ssion of adverse humour.

"That won't do, sir, at this time of day!" he exclaimed. "You should
have thought of that yesterday. That won't do at all, will it, Madame?"

"_O miseris hominorum mentas_!" exclaimed that lady, tragically. "_O
pectorae caecae_!"

"You hear her, sir?" continued Mr. Sagittarius. "You grasp her meaning?"

"I do hear certainly," said the Prophet, beginning to feel that he
really must rub up his classics.

"She helps Capricornus, sir, of an evening. She assists him in his
Latin. Madame is a lady of deep education, sir."

"Quite so. But--"

"There can be no going back, sir," continued Mr. Sagittarius. "Can
there, Madame?"

"No human creature can go back," said Madame Sagittarius. "Such is the
natural law as exemplified by the great Charles Darwin in his _Vegetable
Mould and Silkworms_. No human creature can go back. Least of all this
gentleman. He must go forward and we with him."

The Prophet began to feel uncomfortable.

"But--" he said.

"There is no such word as 'but' in my dictionary," retorted the lady.

"Ah, an abridged edition, no doubt," said the Prophet. "Still--"

"I am better now," interposed Madame Sagittarius, brushing some crumbs
of toast from her pelisse with the orange handkerchief. "Jupiter, if you
are ready, we can explain the test to the gentleman."

So saying she drew a vinaigrette, set with fine imitation carbuncles,
from the plush reticule, and applied it majestically to her nose.
The Prophet grew really perturbed. He remembered his promise to his
grandmother and Sir Tiglath, and felt that he must assert himself more
strongly.

"I assure you," he began, with some show of firmness, "no tests will
be necessary. My telescope has already been removed from its position,
and--"

"Then it must be reinstated, sir," said Mr. Sagittarius, "and this very
night. Madame has hit upon a plan, sir, of searching you to the quick.
Trust a woman, sir, to do that."

"I should naturally trust Madame Sagittarius," said the Prophet, very
politely. "But I really cannot--"

"So you say, sir. Our business is to find out whether, living in
the Berkeley Square as you do, you can bring off a prophecy of any
importance or not. The future of myself, Madame and family depends upon
the results of the experiments which we shall make upon you during the
next few days."

The Prophet began to feel as if he were shut up alone with a couple of
determined practitioners of vivisection.

"Le