only that, Mr. and Madame Sagittarius
are here already!"

Miss Minerva looked closely at the Prophet in silence for a moment. Then
she said,--

"I see--I see!"

"What?" cried the Prophet, in great anxiety, "not the sparrow on my
head?"

"No. But I see that you're taking to your double life in real earnest."

"I?"

"Yes. Now, Mr. Vivian, that's all very well, and you know I'm the last
person to complain of anything of that sort, so long as it doesn't get
me into difficulties."

"Think of the difficulties you and everyone else have got me into,"
ejaculated the poor Prophet, for once in his life stepping, perhaps, a
hair's-breadth from the paths of good breeding.

"Well, I'm sure I've done nothing."

"Nothing!" said the Prophet, losing his head under the influence of the
guitars, which were now getting under way in a fantasia on "Carmen."
"Nothing! Why, you made me come here, you insisted on my introducing Mr.
Sagittarius to Mrs. Bridgeman, you told Sir Tiglath Mrs. Bridgeman and
I were old friends and had made investigations together, assisted by Mr.
Sagittarius, you--"

"Oh, well, that's nothing. But Sir Tiglath mustn't see me here as Miss
Minerva. Has he arrived yet?"

"I don't think so. He's got the cab we had yesterday and the horse."

"The one that tumbles down so cleverly when it's not too tired? Capital!
Run to the cloak-room, meet Sir Tiglath there, and persuade him to go
home."

But here the Prophet struck.

"I regret I can't," he said, almost firmly.

"But you must."

"I regret sincerely that I am unable."

"Why? Mr. Vivian, when a lady asks you!"

"I am grieved," said the Prophet, with a species of intoxicated
obstinacy--the guitars seemed to be playing inside his brain and the
flute piping in the small of his back,--"to decline, but I cannot
contend physically with Sir Tiglath, a man whom I reverence, in the
cloak-room of a total stranger."

"I don't ask you to contend physically."

"Nothing but personal violence would keep Sir Tiglath from coming in."

"Really! Then what's to be done?"

She pursed up her sensible lips and drew down her sensible eyebrows.

"I know!" she cried, after a moment's thought. "I'll masquerade to-night
as myself."

"As yourself?"

"Yes. All these dear silly people here think that I've got an astral
body."

"What's that?"

"A sort of floating business--a business that you can set floating."

"What--a company?"

"No, no. A replica of yourself. T