“Do you really think—­”

“Yes, I do.  But I must find Towle at once.”

So saying she hastened away from the buffet, followed by the trotting Prophet.  As she passed Eureka and Mr. Moses, she said,—­

“Eureka, darling, do I look odd?  I suddenly began to feel astral just as I was going to eat a sandwich.  I can’t help thinking that Lady Enid—­you know, my astral ancestress, who’s always with me—­is peculiarly powerful to-night.  D’you notice anything?”

“Watch out for it, mother!” cried Mr. Moses.  “See if it’s got the lump.”

Eureka fixed her heavy eyes on Miss Minerva and swayed her thin body to and fro in as panther-like a manner as she could manage.

“Mother’s after it,” continued Mr. Moses, twitching his left ear with his thumb in a Hebraic manner and shooting his shining cuffs; “mother’s on the trail.  Doves for a bishop and the little mangel-wurzel for the labouring man.  Clever mother!  She’ll take care it’s suitable.  Is it a haggis, mother, hovering over the lady with outspread wings?”

Eureka closed her eyes and rocked herself more violently.

“I see you,” she said in a deep voice.  “You are astral.  You are Lady Enid emerged for an hour from our dear Minerva.”

“I thought so,” cried Lady Enid, with decision.  “I thought so, because when someone called me Miss Minerva just now I felt angry, and didn’t seem to know what they meant.  Tell them, dear Eureka,—­tell all my friends of your discovery.”

And she hastened on with the Prophet in search of the great Towle.

“I’ll get him to back Eureka up, and then it will be quite safe,” she said.  “Ah! there he is with Harriet Browne, the demonstrator from the Rye.”

Indeed, at this moment a small crowd was visible in one of the further drawing-rooms, moving obsequiously along in reverent attendance upon the great Towle, Mrs. Bridgeman and a thickset, red-faced lady, without a waist and plainly clad in untrimmed linsey-wolsey, who was speaking authoritatively to a hysterical-looking young girl, upon whose narrow shoulder she rested a heavy, fat-fingered hand as she walked.

“Harriet’s evidently going to demonstrate,” added Lady Enid.  “That’s lucky, because then I can get a quiet word with Towle.”

“Demonstrate?” said the Prophet.

“Yes.  She’s the great Christian Scientist and has the healing power.  She demonstrated over Agatha Marshall’s left ear.  You know.  The case got into the papers.  Ah, Harriet, darling!”

“My blessing!  My Minerva!” said Harriet in a thick and guttural voice.

“Lady Enid, Harriet love, to-night.  Eureka says I’m astral.  Oh, Mr. Towle, what an honour to meet you—­what an honour for us all!”

The great Towle ducked and scraped in cabman fashion.

“Oh, will you materialise for us to-night?”

“Yes, yes,” cried Mrs. Bridgeman, trembling with excitement.  “He’s promised to after supper.  He says he feels less material then—­more en rapport with the dear spirits.”