<< Go immediately to Damascus and await me
there." The message was not signed, but I
knew at once that the letter came from the Be-
ing; and leaving explanations which I trusted
would make my peace with the college authorities
and my parents, I started the next morning for the
East
In due course I reached Damascus, and took up my
quarters in the only fairly comfortable serai in the
place, and for a few days wandered about the bazaars
of '^ Es-Sham," as I soon learned to call the city, paid
my respects to the consuls and other diplomatic offi-
cials in the place, saw the few sights of the city, and
revelled in the orientalism of my strange surround-
ings. I found the heat considerable, although the
cold weather was supposed to be upon us ; and after
I had been at Damascus for ten days or so, I was glad
to accept our vice-consul's invitation to visit him at
Salahiyyeh, a lovely cool spot some miles away among
the nearer hills. Finding the place much to my lik-
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▲ DXAD MAN'S VENGBANOEL 119
ing, I ertabliflhed myself, when my yisit was oyer, in
a little house near my friend's place, judging that for
my master's purposes Salahiyyeh was sofficiently close
to Damascus, and that there could be no objection to
my change of residence.
Until this time the strangeness of eyexything about
me had entirely engrossed me, and it was not until
I had fairly settled down at Salahiyyeh that I had
leisure or inclination to consider the reason of my
sudden yisit to the Easi But now one eyening, as
I was " enjoying my haif^ — taking my ease — ^in the
cool air in the yine-coyered bower at the end of my
landlord's garden, and lazily thinking of Inglott and
all that I was to do for him, I became suddenly con-
scious that I was not alone, and the well-remembered
figure of my master was once more before me. I
started to my feet, and h^, greeting me with the dig-
nified salutation with which my short sojourn in the
East had made me familiar, beckoned me to accom-
pany him. I followed him for a considerable distance
along a narrow path which trayersed a yalley which I
had not yet ezploied, and just as the new moon was
sinking below the horizon we reached the opposite
slopes of the hills on which my little house was built
The path descended rapidly through a thick growth
of trees, and we shortly found ouraelyes in a deserted
rose-garden, coyered with a blaze of pink blossoms,
which scented the air, and in the distance rose, cold
and grand in the dim twilight^ a snowy peak which I
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120 TALES FROM ''BLACKWOOD.''
lecogniaed as the highest of the Lebanon lange^ vis-
ible from Damascus on clear days.
Advancing a short distance, we came to a small
clearing in the middle of the jungly growth around^
and suddenly I remembered the place as the spot la
which I had found myself when called out of myself
by my master. There was the old gnarled olive-tree
under which I had first seen the spirit of the gipsy
girl, and there the mass of rock through which I had
passed. A fierce longing to see the girl again seized
me, and with all my strength and mind I willed she
should return. It was not long before I heard her
singing the same sad-cadenced song she sang before,
and then she stepped slowly out from the black
shadow, of the tree into the twilight The master
smiled encouragingly ; but when I tried to go to her
he warned me silently to pausa Profiting by the
lesson of obedience I had learned on my last visit
to the garden, I crept back and hid myself in the
friendly shadow of the sheltering trees. But I could
see her plainly. I was very young, and love comes
suddenly to the young. My whole heart went out to
her, and I turned to my master and prayed him to
help me to win her. He laughed, and whispered,
'' Poor fool ! she is a spirit, and you are a man.
What has she to do with mere mortals, and what
will it profit you to win a shadow 1"
But his halMaughing refusal to help me made me
only the more importunate. I implored him with all
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▲ DXAD MAN'S YENGXAKd. 121
the eloquence of which I was capable to aid me at
least in commnnicating with her.
At last he yielded. ''Yexy well," said he; ''as
yon wilL Do not attempt to speak to her to-night,
and do not let her see yon now. Come here alone
to-morrow night I mnst not be with you; but I
shall not be far ofl^ and shall be ready to help yon
if necessary."
I was sadly impatient^ but felt it was no use to
oppose him, and with the best grace I could muster
went home again through the dark valley to dream of
the lovely spirit form which I longed to meet again.
How the long remaining hours of the night dragged 1
Never had I known so tedious a day as the next one.
