"Ay," said I, my head swimming now with champagne; " future perhaps--of passing agreeable sort, thanks now have the honour of But past Such past as is worth all my future "

He shook his head and smiled, as , with half sad appreciation flattering admiration "That future," , "would you in truth change it ? " The waiter came with liqueurs " perhaps mind taking my name, taking my position, but would you indeed--willingly--take my years ? "

"With your achievements," said I gallantly

He smiled again "Kummel--both," waiter, and turned his attention to little paper packet he had taken pocket "This hour," said he, "this after-dinner hour hour of small things scrap unpublished wisdom " He opened the packet shaking yellow fingers, and showed little pinkish powder paper "This," said he--"well, guess what But Kummel--put but dash powder --is Himmel "

His large greyish eyes watched mine with an inscrutable expression

bit of shock this great teacher gave his mind flavour of liqueurs However, I feigned an interest weakness, for drunk enough for such small sycophancy

He parted the powder little glasses, and, rising suddenly, with strange unexpected dignity, held out his hand towards me I imitated his action, glasses rang "To quick succession," said he, and raised his glass towards his lips

"Not that," hastily "Not that "

He paused liqueur level chin, eyes blazing into mine

"To long life," said I

He hesitated "To long life," said he, with sudden bark of laughter, and with eyes fixed on one another we tilted the little glasses His eyes looked straight into mine, and as I drained the stuff off, curiously intense sensation The first touch of it set my brain in furious tumult; I seemed an actual physical stirring in my skull, and seething humming filled my ears notice the flavour in my mouth, the aroma that filled my throat; only the grey intensity gaze that burnt into mine The draught, the mental confusion, the noise and stirring in my head, seemed to last an interminable time Curious vague impressions of half-forgotten things danced and vanished edge consciousness At last he broke the spell With sudden explosive sigh he put down his glass

"Well ? "

"It's glorious," said I, though I tasted the stuff

My head was spinning I sat down My brain was chaos Then my perception grew clear and minute things in concave mirror His manner seemed changed into something nervous and hasty He pulled out his watch and grimaced at it "Eleven-seven ! And to-night -- Seven-twenty-five Waterloo ! go at once " bill, and struggled coat Officious waiters came to our assistance In another moment wishing him good-bye, over the apron of cab, and still with an absurd feeling of minute distinctness, --how can I express it ? --I saw but felt through an inverted opera-glass

"That stuff," He put his hand forehead "I ought not given it make your head split to-morrow Wait minute Here " He handed me out little flat thing like seidlitz-powder "Take that in water going to bed The other thing was drug Not till you're ready to bed, mind clear your head That's all One more shake--Futurus ! "

I gripped his shrivelled claw "Good-bye," , and droop eyelids I judged he too was little under the influence brain-twisting cordial

He recollected something else with start, felt breast-pocket, and produced another packet, cylinder the size and shape of shaving-stick "Here," said he "I'd almost forgotten Don't open this until I come to-morrow--but take it now "

so heavy that I wellnigh dropped it "All ri' ! " said I, and he grinned at me cab window cabman flicked his horse into wakefulness white packet he had given me, with red seals at either end and along its edge " isn't money," said I, "it's platinum or lead "

I stuck it with elaborate care into my pocket, and with whirling brain walked home Regent Street loiterers dark back streets beyond Portland Road I remember the sensations walk very vividly, strange were still myself that notice my strange mental state, and wonder whether this stuff I had had was opium--a drug beyond my experience hard now to describe the peculiarity mental strangeness--mental doubling vaguely expresses it As walking up Regent Street in my mind queer persuasion Waterloo Station, and had an odd impulse Polytechnic as man might get into train I put knuckle in my eye, and Regent Street How can I express it ? skilful actor looking quietly at you, he pulls grimace, and lo ! --another person too extravagant if I tell you seemed Regent Street had, moment, done that ? Then, being persuaded Regent Street again, oddly muddled about some fantastic reminiscences that cropped up "Thirty ," thought I, " here that I quarrelled with my brother " Then I burst out laughing, astonishment and encouragement of group of night prowlers Thirty exist, and never in my life had I boasted brother The stuff was surely liquid folly, poignant regret lost brother still clung Along Portland Road the madness took another turn I began to recall vanished shops, and to compare the street with what it used Confused, troubled thinking is comprehensible enough drink I had taken, but what puzzled me were these curiously vivid phantasm memories that had crept into my mind, and the memories that had crept in, but also the memories that had slipped out I stopped opposite Stevens', the natural history dealer's, and cudgelled my brains what he had with me 'bus went by, and sounded exactly like the rumbling of train I seemed dipping into some dark, remote pit recollection " ," said I, at last, "he has promised me three frogs to-morrow Odd forgotten "

Do they still show children dissolving views ? In those I remember one view would begin like faint ghost, and grow and oust another In just that way it seemed that ghostly set of new sensations was struggling with those ordinary self

I went on through Euston Road to Tottenham Court Road, puzzled, and little frightened, and scarcely noticed the unusual way taking, for commonly I used to cut intervening network of back streets I turned into University Street, to discover that I had forgotten my number Only by strong effort did I recall 11A, and even then it seemed thing some forgotten person had told me I tried to steady my mind by recalling the incidents dinner, and life of me conjure up no picture host's face; him only as shadowy outline, as one might see oneself reflected in window through which one was looking place, however, I had curious exterior vision of myself, sitting at table, flushed, bright-eyed, and talkative

" take this other powder," said I " getting impossible "

I tried the wrong side hall candle matches, and had doubt landing my room on "I'm drunk," , "that's certain," and blundered needlessly staircase to sustain the proposition

first glance my room seemed unfamiliar "What rot ! " , and stared about me I seemed to bring myself back effort, odd phantasmal quality passed concrete familiar the old glass still, with my notes albumens stuck corner frame, my old everyday suit of clothes pitched floor And yet not so real after all an idiotic persuasion trying to creep into my mind, as it were, that in railway carriage in train just stopping, that peering window at some unknown station I gripped the bed-rail firmly to reassure myself "It's clairvoyance, perhaps," " write Psychical Research Society "