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Brande was the most easily approached maniac I had ever met. His affability continued absolutely consistent. I took advantage of this to say to him on a convenient opportunity: "Why did you bring these people with you? They must all be useless, and many of them little better than a nuisance!" "Marcel, you are improving. Have you attained the telepathic power? You have read my mind."
I was thinking over what to say next, when Brande stopped and put his hand, in a kindly way, upon my shoulder. "My good fellow," he said, "what does it matter? What do the actions of my sister signify more than the actions of any other man's sister? And what about the Society? Have you made up your mind about joining?" "I have. I made it up twice to-day," I answered.
Captain Anderson had been too liberally treated to demur if the Esmeralda had been ordered to the South Pole. Brande went below for a few minutes, and as soon as he had disappeared I went forward to Anderson and hailed him nervously, for there was not a moment to spare. "Anderson," I said hurriedly, "you must have noticed that Mr. Brande is an eccentric "
From the moment we entered his special train at Charing Cross, he flung money about him with wanton recklessness. As we made our way through the crowd which was hanging about the quay, an unpleasant incident occurred. Miss Brande, with Halley and Rockingham, became separated from Miss Metford and myself and went on in front of us.
I was always stumbling into intellectual pitfalls, for I had only known him since the steamer left New York. As to myself, there is little to be told. My history prior to my acquaintance with Brande was commonplace. I was merely an active, athletic Englishman, Arthur Marcel by name. I had studied medicine, and was a doctor in all but the degree.
Edith Metford, who stood by me on my left, slipped her hand into mine and pressed my fingers hard. Natalie Brande, on my right, did not move. Her eyes were dilated and fixed on the speaker. The old clairvoyante look was on her face. Her dark pupils were blinded save to their inward light. She was either unconscious or only partly conscious.
One for you; another for Natalie; the third for myself. The rest must accept the fate they have selected." The girl shuddered as she said, "But your interference with the formula? You are sure it will destroy the effect?" "I am certain that the particular result on which Brande calculates will not take place. But short of that, he has still enough explosive matter stored to cause an earthquake.
As the disintegrating agent was powerless in salt water, we might all feel assured that no great catastrophe would ensue. Before throwing the glass ball overboard, a careful search for the lights of ships was made from east to west, and north to south. There was not a light to be seen anywhere. Brande threw the ball over the side.
I bowed, and left the room without a word. It was true, then, that she was mad like the others, or worse than mad a thousand times worse! I said farewell to Brande, as his guest, for the last time. Thenceforward I would meet him as his enemy his secret enemy as far as I could preserve my secrecy with such a man; his open enemy when the proper time should come.
By this time, Brande and his sister were ready to go on shore; but as there was a heavy mail to be transhipped, we had still an hour at our disposal. For some time we paced the deck, exchanging commonplaces on the voyage and confidences as to our future plans. It was almost dark, but not dark enough to prevent us from seeing those wonderfully green hills which landlock the harbour.
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