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           Toalltheseenquiriestheyouthwaspolitelynon-committal,merelybarkinginhishoarsewhisperthathehadfoundDr.Allentohavearemarkablespiritualrapportwithcertainsoulsfromthepast,andthatanycorrespondentthebeardedmanmighthaveinPraguewouldprobablybesimilarlygifted.Whentheyleft,Mr.WardandDr.Willettrealizedtotheirchagrinthattheyhadreallybeentheonesundercatechism;andthatwithoutimpartinganythingvitalhimself,theconfinedyouthhadadroitlypumpedthemofeverythingthePragueletterhadcontained.

           Drs.Peck,Waite,andLymanwerenotinclinedtoattachmuchimportancetothestrangecorrespondenceofyoungWard’scompanion;fortheyknewthetendencyofkindredeccentricsandmonomaniacstobandtogether,andbelievedthatCharlesorAllenhadmerelyunearthedanexpatriatedcounterpart—perhapsonewhohadseenOrne’shandwritingandcopieditinanattempttoposeasthebygonecharacter’sreincarnation.Allenhimselfwasperhapsasimilarcase,andmayhavepersuadedtheyouthintoacceptinghimasanavatarofthelong-deadCurwen.Suchthingshadbeenknownbefore,andonthesamebasisthehard-headeddoctorsdisposedofWillett’sgrowingdisquietaboutCharlesWard’spresenthandwriting,asstudiedfromunpremeditatedspecimensobtainedbyvariousruses.