nk it fair to a young girl
to use her against her will for such foolery as this?"

"The purposes are grand, the work she is doing important--therefore I
answer yes. She is yet but a child, and the things she does of her own
motion trivial and vain. We make of her an instrument that will enable
man to triumph over the grave. You will observe that we do not harm
her, we take but little of her time, after all. You are unnecessarily
alarmed. Our regard for her welfare far exceeds yours. Her troubles
arise from her resistance. If she would yield herself entirely, she
would be happy."

As the voice paused, Morton asked, "Weissmann, can you hear what is
being said to me?"

"Very indistinctly," answered Weissmann.

"What does it say?" asked Kate. "I can only hear a kind of jumble."

Weissmann interjected; "I must ask you, Mrs. Rice, have you tight hold
of Mr. Clarke's hand?"

"Yes," answered Kate.

Morton's brain whirled in confusion and conjecture. He believed the
whole thing to be a piece of juggling, and yet he could not connect
Viola in any way with it, and it seemed impossible, also, for Mrs.
Lambert to sit where she was and handle the cone, to say nothing of
the ventriloquistic skill necessary to carry on this conversation. He
again addressed the voice: "You consider your control of the psychic
to be justified?"

"We do."

"Do you know, also, what perilous notoriety, what positive
disgrace--from every human point of view--you are about to bring upon
her?"

The hidden old man pondered a moment, as if to master a profound
contempt, then answered: "We have taken all things into account. When
she has grown to years of sobriety she will thank us that we turned
her aside from dancing and from light conversation, and from all
loose-minded companions. All the sane pleasures are now hers. She is
soon to be idolized by thousands. Her playing on the piano, her
singing are as the rustle of leaves in the forest compared to her
mediumship, which is as a trumpet-blast opening the gates of the city
of refuge to let the weary traveller in." The voice weakened a little.
"The earth-life is but a school--the real life is here. Besides, when
she has completely subordinated her will to ours, when she has given
our message--" The spirit grand-sire seemed to falter and diminish.
"My power is waning, but I will again manifest. We will try--" The
voice stopped as though a door had been shut upon the speaker, and the
megaphone droppe