CHAPTER IV.
AN OMINOUS WELCOME.
Leon at this time was about twenty years old, but, as we have seen, hehad already passed the crisis in his life which made a man of him. Hewas a curious product, considered as a New England country boy.Despite the fact that all of his life had been passed on the farm,except a brief period when he had been sent to another section,equally rural, he had adopted none of the idioms peculiar to thepeople about him. Without any noteworthy schooling, he could boast ofbeing something of a scholar. I have already mentioned hispredilection for the higher order of books, and by reading these hehad undoubtedly obtained a glimpse of a vast field of learning; butone may place his eye to a crack in a door and see a large part of thehorizon, yet the door hides much more than the crack reveals, and theobserver sees nothing except through the crack. So Leon, knowing much,knew less than he thought he did; and many ideas which he believed tobe mature, and original products of his own brain, were butreflections of the authors whose works he had read, and whosedeductions he had adopted, because he had read nothing by otherwriters contradicting them. Therefore he was exactly in that mentalcondition which would make him a good pupil, because he would be adisputative one. The student who accepts the teaching of his masterwithout question, will acquire but a meagre grasp of knowledge, whilehe who adopts nothing antagonistic to his own reason, until his reasonhas been satisfied, may be more troublesome, because less docile, buthis progress will be more real.
That Leon had very decided convictions upon many topics, and that hewould argue tenaciously in defence of his views, would not at allmilitate against his learning. Those ideas which were most firmlyfixed in his mind, could readily be dislodged, if erroneous, for thevery reason that they were not truly original with himself. Havingadopted the teaching of one book, he could certainly be made to acceptopposite theories, if another book, with more convincing arguments,should be brought to his notice.
For these reasons, it might be said that his mind was in a plasticcondition, ready to be moulded into permanent thoughts. With such ateacher as Dr. Medjora, he would learn whatever the Doctor taught; hewould adopt whatever theories the Doctor wished. Under the control ofanother master he might become the antithesis of what the Doctor wouldmake of him. Therefore it may be truly said that when he accepted Dr.Medjora's offer, he sealed his fate, as surely as when Faustcontracted with Mephisto.
Just as he had gleaned the ideas of authors, so also his conception ofcities, and city life, had been taken from books. He had read works oftravel, and thought that he was quite familiar with travelling. He wasconsequently astonished to find how much at variance with the real,were his notions. When he found himself aboard of _The Puritan_, thatpalatial steamboat of the Fall River line, he was dazed by themagnificence and luxury, thus seen for the first time in his life. Butlater in the night, when he and the Doctor sat upon the upper deck, asthey swiftly glided through the moonlit waters of Long Island Sound,he was so enraptured at this broader view of the Universe, that hefelt a distinct pain as his thoughts recurred to Lake Massabesic,which now seemed so diminutive, and which only a few days before hadbeen an ocean to him. Yet there was still the real ocean which he hadnot yet seen, and which would render the Sound as diminutive incomparison, as the lake. And so, also, we arrogant inhabitants of thisplanet may presently come to some other world so much greater, so muchlarger, so much more grand, that we will not even deign to turn atelescope towards the little world which we have left behind. In somesuch manner, Leon was leaving his little world behind him, and evenalready he was abandoning all thought of it, as his heart welled upand his soul expanded towards the greater world looming up before him.In that little town behind him he had lost his name, which indeed hadnever been his. But in the great city which he approached, was he notdestined to make a new name for himself? He was young, and in answerto this mental question his answer was--"Certainly!" All young men seeFame just there--just ahead of them! They need but to stretch out ahand, and it is within their grasp. Yet, alas! How few ever clutch it!
