The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-06-04

most exquisite realism. The characters
sprang into incarnate being before him,
with such life-likeness, that he seemed
to see and recognize them as though
they had been old acquaintances, as they
moved and spoke amidst the scenes that
Sylvia had imagined for them without
being able to reproduce them; and all
was so real and vivid and beautiful that
1t seemed as though he were actually
living in that yision-Morld which she
would have painted If she could.
Why should he not paint 1t for her
since he saw it so plainly before him?
There was his writing-table and his
chair ready for him. In his early clerk.
ing days he had learned shorthand as
a convenience, and he had kept it up
since as a hobby, and, however swiftly
the glowing sentences might come to
him, his pencil would keep pace with
them.
He made an effort TO rise from his
chair and go to his table, but, before
he reached il, il seemed to him that
he was already there. 1t was curious
but he put 1t down to the effects of the
drug, and caught himself wondering
what was going to happen next. He
saw himself sitting in the chair, and he
went and looked over his own shoulder
and saw the pencil already flying over
the paper. Sheet after sheet he read as
IL was finished and threw aside, and
hour after hour he stood there reading
and wondering what it all meant, until
at last it was finished, and his other
self got up and looked at him. +,
He saw now that his face was ashen
gray and deep scored with the lines
drawn by intense mental effort. Beads
of sweat were standing out thiclkly on
his brow, and his eyes were burning
with fierce light that might have been
either insanity or genius.
Then he saw his lips move into faint
and almost ghastly smile, and heard
his own voice say to him, as though
speaking from a distance:
"Well, that's a good nights work,
and think it's about time to go to bed.
Goodnight"
Then his two teings seemed to fuse
lit his hand-iamp us usual, turned the
gas out and went to bed, and scarcely
was his head on the pillow than he fell
into deep, heavy, dreamless sleep.
When he awolle the next morning all
that remained to him of his experiment
In visions was n slight tightness across
his forehead and dim recollection Of
having dreamed a very wonderful
dream. That the dream was reality
never occurred TO him for a moment.
lie got up half an hour later than
usual, feeling trifle repentant and per-
haps just little ashamed of himself,
but thinking that, after ALL he had got
pretty cheaply ont of what seemed to
him now to be the greatest danger Of
his life.
lie had breakfast with Cecil, as
usual. and then went to the library.
lie found the door locked, n circum-
s,nnce which struck him as being rather
strange, and mechanically put his hand
into his pocket for the key. 1t WAS
there, and he opened the door and went
I'm. on the threshold he stopped and
started slightly, and then he looked
round 20 see il anyone had seen him
come into the room.
Their he went IN and locked the door
again behind him. Ills wrting-tahle
aud the foor beside it were Uttered with
sheets of paper.
(CoNCLuDED 1oMoRRowD
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