“Out of this! Hurry! jump! Fly! Shut the door! Quick, or my Conscience
will get away!”
The door slammed to, and I locked it. I glanced up and was grateful, to
the bottom of my heart, to see that my owner was still my prisoner. I
said:
“Hang you, I might have lost you! Children are the heedlessest
creatures. But look here, friend, the boy did not seem to notice you at
all; how is that?”
“For a very good reason. I am invisible to all but you.”
I made a mental note of that piece of information with a good deal of
satisfaction. I could kill this miscreant now, if I got a chance, and no
one would know it. But this very reflection made me so lighthearted that
my Conscience could hardly keep his seat, but was like to float aloft
toward the ceiling like a toy balloon. I said, presently:
“Come, my Conscience, let us be friendly. Let us fly a flag of truce for
a while. I am suffering to ask you some questions.”
“Very well. Begin.”
“Well, then, in the first place, why were you never visible to me
before?”
“Because you never asked to see me before; that is, you never asked in
the right spirit and the proper form before. You were just in the right
spirit this time, and when you called for your most pitiless enemy I was
that person by a very large majority, though you did not suspect it.”
“Well, did that remark of mine turn you into flesh and blood?”
“No. It only made me visible to you. I am unsubstantial, just as other
spirits are.”
This remark prodded me with a sharp misgiving.
If he was unsubstantial, how was I going to kill him? But I dissembled,
and said persuasively:
“Conscience, it isn't sociable of you to keep at such a distance. Come
down and take another smoke.”
This was answered with a look that was full of derision, and with this
observation added:
“Come where you can get at me and kill me? The invitation is declined
with thanks.”
“All right,” said I to myself; “so it seems a spirit can be killed,
after all; there will be one spirit lacking in this world, presently, or
I lose my guess.” Then I said aloud:
“Friend--”
“There; wait a bit. I am not your friend. I am your enemy; I am not your
equal, I am your master, Call me 'my lord,' if you please. You are too
familiar.”
“I don't like such titles. I am willing to call you, sir. That is as far
as--”
“We will have no argument about this. Just obey, that is all. Go on with
your chatter.”
“Very well, my lord--since nothing but my lord will suit you--I was
going to ask you how long you will be visible to me?”
“Always!”
I broke out with strong indignation: “This is simply an outrage. That is
what I think of it! You have dogged, and dogged, and dogged me, all the
days of my life, invisible. That was misery enough, now to have such a
looking thing as you tagging after me like another shadow all the rest
of my day is an intolerable prospect. You have my opinion my lord, make
the most of it.”
“My lad, there was never so pleased a conscience in this world as I was
when you made me visible. It gives me an inconceivable advantage. Now I
can look you straight in the eye, and call you names, and leer at you,
jeer at you, sneer at you; and you know what eloquence there is in
visible gesture and expression, more especially when the effect is
heightened by audible speech. I shall always address you henceforth in
your o-w-n s-n-i-v-e-l-i-n-g d-r-a-w-l--baby!”