I am very fond of the old place." "Lovely, indeed," said Barker.

"The castle, the old tower half blown away in that slovenly war--" "Oh, such a funny thing happened to me there," exclaimed the Countess Margaret, innocently falling into the trap.

"I was standing just at the edge with Miss Skeat--she is my companion, you know--and I dropped my parasol, and it fell rattling to the bottom, and suddenly there started, apparently out of space--" "A German professor, seven or eight feet high, who bounded after the sunshade, and bounded back and bowed and left you to your astonishment.
Is not that what you were going to say, Countess ?" "I believe you are a medium," said the Countess, looking at Barker in astonishment.

"But perhaps you only guessed it.

Can you tell me what he was like, this German professor ?" "Certainly.