which you can provide would be of the greatest interest."
"I am not surprised that you know little of Julian Karswell," said Low, settling back into his seat and clasping his hands behind his head, "for while I, and a few others who knew of him, felt that he had the makings of a distinguished criminal, he never committed any crimes which broke the laws of man as they currently stand."
Holmes raised his eyebrows. "Are you saying that he committed crimes which broke other laws?"
"Yes, Mr. Holmes. Karswell was interested in the occult, or the black arts—call it what you will—and he had the means to devote himself to his studies, for he was reputed to be a man of great wealth, although how he acquired this wealth was a question for much speculation. He used to joke about the many treasures of his house, although no one that I know of was ever permitted to see them. He wrote a book upon the subject of witchcraft, which was treated with contempt by most of those who bothered to read it; until, that is, it appeared that Mr. Karswell took a somewhat more practical approach to the occult than had been suspected."
"Practical?" I interjected. "In what way?"
Our companion paused before replying. When he did, his tone was grave. "Certain people who had occasion to cross Mr. Karswell suffered fates which were . . . curious, to say the least. A man named John Harrington, who wrote a scathing review of Karswell's book The History of Witchcraft, died under circumstances which were never satisfactorily explained, and another man, Edward Dunning, made what I consider to be a very narrow escape."
It was my turn to utter an exclamation, and both Holmes and Low turned to look at me. "Edward Dunning, who belongs to the———Association?" I asked.
"Yes," replied Low in some curiosity, while Holmes gazed at me quizzically. "Why, do you know him?"
"As a matter of fact I do," I replied. "He came to me on the recommendation of a neighbour—oh, eighteen months or so ago—and we struck up a friendship of sorts; enough that when he was seriously incommoded by illness in his household I invited him to dinner."
"When was this?" asked Low, with an eagerness which somewhat surprised me.
"Why"—I paused to think—"this was in the spring of last year; April, as I recall. His two servants were struck down by a sudden illness—food poisoning, I suspect—and the poor man seemed somewhat lost, so I invited him to dinner at my club. He seemed more pleased than the invitation itself would warrant, and was reluctant to leave; almost as if he did not want to return to his house. Indeed, he was in a rather agitated state; distracted, as if he were continually turning some problem over in his mind."
"You are very close to the truth, Doctor," said Low gravely. "The agitation which Edward Dunning displayed was occasioned by Karswell, and certain steps which that person was even then taking; steps which almost led to Dunning's death."
"Death!" exclaimed my friend. "Surely that brought Karswell within reach of the law?"
"Yes and no," replied Low after a pause. "You see, gentlemen," he continued, "Karswell was a very clever man in some ways, and was familiar with practices which would allow him to exact revenge against someone while ensuring that he himself remained safe from prosecution; there were rumours that he was preparing another book on the subject, although nothing came of it. Unfortunately for him, he ran up against two people—Edward Dunning being one of them—who were prepared to use his own methods, and thus escape harm by throwing Karswell's own agents against him."
"Are you saying that you believe this Karswell used supernatural means to accomplish his ends?" asked Holmes in astonishment.
"That is precisely what I am saying, Mr. Holmes," replied Low gravely. "I agree with the words of St. Augustine: Credo ut intelligam[11]." Holmes shook his head.
"I am afraid I must side with Petrarch: Vos vestros servate, meos mihi linquite mores[12]. It has been my experience that no case, no matter how bizarre or otherworldly it may seem when it commences, cannot be explained by entirely natural means. Surely your own experiences, Mr. Low, will have shown you that man is capable enough of evil, without ascribing its presence to the supernatural."
"As to your last point, Mr. Holmes, we are in complete agreement. Where we differ, it seems, is in our willingness to accept that not everything we see or hear or experience can