ng about?"

"I can't say I have," said Julius.

"There you are!" quoth Embro, in triumph.

"But," continued Julius, "I don't therefore nail that case down as
false."

"Do you mean to say," exclaimed Embro, "that you have lived all your
years, and studied science at the Salpetriere,--or what they call
science there,--and studied and seen God knows what else besides, and
you can't pronounce an opinion from all you know on a case of this
sort?"

"Oh yes," said Julius, quietly, "I can pronounce an opinion; but what's
the use of that? I think that case is true, but I don't know that it is;
and therefore I can't argue about it, for argument should come from
knowledge, and I have none. I have a few opinions, and I am always ready
to receive impressions; but, besides some schoolboy facts that are
common property, the only thing I know--I am certain of--is, as some man
says, '_Life's a dream worth dreaming_.'"

"You're too high-falutin for me, Julius," said Embro, shaking his head.
"But my opinion, founded on my knowledge, is that this story is a
hallucination of the young woman's noddle!"

"And how much, Embro," laughed Julius, rising to leave the circle, "is
the argument advanced by your ticketing the case with that long word?"

"To say 'hallucination,'" quoth Lefevre, "is a convenient way of giving
inquiry the slip."

"My dear Embro," said Julius,--and he spoke with an emphasis, and looked
down on Embro with a bright vivacity of eye, which forewarned the circle
of one of his eloquent flashes: a smile of expectant enjoyment passed
round,--"hallucination is the dust-heap and limbo of the meanly-equipped
man of science to-day, just as witchcraft was a few hundred years ago.
The poor creature of science long ago, when he came upon any
pathological or psychological manifestation he did not understand, used
to say, '_Witchcraft_! Away with it to the limbo!' To-day he says,
'_Hallucination_! Away with it to the dust-heap!' It is a pity," said
he, with a laugh, "you ever took to science, Embro."

"And why, may I ask?" said Embro.

"Oh, you'd have been great as an orthodox theologian of the Kirk; the
cocksureness of theology would have suited you like your own coat. You
are not at home in science, for you have no imagination."

It was characteristic of the peculiar regard in which Julius was held
that whatever he said or did appeared natural and pleasant,--like the
innocent actions and the simple, truthful speech of a c