e, except
dressed in factory blue jeans, man's blue shirt, and a bandanna wrapped
around her head. Her companion, probably another of the factory
assemblers, nudged her and pointed, not too subtly, in my direction.
Annie saw me then, and lit up with a big smile. She started toward me,
hesitated when I frowned and shook my head, flushed with the thought
that I didn't want to speak to her in public; then got a flash of better
sense than that. She, too, gave me a conspiratorial wink and patted her
handbag.

My confederates were doing nicely.

Almost immediately thereafter a horse-faced, mustached old gal started
rounding people up in a honey sweet, pear shaped voice; and herded them
into the auditorium. I chose one of the wooden folding chairs in the
back row.

A heavy jowled old gal came out in front of the closed curtains and gave
a little introductory talk about how lucky we all were that the Swami
had consented to visit with us. There was the usual warning to anyone
who was not of the esoteric that we must not expect too much, that
sometimes nothing at all happened, that true believers did not attend
just to see effects. She reminded us kittenishly that the guides were
capricious, and that we must all help by merging ourselves in the great
flowing currents of absolute infinity.

She finally faltered, realized she was probably saying all the things
the Swami would want to say--in the manner of people who introduce
speakers everywhere--and with a girlish little flourish she waved at
someone off stage.

The house lights dimmed. The curtains swirled up and back.

* * * * *

The Swami was doing all right for himself. He was seated behind a small
table in the center of the stage. A pale violet light diffused through a
huge crystal ball on the table, and threw his dark features into sharp
relief. It gave an astonishingly remote and inscrutable wisdom to his
features. In the pale light, and at this distance, his turban looked
quite clean.

He began to speak slowly and sonorously. A hush settled over the
audience, and gradually I felt myself merging with the mass reaction of
the rest. As I listened, I got the feeling that what he was saying was
of tremendous importance, that somehow his words contained great and
revealing wonders--or would contain them if I were only sufficiently
advanced to comprehend their true meanings. The man was good, he knew
his trade. All men search for truth at