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" This is one of the very best Canadian Novels." — Ottawa Citizen. ** THE UNTEMPERED WIND/' by Joanna E. Wood. " It shows elements of great strength."— ^ewt^w of Reviews. ALL BOOKSELLERS. Cloth, $1.00. Per Set, $2.00. Vr (/ ^ /Jy^ ' HYPNOTIZED? OR, The Experiment of Sir Hugh Galbraith. A ROMANCE, BY JULIAN DURHAM. I TORONTO I The Ontario Publishing Company, Limited. 1898. "^It'Jt Hb. l^£:Hf)^JJ Entered according to the Act of the Parliament oi Canada, m the year one thousand eight hundred and ninety-eight, by The Ontario Pub- lishing Company, Limited, at the Department of Agriculture. T CONTENTS. r.| BOOK I. THE EXPERIMENT IS CONCEIVED. BOOK II. THE EXPERIMENT IS BEGUN. BOOK III. THE EXPERIMENT IS ENDED. a % BOOK L The Experiment is Conceived. "The intuitive decision of a bright And thorough-edged intellect." — Tennyson. ^ *1 Wl !;: LT wa I !; I i I I rrain. ir as ras d fepte le fif rher€ )nte] leir gra iill r HYPNOTIZED? CHAPTER I. " The feast is such as earth, the general mother, Pours from her fairest bosom, when she smiles In the embrace of autumn." —Shelley. [t was autumn. The air was hot and still; the breeze Vhich earlier in the day stirred lazily amid the trees pad fainted in the glare of the setting sun that touch- ed with its vivid rays the gorgeous tints of autumn's lecaying splendour, turning each tree and shrub to [olden red, whilst the common beyond glowed in the ieat like an iridescent purple plain. In the fields the men were harvesting the yellow rrain. The hum of machinery broke softly on the ir as the barley swiftly fell before the reapers. It ras drawing towards the evening of a day in e&rly [eptember, and shadows soon began to fall athwart le fields of swaying corn and low-lying pasture lands, rhere the white-faced Herefordshire cattle browsed )ntentedly, causing a tangle of sound to rise from leir bells as they moved slowly to and fro. Myriads grasshoppers chirruped where the flood of sunlight [ill remained, and the buzzing and whirring of many 2 lO Hypnotized } bright-winged insects made an infinite murmur in the still air, as the clouds, which rose slowly in the west- ern sky, turned a glowing flame-colour, fit bed for the mighty God of Light to sink to rest upon. Gently the faint white mist stole up from the meadows down by the river ; evening had come, that mystical hour when the long day of toil is over and a sense of rest lies upon the land. All at once the stillness of the farm surroundings was broken by the clatter of teams as they came lum- bering along the lane and approached the gate. " Steady, m' beauties ; whoa ! " exclaimed one of the drivers, as the horses drew up suddenly ; " whew ! but it's been a powerful hot day, an' no mistake. Good evening, miss," he added respectfully, as a girl, who till now had been standing in the old-fashioned porch of the farm-house, came swiftly across the yard to- wards him. " Bob," she said, and her fresh, young voice rang out clear and sweet, " Dad says you are to go down to the village after supper and tell Mr. Grey he can have those apples ; and, Bob, I want you to nail up a shutter for me ; I cannot reach it," and the girl smiled brightly at the driver as she made her request. " Yes, Miss Ursula, I'll do it for ye, and welcome ; and maybe ye'Utell the master as how I'll see Farmer Grey in the morning at the lower pasture, and won't that be time enough for them apples ? " As he spoke, the man finished unharnessing, and led The Experiment Is Conceived. II i his horses off to the stable. Ursula slowly retraced her steps towards the house, hummiug softly mean- while and swinging a large straw hat with one hand. " I think I will go to-morrow," she pondered. " I might ride over in time for tea with Miss Wilkins. We could have a chat, discuss the whole matter, in fact, and then perhaps I shall know my own mind better. Miss Wilkins has such heaps of common sense, a quality Dad says I am sadly deficient in — but then he does not always mean what he says. Well, I'll go to Arleton to-morrow, and settle the question once and forever. Oh, Daddy ! " as an elderly, broad-shouldered man came round the corner of the house, "are you ready for supper ? " and the girl, linking her arm within that of her father, drew him towards the open-atanding door. Deepdene Farm-house was a large, rambling building; the windows, whose panes were diamond-shaped, looked out from under the overhanging eaves like shining eyes, as if they would fain gaze on the big, unknown world through the trails of ivy and honeysuckle which threatened to cover them. At one side of the house ran the yard, whilst a large garden lay behind, where sweet-smelling flowers grew in wild profusion, and narrow, box-edged paths lay between the rows of nod- ding dahlias and china-asters, which bloomed forget- ful of the fact that autumn had come. Beyond stretched the grain fields and meadows, and winding 12 Hypnotized } through them the gleaming Arle flowed lazily on, singing its eternal song to the stones. As Mr. Harlowe and his daughter sat down to their evening meal Ursula noticed that a shade of thought clouded her father's brow. He was a fine, robust- looking man of some five-and-forty years of age, and his rugged features wore a kindly look, not belied by the honest gaze of a pair of deep-set eyes. The lines of care, which a hard-working life had traced upon his forehead, added to rather than detracted from his ap- pearance. His was a face to trust. Belonging to that class of farmers who own their land through inheritance, and gain their position by means of education and self-respect, he was a man of unusual ability. As Ursula grew from babyhood to girlhood, all his ambition was centred in her, all the wealth of his deep affection was lavished on the child who brought brightness and joy into his lonely life. Mrs. Harlowe had died in the second year of their marriage. " Ursula, lass, it's troubling me much, this matter of Polly Davis." " Dear old Daddy, have not I told you a thousand times that I want nobody but you ? " " I know, my dear ; still a companion would be good for you ; you are too much alone, Ursula, and your cousin is a nice girl." " She may be all you say, but I do not want her to come and stay here." ■:i «Wi days, } father, "No your ci "Yo you, U that yc to be f] age yoi not nat "Da( should Miss W cannot ship; I and sh( Mr. Ursula of the and gen came ii teur, cl her eqi stinctiv refinem "Yoi howeve The Experiment Is Conceived. 13 " With the winter coming on, and the long rainy days, you will find the house very dull," persisted her father, and the shadow on his face dec y)ened. " Now, Daddy, please do not insist on it. Give me your cup for some more tea." " You know well enough that I cannot go against you, Ursula, in a question like this ; but it is not right that you should be so much alone. You never seem to be friendly with the girls around here, and at your age you ought to have some women friends. It is not natural otherwise." " Daddy," and she bent her head down so that he should not see the expression in her eyes, " I have Miss Wilkins ; and as for the girls in the village — oh, cannot you understand — I do not care for their friend- ship ; I " — but the burst of passionate feeling had died, and she ended quietly, " I am far happier alone." Mr. Harlowe sighed. He knew well what she meant. Ursula had always held aloof from the companionship of the farmers' daughters in the vicinity ; courteous and gentle, as she ever was towards all with whom she came in contact, a quiet reserve, a suspicion of hau- teur, characterized her intercourse with those who, her equals in birth and surroundings, were, she in- stinctively felt, her inferiors in education and natural refinement. " You had better hear what Miss Wilkins has to say, however, before you finally decide the question." 