"We have not seen eachother for some time, brother." Aglie was smiling. "I knew that youwould be unable to resist coming. Well? You have been informed whatthe prisoner said, and he says he learned it from you. So you knewand you kept silent."
"Count," Ardenti said,"the prisoner is lying. It is humiliating for me to say this¡Xbuthonor above all. The story I confided to him is not the story theMystic Legates told me. The interpretation of the message¡Xit'strue, I came into possession of a message, but I didn't hide thatfrom you, years ago, in Milan¡Xthe interpretation is different....Iwouldn't have been capable of reading it as the prisoner has readit, and so, at that time, I sought help. And, I must say, Ireceived no encouragement, only distrust, defiance, andthreats...." Perhaps he was going to say more, but as he stared atAglie, he stared also at the Pendulum, which was acting on him likea spell. As if hypnotized, he sank to his knees and said only,"Forgive me, because I do not know.''
"You are forgiven,because you know you do not know," Aglie said. "And so, brothers,the prisoner has knowledge that none of us has. He knows even whowe are; in fact, we learned who we are through him. We mustproceed: it will soon be dawn. While you remain here in meditation,I will withdraw once more, to wrest the revelation fromhim."
"Ah non, monsieur lecomte!" Pierre stepped into the hemi-cycle, his pupils dilated."For two days you have talked with him, tete-a-tete, and he hasseen nothing, said nothing, heard nothing, like the three monkeys.What more do you wish to demand, this night? No, no. Let it behere. Here, before all of us!"
"Calm yourself, my dearPierre. I have had brought here, this night, a woman I consider themost exquisite incarnation of the Sophia, the mystic bond betweenthe world of error and the Superior Ogdoad. Do not ask me how orwhy, but in her presence the man will speak. Tell them who you are,Sophia."
And Lorenza, like asomnambulist, as if it were an effort to utter the words, said: "Iam...the saint and the prostitute."
"Ah, that is to laugh,"Pierre said. "We have here the creme de l'initiation and we call ina pute. No; the man must be brought immediately before thePendule!"
"Let's not be childish,"Aglie said. "Give me an hour. What makes you think he would speakhere, before the Pendulum?"
"He will speak as he isundone. Le sacrifice humain!" Pierre shouted to the nave. And thenave, in a loud voice, repeated: "Le sacrifice humain!"
Salon stepped forward."Count, our brother is not childish. He is right. We are not thepolice...."
"You of all people saythis," Aglie quipped.
"We are not the police,"Salon said, "and it is not fitting for us to proceed with ordinarymethods of inquiry. On the other hand, I do not believe thatsacrifices to the forces of the underground will be efficaciouseither. If they had wanted to give us a sign, they would have doneso long ago. Another one knows, besides the prisoner, but he hasdisappeared. This evening, we have the possibility of confrontingthe prisoner with those who knew..." He smiled, staring at Aglie,his eyes narrowing beneath their bushy brows. "And to make themalso confront us..."
"What do you mean,Salon?" Aglie asked, in a voice that showed uncertainty.
"If Monsieur le Comtepermits, I will explain," a woman said. It was Madame Olcott: Irecognized her from the poster. Livid, in an olive garment, herhair, black with oil, tied at the nape. The hoarse voice of a man.In the Librairie Sloane I had recognized that face, and now Iremembered: she was the Dru-idess who had run toward us in theclearing that night in Piedmont. "Alex, Denys, bring the prisonerhere."
She spoke in animperious tone. The murmuring in the nave expressed approval. Thetwo giants obeyed, trusting Lorenza to two Freaks Mignons. Aglie'shands gripped the arms of his throne; he had beenoutvoted.
Madame Olcott signaledto her little monsters, and between the statue of Pascal and theObeissante three armchairs were placed. On them three individualswere seated. The three were dark-skinned, small of stature,nervous, with large white eyes. "The Fox triplets. You know themwell, Count. Theo, Leo, Geo, ready yourselves."
At that moment thegiants of Avalon reappeared, holding Ja-copo Belbo by the arms,though he barely came up to their shoulders. My poor friend wasashen, with several days' growth of beard; his hands were boundbehind his back and his shirt was open. Entering the smoky arena,he blinked. He didn't seem surprised by the collection ofhierophants he saw before him; after the past few days, he wasprobably prepared for anything.
He was surprised,though, to see the Pendulum in its new position. The giants draggedhim to face Agile's seat. The only | sound was the swish of thePendulum as it grazed his back.
Briefly, Belbo turned,and he saw Lorenza. Overwhelmed, he i started to call her, andtried to free himself. But Lorenza, though she stared at him dully,seemed not to recognize him.
From the far end of thenave, near the ticket desk and the bookstall, a roll of drums washeard, and the shrill notes of some flutes. Suddenly, the doors offour automobiles opened, and four creatures emerged. I had seenthem before, too, on the poster for Le Petit Cirque.
Wearing fezlike felthats and ample black cloaks buttoned to the neck, Les DervichesHurleurs stepped from the automobiles like the dead rising from thegrave, and they squatted at the edge of the magic circle. In thebackground a flute now played sweet music, and the four gently puttheir hands on the floor and bowed their heads.
From the fuselage ofBreguet's plane, a fifth Derviche leaned out like a muezzin from aminaret and began to chant in an unknown tongue, moaning andlamenting as the drums began again, increasing inintensity.
Crouched behind theBrothers Fox, Madame Olcott whispered words of encouragement tothem. The three were slumped in their chairs, their hands clutchingthe arms, their eyes closed. They began to sweat, and all themuscles of their faces twitched.
Madame Olcott addressedthe assembly of dignitaries. "My excellent little brothers will nowbring into our midst three people who knew." She paused, then said:"Edward Kelley, Heinrich Khunrath,
