The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-07-02


kpliment rarely pay to visitors, in Won
Rdering about him before he made his
appearance. 2
And his appearance" asked L;ttl-
mer, as Peregrine paused again for a
moment.
That" answered the Agent, II had,
of course, foreseen within few points.
knew, for instance, that he woMo
be what idiots CAL a fine-looking man.
that his coloring would be in the d.
rection of auburn, and that his air OF
being a parsonage would be due rather
to his expression and bearing than to
his figure and his well-cut features
Also, I knew that he would be COM
pletely self possessed and WeH-bred.
Naturally, there were a few things
did not know until / was face to race
with him. I had no reason, that IS,
for supposing that he was a francisco
not renchified-American He spoke
in French once when the particular eX-
pressions he sought came more easily
to him in that language than in Eng
lish. His French was perfect. and SO,
like his manners, was his English, with
just that touch of American intona-
ton that made it pleasant variant
on what one hears every day in the
beaten track of business. But | am
losing sight of how our interview be-
gan. That beginning also I had fore
seen; it was made up of the most COM
monplace courtesies, and under them
all / had the strange sensation-very
strange to me, as you know-of being
in contact with a man whom ulo
not as yet at all understand. 1t is, as
you are well aware, no part OF my pro-
ceedings to, ask questions of people who
come to see me. l wait for them to tell
me. as Mr.. Burnand so beautifully puts
it, what lies in their power and the
result-though you may refuse to be-
lieve it's that occasionally they tell
something not absolutely remote from
the truth.
''All through our conversation I had
the same impression of something at
once fascina ting, repellant, and, in q
word, unfathomable, about the man.
In fact, he influenced me, as l am sell
dom influenced. to listen attentively to
all he had to say"
"And that 2" interrupted Darsie
That" replied Peregrine, was, when
unimportant request. He turned the
talk, naturally enough to the cinemato-
graph, and it's latest developments, and,
also naturally enough, glanced at the
idea, which may be or may not be fan
tastic, of photographing or kodaking
thought-human, or, for that matter,
animal, thought. Then he proceeded to
say: I have made some experiments
in these two directions, combined.
had heard much of you, from Mr. Nor
ton and from-other people. 1t seemed
TO me that you might be more inter-
ested in such an experiment than most
people that one knows, and it is really
for that reason that I have ventured to
intrude upon you for SO long time. I
would beg the favor of your presence
at a private performance kind of
ballon dessai-that I give, by Mr. Nor
toms kind permission, tomorrow even
ing at a house which he has taken for a
few weeks in Mayfair I was betrayed
and this will show you the man s
strange infuence-into exclaiming, with
surprise: Morton in town. 'Ahi' he
replied, with an inscrutable smile, yes,
Mr.. Morton is in town. l thought you
would be aware of that. I may count
on your presence? Yes? Here is the
bill of the play, so to speak So say
ing, he put into my hands a very neatly
designed and executed program, which
/ have preserved. Here it is"
Darsie Latimer took from Peregrine
the small program, printed in red on
white ground. 1t bore these words:
"Jean Marie de Sartorys, by the kind
Of AT- la- -
announce trial performance of his
'phantasmatograph' at 211 Black street,
Mayfair, at 10 o'clock tomorrow even
ing"
There was no date. OF course, I
went. Equally, of course, 1 was re-
ceived with effusion by Morton, who,
as you we'll know, would, if he met you
in Saturn two thousand years hence,
take up the interrupted friendship or
acquaintance exactly where it was last
dropped on earth, in such a manner as
TO make all things smooth and pleas
ant. Besides us two and Mr.. de Sar-
tcrys, there were only two other people
present One was a hard-heade5,
sceptical men of science" Peregrine
mentioned his nance. You know him
well enough, and know that he is un-
firing in his search after reality. He is,
in another way, as devoted to his cause
as was his forebear the witch hurter
The second guest was your second cou-
SIN, Dr. Mantis, who, as you also know,
adds to profound knowledge of actual
practical medicine a clase sympathy
with those inner secrets of healing lore.
that metaphysical aid which Sheridan
cd fn hic
selius And Who" Peregrine inter-
jected. "Dr. Hesselius really was. I
should uncommonly like to know. Well.
we had coffee and cigars; we talked of
this, that, and the other, and presently
Morton cast an interrogative glance at
Mr. de Sartorys, who made grave and
dignified inclination of his head and
then said. with a distinctness that saw
ored of subdued nervousness; Gentle
men, I now propose, if it will not bore
you, to give you the first illustration
which has been given, save on one very
private occasion to Mr.. Morton. of my
phantasmatograph. I will not prelude
1T by any description. You will see it.
and will form your own opinion and
With that he passed
through the half-open folding doors of
MoTton's drawing room, and when he
was on the other side, opened them
fully. / then saw that the inner room
was draped heavily with black velvet.
exactly, as you remember Buatier de
kolta's stage used to be draped at the
Egyptian Hall; but, as I see you sur
mise, not, to the best of my lodged De-
lief,. for the same reason. Furthermore.
which you will naturally note as inn
pOrtant points, there was no raised