gladly. We had to go through a long conservatory which opened
out of the dining-room; from there we entered an oval-shaped room.
Thesiger brought me straight up to the idol. It was placed upon a
pedestal. It is a hideous monster made of wood, and has five heads; in
its hand it holds a trident. I could hardly refrain from smiling when I
first saw it. It was difficult to believe that any man, sane or insane,
could hold faith in such a monstrosity. My object, however, was to draw
the poor mad fellow out, and I begged of him to take what steps he
considered necessary in order to induce the creature to speak. He
willingly obeyed my desire, and with great solemnity went through
elaborate operations; then, turning the lamp very low, knelt at the
altar in front of the idol and began to address it. He waited for its
replies, which were, of course, inaudible, and then continued speaking
again. After some moments spent in this way he declared solemnly that it
had replied to him, and practically called me a liar when I said I had
not heard it.

"When he turned up the lamp at the end of this strange scene, I noticed
for the first time that the idol was decorated with precious stones of
extraordinary value. To leave such valuables in a room with an unlocked
door was in itself a symptom of insanity, and when I parted with
Thesiger for the night I had not the least doubt that my unfortunate
host was really insane. All the same, I had a curious unwillingness with
regard to signing the certificate. Bagwell eagerly asked me if I did
not intend to sign. To his astonishment, I replied in the negative. I
said that the case was a very peculiar one, and that it would be
necessary for me to pay a second visit to the patient before I could
take this extreme step. He was, I could see, intensely annoyed, but I
remained firm."

Laurier stopped speaking and looked me full in the face.

"Well?" I asked.

"I have come to consult with you over the matter. You remember what you
said about the responsibility of signing such certificates! It is on
account of those words I have come to you."

"Well, Dr. Laurier," I answered, "I shall of course be happy to do
anything I can to help you, but I must frankly confess that I fail to
see exactly on what point I can be of service. I know little about
disease in general, and nothing about mental diseases in particular.
Miss Thesiger seems to think that there is foul play; but have you any
suspicions on your