14 Hypnotized ? " Yes, I made up my mind to go and see her to- morrow. May I have Brown Bess ? " " Of course ; do you not always get what you want, puss ? " k " You are just a dear old Daddy," said the girl lov- ingly ; " come, you have finished your supper, and it is too lovely to stay indoors this evening." So say- ing she drew him out into the soft, deepening twi- light. " I have some business to do to-night, child ; it has been a busy day in the fields, and my head aches from the heat of the sun ; but it is grand harvesting weather, so we must not grumble. Did you give my message to Bob ? " " I did ; but he says that as he is going to see Farmer Grey to-morrow morning, it will be time enough then to tell him about the apples." "Yes, that will do all right." After a pause, during which the farmer lighted his pipe and took a few serious puffs at it, he inquired abruptly : " Seen anything of Tom Scott lately ? " " No Daddy ; at least," with a touch of evident em- barrassment, " except yesterday. We met on the Arle- ton road, and he walked for a mile or so with me," and her truthful eyes looked straight at her father as she spoke. " Umph ! " grunted Mr. Harlowe. " I do not like The Experiment Is Conceived* 15 that fellow. An idle, good-for-nothing loafer ; and none too sober, either, from all accounts." " Really ! Do you know anything about him — where he comes from, I mean ? " " No, lass, nor does anyone else around here. Rob- bins, at the Arleton Arms, told me he was a decent enough chap, but I do not like his looks myself." " Perhaps you are a little hard on him, Daddj'," said Ursula, who, though she disliked the man in question, began, womanlike, to defend him the moment his char- acter was attacked. " I know he is a hard drinker and is a gambler by profession ; and I know also, Ursula, that I will not allow him to come into my house, or to associate with my daughter." Having delivered himself of this speech, the farmer smoked away in silence for some time. Ursula, unac- customed to hear her father express himself so tersely, was impressed in no small degree. " I must go now, child ; there are some accounts to be looked into before I can sleep to-night. Ah ! if Polly were only here, you would not be left alone now," and with this parting shot Mr. Harlowe crossed the yard and disap^ eared among the out-buildings. CHAPTER II. " Grace was in all her steps, heav'n in her eye, In every gesture dignity and love," — Milton. " Her heart was light, and her soul was white As the winter's early snow." Ursula walked on slowly past the hen-yard and down the garden path, each swaying motion of her figure betraying the grace of movement which was the out- come of her superb health. Tall, more fully developed than is usual in a girl, who as yet half-child, half-woman, possesses*the sim- plicity of the one with the fascination of the other, it seemed as if she had paused on the boundary line of her nineteen years to ask, " What is beauty ? What is life ?" so unconscious was she of her loveliness. And yet was she really lovely, this daughter of a race of sturdy farmers ? Did not her charm rather lie in symmetry of form and a radiant freshness enhanced by the perfume of health ? Her complexion was naturally fair, though slightly tanned by the sun ; but a nose just too small, a mouth just too large, a chin just too firmly moulded — these were not the attributes of actual beauty. Still, no one is altogether perfect ; and if Ursula's fea- tures were open to condemnatory criticism, at least the wealth of bronze-red hair, the curling lengths of which were gathered into a knot at the back of her shapely The Experiment Is Conceived* 17 head, was a glory in itself. In her eyes lay the re- flection of summer, but her mouth gave the key to the girl's nature. Self-control might veil her eyes, a touch of diffidence obliterate feeling from her other features, but her lips told the truth — they never lie I: one glance at their proud or pained expression, one quick look at their quivering curves, revealed all. Her heart, untouched by human passions, beat warm and true ; for, living in a world of rustic tranquillity, there had been nought to disturb the even tenor of her existence, nought to stir the waves of feeling which lay beneath that calm exterior, or awaken to suffering and sorrow a nature whose untried depths might, if roused, prove as uncontrollable as a sullen sea. With mind and soul as beautiful as the body which held them, she stood there, a " festival of beauty in the festival of life." No wonder she felt set apart from the girls of her own status ; but, knowing well the impassable barrier of caste which separates the county from the country, she never attempted to cross the social Rubicon. Her one friend, Miss Wilkins, the mistress of a small school for girls in the village of Arleton, two miles distant from Deepdene Farm, had done much for Ursula. A strong mutual liking existed between the farmer's child and the gray-haired gentle- woman, which strengthened as the years rolled on and the girl grew to be one of her cleverest pupils. Not of her teacher, however, nor yet of Polly Davis, i8 Hypnotized ? that estimable cousin to whose proposed visit Rhe so strongly objected, was Ursula thinking on that Se^ tember evening, as sho strolled through the fragrant old garden. She was thinking of her lover. No strange thought for a young girl's mind to dwell on ; and surely, as a rule, no unpleasant one either. Then, why the frown, the impatient gesture, as »he uttered, almost involuntarily, the word : "Detestible!" " Yes, detestible ! " she mused, " that he should have dared to look at me, to speak to me as he did yester- day. I could hate him, if I did not pity him. Poor Tom Scott ! What was it he said ? That he would turn over a new leaf, and work for me. How absurd the whole thing is. I wonder if Daddy guessed anything. I think not. Ah, well ! The man is nothing, and never can be anything, to me." And the stars came out, and the yellow harvest moon shone down on a sleeping world, but no one saw the dark form of a man, half -hidden by the lau- rels, whose white, sinister face was turned upward to where a ray of light shone through the chinks in the shutters of Ursula's window. CHAPTER III. " Th' idea of her shall sweetly ureep Inuo his study of imagination." — Shakespeare. It was hot, very h'^*^^, and the country road stretched out, baked and dust-laden, as far as the eye could reach. Ursula Harlowe, returning from her visit to Arleton, jogged slowly along on Brown Beas, alter- nately fanning her hot face and flicking the torment- ing flies off the tender-skinned neck of the hoise. Her mission had been successfully accomplished; for, after much serious talk, Miss Wilkins finally gave the opinion that if the girl really so strongly objected to the advent of her cousin it would be better for Polly Davis not to visit Deepdene Farm just then. As she trotted along the edge of the road, her mind still busy with the subject of the late discussion, Ur- sula almost unconsciously turned aside down a nar- row track leading between two hedges full of honey- suckle and columbines and all the other bright- hued flowers which flourish in an English lane. Brown Bess, duly grateful for this change from the glare and dust of the highway, showed appreciation by drop- ping into an even walk and occasionally snatching at the leaves of the alder trees which overhung the path. A sharp turn and the road ran beside the rippling 20 Hypnotized ? waters of the Arle, bordered on the other side by corn- fields belonging to Mr. Harlowe's farm. Suddenly, a man who had been fishing close by sprang up the bank just in front of the horse, and catching his foot in a network of brambles, fell heavily forward, the outstretched rod in his hand dealing Brown Bess a smart blow across the nose. It all occurred so rapidly that the girl, who had allowed the reins to drop list- lessly through her fingers and her thoughts to wander far afield, with difficulty retained her seat at the sudden start and rearing of the animal under the shock of such an unexpected rap ; but a soothing word, a firm grip on the snaffle, and Brown Bess quickly calmed down again, only giving vent