I could think of nothing but the gipsy girl and of her
sweetness and beauty. At last the slow shadows
lengthened out across the yellow plain below the
hills^ and I knew the time for seeing her again was
near. The long twilight closed darkly in, and us the
crescent moon neared the low sandhills lying north
of the noble slopes of Hermon, I stole away with
beating heart to meet the spirit of the gipsy girL
I had no difficulty in finding the path through the
wooded valley. But just before I reached the edge
of the thicket which enclosed the old rose-garden, I
met the master. He stopped me for a moment with
a word of warning to be discreet.
" Beware," he said, " how you let your hot youthful
fancies run away with you. Bemember your new love
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132 TALES FROM '' BLACEWOOD."
is a spirit^ and you are but a man, with all the gross*
ness of mortality within yoiL I have toiled hard for
you since we parted, and she will think yon a spirit
like herself. Take care yon do not nndeceive her.
Bemember, I am your friend, and will help you to
the best of my ability, — ^but you must be cautious."
With that he disappeared, and I moved eagerly <m
until I reached the little clearing in the wood. The
air was heavy with the scent of flowers, and as I
paused, a faint warm zephyr gently stirred the whis-
pering trees, when suddenly the bulbul ceased to
sing, for with a weird rustle, the half -transparent
form of the girl glided out from the shade of the old
rose-crowned olive-tree, and moved slowly into the
open space beyond.
There she stood in the soft half light of the even-
ing, so near me that I could see the little happy
smile that parted her sweet pale lips. I was very
nervous, but summoning all my fortitude I advanced,
and at the sound of my approach she turned round,
and, with a bright smile of remembrance, looked at
me and said, " I am so glad you have come among us 1
I was thinking of you just before you came, for I
thought I saw you here some time ago, and wondered
if I was right. How did you find me t And are you
not happy to leave the weary world 1"
I was by no means sure how to answer her, for
the Being had evidently told me the truth, and she
thought she saw my spirit, as she had done on the
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A DEAD HAN'S VIENOIANGX. 12S
fiiBt night she had seen me here. But at last I re-
plied, " Indeed I am glad to haye found you again.
How could I fail to seek yout"
'^ I don't know why you should look for me," she
said, " when you must have so many friends here."
** Shall I always find you here 1 " I interrupted.
'^ Oh yes," she answered, with a look of surprise at
my eagerness, *' I have been allowed to eome back to
the home which I loved so dearly, and I always
spend the night in this old rose-garden."
"When did you leave the world)" I asked.
''It is so bright and beautiful; did you not dread
deatht"
** Oh no," she replied. '' I used to love life at first
when I was at home ; but I was so very glad to leave
the cruel gipsies, and now I am so happy. I did not
stay long after that morning we met under the tor.
But you have not told me how you came here."
" I came here to seek you," I answered, not with-
out truth, though I am ashamed to confess I had
quite foigotten the real reason of my coming to
Es-Sham. "Did you think I could forget you or
our first meeting) Do you remember what you said
to me then ) "
She smiled as she answered, " Your hand did not
tell the truth, or my skill was at fault — for the first
time in my life, I think. I am afraid you can never
be a 'Lord of the Spirits' now, since you are one
yourself 1 " and she laughed lightly.
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124 TALES FROM '^ BIACKWOOP.**
I lemained silent for some timei How had she
deceived herself, and should I undeceive herl But
I made some answer, and then we spoke on various
subjects for a short time, as it seemed to me ; but
it must have been for hours, for at last she said
hurriedly, " But we must both be going ! See, the
east is paling, for the dawn is near. Oood-bje,
good-bye, my friend!"
''Promise me, before you go, that you will meet
me here again to-moiiow," I cried passionately.
" Tes ; I will come, of course," she said gravely,
looking at me curiously, as if wondering at my
warmtL
''Good-bye; do not fail," I said, as she turned
away ; and I watched her as she slowly disappeared
through the olives^ humming her favourite song.
No sooner was she gone than I became conscious
that the master was with me. "Have I not kept
my promise to help you?" he said. "She thinks
you are a spirit like herself; take care how you un-
deceive her. Tou will meet her again to-moirow
night, and I will help you further. Be a man, for
you will need all your strength of will" Just as the
grey dawn broke he too disappeared, and I was left
alone to find my way home, which I reached just as
the sun showed himself above the horizon. I was
very weary and excited by all I had gone through,
but I slept as soon as my head touched the pillow.