Dr. Medjora sat beside Leon for a long time in silence. He noticed thelad's absorption, and readily comprehended the mental effectsproduced. It suited his purpose to remain silent. He wished hiscompanion to become intoxicated by this new experience, for, in such amood of abstraction, he hoped for an opportunity to accomplish adesign which was of great importance to himself. He wished tohypnotize Leon. Why, I will explain later, but the chief reason at thepresent moment was this:
Dr. Medjora had, as you know, observed Leon feeding the chipmunks, andhad said to himself, "He has inherited the power." By this he meantLeon possessed that temperament which is supposed to render theindividual most capable of controlling others. And let me say at oncethat I do not allude to any occult power. There is nothing whatever inconnection with this history, which transcends known and recognizedscientific laws. But, to express myself clearly, I may say that allpersons are susceptible to impressions from suggestion. Those who fallasleep, because sleep has been suggested, are said to be hypnoticsubjects; while he who can produce sleep by suggestion in the greatestnumber of persons, may be said to have "the power" in its mostdeveloped form. But it is a power thoroughly well comprehended byscientists of to-day, and may be acquired by almost any one to someextent, just as any one is susceptible to hypnotic influence, to agreater or less degree according to the conditions. I believe thatthere is no person living who cannot be hypnotized, by some livingperson, however well he may resist all others. Or in other words,there be some individuals so little susceptible to outsidesuggestions, so self-reliant, and so strong in their own ego, that itwould be extremely difficult to produce true hypnosis in them. Yet thephenomenon is possible with even these, provided the hypnotizer be onewho is a past-master in methods, and possesses the most effectivepower of conveying suggestion.
Such a man was Dr. Medjora. Never yet had he met a human being whocould resist him, if he exerted himself. He was a master of methods,possessing a knowledge of the minutest details of the psychologicalaspect of the subject, and therefore the most powerful hypnotizer ofthe age, perhaps. One fact he had long recognized. That just as oneindividual is more susceptible than another, so an individual whomight resist at one time, would be perfectly docile at another. Somuch depends upon the mental attitude of the subject. One of thefavorable states is abstraction, for in such a condition the mind isoff its guard, so to speak, and it may be possible that, by a suddenshock, the suggestion to sleep, might be conveyed and be obeyed.
Thus he was glad to note that Leon was losing himself in thought,because it would give him an opportunity to hypnotize the lad, and ifhe could once be thrown into that state, hypnosis could be re-producedthereafter very readily. It would only be necessary for the Doctor tosuggest to Leon, while asleep, that he permit himself to be hypnotizedin the future, and the possibility of resistance would be destroyed.
Therefore the Doctor watched Leon, as a cat does a bird when seeking achance to seize and destroy it. Several times he was about to make theattempt, but he hesitated. That he did so annoyed him, for it was anew experience to him to doubt his ability to accomplish a purpose.But, truly, he questioned the wisdom of what he meditated, in spite ofthe fact that he knew this to be a rare opportunity, which would neveroccur again. The boy would never, after this night, be so intoxicatedby Nature as he was at this time. Even though Leon were, as the Doctorbelieved, one of those exceptional individuals who could successfullyresist him, his will-power was for the time in abeyance, and awell-directed effort to throw him into hypnotic slumber promisedsuccess. Yet he could not overlook the other fact, that, were theattempt to prove a failure, it would render all future experimentsdoubly difficult.
Thus an hour passed. There was no one on the upper deck besides thesetwo. Leon had remained so still, so motionless for many minutes, thathe might have been a corpse sitting there and gazing into the line offoam which trailed in the wake of the boat. He was fascinated, whymight he not be hypnotized? Still, the Doctor was
loath to take arisk. He called the lad's name, at first very softly. But he repeatedit again, and again, in louder tones. Leon did not reply. Hisabstraction was so great that he did not hear. It was certainly afavorable moment. The Doctor rose slowly from his chair; so slowlythat he scarcely seemed to move, but in a few moments he stood erect.Then he paused, and for some time remained motionless. With a movementthat was more a gliding than a step, one leg crept forward towardsLeon, and then the other was drawn after it, thus bringing the Doctornearer. Again he stood motionless. Again the manoeuvre was repeated,and now, still unnoticed, he stood beside the lad. The approach morethan ever reminded one of a cat, only now one would think of a tigerrather than of the little domestic animal. For the Doctor looked talland gaunt in the moonlight. Now he stooped slowly forward, bending hisback, as the tiger prepares to spring upon its prey, and now his mouthwas near Leon's ear.
The final moment had come; the experiment was to be tried. But evennow the Doctor had devised a scheme by which he hoped to lose nothing,even though he should fail. His first intention had been to cry out,"Go to sleep!" a command which he had often seen obeyed instantly.This time the formula was changed. In a loud tone, which, however, wasmellifluous and persuasive, he uttered these words:
"You are asleep!"
