to muse aloud without self-consciousness. "A strange and rather
interesting mixture of naivete and power. The question is--power to what
extent? Miss Watkins, I want you to come to one of my Wednesdays to meet
one or two people who might possibly help you to a job--lecturing, you
know. Lectures on hypnotism or spiritualism, with experiments, are
always popular. You certainly have Power, you only want a little
advertisement to be a real help to many people."

"How d'you mean--advertisement?" asked the witch. "This new
advertisement stunt is one of the problems that tire my head. I am
awfully worried by problems. The world seems to be ruled by posters now.
People look to the hoardings for information about their duty. Why don't
we paste up the ten commandments on all the walls and all the 'buses,
and be done with it?"

"Now listen, Miss Watkins," persisted Miss Ford. "I want you to meet
Bernard Tovey, the painter, and Ivy MacBee, who founded the Aspiration
Club, and Frere, the editor of _I Wonder_, and several other regular
Wednesday friends of mine, all interested in the Occult. It would be a
real opportunity for you."

"I am afraid you will be very angry with me," said the witch presently
in a hollow voice. "If I was occult last night--I'm awfully sorry, but
it must have been a fluke. I seem to have said so much last night
without knowing it. I'm afraid I was showing off a little."

The painful tears of confession were in her eyes, but she added,
changing the subject: "Do you live alone?"

"Yes, absolutely," said Miss Ford. "My friends call me a perfect hermit.
I hardly ever have visitors in my spare room, it makes so much work for
my three maids."

"I suppose you wouldn't care to divorce your three maids and come and
live here," suggested the witch. "I could of course cure you of the
nerve-storms you speak of. Or rather I could help you to have
nerve-storms all the time, without any stagnant grown-upness in between.
Then you wouldn't notice the nerve-storms. This house is a sort of
nursing home and college combined. I'll read you the prospectus."

* * * * *

"Very amusing," said Miss Ford, after waiting a minute to see if there
was any more of the prospectus. She had quite recovered herself, and was
wearing the brisk acute expression that deceived her into claiming a
sense of humour. "But why all those uncomfortable rules? And why that
discouragement of social intercourse? I am a