The Grey Room

companion in earnest, had followed upon their departure from Chadland

ions that another had impressed upon him. Sir Walter and the priest were now at one, nor did the comm

said. "Providence has willed that those opposed to us should be taken

o not wish this?" aske

elder wa

May before these events. It would be unreasonable to pretend that the death of Peter Hardcastle has not changed my opinions

g happened to you, Mr. May? Even supposing there is a spirit hidden in the Grey Room with power and

was not a religious man. He had yet to learn the incomparable and vital value of the practice of Christian faith. Hardcastle invited his own doom. He admitted-he even appea

soul," said Mary. "But that is not to say God chose to take him by a miracle. For what you believe amounts to a miracle. You know that I am bearing my lo

are inside nature, as we k

e Mr. May to wait until we are at least a

; this man cannot be absolved so easily. In my case, with my knowledge and faith, the conditions are very different, and I oppose an impregnable barrier between myself and the secret being. I am an old priest, and I go knowing the nature of my task. My weapons are such that a good spirit would applaud them and an evil spirit be p

udgment now firmly inclined to the confident assertions of religion. He was himself a devout and conventional believer, and he turned to the support of faith, and shared, with increasing conviction, the opinion of Septimus May, as uttered in a volume of confiden

ensity and asseverations could justify such extravagant assertion. At another time they might even have amused Mary; but in sight of the fact that her father was yielding, and that the end of the argument would mean the clergyman in the Grey Room, she

icated in some degree. But only in mind, not in manner. He argued for his new attit

s been snatched out of these bodies by some force of which we have no conception. Were it natural, science would have discovered a reason for death; but it could not, because their lives flowed away as water out of a bottle, leaving the bottle unchanged in every particular. But life does not desert its physical habitation on these terms. It cannot quit a healthy, human body neither ruined nor rent. You must be honest with yourself, my child, as well as with

ge. I may find an answer to those grave questions concerning the life beyond and the whole problem of spiritualism now convulsing the Church and casting us into opposing sections. It is untrodden and mysterious ground; but I am called upon to tread it. For my part, I am never prepared to flout inquirers if they approach these subjects in a rev

n, or destroy, the triumphant certainty born of faith. Spiritualism has succeeded to the biblical record of 'possession,' and I, for my part, of course prefer what my Bible teaches. I do not myself find that the 'mediums' of modern spiritualism speak with tongues worthy of much respect up to the present,

it, May?" ask

have learned. I refer to incidents and criticisms of last October. There the Dean of Manchester, who shows how those, who have apparently spoken to us from Beyond through the mo

hells, shall we not make our own heavens? We must go into the next world more or less cloyed and clogged with the emotions and interests of this one. It is inevi

errible a transformation upon the souls of the righteous departed, but lead one and all, by gradual stages and through not

en," said

nished. He proceeded t

t a house be similarly cleansed as well as a soul? This unknown spirit-angel or fiend, or other sentient being-is permitted to challenge mankind and draw attention to its exi

departed human being condemned, for causes that humanity has forgotten, to remain within these walls. The nameless and unknown thing cries passionately t

e translated and moved from this environment for ever; and to me the appointed task is allotted. So I bel

e made it convi

ch we have no knowledge, dazzle us a little, awaken our speculations and then depart, so may certain immortal spirits also be supposed to act. We entangle them possibly in our gross air and detain them f

ered them, she also perceived. Yet her reasonable caution and conventional distrust began to give way a little under the priest's magnetic voice, his flaming eyes, his positive and triumphant certainty of truth. He burned with his inspiration, and she felt

