Dennis Wheatley - The Rape Of Venice

That amicable but hardened materialist. Colonel Thursby, also had his suspicions. When the Princess had fully recovered, he said in Italian: 'We all owe you our thanks, Signora, for having aided your husband in his demonstration.'

He had hoped that by a spontaneous reply she would give herself away, but her face remained expressionless. Not even a slight movement of her lips suggested that she had been near falling into the trap.

Malderini turned angrily on the Colonel: 'You know very well, Sir, that in her normal state my wife understands no language but her own. And I resent your use of the word “aided”. She was no more than an unconscious instrument of which I made use to display my powers.'

'Your pardon, Signor; your pardon.' The older man waved an airy hand. 'Having but a few moments back heard her speak Italian with such fluency, I had temporarily forgot that she was not one. As for my use of the word “aided”, I meant only to thank her for having allowed you to throw her into a fit so that you might attempt to prove your assertions.'

'Attempt!' repeated Malderini. 'Again, Sir, you are ambiguous. Do you suggest that I have failed to do so?'

'You can hardly claim to have brought about the seemingly impossible by the sole use of your will-​power.'

'How else do you suggest that the Princess Sirisha was able to speak in tongues unknown to her, and reply to questions normally beyond the range of her knowledge, except as a puppet animated by my will?'

There are other ways in which…'

'Papa!' Georgina interrupted anxiously. 'I pray you carry this discussion no further.'

'Oh, come!' countered Beckford. 'Surely your Ladyship will not insist on our terminating so promising a debate.'

'I was about to say,' went on the Colonel, 'that it would ill become me to challenge the integrity of my daughter's guest; but, as a scientific man, my conscience permits me to go no further than adopt a course at times resorted to by the Scottish Courts. That is to declare that I must continue to regard the existence of occult power as-“Not proven”.'

Malderini hunched his bulky shoulders and glared at the Colonel. 'You have said either too much or too little, Sir. You must either withdraw your implication or frankly accuse me of having used ventriloquism to deceive you.'

For Georgina's sake, Roger stepped quickly into the breach. In the honeyed accents of sweet reason, he said: You are mistaken, Signor. Colonel Thursby implied only what, I think, several of us feel. Astounding as your demonstration has been, its nature was not of the kind we expected. There was, I recall, some talk of moving mountains or molehills, solely by the use of will-​power, and you must agree that we have not been witnesses to a substitution of will-​power for physical force.'

'Well said,' murmured Droopy Ned, and Beckford chimed in, 'I, too, am of that opinion.'

'Ladies and Gentlemen'; the Venetian made a slight bow to the company in general. He seemed to have suddenly become quite amiable again. 'I must admit there is something to be said for the point Mr. Brook has made. Very well. I am prepared to give you proof that will-​power can be substituted for physical force. You will no doubt have heard of levitation, as practised by the mystics of India. If, while standing at some distance from the Princess Sirisha, I can cause her to leave the ground and cross a room without visible means of support, I take it you will acknowledge my claim to occult power?'

There was a nodding of heads and excited murmur of assent; then he went on: 'To perform such an operation is no light, undertaking. I must spend several hours preparing myself, and to fast before it is essential. If it is to take place tonight the ' Princess Sirisha and I must deny ourselves the pleasure of dining with you. Moreover, I feel that I am entitled to some compensation for the doubts which some of you have cast on my powers.' Turning to Colonel Thursby, he added: 'What will you wager me that I prove unable to carry out this undertaking?'

'Providing we can agree conditions,' the Colonel replied, 'anything in reason. Would a hundred guineas suit you?'

Malderini shrugged, 'I had been told, Sir, that you were a rich man, and I have ample funds. The sum you suggest is a paltry one.'

Taking a pinch of snuff, Colonel Thursby flicked the spilt grains from his cravat with a lace handkerchief, and said casually, 'Make it five hundred if you wish.'

'I'd be happy to share the stake,' said Beckford eagerly.

'And I,' nodded Droopy Ned, raising his quizzing glass.

'I will take each of you for that sum, in addition to my five hundred with Colonel Thursby,' Malderini replied to them with a confident smile.

Sheridan's red face had been getting still redder with suppressed excitement. Suddenly he burst out, I too, must be in on this. Tis a feat unheard of outside travellers' tales. I'll stake five hundred that you'll not succeed in it.'

His young wife threw him an agonised glance. Her parents had been most averse to her marrying a man of Sheridan's reputation and more than double her age. As a condition they had stipulated that he should produce fifteen thousand pounds to be tied up with five thousand that had been previously settled on her, believing that he could not possibly lay his hands on such a sum. To their consternation he had managed to do so; but the whole of the jointure had since gone into the property at Polesden and, large as his income was, his unbridled extravagance kept them perpetually hard up. But he was an inveterate gambler, and now ignored her silent appeal not to join in the wager.

Malderini took his bet, then looked at Roger, 'And you, Mr. Brook?'

Roger shook his head. The canniness inherited from his Scottish mother had saved him from the vice of gambling, and he rarely risked money on chance, except for comparatively modest sums at friendly games of cards. With a bow, he said:

'I thank you, no. The two thousand guineas already wagered should surely be sufficient to compensate you for missing your dinner. And someone must act as an unprejudiced observer to ensure that the conditions agreed are correctly carried out. Let that be my part.'

There ensued a discussion on conditions. Malderini asked that a room should be entirely cleared of furniture, that its walls should be stripped of pictures, and any chandelier taken down from its ceiling; then that its floor should be swept clean of every particle of dust. Later, he conceded that sufficient chairs for the party should be brought back into the room, but he was adamant on the point that the curtains of the windows must be drawn and no artificial light allowed. He stated that the Princess would wear a pure white sari, and they could not contest his argument that, as. it was high summer, the light filtering between the drawn curtains would still be ample for them to follow her movements. He stipulated that in no circumstances should anyone attempt to touch her, and protested that, without undergoing a fast of several days' duration he could not expect to raise her more than about nine inches from the ground. But he agreed to remain at least three feet distant from her throughout, and was prepared to accept Roger, Georgina and Clarissa as judges. Finally, it was settled that if two of the judges were satisfied that, while travelling three yards in a straight line, from right to left in front of them, the Princess' feet had been clear of the floor, he should be declared the winner of the wager.

Georgina said she thought the small yellow drawing-​room would be the most suitable place to hold the séance, then she asked Roger, as one of the umpires, to give the necessary instructions to the servants and later assure himself that they had been fully carried out. Soon afterwards the party broke up, and dispersed to rest or to write letters until it was time to get themselves ready for dinner.