“Do you know anything on earth which has not a dangerous side if it is mishandled and exaggerated? This dangerous side exists quite apart from orthodox Spiritualism, and our knowledge is the surest way to counteract it. I believe that the witchcraft of the Middle Ages was a very real thing, and that the best way to meet such practices is to cultivate the higher powers of the spirit. To leave the thing entirely alone is to abandon the field to the forces of evil.” Lord Roxton interposed in an unexpected way. “When I was in Paris last year,” said he, “there was a fellah called La Paix who dabbled in the black magic business. He held circles and the like. What I mean, there was no great harm in the thing, but it wasn’t what you would call very spiritual, either.” “It’s a side that I as a journalist would like to see something of, if I am to report impartially upon this subject,” said Malone. “Quite right!” Mailey agreed. “We want all the cards on the table.” “Well, young fellah, if you give me a week of your time and come to Paris, I’ll introduce you to La Paix,” said Roxton. “It is a curious thing, but I also had a Paris visit in my mind for our friend here,” said Mailey. “I have been asked over by Dr. Maupuis of the Institute Métapsychique to see some of the experiments which he is conducting upon a Galician medium. It is really the religious side of this matter which interests me, and that is conspicuously wanting in the minds of these scientific men of the Continent but for accurate, careful examination of the psychic facts they are ahead of anyone except poor Crawford of Belfast, who stood in a class by himself. I promised Maupuis to run across, and he has certainly been having some wonderful--in some respects, some rather alarming results.” “Why alarming?” “Well, his materialisations lately have not been human at all. That is confirmed by photographs. I won’t say more, for it is best that, if you go, you should approach it with an open mind.” “I shall certainly go,” said Malone. “I am sure my chief would wish it.” Tea had arrived to interrupt the conversation in the irritating way that our bodily needs intrude upon our higher pursuits. But Malone was too keen to be thrown off his scent. “You speak of these evil forces. Have you ever come in contact with them?” Mailey looked at his wife and smiled. “Continually,” he said. “It is part of our job. We specialise on it.” “I understood that when there was an intrusion of that kind you drove it away.” “Not necessarily. If we can help any lower spirit we do so, and we can only do it by encouraging it to tell us its troubles. Most of them are not wicked. They are poor, ignorant, stunted creatures who are suffering the effects of the narrow and false views which they have learned in this world. We try to help them--and we do.” “How do you know that you do?”