The Washington herald., 1910-12-18
CHAPTER III.


I have said so much Of my plan" that
il is now quite time TO explain it. for it
ed cases of multiple personality, or rather,
according to a more modern interpreta-
ton of the state. ASSOCIATED personality,
had arisen. found. from a shock. some
times purely physical. sometimes mental,
: Il was my idea that in Miss Fielding 5
case the process might be reversed-that
might inhibit her secondary self by
some violent excitement A long process
of hypnotic treatment might. I knew,
effect a cure more or less stable. but
the doctors superior knowledge, and,
heretofore his superior advantages, had
made me doubt Of succeeding in that way.
To take her 10 any competent specialist
was inexpedient, for the reason that We
should meet with a steady opposition
| from Edna, who could do much 10 make
such course impossible.
The means / Intended to employ were,
l must confess, brutal; I intended to
| brighten Edna 10 within an inch Of her
| life-tO brighten her that is. so that she
might be afraid to reappear. This expla-
nation is superficial, but IL conveys the
idea: what really would happen, I thought
was that JOY would wake up and re-
sumo permanently her normal condition.
was not competent to explain the ra-
tionale Of il; / trusted. in a way. TO the
mere reVersiOn of the processes that had
been described in similar cases OF dis
integrated personalities.
Exactly how to accomplish this end
was not yet decided, save that I had pre-
pared myself with a pair Of revolvers and
blank cartridges; / left the actual opera
ton to the inspiration of the moment.
taking advantage of the circumstances. !
knew that the mental shock must be Sc
we're, and that the tension should be pro-
! longed almost to the breaking point In
| some way or other il would come to
threatening her life. In my mind it was
like deliberately breaking a badly-set
bone that it might heal again Alright.
SO desperate a remedy / had not wanted
10 describe TO JOY, nor did / ever expect
to tell her, even should her cure be eff
fected.
| OF the cruelty to Edna, I had no
thought l knew no other way OF ac-
comprising what l desired, and my
sympathies, naturally, were entirely with
! JOY oAt cAiDhNs sNAtiaf 4A@N . lent ~
| exist in that fair body. Seeing that !
could not settle the ethical considera-
! tons involved. and that they only inn
/ paired my will. | cast them aside. /
offer no other excuse for my conduct II
! seemed expedient, in fact the only thing
/ that would be effeetual in Riding my
wife of her incubus. If it were wrong.
well, I would take the blame. I have
never been able TO settle the question
in my own mind, even yet.
| She slept late the next morning. ] was
downstairs when she rang for Leah, and
so heard nothing, but it was no surprise
TO me when, few minutes later. Leah
came down and said
ITS Edna"
/ The fight was on. I was now pre-
pared TO undertake (as it would. Ger
tainlv seem 10 a SPECTATOR to torture
my wife of a day half TO death. I shall
not attempt to describe my own feelings
as I anticipated the prospect
Has she tried TO telephone?" ] asked.
My voice l imagine. was now like that
Of a surgeon at an operation asking
| his assistant for g knife.
| No" said Leah.
Hurry up, then. You must manage
/ to overhear what she says. if possible
must know whether the doctors COM
ing or not Have you sent Uncle Jer.
don aeay?'
Hes Harvesting up to go TO the Har-