le after all this time of separation and agony. What makes it
worse is, as I gathered from what Harut said the other day, that she is
still out of her mind."

"That has some consolations," I replied, "since the mindless do not
suffer. But if such is the case, how do you account for what you
and poor Savage saw that night in the Town of the Child? It was not
altogether a phantasy, for the dress you described was the same we saw
her wearing at the Feast of the First-fruits."

"I don't know what to make of it, Quatermain, except that many strange
things happen in the world which we mock at as insults to our limited
intelligence because we cannot understand them." (Very soon I was to
have another proof of this remark.) "But what are you driving at? You
are keeping something back."

"Only this, Ragnall. If your wife were utterly mad I cannot conceive
how it came about that she searched you out and spoke to you even in
a vision--for the thing was not an individual dream since both you and
Savage saw her. Nor did she actually visit you in the flesh, as the door
never opened and the spider's web across it was not broken. So it comes
to this: either some part of her is not mad but can still exercise
sufficient will to project itself upon your senses, or she is dead and
her disembodied spirit did this thing. Now we know that she is not
dead, for we have seen her and Harut has confessed as much. Therefore
I maintain that, whatever may be her temporary state, she must still
be fundamentally of a reasonable mind, as she is of a natural body. For
instance, she may only be hypnotized, in which case the spell will break
one day."

"Thank you for that thought, old fellow. It never occurred to me and
it gives me new hope. Now listen! If I should come to grief in this
business, which is very likely, and you should survive, you will do your
best to get her home; will you not? Here is a codicil to my will which I
drew up after that night of dream, duly witnessed by Savage and Hans.
It leaves to you whatever sums may be necessary in this connexion
and something over for yourself. Take it, it is best in your keeping,
especially as if you should be killed it has no value."

"Of course I will do my best," I answered as I put away the paper in
my pocket. "And now don't let us take any more thought of being killed,
which may prevent us from getting the sleep we want. I don't mean to be
killed if I can help it. I mean to give those beggars, t