"The experiment with Helfa, however, was just as fruitless.

"Then he turned to me. 'Son Herod,' he said, 'prepare to see the greatest
deed ever done by man. All the knowledge and power of my life are to be
concentrated in one act.'

"With that he looked at Helfa, who staggered to a low cushion.

"'Spirit of Helfa, leave the body,' he said.

"Instantly the eyes of Helfa began to close; his limbs grew stiff, and in
a few seconds he lay lifeless by us.

"'I have a mission for you, spirit of Helfa. Flee to the home of spirits,
and bring back the soul of thy sister, that she may tell me what we wish
to know.'

"When the command was given, I felt that a something--an entity--was gone
from us. Abou and I were alone with the two bodies.

"'What expect you, Abou?' I said, anxiously.

"'If the labour of a lifetime has not been a failure,' he said, 'these
two bodies will soon possess their spirits.'"

Again Voltaire stopped in his recital, and looked around the room. He
saw that every eye was fixed upon him, while the faces of some of the
young ladies were blanched with terror. Evidently they were deeply
moved. Even some of the young men shuddered, not so much because of the