The Sixth Sense

HIRD

we two

nce and

roken-

er for

thy chee

r thy

at hour

w to

: When We

rd to distract his mind from the unhappy quarrel with Sylvia. But I will not pretend that I sat by him day and night devising consolatory speeches; I am no good at that kind of thing, he would have seen through me, and we should speedily have got on one another's nerve

for though it will never be published, its literary parentage is the same, and its elder brothers are Volumes One and Two. I count it one of the great tragedies of the book-world that-at least in his life-time-the third volume will never be given to th

the scenes and meetings he was describing. I had heard large fragments of the dialogue and allowed my imagination to browse on the significance of each successive "soul-brush." Yet-I seemed to have heard and seen less than nothing! His insight enabled him to depict a psychological development where I had seen but a material friendship. It was one-sided, of course, and gave me only the impression that a vital, commanding spirit like Sylvia's wou

nnel of communication between Cadogan Square and Adelphi Terrace. It was noticeable-though I say it in no carping spirit-that Philip sought my company a shade less assiduously when I ceased to watch over the welfare of Gladys. Finally, I devoted a p

together. Culling enrolled himself for a while, but dropped away as he dropped out of most sustained efforts. Laziness brought about his defection more than want of faith or the pressure of orthodox friends; indeed I am not sure that his strongest motive in joining us was not a passing desire to confound Nigel Rawnsley. In this as in other things, we never treated him seriously; but with Gartside it was different. At a time when Carnforth's resign

gh I had the doubtful satisfaction of knowing that nothing I could say or do would check her. She risked her health as recklessly as she had been risking her liberty since the inauguration of the New Militancy. I had to treat her politics like a cold in the head and allow them to run their nine days' course. Though I saw she was still cumbered with my sc

theatre. She would be dining alone; if I had nothing better to do, would I look in for a few minutes and see if I could cheer her up? I had promised to dine with Nigel, but it was a small party and

to earth at

e eyes, and under either cheekbone a little hollow that ought not to have been there. When she opened her eyes and saw

h a woebegone shake of the head. "Oh, Toby

was solely concerned with the reflection that

to get yourself into thi

rki

appens when people take to work. I shall now

ou wouldn't pr

n do

at's no

common; one is that I am very fond of both, the other, that I can

d many dead lions," I rem

convince me of th

one Robert Spencer adopted in telling a surprised Hou

ouldn't bear an a

l had spent itself, and I was not at

"if you're too tire

ue or use long words; but I've had such a headache the last few days that I haven't been a

st time in India with men who were being

ds, you want

d without

't you t

what we are. Obstinate, hard-mouthed brutes, the whole family

't happen to be your followers? Some of them may

ey don'

you,

ou've spoken and fought and been imprisoned side by side with them. I always feel rather mean; any one of them 'ud die for me, and I'm not at a

ou wea

I lost all faith in the cause. I say, don't go on smoking cigarettes; ring the bell and mak

see you," I

fully poor com

you, in sickness and h

Meriv

e was ve

er?" I said, with a s

nd not in very good taste. Oh, I

as quite

y think I should

. A twopenny ring-but you

any neare

like to

red Mr. Rawnsley's time-a

ubt the reply h

y. "And they haven't fo

've paid

induran

pse of her left hand, wearing the scarab-ring; it disappeared

off?" she suggested. "I

es running. It's too late now. H

the ring came off three days a

idn't

N

ow

slipping the ring back on to th

plings before she s

me when the finger's nice and p

nnoyance cros

have it cut

s ago. You could have thrown the thing a

into her cheeks. "How

efore he started his campaigns, Wren nearer fifty than forty before ever

ow long it was sin

the flecks of cigare

ore I go. You want to win this wager, don't you? So do I. Well, if you

y, she got up and to

an ill-win

ce, if I say I'm beaten, will you be a good girl and go to bed and stay t

little sadly. "I can'

