If the occurrence was strange, its effect upon the young man
was at least equally unforeseen. Greif had always despised per-
sons who professed to dabble in the supernatural, and had
laughed to scorn all the so-called manifestations of spiritualism,
mesmerism, and super-rational force. When he had heard that
the great astronomer Zollner had written a book to explain the
performances of Slade, the medium, by means of a mathematical
theory of a fourth dimension in space, Greif had believed that
the scientist was raving mad. Up to the moment when the
telegram had arrived, he had been convinced that Rex was a
cheat, who had accidentally learned certain facts connected with
the Greifensteins and was attempting to play the magician by
making an adroit use of what he knew. When brought sud-
denly face to face with a phenomenon he could not explain,
Greif's reason ceased altogether to perform its functions. The
news he had just received was startling, but the bewilderment
caused by its arrival at that precise juncture made even Riese-
neck's return seem insignificant, in comparison with Rex's
power to foretell the announcement of it.
GKEIFENSTEIN. 93

"I do not understand," said Greif, staring at his companion.
" Nor I, beyond a certain point," replied the elder man, look-
ing up from his paper.
" How could you know ? "

" I did not, until a few minutes before I told you. Of course
you thought I did. It is very natural."

"It could hardly have been a coincidence," said Greif, almost
to himself.
" Hardly." Kex smiled.