to a snort of remon- strance, as a protest against such indelicate treatment. " I beg your pardon. All the fault of my abomin- able carelessness," exclaimed Eric Desmond. " I am really awfully sorry," he continued, as, scrambling to his feet, he advanced, cap in hand, abject apology written on every feature. " Oh, never mind ; it is all right now," replied Ursula, smiling. " Do not mind about it, please ; why, you could not help it. I do not for one moment imagine that you did it on purpose," with a touch of amuse- ment in her tone. " By Jove ! I should think not ; but I am a shock- ingly clumsy beggar, all the same, and deserve a good scolding for my aw^kwardness." Meantime he had been patting the sleek neck of the The Experiment Is Conceived* ax horse and noting in a vague way the well-set-up ap- pearance of the rider. " Oh, no, it was nothing ; but see, your rod is broken ; what a pity ! " ** No one but myself to blame for that, anyhow," said he, stooping to pick up the article in question. All reason for prolonging conversation seemed dead, and Ursula, becoming conscious that there was something distinctly unconventional in the interview, brought it to a close with a bow and a pleasant " good afternoon." Another moment and she was lost to sight round the corner of the road. Eric turned to the river side, carrying his broken rod. He had been fishing with Sir Hugh Galbraith for a few days in Arleton, and now here was an end put to sport. It was very annoying, and gradually all thought of Ursula faded from his mind, as he sat down on a fallen log and commenced trying to patch up the damage. He could tie a fly better than most men, but to tie up a broken tip — that was another mat- ter altogether. "Hugh," he exclaimed, as the baronet approached him, "just see what I have done here — gone and broken this ; so no more fishing for me to-day. Hard luck, is it not ? " " 1^ es ; I saw you do it," replied his friend, quietly. " You saw me ! Then you must have seen the cause also." " Or, rather, I saw the efiect ; a beautiful one too." aa Hypnotized ? " What on earth do you mean ? " " I mean that of a lovely girl placed in a position to display her powers of nerve and control." " Ah ! I understand. Plucky child, eh ? " " Yery," was the laconic response. " Made a coufounded ass of myself, falling like that and startling her horse." " That girl is above the average," said Sir Hugh, thoughtfully. " Her figure, in its close-fitting habit, was perfect, and her face was full of something undefin- able." " What a queer chap you are," laughed Eric. " Al- ways seeing what no one else notices. She is pretty, I grant you, but more than that — well, I did not per- ceive anything particularly striking about her." Sir Hugh relapsed into silence ; his thoughts, as if accelerated by the inaction of his tongue, whirled on and on in revolving circles ; indistinct ideas w^ere born, and nourished on the strength of a human pur- pose. The sight of Ursula Harlowe in the zenith of her girlish beauty had struck a sudden chord in his mind. The magnitude of it made him shiver ; the very conception of it caused his brain to throb with alternate hope and fear. " It is possible," said intel- lect ; " It is impossible," said common sense ; " It shall be done," said ambition; and Fate laughed a long, long laugh. The sun was sinking, and a tiny breeze ran hushing through the bending grass. Eric Desmond, having The Experiment Is G)nceiyed. 23 given up trying to mend his rod as a task not to be accomplished by his own unaided fingers, had flung himself down on the daisy-flecked turf and lighted a cigarette. Between the puflfs he rambled on in a semi- disconnected sort of way to Sir Hugh, who, lost in en- grossing thoughts, w^as at that moment far from being a dangerous enemy to the trout. " Heigh ho ! " yawned Eric, " back to London to- morrow I go, to groan and grizzle through a few more weeks of heat. No Scotland for me this year, worse luck. What would not I give to have a couple of days' good salmon fishing on the Tweed ? To feel the pull, to play my line hither and thither, a long run, and then to land a fish of goodly size. That is sport, if you like." "Yes, yes," murmured Sir Hugh, absently; but whether he had heard one word of Eric's dissertation, or even caught the drift thereof, was extremely doubt- ful. " Fishing," continued the other, " is full of possibili- ties ; that is why I love it so. Some day you may land a huge catch — who knows ? The uncertainty is al- ways there; for just as fish vary in size so do one's chances of catching them diff*er." " Of course," assented his companion, " the difference is obvious." (He had evidently caught the last word only.) "She is very unlike the usual type of a society beauty." 24 Hypnotized ? " Great Scott ! what are you talking about ? " said Eric, sitting bolt-upright. '• Never mind me, old boy, I was thinking of other things, and got rather mixed up, that is all," replied Sir Hugh, suddenly realizing that his remark had not been apropos. Eric looked at liim curiously. Could he still be thinking of that girl ? " As I was saying," he went on, "angling is a mys- tery. Therein lies one of its great fascinations. The fish live in one world, we in another ; we are the catchers, they are the caught ; but why sometimes they will bite and sometimes not, who knows ? Tem- perature aflfects them, there is no doubt, and — " " Eric, did you *ever see such eyes ? They were full of utter unconsciousness." " Weil, now vou mention it, they generally are rather vacant." " Vacant be banged ! Oh ! Ah ! yes — the fish, of course, yes — just so," and Sir Hugh broke into a peal of laughter. " Much fishing doth make thee mad, my friend," he continued, " It is an engrossing subject to its devotees, I know, but it tends to make them nar- row-minded, and to think that every remark applies to it, and it alone. You will become egotistical, too, if you do not take care, for angling is the most selfish of all sports. Come, let us go back to the 'Arms.' I have had enough of this for one day." The road led them past Deepdene Farm, where, ac- cordiL over ti just tl glor> i over a heavil • creatu; farmer were b saw — i! wife, two sh( shippec the lit up now a gentl right t( all, givi of his "Goo ermen a ing him " Yes, ply- "ISU] startled ed the f "I wa said Erii l( The Experiment Is Conceived* 25 cording to his usual custom, Mr. Harlowe was leaning over the yard-gate smoking a huge briar pipe. It was just that hour between day and evening when the glor^ fades from the sky, and tlie mantle of dusk falls over all things. There was a great stillness, too, lying heavily on the atmosphere ; it seemed as if all living creatures had gone to rest early that night. The farmer heeded not the dying light, for his thoughts were busy. Into the mirror of days he looked, and saw — so far away it seemed now — the face of the girl- wife, of gentle birth, he had loved and cherished for two short years ; a woman set on a pedestal and wor- shipped by the rough farmer who had won her. And the little child. He saw her also ; she was growing up now ; she would marry some day, but it must he a gentleman, a man of position, such as she had a right to wed. Crash ! It was only a mirror, after all, giving back the illusions created by the longings of his own heart. "Good evening," said Mr. Harlowe, as the two fish- ermen approached. " Had good sport, sir ? " address- ing himself more particularly to Sir Hugh. "Yes, fairly good, thanks," drawled Galbraith in re- piy- " I suppose one of you must be the gentleman who startled my daughter's horse this afternoon," suggest- ed the farmer. " She told me all about it just now." "I was the individual unfortunate enough to do so," said Eric, regretfully. " I trust Miss — " 3 :!