When they arrived at the hotel and entered the ballroom, Robert's friends, who knew of his great fame in New York and his success in speculative markets, were anxious to introduce him to the prominent men and women of Paris. Aviators were there from all over the world. They had come for the great convention. Each country was competing for the grand prize for the most efficient airplane and the best one suited for war purposes. They asked Robert if he did not have a plane to enter or if he could not demonstrate something with "The St. Marie." He told them that his health was not good and that he was not interested in entering a plane at this time. The ballroom was decorated with everything connected with airplanes. Miniature planes were flying around the room, circling up and down from the ceilings. It was a gorgeous display and while it was dazzling to others, Robert paid very little attention to it. His friends, in order to please him and get him interested, had the radio tuned into New York and were getting music from the Biltmore. The dance started. Robert watched but was very little interested. His friends invited him to dance but he refused. He had no thoughts of anything but Marie. As he was sitting, watching the dancers whirl around the floor, suddenly he looked across the hall and again he saw Marie dressed like an eagle, queen of the air. He made a mad rush thru the crowd to the other side of the hall and when he got there, he could see no Marie. The ordeal was too much for him. He fell unconscious on the floor. Friends rushed to his assistance and after reviving him, he explained to them that he had seen Marie again and asked them to find her and bring her to him. After investigation, they told him that there was no one there by that name and that none of the ladies had left the ballroom. They brought them all before him and introduced him, but Marie was not among them. Robert was not only sick at heart but sick physically, and his friends realized it and called a nerve specialist, Dr. Descartes. Robert explained what had happened, about meeting Marie on the street and about seeing her at the ball, altho he said nothing about the mysterious letter to the Doctor. The Doctor, after examining him, told his friends he thought that he was suffering from mental delusions—that he had probably had this woman on his mind so long and after dreaming he had met her on a street in Paris, had hoped so strongly that he would meet her, he had brought himself to believe that she was there and had really thought that he had seen her, both on the street and in the ballroom, but it was probably an optical delusion and after he got better he would realize that he hadn't seen Marie.
Several days passed before Robert fully recovered. In the meantime, he had become quite friendly with Dr. Descartes and told him a great deal about his history. The Doctor was very much interested and had a great desire to help him. Robert finally decided to confide in him about the mysterious letter. The Doctor had a brother in New York and was going to give Robert a letter of introduction to him upon his return. While they were on the subject of the letter of introduction, Robert told him about the mysterious letter and the Doctor agreed to get a friend of his who could interpret it, to read the letter for him. Robert was very happy because he thought that if he could get the meaning of the letter it would throw some light on what the trouble was with Marie. While he had been sick, his mind had wandered and he had imagined all kinds of things, and for a few moments, doubted Marie. He even thought that she might have turned out to be a bad woman and was now in Paris, having a gay time, but as soon as his mind returned to its normal state, his old faith in Marie returned, and he loved her as of old and believed that she could do no wrong.
The next day Dr. Descartes called, took Robert with him in his car to his friend who was an interpreter. Robert handed him the letter and, after looking it over, he handed the letter back to Robert, turned to the Doctor, and said, "Have you no more respect for my friendship than to insult me in a manner like this. Begone, and never let me see you in my house again." The Doctor begged for an explanation and Robert offered his apologies, saying it was all his fault and the Doctor was only trying to aid him, but the man refused to discuss the matter and they hurried away. When they got in the car, Dr. Descartes knew that the shock was too much for Robert so he drove him immediately to the hotel without discussing the mysterious letter. After he had gotten him in his room and made him comfortable, he begged Robert not to worry about the letter, told him that he would think the matter over and call and see him the next day.
Robert was very much worried. His hope was fast giving way to despair. He again realized that hope deferred maketh the heart grow sick. He thought of Henry Watson's story and wondered if he would have to go thru life and die without ever again seeing Marie. Dr. Descartes called the following day and was very solicitous of Robert's welfare. Told him to forget the incident about the letter and advised Robert to try to get it interpreted when he returned to New York. Robert told him more about Marie's disappearance and showed him the note that Marie had placed in his pocket on the train to St. Louis. The Doctor read it and said it certainly left room for hope, and while it was mysterious, he felt that Marie fully intended at some time to come back to him. Robert had received no reply to his personal notices in the Paris newspapers and decided to return to New York in a few days.
