infamous and improbable confession, which, however, was so material to
the success of his plan? Who but a man whose case is desperate, and who
has nothing to lose, would consent to give so humiliating an account of
himself? Under what other circumstances could we have believed such a
confession?"

"I grant all this, my prince. That the two apparitions were mere
contrivances of art; that the Sicilian has imposed upon us a tale which
the Armenian his master, had previously taught him; that the efforts of
both have been directed to the same end, and, from this mutual
intelligence all the wonderful incidents which have astonished us in
this adventure may be easily explained. But the prophecy in the square
of St. Mark, that first miracle, which, as it were, opened the door to
all the rest, still remains unexplained; and of what use is the key to
all his other wonders if we despair of resolving this single one?"

"Rather invert the proposition, my dear count," answered the prince,
"and say what do all these wonders prove if I can demonstrate that a
single one among them is a juggling trick? The prediction, I own, is
totally beyond my conception. If it stood alone; if the Armenian had
closed the scene with it, instead of beginning it, I confess I do not
know how far I might have been carried. But in the base alloy with
which it is mixed it is certainly rather suspicious. Time may explain,
or not explain it; but believe me, my friend!" added the prince, taking
my hand, with a grave countenance,--"a man who can command supernatural
powers has no occasion to employ the arts of a juggler; he despises
them."

"Thus," says Count O------, "ended a conversation which I have related
word for word, because it shows the difficulties which were to be