r every
human being, and Miss Lambert's ambition is a perfectly legitimate
craving. Furthermore, she seems eager to escape from this life. She
hints at some sort of mysterious persecution. She has not defined her
troubles in detail, but I inferred that some undesirable suitor made
life miserable for her." With these words he bent a keen glance at
Clarke.

"You are quite mistaken, sir. Miss Lambert has many admirers but no
suitors. I have cautioned her against entanglements of that kind. I
have shown how they would interfere with her work."

"You mean her work in your church?"

Clarke's eyes again took on the narrowed glance of suspicion. "Partly
that, but more on account of other and higher work which I hope to see
her do."

"To what do you refer?"

"Pardon me, of that I cannot at present speak; I can only say that it
is a work whose preliminary stages can be passed as well here as in
New York City--better, in fact."

"You arouse my curiosity--"

Clarke suddenly awoke from his musing and became aggressive. He
resolutely changed the subject. "Before you go I want to ask you--do
you, as a chemist, deny the immortality of the soul?"

"Chemistry does not concern itself with the soul."

"Do you, as a _man_, deny the immortality of the soul?"

"I neither deny nor affirm. I have never concerned myself with the
question."

Clarke was a little daunted. "You leave the most vital question in all
this world uninvestigated!"

"Yes, because I was long ago convinced that the problem of death, like
the origin of life, is insoluble, and why waste time on the insoluble?
To pore upon the constitution of matter is a species of mediaevalism. I
am concerned with what bacteria do--not what they are."

"I deny that the question of immortality _is_ insoluble!" replied
Clarke, his eyes glowing with the fire of his faith. "It is because
you scientists ignore the phenomena of spiritism that you remain
ignorant of the messages which come from the other side."

"What other side?"

"The realm of those you call 'the dead.'" He caught up a book. "There
is the word of a German scientist, a hundred times more eminent than
you, and here are the conclusions of two great Englishmen, members of
the Royal Academy, who have investigated and have been convinced of
the return of the dead."

"I know those men," replied Serviss, coldly. "The common opinion is
that they ceased to be scientists when they wrote these volumes. All
were past thei