conjurer?

CONJURER. I wish I had never been born.

[_Exit_ CONJURER.

[_A silence. The_ DOCTOR _enters, very grave._

DOCTOR. It is all right so far. We have brought him back.

SMITH. [_Drawing near to him._] You told me there was mental trouble
with the girl.

DOCTOR. [_Looking at him steadily._] No. I told you there was mental
trouble in the family.

SMITH. [_After a silence._] Where is Mr. Morris Carleon?

DOCTOR. I have got him into bed in the next room. His sister is looking
after him.

SMITH. His sister! Oh, then do you believe in fairies?

DOCTOR. Believe in fairies? What do you mean?

SMITH. At least you put the person who does believe in them in charge of
the person who doesn't.

DOCTOR. Well, I suppose I do.

SMITH. You don't think she'll keep him awake all night with fairy tales?

DOCTOR. Certainly not.

SMITH. You don't think she'll throw the medicine-bottle out of window
and administer--er--a dewdrop, or anything of that sort? Or a
four-leaved clover, say?

DOCTOR. No; of course not.

SMITH. I only ask because you scientific men are a little hard on us
clergymen. You don't believe in a priesthood; but you'll admit I'm more
really a priest than this Conjurer is really a magician. You've been
talking a lot about the Bible and the Higher Criticism. But even by the
Higher Criticism the Bible is older than the language of the
elves--which was, as far as I can make out, invented this afternoon. But
Miss Carleon believed in the wizard. Miss Carleon believed in the
language of the elves. And you put her in charge of an invalid without
a flicker of doubt: because you trust women.

DOCTOR. [_Very seriously._] Yes, I trust women.

SMITH. You trust a woman with the practical issues of life and death,
through sleepless hours when a shaking hand or an extra grain would
kill.

DOCTOR. Yes.

SMITH. But if the woman gets up to go to early service at my church, you
call her weak-minded and say that nobody but women can believe in
religion.

DOCTOR. I should never call this woman weak-minded--no, by God, not even
if she went to church.

SMITH. Yet there are many as strong-minded who believe passionately in
going to church.

DOCTOR. Weren't there as many who believed passionately in Apollo?

SMITH. And what harm came of believing in Apollo? And what a mass of
harm may have come of not believing in Apollo? Does it never strike you
that doubt can be a madness, as well be faith? That