The Swoop of the Vulture.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10705, 28 August 1912, Page 2

The Swoop of the Vulture.

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BY OWEN MASTERS. Author of "Jlis-Heart's Desire," "One Impassioned Hour," "Captain Enilyn's Bride," "Tho Devoroll Heritage," "The Ironmaster's Daughter," etc.

CHAPTER II

PEIU'LEXTiIES

That evening, over their coffee.-and rigans al'tei' <lmner, Sir Godfrey and Harold were discussing tho important ( events of the day, and when Sir Godfrey had, lor the third or fourth time, J expressed his opinion of his great luck I in winning such a lovely girl for his . wife, and —which he seemed to think .'quite as important—making such a close alliance with so distinguished a fcchola.r a* Professor Jennor Halkine, Harold, who had not spoken for several minutes, rose from his chair and j began to walk up and down the room. "Dad," he said, a trifle nervously, "J. scarcely know how to nut the Thing, even to you, under the circumstances, especially as you and the professor are such great friends; but i.hero's --something about Professor Ifalkiuothat J can't understand, and therefore, because of that, I suppose 1 dojr'l like him/' "That iny dear boy," interrupted Sir Godfrey, "is one of the '"est natural tilings in the world. We most [ of us dislike what we don't or can't j understand. It is one of the common- | est infirmities in the human mind." j "Yes, I ouite see what you mean. ( I know that I. stand on a mental plane j very different from that of yourself and Professor Halkine. You are both miles above me in intellect and attainments, but this is more of a moral than an intellectual matter."

"My dear Harold, what do yon mean ?' exclaimed Sir Godfrey, looking at him in sudden surprise. "Its rather hard to explain," ho replied, "and perhaps the easiest way to do it is this. The other day I wont to have a talk with him, a ■straight one. as J had a right to have, about the ancestry, and so on, of the girl I had made up my mind to many il' .1 could.. I hadn't got tho first two sentences out before those infernal eyes of his were looking right through the back of my head, and the whole course of my thoughts and intentions changed in a moment, and — we talked about something else that I didn't really care a ran about."

"And yet," replied Sir Godfrey, with a gentle smile, "if I mistake not. Miss Grace herself has eyes very like her uncle's, and because you have won her you think yourself the most fortunate follow alive. Rather a curious position, isn't it?"

"Yes, dad," <he laughed, with a sudden change of manner, " I suppose I am really the luckiest fellow oh earth just now. There never was such a girl "

"No, no, of course not!" said Sir Godfrey. "There never is.. Every man who is really and honestly in love with the girl he wants to marry thinks that, Harold, and if ho didn't •he wouldn't be genuinely in love with her, I suppose. Well, go on. What were you going to say?" "Naturally," he laughed again, "it must be so; but there is one tiling I have boon going to ask you lots of times since Professor Halkine came- —■ J mean since we got to know him and Grace pretty intimately. Have you ever noticed anything peculiar about his eves?"

"What on earth do you moan, Harold," exclaimed Sir Godfrey. "Certainly, they are very wonderful eyes; I think the most beautiful pair of eyes I have ever seen in a man's head; but why should you trouble about that? Evidently his sister had the same, amlJVli.ss Romanes lias inherited them from her; and I presume, in your estimation, no jrirl ever had such oyes as Miss Romanes." ("I am asking about the professor's eyes. J want to as'- you whether, when lie lias boon looking at you, you have ever felt an inclination to do the thing that you don't want to do; even to do something that you didu' feel at he moment to be quite right." "My dear Harold," replied Sir Godfrey seriously, "that is really a very grave question to put to me, because it involves one of the most intricate problems of psychology. 1 mean the possible influence of one mind over another through the medium of the optimnerve; from the brain. In common speech that is called hypnotism, which, to those who have studied the subject at all deeply, means either anything or nothing—anything to the vulgar, nothing to the learned. I .may say that our own researches, Halkino's and mine, have gone a good deal deeper than that. I short, I am in a position to say that we have arrived almost at the threshold of the greatest discovery in psychology that Ims ever been made."

"Yes," said Harold, leaning forward over the back of his chair, "that is just the answer, or something like it to the question that I asked you. You say that this power, whatever it is—and I suppose it really means a sort of reading the thoughts of others and turning them into the direction willed by the reader —means in plain English just this : that the person who really could do that could also command the thoughts of those whom he or she could get into sufficiently close com mu n ication.''

"Keally, Harold," said Sir Godfrey, after a, long pull at his cigar. "I congratulate yon upon a very fairly* ■succinct definition of the new power which, according to Halkine'.s researches and mine, may at,, any time be

(To he Continued.)

j called into being. That is exactly > what would happen, provided always j a complete knowledge of the lines j upon which tho arerage mind of man--1 kind works. We have been working very hard at it, but it is a problem full of intricacies, only a few of which ' have so far been unravelled even by ! the greatest of mental .scientist". You have asked mo what I think of Professor Halkine's eyes. I tell you now, ; Harold —of course in the strictest confidence —that the day may come, not very far hence, perhaps, when those eyes may be able to see through that inner wall which no mortal sight has yet penetrated, and then "

'"Then." said Harold, straiphteninc; up and thrusting his hands into his jacket pockets, "with all due deference to you, dad., and in suite of +-Ke fact that ho is Grace's uncle, T think he ous;ht to bo shot, in the host interests of humanity. I don't see what von moan, hut I don't believe the time has come yet for any man to wield pveh a tremendous power as that would he. Fancy a man who could see another's soul as naked as he could his body. No. T don't think that ever ought to be." "It" is only natural for you to think that way, since you have not studied the subiect: but still, I may remind you. as I said that Mis'S Grace's eyes are -p-pry lik.« her micVs," renlied Sir Godfrey. "What if they could see, for instance, into yo"i % soul." "Well, as far as T know," he renlied, with a laugh, "there is nothing there that she is not welcome to see, and +he most interesting that she would see would bo the bes+. ooncention of herself that I have been able to make. Of course, -it is very imperfect, out I hope it is something like her."

I "Spoken as a true lover should sneak, Harold.',' .said' Sir Godfrey, "and not at all badly put. But she ' would also see tlie true reason why you inskerl me that question about her uncle's eves —eyes which are so like her own." I "I'm afraid you're wpttin" n li++le too deen for me. dad." replied Hni rold, taking a fresh .'circa r out of his 1 case. "I see, or tlu'nk I see, what you mean; but I must say that, much as I love Grace —and I do not believe that any man could love a girl much more than I love ber —I am bound to , tell you that the reason why I askI ed you that question was that I'd give 1 a great deal, if I had it, for her to be somebody else's niece, and for this searcher of souls to be safely back in Thibet, contemplating the eternities, ' and letting ordinary human beings alone."

"That," said Sir Godfrey, "is exactly what a young fellow like yourself, with all' the world before him, with his heart full of lovo,,would urally say. But at the same time you will allow that such things a>s these may look very different from the point of view of men like Halkine and myself, who have all our passions behind U.S."

"Yes." answered Harold, throwing himself back into tho armchair again, "hut for all that I'm afraid I cannot with you. Human nature, oven of tho host, is not perfect enou<>;h yot to ho ti-usti-'d wit!) a. power, like that. At least, that is my opinion; and if Doctor l-fnlkino trios any soid-scareh-in<s experiments on Grace or myself after we are married, T shall take the law into my own hands, whatove the consequences are. I don't like the man, and T do-nt trust him, and I shall take jolly good care to get Grace out of reach of his unholy influence as soon as I lipve the to dco so."