In the early part of March a lot of the aviators were returning from Paris to New York after the convention and Robert decided to go home with them. They insisted that he was not physically able to sail "The St. Marie" alone and sent a pilot along with him. The trip was uneventful and on March 5th Robert arrived in New York. On his arrival he went immediately to his office and laboratories where he found Walter and Edna glad to see him. They told him that he looked much improved in health. He related all his experiences in Paris and the mysterious letter. Walter was very much amazed and at a loss to understand it all. He could not understand, if Marie had dropped the letter and had really seen Robert on the street and at the ball, why she would not answer his personal notices in the papers and at least clear up the mystery of her disappearance. Robert decided to go immediately to an interpreter in New York and see if he could get the mysterious letter read. After handing it to the man who spoke about ten different languages, the interpreter handed it back to him and stated in a firm, gentlemanlike manner that he would like him to please leave the office immediately and never return. Robert went at once to his office and told Walter and Edna what had happened. They talked it over and advanced all kinds of theories about what the letter might contain, and asked Robert if any of the interpreters had ever given any information or stated whether they could read the letter or not. Robert told them they had not. Edna thought that probably the letter contained a message to the interpreter not to give any information or to reveal what it contained to Robert or anyone else. Walter thought if this were the case, that some of the interpreters who seemed to be insulted by it, would have immediately destroyed the letter instead of handing it back to him. The more theories they advanced, the less plausible the mystery seemed. Robert decided to write to a famous astrologer in Canada whom he had heard of. He sent along his date of birth, telling him the history of the case, to see if he could give him any light on the subject, telling the astrologer that he would pay $50,000.00 or more if necessary, if he could solve the problem and tell him what the letter contained and how to get it interpreted or give him any information leading to the whereabouts of Marie. The astrologer answered as follows after making the calculation from Robert's date of birth:
While it is a very peculiar case, the events were not accidents at all but the result of Natural Law. The young lady still lives and I believe will again come into your life three or four years later. The great trouble was that on the day she disappeared, Mercury, your ruling planet, applied to an evil aspect of Uranus, the great eccentric, revolutionary, mysterious planet, and this indicated disappointment, trouble and delays, over letters or writings and the letters would be mysterious and hard to understand. In view of the fact that Jupiter, Mars, and Mercury, as well as Venus, were all changing signs just around the time she disappeared, it meant that there would be many changes and long delays before the mystery would be solved, that there was great danger of letters being lost or miscarried, and that it was possible that she may have written you letters which never reached you. Neptune has much to do with the sea and its mysteries and as it strongly influences the city of Paris, her appearance there would be shrouded in mystery and there would be much that could not be explained. It is very doubtful if you will get any explanation or interpretation of the mysterious letter. There is something visionary about it, or the appearance of Marie may have been a spiritual apparition.
If you will visit cities near beautiful watering places in the South or Southwest, and could come in contact with an honest spiritualist or clairvoyant, it may be of some benefit and help in some way to solve the mystery. In view of the condition of your health and the planet Saturn is afflicting you, it would be advisable to spend the balance of the Winter and early part of the Spring in a tropical climate. Florida would be especially good for you and might bring favorable results in more ways than one. If you will give me time to figure on your horoscope and have patience I will guarantee to tell you the time that you will find Marie. The progressed Mars is traveling toward a conjunction of Venus, the Goddess of Love, and when this is completed she will probably come back into your life.
CHAPTER XXI
Robert was very much encouraged by this letter because he had great confidence in Astrology and in this man's ability. He decided to go immediately to Florida for a rest and visit all the beautiful spots and watering places that he could find, hoping to get some news of Marie. Going directly to Palm Beach, Florida, he met some friends of Conan Doyle's who were very much interested in spiritualism. They told him that a famous spiritualist, Lady Bersford from England, had been there, and that they believed she could help solve the problem. Robert asked where he could find her and was told that she had gone to Ocala, Florida, to visit Silver Springs and investigate the legend of Silver Springs, the story about a beautiful young girl who drowned herself in the Springs.
A Legend