e it quite worth her while, financially,
to reserve for him her peculiar talents.

The sessions brought forth little that was new or different, but the
parents never tired of what they implicitly believed was absolute direct
communication with their son's spirit through the personality of Madame
Parlato.

Criticism, disapproval, even ridicule from their friends and
acquaintances moved them not a jot from their faith and trust.

Wiser and better people than we, believe in it,--they would argue,--and
it is now so much a part of our lives, that I think we could scarcely
live without it.

And so, they went along, cheered and made happy by the communications
and fully reconciled thereby to the death of their cherished son.

Julie, though never quite satisfied of the truth of the whole matter,
had become more or less imbued with the atmosphere that she lived in,
and aside from her own feelings, was glad that her parents could be
happy in their grief, even though it were a delusion.

And the popularity of this book brought him absorbing work and many
outside interests to Benjamin Crane. Continually, people came to see
him, to discuss the question of Continuity, or Life after Death, and to
argue for or against the reappearance of departed spirits.

Many of these he saw and learned to like and his circle of acquaintances
was continually enlarging.

Naturally, when he discussed matters with them, the subject of Gilbert
Blair's death was talked of. Crane was a careful man, and rarely told
what happened at his _seances_, save in a general way. For he had
learned of the dangers of having his statements misquoted and
exaggerated, and as a rule, he was canny enough to let his visitors
talk, while he said little.

And from the consensus of opinion thus gathered, he discovered that
public sentiment was largely against McClellan Thorpe. This troubled
him, for if Thorpe were guilty it was surely Crane's duty to guard his
daughter from a criminal. On the other hand, Julie was so deeply in love
with Thorpe, and so positive that he was in no way a wrong-doer, that
the father's heart was torn.

But his most vital reason for believing in Thorpe's guilt was the
message from his son to that effect.

"It rests between our two children," he said to his wife. "Peter tells
us Mac is the guilty man,--and Julie tells us he isn't. Now, we must
learn the truth. I'm going to get a detective, myself,-- I've had a fine
one recommended,--and I