"No, no," he replied. "For the contemplation of a man by his fellow-men must always be an utterly different thing from his own contemplation by himself. For our fellow-men always remain in a very delightful ignorance of us. Don't they, Lady Sophia? And so they can never destroy us, luckily for us."
He had done what he wished to do, and he was now ready for other activities. But he found it was not easy to switch his companions off onto another trail. Lady Sophia, now that he looked at her closely, he saw to be under the influence of fear, provoked doubtless by the subject they had been discussing. Chichester, also, had a look as of fear in his eyes. As to the rector, he sat gazing at his curate, and there had come upon his countenance an expression of almost unnatural resolution, such as a coward's might wear if terror forced him into defiance.
In reply to Malling's half-laughing question, Lady Sophia said:
"You've studied all these things, haven't you?"
"Do you mean what are sometimes called occult questions?"
"Yes."
"I have."
"And do you believe in them?"
"I'm afraid I must ask you to be a little more definite."
"Do you believe that there are such things as doubles?"