The Washington herald., 1914-04-26

nounced. HernapS III i Wdltco = htaSs
things would be clearer to me again. Yet
my dinner with old Elvesham was now
singulariy vivid and recent. The cham
payne. the observant walters, the powder,
and the liqueurs-I could have staked my
soul 1t all happened a few hours ago.
And then occurred a thing SO trivial
and yet so terrible TO me that shiver
now to think of that moment. / spoke
aloud. I said. How the devil did I get
here?'-And the voice was not my own.
II was not my own, it was thin. the
articulation was slurred. the resonance
of my facial bones was different Then.
TO reassure myself. I ran one hand over
the other, and felt loose folds Of skin, the
bony Iaxity Of age. Surely" I said. In
that horrible voice that had somehow es-
tablished itself in my throat. surely this
thing is a dream"' Almost as quickly
as IL I did IL involuntarily. l thrust my
fingers into my mouth. Ny teeth had
gone. My finger tips ran on the haccid
surface of an even row OF shriveled gums.
I was sick with dismay and disgust.
felt then a passionate desire to see
myself. to realize at once in its full hor-
ror the CHASTITY change that had come
upon me. I tottered to the mantel, and
felt along it for matches. As l did So
a barking cough sprang up in my throat.
and I cIutched the thick flannel night
dress / found about me. There were no
matches there. and I suddenly realized
that my extremities were cold. Shining
and coughing. whimpering. little per-
haps, I fumbled back to bed. 1T is sure
IL a dream" whimpered to myself as
cIambered back. surely dream" In
the morning the dream would be over.
and l should wake up strong and vigor-
ous again to my youth and studies 1
shut nv eyes, breathed regularly, and,
finding myself wakeful began to count
slowly through the powers OF three.
But the thing desired would not come.
I could not get to sleep. Presently
found myself with my eyes wide open,
the powers Of three forgotten. and my
skinny fingers upon my shrivelled gums
I was, indeed. suddenly and abruptly. an
old man. I grovelIed into the pillow and
tried to persuade myself that such hallu-
cination was possible. Imperceptibly.
steadily. the dawn grew clearer.
At last, despairing of further sleep.
sat I'D in bed and looked about me. A
chill twilight rendered the whole cham
her visible. II was spacious and we'll
furnished, better furnished than any
room l had ever slept in before. A can
die and matches became dimly visible
upon a little pedestal in a recess. I threw
back the bedclothes. and. shivering with
the rawness of the early morning. albeit
IL was summer time. I got out and lit the
candle.
Then, trembling horribly, so that the
extinguisher ratified on its spike. I tot
ter,d to the glass and saw-Elvesham's
face. 1t was none the less horrible be-
cause had already dimly feared as
much. He had already seemed physically
weak and pitiful TO me. but seen now.
dressed only in a coarse flannel night
strinsy neck. seen now as my own body.
I cannot describe its desolate decrepitude.
But l wander from the course of my
story For some time l must have been
stunned at this change that had come
upon me. 1t was daylight when I did
so far gather myself together as to think.
And as / thought. the diabolical ingenu-
ity of Elvesham came home to me. 1t
seemed plain to me that as found my
self in his, so he must be in possession Of
my body. of my strength. that is and
nv future. But how TO prove il? Then.
as ! thought. the thing became so in
credible, even to me. that my mind reeled,
and / had to pinch myself. to feel my
toothless gums TO see myself in the glass,
and touch the thir about me, before l
could steady myself to face the facts
again. Was all life hallucination? Was I
indeed EIvesham. and he me? Had 1
there any Eden? But il was Elvesham.
| should remember where l was on the
previous morning. the name of the town
in which 1 lived, what happened before
the dream began. I struggled with my
thoughts. recalled the queer doUblcness
of my memories overnight. But now my
mind was clear Not the ghost OF any
memories but those proper to Eden could
I raise.
This way lies insanity" l cried in my
piping voice. l staggered TO my feet,
dragged my feeble. heavy limbs to the
wash handstand. and plunged my gray
head into a basin of cold water. Then.
toweling myself. I tried again. 1t was
no good. felt beyond all question that
l was indeed Eden, no. Elvesham. But
Eden in Elvcsham body.
| began dressing eagerly in the clothes
| found lying about on the floor. and only
realized when l was dressed that it was
an evening suit I had assumed. l opened
the wardrobe and found some more ordin-
airy clothes. a pair OF plaid trousers. and
an old-fashioned dressing gown. I put a
venerable smoking cap on my venerable
head. and, coughing a little from my ex-
ertions, tottered out upon the landing.
1t was then, perhaps, a quarter to six,
and the blinds were closely drawn and
the house quite silent. The landing was
a spacious one. broad, richly carpeted
staircase went down into the darkness Of