A Modern Wizard

by Rodrigues Ottolengui

  CHAPTER VII.

  A WIZARD'S TEACHING.

  During the six months which followed, Leon advanced rapidly in hisstudies. His regular routine was to spend a specified number of hourseach day in the magnificently appointed chemical laboratory; toaccompany the Doctor upon many of his professional rounds, especiallyto hospital cases, and to the tenements of the poor; and in theevening it became usually their custom to spend an hour together,during which the Doctor gave his pupil oral instruction, rehearsed himin what he had already learned, and set new tasks for him to master.This hour was generally the last before bedtime. After dinner theDoctor's habit was to yield himself to the demands of his wife, whodelighted to carry him off to social functions, or to the theatres.Leon very rarely accompanied them. He remained at home to study, andwas ready to meet his teacher at the appointed hour, which was seldomlater than eleven o'clock. Dr. Medjora was a great disciplinarian, andhad Leon been differently constituted, he might have rebelled at theamount of work which he was expected to accomplish each day. But henever uttered complaint of any sort. Indeed, he seemed to have anunlimited capacity for study, so that his assiduity, coupled with amarvellous memory, rendered his progress very rapid. Nevertheless theDoctor was not satisfied. He was impatient to see the day arrive whenLeon should reach the same pinnacle of knowledge which he himself hadattained, in order that thereafter they might traverse the road tofame hand in hand, leaning upon and assisting one another.

  At last the day, the hour, arrived, beyond which the Doctor haddecided to pursue their sluggish method no further. He knew how toteach Leon in one year, all that he had learned by weary ploddingthroughout the greater part of his life. But it was essential to hisscheme, that he should be able to hypnotize Leon, and in this he hadmade one trial which had failed. During the months which had passedsince then, he had matured a plan which he was sure would provesuccessful, and now he entered his pupil's presence prepared to carryit into execution.

  Leon was reading, but instantly closed his book and laid it aside,greeting the Doctor, not as the foolish schoolboy afraid of hismaster, but as the ardent student eager for learning. The Doctorseated himself in a comfortable Turkish chair, and began as follows:

  "Leon, are you tired? Could you prolong the hour a little to-night ifI should not otherwise find time for what I wish to say?"

  "I will gladly listen to you till morning, Doctor," replied Leon.

  "You have been taking every night the draught which I prescribed?"

  "Yes, sir. There on the table is the potion for to-night."

  "You do not know what it is, Leon, and the time has not yet arrivedwhen I can explain its decoction to you. Suffice it for me to tellyou, that this colorless liquid is practically the Elixir of Life, forwhich the ancients sought in vain."

  "The Elixir of Life? Why, that is a myth!" Leon almost smiled. But hedid not quite, because the expression on the Doctor's face was tooserious.

  "I said that it is practically the magic fluid. It has the property ofsupplying the body in twenty-four hours, with the vital energy whichit would otherwise need several days of rest and recreation torecover. That is why I prescribe it to you, while you are engaged soarduously upon your studies. Do you not find that you are less easilyfatigued?"

  "I do, indeed. It is certainly a wonderful invigorator!"

  "Leon," said the Doctor, after a slight pause, "I believe that I haveyour confidence and trust?"

  "Absolutely, Doctor!"

  "Would you take any drug that I might administer, without knowing itseffects, and without questioning my motive, so long as I assure youthat you would be benefited?"

  "I would!"

  "I will put you to the test, but, in exchange for your trust, I willtell you in part what I mean to do." He took a small phial from hispocket, a tiny tube containing less than five minims of a clearcolorless liquid. "In this little bottle, Leon, there is a medicine offrightful potency. One drop would suffice to destroy a human life. Butmixed with your nightly draught, a new chemical compound is produced,which, though harmless, will so energize the brain-cells that thepowers of recollection will be more than trebled. By this means, yourprogress can be very much enhanced, for instead of receiving what Ioffer to you each night, and assimilating a part of it, you will findin the future that all my words will be indelibly imprinted upon yourmind."

  "I would have taken the drug without your explanation, Doctor, but nowI am eager for the experiment."

  "This is no experiment, Leon. Beware of operating upon a human beingwhen your knowledge is so meagre that you must resort to experimentaltests." There was a touch of deep feeling in the Doctor's tones, asthough he might at some time have made the error against which headmonished the lad. Leon, however, did not observe anything out of thecommon. He was intent upon what the Doctor was about to do. Dr.Medjora carefully removed the tiny glass stopper from the phial, and,holding it in his left hand, took up the glass from the table with hisright. Pausing a moment he exclaimed:

  "Watch!"