lose the

ly into my face, an

w that I min

oy

ake a holiday,

on the threshold wave

till Elsie comes

wait for

e are you

one does when one wish

eak the Militant

ple have failed,

never

ll you

eighed Dick's tall hat in the balan

alled back to the fig

tell him, and was able to make a fairly accurate guess at the nature of my conversation with Joyce. Perhaps there was nothing very wonderful in that, but it fitted in with the rest of his theory: I remember he summarised her mental condition by saying that a certain sub-conscious idea was coming to be consciously apprehended. It was a cumbrous way of saying that both Joyc

ot her yet,"

s that bette

ill very full

damn

torn between you, and you'll have to fi

Joyce, that I proposed to

" he

able to help. What is go

moodily, and pic

ot a p

some purpose before

the cigarette in one hand and

," I heard

worked o

ncid

n't thi

at if it amuses me," he ans

s of his tone

orrying you, S

ing.

chair and looke

ou're shaking as if you'd got malaria, and wherever your mind

ogised, sitting down

n and began pacing feverishly up and

r about it

't do an

judge

against the frame of the window and looking out at

ylvia, I mean. She's absolutely on the brink, and if some one doesn't save her, she'll be over. I can't interfere, I should only preci

lips were white, and his fingers locked and unlocke

?" I asked, with s

should I? But it's

ng," I answered, t

ust go

but I refuse to disturb a Cabinet Minister's household at one in the morning to proclaim that an overstrung n

ll Christian hou

t believe it;

what warning I was to give her when we met; indeed I felt wholly ridiculous and slightly resentful. However, my word had gone forth, and I was indisposed to upset the Seraph by breaking it.

about three I should probably find her at home. It hardly seemed worth my while to return to Adelphi Terrace, so I ordered some cigars, took

Sylvia appeared in sigh

hand. "I was so sorry to be out when you called this morning. Look here

dining ou

ome? Ring up and fix a nig

t take a

in's been taken ill and she's got no one to look after her. I must just see she's got everything she wants. It's

, Chiswick," as he slammed the door and clambered into his seat. I caught my last glimpse of her rounding the corner into Sloane Street, the same black and white study that I had admired when I first visited Gladys-w

. He was writing quicker than I think I have ever seen a man write, and allowed me to enter the room and drop into an armchair by the window without raising hi

n't stop h

N

ou saw

for a

t.' Those were the

wards on the pile of manuscript. Then for the first time our eyes met, and I saw it was only

manner of a man recalling his mind fr

sked as he tidied the pile of manuscr

end of e

does it c

arting fro

time, i

minut

my watch. "And wh

h me, I might say, and sat starin

ain that silent July afternoon. The Seraph sat from four till six without speech or movement. As the sun's rays lengthened, they fell on his face and lit it with cold, merciless limelight. He had started pale and gr

ed two varieties of sandwich and one of cake. I cut my cigar noisily, damned with audible good humour when the matches refused to

uld stand i

lay the piano,

he begged me, with a sh

ld keep our heads above water and we all had a shrewd suspicion that the boat accommodation was insufficient. We should have been more miserable than we were if it had not occurred to the Westerner to distract our minds. In spite of a thirty-degree list he sat down to the piano and

ccession of waltzes and ragtimes till eight o'clock. Then the bell of

d we don't know where she is. The man says you had a word wi

iswick, and repeated the address

he woman worse than she expected. Hadn't you better inquire who took

hilip rang me up again, this time wi

up the Chiswick address and the Fr?ulein answered in person. She wasn't il

t who--?"

e with a common telephone: any one in the house could have used it. You said tw

ut Sylvia

that you saw her? Three-five, three-ten? And she turned into Sloane Street? No

promised to advise me if there was anything fresh to report. Then he rang off, and I gave a résumé of our conversation to the Seraph. He had just come out of the bath and was sitting wrapped in a towel on th

f I went round after dinner to see if

't be," he

of course we

ve found her, they do

in Chiswick; it looks lik

know it

l stages of my toilet. I soon came back, however, to tie my tie in front of his

shoul

ometim

other p

her people don't-and when you've no bett

s bare knees and his head bowed down and resting on his hands. For a mome

happened at Brandon

ork," he

nse

her explanatio

ensitiveness where Sylvia's concerned.

I thought Nigel disposed o

satisfactio

mped up and b

't know where she i

that you

say I

now yo

t much sign

eyance. It ma

duly long time selecting

s the connection's broken at