Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1921-03-18
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Day of Grace.
I. TEMPTATIoN.

LeOnOra is dead :"
The words. barely audible. hardly
more than means. breathed from the
lips of the woman lying in hypnosis.
Fosdick, sitting by her side, on the
edge of the couch, bending over her,
conned her face intently. The long
lashes were fluttering, tears weIled
from S9nder lowered lids. the lips
writhed with grief She moaned again,
an inarticulate pure note of woe pass
ing speech, and shuddered in her
trance.
He captured her two wrists as her
hands twitched up, cropping as ones
hands will who walks in darkness,
and imprisoned them gently in the
clasp of one of his own. The other
he pressed again upon her forehead.
Priscilla !" he called in an even but
urgent voice-'come out of it, For
get your vision. See nothing :.
Do you hear me?"
The anguish of the face of the Sleep
er grew transiently more acute, then
faded as he repeated the unanswered
question: 'Do you hear meY This
time the girl responded duly: Eyes"
you understand what / am say
ing?"
yes, Philip"
"You are to see nothing more i.
Do you see anything now?"
There was slight pause; then the
sleeper stated without emotion: 81
see nothing now"
Good. Now you will sleep, you win
sleep quietly. without dreaming, for
thirty minutes. Then you will wake
up rested refreshed. calm, rational.
Do you understand"
Eyes, Philip"
Repeat what you are going to do"
In a toneless voice Priscilla re-
cited: 81 am going to sleep quietly,
without dreaming, for thirty minutes.
Then / am going to wake up rested, re
freshed, calm. rational"
DO So" Fosdick commanded with
6rmneSs.
She made no response more than
profound sigh. The stamp of sorrow
upon those exquisite features had al
ready been modified: their expression
now grew placid. The agitated. gusty
breathing passed into the steady, slow
and deep respiration of natural slum-
Der.
Fosdick sighed in relief; but his
countenance continued grave with
care, the brOws knotted, the lips com
pressed, the eyes harboring a look of
pain.
What was his duty?
1t was in his power to renew In
Priscilla the condition of hypnotic sus-
ceptibility long enough to erase by
suggestion all waking memory of her
vision. BY so doing he might spare
her much suffering, much distress; the
pity and horror of that lonely death,
and the mystery of it. would not prey
upon her sensitive and susceptible ma
ture. And, believing LeOnora still to
be living happily with the man Mario.
her husband. Priscilla might in time
grow reconciled, school herself to re-
nuneiation, forget, and ultimately re-
build her life upon the foundation OF
a saner surer love.
But II Priscilla were permitted TO
come back to herself with full knowl-
edge of what she had seen in her
trance: believing Leonora dead, what
would the effect be upon her life?
She would be sad, she would mourn,
II would be long before her DAYS
would be undarkened by shadows OF
dread and distrust.
But she would not dream, there
would be no more journeys OF the
spirit through the hollowIess OF night
and space in futile search for that al
fnity which had gone out of life.
Against this the consideration
warred that, no longer needing to
reckon with the claims of Leonora'
Priscilla would less readily disem-
barrass herself from the tolls OF an
insane and impossible infatuation.
with Mario free, no reason existed
why she should scruple to give him
all her love
Dared one risk perpetuation OF that
passion?