. He
felt that their demeanour portended he knew not what, more at any rate
than hope of deriving pleasure from his society; in fact, that they
expected to get something out of him. Suddenly he recollected a picture
that once he had seen in a pious work which he was given to read on
Sundays. It represented a missionary being led by the hand by a smiling
woman into the presence of some savages in a South Sea island, who were
about to cook and eat him.

In the picture a large pot was already boiling over a fire in the
background. Instinctively Godfrey looked for the pot, but saw none,
except one of the flowers which stood on a little table in a recess,
and round it half a dozen chairs, one of them large, with arms. Had he
but known it, that chair was the pot.

No sooner had he made his somewhat awkward bow than luncheon was
announced, and they all went into another large and beautiful room,
where they were served with a perfect meal. The conversation at table
was general, and in English, but presently it drifted into a debate
which Godfrey did not understand, on the increase of spirituality among
the "initiated" of the earth.

Colonel Josiah Smith, who appeared to associate with remarkable persons
whom he called "Masters," who dwelt in the remote places of the world,
alleged that such increase was great, which Professor Petersen, who
dwelt much among German intellectuals, denied. It appeared that these
"intellectuals" were busy in turning their backs on every form of
spirituality.

"Ah!" said Miss Ogilvy, with a sigh, "they seek the company of their
kindred 'Elementals,' although they do not know it, and soon those
Elementals will have the mastery of them and break them to pieces, as
the lions did the maligners of Daniel."

In after years Godfrey always remembered this as a very remarkable
prophecy, but at the time, not knowing what an Elemental might be, he
only marvelled.

At length Madame Riennes, who, it seemed, was half French and half
Russian, intervened in a slow, heavy voice:

"What does it matter, friends of my soul?" she asked. Then having
paused to drink off a full glass of sparkling Moselle, she went on:
"Soon we shall be where the spirituality, or otherwise, of this little
world matters nothing to us. Who will be the first to learn the truths,
I wonder?" and she stared in turn at the faces of every one of them, a
process which seemed to cause general alarm, bearing, as it did, a
strong resemblance t