you want he said in a hoarse whisper only tell me that whatever you are � be reason able but the ugly thing gave no reply no sign of aiid disgusted with his own superstition went to bed in a state of stony despair the next morning he rose with a weary impatience of his surroundings he felt that he ought to do a fallen idol to break the spell of horror but he wanted resolution to deal with his formidable � his nerves were and he felt ill and discouraged so when he found with the cast which had according to promise a note saying that he was going down to his that very day and proposing that should come with him at once instead of waiting tiu saturday he welcomed this as a means of escaping from the idol and its vague suggestions of evil and accepted eagerly before he left came up with a troubled counter about that there of flowers sir he began i think you ought to be told stopped him i know � i know he said hurriedly it s all right i� i had an accident with it last night who could have thought that he would sink to such as this to lay before a barbarous idol and when it them actually to shield it at his own expense let no one imagine that did not feel this degradation � he despised himself for it bitterly s usually wooden face became quite a for emotions oh very well sir i m sure was all he could manage to say but when he was by himself his perplexity found a vent now what the governor to tell me that he asked himself can t say i see what he s up to at all however so long as he a satisfied tain t none o my business and had driven oflf with the thought that perhaps had suspected or seen something to have his miserable plight known to his servant would be intolerable and s sole comfort was in the recollection of s a fallen idol chapter after one or two mrs s projected evening was actually about to come off she had often exerted herself before for the benefit of struggling to whom she had been of real assistance people were apt to compare her benevolence to that of the � which though it does not and it was perhaps true that her heart opened more readily than her purse aft r all money is not the only or the most valuable contribution in all cases and even of money mrs could be liberal when she saw occasion but it was quite a new sensation to her to figure as the of a rising faith which might with a little assistance society and she received her friends with deep satisfaction i do think she assured several of them that we are going to have a most interesting dear mr hopes to be allowed to go quite beyond the usual phenomena the rooms filled and as the chariot wheels which bore the hero of the evening still there was little to distinguish the gathering from an ordinary evening party young men stood talking with the usual conviction that it was uncommonly good of them to talk at all down to the eager girl faces to catch their here and there with an evident pride in his social dexterity would pick his way through the groups until he dropped into the opening he desired much as the marble in the game of nursery down a of pins everybody seemed to be talking at once at high pressure and full speed and the effect at a short distance was painfully suggestive of the monkey house but there were the usual silent individuals without whom no social evening would be complete � the men who don t know a soul and who are to be seen sometimes together for mutual encouragement like cattle in wind more often brooding apart in comers wondering why they came and one another with a there were the airy little greetings which not carried a hidden sting and the intended least of all for the actual the slow beat of and the restless shifting of crush hats the only features were a certain suppressed excitement and the fact that the talk ran everywhere in the same � the probable nature of the s performances concerning which there was much vague speculation mr come here and tell me all about this said mrs in her imperious tones what will it be like � youve seen it before i know well let me see said if you can conceive a fallen idol a cross between a rather clumsy foreign and a performing you ll get a faint idea of the kind of thing is it amusing then inquired the lady solemnly there s an element of quiet fun without vulgarity about it certainly said we must make him bring out his best miracles � we shall have you a mrs before the evening s over he was passing on in the endeavour to reach the spot where stood by one of the open windows when he was again delayed this time by little mrs tell me mr isn t it getting fearfully late i really don t think this prophet man can be coming now if he ever meant to for they re obliged of course to be very particular where they go just at starting aren t they � they can t go everywhere it s a great disappointment to dear mrs no doubt after getting us all here to meet him but perhaps she was a little too ready to take his acceptance for granted � don t you think so i am so grieved about it well i wouldn t begin to despair yet said i think he is pretty sure to turn up some time ah said mrs you 