The Magician

oulevard du Montparnasse. Electric trams passed through it wit

ut his hand on the horse's neck. On a sudden, for no apparent reason, it began to tremble. The trembling passed through the body and down its limbs till it shook from head to foot as though it had the staggers. The coachman jumped off

away, Mr Haddo,'

egan to decrease, and in a moment the poor old cab-horse was in its us

euce was the matter

med to see right through people, and then, lifting his

at? It came immediately he put his hand on its n

e!' said

f all their tribe. They spend their days in front of my fire, meditating on the problems of metaphysics. But as soon as he came in they started up, and their fur stood right on end. Then they b

et shu

don't know what there is about him that frightens me. Even now I feel

ter. He would have no trifling with credibility. Either Haddo believed things that none but a lunatic could, or else he was a charlatan who sought to at

ws Frank Hurrell I'll find out all about him. I'll drop a no

or later you run across persons who believe in everything. There's no form of religion, there's no eccentricity or enormity, that ha

ve himself, or is he laughing up his sleeve at the folly of those who take him seriously? I cannot tell. All I know is that he has travelled widely and is acquainted with many tongues. He has a minute knowledge of alchemical literature, and there is no book I have heard of, dealing with the black arts, whic

rom answering by their

lf

hooting saloons came a continual spatter of toy rifles. Linking up these sounds, were the voices of the serried crowd that surged along the central avenue, and the shuffle of their myriad feet. The night was lurid with acetylene torches, which

attention, for his appearance and his manner were remarkable, and Susie noticed that he was pleased to see people point him out to one another. He wore a Spanish cloak, the capa, and he flung the

y came to a man who was cutting silhouettes in black paper, and Haddo insisted on posing for him. A little crowd collected and did not spare their jokes at his singul

er seen in my life,' she whispered. 'I wou

done, he presented it wi

ance of the only portr

Haddo,'

' she answe

it carefully in an envelope. They walked on and suddenly came to a canvas booth on which was an Eastern name. Roughly painted on sail-cloth was a picture of an Arab charming

ou of the turbid Nile,

see what the fel

sed the charmer, who brightened on he

an from Assiut,'

kets for you al

face was hidden by a long veil, which was held in place by a queer ornament of brass in the middle of the forehead, between the eyes. These alone were visible, large and sombre, and the lashes were darkened with kohl: her fingers were brightly stained with henna. She moved slightly as the visitors entered, and the man gave her his drum. She began to rub it with her hands, curiously, and made a droning sound

aid. 'Me show serpents t

Serpents ver

y banks of the Nile than to a fair in Paris, and its colour coul

opened the mouth of it. The woman in the corner listlessly droned away on the drum, and occasionally uttered a barbaric cry. With a leer and a flash of his bright teeth, the Arab thrust his hand into the sack and rummaged as a man would rummage in a sack of cor

t is the miracle which M

ds, and he piped a weird, monotonous tune. The stiffness broke away from the snake suddenly, and it lifted it

with eager face, and his unnatural eyes were fixed on the charme

thur. 'These people only work with an

ing. He seemed to consider each time wha

hout recourse to medicine, he is proof agai

ink so?' s

e arrived, but we waited, and presently, accompanied by some friends, he came. We told him what we wanted. He had been at a marriage-feast and was drunk. But he sent for his snakes, and forthwith showed us marv

dead man,

have killed the cobra

e of service to others of my trade. To me it

ced him in a chair. In two hours he was dead. In his drunkenness he ha

,' said Arthur. 'I'm afraid I should want better

rmer and spoke to him in

th

ost deadly of all Egyptian snakes. It is commonly known as Cleopatra's Asp, for that is the serpent which was b

going to do?

centre of the tent and fell on his knees. He uttered A

powerful, to come forth. You are but a snake, and Go

s protruded. A lithe body wriggled out. It was a snake of light g

' said Oliver in a lo

d

hur watched him for signs of pain, but he did not wince. The writhing snake dangled from his hand. He repeated a sentence in Arabic, and, with the peculiar suddenness of a drop of water falling from a roof, the snake fell to the ground

geon would call healing by

oo, and would not allow that there was anythin

shown that the sn

inished yet,'

p by the ears, and it struggled with its four quaint legs. Haddo put it in front of the horned viper. Before anyone could have moved, the snake darted

prang up w

el! How hate

nced now?' ask

the doorway. They were

left alone with t