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is apt to follow on heavy thought； indulged in to excess in a recumbent
position during the daytime。 〃There； that's settled。 So now let us get
to business。 Kindly hand me your prophecy of last night； Mr。 Vivian。〃
The Prophet drew from a breast pocket a sheet or two of notepaper； on
which he had dotted down； in prophetic form； the events of the night
before。 Madame received it and continued；
〃Before perusing this report； Mr。 Vivian； I should wish to be made
acquainted with those particulars。〃
〃Which ones？〃 said the Prophet。
〃Of your grandmother's career。〃
〃Oh； I〃
〃Let us take them in order； please； and proceed /parri passo/。 When was
the old lady removed from the bottle？〃
〃Never；〃 replied the Prophet； firmly。 〃Never。〃
An expression of incredulous amazement decorated the obstreperous
features of Madame。
〃Do you mean to tell me； Mr。 Vivian； that she sucks it still？〃 she
inquired。
〃I mean what I say； that she has never been removed from it；〃 returned
the Prophet； with energy。
〃Well； sir； she must be very partial to milk and Indian rubber； very
partial indeed！〃 said Mr。 Sagittarius。 〃Go on； my darling。〃
〃Her first tooth； Mr。 Vivianwhen did she cut it？〃
〃She has no idea。〃
Madame began to look decidedly grim。
〃Date of short…coating？〃 she rapped out。
〃There was no date。 She never wore a short…coat。〃
〃Do you desire me to believe； Mr。 Vivian； that the old lady has been
going about in long clothes ever since she was born？〃 inquired Madame；
with incredulous sarcasm。
〃Most certainly I do；〃 replied the Prophet。
〃Then how does she get along； pray？ Come！ Come！〃
〃She has always worn long clothes；〃 cried the Prophet； boldly standing
up for his beloved relative； 〃and always will。 You can take that from
me； Madame Sagittarius。 I know my grandmother； and I am ready to pledge
my honour to it。〃
〃Oh； very well。 She must be a very remarkable lady。 That's all I can
say。 When did she put her hair up？〃
〃Never。 She has never put it up。〃
〃She has never put her hair up！〃
〃No； never。〃
〃You mean to say that your grandmother goes about in long clothes with
her hair down in the central districts？〃 cried Madame in blank
amazement。
〃She has never put her hair up；〃 answered the Prophet； with almost
obstinate determination。
〃Oh； wellif she prefers！ But I wonder what the police are about！〃
retorted Madame。 〃And now the rashes？〃
〃There are none。〃
But at this Madame's temperalready somewhat upset by her prolonged
communion with the mighty deadshowed symptoms of giving way
altogether。
〃Rubbish； Mr。 Vivian！〃 she said； clicking loudly and passing with an
almost upheaving jerk to her upper register！ 〃I'm a mother and was once
a child。 Rubbish！ I must insist upon knowing the number of the rashes。〃
〃I assure you there are none。〃
〃D'you wish me to believe that the old lady has gone about all her life
in the Berkeley Square in long clothes and her hair down； with her lips
to the bottle and never had a rash？ Do you wish me to believe that； Mr。
Vivian？〃
〃Yes； sir； do you wish Madame； a lady of deep education； sir； to
believe that？〃 cried Mr。 Sagittarius。
〃I can only adhere to what I have said；〃 answered the Prophet。 〃My
grandmother has never been removed from the bottle； has never worn a
short coat； has never put her hair up and has never had an epidemic in
Berkeley Square。〃
〃Then all I can say is that she's an unnatural old lady；〃 cried Madame；
with obvious temper； tossing her head and kicking out the kid boots； as
if seized with the sudden desire to use them upon a human football。
〃And there's not many like her。〃
〃There is no one like her； no one at all；〃 said the Prophet with
fervour。
〃So I should suppose；〃 cried Madame； forgetting the other questions as
to the day of marriage； etc。； in the vexation of the moment。 〃She must
certainly be the bird of whom Phoenix wrote that rose from ashes in the
days of the classics。 /Rarum avis/ indeed！ Eh； Jupiter？〃
〃Very rarum； my dear； very indeed！〃 responded her husband； with
imitative sarcasm。 〃An avis indeed； not a doubt of it。〃
〃De Queechy should have known her；〃 continued Madame。 〃He always loved
everything out of the common。 Well； and now for the prophecy。 What is
all this； Mr。 Vivian？〃
〃The result of last night's observation；〃 said the Prophet。
