The the two customers called again They were received by Mrs Cave almost in tears It transpired that no one could imagine all that she had stood from Cave at various times in her married pilgrimage . . She also gave garbled account disappearance The clergyman Oriental laughed silently at one another, and said very extraordinary As Mrs Cave seemed disposed them the complete history of her life they made to leave the shop Thereupon Mrs Cave, still clinging to hope, asked clergyman's address, , if get anything out of Cave, she might communicate it The address was duly given, but apparently was afterwards mislaid Mrs Cave can remember nothing

evening day the Caves seem exhausted their emotions, and Mr Cave, who out afternoon, supped in gloomy isolation that contrasted pleasantly impassioned controversy previous days For matters were very badly strained Cave household, but neither crystal nor customer reappeared

Now, without mincing the matter, admit that Mr Cave was liar perfectly well where the crystal was rooms of Mr Jacoby Wace, Assistant Demonstrator at St Catherine's Hospital, Westbourne Street It stood sideboard partially covered by black velvet cloth, and beside decanter of American whisky from Mr Wace, indeed, particulars this narrative is based were derived Cave had taken off the thing hospital hidden dog-fish sack, and there had pressed the young investigator it for him Mr Wace was little dubious at first His relationship to Cave was peculiar He had taste for singular characters, and he had more than once invited the old man to smoke and drink rooms, and to unfold his rather amusing views of life in general and wife Mr Wace had encountered Mrs Cave, too, on occasions when Mr Cave was not at home to attend to him the constant interference Cave was subjected, and having weighed the story judicially, he decided the crystal refuge Mr Cave promised to explain the reasons remarkable affection crystal more fully on later occasion, but he spoke distinctly of seeing visions therein on Mr Wace the same evening

complicated story The crystal had come into his possession with other oddments forced sale of another curiosity dealer's effects, and not knowing what its value , he had ticketed it at ten shillings It had hung upon his hands price for some months, and thinking of "reducing the figure," when singular discovery

his health was very bad--and it borne in mind that, throughout all this experience, his physical condition was one of ebb--and in considerable distress by reason negligence, the positive ill-treatment even, he received wife and step-children His wife was vain, extravagant, unfeeling, and had growing taste for private drinking; his step-daughter was mean and over-reaching; step-son had conceived violent dislike for him, and lost no chance of showing it The requirements business pressed heavily upon him, and Mr Wace think that altogether free from occasional intemperance He had begun life in comfortable position, man of fair education, and he suffered, for weeks at stretch, from melancholia and insomnia Afraid to disturb his family, slip quietly wife's side, when his thoughts became intolerable, and wander house And about three o'clock one morning, late in August, chance directed him shop

The dirty little place was impenetrably black except in one spot, where he perceived an unusual glow of light Approaching this, he discovered it the crystal egg, standing corner counter towards the window thin ray smote through crack shutters, impinged object, and seemed as it were its entire interior

It occurred to Mr Cave was not in accordance laws of optics as he had known them younger days understand the rays being refracted crystal and coming to focus in its interior, but this diffusion jarred physical conceptions He approached the crystal nearly, peering and round it, with transient revival scientific curiosity that youth had determined his choice of calling surprised the light not steady, but writhing substance egg, that object was hollow sphere of some luminous vapour In moving about different points of view, he suddenly found that he had come between it ray, and crystal none the less remained luminous Greatly astonished, he lifted it light ray and carried it darkest part shop It remained bright for some four or five minutes, when it slowly faded and went out He placed it thin streak of daylight, and its luminousness was almost immediately restored

, , Mr Wace was able the remarkable story of Mr Cave He has himself repeatedly held this crystal in ray of light (which had of less diameter than one millimetre) And in perfect darkness, such as produced by velvet wrapping, the crystal did undoubtedly appear very faintly phosphorescent It would seem, however, luminousness was of some exceptional sort, and not equally visible to all eyes; Harbinger--whose name familiar scientific reader in connection Pasteur Institute--was quite unable any light whatever And Mr Wace's own capacity for its appreciation was out of comparison inferior of Mr Cave's Even with Mr Cave the power varied very considerably: his vision was most vivid during states of extreme weakness and fatigue

Now, outset, this light crystal exercised curious fascination upon Mr Cave And it says more loneliness of soul than volume of pathetic writing could do, that no human being curious observations He seems living an atmosphere of petty spite that to admit the existence of pleasure to risk the loss of it that dawn advanced, amount of diffused light increased, the crystal became to all appearance non-luminous And for unable anything , except at night-time, in dark corners shop

But the use of an old velvet cloth, which he used as background for collection of minerals, occurred to him, and by doubling this, and putting it over his head and hands, able sight luminous movement crystal even day-time very cautious lest thus discovered by his wife, and he practised this occupation only afternoons, while she was asleep upstairs, and then circumspectly in hollow under the counter And one day, turning the crystal about hands, something It came and went like flash, but it gave him the impression object had for moment opened to him the view of wide and spacious and strange country; and turning it about, , just light faded, see the same vision again

Now it tedious and unnecessary to state all the phases of Mr Cave's discovery point Suffice effect : the crystal, being peered into at an angle of about 137 degrees direction illuminating ray, gave clear and consistent picture of wide and peculiar country-side not dream-like at all: it produced definite impression of reality, better the light the more real and solid it seemed moving picture: , certain objects moved , but slowly in an orderly manner like real things, and, according direction lighting and vision changed, the picture changed also It must, indeed, like looking through an oval glass at view, and turning the glass about at different aspects

Mr Cave's statements, Mr Wace assures me, were extremely circumstantial, and entirely free from any emotional quality that taints hallucinatory impressions But it remembered that all the efforts of Mr Wace any similar clarity faint opalescence crystal were wholly unsuccessful, try as The difference in intensity impressions received two men was very great, and quite conceivable that view to Mr Cave was mere blurred nebulosity to Mr Wace