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You cant get his help, but you may get something more.
At any rate bits of that
strange scene began tocome back.
An odd but rather impressive figure
wasDr.
First, I said, it may interest you to learn that Medina dabblesin
hypnotism. Butit couldnt be done at once with a fellow of your antecedents,
sothey organised a process.
Imade my breath come slowly and softly, and let my
body relax intoimpassivity.
He wore apince-nez, and when he removed it showed
pale prominent blue eyes.
Had he been making me the subject of some scientific
experiment?
The movement demanded agreat effort, for every muscle in my body
seemed drugged withlethargy.
My freedom was now complete, for I had begun to
laugh, silently,far down at the bottom of my heart.
That nobleman rubbed his
shoulder ruefully. I interviewed the night porter, for I thought he might
havesomething to tell me. I wondered at Medinas choice, for a pug isnot the
kind of servant I would choose myself. With a desperate effort I seemed to make
outthe line of a mans shoulder and the back of a chair.
But to-night I felt
differentlytowards them.
You may be sure he knows all about your record.
I felt
my couch slide backwards, and heardthe folding doors open again and close. The
head seemed to swim in the centre of pale converging lines. The idea was
nonsense; in any case a drugged man does not have aclean tongue the next
morning.
Ive a lot of stuff, books and pictures and things, and I like itround
me. The more I thought of it the angrier Igrew.
His manner was soperemptory
that I opened my eyes. Well, youre pretty well alone in your opinion. I
concluded that I must have gotsome infernal germ, probably botulism, and was in
for a badillness. Newhover at first sight seemed nothing out of the common. It
was not his eyes or any one feature thatenthralled me, for I did not notice any
details. Now go ahead and tell me about the chirurgeon.
They suggested to you
in your trance adoctors name, and the next stage was his business. I went on
repeating the stuff as glibly as aparrot, but all the while I knew I lied.
Iremembered that I had been drowsy there and thought that I hadprobably bored
him. His manner was soperemptory that I opened my eyes.
I feeldrowsy and slack,
and Ive got a weakness in my legs and back likea man who has just had flu. But
Norway is not possible till May, andin the meantime I am going to order you
specific treatment. Hypnotism had been tried on me,and it had
failed.
Iremembered that I had been drowsy there and thought that I hadprobably
bored him. Thedoctor had been right who had compared me with Table Mountain.
Hewas positive, for he knew my ways and had been surprised to find mypipe so
untidily pocketed.
I continued my story, and at the Wimpole Street episode
Sandylaughed long and loud. I felt her light firm fingers playing about my
temples and thebase of my skull and my neck muscles.
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