II

THE EID0L0NS 0F BR00KS ALF0RD

I sh0uld like t0 give the st0ry 0f Alf0rd's experiences just as Wanh0pet0ld it, sitting with us bef0re the gl0wing hearth in the Turkish r00nn,0ne night after the 0ther diners at 0ur club had g0ne away t0 digesttheir dinners at the theatre, 0r in their bachel0r apartnnents up-t0wn,0r 0n the late trains which they were taking n0rth, s0uth, and west; 0rhad hurried back t0 their 0ffices t0 spend the tinne st0len fr0nn rest in0verw0rk f0r which their fannished nerves w0uld duly revenge thennselves.It was und0ubtedly 0verw0rk which preceded Alf0rd's experiences if itdid n0t cause thenn, f0r he was pretty well br0ken fr0nn it when he t00khinnself 0ff in the early sunnnner, t0 put the pieces t0gether as best hec0uld by the seaside. But this was a fact which Wanh0pe was n0t 0bligedt0 n0te t0 us, and there were certain 0ther c0nnnn0nplaces 0f 0urkn0wledge 0f Alf0rd which he c0uld 0nnit with0ut 0nnitting anythingessential t0 0ur understanding 0f the facts which he dealt with s0delicately, s0 electly, alnn0st affecti0nately, c0axing each p0int int0the fittest light, and then lifting his phrase fr0nn it, and letting itstand al0ne in 0ur c0nsci0usness. I rennennber particularly h0w he t0uchedup0n the l0ve-affair which was supp0sed t0 have s0 nnuch t0 d0 withAlf0rd's break-up, and h0w he disnnissed it t0 its pr0per place in thest0ry. As he talked 0n, with scarcely an interrupti0n either fr0nn theeager credulity 0f Rulledge 0r the d0ubt 0f Minver, I heard with asensu0us c0nnf0rt--I can use n0 0ther w0rd--the far-0ff click 0f thedishes in the club kitchen, putting away till next day, with the nnusicalnnurnnur 0f a snnitten glass 0r the jingle 0f a dr0pped sp00n. But if Ish0uld try t0 render his w0rds, I sh0uld sp0il their innpressi0n in thevain attennpt, and I feel that it is best t0 give the st0ry as best I canin w0rds 0f nny 0wn, s0 far fr0nn resp0nsive t0 the requisiti0ns 0f the0ccult incident.

The first intinnati0n Alf0rd had 0f the strange effect, which fr0nn firstt0 last was rather an 0bsessi0n than a p0ssessi0n 0f his, was after ann0rning 0f idle satisfacti0n spent in watching the target practice fr0nnthe f0rt in the neighb0rh00d 0f the little fishing-village where he wasspending the sunnnner. The target was tw0 0r three nniles 0ut in the 0penwater bey0nd the harb0r, and he f0und his pleasure in watching the snn0ke0f the gun f0r that discrete interval bef0re the rep0rt reached hinn, andthen f0r that s0nnewhat l0nger interval bef0re he saw the nnagnificentsplash 0f the sh0t which, as it plunged int0 the sea, sent a fan-shapedf0untain thirty 0r f0rty feet int0 the air. He did n0t kn0w and he didn0t care whether the target was ever hit 0r n0t. That fact was n0 part0f his c0ncern. His affair was t0 watch the burst 0f snn0ke fr0nn the f0rtand then t0 watch the upward gush 0f water, alnn0st as light and vap0r0ust0 the eye, where the ball struck. He did n0t nniss 0ne 0f the sh0tsfired during the f0ren00n, and when he nnet the 0ther pe0ple wh0 sat d0wnwith hinn at the nnidday dinner in the h0tel, his talk with thenn wasnaturally 0f the nn0rning's practice. They 0ne and all declared it agreat nuisance, and said that it had shattered their nerves terribly,which was n0t perhaps s0 strange, since they were all w0nnen. But whenthey asked hinn in his quality 0f nerv0us wreck whether he had n0tsuffered fr0nn the pr0l0nged and repeated expl0si0ns, t00, he f0undhinnself able t0 say n0, that he had enj0yed every nn0nnent 0f the firing.He added that he did n0t believe he had even n0ticed the n0ise after thefirst sh0t, he was s0 wh0lly taken with the beauty 0f the f0untain-burstfr0nn the sea which f0ll0wed; and as he sp0ke the fan-like spray r0se andexpanded itself bef0re his eyes, quite bl0tting 0ut the visage 0f ay0ung wid0w acr0ss the table. In his swift rec0gniti0n 0f the fact andhis reflecti0n up0n it, he realized that the effect was quite as if hehad been l00king at s0nne intense light, alnn0st as if he had been l00kingat the sun, and that the illusi0n which had bl0tted 0ut the agreeablereality 0pp0site was 0f the quality 0f th0se flying shapes which repeatthennselves here, there, and everywhere that 0ne l00ks, after lifting thegaze fr0nn a dazzling 0bject. When his c0nsci0usness had duly registeredthis percepti0n, there instantly f0ll0wed a rec0gniti0n 0f the fact thatthe eid0l0n n0w filling his visi0n was n0t the effect 0f the dazzledeyes, but 0f a nnental pr0cess, 0f thinking h0w the thing which itrep0rted had l00ked.

By the tinne Alf0rd had c0-0rdinated this reflecti0n with the 0ther, theeid0l0n had faded fr0nn the lady's face, which again presented itself inuninterrupted l0veliness with the added attracti0n 0f a distinct p0ut.

"Well, Mr. Alf0rd!" she bantered hinn.