f yellow metal until the two were
equal. Then the bag of gold was placed on the table beside the scroll,
and the wizard carefully deposited the yellow bars within the
crucible, the two imps now working the bellows more strenuously than
ever.

The experiment was carried on precisely as Sir David had foretold, but
there was one weird effect which the poet had not mentioned. When the
necromancer added to the melting-pot huge lumps of what appeared to be
common soil from the field, the mixture glared each time with a new
colour. Once a vivid violet colour flamed up, which cast such a livid
death-like hue on the faces of the knights there present, that each
looked upon the other in obvious fear. Again the flame was pure white;
again scarlet; again blue; again yellow. When at last the incantation
was complete, the bellows-work was stopped. The coruscating caldron
was lifted from the fire by an iron hook and chain, and set upon the
stone floor to cool, bubbling and sparkling like a thing of evil; but
the radiance became duller and duller as time went on, and finally its
contents were poured out into a mould of sand, and there congealing,
the result was lifted by tongs and laid upon the scale. The bag of
gold was placed again in the opposite disc, but the heated metal far
outweighed it. The wizard then unlocked a desk and threw coin after
coin in the pan that held the bag, until at last the beam of the scale
hung level. The secretary now pushed forward a table to the edge of
the platform, and on the table placed a rush-light which served but to
illuminate the parchment before him. With great rapidity he counted
the gold pieces which were not in the bag, then whispered to his
master.

The room was deathly still as the man in scarlet stepped forward to
make his announcement.

"I regret," he said, "that our experiment has not been as successful
as I had hoped. This doubtless has been caused by the poverty of the
earth from which I took my material. I shall dig elsewhere against our
next meeting, and then we may look for better results. To-night I can
return to you but double the money you gave to my treasurer."

At this there went up what seemed to be a sigh of relief from the
audience, which had been holding its breath with all the eagerness of
a gambler, who had made a stake and awaited the outcome of the throw.

The necromancer, taking the parchment, called out name after name, and
as each title was enunciated the bearer