rit could not materialize unless there were
believers present."

"Did he stand for that?" asked Mabel.

"Glad to have them," her husband assured her. "They like to think there
are others as foolish as they are. And I'm going to place Mr. District
Attorney," he broke out suddenly and fiercely, "between two mediums.
They'll hold his hands!"

Already frightened by the possible result of the plot, Rainey, with a
vehemence born of fear, retorted sharply: "Hold his hands! How're you
going to make him hold his tongue, afterward?"

Gaylor turned upon him savagely.

"My God, man!" he cried, "we're not trying to persuade the District
Attorney that he's seen a ghost. If your friends can persuade Stephen
Hallowell that he's seen one, the District Attorney can go to the
devil!"

"Well, he won't!" returned Rainey, "he'll go to law!"

"Let him!" cried Gaylor defiantly. "Get Hallowell to sign that will, and
I'll go into court with him."

His bravado was suddenly attacked from an unexpected source.

"You'll go into court with him, all right," declared Mrs. Vance, "all of
you! And if you don't want him to catch you," she cried, "you'll clear
out, now! He's coming here any minute."

"Who's coming here?" demanded her husband.

"Winthrop," returned his wife, "to see Vera."

"To see Vera!" cried Vance eagerly. "What about? About this morning?"

"No," protested Mabel, "to call on her. He's an old friend--"

In alarm Rainey pushed into the group of now thoroughly excited people.
"Don't you believe it!" he cried. "If he's coming here, he's coming to
give her the third degree--"

The door from the hall suddenly opened, was as suddenly closed, and
Mannie slipped into the room. One hand he held up for silence; with the
other he pointed at the folding doors.

"Hush!" he warned them. "He's in there! He says he's come to call on
Vera. She says he's come professionally, and I must bring him in here.
I've shut the door into the parlor, and you can slip upstairs without
his seeing you."

"Upstairs!" gasped Rainey, "not for me!" He appealed to Gaylor in
accents of real alarm. "We must get away from this house," he declared.
"If he finds us here--" With a gesture of dismay he tossed his hands
in the air. Gaylor nodded. In silence all, save Mannie, moved into the
hall, and halted between the outer and inner doors of the vestibule.
Gaylor turned to Vance. "Are you going to tell her," he asked, "that he
is to be there tonight?"

"He'l