Chapter 1 Casting the Runes15th April 1902Dear Mr KarswellI am turning your paper on 'The Truth of Alchemy' ，which you have kindly offered to read at our next clubmeeting．Unfortunately，we do not feel able to accept your offer．W．Gayton，Secretary18th April 1902Dear Mr KarswellI am afraid that I am not able to arrange a meeting with you to discuss your offer to read a paper onalchemy．However，the club considered your offer most carefully，and we did not refuse it until we had askedfor the opinion of an expert in these matters．W．Gayton，Secretary20th April 1902The Secretary writes to inform Mr Karswell that it is impossible for him to give the name of any person orpersons who were asked for an opinion on Mr Karswell's paper on alchemy．The Secretary also wishes to saythat he cannot reply to any further letters on this matter．'And who is Mr Karswell？'asked the Secretary's wife．She had called at his office and had just picked up andread the last of these letters．'Well，my dear，'replied her husband，'just at present Mr Karswell is a very angry man．All I know abut himis that he's rich，lives at Lufford Abbey in Warwickshire，and considers himself to be an alchemist．And I don'twant to meet him for the next week or two．Now，shall we go？''What have you been doing to make him angry？'asked the Secretary's wife．'The usual thing，my dear．He sent us a paper which he wanted to read at our next meeting．We showed it toEdward Dunning—almost the only man in England who knows about these things—and he said it was nogood，so we refused it.Now Karswell wants to see me about it and to find out whose opinion we askedfor．Well，you've seen my reply to that．Of course，you mustn't say anything abou...