〃Do you call that a cycloidal curve？〃 asked Madame； with a contralto
laugh that shook the library。 〃Look； Jupiter！〃
Mr。 Sagittarius glanced over his wife's heaving shoulder。
〃Very poor； my dear； very irregular indeed。〃
〃It's the best I could do；〃 said the Prophet； still politely。
〃I daresay；〃 replied Mr。 Sagittarius。 〃I daresay。 Where's your star…
map？〃
〃I'm afraid I don't know；〃 answered the Prophet。 〃I left it in the
pomade。〃
〃The pomade！〃
〃Yes； the butler's own special pomade； and it seems to have
disappeared。〃
〃Very careless； very careless indeed。 Let's seeprophecy first； then
how arrived at。 'Grandmother apparently threatened with some danger at
night in immediate future。 Great turmoil in the house during dark
hours。' H'm！ 'Some stranger； or strangers； coming into her life and
causing great trouble and confusion； almost resulting in despair； and
perhaps actually inducing illness。' H'm！ H'm！ We didn't arrive at any
of this by our observations； did we； Sophronia？〃
〃Decidedly not；〃 snapped Madame； haughtily。
〃And now let's see how arrived at。 H'm！ H'm！ Grandmotheringress of
Crabconjunction of Scorpio with Serpensmoon in eleventh house。 Yes；
that's so。 Jupiter in trine with SaturnWhat's this？ 'Crab dressed
implies dangerundressed Crab much saferattempted intervention
failureshe's in a nice state nowit tried to keep her from it； but
she was drawn right to it。' Right to what？〃
〃The Crab？〃
〃Of course she was drawn to it。 She depends on the Crab these nights。
But what does the rest mean？〃
〃The Crab was dressed。〃
〃Dressedwhat in？〃
〃I don't know；〃 said the Prophet。 〃It didn抰 tell me。〃
Mr。 Sagittarius and Madame exchanged glances。
〃Explain yourself； Mr。 Vivian； I beg；〃 cried Madame in a somewhat
excited manner。 〃How could the Crab be dressed？〃
〃I have wondered；〃 said the Prophet； gazing at the couple before him
with shining eyes。 〃But it was dressed last night； and that made it
exceptionally dangerous in some way。 Something seemed to tell me so。
Something did tell me so。〃
〃What told you？〃 inquired Madame； with more excitement and a certain
respect which had been quite absent from her manner before。
〃Something that came in the night。 I don't know what it was。 Light
flashed from it。〃
〃It sounds like a sort of comet； my darling；〃 said Mr。 Sagittarius；
considerably perturbed。 〃We didn't observe that the Crab was specially
dressed； did we？〃
〃It had nothing on at all when we saw it；〃 said Madame with growing
agitation。 〃But whatever was this comet that flashed light？ That's what
I want to get at。〃
〃It was a dark thing that told me the Crab was dressed； that my
grandmother had been with it and that its influence was inimical to
her。〃
〃A dark thing！ That's not a comet！〃 said Mr。 Sagittarius。
〃It vanished with a flash of light into the square。〃
〃At what time did you observe it； sir？〃 asked Mr。 Sagittarius； while
Madame leaned forward； gazing with goggling eyes at the Prophet。
〃At exactly half…past one。〃
〃Did it stay long？〃
〃A few minutes onlybut it made an impression upon me that I can never
forget。〃
It had apparently also made a very great impression upon Mr。 and Madame
Sagittarius； who remained for some seconds staring fixedly at the
Prophet without uttering a word。 At last Mr。 Sagittarius turned to
Madame and said in a voice that shook with seriousness；
〃Can it be； Sophronia； that prophets ought to live in the central
districts？ Can it really be that the nearer they are to the Circus； and
even to the Stores〃
〃/O beatus illa/！〃 interjected Madame upon the pinions of a sigh。
〃Yes； Sophronia； the Stores； the more clearly is the knowledge of the
future vouchsafed to them？ If it should prove to be so！〃
Madame stared again upon the Prophet with a fixity and strained inquiry
which made him shift in his seat。
〃If it should！〃 she repeated； upon the lowest note of her lower
register； which sounded； at that solemn moment； like the keynote of a
dreamer。 Then； with a sudden change of manner； she cried sharply；
〃Jupiter； you must accompany this gentleman back to the square to…day。〃
The Prophet started。 So did Mr。 Sagittarius。
〃But〃 they cried simultaneously。
〃And you must share his night watch。〃
〃But； my darling〃
〃Or I will；〃 cried Madame。 〃Which is it to be？〃
〃Mr。 Sagittarius！〃 exclaimed the Prophet。
〃Very well；〃