‘Now I will tell you of the last case. A trial took place of my horses on the twentieth of April on the Downs at eleven o’clock in the morning. On that occasion even my trainer did not know the weights that they carried. In order to make things quite safe I kept the knowledge altogether to myself. The people who witnessed the race were my aunt, Mrs Percival, Miss Esther Haldane, the young lady to whom I have the honour of being engaged, I myself and my trainer. My bay horse Victor won the trial, though he was not first by any means in the race. We four talked the matter over on the Downs; we then walked home quietly all together. On reaching home at twelve o’clock I wired to my agent in cipher to invest heavily on Victor, whose price was twenty to one.
‘That same afternoon, I received the astounding information that he was first favourite at three to one, a large commission already having been executed. Now this commission was executed at Tattersalls, in London, at half-past eleven, actually within half an hour after the trial was known, and also half an hour before any of us reached home from the Downs. The thing is astounding, for even if anyone did secretly watch the trial it would be impossible, without knowing the weights, to tell which was the best horse. That knowledge was only known to us four, and to no one else in the world. You have, therefore, this fact to face. A certain piece of information is known to four people on an open Down in Sussex at ten minutes past eleven, and yet that information is acted on in London twenty minutes later. There is no question of my trainer playing me false, as he could not possibly communicate the information in the time I have mentioned, and I have come to the conclusion that some extraordinary thought-transference is the only thing to fall back upon.’
I was silent for a moment, then I said suddenly:
‘Do you happen to remember, Sir Penn, if the sun was shining on that last occasion?’
‘Why?’ he asked, in some surprise.
‘Because there would be just the possibility of your trainer heliographing the information.’
‘That is a clever suggestion,’ he exclaimed, ‘but it won’t do. It happened to be a cloudy day.’
‘Then for the moment I see no solution,’ I replied. ‘May I ask if you know anyone who has ever threatened to read your thoughts?’
‘Certainly I do. Karl Haldane, my future wife’s brother, who calls himself a clairvoyant. To be plain with you, Miss Marburg, I have no particular fancy for Mr Karl Haldane; but there is no doubt he is extremely clever, and Esther is devotedly attached to him. He certainly would be the last man who would try to ruin me. We must try to get at the solution in some other way.’
‘Nevertheless, may I ask you a question or two?’ I said. ‘Was Mr Haldane at your house when the affair you have just mentioned took place?’
‘No, he had been staying with us, but he left early that morning.’
‘I should like to see him,’ I said, after a pause.
Sir Penn’s eyes brightened.
‘You are wrong in suspecting for a moment that Haldane has anything to do with the matter,’ he said. ‘Nevertheless if you like to meet him, you can: I am particularly anxious to introduce you to Esther. I have a big party down at Lewes just now. A trial of my horses for the Derby takes place early next week. Will you come to my place and be present at the trial? Can you do so?’
‘Of course I will come. I would throw over any engagement for such an important, and I must say, to me, interesting case.’
‘Will you come tomorrow? I will meet you by the four o’clock train.’
I promised to do so, and after thanking me warmly Sir Penn took his leave. Truly a queer case had now been put into my hands. Sir Penn was regarded amongst all his friends as a practical man; nevertheless, in his difficulties he consulted me, the occultist and believer in thought reading. One thing certainly was evident, either what had happened was a genuine case of thought transference, or a very subtle form of fraud. The latter seemed truly to be impossible.
When I reached Lewes the next day Sir Penn was waiting for me. On arriving at Court Prospect, the name of his beautiful house, I found a large party assembled in the hall. Mrs Percival, Sir Penn’s aunt, was present, and was dispensing tea. I had met her before, and she came forward now and greeted me kindly.
‘It is very good of you to come, Miss Marburg,’ she said, ‘and I have delighted more than one person present by saying I am sure you will give a séance while you are with us. Oh! Of course I quite believe in palmistry, and Mr Haldane, one of the best clairvoyants I have ever known, will arrive this evening. We shall doubtless have a most interesting time. Have you yet met Mr Haldane?’
‘No.’
‘Then I shall have the pleasure of introducing two kindred spirits. Ah! Esther, my dear, come here.’
A slim, remarkably graceful girl rose from her seat at a little distance. She strolled leisurely towards us. I am tall, but Miss Haldane was half a head taller. Mrs Percival made the necessary introduction. Miss Haldane looked at me slowly. All her movements were slow. She then opened her magnificent eyes a trifle wider than their wont and held out her hand.
‘I am glad to see you,’ she said in a cordial tone.
She did
