THE GREAT RETURN By ARTHUR MACHEN AUTHOR OF "THE BOWMEN" PUBLISHED IN LONDON BY THE FAITH PRESS, AT THE FAITH HOUSE, 22, BUCKINGHAM STREET, STRAND, W.C. 1915 BY THE SAME AUTHOR THE BOWMEN THE HILL OF DREAMS THE HOUSE OF SOULS [including "The Great God Pan" and "The Three Impostors"] HIEROGLYPHICS THE CHRONICLE OF CLEMENDY DR. STIGGINS To D.P.M. CONTENTS I. THE RUMOUR OF THE MARVELLOUS II. ODOURS OF PARADISE III. A SECRET IN A SECRET PLACE IV. THE RINGING OF THE BELL V. THE ROSE OF FIRE VI. OLWEN'S DREAM VII. THE MASS OF THE SANGRAAL GREAT RETURN CHAPTER I THE RUMOUR OF THE MARVELLOUS There are strange things lost and forgotten in obscure corners of the newspaper. I often think that the most extraordinary item of intelligence that I have read in print appeared a few years ago in the London Press. It came from a well known and most respected news agency; I imagine it was in all the papers. It was astounding. The circumstances necessary--not to the understanding of this paragraph, for that is out of the question--but, we will say, to the understanding of the events which made it possible, are these. We had invaded Thibet, and there had been trouble in the hierarchy of that country, and a personage known as the Tashai Lama had taken refuge with us in India. He went on pilgrimage from one Buddhist shrine to another, and came at last to a holy mountain of Buddhism, the name of which I have forgotten. And thus the morning paper. His Holiness the Tashai Lama then ascended the Mountain and was transfigured.--Reuter. That was all. And from that day to this I have never heard a word of explanation or comment on this amazing statement. * * * * * There was no more, it seemed, to be said. "Reuter," apparently, thought he had made his simple statement of the facts of the case, had thereby done his duty, and so it all ended. Nobody, so far as I know, ever wrote to any paper asking what Reuter meant by it, or what the Tashai Lama meant by it. I suppose the fact was that nobody cared two-pence about the matter; and so this strange event--if there were any such event--was exhibited to us for a moment, and the lantern show revolved to other spectacles.