ion grows that
the reason of these things will never be revealed to the eye of science.
To the eye of faith alone we must trust the explanation of what has
happened. There are things concealed from the wise and prudent--to be
revealed unto babes."

That night the master of Chadlands, his nephew, and the priest dined
together, and Henry Lennox implored a privilege.

"I feel I owe it to poor Tom in a way," he said. "I beg that you will
let me spend the night in the Grey Room, Uncle Walter. I would give my
soul to clear this."

But his uncle refused with a curt shake of the head, and the clergyman
uttered a reproof.

"Do not speak so lightly," he said. "You use a common phrase and a very
objectionable phrase, young man. Do you rate your soul so low that you
would surrender it for the satisfaction of a morbid craving? For that is
all this amounts to. Not to such an inquirer will my son's death reveal
its secret."

"I have already received half-a-dozen letters from people offering and
wishing to spend a night in that accursed room," said Sir Walter.

"Do not call it 'accursed' until you know more," urged Septimus May.

"You have indeed charity," answered the other.

"Why withhold charity? We must approach the subject in the only spirit
that can disarm the danger. These inquirers who seek to solve the
mystery are not concerned with my son's death, only the means that
brought it about. Not to such as they will any answer be vouchsafed, and
not to the spirit of materialistic inquiry, either. I speak what I know,
and will say more upon the subject at another time."

"You cannot accept this awful thing without resentment or demur, Mr.
May?" asked Henry Lennox.

"Who shall demur? Did not even the unenlightened men who formed the
coroner's jury declare that Tom passed into another world by the hand
of God? Can we question our Creator? I, too, desire as much as any human
being can an explanation; what is more, I am far more confident of an
explanation than you or any other man. But that is because I already
know the only road by which it will please God to send an explanation.
And that is not the road which scientists or rationalists are used to
travel. It is a road that I must be allowed to walk alone."

He left them after dinner, and returned to his daughter-in-law. She
had determined not to attend the funeral, but Mr. May argued with her,
examined her reasons, found them, in his opinion, not sufficient, and
prevaile