time--some one Inever see. He does not actually say so, but on the stairs I've seen himstanding aside to let some one pass; I've seen him open a door to letsome one in or out; and often in our bedrooms he puts chairs about asthough for some one else to sit in. Oh--oh yes, and once or twice," shecried--"once or twice--"
She paused, and looked about her with a startled air.
"Yes?"
"Once or twice," she resumed hurriedly, as though she heard a sound thatalarmed her, "I've heard him running--coming in and out of the roomsbreathless as if something were after him--"
The door opened while she was still speaking, cutting her words off inthe middle, and a man came into the room. He was dark and clean-shaven,sallow rather, with the eyes of imagination, and dark hair growingscantily about the temples. He was dressed in a shabby tweed suit, andwore an untidy flannel collar at the neck. The dominant expression ofhis face was startled--hunted; an expression that might any moment leapinto the dreadful stare of terror and announce a total loss ofself-control.
The moment he saw his visitor a smile spread over his worn features, andhe advanced to shake hands.
"I hoped you would come; Mrs. Sivendson said you might be able to findtime," he said simply. His voice was thin and needy. "I am very glad tosee you, Dr. Silence. It is 'Doctor,' is it not?"
"Well, I am entitled to the description," laughed the other, "but Irarely get it. You know, I do not practise as a regular thing; that is,I only take cases that specially interest me, or--"
He did not finish the sentence, for the men exchanged a glance ofsympathy that rendered it unnecessary.
"I have heard of your great kindness."
"It's my hobby," said the other quickly, "and my privilege."
"I trust you will still think so when you have heard what I have to tellyou," continued the author, a little wearily. He led the way across thehall into the little smoking-room where they could talk freely andundisturbed.
In the smoking-room, the door shut and privacy about them, Fender'sattitude changed somewhat, and his manner became very grave. The doctorsat opposite, where he could watch his face. Already, he saw, it lookedmore haggard. Evidently it cost him much to refer to his trouble at all.
"What I have is, in my belief, a profound spiritual affliction," hebegan quite bluntly, looking straight into the other's eyes.
"I saw that at once," Dr. Silence said.
"Yes, you saw that, of course; my atmosphere must convey that much toany one with psychic perceptions. Besides which, I feel sure from allI've heard, that you are really a soul-doctor, are you not, more than ahealer merely of the body?"
"You think of me too highly," returned the other; "though I prefercases, as you know, in which the spirit is disturbed first, the bodyafterwards."
"I understand, yes. Well, I have experienced a curious disturbancein--not in my physical region primarily. I mean my nerves are all right,and my body is all right. I have no delusions exactly, but my spirit istortured by a calamitous fear which first came upon me in a strangemanner."
John Silence leaned forward a moment and took the speaker's hand andheld it in his own for a few brief seconds, closing his eyes as he didso. He was not feeling his pulse, or doing any of the things thatdoctors ordinarily do; he was merely absorbing into himself the mainnote of the man's mental condition, so as to get completely his ownpoint of view, and thus be able to treat his case with true sympathy. Avery close observer might perhaps have noticed that a slight tremor ranthrough his frame after he had held the hand for a few seconds.
"Tell me quite frankly, Mr. Pender," he said soothingly, releasing thehand, and with deep attention in his manner, "tell me all the steps thatled to the beginning of this invasion. I mean tell me what theparticular drug was, and why you took it, and how it affected you--"
"Then you know it began with a drug!" cried the author, with undisguisedastonishment.
"I only know from what I observe in you, and in its effect upon myself.You are in a surprising psychical condition. Certain portions of youratmosphere are vibrating at a far greater rate than others. This is theeffect of a drug, but of no ordinary drug. Allow me to finish, please.If the higher rate of vibration spreads all over, you will become, ofcourse, permanently cognisant of a much larger world than the one youknow normally. If, on the other hand, the rapid portion sinks back tothe usual rate, you will lose these occasional increased perceptions younow have."
"You amaze me!" exclaimed the author; "for your words exactly describewhat I have been feeling--"
"I mention this only in passing, and to give you confidence before youapproach the account of your real affliction," continued the doctor."All perception, as you know, is the result of vibrations; andclairvoyance simply means becoming sensitive to an increased scale ofvibrations. The awakening of the inner senses we hear so much aboutmeans no more than that. Your partial clairvoyance is easily explained.The only thing that puzzles me is how you managed to procure the drug,for it is not easy to get in pure form, and no adulterated tincturecould have given you the terrific impetus I see you have acquired. But,please proceed now and tell me your story in your own way."
"This _Cannabis indica_," the author went on, "came into my possessionlast autumn while my wife was away. I need not explain how I got it, forthat has no importance; but it was the genuine fluid extract, and I couldnot resist the temptation to make an experiment. One of its effects, asyou know, is to induce torrential laughter--"
"Yes: sometimes."
"--I am a writer of humorous tales, and I wished to increase my ownsense of laughter--to see the ludicrous from an abnormal point of view.I wished to study it a bit, if possible, and--"
"Tell me!"
"I took an experimental dose. I starved for six hours to hasten theeffect, locked myself into this room, and gave orders not to bedisturbed. Then I swallowed the stuff and waited."
"And the effect?"
"I waited one hour, two, three, four, five hours. Nothing happened. Nolaughter came, but only a great weariness instead. Nothing in the roomor in my thoughts came within a hundred miles of a humorous aspect."
"Always a most uncertain drug," interrupted the doctor. "We make verysmall use of it on that account."
"At two o'clock in the morning I felt so hungry and tired that I decidedto give up the experiment and wait no longer. I drank some milk and wentupstairs to bed. I felt flat and disappointed. I fell asleep at once andmust have slept for about an hour, when I awoke suddenly with a greatnoise in my ears. It was the noise of my own laughter! I was simplyshaking with merriment. At first I was bewildered and thought I had beenlaughing in dreams, but a moment later I remembered the drug, and wasdelighted to think that after all I had got an effect. It had beenworking all along, only I had miscalculated the time. The onlyunpleasant thing _then_ was an odd feeling that I had not wakednaturally, but had been wakened by some one else--deliberately. Thiscame to me as a certainty in the middle of my noisy laughter anddistressed me."
"Any impression who it could have been?" asked the doctor, now listeningwith close attention to every word, very much on the alert.
Pender hesitated and tried to smile. He brushed his hair from hisforehead with a nervous gesture.
"You must tell me all your impressions, even your fancies; they arequite as important as your certainties."
"I had a vague idea that it was some one connected with my forgottendream, some one who had been at me in my sleep, some one of greatstrength and great ability--of great force--quite an unusualpersonality--and, I was certain, too--a woman."
"A good woman?" asked John Silence quietly.
Pender started a little at the question and his sallow face flushed; itseemed to surprise him. But he shook his head quickly with anindefinable look of horror.
"Evil," he answered briefly, "appallingly evil, and yet mingled with thesheer wickedness of it was also a certain perverseness--the perversityof the unbalanced mind."
He hesitated a moment and looked up sharply at his interlocutor. A
shadeof suspicion showed itself in his eyes.
"No," laughed the doctor, "you need not fear that I'm merely humouringyou, or think you mad. Far from it. Your story interests me exceedinglyand you furnish me unconsciously with a number of clues as you tell it.You see, I possess some knowledge of my own as to these psychic byways."
"I was shaking with such violent laughter," continued the narrator,reassured in a moment, "though with no clear idea what was amusing me,that I had the greatest difficulty in getting up for the matches, andwas afraid I should frighten the servants overhead with my explosions.When the gas was lit I found the room empty, of course, and the