•!, 26 Hypnotized ? ** Harlowe," put in her father, as he paused. " — Miss Harlowe is none the worse for her fright." " Bless me, no ; It takes more than that to upset my little girl. Ursula," as the subject of their remarks came out of the house towards them, " here is a gen- tleman — I do not kno\v your name, sir — asking after you." " My name is Desmond," said he, " and this is my friend, Sir Hugh Galbraith." Ae Eric made this informal introduction, Sir Hugh turned, and looking full into Ursula's eyes, he instinc- tively took off his hat to her beauty. " Miss Harlowe, I trust you have quite forgiven me," said Eric, turning to her as she stood by her father's side. "Entirely," she replied ; "please think no more of it. " Sir Hugh, meantime, had been quietly scrutinizing the girl from top to toe, and mentally sealing his com- pact with himself. " Mr, Harlowe," said he, and the contrast between his present cordial tone and his late supercilious one was verj- marked, " I intend remaining in this neigh bourhood for another week, and should be glad to learn something of the surrounding country. Could you furnish me with information regarding any antiquities worthy of note to be seen about here ? " " Certainly, sir, certainly. I shall be most happy] to do so. If you could make it convenient to call to- The Experiment Is Conceived. 37 morrow evening, I shall then be at liberty to tell you all I know on the subject." Now such an appointment was precisely what Sir Hugh had iA view, and, delighted to find that success had so quickly followed his manoeuvre, lie lifted his cap, and with an expression of thanks and a courteous " good night," left the farm premises in company with Eric. That evening after supper Galbraith was very ab- stracted. A great scheme was slowly being perfected in his fertile brain, and so exhilarating was the thought of the experiment in which he was about to embark, that each moment he grew more certain of its ultimate success. By-and-by the fit of silence passed away, and he talked fluently to Eric as they sat in the parlor of the Arleton Arms. Politics, books, all the topics of the day came under discussion one after another, and about each of them he had some pertinent remarks to make. Desmond was both surprised and pleased. It was not often that the baronet displayed so much wit and volubility for his sole benefit. ** I really begin to believe that you are not only a truth-seeker, but a truth-speaker, Hugh," he said ; "you seem in first-rate form to-night." " Yes, I feel excited, I think, and when just a little bit elated, one is generally at one's best." " Your command of language is «,imost as great as that of the immortal Webster himself," laughed Eric. " For that compliment you deserve a seat in the 28 Hypnotized ? general Valhalla," replied Sir Hugh with mock polite- ness, and forthwith became so hilarious that Eric regarded him in astonishment, and glanced uneasily at the bottle of whiskey on the table. * " Not tipsy this time, old boy ; see, it is more than half full still," said Sir Hugh, rightly interpreting his friend's quick look, and pointing to the suspected bottle. " As I told you I am excited, that is all ; mere scientific exaltation I assure you ; " and with another laugh he rose and went to his room. CHAPTER IV. " You see the ways the fisherman doth take To catch the fish." " There are more things in heaven and earth. . , Than are dreamt of in your philosophy." — Shakespeare. " Hooked him ! By Jupiter ! ! " " Pray do not let the excitement of the moment overcome you." " My dear fellow, sarcasm is not your forte. Better let it alone," said Eric Desmond, who at the same time [appeared quite unmoved by this attempted raillery on [the part of his friend. " I believe," he continued, " that my speckled ^entle- Iman will weigh a pound at the least; that makes [seven fish altogether." " A whole day's work in the broiling sun — result — [seven trout. Query — is the result worth the labour ? " and Galbraith puffed lazily at his cigarette, as he [lounged on the river bank criticising his companion's IskiU. "The fish are taking slowly to-day," replied the mgler, who, having unhooked the last catch, and 3laced it in a creel slung across his shoulders, resumed lis fishing, totally oblivious of the dissatisfaction ex- )ressed by Sir Hugh. It was a glorious afternoon. A gentle breeze blow- 30 Hypnotized ? ing up the water was just sufficient to hide the move- ments of the fisherman without impeding the true play of his line, and the place where Desmond had elected to fish that day was as lovely a trouting-place as the most epicurean angler could desire. " Four o'clock, Eric," said Sir Hugh, looking at his watch, "and I am rapidly approaching a state of mental aberration caused by this infernal sun. Grilled brains are very nice, no doubt, but I am not desirous of having mine served on toast just yet." " All right old boy ; in half an hour I shall have reached the mill-dam — it is only a few hundred yards higher up — and then we will go back to the Inn." " I cannot see why you are fishing up-stream in this heat ; it may appear to you an idle question, but do you really prefer to have the sun blazing in your eyes ? " Eric laughed, a clear ringing laugh that was good to listen to. " What a fool you pretend to be sometimes, Hugh," he said ; " scofifer as you are at the idea of science in connection with sport, you must admit that to fish as I am doing has many advantages, one being that be- cause a fish always lies with his head up-stream, and i has no eyes in his tail, I see him before he sees me, consequently I can usually catch him." " Your arguments hold water I suppose, but ye godsj defend me from personally proving their truth," and j light I The Experiment Is G>nceiyed* 31 Sir Hugh, with an impatient shrug, blew a cloud of smoke from his Egyptian. " It is true you know little of the real pleasures of fishing. Many a time, on a fine morning in May, when the water ran so low and clear as to necessitate the use of fine tackle with ' Blue Dun ' or ' March Brown,' I have lured the wily trout from his hiding-nook and, given a good breeze blowing up-stream to favour the proper hang of the lly, have thrashed the water till my arm ached from wielding my rod." Eric Des- mond's eyes sparkled at the recollection of days thus spent. He was a tall, broad-shouldered man, handsome perhaps some people would have said, but — though bronzed by many a foreign sun, and possessing eyes of dark grey, which flashed with a strange lambent light under their heavy overhanging brows — he was striking-looking more by reason of the strength, both physical and moral, which characterized his face, than by any mere detail of feature. A large, square mouth betokened power, but when he smiled the sternness was forgotten in the sudden charm of fascination. Briefly, his face was masterful and his figure athletic. He could say " Damn," but could he say it at the proper time, and in the proper place ? That was the question life and Eric Desmond would have to solve between them. The only son of a wealthy squire whose landed property in Norfolk was the finest in that county, 3« Hypnotized ? .ill fHi Eric had been brought up under an easy rule. Eton and Oxford had turned him out, at twenty-two, a thorough Englishman, with a strong sense of right and wrong, and a strong will to back up that knowledge. A few years of travel and hardship in far-away countries had given ballast to his mind, and at thirty he was still, as he had ever been, a keen sportsman and an amateur philanthropist. " Well, I am tired out," said Eric at length, flinging his creel and rod on the ground, and leisurely stretch- ing his well-shaped limbs. " Whew ! " with a gigan- tic yawn, " a long day's fishing under a broiling Sep- tember sun is hard work." " That is what I have been trying to impress upon you for the last three hours. You are too energetic, Eric, too bracing altogether ; it is a pity that fortune has lavished the good things of this world so freely upon you," " How so ? " demanded Desmond. "Why, my dear fellow, because should you lose wealth, position, all that makes your path in life so smooth now, I verily believe you would become one of the heroes of modern socialism." " Bah ! because I advocate a few commonplace theories, you