him, deadly pale, with blue shadows about the mouth and eyes, his head thrown helplessly back, and then I remembered some brandy I had in my dressing-bag.  He took the glass from me and raised it to his lips with a trembling hand.  I stood watching him, debating within myself whether I should disobey him by calling for help or not; but presently, to my great relief, I saw the stimulant take effect, and life come slowly surging back in colour to his cheeks, in strength to his whole prostrate frame.  He straightened himself a little, and turned upon me a less distracted gaze than before.