le they were conversing I went across the room and spoke to
Miss Forrest; but she was very reserved, and I thought her face looked
very pale.

"This is becoming interesting," I said.

"I wish you had said nothing about his story," was her reply.

"Pray why?"

She only shook her head.

"Surely you do not believe in his foolish story or conjuring tricks?" I
said laughingly.

But she did not reply in the same vein.

"Mr. Voltaire is a wonderful man," she said, "a clever man. If I were a
man I should not like to make him my enemy."

"I have heard of an old saying at my home," I replied, "which ran
something like this, 'Brag is a good dog, but Holdfast is better.'"

"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