mind was conceived a hatred for the doll of Walters. And, at the last, under the irritation of our attack,
this belief reacted upon her. That thought was in my mind when, a while ago, I said it was curious that
you should speak of the dark wisdom turning against those who possessed it. She tormented the doll; she
expected the doll to avenge itself if it had the opportunity. So strong was this belief, or expectation, that
when the favorable moment arrived, she dramatized it. Her thought became action! The doll-maker, like
you, may well have plunged the dagger-pin into her own throat-"
"You fool!"
The words came from Ricori's mouth-and yet it was so like Madame Mandilip speaking in her haunted
room and speaking through the dead lips of Laschna that I dropped back into my chair, shuddering.
Ricori was leaning over the table. His black eyes were blank, expressionless. I cried out, sharply, a panic