He paused and anxiously awaited the result. For a brief instantsuccess poised upon the verge of his desire. Leon's eyes closed, andhis head drooped forward. Then, like lightning, there came a change.The lad jumped up, and started back, assuming an attitude of defiance,and a wrathful demeanor. He was entirely awake and in full control ofhis senses as he cried out:
"You tried to mesmerize me!"
As swiftly the Doctor was again master of himself, and, recognizingdefeat, he was fully prepared to assume control of the situation andtwist circumstances so that they should culminate in advantage tohimself. In the very moment of his first failure, his quick mindgrasped at the hope that was offered by Leon's words. He had said"mesmerize," and this convinced Dr. Medjora that the word "hypnotize"was as yet unknown to him, and that all the later discoveries inpsychical science must be as a sealed book to him. So with perfectcalmness he replied:
"I fail to see upon what you base such a senseless deduction. You havesat motionless for half an hour. I called you three or four times, andyou did not reply. Then I came here and stood beside you, but you tookno notice of me. Finally I said what I thought was true, 'You areasleep!' Instantly you jump up like a madman and accuse me of tryingto mesmerize you. Now, why? Explain!"
How could this youth cope with the skill of such a man? He could not.As he listened to the Doctor's words and heard his frank and friendlyspeech, his fears were banished, his suspicions lulled, and he feltashamed. Being honest, he expressed his thoughts:
"I beg your pardon, Doctor. I think now that I must have beensleeping. Your words startled me, and, as I awoke, I spoke stupidly.Will you forgive me?"
There was a shade of anxiety in his tones, which demonstrated to theDoctor that he valued his friendship, and feared to alienate his goodwill. Thus he knew that he had deftly dispelled doubt, and thatnothing had been lost. Indeed, something had been gained, for he knewnow what he had only before suspected; that Leon could not behypnotized. Or, rather, not by any one else in the world besideshimself, for he by no means abandoned his design. Only, when next heshould make an attempt, he would take better precautions, and he wouldsucceed. So he thought. Now, it would be as well to continue theconversation, by discussing the suggested topic, for it wouldstrengthen the lad's confidence, if he did not appear to shun it.
"Forgive you, my boy," said the Doctor, "there is nothing to forgive.It was I who was stupid, for I should not have disturbed you sounexpectedly. But I am fond of studying human beings, and you havebeen very entertaining to me to-night. I have been observing theeffect that Nature can produce upon a virgin mind, such as yours. Youhave been drinking in the grandeur of the world about us, until youwere so enthralled that you had forgotten all except the emotions bywhich you were moved. You were not asleep, but you were in anabstraction so deep that it was akin to sleep. I yielded to thetemptation of saying what I did, merely to see what effect it wouldproduce. I was certainly surprised at the result. That you should havebeen startled is natural enough, but how the idea of mesmerismoccurred to you, bewilders me. What do you know about that mysterioussubject?"
"Not very much," said Leon, with some diffidence. "As you may imagine,Doctor, I have not had a large library from which to choose. But Ihave read a translation of a work by Deleuze, which appears to discussthe subject thoroughly."
"Ah! I see. You have read Deleuze. I am familiar with the work. Well,then, tell me. After weighing the matter thoroughly in your own mind,do you believe it is possible for one person to mesmerize another?"
"I do not. Most emphatically I do not," said Leon.
"Most emphatically you do not. A strong way to express your views, forwhich you must of course have convincing reasons. But if so, why wereyou afraid that I would do what you emphatically believe to be animpossibility?" The Doctor smiled indulgently as he asked thisembarrassing question.
"Because, as you have said, I was only half-awake," replied Leon,apologetically.
The Doctor was now assured that Leon, even when he should come tothink over the occurrences of the night when alone, would harbor nosuspicion against him. So all would be safe.
"Well, then," continued the Doctor, "tell me why you are so sure thatmesmerism is not possible. You say you have read Deleuze. He claimsthat wonderful things may be accomplished."
"So wonderful that a thinking man cannot believe them to be true."
"But surely Deleuze was honest, and he relates many remarkable caseswhich he assures his readers occurred within his own cognizance."
