his day and ours. But, of course, if you're going to pooh-pooh the
whole thing I won't trouble to tell you any more!"

"Well, Leon," Kelson ejaculated, "magic and sorcery do seem a trifle
out of date, don't they? Could any one look out of the window at what
is going on in the streets below, and at the same time believe in
fairies and hobgoblins? Still the book made a bit of an impression on
me, so that I'm inclined to agree with you. Anyway, go ahead! Ed is
agreeable, aren't you, Ed?"

Curtis gave a sulky nod. "I'm not averse to anything that may put us
in the way of a livelihood," he said.

Hamar, somewhat appeased, briefly informed them of the tests and other
preliminaries necessary for the acquirement of the Black Art, and
without more ado proposed that they--the three of them--should form a
Syndicate and call it the Sorcery Company Limited. "To begin with," he
said, "we might sell tricks and spells, and later on tackle something
more subtle. Why, we could soon knock all the jugglers and doctors on
the head--and make a huge fortune."

"That is to say if it isn't all humbug!" Curtis observed.

"Well--do you or don't you think it worth trying?" Hamar cut in. "You
call me a Jew--but Jews, you know, have a tolerably cool head, and a
keen faculty for business. They don't touch anything unless it is
pretty certain to bring them in money. Will you try?"

"Y-e-s!" Curtis said slowly; "I'll try."

"And you, Matt?" Hamar queried. "We must have three."

"I don't mind trying," Kelson replied. "I expect it will be only a
try."

"That settles it, then!" Hamar cried. "Now, we'll get to business. To
begin with we're all wholly occupied with things of this world--money
chiefly!"

"Sometimes music!" Curtis said sententiously.

"And sometimes girls," Kelson joined in. "Music's a pose on Ed's part.
I don't believe he really cares a bit for it. He's far too material."

"Just what I want him to be!" Hamar laughed. "Girls are material
enough too--especially when you take them out to supper. Anyhow, money
is our first consideration, isn't it?"

To this there was general assent.

"The preliminary requirement is fixed then," Hamar said. "Now for the
week of wild oats! Lying, stealing, cheating--anything to counteract
the code of Moses! Let's take them in turn. Lying won't trouble us
much. Every one lies. Lying is the stock-in-trade of doctors, lawyers,
sky pilots, storekeepers--"

"And dentists!" Curtis chimed in.

"And s