“‘You women,’ he continued, his voice plainly thrilling at my approach, ’you wonderful women, to whom life often brings no opportunity of spending your great love, oh, if you only could know how many of us simply yearn for it!  It would save our souls, if but you knew.  Few might find the chance that you now have, but if you only spent your love freely, without definite object, just letting it flow openly for all who need, you would reach hundreds and thousands of souls like me, and release us!  Oh, madam, I ask you again to feel with me, to be kind and gentle—­and if you can to love me a little!’

“My heart did leap within me and this time the tears did come, for I could not restrain them.  I laughed too, for the way he called me ‘madam’ sounded so odd, here in this empty room at midnight in a London street, but my laughter stopped dead and merged in a flood of weeping when I saw how my change of feeling affected him.  He had left his place by the window and was kneeling on the floor at my feet, his hands stretched out towards me, and the first signs of a kind of glory about his head.

“‘Put your arms round me and kiss me, for the love of God!’ he cried.  ’Kiss me, oh, kiss me, and I shall be freed!  You have done so much already—­now do this!’

“I stuck there, hesitating, shaking, my determination on the verge of action, yet not quite able to compass it.  But the terror had almost gone.

“‘Forget that I’m a man and you’re a woman,’ he continued in the most beseeching voice I ever heard.  ’Forget that I’m a ghost, and come out boldly and press me to you with a great kiss, and let your love flow into me.  Forget yourself just for one minute and do a brave thing!  Oh, love me, love me, LOVE ME! and I shall be free!’

“The words, or the deep force they somehow released in the center of my being, stirred me profoundly, and an emotion infinitely greater than fear surged up over me and carried me with it across the edge of action.  Without hesitation I took two steps forward towards him where he knelt, and held out my arms.  Pity and love were in my heart at that moment, genuine pity, I swear, and genuine love.  I forgot myself and my little tremblings in a great desire to help another soul.

“‘I love you! poor, aching, unhappy thing!  I love you,’ I cried through hot tears; ‘and I am not the least bit afraid in the world.’

“The man uttered a curious sound, like laughter, yet not laughter, and turned his face up to me.  The light from the street below fell on it, but there was another light, too, shining all round it that seemed to come from the eyes and skin.  He rose to his feet and met me, and in that second I folded him to my breast and kissed him full on the lips again and again.”

All our pipes had gone out, and not even a skirt rustled in that dark studio as the story-teller paused a moment to steady her voice, and put a hand softly up to her eyes before going on again.