something like this, 'Brag is a good dog, but Holdfast is better.'"

"Still I should have nothing to do with Brag," she said.

"I hope you will not," I replied meaningly.

She did not answer me, but I fancied she blushed; and again I felt
happy.

By this time Voltaire was ready with his performance. "You will see," he
said, "that here we have no chance for stage tricks. All is plain and
open as the day. Moreover, I will have no secrets from you even with
regard to the subject itself. The phenomena that will be brought before
you are purely psychological. The mind of my friend Kaffar will be, by a
secret power, merged into mine. What I see he will see, although in your
idea of the matter he does not see at all. Now, first of all, I wish you
to blindfold my friend Kaffar. Perhaps Mr. Blake, seeing he longs for
truth, may like to do this. No? Well, then, perhaps our host will. Thank
you, Mr. Temple."

With this Tom Temple completely blindfolded the Egyptian, and then we
awaited the further development of the matter.

"Would you mind leading him to the library?" Voltaire continued. "He
will certainly not be able to see anything of us here, and still he will
not be out of earshot."

Kaffar was accordingly led into the library, blindfolded.

"Now," said Voltaire, "I told you that by a secret power his mind and