第55章

In his inner room were many statuettes, photographs of other Gurus of the faith, and on each of the four walls were mysterious symbols in plaster representing a snake curved in a circle, swallowing his tail, a five-pointed star, and in the centre another winged sphere.

Craig asked the Guru to explain the symbols, to which he replied with a smile: "The snake represents eternity, the star involution and evolution of the soul, while the winged sphere - eh, well, that represents something else.Do you come to learn of the faith?"At this gentle hint Craig replied that he did, and the utmost amicability was restored by the purchase of the Green Book of the Guru, which seemed to deal with everything under the sun, and particularly the revival of ancient Asiatic fire-worship with many forms and ceremonies, together with posturing and breathing that rivalled the "turkey trot," the "bunny hug," and the "grizzly bear."The book, as we turned, over its pages, gave directions for preparing everything from food to love-philtres and the elixir of life.One very interesting chapter was devoted to " electric marriage," which seemed to come to those only who, after searching patiently, at last found perfect mates.Another of the Guru's tenets seemed to be purification by eliminating all false modesty, bathing in the sun, and while bathing engaging in any occupation which kept the mind agreeably occupied.On the first page was the satisfying legend, "There is nothing in the world that a disciple can give to pay the debt to the Guru who has taught him one truth."As we talked, it seemed quite possible to me that the Guru might exert a very powerful hypnotic influence over his disciples or those who came to seek his advice.Besides this indefinable hypnotic influence, I also noted the more material lock on the door to the inner sanctuary.

"Yes," the Guru was saying to Kennedy, "I can secure you one of the love-pills from India, but it will cost you - er - ten dollars."I think he hesitated, to see how much the traffic would bear, from one to one hundred, and compromised with only one zero after the unit.Kennedy appeared satisfied, and the Guru departed with alacrity to secure the specially imported pellet.

In a corner was a sort of dressing-table on which lay a comb and brush.Kennedy seemed much interested in the table and was examining it when the Guru returned.Just as the door opened he managed to slip the brush into his pocket and appear interested in the mystic symbols on the wall opposite.

"If that doesn't work," remarked the Guru in remarkably good English, "let me know, and you must try one of my charm bottles.But the love-pills are fine.Good-day."Outside Craig looked at me quizzically "You wouldn't believe it, Walter, would you?" he said."Here in this twentieth century in New York, and in fact in every large city of the world - love-philtres, love-pills, and all the rest of it.And it is not among the ignorant that these things are found, either.You remember we saw automobiles waiting before some of the places.""I suspect that all who visit the fakirs are not so gullible, after all," I replied sententiously.

"Perhaps not.I think I shall have something interesting to say to-night as a result of our visits, at least."During the remainder of the day Kennedy was closely confined in his laboratory with his microscopes, slides, chemicals, test-tubes, and other apparatus.As for myself, I put in the time speculating which of the fakirs had been in some mysterious way connected with the case and in what manner.Many were the theories which I had formed and the situations I conjured up, and in nearly all I had one central figure, the young man whose escapades had been the talk of even the fast set of a fast society.

That night Kennedy, with the assistance of First Deputy O'Connor, who was not averse to taking any action within the law toward the soothsayers, assembled a curiously cosmopolitan crowd in his laboratory.Besides the Gilberts were Dudley Lawton and his father, Hata, the Pandit, the Swami, and the Guru - the latter four persons in high dudgeon at being deprived of the lucrative profits of a Sunday night.

Kennedy began slowly) leading gradually up to his point: "A new means of bringing criminals to justice has been lately studied by one of the greatest scientific detectives of crime in the world, the man to whom we are indebted for our most complete systems of identification and apprehension." Craig paused and fingered the microscope before him thoughtfully."Human hair," he resumed, "has recently been the study of that untiring criminal scientist, M.Bertillon.He has drawn up a full, classified, and graduated table of all the known colours of the human hair, a complete palette, so to speak, of samples gathered in every quarter of the globe.Henceforth burglars, who already wear gloves or paint their fingers with a rubber composition for fear of leaving finger-prints, will have to wear close-fitting caps or keep their heads shaved.Thus he has hit upon a new method of identification of those sought by the police.For instance, from time to time the question arises whether hair is human or animal.In such cases the microscope tells the answer truthfully.