Fact; she's crazy as a bed-bug, and we can't do a
thing with her--and she was _such_ a good girl. How could you,
Frank?' ... 'I never saw the creature in my life.' ... 'Well, you'll see
her now. You're to come right over and remove this spell, or we won't
have any breakfast.'" Here Congdon looked solemnly round at his guests.
"Now wouldn't that convulse a body? I didn't know her name; on my word,
I couldn't remember how she looked. But my curiosity was roused, and
over I toddled. It was all true. Karen was in the kitchen, armed with
the jig-saw bread-knife and calling for me. Henry was all for my
appearing suddenly at the door a la Svengali, and with a majestic wave
of the hand lift the cloud from her brain. 'Not on your tintype,' says
I; 'I guess this is a case for the police. If I put this spell on that
hell-cat it must have been by "absent treatment" during sleep, and it's
me to my studio again.' ... 'No you don't,' said Henry. 'You stay till
this incubus is cleared away. It ain't reasonable to suppose that an
ignorant maid like this is going to charge a complete stranger with a
crime of this kind unless--'

"'That's what I say. It isn't reasonable, I refuse to believe it.' Just
then something seemed to break loose in the back part of the house.
Wash-boilers seemed to be falling on the kitchen range, and wild yells
made Mrs. Henry turn pale.

"'That's your work, monster!' shrieked Henry.

"'Is it?' I said. 'My opinion is she's broke into your wine-cellar. It's
you to the police.'

"'Go calm her. Come, it's a fine chance to experiment.'

"'So it is--with a cannon. Do you mean to tell me seriously that she
thinks I've hypnotized her?'

"Then he got down to business, and assured me that he was telling the
truth. This interested me, and I thought I'd chance opening the
door--particularly as everything was quiet inside."

His company was very tense now, so vividly had he set the whole scene
before them. "I opened the door, and found her standing at the far side
of the room, her hair in ropes and her eyes wild. She was 'bug-house'
all right. 'Karen,' I said, in my most hypnotic voice, 'I lift the
spell. You are free. Go back to work.'"

"What happened?" asked Alice, breathless with excitement.

His face was grave and his voice sad. "Not a thing! My Svengali pass
didn't work. I was as the idle wind to her. Therefore, I withdrew and
'phoned the police."

"What an extraordinary thing," said Ben.

Mrs. Congdon br