My first thoughts on waking were of the spirit of
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A BEAD man's VIENGSAKCE. 125
the girL How sweet and pure she looked in the
ghostly starlight among the grey olive-trees ! 8he
had told me that her name was Safura, and I
thought the name, spoken in her gentle voice, with
her half-Arab lisp, the sweetest I had ever heard, and
it thrilled in my ears even now. Her weird beanty,
and the strange intangibility of her form, fascinated
me, and filled me with a hopeless longing to possess
and hold her as my own. All day my thoughts were
of her, but the enigma — how to win her — was no
nearer solution at the end of it than at the beginning,
and when I went to meet her that nighty my mind
was sorely perplexed. My difficulties doubtless
helped to fan the smouldering fire of admiration thus
quickly into the fiercer flame of love.
How sweet she was that night, and yet how cold 1
She was very glad to see me, but it was with the
gladness of a child pleased to see her friend. Freed
from the trammels of the body, her spirit seemed to
have lost all earthly taint. My love was not one
to be satisfied with mere liking in return — ^it was,
perhaps, more gross and earthly by reason of its
rapid growth. But she had no suspicion. She
thought me to be a spirit like herself, and little
dreamed how much a part of me my worldly longings
were. What we spoke of that night, or the many
succeeding nights, I cannot remember. I only know
that my passion grew stronger, as my hope of arousing
A similar feeling within her grew fainter. With all the
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126 TALES fBOM ''BLACKWOOD.'*
strengtii of my will I lesolyed to win her hearty and
make her love me aa one mortal loves another. Bat
as time wore on, I felt I was making no real progress.
That I had obtained some influence over her I clearly
perceived, but it was not the influence I desired.
She yielded to my wishes, and accommodated her
will to mine, more easily than she had done at first ;
but still I felt baffled, and conscious that the greater
part of my efibrts was being wasted on space, or at
any rate in the wrong direction.
At last, in despair I summoned the Being, and
invoked his aid once more. I showed him how
difficult my task was — how impossible it was to
infuse any spark of mortal love in a heart which, by
reason of its freedom from all mortal contamination^
had now no sympathy with, or power of feelings
human passion. He was not very sympathetic, and
asked me what I could expect if I fixed my love on a
being of another world. But his want of interest
only increased my earnestness, and I begged him
to exert himself to help me ; and at last reminded
him of what he had said to me when we made our
compact, and insisted that he should help me to win
the gipsy girl for my own.
The master smiled grimly, and said, ''Have your
own way, then. But after all, it is little I can do
for you. Has love weakened your wiU, that you
cannot force her to feel some sort of affection for
you f Win ever so little of her heart (and she is not
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A DIAD MAN'S TKNOIANCE. 127
yet 80 pnie a spirit that this thing is impossible), and
then it will be within your power to materialise her,
and clothe her temporarily in human form ; and
woman as she was, and will be once more, you will
be able to bend her easily to your wilL I can only
join my power of will to yours ; and I will help yon
to the best of my ability, as I am bound to do. If
you repent hereafter, don't blame me."
This was a new revelation to me, for I had never
before seriously considered the possibility of reinvest-
ing a departed spirit with flesh. Inglott and I, in
the course of our studies^ had seen such a thing
hinted at ; and we had once discussed the question,
but sceptically — thinking the idea one of the many
absurd and impossible suggestions which, unfortu-
nately, abound in all books on occult science.
However, this gave me hope, and hope is every-
thing in love, and is very strong in the breast of a
young man. So I determined to try my best, and
endeavoured to persuade myself that with the aid of
the master I had a fair chance of success. At any
rate, I felt I could have no rival, and this was a
comforting reflection.
