"How perfectly isochronous!" the Professor exclaimed with enthusiasm. He had his watch in his hand, and was carefully counting Bruno's oscillations. "He measures time quite as accurately as a pendulum!"

• 
• "Yet even pendulums," the good-natured young soldier observed, as he carefully released his hand from Bruno's grasp, "are not a joy for ever! Come, that's enough for one bout, little man!' Next time we meet, you shall have another. Meanwhile you'd better take this old gentleman to Queer Street, Number----"

  "We'll find it!" cried Bruno eagerly, as they dragged the Professor away.

  "We are much indebted to you!" the Professor said, looking over his shoulder.

  "Don't mention it!" replied the officer, raising his hat as a parting salute.

  "What number did you say!" the Professor called from the distance.

  The officer made a trumpet of his two hands. "Forty!" he shouted in stentorian tones. "And not piano, by any means!" he added to himself. "It's a mad world, my masters, a mad world!" He lit another cigar, and strolled on towards his hotel.

  "What a lovely evening!" I said, joining him as he passed me.

  "Lovely indeed," he said. "Where did you come from? Dropped from the clouds?"

  "I'm strolling your way," I said; and no further explanation seemed necessary.

  "Have a cigar?"

  "Thanks: I'm not a smoker."

  "Is there a Lunatic Asylum near here?"

  "Not that I know of."

  "Thought there might be. Met a lunatic just now. Queer old fish as ever I saw!"

  And so, in friendly chat, we took our homeward ways, and wished each other 'good-night' at the door of his hotel.

  Left to myself, I felt the 'eerie' feeling rush over me again, and saw, standing at the door of Number Forty, the three figures I knew so well.

  "Then it's the wrong house?" Bruno was saying.

  "No, no! It's the right house," the Professor cheerfully replied: "but it's the wrong street. That's where we've made our mistake! Our best plan, now, will be to----"

  It was over. The street was empty, Commonplace life was around me, and the 'eerie' feeling had fled.