on killing. The gluttons would fain gorge themselves with food, the
lustful with bodily excesses. All these evil spirits, cut off from their
old gratifications, try to satisfy their desires by re-entering earthly
bodies, and often they succeed. That is the great peril of the war, she
says. What a horrible thought! I simply refuse to believe that such
things are possible._

_And yet--those Voices!_

CHAPTER VII

JEWELS

If this were a conventional novel and not simply a statement of
essential facts in the strange case of Penelope Wells, there would be
much elaboration of details and minor characters, including the wife of
Dr. William Owen and an adventure that befell this lady during a
week-end visit to Morristown, N. J., since this adventure has a bearing
upon the narrative. As it is, we must be content to know that Mrs.
William Owen was an irritable and neurasthenic person, a thorn in the
side of her distinguished husband, who was supposed to cure these
ailments. He could not cure his wife, however, and had long since given
up trying. It was Mrs. Owen who quite unintentionally changed the course
of events for sad-eyed Penelope.

It happened in this way. Dr. Owen received a call from Mrs. Seraphine
Walters on the day following Seraphine's talk with Penelope and was not
overjoyed to learn that his visitor was a trance medium. If there was
one form of human activity that this hard-headed physician regarded with
particular detestation it was that of mediumship. All mediums, in his
opinion, were knaves or fools and their so-called occult manifestations
were either conjurers' trickery or self-created illusions of a hypnotic
character. He had never attended a spiritualistic seance and had no
intention of doing so.

But in spite of his aversion for Seraphine's _metier_, the doctor was
impressed by the lady's gentle dignity and by her winsome confidence
that she must be lovingly received since she herself came armed so
abundantly with the power of love. Furthermore, it appeared that the
medium had called for no other reason than to furnish information about
her dear friend Penelope Wells, so the specialist listened politely.

"You are the first spiritualist I ever talked to, Mrs. Walters," he said
amiably. "You seem to have a sunny, joyous nature?"

Her face lighted up. "That is because I have so much to be grateful for,
doctor. I have always been happy, almost always, even as a little girl,
because--" She che