  Then with a quick movement he poured the contents of the phial intothe liquid in the glass. Instantly there was a commotion. There was asound of water boiling, and a sort of steam arose.

  "The poisonous properties are thrown off, you see, in the form ofgas," said the Doctor.

  The liquid in the glass, from having been colorless, was now convertedinto a bright green, but as Leon watched he was astonished to see thisemerald hue gradually fade, until within a minute it had disappeared,and the fluid was as colorless as before.

  "Observe, Leon," said the Doctor, "how easily I could haveadministered the added drug without your knowledge, for just as yousee no difference that the eye can detect, so also will your potion beas tasteless as before. Will you drink it?"

  Leon took the glass and drank, without hesitation.

  "I thank you for this evidence of your faith in me," said the Doctor,and pausing awhile, presently spoke again: "Leon, you were probablysurprised when, as a part of your task for to-night, I told you toread a portion of the book of Genesis, in the Bible. I had a specialpurpose in view, which I will now explain. I have a sort of story totell, which at first may seem entirely unconnected with our work, butbear with me, be closely attentive, and you will soon discover thatall I shall say has an important bearing. The beginning of the Bibleof the Jews should make all who study it pause to consider a singularcircumstance. The creation of the world, and all that occurred up tothe time of the Flood, is narrated in seven short chapters, the end ofthe seventh recording the Flood itself, and the almost totalannihilation of all the creatures of the earth. But from the Flood upto the nativity of the Christ, we find the historian well stocked withfacts, and hundreds of pages are filled with his narration."

  "Was it not because Moses, or the author of the earlier books, hadmore data concerning the events following the Flood, than those whichpreceded it? Indeed, it is probable that the Flood itself obliteratedthe records of previous times."

  "A good argument, my boy, if we consider the Bible as a mere history.But does not the religious world claim that it is an inspired work? Ifthe Creator actually revealed the past to Moses, then there was noreason why he could not have been as explicit about the occurrencesbefore the Flood, as after? But your explanation is the true one. Theauthor of Genesis did not have access to actual records, but couldmerely generalize from the legends then in existence. There are twoevents in the history of the world which stand out pre-eminentlyimportant. First, the Flood, which destroyed mankind, and second, thediscovery of America, which restored a lost continent. That these twoevents have a very close relationship is suspected only by a fewscientists."

  "How are they connected? A great period of time separates them."

  "True. But let me tell you the real story of the Flood, and you willcomprehend my meaning. I shall not stop to give you arguments tosubstantiate what I say, because that would take too long, and wouldlead us away from what I am aiming at. However, while my own knowledgeof the facts was received from ot
her sources, when you have the timeyou will find the whole subject ably expounded in a work in mylibrary, entitled _The Lost Histories of America_, by Blacket.

  "At the time of the Flood, or just prior thereto, the highestcivilization in the world existed in Mexico. There, a vast empireflourished. The arts and sciences had received much attention, andbeautiful cities, populated by cultured people, abounded everywhere inthe land. Navigation was well understood, and colonies from Mexico hadmade new homes for themselves on the western coast of Africa, inIreland and England, along the Mediterranean, and, in the oppositedirection, they had even penetrated Asia, crossing the vast Pacific.Then came that great convulsion which all peoples, in all climes,remember to-day through legends of waters rising and submerging thewhole surface of the earth. It is probable that a great tidal wavenarrowed the continents of North and South America along both shores,eating away the central portion more extensively, the completedivision of the two being prevented only by the mountainous characterof the region. In South America, we find the southermost part narrowedto a point."

  "Do you mean that South America was once wider?"

  "The proof of my assertion lies in the ruins and monuments still to befound buried beneath the waves, hundreds of miles from the shore,though some were undoubtedly on islands which also sunk at this time.What would be the first effects of a cataclysm of such magnitude? Theships at sea, if they escaped at all, would sail for home. Arrivingwhere the original shores had been, and finding nothing for even fiftymiles beyond, the survivors would imagine that the whole country hadbeen lost, and so would turn towards those other shores which theirrace had colonized. They would carry with them the story of the Floodwhich had submerged the whole of the western continent, and from thisaccount we would finally inherit our version of the awful event.Having accepted the theory of the destruction of their home-land, andbeing thus compelled to adopt permanently their new abiding-places,would not these colonists immediately set about making their new hometo resemble as much as possible the old? Undoubtedly! Hence we findthem building the tower of Babel, in which project they were foiled bythe confusion of tongues. Would it surprise you, however, to know thata similar legend is found in Central America?"

