, 1891-10-24

N"e SE
II tptl M rry you lDhen you bring Ken
pei Ddrke here"
Olympia Raven, since the night of the
counts ball, had been in a condition
which gave her friend Mrs. Bannicl
some anxiety. She was not i'll, but she
was not her usual self. She sat for long
periods of time plunged in intense medi-
%tation; then she would rise and wander
restlessly about; sometimes her mood
would be gloomy, sometimes a sudden
change to hilarity would come over her.
In answer to the tender questionings of
her friend, Olympia would reply, with a
look of surprise, that she was perfectly
well; and Mrs. Raven, whom Mrs. Ban.
nick consulted, shook her head and de.
clared hat Olympia looked to her about
the same as usual; she had never been
able to understand her, anyway Mrs.
Raven, never a brilliant or powerful in
~tellect, had been growing old of late;
she was very deaf, and spent her time
chiefly in reading old newspapers. Her
mind WAS dull and vague, and she was
inclined to resent any attempt to arouse
her to a living interest in what was pass.
ing around her.
'Tm afraid" said Toms wife to her
husband, as he was putting on a clean
shirt for dinner, "that Olympia was
thrown off her balance by that hypno-
thing business. Nobody really under.
stands what these frances are; and there
may be more harm in them than we
imagine"
She'll come around all right" an,
swered Tom, with cheerful optimism
Every young unmarried girl goes queer
once in a while; and quite proper, toof'
Olympia did not herself know any
thing of the mysterious part she had
played on the night of February twenty
fifth. 1t had accidentally t%ranspired some
time before that she was Al exceptionally
good subject for hypnotic experiments,
and the count had intimated that she
might, if she chose, become instru-
mental in discovering the murderer of
Harry Trent. She finally consented, on
condition that she be not informed of
the in which her power was
used. She was willing to become an in
strument in the cause of Justice, but
shrank from being made privy to the
means adopted. Garcia, after the first
experiments, was able to throw her into
n trance without her ever knowing of
his proximity; and it had thus been pos
sible to take her to the counts house and
back again without any consciousness of
the transaction on her part. But the
experience had had other effects upon
her which were not as yet suspected by
any one.
She was sitting at the piano one after
noon when the count came in. The air
was still vibrating with delicate har-
monies, softly tuned into life by her fin
gers, as she turned to meet him. 1t was
the first time he had come to her since
the night of the ball.
81 was thinking about you, Count de
Lisle," she said, as she gave him her
hand, land l was expecting You"
That is good news" he replied. "Can
/ be of any use to your
She looked at him while he was speak
ing in a singular manner, as if she saw,
not his physical self, but something
within that or emanating from it. Her
eyes sparkled, and their glance was not
fixed, but wandered from point to point
of the counts face. A smile glimmered
on her lips and was gone, and again re.
turned, like light upon dimpling water.
Though she sat still, there was a subtle
unrest perceptible in her, as if the
thoughts that traversed her mind to and
fro left vibrations and fine STRINGS il
her palpable organism. In the shadowN
room Olympia seemed spiritualistic ant
to possess spiritual powers, so that thu
count felt as If she could see what wa
in his brain as easily as she could see hi
face.
The time is come when we mus
part" she said, after a pause.
Part! What do you mean? Wher
are you going? What has happenedg
he was startled out of his customar,
Sef possession, and spoke impulsively.
Eyes, Count de Isle, we must part,
abe repeated, smiling still mysteriously
And we must never meet again, in tn
world or the next"
She said this so decisively and yet
quietly that the count was dumfounde,
He could not think she was testing, ar
yet how could she be in earnest? He hi
been hattering himself of late that 81
had been learning to regard him wi
anything but indifference. Even no,
though her words were 80 strange, h
had never had such a~ttractiv
ness.
why must we party' he demande
"Give me reason. What has happens
to change You since l saw you lasty'
Can you give me a reason why ,
should not part?' she returned.
Eyes, 1 canT' said he, "a personal re
son."
ABR she said quickly, 81 nave a p,
sonal reason on the other side"
what is it?"
She turned on the piano stool on viii