"How right you are! And--and have you had any experiences here?"
Mrs. Baxter eyed her in alarm. Maggie had an irrepressible burst of
internal laughter, which, however, gave no hint of its presence in her
steady features. She glanced at Laurie, who was eating mutton with a
depressed air.

"I was talking to Mr. Vincent, the great spiritualist," went on the
other vivaciously, "only last week. You have heard of him, Mrs.
Baxter? I was suggesting to him that any place where great emotions
have been felt is colored and stained by them as objectively as old
walls are weather-beaten. I had such an interesting conversation, too,
with Cardinal Newman on the subject"--she smiled brilliantly at
Maggie, as if to reassure her of her own orthodoxy--"scarcely six
weeks ago."

There was a pregnant silence. Mrs. Baxter's fork sank to her plate.

"I don't understand," she said faintly. "Cardinal Newman--surely--"

"Why yes," said the other gently. "I know it sounds very startling to
orthodox ears; but to us of the Higher Thought all these things are
quite familiar. Of course, I need hardly say that Cardinal Newman is
no longer--but perhaps I had better not go on."

She glanced archly at Maggie.

"Oh, please go on," said Maggie genially. "You were saying that
Cardinal Newman--"

"Dear Miss Deronnais, are you sure you will not be offended?"