The Parasite: A Story Read online

  II

  March 26. Wilson was, as I had anticipated, very exultant over myconversion, and Miss Penclosa was also demurely pleased at the resultof her experiment. Strange what a silent, colorless creature she issave only when she exercises her power! Even talking about it givesher color and life. She seems to take a singular interest in me. Icannot help observing how her eyes follow me about the room.

  We had the most interesting conversation about her own powers. It isjust as well to put her views on record, though they cannot, of course,claim any scientific weight.

  "You are on the very fringe of the subject," said she, when I hadexpressed wonder at the remarkable instance of suggestion which she hadshown me. "I had no direct influence upon Miss Marden when she cameround to you. I was not even thinking of her that morning. What I didwas to set her mind as I might set the alarum of a clock so that at thehour named it would go off of its own accord. If six months instead oftwelve hours had been suggested, it would have been the same."

  "And if the suggestion had been to assassinate me?"

  "She would most inevitably have done so."

  "But this is a terrible power!" I cried.

  "It is, as you say, a terrible power," she answered gravely, "and themore you know of it the more terrible will it seem to you."

  "May I ask," said I, "what you meant when you said that this matter ofsuggestion is only at the fringe of it? What do you consider theessential?"

  "I had rather not tell you."

  I was surprised at the decision of her answer.

  "You understand," said I, "that it is not out of curiosity I ask, butin the hope that I may find some scientific explanation for the factswith which you furnish me."

  "Frankly, Professor Gilroy," said she, "I am not at all interested inscience, nor do I care whether it can or cannot classify these powers."

  "But I was hoping----"

  "Ah, that is quite another thing. If you make it a personal matter,"said she, with the pleasantest of smiles, "I shall be only too happy totell you any thing you wish to know. Let me see; what was it you askedme? Oh, about the further powers. Professor Wilson won't believe inthem, but they are quite true all the same. For example, it ispossible for an operator to gain complete command over his subject--presuming that the latter is a good one. Without any previoussuggestion he may make him do whatever he likes."

  "Without the subject's knowledge?"

  "That depends. If the force were strongly exerted, he would know nomore about it than Miss Marden did when she came round and frightenedyou so. Or, if the influence was less powerful, he might be consciousof what he was doing, but be quite unable to prevent himself from doingit."

  "Would he have lost his own will power, then?"

  "It would be over-ridden by another stronger one."

  "Have you ever exercised this power yourself?"

  "Several times."

  "Is your own will so strong, then?"

  "Well, it does not entirely depend upon that. Many have strong willswhich are not detachable from themselves. The thing is to have thegift of projecting it into another person and superseding his own. Ifind that the power varies with my own strength and health."

  "Practically, you send your soul into another person's body."

  "Well, you might put it that way."

  "And what does your own body do?"

  "It merely feels lethargic."

  "Well, but is there no danger to your own health?" I asked.

  "There might be a little. You have to be careful never to let your ownconsciousness absolutely go; otherwise, you might experience somedifficulty in finding your way back again. You must always preservethe connection, as it were. I am afraid I express myself very badly,Professor Gilroy, but of course I don't know how to put these things ina scientific way. I am just giving you my own experiences and my ownexplanations."

  Well, I read this over now at my leisure, and I marvel at myself! Isthis Austin Gilroy, the man who has won his way to the front by hishard reasoning power and by his devotion to fact? Here I am gravelyretailing the gossip of a woman who tells me how her soul may beprojected from her body, and how, while she lies in a lethargy, she cancontrol the actions of people at a distance. Do I accept it?Certainly not. She must prove and re-prove before I yield a point.But if I am still a sceptic, I have at least ceased to be a scoffer.We are to have a sitting this evening, and she is to try if she canproduce any mesmeric effect upon me. If she can, it will make anexcellent starting-point for our investigation. No one can accuse me,at any rate, of complicity. If she cannot, we must try and find somesubject who will be like Caesar's wife. Wilson is perfectly impervious.

