There was silence for a moment; then the old gentleman turned round,
and in an instant was on his feet, quiet, but with an air of bristling
about his thrust-out chin and his tense attitude.
Mr. Vincent paused, looking from one to the other.
"I beg your pardon, Lady Laura," he said courteously. "Your man told
me to wait here; I think he did not know you had come in."
"Well--er--this gentleman..." began Lady Laura. "Why, do you know
Mr. Vincent?" she asked suddenly, startled by the expression in the
old gentleman's face.
"I used to know Mr. Vincent," he said shortly.
"You have the advantage of me," smiled the medium, coming forward to
the fire.
"My name is Cathcart, sir."
The other started, almost imperceptibly.
"Ah! yes," he said quietly. "We did meet a few times, I remember."
Lady Laura was conscious of distinct relief at the interruption: it
seemed to her a providential escape from a troublesome decision.
"I think there is nothing more to be said, Mr. Cathcart.... No, don't
go, Mr. Vincent. We had finished our talk."
"Lady Laura," said the old gentleman with a rather determined air, "I
beg of you to give me ten minutes more private conversation."
She hesitated, clearly foreseeing trouble either way. Then she
decided.
"There is no necessity today," she said. "If you care to make an
appointment for one day next week, Mr. Cathcart--"
"I am to understand that you refuse me a few minutes now?"
"There is no necessity that I can see--"
"Then I must say what I have to say before Mr. Vincent--"
"One moment, sir," put in the medium, with that sudden slight air of
imperiousness that Lady Laura knew very well by now. "If Lady Laura
consents to hear you, I must take it on myself to see that nothing
offensive is said." He glanced as if for leave towards the woman.
She made an effort.
"If you will say it quickly," she began. "Otherwise--"
The old gentleman drew a breath as if to steady himself. It was plain
that he was very strongly moved beneath his self-command: his air of
cheerful geniality was gone.
"I will say it in one sentence," he said. "It is this: You are ruining
that boy between you, body and soul; and you are responsible before
his Maker and yours. And if--"
"Lady Laura," said the medium, "do you wish to hear any more?"
She made a doubtful little gesture of assent.
"And if you wish to know my reasons for saying this," went on Mr.
Cathcart, "you have only to ask for them from Mr. Vincent. He knows
well enough why I left spiritualism--if he dares to tell you."
Lady Laura glanced at the medium. He was perfectly still and
quiet--looking, watching the old man curiously and half humorously
under his heavy eyebrows.
"And I understand," went on the other, "that tonight you are to make
an attempt at complete materialization. Very good; then after tonight
it may be too late. I have tried to appeal to the boy: he will not
hear me. And you too have refused to hear me out. I could give you
evidence, if you wished. Ask this gentleman how many cases he has
known in the last five years, where complete ruin, body and soul--"
The medium turned a little to the fire, sighing as if for weariness:
and at the sound the old man stopped, trembling. It was more obvious
than ever that he only held himself in restraint by a very violent
effort: it was as if the presence of the medium affected him in an
extraordinary degree.
Lady Laura glanced again from one to the other.
"That is all, then?" she said.