about it, discreetly, to Mrs. Armitage, a charming woman. She burst
into tears at the first mention of the thing. It took me all I knew
to tranquillize her. She said that when she did not think about the
thing she could be happy. She and Armitage never spoke of it to one
another; and left to themselves her opinion was that eventually they
might put remembrance behind them. She wished they were not quite so
friendly with the Everetts. Mr. and Mrs. Everett had both dreamt
precisely the same dream; that is, assuming it was a dream. Mr.
Everett was not the sort of person that a clergyman ought, perhaps, to
know; but as Armitage would always argue: for a teacher of
Christianity to withdraw his friendship from a man because that man
was somewhat of a sinner would be inconsistent. Rather should he
remain his friend and seek to influence him. They dined with the
Everetts regularly on Tuesdays, and sitting opposite the Everetts, it
seemed impossible to accept as a fact that all four of them at the
same time and in the same manner had fallen victims to the same
illusion. I think I succeeded in leaving her more hopeful. She
acknowledged that the story, looked at from the point of common sense,
did sound ridiculous; and threatened me that if I ever breathed a word
of it to anyone, she never would speak to me again. She is a charming
woman, as I have already mentioned.

By a curious coincidence I happened at the time to be one of Everett's
directors on a Company he had just promoted for taking over and
developing the Red Sea Coasting trade. I lunched with him the
following Sunday. He is an interesting talker, and curiosity to
discover how so shrewd a man would account for his connection with so
insane--so impossible a fancy, prompted me to hint my knowledge of the
story. The manner both of him and of his wife changed suddenly. They
wanted to know who it was had told me. I refused the information,