"I'm afraid I know very little." Chadwick rose from his chair, and walked restlessly about the office. The religion of Moonerism had been brought to the attention of Scotland Yard once before; however, investigation of the Countess Moonard had only revealed that she believed in a religion having to do with certain astral and planetary bodies. Those who gave themselves up to its teachings never revealed the secrets; and those who tried to learn more were either converted or by some strange manner suddenly and for ever frightened from attempting to obtain further knowledge. "Surely there is something we could do about it." Carl began walking back and forth with his friend. "You know how I feel about Ruth's acceptance of such a strange faith. Besides, Chadwick, I have reason to believe that--well----" The words stuck in his throat. He could not bring himself to believe that the Countess or anyone else really had supernatural powers; furthermore what he was beginning to suspect was beyond belief. "Doc, there's really nothing we can do about this, except to try and persuade your fiancée to use better judgment. There are many strange religious cults in London. As long as they do not break any of our laws, we cannot stop them. No one has ever found out enough about the Countess and her beliefs to justify a thorough investigation. Her following is comparatively small, mostly beautiful women--very beautiful women." "That's just it," Carl said excitedly. "All of them are beautiful and young in appearance. The Countess herself--she must be seventy if she's a day, but look at her. Her face is ageless. Chadwick, you know that I would be the last person in the world to waste time over foolish beliefs in the supernatural; yet--well, I've noticed that Ruth has become--different. I see it in her face, in her actions, in----" "Of course you do. All those religions require a certain amount of fanatical devotion. Ruth is young and impressionable. Perhaps if you took her away for a while?" "But that's just it! She seems to move as if controlled by another mind. Last night I was almost stabbed trying to keep her from staying with the Countess, and the affair left her entirely unimpressed with my danger." "Stabbed?" "Yes, by one of the Countess' servants. Look, Chadwick, you are clever at obtaining secrets. Why can't you work on this, and really find out what happens to those who take up Moonerism?" "I know what happens. They follow it to their death. Apparently they lead normal lives outside of their activities within the temple. What can Scotland Yard do about that? Today people have a right to worship as they please, you know." "Oh, you don't grasp what I mean. I think there is something beyond the ordinary enchantment of a strange religious faith. Call it what you will, the Countess Donella Moonard has a power over the few people she contacts; and that power is transforming Ruth from a lovely girl into----" Carl shuddered.