would make me out a radical reformer." " Oh, no ! not at all," replied Sir Hugh, with a slight laugh ; " at present I think you only quixotic, and your practicality very boring ; but your fundamental power I admit, I might almost say envy," and the The Experiment Is G>nceive^* 33 baronet's cold features lighted up with a brief flash of admiration for the noble strength of purpose which underlay his friend's character. " There should be more hard work than leisure in life, just as there is more prose than poetry," said Eric. " To men of your stamp, the great questions of common wurk-a-day life bring no appeal. How should a cynical apostle of the ideal, such as you are, under- stand, or sympathize with the stimulating creed I be- lieve in ? " and the flickering light in Desmond's eyes betrayed his earnestness, as he continued : " While you seek in vain for that panacea which is to cure all the di.stempers of society, I devote myself to lessen- ing the burden of human suffering by practical means. Why spend the best years of your life fondling your own chimeric ideals ? Strike at the root of the evil ! " " In fact, be a second Don Quixote tilting at wind- mills," interpolated his friend. " No, Hugh, only make your efforts coincide with the exigencies of the day. Give up being an aimless man, and concentrate your energy on some specific work." " Look here, Eric, I concede that in a measure you are right ; but why try to shatter my ideals ? In the steady light thrown on them by years of experi- ence, I see more clearly than ever that a man can be what he will." :.i " Granted," said Desmond, but he must cultivate a 34 Hypnotized ? 3i: singleness of purpose, which, for the time being, will banish from his mind all that is extraneous to the ob- ject he has in view, for success lies in concentration." " My dear fellow, your arguments are like sledge- hammers, they strike hard; but, after all, are our views in truth so very dissimilar ? We stand on neu- tral ground between the known and the unknown, a place full of undefined conditions. I uphold my ideal of mental science ; you your ideal of physical work ; but they are, nevertheless, both of them ideals." " No, there we differ. In tlie pursuance of psycho- logical research 3'ou strive after fantasmal results, and lose sight of the object of your existence, namely, to leave the world a nobler and happier place for your having lived in it; while in my creed all things must work in the direction of a tangible good which will benefit the community at large. My chief object is the amelioration of the universal law of suffering." " When you talk of an object, you seem to forget that people with * an object,' are usually called ' cranks.' No one takes kindly to them." "Yet it is from amongst those who have no object in life that the great army of failures is recruited. Come now, Hugh, divest your mind for once of all transcendentalism, and step down to a solid basis. You are a man of twenty-eight, in the prime of life, and that you are capable of solving some of the deeper problems of that life I'll take my oath ; why do you not work ? Lay aside this dilettanteism which is Id. ai id ir IS The Experiment Is Conceived* 35 sapping away your energy, and bravely face the stern reality of the evils you are now trying^ to remedy theoretically. Build up an ideal of duty, and build it on the rock of common sense." "I am building up my life's work stone by stone, and I tell you, Eric, I shall succeed, even to the top- most pinnacle. But enough of this," as he threw away his cigarette with an impatient gesture ; " the sun has nearly gone down, and we have to tramp back to the Inn before we can hope for supper." so c CHAPTER V. " The elements So mix'd in him, that Nature might stand up And say to all the world, ' This was a man ! ' " — Shakespeark. " I SHALL have to run up to town the day after to- morrow, Hugh," began Desmond, as they swung along, skirting with rapid strides the fields of standing bar- ley. How much longer are you going to stay here ? " "Don't know," was the laconic response; "perhaps a week, perhaps two ; there is nothing to take me up to town at present " " I should have liked a few more days of fishing in this part of the world, I must confess ; but Wilson wants to see me about the Black friars scheme, and then, too, Sybil is lonely, I think." " Probably, considering how much of jour time you usually devote to her." Then, after a pause, Sir Hugh inquired, " When are you going to be married, Eric ? " " There is no date fixed yet for the wedding ; " and as he spoke a sharp spasm of pain contracted his fore- head. " Sybil has not made up her mind about it ; very likely it will come off" some time in the spring ; " but he spoke with more hope than certainty in his tone." The Experiment Is Conceived* 37 " She is a deuced pretty girl." said Sir Hugh, " and so clever." " Yes, too clever for a plain, matter-of-fact man like mysclt' ; but all the same I love her," he added simply, and the man who feared no living adversary lowered his eyes as he trembled at the thought of that perfect love which filled his heart. " By the way, Miss Carlisle is a great pet of my aunt's," said Sir Hugh. " Yes, Lady Brandram and Mrs. Carlisle are old friends, I believe, and Sybil dearly loves to go to Bel- grave-square." " The last time I met her there was at a ' musical crush,' such as Aunt Mary's soul delights in giving — a sort of menagerie party ; and after some of the lions of the evening had roared in song, no doubt greatly to their own satisfaction. Miss Carlisle gave us a solo on the violin. By Jove ! it was like the wind whis- pering among the trees, and made one think of sum- mer, and sunshine, and — " " Love," put in Eric, smiling. " No ; rather say a spirit-song." " Sybil shows the touch of genius in her playing." " Some day that girl will astonish London with her music. Mark my words, Eric, the world will ring with her praises yet." " I trust not. As my wife, Sybil must give up all idea of a public career." 38 Hypnotized ? " But I thought she intended to study for the con- cert stage." ' Yes, she often spoke of so doing ; but lately all necessity for earning her own living has been done away with, and when she is my wife it would natur- ally be impossible for her to embark on such a career." Sir Hugh glanced up at his friend's face with a somewhat cynical smile. The calm, resolute air with which the latter disposed of \ns fiancees future struck him as an assumption of arrogance on the part of the man towards one whom the light of genius had touch- ed. Eric strode on with thoughtful mein. Galbraith's questions aroused an uncomfortable sensation in his breast, which for some weeks had lain there dormant ; for, in spite of his cool assertion, he knew well that the strong force of his will had failed to bring Sybil Carlisle to look at things altogether from his point of view. Broad-minded and easy-going as he was by nature, there was one point on which he was inflex- ible. " Woman's sphere is home," he said. Wo- man's rights he abhorred ; and though, on general principles, he entirely approved of the artistic world, he was one of those men who regard their own woman- folk as something to be kept quite free from any taint of bohemianism. That Sybil should wish to shine in public was an idea unintelligible to him, and with a man's natural propensity to domineer he had told her that when she married him she must relinquish all thoughts of the The Experiment Is Conceived* 39 stage. He had given her the best love of his life ; not by any means the first love, but that full, entire de- votion which a man can bestow only when the fritter- ings of [)assion are a thing of the past. In return for this he demanded her obedience and complete adher- ence. " I will not share you with music," he had said; " you must be all mine ; ' and she had temporarily acquiesced, for she was very fond of him. That, however, was in the early days of their en- gagement, and now that six months had come and gone, Sybil began to show