"That is very true. No one who reads the author's book could doubt thesincerity of his purpose and the truth of what he relates. Or rather Ishould say, one must believe that he does not wilfully deceive. But itmust be equally evident that the man was deluded."
"Why so?"
"It is difficult to tell exactly. But I know this, that after readinghis work, which is intended to convince the skeptic, not only did hiswords leave me unconvinced, but a positive disbelief was aroused.There are places where he makes assertions, which he admits he cannotexplain. He tells of wonderful occurrences which he cannot accountfor, while, in spite of that, he does not hesitate to attribute themto mesmerism. Such teaching is unsatisfactory and unscientific."
"Very true, but because Deleuze did not understand a phenomenon, doesit logically follow that there is no explanation of it to be had?"
"Why, not at all, Doctor. But the explanation must eliminate it fromthe realm of the mysterious, and make it acceptable to the reason. Inits present form it is utterly unacceptable. I cannot believe that oneindividual may possess a power by which he may control hisfellow-creatures. The idea is repugnant in the extreme. It lessensone's self-dependence. Do you believe in mesmerism?"
This was a direct question, and the Doctor thought that the subjecthad been pursued far enough. He had no desire to approach a pointwhere he might be compelled to give this inquiring youth an insightinto the scientific side of hypnotism. He preferred to leave himwallowing in the mire of mesmerism. Consequently, he did not hesitateto reply:
"No, Leon. I do not believe in mesmerism. Mesmer himself was a veryerratic, unscientific man, who either did not or would not arrange hisobservations into scientific order, from which logical deductionsmight have been made. Therefore, his whole teaching may be countedrather among the curiosities of literature, than as having any valueto the mind of one who seeks the truth. Life is too short to wastemuch time upon such fruitless speculations."
"I am glad that you agree with me," said Leon. "I was afraid from whatyou said that you might believe in that sort of thing."
To this the Doctor made no reply, the words "that sort of thing"threatening to lead him upon dangerous ground again. He essayed, by agentle digression, to di
vert the conversation into another direction.
"Speaking of mesmerism, Leon, I suppose that you know that itsadvocates likened it to the power which reptiles are said to have overbirds and small animals, whom they fascinate first, and then devour.Now I was much interested to note the familiarity with which thelittle chipmunks approached you this morning."
"Did you see them?" Leon was surprised, for he had not known how longthe Doctor had been present.
"Yes," replied the Doctor; "I watched you for some time. How is itthat these little wild animals would come to you? Disbelieving inmesmerism, have you yourself the power to charm or fascinate the loweranimals?"
"Why, not at all, Doctor. Let me explain. First, as to the chipmunks.There was nothing wonderful about that, for though they are wild, theyknow me as well as though they had lived in the house with me. One dayI found a dead chipmunk, and later I found the nest of young ones in atree. I took food to them from day to day, and they grew to know me.Were it not that I have not been in the woods since the funeral untilthis morning, so that it is several days since the little fellows lastsaw me, they would have shown even greater friendliness than they did.I have often had them run up to my shoulders, and perch there eatingwhat I would give them."
"But what you tell me only makes me believe the more that you exertsome power of fascination," said the Doctor, laughing jestingly. "Youmust teach me the secret of charming animals, Leon. Really you must."
"I will do so gladly. It is very simple. The animals, the little onesI mean, are afraid of us. Banish their fear, and at the same timeexcite their instinct to take food where they can find it, and yourdesire is accomplished. For example, take the fish. If I go to theedge of Lake Massabesic at a certain spot, the fish will jump out ofthe water in their anxiety to receive food from my hands. I can eventake the little fellows out of the water, and when I drop them inagain, they pause but a few moments before venturing within my reachagain. How did I train them to this? I noticed that from my habit ofthrowing the old bait out of my boat when landing, the fish had madethe spot a feeding place. I threw them some crumbs of bread, and theyhurried to the surface to snatch it, diving swiftly down again to eat.I tried an experiment. Holding the bread in my hand, I dipped my armdeep into the water, and allowed it to remain motionless. For a longtime the fish were very shy. They stood off at a distance, and gazedlongingly, but they did not approach this strange object. I crushedthe bread into small bits and withdrew my arm. In a moment they wereall feeding. After doing this a number of times on successive days, atlast one fellow, more venturesome than the others, made a swift dashforward, and grabbing a bit of the bread from my hand as quickly swamoff with it. Others, observing his success, followed his example.Within a few more days, they did not hesitate, but approached as soonas my hand appeared below the water, and presently they were notalarmed if I moved my hand about among them. The first time that Iattempted to take hold of one, I created a disturbance which made themshy for a few days; but after a time they learned that I would notharm them, whereas I always brought them food. Why should they nottrust me? So you see, Doctor, there is no witchcraft about it."
