Professor Huskins Part 18

"Both of us, boy. She came in and kissed you after you were asleep, and said she wanted us to come and see her before I went out."

"Where are you going? May I go? I get so lonesome here with only Dinah and James."

"You may go if you wish. I should like to have you. You love Merle. I am going to him, and try to finish my book upon science."

"Father, are you going to make him look dead?"

"I am going to put him in a trance, Augustus. You are too brave a boy to be afraid of anything your father does. Do you think I would injure Merle?"

"No; but mamma looked as though she were dead. I do not want to go."

"You will always be nervous, Augustus, until you have watched the process of mesmeric influence. When you know what I am doing, you will not feel as you did, when, without warning, you found your mother in a mesmeric state. Come, my boy, be brave. I like to have you with me, if you will come. I will take you to the theatre after my work is done, and we will ask Merle to go with us. Merle loves me. Would he love me if I did him any injury?"

"No; but it makes me nervous just to think of it."

"All that nervousness will go when you see me work. Will you come?"

"May I go away if I do not like it?"

"Yes. Now let's go to mamma; we will not bother with the chair. Let's surprise her. I will put you beside her before she awakes. We will go very quietly."

"Will she want us?"

"I think so. Come."

Later in the day, Augustus went with his father, but not without many misgivings. He wanted to go, but he was afraid. He and Merle were the best of friends, yet he felt a sense of nervousness about seeing him entranced, although he was ashamed to acknowledge it to his father. He did not doubt his father's power nor think that William would hurt Merle, even temporarily, but the first shock he had received had prejudiced him. He was very fond of his father, and had he heard anyone doubt his abilities or powers, he would have resented it. He was glad his father had asked him to go with him, while he was working upon the evidence for his book, still, would have given much to have been somewhere else at the time.

Arriving at Merle's house, each member of the family vied with the others to entertain him, and after a while William said, "Come, Merle, let's get to work."

"All right, Professor," responded Merle.

They started toward another room, and William said, "Come, Augustus."

Augustus took his crutches and started to follow them. His father was ahead, thus did not see the boy's agitation and paleness, but Alice did, and said, "Don't you think Augustus had better stay with mother and me while you work, Professor?"

William did not turn his head, but said, "No, Alice; he wants to be with me."

Alice said no more; it seemed to her that it was anything but a joyous expression upon Augustus' face. She was accustomed to obey the professor implicitly and without comment. It did not occur to her that the boy was afraid. She thought he was displeased.

William had just begun to work upon Merle. As he said "You are waking, Merle?" he heard a noise behind him, but did not turn in time to prevent Augustus from falling. He was insensible when his father reached him.

William's first thought was "What will Clarissa do if he is dead!" He had not realized the terror the child felt at seeing a comrade pa.s.s through the successive stages between consciousness and trance obedience. Custom had inured William to such scenes, but fear pictured each transition in intensified colors to Augustus. When he saw the pallor and rigidity which Merle a.s.sumed, he could not help but think he was dead, and fell forward, without a word, in a deep swoon.

Merle was forgotten for the moment, and William was aghast at the condition in which he found Augustus. He called quickly and sharply and both Mrs. Millard and Alice responded. Augustus looked worse than Merle.

William rubbed him vigorously and continuously, calling "Come, Augustus;--Augustus; wake up my boy, wake up. Mother is waiting for us."

They gave him air, water and stimulants, and finally he began to show signs of life. William continued to talk to him. "Augustus, my boy,--Augustus, look at me."

Finally, as William raised him, his eyes opened and looked into his father's, then wandered to Merle. Such a piercing cry rang out as they will never forget, and he sank back, rigid and still. William, the calm man of science, was visibly disturbed. Anxiety was plainly written upon his countenance, and, holding Augustus closely to him, he bade Merle awake.

Merle was very soon himself again, and astonished at seeing Augustus in his father's arms, with Mrs. Millard and Alice rubbing him. The condition was very soon explained to him, and he took his stand directly beside the boy, so when he regained consciousness he would be relieved of his fears, finding Merle well and smiling.

When Augustus finally revived from this second swoon, and saw all the loving solicitude upon the faces around him, his first feeling was of shame he had shown fear, and although he had a weak body, he had a strong will when he set about a thing, and the thought caused him to try to raise himself. He threw his arms around William's neck, trying thus to support himself, and looking earnestly into his father's eyes, said:

"I do not want to be a coward."

"Do not think about it, Augustus;--Mrs. Millard, will you and Merle and Alice leave us alone for a little while? There, boy; rest. Keep perfectly quiet. You shall not be frightened so again."

William lifted the child, and seating himself in a chair, held him closely to him. The boy's head drooped upon his shoulder and everything was quiet. After a long pause, Augustus spoke, but without lifting his head.

"Father, are you very much ashamed of me?"

"Not a bit, boy. I only regret I caused you to suffer so. You are a brave little fellow to stand so much without a word. I am proud of you.

Try to calm yourself; then we will do whatever you wish."

With a sigh of relief, Augustus relapsed into silence, and William communed with himself. By the expression upon his face it was evident that his thoughts were not altogether to his liking. He had many questions to ask himself that could not be answered satisfactorily.

Where now was his boasted calmness? Even now, it was only by the exercise of all his force of will that he kept from trembling, and all because a boy had swooned.

That it was his boy was no reasonable excuse, for love should have made him stronger instead of weaker. Why was it that he could not mesmerize Augustus, who ought to be an unusually good subject? Why did Clarissa draw away from him and Augustus at the time of all others when she should be most dependent upon them for love and care?

If, before his family returned to him, another man had come to him with similar difficulties, he would, without hesitation, have explained the cause and offered to adjust the condition. He had tried all the methods he knew upon his wife and child, and instead of bringing about the desired results, Clarissa shrank more and more from him. He knew that it was not because she did not love him. There was no other way to account for it than by her physical condition.

He felt an almost irresistible impulse to give vent to a sarcastic laugh. "Science baffled by a pregnant woman's whim and a child's fear.

Wonderful exponent of it I am!" As he thought this, William threw his head back quickly and scornfully. Augustus said:

"What is it, father?"

"Nothing, my little man. How are you feeling now?"

"Better. I wish I could go riding out of doors."

"You may. There are your crutches. Go ahead of me, and ask Merle and Alice to join us. They will feel relieved to know that you are well enough to come to them; they were very anxious."

"Father, I would not want mamma and Dinah to know that I was afraid."

"All right, boy. You go and ask Merle and Alice to go with us, and I will go and get a carriage."

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

After the members of his household had retired that night, William sat thinking as he had never thought before. He believed he had solved the cause of various phenomena through the use of mesmeric influence. He was able to demonstrate their basic principles to his friends or indeed to strangers, by the application of his knowledge, without relying upon theories or conjectures, and to perform marvelous feats by the aid of his powers, yet he was completely non-plussed by two members of his own family, who, although they did not doubt the efficacy of his powers, exhibited the very opposite traits to what he desired when he endeavored to work upon them.

While he sat there, deep in thought, he felt a hand upon his shoulder, and, looking up, saw Clarissa standing before him.

"William, why are you not in bed and sleeping? Does anything trouble you? You looked so sad when I came in--"