I replied, “for I have never met with anything that might be a manifestation of it. But I may say that I am not a hard and fast materialist.” And I added: “Do you believe in it?”

“Of course,” she snapped.

“Then, if you really believe, if it’s so serious to you, why do you make a show of it for triflers?”.

“Ah!” she breathed. “Some of them do make me angry. They like to play at having dealings with the supernatural. But I thought the crystal would be such a good thing for Sullivan’s reception. It is very important to Sullivan that this should be a great success — our first large public reception, you know. Sullivan says we must advertise ourselves.”