ncts if not the habits of a gentleman."

The Personage, who had made a move of his hand as if to bring the
train to a standstill, abandoning his design, replaced his cigar, and
contemplated Mr. Lavender from above it.

The latter remained silent, returning that remarkable stare, while Blink
withdrew beneath the seat and pressed her chin to the ground, savouring
the sensation of a new motion.

"Yes," he thought, "those eyes have an almost superhuman force and
cunning. They are the eyes of a spider in the centre of a great web.
They seem to draw me."

"You are undoubtedly the Unseen Power, sir," he said suddenly, "and I
have reached the heart of the mystery. From your own lips I shall soon
know whether I am a puppet or a public man."

The Personage, who by his movements was clearly under the impression
that he had to do with a lunatic, sat forward with his hands on his
knees ready to rise at a moment's notice; he kept his cigar in his
mouth, however, and an enforced smile on the folds of his face.

"What can I do for you, sir?" he said.

"Will you have a cigar?"

"No, thank you," replied Mr. Lavender, "I must keep the eyes of my
spirit clear, and come to the point. Do you rule this country or do you
not? For it is largely on the answer to this that my future depends.
In telling others what to do am I speaking as my conscience or as your
conscience dictates; and, further, if indeed I am speaking as your
conscience dictates, have you a conscience?"

The Personage, who had evidently made up his mind to humour the
intruder, flipped the ash off his cigar.

"Well, sir, he said, I don't know who the devil you may be, but my
conscience is certainly as good as yours."

"That," returned Mr. Lavender with a sigh, "is a great relief, for
whether you rule the country or not, you are undoubtedly the source
from which I, together with the majority of my countrymen, derive our
inspirations. You are the fountainhead at which we draw and drink.
And to know that your waters are pure, unstained by taint of personal
prejudice and the love of power, will fortify us considerably. Am I
to assume, then, that above all passion and pettiness, you are an
impersonal force whose innumerable daily editions reflect nothing but
abstract truth, and are in no way the servants of a preconceived and
personal view of the situation?"

"You want to know too much, don't you think?" said the Personage with a
smile.

"How can that be, sir?" asked