  "I am ignorant, Doctor, of all that pertains to the subject.Therefore, of course, I should be surprised, but I am deeplyinterested."

  "The legend is still current among the natives dwelling near thepyramid of Cholula, to which it alludes, but I will give you a versionof it which is recorded in a manuscript of Pedro de Los Rios. It is asfollows:

  "Before the great inundation, which took place four thousand eight hundred years after the creation of the World, the country of Anahuac was inhabited by giants. All those who did not perish were transformed into fishes, save seven, who fled into caverns. When the waters subsided, one of these giants, Xelhua, surnamed the Architect, went to Chollolan, where, as a memorial of the mountain Tlaloc, which had served for an asylum to himself and his six brethren, he built an artificial hill in form of a pyramid.... The gods beheld with wrath this edifice, the top of which was to reach the clouds. Irritated at the daring attempt of Xelhua, they hurled fire [lightning?] on the pyramid. Numbers of the workmen perished; the work was discontinued."

  "Indeed, Doctor, the two traditions are similar. How is that to beunderstood, since certainly from the time of the Flood, until thediscovery by Columbus, there was no communication between the Old andthe so-called New World?"

  "Wherever, in two places devoid of communication, similar occurencesare recorded, they have a common inspiration. So it was in thisinstance. The colonists built the temple to their God whom they hadworshipped in Mexico. The Mexicans did likewise, moved to the actionby the destruction of all their places of worship, because of thegreat inroad made by the sea, and the consequent narrowing of theland. In both instances, we can understand the desire to attain agreat height, in order to have a place of safety if a second floodwere to supervene. Now let me call your attention to a littlecoincidence. You observe in the Mexican story that seven giants weresaved. This number seven has always been considered a numeral of greatsignificance, by all the religionists of olden times. Thus the authorof the book of Genesis so divided the beginning of his narration, thatthe creation of the world and all that occurred up to the Flood, istold in seven chapters. Depending upon legends for his facts aboutthat period, which the Mexican story says covered forty-eight hundredyears, he condenses it all into the mystic number of seven chapters."

  "From all this, then, I am to believe that the story of the Flood istrue in the main? I had always supposed that it was either a myth, oran exaggeration of some local inundation?"

  "Undoubtedly the great Flood occurred. But now I come to the objectwhich I had in telling you all this. The great pyramids in Mexico, or_teocali_ as they were called, were temples, places of worshipconsecrated to the god Tesculipoca. Would it surprise you to hear thatthis Mexican deity is no other than AEsculapius, commonly called thefather of medicine?"

  "It would, indeed!"

  "Yet it is true. Like many other of the mythological gods of Europe,he really existed in Mexico. The quickest manner of recognizing him,is by his name. Let us place the Mexican and the European, one underthe other:

  TESCULIPOCA AESCULAPIUS

  "Now, if we remember that the presence of a diphthong in thetransformation of names implies a lost consonant, we see that thenames are virtually the same, the O C A being the Mexican suffix, andthe I U S the Greek. To go a little further in our identification,mythology informs us that AEsculapius is the son of Apollo. We are alsotold that the Tower of Babel was consecrated to Bel, but that theupper story was devoted to AEsculapius. This is significant, from thefact that Apollo and Bel are forms of the same deity. Thus we findthat immediately after the Flood, those who escape on one side of thegreat Ocean proceed to build a temple to AEsculapius, while on theother, in the home country, they build a new pyramid, a _teocali_, inwhich to worship Tesculipoca. Are you satisfied that AEsculapius wasoriginally an inhabitant of this continent?"

  "It certainly seems so."

  "Seems so? It is so! And in that fact, Leon, abides a secret which hasbeen of vast importance to me, and shall be to you. Few men know whatI am, or whence I came. Let me tell you that the high priests of these_teocali_ were all lineally descended from the great physician, and tothis day there are many who still blow upon the embers of the oldfaith, down in the forest fastnesses of Mexico and Central America,secure from the prying eyes of white men. I inherited the right ofpriesthood at my birth."

  "You? You a Mexican priest?" Leon started up amazed.

