und in my coat-tail pocket and, putting my
hand into it, I found a large snake which dropped on the ground and
vanished. It quite paralysed me, my lord, and while I stood there
wondering whether I was bitten, a mouse jumped out of the kitchenmaid's
hair. She had been laughing at their dress, my lord, but _now_ she's
screaming in hysterics."

The solemn aspect of Mr. Savage as he narrated these unholy marvels was
such that, like the kitchenmaid, we both burst into ill-timed merriment.
Attracted by our laughter, Miss Holmes, Miss Manners, with whom she was
talking, and some of the other guests, approached and asked what was the
matter.

"Savage here declares that there are two conjurers in the kitchen
premises, who have been producing snakes out of his pocket and mice from
the hair of one of the maids, and who want to see Mr. Quatermain," Lord
Ragnall answered.

"Conjurers! Oh, do have them in, George," exclaimed Miss Holmes;
while Miss Manners and the others, who were getting a little tired of
promiscuous conversation, echoed her request.

"By all means," he answered, "though we have enough mice here without
their bringing any more. Savage, go and tell your two friends that _Mr.
Here-come-a-zany_ is waiting for them in the drawing-room, and that the
company would like to see some of their tricks."

Savage bowed and departed, like a hero to execution, for by his pallor I
could see that he was in a great fright. When he had gone we set to
work and cleared a space in the middle of the room, in front of which we
arranged chairs for the company to sit on.

"No doubt they are Indian jugglers," said Lord Ragnall, "and will want
a place to grow their mango-tree, as I remember seeing them do in
Kashmir."

As he spoke the door opened and Mr. Savage appeared through it, walking
much faster than was his wont. I noted also that he gripped the pockets
of his swallow-tail coat firmly in his hand.

"Mr. Hare-root and Mr. Mare-root," he announced.

"Hare-root and Mare-root!" repeated Lord Ragnall.

"Harut and Marut, I expect," I said. "I think I have read somewhere
that they were great magicians, whose names these conjurers have taken."
(Since then I have discovered that they are mentioned in the Koran as
masters of the Black Art.)

A moment later two men followed him through the doorway. The first was
a tall, Eastern-looking person with a grave countenance, a long, white
beard, a hooked nose, and flashing, hawk-like eyes.