There is a living creature of some kind making that
sound!"
"It is the spirit of some two-footed creature," asserted Mme. Le
Fabre, plainly at her ease. She was on familiar ground now. "If
only we had a medium!"
Abruptly the sounds left the vicinity of the ring. At first we
could not locate their new position. Then Herold declared that
they came from under the table; and presently we were all gathered
on the floor, listening to those odd little sounds, while the ring
remained thirty inches above, on the top of the table!
It may be that the thing, whatever it was, did not care for such a
crowd. For shortly the shuffling ceased. And for a while we stared
and listened, scarcely breathing, trying to locate the new
position.
Finally we went back to our chairs. We had heard nothing further.
Nevertheless, we continued to keep silence, with our ears alert
for anything more.
"Hush!" whispered Charlotte all of a sudden. "Did you hear that?"
And she looked up toward the ceiling.
In a moment I caught the sound. It was exceedingly faint, like the
distant thrumming of a zither. Only it was a single note, which
did not rise and fall, although there seemed a continual variation
in its volume.
Unexpectedly the other sounds came again, down under the table.
This time we remained in our seats and simply listened. And
presently Sir Henry, referring to the ring, made this suggestion:
"Suppose we seal it up, and see whether it inducts the sound then
as well as when exposed.
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