  "By inheritance, yes! But early in life I made a discovery of vastimportance. By deciphering some old hieroglyphical writings, I learnedthat, somewhere in the North Country, the first _teocali_ had beenbuilt. That in the topmost chamber of it, as in the tower of Babel,the god himself had dwelt. In the dome which surmounted that temple,he had sculptured hieroglyphics, which recorded all the vast knowledgewhich he possessed. I even found some fragmentary copies of thesesculptures, and I learned enough to make me determined to seek, and tofind that lost temple."

  "You succeeded!" ejaculated Leon, much excited.

  "I always succeed," said the Doctor, with significant emphasis. "Ithas been the rule of my life, from which I have never deviated. Yes! Isucceeded! I discovered the dome of the temple, buried beneath theearth. For years I have spent many hours of otherwise unoccupied time,deciphering the sculptured records of the lost past. Lost to theworld, but found by me, Emanuel Medjora, whom men call Wizard!" Therewas a flash of triumph in the Doctor's eye, as he uttered these words.Leon looked at him, but did not speak.

  "Yes! The knowledge garnered by AEsculapius has been inherited by me.This it is, that I mean to bequeath to you. Is it not better thanmoney?"

  "You mean that you will take me into that chamber, which you havefound?" Leon was incredulous, yet hopeful of receiving an affirmativereply. />
  "That is what I will do, but not to-night. The hour is now late. Youmust retire to rest. To-morrow night, I will give you proof of what Ihave told you. Now, good-night, and remember that I have intrusted youwith a secret more valuable than all the world. Beware of betrayingme."

  "Doctor!" expostulated Leon, much hurt.

  "You need not speak so, Leon. If I doubted you, I would never haveconfided in you. Once more, good-night."

  "Good-night!" And Leon turned to leave the room.

  "Pleasant dreams," said the Doctor, and Leon had no suspicion thatthere was a studied purpose in the utterance.

  After the lad's departure, the Doctor sat alone, musing upon thesituation. He did not go to rest, because his work was not yetcomplete. He recalled the night on the Fall River boat, when he hadendeavored to hypnotize Leon, and had failed. To-night he would tryagain. For months he had been arranging all the preliminaries, and nowhe was confident of success. The object which he had in view was this:He desired to teach Leon more rapidly than the lad could learn in hisnormal condition. This he hoped to accomplish with the aid ofhypnosis. By gaining control of Leon, in this manner he expected toutilize the marvels of suggestion. He would instruct him, and thencharge him to remember all that he had been taught, and the resultwould be that the mind would obey the injunction, and thus acquireknowledge more rapidly than by ordinary study.

  But, for the present, he believed it to be of vital importance thatLeon should not suspect what he was doing. To this end he had arrangedhis mode of procedure with the caution of a master of psychology. Inthe first place, he had prepared Leon's mind for the rapid progress ofthe future, by telling him that the drug administered would increasehis mental powers. This was false. What he had added to the usualtonic draught, was not a poison, as he had claimed, but a powerfulnarcotic. In order, however, to make an impression upon his mind, hehad relied upon the chemical reaction, and the changing color, whichhas been described.

  Then he had related to him enough of the history of AEsculapius and ofthe secret chamber, so that if on the morrow Leon should remember thevisit to the dome, where he meant to carry him presently, he wouldeasily account for it to himself, as a dream. To make sure of this, hehad suggested dreaming to him as they parted.

  So, as he reviewed his arrangement, the Doctor was satisfied that hehad taken all necessary precautions, and with patience he awaited thetime which he had set for further action.

  The minutes crept by, until at last a little door in the front of thegreat clock opened, and a silver image of Vulcan raised a tiny hammerand brought it down upon the anvil before him with force enough todraw forth a sharp ring from the metal. Then the door closed again. Itwas one o'clock.

  The Doctor arose and went to a closet, whence he brought forth a pairof soft slippers which he put on instead of his shoes. Leaving theroom, he climbed the stairway as noiselessly as a cat, not a boardcreaking as he slowly lifted himself from one step to the next. He hadno fear of arousing Leon, but he did not wish to attract the attentionof any other one in the house. Soon he was in Leon's room, standingbeside the bed. Leon lay sleeping as calmly as a babe. Dr. Medjoraknelt beside him, and listened to his heart beating. He felt hispulse, and seemed satisfied. From a couch he took a heavy slumberrobe, and without hesitation lifted Leon from the bed and wrapped himin the robe. Next he raised him in his arms and carried him from theroom. At the end of the hall he paused long enough to open the doorwhich led to his laboratory, which occupied a wing of the building,and passing through he closed the door behind him, and laid his burdenon the floor.

