Vera, the Medium Part 10

"Miss Vera," began the Judge, "we left Mr. Hallowell very much impressed with the message you gave him this morning. The message from his dead sister. He wants another message from her. He wants her to decide how he shall dispose of a very large sum of money--his entire fortune."

"His entire fortune!" exclaimed Vera. "Do you imagine," she asked, "that Mr. Hallowell will take advice from the spirit world about that? I don't!"

"I do," Gaylor answered stoutly, "I know I would."

"You?" asked Vera incredulously.

"If I could believe my sister came from the dead to tell me what to do," said the lawyer, "of course, I'd do it. I'd be afraid not to. But I don't believe he does. And he believes you can bring his sister herself before him. He insists that tonight you hold a seance in his house, and that you materialize the spirit of his dead sister. So that he can see his sister, and talk with his sister. Vance says you can do that. Can you?"

From Vera's face the look of girlishness, of happy antic.i.p.ation, had already disappeared.

"It is my business to do that," the girl answered. She turned to Vance and, in a matter-of-fact voice, inquired, "What does his sister look like--that photograph we used this morning?"

"No," Vance answered. "I've a better one, Rainey gave me. Taken when she was older. Has white hair and a cap and a kerchief crossed--so." He drew his hands across his shoulders. "Rainey, show Miss Vera that picture."

"Not now," Gaylor commanded. "The important thing now is that Miss Vera understands the message Mr. Hallowell is to receive from his sister."

The two other men nodded quickly in a.s.sent. Gaylor turned to Vera. He spoke slowly, earnestly.

"Miss Vera," he said, "Mr. Hallowell's present will leaves his fortune to his niece. He has made another will, which he has not signed, leaving his fortune to the Hallowell Inst.i.tute. He will ask his sister to which of these he should leave his money. You will tell him--" he corrected himself instantly. "She will tell him to give it where it will be of the greatest good to the most people--to the Inst.i.tute." There was a pause.

"Do you understand?" he asked.

"To the Inst.i.tute. Not to the niece," Vera answered. Gaylor nodded gravely.

"What," asked Vera, "are the fewest words in which that message could be delivered? I mean--should she say, You are to endow the Hallowell Inst.i.tute, or Brother, you are to give--Sign the new will?" With satisfaction the girl gave a sharp shake of her head, and nodded to Vance. "Destroy the old will. Sign the new will. That is the best," she said.

"That's it exactly," Gaylor exclaimed eagerly; "that's excellent!" Then his face clouded. "I think," he said in a troubled voice, "we should warn Miss Vera, that to guard himself from any trickery, Mr. Hallowell insists on subjecting her to the most severe tests. He--"

"That will be all right," said the girl. She turned to Vance and, in a lower tone but without interest, asked: "What, for instance?" Vance merely laughed and shrugged his shoulders. The girl smiled. Nettled, and alarmed at what appeared to be their overconfidence, Gaylor objected warmly.

"That's all very well," he cried, "but for instance, he insists that the entire time you are in the cabinet, you hold a handful of flour in one hand and of shot in the other"--he ill.u.s.trated with clenched fists--"which makes it impossible," he protested, "for you to use your hands."

The face of the girl showed complete indifference.

"Not necessarily," she said.

"But you are to be tied hand and foot," cried the Judge. "And on top of that," he burst forth indignantly, pointing aggrievedly at Vance, "he himself proposed this flour-and-shot test. It was silly, senseless bravado!"

"Not necessarily," repeated the girl. "He knew that I invented it."

Rainey laughed. Gaylor gave an exclamation of enlightenment.

"If it will be of any comfort to you, Judge," said Vance, "I'll tell you one thing; every test that ever was put to a medium--was invented by a medium."

Vera rose. "If there is nothing more," she said, "I will go and get the things ready for this evening. Destroy the old will. Sign the new will." she repeated. She turned suddenly to Vance, her brow drawn in consideration. "I suppose by this new will," she asked, "the girl gets nothing?" "Not at all!" exclaimed Gaylor emphatically. "We don't want her to fight the will. She gets a million."

"A million dollars?" demanded Vera. For an instant, as though trying to grasp the possibilities of such a sum, she stood staring ahead of her.

With doubt in her eyes, and shaking her head, she turned to Vance.

"How can one woman spend a million dollars?" she protested.

"Well, you see, we don't intend to starve her," exclaimed Gaylor eagerly, "and at the same time the Inst.i.tute will be benefiting all humanity. Doing good to--"

Vera interrupted him with a sharp, peremptory movement of the hand.

"We won't go into that, please," she begged.

The Judge inclined his head. "I only meant to point out," he said stiffly, "that you are giving Mr. Hallowell the best advice, and doing great good."

For a moment the girl looked at him steadily. On her lips was a faint smile of disdain, but whether for him or for herself, the Judge could not determine.

"I don't know that," the girl said finally. "I don't ask." She turned to Rainey. "Have you that photograph?" He gave her a photograph and after, for an instant, studying it in silence, she returned it to him.

"It will be quite easy," she said to Vance. She walked to the door, and instinctively the two men, who were seated, rose.

"I will see you tonight at Mr. Hallowell's," she said, and, with a nod, left them.

"Well," exclaimed Rainey, "you didn't tell her!"

"I know," Vance answered. "I decided we'd be wiser to take advice from my wife. She understands Vera better than I do." He opened the door to the hall, and called "Mannie! Tell Mabel--Oh, Mabel," he corrected, "come here a minute." He returned to his seat on the piano stool. "She can tell us," he said.

In expectation of the arrival of Winthrop, Mrs. Vance had arrayed herself in a light blue frock, and, as though she had just come in from the street, in such a hat as she considered would do credit not only to Vera but to herself.

"Mabel," her husband began, "we're up against a hard proposition.

Hallowell insists that Winthrop and Miss Coates must come to the seance tonight."

"Winthrop and Miss Coates!" cried Mabel. In astonishment she glanced from her husband to Rainey and Gaylor. "Then, it's all off!" she exclaimed.

"That's what I say," growled Rainey.

"We want you to tell us," continued Vance, unmoved, "whether Vera should know that now, or wait until tonight?"

"Paul Vance!" almost shrieked his wife, "do you mean to tell me you're thinking of giving a materialization in front of the District Attorney!

You're crazy!"

"That's what I tell them," chorused Rainey.

Gaylor raised his hand for silence.

"No, Mrs. Vance," he said wearily. "We are not crazy, but," he added bitterly, "we can't help ourselves. You mediums have got Mr. Hallowell in such a state that he'll only do what his sister's spirit tells him.

He says, if he's robbing his niece, his sister will tell him so; if he's to give the money to the Inst.i.tute, his sister will tell him that. He says, if Vance is fair and above-board, he shouldn't be afraid to have his niece and any friends of hers present. We can't help ourselves."

"I helped a little," said Vance, "by insisting on having our own friends there--told him the spirit could not materialize unless there were believers present."

"Did he stand for that?" asked Mabel.

"Glad to have them," her husband a.s.sured her. "They like to think there are others as foolish as they are. And I'm going to place Mr. District Attorney," he broke out suddenly and fiercely, "between two mediums.

They'll hold his hands!"