  10 P. M. I believe that I am on the threshold of an epoch-makinginvestigation. To have the power of examining these phenomena frominside--to have an organism which will respond, and at the same time abrain which will appreciate and criticise--that is surely a uniqueadvantage. I am quite sure that Wilson would give five years of hislife to be as susceptible as I have proved myself to be.

  There was no one present except Wilson and his wife. I was seated withmy head leaning back, and Miss Penclosa, standing in front and a littleto the left, used the same long, sweeping strokes as with Agatha. Ateach of them a warm current of air seemed to strike me, and to suffusea thrill and glow all through me from head to foot. My eyes were fixedupon Miss Penclosa's face, but as I gazed the features seemed to blurand to fade away. I was conscious only of her own eyes looking down atme, gray, deep, inscrutable. Larger they grew and larger, until theychanged suddenly into two mountain lakes toward which I seemed to befalling with horrible rapidity. I shuddered, and as I did so somedeeper stratum of thought told me that the shudder represented therigor which I had observed in Agatha. An instant later I struck thesurface of the lakes, now joined into one, and down I went beneath thewater with a fulness in my head and a buzzing in my ears. Down I went,down, down, and then with a swoop up again until I could see the lightstreaming brightly through the green water. I was almost at thesurface when the word "Awake!" rang through my head, and, with a start,I found myself back in the arm-chair, with Miss Penclosa leaning on hercrutch, and Wilson, his note book in his hand, peeping over hershoulder. No heaviness or weariness was left behind. On the contrary,though it is only an hour or so since the experiment, I feel so wakefulthat I am more inclined for my study than my bedroom. I see quite avista of interesting experiments extending before us, and am allimpatience to begin upon them.

  March 27. A blank day, as Miss Penclosa goes with Wilson and his wifeto the Suttons'. Have begun Binet and Ferre's "Animal Magnetism."What strange, deep waters these are! Results, results, results--andthe cause an absolute mystery. It is stimulating to the imagination,but I must be on my guard against that. Let us have no inferences nordeductions, and nothing but solid facts. I KNOW that the mesmerictrance is true; I KNOW that mesmeric suggestion is true; I KNOW that Iam myself sensitive to this force. That is my present position. Ihave a large new note-book which shall be devoted entirely toscientific detail.

  Long talk with Agatha and Mrs. Marden in the evening about ourmarriage. We think that the summer vac. (the beginning of it) wouldbe the best time for the wedding. Why should we delay? I grudge eventhose few months. Still, as Mrs. Marden says, there are a good manythings to be arranged.

  March 28. Mesmerized again by Miss Penclosa. Experience much the sameas before, save that insensibility came on more quickly. See Note-bookA for temperature of room, barometric pressure, pulse, and respirationas taken by Professor Wilson.

  March 29. Mesmerized again. Details in Note-book A.

  March 30. Sunday, and a blank day. I grudge any interruption of ourexperiments. At present they merely embrace the physical signs whichgo with slight, with complete, and with extreme insensibility.Afterward we hope to pass on to the phenomena of suggestion and oflucidity. Professors have demonstrated these things upon women atNancy and at the Salpetriere. It will be m
ore convincing when a womandemonstrates it upon a professor, with a second professor as a witness.And that I should be the subject--I, the sceptic, the materialist! Atleast, I have shown that my devotion to science is greater than to myown personal consistency. The eating of our own words is the greatestsacrifice which truth ever requires of us.

  My neighbor, Charles Sadler, the handsome young demonstrator ofanatomy, came in this evening to return a volume of Virchow's"Archives" which I had lent him. I call him young, but, as a matter offact, he is a year older than I am.

  "I understand, Gilroy," said he, "that you are being experimented uponby Miss Penclosa."

  "Well," he went on, when I had acknowledged it, "if I were you, Ishould not let it go any further. You