The play is set in London, in the year 1928, where Sir Arthur Strangways has made his home. Though it is New Year’s Eve,
Sir Arthur has other plans; an
alchemist has just paid him a visit in his house. The purpose behind Sir Arthur’s plans is that he is trying to call or summon up a spirit that will grant him his wish.
It is with some reluctance (and for a consideration) that the alchemist agrees to help him summon up the spirit of the dead.
The alchemist tells Sir Arthur that these spirits are malicious, hostile and ingenious. In particular, the alchemist warns Sir Arthur against summoning up the spirit of Laughter ( Hahalaba), but Sir Arthur pays no heed to him and to his warnings. Though Hahalaba does not lie, says the alchemist, he is both frivolous and cunning at the same time.
On being summoned, the spirit of Laughter (Hahalaba) asks Sir Arthur what he desires. Sir Arthur asks for a copy of the London Times - a newspaper – for the coming year; as he desires to make a fortune playing the stock market! Besides the stock market prices, Sir Arthur is also interested in reading obituaries about persons known to him. Meanwhile, the alchemist wishes to depart the house in haste, for he does not wish to tempt the fates no further.
Sir Arthur is again warned by the alchemist about reading any further, but he decides to read the next day’s paper nonetheless, as they are already in the New Year. And what he reads gives a shock to him – for it contains news of his own obituary!! He takes a drink of brandy as he is short of breath, and calms down. But only for a short while, for when the butler responds to his call, he finds his erstwhile master quite dead.
And the first thing that he does is to ring up the office of the London Times to inform them of Sir Arthur Strangway’s death so that an obituary notice may be inserted in his name. The prophecy, thus, becomes a self-fulfilling one; and Sir Arthur Strangways stands mocked for having disturbed the spirits of the dead… In a manner of speaking, this is the jest (inserting a news item about Sir Arthur’s death in tomorrow’s newspaper) that Hahalaba has played upon Sir Arthur. Thence (therefore) the title of this play…