“In the first stage, the stage you are now entering upon, you will receive the power of divination.  You will be told how to detect the presence of water and all kinds of metals, and how to read people’s thoughts.

“In the second stage—­exactly three months from to-day—­you will receive the gift of second-sight; the power of separating your immaterial from your material body and projecting it, anywhere you will, on the physical plane; and, to a large extent, you will be enabled to circumvent gravity.  Thus you will be able to perform all manner of jugglery tricks—­tricks that will set the whole world gaping.  Profit by them.

“In the third stage you will possess the secrets of invisibility; of walking on the water; of breathing under the water; of taming wild beasts; and of understanding their language.

“In the fourth stage you will understand how to inflict all manner of diseases, and work all sorts of spells; such, for instance, as bewitching milk, causing people to have fits, bad dreams, etc.  You will also know how to create plagues—­plagues of insects, or of any other noxious thing.

“In the fifth stage you will possess absolute knowledge of the art of medicine and be able to cure every ailment.

“In the sixth stage you will acquire the power of producing vampires and werwolves from the human being, and of transforming people from the human to any animal guise.

“In the seventh and final stage you will be given the complete mastery of every art and science—­including astrology, astronomy, necromancy, etc.; and for this stage is reserved the greatest power of all—­namely, the complete dominion over woman’s will and affections.  The powers of creating life, and of extending life beyond the now natural limit, and of avoiding accidents, will never be conferred on you.  Neither shall you learn, not at least during your physical existence—­who or what we are, or the secrets of creation.

“Each successive stage will cancel the preceding one—­that is to say, the powers you have acquired in the first stage will be annulled on your arriving at the second stage, and so on.  But if you carry out your compact faithfully—­that is to say, if at the end of the twenty-one months you are still united—­all the powers you have held hitherto, in the different stages, temporarily, will return to you and remain in your possession permanently.  Have you anything to say?”

“Yes!” Hamar answered; “I fully understand all you have explained to us and I like the idea of it immensely.  The fear of our coming to any serious loggerheads and of dissolving partnership doesn’t worry me much—­but I must say, it seems very remote—­the prospect of gaining such tremendous powers—­powers that will give us practically everything we want—­save youth—­”

“Youth you will never regain,” lisped the voice.  “And elixirs of life, surely you must know, are no longer sought after, by beings of the planet Earth.  They are quite out of date.  You will, of course, learn the most efficacious means of making yourselves and other people youthful in appearance.”