a
big college. This, of course, I only mention to show that this is not
the invention of a foolish person.

I shall now tell the story as I heard it from the professor.

* * * * *

"I was a professor of chemistry in a Calcutta college in the year 18--.
One morning I received a letter from home informing me that my eldest
brother was ill. It was a case of fever due to cold. Of course, a man
does sometimes catch cold and get fever too. There was nothing
extraordinary about that.

"In the evening I did not receive any further news. This meant that my
brother was better, because in any other case they would have written.

"A number of friends came to my diggings in the evening and invited me
to join their party then going to a theatre. They had reserved some seat
but one of the party for whom a seat had been reserved was unavoidably
detained and hence a vacant seat. The news of my brother's illness had
made me a little sad, the theatre, I thought, would cheer me up. So I
joined.

"We left the theatre at about one in the morning. Coming to my house
along the now deserted but well-lighted "College Street" of Calcutta I
saw from a distance a tall man walking to and fro on the pavement in
front of the Senate Hall. When I approached nearer I found that it was
my brother of whose illness I had heard in the morning. I was surprised.

"'What are you doing here--brother.' I asked.

"'I came to tell you something.'

"'But you were ill--I heard this morning--by what train did you come?' I
asked.

"'I did not come by train--never mind--I went to your "Basa" (lodgings)
and found you were out--gone to the theatre, so I waited for you here
as I thought you would prefer walking home instead of taking a hackney
carriage--'

"'Very fortunate I did not take one--'

"'In that case I would have seen you at your quarters.'

"'Then come along with me--' I said.

"'No' he said 'I shall stay where I am--what I have come to tell you is
this, that after I am gone you will take care of the mother and see that
she has everything she wants--'

"'But where are you going--' I asked puzzled.

"'Never mind where I am going--but will you promise--'

"'Promise what--?' I asked.

"'That you will see that the mother has everything she wants.'

"'Certainly--but where on earth are you going--' I asked again.

"'I can depend upon your promise then' he said and vanished.

"He vanished mysteriously. In what d