," he said, "for had the police arrived, out

hadlands, he never departed again. He was an intelligent man, who occupied a good part of his leisure in reading. He set Sir Walter and Mary first in his

gged. "I'm sure you know as well as

ster. He was handing c

ate your judgment, Masters. You have heard Mr. May upon

was very

the creature, she fetched up more than she bargained for. And I remember a proverb as I heard in India, from a Hindoo. I've forgot the lingo now, but I remember

oor of this mystery; but this I know, that, in the Nam

t alone, being about average sinful and not near good enough to tackle that unknown horror hid

red Sir Walter. "For that matter, I would do the

his head and Mary tremble

nd so's the housekeeper, Mrs. Forbes, and so's Jane Bond. Not that they would desert the ship; but there's others that be going to do so. I may mention that four maids and Jackson intend to giv

ll them what you have heard to-night, Masters. Tell them that no good Christian need fear to rest in peace. Explain that Mr.

s hesi

errible interested in 'em, as all human men must be; and I hear that running after 'em often brings trouble. I don't mean to your life, Sir Walter, but to your wits. People get cracked on 'em and have to be lock

for common sense and keeping your nerve, in my opinion, and we don't want another death on our hands, I suppose. There'll be half the mountebanks and photograph men and newspaper men in the land here to-morrow, and

en," replied Septimus May. "You mean well, Sir Walter, and your butler means well

suppose you will see something, and that something w

e a very great blessing to

could do, in my humble o

ay deprecated

your thoughts. I am only concerned with what I know beyond possibility of doubt is my duty-to be entered upon as swiftly as possible. I hear my call in the very voice of the wind shouting round the house to-nig

etition for me, that my work be crowned with success. But let them not assume that to-morrow I shall have anything to impart. The night may be one of peace within, though so stormy w

mighty faith," replied Sir Walter. "You have no fear, no

e in the right to let me face this ordeal. But I am driven by an overwhelming mandate. Did I fear, or feel one tremor of uncertainty, I would not proceed; for an

nd have I not the spirit of my dead boy on my side? Could any living man, however well intentioned, watch with me and ov

fierce and absolute faith when

went to the window and told the rain to stop and the wind to go down, they would. No ghost that ever walked could best him

, an even flyer that he's going to put the creature down and out and come off without a scratch himself. I offered to sit up with him, so did Sir Walter; but he woul

her company. Sir Walter found himself worn out in mind and body. Mary made him take his bromide, and he slept without a dream, despite t

priest to his ordeal. Mr. May donned biretta, surplice, and stole, for, as he expla

congregation then,

dily; but the storm seemed to beat its fists at the windows, and the leaded panes shook and chattered. With no bell and candle, but his

were the last word

ey waited a little, and the sound roiled steadily on. Sir Walter then bade Masters extinguis

hich they had been spoken, this feverish business of exorcising a ghost in the twentieth century might only awake derision and receive neither credence nor respect. His entire concern was for Sir Walter, not Mr. May. He could not sleep, lighted a pipe, considered whether it was in his power to do anything, felt a sudden impulse to take certain steps, yet hesitated-from no fear to himself, but doubt whether action might not endanger another. Mary did not sleep either, and she suffered more, for she had never approved, and now she blamed herself not a little for her weak opposition. A thousand arguments occurred to her while she lay awake. Then, for a time, she forgot present tribulations, and her own grief overwhelmed her, as it was wont to do by night. For while the events that had so swiftly followed each other since her husband's death ban

ence. She remembered a storm at sea, when through a long night, not lacking danger to a laboring steam

ther-in-law. Nor would she give ear to misgiving or ask herself wh

till sounded with a steady shout in the neighbor trees. At the casements it tugged and rattled; against them it flung the rain fiercely. Every bay and passage of t

nearly ran into an invisible figure approaching from the direction of the Grey R

e asked; and Ma

rrible sorry, ma'am!

h are you doi

der the door-and he's praying away, steady as a steam-threshing machine. I doubt he's keeping the evil creature at arm's length, and I'm a tidy lot more hopeful than w

e that, Masters

out long before now, like other people. It settled the police officer in under an hour, and Mr. May's been up ag

y feel mor

a word of it to-morrow, all the same. Ghosts are bang out of their line, and I never met even a common constable that believed in 'em, except Bob Parrett, and he had bats in the belfry, poor chap. No; they'll reckon it's somebody in the house

d through the empty corridor, when it was lulle

d already begun to sink, and through a rack of flying and