Viv--"
"Tsh! Tsh! Mr. Ferdinand, wait in the hall. I shall want to speak to you
in a moment."
"Yes, sir."
The Prophet closed the door and turned to this indignant visitors.
"This is terrible," he said. "Terrible!"
"Pray why?" cried Madame.
"Why," cried the Prophet, "why?"
He sought frantically for some excuse. Suddenly a bright idea occurred
to him.
"Why," he said, impressively. "Because Sir Tiglath Butt, the gentleman
who is coming to dinner, is the person who for five-and-forty years
has been seeking Mr. Sagittarius with the firm intention of assaulting,
perhaps of killing, him."
Mr. Sagittarius turned deathly pale, and made a movement as if to get
out of the nearest window.
"This is a trap!" he stammered. "This is a rat-trap. This was planned."
"Really"--began the Prophet.
But Mr. Sagittarius did not heed the exclamation. Trembling very
violently, he continued,--
"Sophy, my darling, you are in danger. Let us fly!"
And, clutching his wife by the arm, to the Prophet's unspeakable delight
he endeavoured to lead, or rather to drag her to the door. But Madame
now showed the metal she was made of.
"Jupiter," she exclaimed, in her deepest note, "if you are a Prophet you
can surely at moments be also a man.
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