"
"His lecture?"
"Rather, his prophecy. For it was all that. Not that he spoke at
great length; it was but a talk. He announced that he believed the
time had come to prove the occult. That it could be done, and done
only through concrete, material means; and that whatever existed,
certainly could be demonstrated. He was going to pull aside the
curtain that had hitherto cut off the shadow.
"'I am going to prove the occult,' he said. 'In three days I shall
return with the fact and the substance. And then I propose to
deliver my greatest lecture, my final thesis, in which my whole
life shall come to a focus. I shall bring the proof for your eyes
and ears, for your fingers to explore and be satisfied. You shall
behold the living truth"
"'And the subject of my lecture--the subject of my lecture will be
The Spot of Life.'"
XXXII
THROUGH UNKNOWN WATERS
The SPOT of Life! And the subject of Dr. Holcomb's lecture,
promised but never delivered, had been announced as--The Blind
SPOT!
To Watson it was fairly astounding to discover that the two--
Holcomb and Avec--had reached simultaneously for the curtain of
the shadow. The professor had said that it would be "the greatest
day since Columbus." And so it had proven, did the world but know
it.
"And--the Rhamda Avec never returned?" asked Chick.
"No."
"But he sent back something within three days?" Watson was
thinking, of course, of the doctor who had disappeared on the day
which, Jerome overheard the Rhamda to say, was the last of his
stay.
Pages:
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272