For many nights I put forth my utmost powers to
win Safura's heart ; and though I was not very con-
fident of progress, I felt conscious that she was
changing towards me, and this gave me strength to
redouble my exertions. I was now sure that I was
using my powers in the right direction, and that time
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198 TAU8 FBOU ''BLACKWOOD.**
mi^^t giTB me an opportomty of wixming the spirit
girl's heart in the way I longed to win it
And 80 the weeks wore oa One nighty when the
moon was for the thiid time growing full and round,
we had met as usuaL The air was now much cooler
than it had heen when I came ; and the roeesi rejoic-
ing in the less fierce sui, grew deeper in tint and
richer in perfume than before, and ran riot over the
old trees. We were wandering in the garden which
we loved so mnch, and were talking of the life to
which she thought we had both said farewell
Safuia had previously told me something of her
lif e^ but very little. She had been, it appeared, but
a short time with the gipsies, and had been unhappy
with them: why, she would never tell me. Nor
would she tell me anything of her earlier history —
only that she had passed her childhood in this very
garden, where the ruins of her old home were vidble^
charred and burnt ; and that she had lost her fiither
and mother in a very sad way, two or three years
before she died. The whole subject seemed too pain-
ful for her.
That night I said to her, ^* Saf ura, did you never
learn what love means, or have you only forgotten f
She seemed startled, and hesitated for a moment^
and then replied with a smile, ''Lovef of course I
knew what that was ; who that has had father and
mother and Mends could fail to know itf "
^But did you know no other love than thatt" I
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A BKAD MAN'S VEKOEAITOI. 139
said. ''That love yoa can feel now, can yoa not!
Had you no feeling of love in life which yon cannot
feel heief
She looked confoaed again, and for a moment
paused. Then her lips parted in a slow smile, and
she seemed about to speak again when she paused
once more. Then in answer to my questioning eyes^
and perhaps obedient to my will, said suddenly,
''Yes, I did love once I . • • Well, it can do no
harm now if I do teU you. Love like that can never
trouble us here. Tes ; I hare loved. After I met
■ you in the lane I could think of no one but you, and
when I was dying I seemed to hear your voice calling
me back to you as you did that day when I left you,
and I felt once more all through me a thrill such as I
felt when your hand touched mine. I think your
voice and touch would have called me back from
death itsell But it is too late now ; all that is past
for us both," she added sadly.
" Why is it too latet" I burst out, unable to re-
strain myself longer " Safora, my darling ! I have
never ceased to love you— -cannot you love me still f
Because you have left the world must all that is of the
world die out of you, and must you be cold and cruel
to all left in the world 1 Come back to me once more.
I am no spirit, and warm living love like mine is strong
enough to bring you back to earth and make you live
once more. Come, and I will teach you how happy
life can be ! come I '' And as I spoke I felt my whole
T.B. — ^v. I
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130 TALES FROM "< BIAGEWOOD.*'
being rash into one channel and all my energy of will
sweep irresistibly down it towards one great and stead-
fast purpose. I felt the boundless strength of my
mighty master urge me on, supporting me and add-
ing a thousandfold to the almost superhuman force
I put forth at this the supreme moment of my Ufa
Gradually a strange change came over her. Her
shadowy form grew slowly denser, colour &intly
tinged her lips, her eyes, her hair. By degrees the
semblance of life came to her; in her dark eyes a
look of tenderness appeared, which deepened and
deepened until at last her whole face and figure were
lighted up by the divine fires of life and love. My
patience was rewarded, my agonising efibrts were
successful ; her materialisation was complete ; and
with a trembling sigh she nestled in my arms, all
warm and living, a true woman, whose soft lips
shrunk coyly from mine as I pressed on them the
first long ardent kiss of love, while she whispered,
'<Tou have brought me back to life, and I am ever
all your own I "
CHAFTEB IV.
One short rapturous week of bliss passed all too
quickly by, and I had quite forgotten Inglott, the
duty I had undertaken, and all but myself and my
love for Safura. At the end of this time, as I was
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A DSAD man's TENGEAKOI. 131
walkmg dowly to my honse in the grey dawn alter
bidding Safoia farewell before she faded with the
moonlight into her shadowy spirit-self and disap-
peared, I felt the nnaccnstomed presence of my
strange master, and started suddenly from a deep
rererie as he addressed me. My only thought at the
time he spoke was of the next night's meeting ; and
my darling's farewell, as she had faded slowly from
my dose embrace, still thrilled in my ear&
^' Well, friend," he said, " have I not been better
than my word f Now it is your turn to keep your
promise to Inglott and to me. Do you know that
you have been amusing yourself here a good deal more
than two months, and that you have only just time
left to reach England to keep your appointment ) "
'' But I am not going," I cried. '' I know nothing
about Inglott's sister nor her abductora You must
manage to fulfil your promise to him without me.
Leave me here in peace."