signs of returning allegi- ance to her art. Once or twice she ventured to speak of it to Eric, but each time he only answered : " Is not my love sufficient for you ? " and half -ashamed she would keep silence, though the thought of her musical talent tormented her restless spirit. The two men reached the commencement of the village street just as the fading beams of light gave a farewell kiss to the treetops, and the wind of an autumn dusk whispered a soft lullaby to the birds. There was an air of dreamy repose about the place ; all nature's sweet curative influences seemed abroad in that quiet little Herefordshire village. Within an incredibly short space of time, Sir Hugh and Eric Desmond were seated in the cheerful dining- room, partaking of a substantial meal, and later on, over a pipe and a good glass of whiskey and soda, they chatted about many things ; old memories were awakened, and old friends discussed, until, by the 40 Hypnotized ? time the tall clock in the corner struck eleven, and the two men rose to part for the night, Eric Desmond had forgotten all unpleasant impressions left on his mind by the conversation of that afternoon. And as he laid his tired head upon the pillow he thought, oh ! so tenderly, of the girl he loved. " God bless her," he murmured, and fell asleep. CHAPTER VI. "He was exhal'd ; his great Creator drew His spirit, as the sun the morning dew." — Dryden. Sir Hugh Galbraith was the descendant of a long line of ancestors. From a dreamy school-boy he had orrown into a skeptical university student, and later on the skepticism merged into inquiry. Thus, at twenty-eight he was an ardent seeker after philo- sophical truth. Of a singularly elevated nature, the originality of his ideas was in a degree striking. Even people who did not understand him felt the power of his fascination, which, perhaps, lay partially in the fact that he never sought to convince those who differed from him. With that entire independence of thought which was his chief characteristic, Sir Hugh had been known to calmly set up his private opinion against the general dicta of older men, there- by causing an occasional startling revolution. The commonly accepted forms of spiritualistic be- liefs he considered painfully vulgar. They jarred on the transcendentalism with which he was saturated and, as he often averred, turned the sacred ideals of his creed into food for gossip amongst scoffers. Exquisitely egotistical in all the minor relations of life, he bitterly resented the blatant mockery of his 4 42 Hypnotized ? theories in which many materialists openly indulged, and, in consequence, as the years rolled on, grew colder and more reserved in his intercourse with the world, wrapping himself in a cloak of impenetrable cynicism. It must be admitted that, with the arrogance of youth, he was often far too aggressive in his deduc- tions, too eager to make all phenomena point toward the confirmation of his monistic philosophy ; and yet there were seasons when, in utter loneliness of thought, he grew afraid. Would psychology lead him at last through the mists of doubt to the perfect knowledge of the one all-pervading Presence in which he believed ? Would he through the spiritual reach the infinite ? Thus, he by turns asserted and doubt- ed, ever seeking and striving after truth, for God had given him a great soul. So great was Sir Hugh's mental power that insen- sibly he controlled the minds of those who came in contact with him, and in the strength of this domi- nant force lay the secret of his influence over men and women. Silent, compelling, irresistible, was it purely intellectual, or was it that Unconscious Hyp- notic power, of which scientists deny the very exist- ence ? Tall and slight, he was of an essentially Saxon type, and his pale, clear-cut features betokened the man of breeding. A long, fair moustache half-hid his cold, handsome mouth ; and eyes of steely-blue, fringed with The Experiment Is Q>nceived* 43 peculiarly Ion": lashes, glittered and scintillated, with a penetration in which there lurked somethin;^ vague and awful, beneath a pair of straight eyebrows. Anyone who had once heard Galbraith speak never forgot the tone of his voice. It was scarcely melo- dious, but the delicate timbre rang with a keen sweet- ness in the memory long after he had ceased to speak. The present century has produced many men of this type. In the universal striving after something original, those minds, which, by hereditary refinement, are above the average, naturally imbibe the long- ini; for perfection of some sort or another; and blindly stumbling on an old eternal truth they proclaim the discovery, forgetful that there is nothing new under tiie sun. What is it if their eyes have been opened to a tiny fraction of the things which have been and shall be ? Are they not just one step nearer the knowledge of their own imperfection ? When men learn to study nature, to lovp nature, and to believe in nature, they will then at last be near to the Know- ledge of the Perfect. A follower of Paracelsus, and an ardent believer in psychology, Sir Hugh was yet no practical expositor of hypnotism ; he had always declined to take part in any seances, and further, though interested in ex- periment, disliked the flavor of charlatanism of which most hypnotic treatment smacked. Theoretically, he found all things possible ; to prove them so practic- ally, he never attempted. CHAPTER VII. ■f.>M:i; " The intellectual power, through words and things, Went sounding on, a dim and perilous way ! " — Wordsworth. Septembeu was seven days older. Such a lovely week it had been too, full of sunshine and warm-scented breezes. It was a period of deep interest to Sir Hugh ; for, as day after day he went on steadily cultivating the so- ciety of Ursula and her father, his purpose grew more feasible in his eyes. Each time he saw the girl he became further convinced that in her lay buried the makings of a magnificent woman, such a one as w.»ul(l turn men's heads, and might, if she chose, place her foot on the very keystone of the social arch. No word of all this had as yet escaped his lips, but the time was fast approaching when he must make the plunge and put all his hopes of carrying out his great experiment to the touch. Days ago, Eric Desmond (who was entirely ignor- ant of Sir Hugh's contemplated scheme) had returned to London pavements, and now it was time for Gal- braith to follow his example. " 1 will stay only a little longer," Sir Hugh had said ; yet there lay his portmanteau still empty. No signs of immediate departure were visible. Often, during that week, he talked with Ursula, The Experiment Is G)ncefved. 45 trying to probe the depths of her nature, in order to ascertain how far she was fitted, mentally and mor. ally, to be a test-subject for his contemplated ex- periment Sometimes he thought he had fathomed her completely, when, lo ! at a sudden turn she baf- fled him. Her child-like simplicity contrasted so curiously with her firm, unbending principle's that oc- casionally she puzzled the man of science, by whose worldly standard she could not be measured. " Miss Harlowe," he said to her one day, when their acquaintanceship was but three days old " who gave you that book I saw you reading yesterday ? " " Do you mean the translation of Goethe's 'Faust ' ? " " Yes ; where did you get it from ? " he asked, inter- estedly. " It belonged to my mother, I think," she replied. They were walking along by the river, which flowed lazily between its banks as if too much overcome by the heat to hurry onward to where the great ocean awaited it, far beyond the distant purple hills. Shel- tered beneath a large white umbrella, Ursula was bid- ding defiance to the sun, whose burning glances lay reflected on the broad, placid waters of the Arle, specked here and there with gaudy-hued flies that danced a perpetual tarantella on the bosom of the stream. " Do you like the story ? " asked Sir Hugh. " Oh, no; it is dreadful, I think, and so sad," turn ing a sudden glance to him. 46 Hypnotized } " And yet it is an every-day one," said he, calmly. " Ah ! no, no ! " she replied, clasping her hands, as if imploring him to contradict that last statement. He smiled. " It is true. Even you," with a touch of superciliousness, " cannot be entirely ignorant of all the sorrow that exists in the world." "Perhaps you might with justice call me ignorant. I do not know much about the world, we are so apart from it down here in this little village ; but," and she threw her head up with a proud gesture, " I am a girl and I know that girls are naturally good and pure and true, and that only in rare instances does sucli awful sorrow as Marguerite's come to them." Sir Hugh was silenced for the nonce. Here was a verdict delivered by a simple country child, who did not hesitate to announce it as final. He felt the superiority was momentarily hers. The subject was a difficult one to touch on with a young girl, so he drifted somewhat away from the main point as he said : " Sorrow and suffering come to all of us in turn. The story you were reading yesterday was only written j it could be re-written many times ; but the story we live can only be lived once, and our actions once com- mitted can never be recalled; the consequences of them must be endured to the end as best they can." " It is not always our own actions that bring us trouble, but sometimes those of others. Marguerite The Experiment Is Conceived* 47 suffered for the temptation to which she succumbed, but Faust was the real offender." '• Woman-like, you blame the man." "I try to be just," she said, raising her unfaltering eyes to his, " and besides, you, at any rate, should agree with me ; it is not luanly to put the blame on a wo- man. I love my own sex," she continu d with enthusi- asm ; " women are so bravo ; they struggle on through troubles as long as strength permits, hoping against hope, plodding bravely upward, and often they have much to bear." ir " You are a staunch advocate," said he, with a swift intuition that she was telling him her inmost thoughts. " Women are usually good judges of each other in one particular only, that of pronouncing sentence." " In what way ?" " Condemnatory, always." " Who is unjust now ?" with an arch smile ; " you are giving voice to rank heresy. But why think of disagreeable things ? Life is so sweet, so full of pleasure." " And so I trust it always will be for you. Miss Harlowe ; but to return to the original subject of our discussion ; will you tell me why you think poor Faust so altogether in the wrong ?" "Because he was a coward," with flashing eyes ; " he left her alone to bear all ; oh ! the piteousness of that lonelihood," and as she spoke the sympathetic tears rose slowly, and gathering, dimmed her sight. "A 48 Hypnotized ? man should be strong," she went on in a monotonous undertone, as if compelled by some unseen force to utter aloud what was passing in her mind ; " he should support and help a woman so that she may feel she can lean on his stronger nature, and find the rest she craves for in his sheltering arms. Should he be the one to throw her aside ? Oh no ! he should treat her as the chivalrous knights of old treated their queen. The other day I read a Canadian love-story — it was beautiful, and so happy, it was like real life, — far more so than that sad tale of Faust and Marguerite." Sir Hugh removed his eyes from her, and uncon- sciously she stopped speaking. Upon these two beside the river a silence had fal- len, a weird music arose from the depths of the waters, a few withered leaves rustled past them, wind-swept across their path. How full of noble thoughts was this girl, pondered Galbraith, so unspot- ted by the mildew of society, so healthy-minded in her belief in a creed of universal honour. In the world into which he dreamed of introducing her, bon gr4—malg -f — she would be a revelation. Her low, soft voice, one of woman's greatest charms, aroused him from his reverie. " You do not think ill of all women, do you ? " she questioned anxiously ; " you are so good yourself, you must know that others are good also." " Miss Harlowe, your remark is not only original, it is unique. I do not pretend to be — I mean (seeing iiliiiiii The Experiment Is Conceived* 49 lier look of bewilderment), it is not fin-de-si^cle to be trood — one must study to be amusing, witty — but ^ood — the thirst for novelty at any price has not yet demanded that of society." The next moment he reo;retted his highly-spiced banter. The adorable modesty of her mind caused his remarks to glance off, leaving it unharmed ; but one look at her puzzled face had been enough to si- lence his graceless speech. " I beg your pardon," he said humbly, " my words were sens'^less, but do not think too much of me. I am only a very ordinary sort of man." " You are my friend," she said, gently. " Thank you for that gift of your friendship," he replied, and stooping, loyally kissed her small, sun- burnt fingers, thereby causing a rosy glow to mount swiftly into her cheeks. The strong interest with which Sir Hugh had from the first inspired Ursula Harlowe was rapidly devel- oping into something more intangible and powerful. To him she was a purely psychological study — to her he appeared the embodiment of all that was great and noble ; and while Galbraith was too absorbed in his experiment to notice the strange control he at times unconsciously exercised over the girl, she, on her side, was too simple-minded to realize the mean- ing of that strong, compelling power which insensibly dominated her. They talked incessantly of this thing and that, often so Hypnotized ? disagreeing, for Urstila could hold her own in any argument where her natural instincts sufficed ; but slowly, yet surely, Sir Hugh was opening up before her new fields of thought — comparisons of town and country life, glimpses of brilliant society as contras- ted with the trivial monotony of her daily round — into such channels did he lead her mind. That Gal- braith never once thought of her as a loving, loveable girl, but only as a beautiful creation, was as true as it was strange. To him she was simply une nature. CHAPTER VIII. Cut prejudice against the grain. -Tknnyson. One morning while Sir Hugh was seated at break- fast, engaged in the demolition of unlimited toast and marmalade, the waiter came and laid a letter beside his plate. Having glanced at the familiar hand- writing, he eagerly ripped open the envelope and be- nan to read its contents. It ran thus : Belgrave-square, September 15th. Dear Old Hugh : — But perhaps I ought not to call you so any longer. Why ! you are nearly thirty ! and must be verging on that indefinite age when to be called old is apt to be regarded as an insult ! What on earth is keeping you in the wilderness so long ? Mr. Desmond called on us three days ago and told me you were fishing; now my dear boy, such sport is no doubt very charming, but truly I think you must have other fish to fry than " ye speckled trout," or Herefordshire would not have claimed you for its own so long, especially as you are tlie laziest of anglers. You will see from the heading of this letter that I am staying with Aunt Mary. The dear soul adores me as much as ever, and I am having a rattling good time of it, no end of theatres, and flirtations, but alas! people are still scarce in Mayfair, and a ball is a thing of dreams only. sa Hypnotized ? Mariiiaduke is in town and as idiotic as ever. Really Bedlam should be his abode during his sojourn on this terrestrial globe ; his awful puns and ghastly attempts at playing the court-fool make me sick. Do come home, Hugh. Aunt was saying only yesterday how she missed you. The dear old lady is quite well, and chaperones me everywhere most religiously. Sybil Carlisle dined with us last night, and, of course, Mr. Desmond also. How devoted they are to one another. I do not believe I could ever fall in love with anybody like that. Change is what I like, for as soon as an individual person grows specially at- tached to me, in that instant he becomes a bore. As long