"No! Your explanation of how you charm fish removes it from the regionof the mysterious, and I have no doubt that what Mesmer observed,could be as satisfactorily explained if we only knew how."
So the subject was dropped, and both retired to their staterooms, asthe hour was late. Dr. Medjora, when alone, occupied himself with theserious problem before him. He had undertaken a charge,--the educationof a youth endowed with unusual intelligence. To teach him all that hewished him to know, it became an essential part of his plan that Leonshould be hypnotized. How should he accomplish it?
Leon slept soundly, or if he dreamed at all, it was of the name whichhe would make for himself.
Early on the following morning the steamboat landed her passengers,and Leon set foot upon the shores of New York City. He had sat uponthe deck for more than an hour, marvelling at the extent of the twocities between which they passed down the East river; he had gazedwith wondering eyes upon the great bridge, astonished that the name ofthe engineer was not known to him; and the thought hurt, for if onemight build such a structure and not be more widely known to fame, howwas he, a poor country boy, to earn distinction? He had admired thebeautiful Battery, the Statue of Liberty, the lovely bay, the tallbuildings, and had felt that he was almost approaching Paradise. Butat last he was ashore, and in New York, the Mecca of all good citizensof the New World, and he felt correspondingly elated.
Cabs and carriages were offered by shouting hackmen, with stentorianvoices, and insinuating manners, but the Doctor pushed through thethrong, and crossed the street to where two magnificent black horses,attached to a luxurious carriage, tossed their heads and shook theirsilver chains. A man in livery opened the door, and Dr. Medjora made asign to Leon to get in, which he did, for the first time beginning torealize that his newfound friend was a man of wealth.
The drive seemed endless, and if Leon was surprised at the length ofthe city as he viewed it from the river, he was more amazed now, asthe carriage rolled rapidly through continuous rows of houses built upsolidly on each side. In reality they drove almost the entire lengthof the Island, for their destination was that same place where theDoctor had once set fire to his house.
Everything, however, was changed. Where once was an old dwelling on arugged lot of land, there was now a royal mansion within a spaciouspark. This was the home of Dr. Emanuel Medjora and his wife. They hadno children. But a retinue of servants, and frequent arrivals ofcompany, kept the two from feeling lonely.
The Doctor ushered Leon into a cosy reception-room, made pleasant bysunshine, and the light morning's breeze, and there bade him wait amoment, while he summoned his wife. But Leon was not left to himselflong, for within a few moments a door opened and Madame Medjoraentered. She insisted that she should always be called Madame, andtherefore in deference to her nationality, as well as to her wishes, Igive her that title.
Hearing the carriage, she had hurried to meet her husband, but byaccident they had not met, and she was surprised to see the strangerof whom she had heard nothing, and whose arrival was thereforeentirely unexpected. Leon arose and bowed to her, in courteous andgraceful greeting, but, angered because she had not been advised ofhis coming, she asked with brusqueness.
"Who are you?"
"I came with Dr. Medjora," replied Leon, somewhat startled by theunfriendliness of her manner.
"But who are you? What is your name?"
Alas! The inconvenience of having no name. In a moment Leon was allembarrassment.
"My name?" He paused and stammered. "My name is--Leon----" Here hestopped, blushed, and looked away.
"Leon! Leon what?" asked Madame Medjora, in tones far fromconciliatory. Leon did not reply. She continued, now thoroughlyaroused. "You are ashamed of your name, are you? What is your name? Iwill know it! What is your last name, your full name?"
"Leon Grath is his name!" said a voice behind, and, turning, they bothsaw Dr. Medjora.
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