  Next he lighted a small lamp which shed but a dim light, and stooping,felt along the floor until he found a secret spring which he released,and then slid aside a trap-door, exposing to view a flight of stairs.Down these he descended, the ruby-colored shade of his lamp throwingred rays upward as he disappeared. In a few moments he returnedwithout the lamp, which, placed somewhere below, still lighted theopening with a dull glow. The Doctor took Leon in his arms, andcarried him down the steps, until he reached the same door throughwhich he had taken young Barnes on the memorable night of the fire. Inrebuilding upon the property, the Doctor had purposely placed hislaboratory over his secret underground chamber.

  Having entered the remains of the temple of AEsculapius, he laid Leonupon a comfortable mass of rugs which covered the central stone.Taking from his pocket a small phial, he opened Leon's mouth andpoured the contents into it, holding his nose until, in an effort tobreathe, the drug was swallowed. This accomplished the Doctor retiredbehind a screen, which had been formed by him in such accuratereproduction of the walls of the chamber, that one would not readilysuspect that it was not a part of the original structure.

  "Within ten minutes he should awaken," mused the Doctor. "But when hedoes, and his eyes rest upon the scene about him, he will surely thinkthat he is dreaming of the temple of AEsculapius. Then, while his brainis heavy with drugs, and his mind mystified, he will yield readily tohypnotic influences."

  The ten minutes had barely elapsed, when the sleeper moved. A momentlater, Leon opened his eyes, and as the dim light from the little lampenabled him to see the dome above him, he lay still, regarding it withsome surprise. A few moments more, and he rubbed his eyes with theknuckle of his forefinger, and the Doctor knew that he was wonderingwhether he were awake or dreaming. Not fully satisfied, Leon sat up,and gazed about him. He was becoming more thoroughly awake, and verysoon he would know that he was not in dream-land. But the Doctor nolonger delayed his plan of action. Ere Leon could recover from thesurprise of his first awakening, and as he gazed directly in front ofhim, Dr. Medjora touched an electric button with his foot, andinstantly a blaze of light appeared upon the wall. A hundred tinyincandescent lamps, arranged in the form of radiating spokes from awheel, placed before a brightly burnished silver reflector, withthousands of facets upon its concaved surface, shed a light asdazzling as a sun. Leon closed his eyes to protect them from theglare, but when he opened them again another surprise awaited him. Bytouching another button, the Doctor had started a motor, which, with adull humming sound, set the wheel of lights in motion, the reflectorrevolving rapidly in one direction while the fixture which containedthe lamps turned swiftly the opposite way. The scintillating rays wereso dazzling, that it was impossible for Leon to gaze upon it more thanan instant. He turned his back upon it, bewildered, but immediatelybefore his eyes there appeared on the wall confronting him anothersimilar wheel of light, which began to revolve also. Again he turnedhis eyes away, and again, and again, and again; but wherever helooked, the rapidly moving electric suns burst forth, until a dozen ofthem surrounded him.

  He stood a moment with his gaze upon the floor, trying to recovercontrol of himself, for his astonishment was such that he felt asthough he were losing his mind. But all in vain. As much as he dreadedthose fiery suns, as well as he knew instinctively that to look uponthem was to be lost, he could not resist the temptation. Slowly, aswith an effort, he raised his eyes and stared at the scintillatingsuns before him. For a brief time his eyes turned from one to another,but finally they became fixed and he gazed only at one. In a momentall the others were turned out, and that one revolved faster andfaster. Two or three times it seemed as though he tried to withdrawhis gaze, but eventually all resistance to the influence of thedazzling light ceased. Leon sank back into a partly sitting postureupon the rugs, and in a few moments the eyelids closed heavily, thehead sank upon the breast, the body quivered, and the limbs hung limp.Leon was passing into a hypnotic, sleep, caused by the ingeniousmechanical device coupled with the skilfully prepared surprise whichthe mind had received.

  The Doctor pressed a button, and the last wheel was extinguished andstood motionless. Once more the only light was from the little lamp,which now, by contrast with the recent glare, seemed like a glowworm.Dr. Medjora came forth and placed himself in front of Leon. With thepalms of his hands on the lad's temples, he rubbed the eyeballsthrough the closed lids, with his thumbs. After a short time he spoke
.

  "Leon! Leon! Are you asleep?"

  There was no reply.

  "Leon! You are asleep, but you can speak!"

  An indistinct murmur escaped from the sleeper.

