“Of course,” murmured the Professor, “Hetty’s mind may be influenced by a dominant anxiety in yours.--I should not like to say, Forsdyke!” His tone was emphatic. “Personally, I have never heard of a spectral spy--but--well, you are, on your showing worth spying on. And there are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio--you know! If it _is_ possible--then there are things more improbable than that this means of acquiring information should be used. Your schedule would, I take it, be priceless?” “The fate of the world may be involved in it,” replied Forsdyke. “But I can’t believe----” “I am certain!” exclaimed Hetty. “I feel there’s something uncanny around us now!” She shuddered. “Oh, _do_ take care, Poppa!” “But what can he do?” asked Jimmy, who had been listening anxiously to the Professor’s explanation. “What do you suggest, Sergeantson? You’re the authentic spycatcher. How can you defeat the ghost of one?” “I pass!” replied Sergeantson, laconically. “Professor, the word’s to you!” Forsdyke looked genuinely worried. “Of course, I don’t believe it, Lomax,” he said. “But supposing--supposing there was something like you suggest--what could I do?” The Professor’s eyes twinkled. “Assuming the objective reality of our supposition, my dear Forsdyke,” he replied, “I can think of only one effective counterstroke.” He held their interest for a moment in suspense. “And that is----?” “To drop a bomb on the girl!” “A bomb--on the girl----” puzzled Jimmy slowly. “Why?” “Because when you break the telephone receiver it doesn’t matter what the fellow at the other end says--you can’t hear!” “But we can’t get at her,” said Sergeantson. “We don’t even know who she is, or where. We should never find out--in time.” “That’s just it,” agreed the Professor. “You would have no time. Assuming that a ghostly spy is haunting our friend Forsdyke--the moment he reads that schedule, or even indicates where it is, the spy reads it too----” “Reads it?” echoed Jimmy, incredulously. “But surely ghosts can’t read!” “It is alleged they can,” replied the Professor. “There is, for example, a very curious case reported of the Rev. Stainton Moses, a teacher at the University College in London during the ’seventies. A spirit, purporting to be writing through his hand, quoted to him a paragraph from a closed book in a friend’s library. Moses merely indicated a book and a page at random, without knowing even to what book he referred. The quotation was correct. One of the foremost scientists of the present day has lent the weight of his authority to this story by incorporating it in his book as evidence of supernormal powers----”[2] “That is sure incredible, Professor!” cried Sergeantson.