Several gentlemen gave their watches, and one or two ladies laughingly took off their bracelets and handed them to Shin Shira, who immediately placed them in the crystal bowl.

To our utter astonishment, each article as it was placed into the bowl vanished from sight, and Shin Shira turned the bowl upside down to show that nothing was inside.

“It’s really most marvellous,” murmured the Duchess, taking off a most valuable diamond ornament and handing it to the Yellow Dwarf.  “Please make this disappear too.  I shall value it more highly than ever if I know that it has been through such a wonderful adventure.”

Shin Shira bowed, and taking the jewelled ornament from the lady, he dropped it into the bowl, where it at once shared the same fate as the other articles.

“Ha!  Hum!” said a grave and somewhat pompous voice, “our friend here might readily become a very dangerous person if he exercised his remarkable gifts in private, and made things disappear in this extraordinary fashion, and then refused to produce them again.  Eh?  Ha!  Hum!”

“Yes—­ha! ha! very good.  Ha! ha!” laughed a number of people who were standing near to the guest who had spoken.

“That’s the Lord Chief Justice,” explained a gentleman who stood near me.  “That’s why everybody is laughing; it’s considered very improper not to laugh when the Lord Chief Justice makes a joke—­however feeble it is.”

I hardly listened to what he was saying, though, for I had suddenly noticed something which caused me a good deal of anxiety.

Shin Shira was beginning to look very thin and vapoury about the head, and, while I was watching him, to my horror, he began to vanish piecemeal till he had entirely disappeared from sight, after giving me a strange, apologetic look.

The people clapped and stamped and laughed, evidently imagining that it was all part of the trick—­but I—­I knew differently, and scarcely dared realise what it all meant for me.

For a few minutes everybody waited patiently for him to appear again, and clapped and stamped in great good humour.  Presently, however, they began to get rather tired and impatient, and, after we had waited for about twenty minutes, the delay began to get very awkward.

“Why doesn’t he come back?” inquired the Duchess, in an impatient voice, coming over to where I was standing.  “The delay is becoming very embarrassing.”

I turned very red, I am afraid, for I hardly liked to explain that the probability was that he would not come back at all.

“Several of my guests are wanting to go early, and they must have their jewellery before they depart,” she continued.  “Can you not tell him to hurry up?”

“I—­I—­I—­am—­afraid n—­not,” I stammered.

“But you must,” insisted the lady.  “He’s your friend, and you brought him here, and I shall look to you to—­”

“Oh, Duchess!  I’m sorry to interrupt your charming party, but will you please ask the clever little gentleman who made my diamond and ruby bracelet disappear if he would kindly return it, as I really must be going,” said a lady, hurrying up.  “And my emerald chain, dear Duchess.”  “And my gold and pearl locket,” chimed in several other voices.