^'ThiB will not do," the Being said, sternly, **1
have your promise, and you shall keep it. I have
helped you, and you must help mei Your presence
when I meet Inglott is absolutely necessary."
I argued and protested, but to no purpose. His
will was stronger than mine. I begged for one more
meeting with Safura in the old garden, but he was
immovable, and would not allow it. Being untram-
melled by the bonds of the flesh, except when I
willed her to be othenrise, she could come to me as
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ISS TALBS FBOM
veil in England as in Syria. I mnst letam to Eng^
land and take up m j lesidence in my old rooms with*
out delay, otherwise I should be too late to help him
in giving Inglott his levenge. All this the Being
urged, and I had no power to resist. Further, he
extracted an unwilling promise from me that I would
not summon Safura without receiving his permission
to do so ; and eigoined on me not to see or speak
to Inglott before the appointed night, on penalty of
ruining all his hopes.
And so I started for England, haunted by visions
of the sad face which I knew would look so wistfully
for me that night in the dear old garden, where she
would miss me for the first time for weeks past The
thought of the sorrowing spirit of the girl wandering
through the trees searching for me in all our favourite
nooks, and longing in vain for the power which alone
could give back to her the enjoyment of warm human
love, almost forced me to play traitor to Inglott, and
to stay in Damascus with my shadowy mistress. But
calling to my aid the whole strength of my will, and
fortifying myself with the thought that I could sum-
mon her to my side in England as easily as I could
in Syria, I compelled myself to start for home, and
by degrees to think of other things. I dared not
think too much of Safura for fear of summoning her,
and of thus destroying Inglott's happiness.
And now for some days I had ample time to think
of Inglott^ and I promised myself a rerj pleasant
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▲ DEAD ICAN'S TINGEAKGI. 1S3
meotixig with hiniy for I held him in smoere regard
and esteem, and was truly rejoiced to think that he
would so soon have his sister restored to him and be
given an opportunity of avenging himself on those
who had injured him so cruelly. My conscience re-
proached me a good deal for having thought so little
about him during the past few weeks^ and for having
done, so far as I could see, absolutely nothing for
him. But I consoled myself by remembering that^
after all, I had done everything the master had asked
me to do; and that, judging from the complete
manner in which he had fulfilled all that he had
promised me, he was not likely to fail Inglott
On the whole, my return journey to England was
pleasanter and less disturbed by vain longings after
Safuia than I had anticipated ; and when I entered
my rooms on arrival, I remembered with much pleih
sure that it was the day fixed by the master for our
meeting with Inglott I promised myself with coit-
fidence the enjoyment of seeing his happiness, and
I determined to obtain my master's permission to see
Safura at once, and, if he would not give it, I decided
I would summon her in defiance of him, as, having
fulfilled his covenant with Inglott, my rebellion could
do no one any hann.
At last the time arrived for me to go to Inglotfs
room, as I had been accustomed to do before we
separated. Thero I found him looking anxious and
excited, walking restlessly up and down the room.
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134 TALKS FBOM ^BIACKWOOa'
He greeted me coidiallj, but with a preoceapied
mannen We had time only to exchange greetingSy
when, without warning, the Being appeared before ua
A look of triumphant hatred gleamed in hia stem
ejeBf and a terrible amile of satisfied revenge lighted
up his &ce. There was such a deviliah joy expressed
in his whole appearance that my heart sank within me,
and my gladness changed to fear and dismay.
He turned to Inglott with a sneer which appalled
me, and said, ''Now, my master, be pleased to lay
your commands upon your obedient slave!''
Inglott briefly replied, '* Eemember your promise.
Where is my sister, and where are my enemies f*
" Look at me ! '' said the Being, with a laugh as
baleful as Mephistopheles's ; " do you not recognise
me nowf I was known throughout Syria as El
Akrab " (the scorpion), " in compliment to my amiable
qualities," he said, with a vicious grin, ''though I am
not so bad as I was painted, as your friend here will
testify. Stay where you are 1 " he cried, as Inglott
started up from the chair in which he was seated,
his face purple with fury ; " do not think that the
privilege of inflicting the supreme ii^ury on you has
fallen to me. Be silent, and do not dare to interrupt
me again, or you shall never see your sister. Now,
listen ! When I was little more than a boy I loved