  "Leon! You are asleep! But you are also awake! Open your eyes, but donot awaken entirely! Open your eyes!"

  In response to the command, authoritatively given, Leon's eyes openedslowly, and he stared before him, as though seeing nothing.

  "Look! You can see me if you try! You can recognize me! You can speak!Speak to me!"

  The sleeper gazed at the Doctor a while, but said nothing.

  "Do you not hear me? I tell you that you can speak! You must speak!Speak! I command you! Speak!"

  "Doc-tor Med-jo-ra!" was the reply uttered in separate syllables, witha pause between each, and in hollow tones.

  "Good! You see you can speak if you will. You will find it easy enoughdirectly. Look about you now, and tell me where you are."

  "I think I am in the temple!"

  "You are correct. You are in the temple of AEsculapius. Do youunderstand?"

  "The temple of AEsculapius! I understand!"

  "Do you know how you came here?"

  "No!"

  "Do you wish to know?"

  "No!"

  "I brought you here. Do you understand that?"

  "Yes!"

  "Are you glad or sorry?"

  "Glad!"

  "You are asleep! You know that, do you not?"

  "I am asleep!"

  "Do you wish to awaken?"

  "I did at first! Now I do not!"

  "Then you are happy in your present state?"

  "I am with you! I am happy! I am with you!"

  "Then you trust me?"

  "I do, now!"

  "You do now! Did you ever mistrust me?"

  "Yes! Once!"

  "When was that?"

  "On the boat! You tried to make me sleep!"

  "But I have made you sleep now. Do you still trust me?"

  "Yes!"

  "Why did you mistrust me before then?"

  "I did not know how pleasant it is to sleep!"

  "Then you are happy, when you are asleep like this?"

  "I am with you! I am happy! I am with you!"

  "Very well! In the future if I try to make you sleep, you will notresist me?"

  "No!"

  "Say, I will not resist you!"

  "I will not resist you!"

  "You will sleep, whenever I wish you to do so?"

  "I will sleep, when you wish me to do so!"

  "Now, if I ask you a few questions, will you answer me truthfully?"

  "Yes!"

  "I wish you then to tell me whether you are in love with AgnesDudley?"

  "What is love?"

  "Do you not know?"

  "Only what I have read!"

  "You have not felt what it is to love a woman?"

  "I have not!"

  "Then you do not love Agnes Dudley?"

  "I suppose not!"

  "Have you thought of it at all, as possible?"

  "I have not!"

  "Not even for an instant?"

  "Not even for an instant!"

  "That is very strange. She is a magnificent girl. Beautiful,intellectual, and cultured. You have observed that?"

  "Yes! I have observed all that!"

  "Nevertheless, you have not thought of loving her?"

  "Nevertheless, I have not thought of loving her!"

  "Are you tired now of sleeping?"

  "I would like to sleep the other sleep! I cannot explain! Yes, I amtired!"

  "You need not explain. I understand. This is your first experience,and must not be continued longer. But you must promise me something."

  "I will promise!"

  "You remember all that I told you to-night before you went to sleep?"

  "I do!"

  "You must never forget any of it. You must remember it all. Not thewords, but the substance. You will remember?"

  "I will remember!"

  "Now I will take you back to your bed. When you have been there tenminutes, you will awaken!"

  "I will awaken!"

  "You will remember this place, but only as though you had seen it in adream!"

  "I will remember the dream!"

  "Then you will immediately fall into a natural sleep!"

  "I will fall into a natural sleep!"

  "In the morning you will either remember nothing, or if anything onlythat you have had a dream!"

  "Only a dream!"

  "Now sleep! Sleep deeply!"

  The Doctor pressed Leon's eyes with his thumbs, and when he releasedthem the lids remained closed.

  "You cannot open your eyes!"

  "No! I cannot open my eyes!"

  "Now you cannot speak!"

  There was no reply. Dr. Medjora wrapped the sleeper in the robe andcarried him upstairs, and back to his own room again. He placed him inhis bed, and covered him carefully, as a mother would her babe.Stooping over him he placed his lips close to Leon's ear and said:

  "Can you hear me? If so, raise your arm," a feeble elevation of thearm was made in response. "Good, you hear! Remember! Awaken in tenminutes! Awaken from a dream! Then sleep again!"

  The sleeper stirred slightly, and breathed a long sigh. Dr. Medjoraleaned over him, and imprinted a kiss upon his forehead. Then he leftthe apartment, closing the door cautiously behind him, and sought hisown room.