told you were gifted with unusual psychic power, and that you had in
yourself the secret of an abounding exhaustless vitality. I repeat
the words--an abounding exhaustless vitality. This interested me,
because I know that our modern men and women are mostly only half
alive. I heard of you that it did people good to be in your
company,--that your influence upon them was remarkable, and that
there was some unknown form of occult, or psychic science to which
you had devoted years of study, with the result that you stood, as
it were, apart from the world though in the world. This, I say, is
what I heard--"

"But you did not believe it,"--I interposed.

"Why do you say that?" he asked, quickly.

"Because I know you could not believe it,"--I answered--"It would be
impossible for you."

A gleam of satire flashed in his sunken eyes.

"Well, you are right there! I did not believe it. But I expected--"

"I know!" And I laughed--"You expected what is called a 'singular'
woman--one who makes herself 'singular,' adopts a 'singular' pose,
and is altogether removed from ordinary humanity. And of course you
are disappointed. I am not at all a type of the veiled priestess."

"It is not that,"--he said, with a little vexation--"When I saw you
I recognised you to be a very transparent creature, devoted to
innocent dreams which are not life. But that secret which you are