his eyes, looked at Faull strangely, and sat up on the couch. A
cryptic smile started playing over his mouth. Faull looked at his
hand; a feeling of intense pleasure passed through his body.

Maskull caught Mrs. Jameson in his arms; she was attacked by another
spell of faintness. Mrs. Trent ran forward, and led her out of the
room. Neither of them returned.

The phantom body now stood upright, looking about him, still with his
peculiar smile. Prior suddenly felt sick, and went out. The other
men more or less hung together, for the sake of human society, but
Nightspore paced up and down, like a man weary and impatient, while
Maskull attempted to interrogate the youth. The apparition watched
him with a baffling expression, but did not answer. Backhouse was
sitting apart, his face buried in his hands.

It was at this moment that the door was burst open violently, and a
stranger, unannounced, half leaped, half strode a few yards into the
room, and then stopped. None of Faull's friends had ever seen him
before. He was a thick, shortish man, with surprising muscular
development and a head far too large in proportion to his body. His
beardless yellow face indicated, as a first impression, a mixture of
sagacity, brutality, and humour.

"Aha-i, gentlemen!" he called out loudly. His voice was piercing,
and oddly disagreeable to the ear. "So we have a little visitor
here."

Nightspore turned his back, but everyone else stared at the intruder
in astonishment. He took another few steps forward, which brought