series of "sittings" with the famous medium, Mrs. Groeber.

In person the professor was odd, without being specially striking. He
was of medium height, thin and sallow, with gray whiskers, thick gray
hair, bushy eyebrows, and small, pointed and inquiring features which
gave him rather the aspect of a prying bird. His eyes were little and
sparkling. His mouth, strangely enough, was ecclesiastical. He nearly
always wore very light-colored clothes. Even in winter he was often
to be seen clad in yellow-gray tweeds, a yellow silk necktie, and a
fawn-colored Homburg hat. And no human being had ever encountered him
in a pair of boots unprotected by spats. One peculiarity of his was that
he did not possess a walking-stick, another that he had never--so at
least he declared--owned a pocket-handkerchief, having had no occasion
to use one at any moment of his long and varied life. When it rained he
sometimes carried an umbrella, generally shut. At other times he moved
briskly along with his arms swinging at his sides.

As Malling came in he looked up and nodded.

"Putting down all about Mrs. Groeber," he observed.

"Anything new or interesting?" asked Malling.

"Just the usual manifestations, done in full light, though."

He laid aside his pen, while Malling sat down.

"A letter from Flammarion this morning," he said. "But all about Halley's
comet, of course. What is it?"