Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1921-02-24
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Day of Grace.
|. TEMPTATION.
Is

"Dead she is dead
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 welled
from under lowered lids, the lips
writhed with grief. She moaned again,
an in%articulate 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 hut
urgent vOice-"cOme out of it! For
get your vision. See nothing . .
DO you hear me?'
The anguish of the face of the Sleep
or grew transiently more acute, then
faded as he repeated the unanswered
question: "DO you hear me?" This
time the girl responded DULY: Eyes"
You understand what l am say
ing"
Eyes, Philip"
you are to see nothing more .
DO you see anything nOw?"
There was a slight pause: then the
see nothing now"
Good. Now you will sleep, you will
sleep quietly, without dreaming, for
thirty minutes. Then you will wake
up rested, refreshed, calm, rational.
Do you understands"
"Yes, Philip"
"Repeat what you are going to do"
In Il 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
firmnesS.
She made no response more than a
profound sigh. The stamp of sorrow
upon those exquisite features had al
ready been modified their expression
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 vas 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
turc. And, believing LeonOra still to
he living happily with the mar Mario,
her husband, Priscilla might in time
grow r~ecOnciled, school herself to re-
nunciation, forget, and ultimately re-
build her life upon the foundation Of
a saner. surer love.
But If 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,
It would be long before her days
would he undarkened by shadows of
dread and distrust.
But she would not dream, there
would he no more journeys Of the
spirit through the hOllOwness of night
and space in futile search for that af-
finity 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?