as the world loves me, and I love all the world, (quite platonically you understand), I am perfectly happy ; but then, why should I not be so ? I never get up till noon, nor do an earthly thing that does not please me. Voild tout ! — A truce to moralizing, how- ever. I must not forget to tell you about Marmaduke's latest atrocity. It was at tea-time he perpetrated it. I had remarked to him casually, that the world was no better a place for his temporary habitation thereof; that, in fact, he had lived in vain. " I never lived in vain," he replied ; " I always lived in England." Now was not that silly ? And he actually expected me to laugh. But I must say, even Marmaduke at his worst (ami he can be very appalling) was preferable to our other visitor, Mr. Chaytor, who is a good young man, and should meet Saran Grand. She might appreciate him. I do not. Fare -thee- well, and for mercy's sake hurry up and come home to Your affectionate cousin, Betty. The Experiment Is Conceived* 53 " What a little scatter-brain she is to be sure ! " mused Sir Hugh, as he folded up the sheets covered with Lady Betty Mornington's hieroglyphics. " A dear little scrap of humanity all the same. Ah ! ray pretty cousin, I am very fond of you ; your smile is like a sunbeam in a shady corner, your laugh an echo of joy itself. You are right, I must go home, — and my gieat purpose, — that must be put in process at once. If I succeed in this grand experiment, I shall have dis- proved a time-worn theory, and given to the world of society a queen worthy to reign over it. The science of transplantation, that is what it is ; and you, beauti- ful Ursula Harlowe, shall flourish in a richer soil than that in which you have hitherto grown. You shall be transplanted from the field to the hot-house, in order that you may ripen to perfection, and the transplanter shall be Hugh Galbraith." As the last morsel of marmalade-bestrewed toast disappeared, he pushed back his chair, and, with determination written on every feature, started for Deepdene Farm. It was in one of the corn-fields, now full of stacked sheaves, that Sir Hugh found the farmer that morning. " Mr. Harlowe," he said, " may I have a few words with you ? It is my intention to return to Town by the afternoon train, and there is an important matter I should like to discuss before leaving." " Certainly, Sir Hugh. I'd enjoy a bit of rest my- self, and if you'll come across the field to yonder trees, we can have our talk in comfort." 54 Hypnotized ? , I /'I' Through the blazing sunshine they walked together, where the dusty beams of light fell with intense brightness, and even the grasshoppers seemed to have lost the strength to chirrup and hop. •*I have a proposal to make to you," began Sir Hugh, after a few silent puffs at his cigar, and his voice sounded steady and calm, in spite of the great anxiety which filled his mind. " It is an unusual one in itself," he went on, " and calculated to lead to many changes, but should you agree to it, I shall assume all responsibilities and pledge my honour to fulHl the obligations it will entail upon me ; in short, what I am about to ask you to do is to allow me to launch your daughter into fashionable London society." It was over. The plunge had been made, but, even as he paused, a tiny chill crept down the baronet's spine and a sense of choking threatened to ovei-- master him. " What ! " exclaimed the farmer, his face a study of astonishment and wrath, " my little Ursula ! ! 1 think, sir, you must be either mad or dreaming to sug- gest such a thing. Your words are almost an insult. How do such as you dare to propose this thing ? " " I fear I have been somewhat hasty, Mr. Harlowe, and my words were blunt, but," he went on haughtily — for by this time he had regained perfect self-control — " the means I intend to use in the accomplishment of this scheme are above suspicion." Surprise and indignation had rendered the old The Experiment Is Conceived* 55 man momentarily dumb. He merely nodded, and Sir IJugh continued: " What I propose is that you confide your daughter to the care of my aunt, a lady of middle-age, and established position in London, and that under her care Miss Harlowe shall make acquaintance with the world of fashion. Your daughter is beautiful, far too beautiful to bloom in the obscurity of a country vil- lage. She is superb in her youth and health, and in Town would be an acknowledged queen." " Your words are bold ones. Sir Hugh. Ursula is pretty, but among the fine ladies of society she would be out of place." " No, no ; I have watched her during our short friendship, and with money at her command, and a suitable chaperone, she would have all the world at her feet." "She is only a little country girl, and quite un- versed in all those things which form part of the education of the daughters of nobility. I would not have her sweet nature shamed by the knowledge of its imeonventionality." " Say rather that she is one of nature's gentle- women," replied Sir Hugh quietly ; and long after- wards in the light of later events he remembered the strange smile which for an instant hovered round the corners of Mr. Harlowe's mouth, as the latter re- sponded : " True, she is in every respect a gentlewoman. All 56 Hypnotized ? the same," he continued, " it is impossible, I tell you, absolutely impossible. I will not listen to any such foolish ideas. You may be honest in your intentions," with a keen, sidelong glance at Galbraith, " but this thing you suggest is absurd, and even if you ever succeeded in gaining my consent, think of the aunt you mentioned; would she be willing to receive a girl of whom she knew nothing, who was an utter stranger to her ?" " I am confident that my aunt would not refuse to receive Miss Harlowe," replied Sir Hugh. Lady Brandram had always complied with any demand he made on her good nature, and such a simple thing n'i launching a lovely girl into London life, — why she would jump at the idea of it, he thought. Which notion only served to show how much Sir Hui^h had yet to learn of the ways of women. " Once for all, I must decline your proposal, sir. Ursula is not suited to a grand life, and then the expense — I am not a rich man, and have no money to throw away on foolishness." " Do not let that stand in the way," urged Sir Hugh. " My aunt is wealthy ; Miss Harlowe should want for nothing." This was a distinct perversion of the truth ; Sir Hugh was enormously wealthy — his aunt was not. " It cannot be, sir, I am sorry, but it cannot be," and Mr. Harlowe rose as if to put an end to the discussion. The young man betrayed no sign of defeat. The Experiment Is Conceived* 57 " Well, farmer," he said, " let us leave the matter in abeyance for the present. Perhaps some day you may change your mind." "I think not ; but I thank you, sir, all the same, for your kindness in thinking of my little girl. I believe you mean what you say, and would treat her honestly, but I could not spare her, — she is all T have to live for." While this conversation was taking place, Mr. Tom Scott was also improving the shining hours by trying to secure an uninterrupted talk with Ursula. The sharp rebuff she administered to him some days be- fore had not had the desired result, for he absolutely declined to accept his congl. Tom Scott was a spare man, clean shaven, with lips thin and cruel, and tortured at the corners by a wretched smile which showed weak- ness rather than strength, in that the reserve force was being constantly called into play. Gambler, tuft- hunter that he was, any good that had not been en- tirely crushed out of his nature rose to the top since love for Ursula Harlowe had touched him. Love is a powerful agent, and can even change a man's whole nature under given circumstances, but, unfortunately, all it had done for Tom was to temporarily gloss over his low cunning with a veneer of honesty. Since her refusal to listen to his wooing, the man had dogged her footsteps day after day, watched her, spied on her actions, and consequently soon became aware of the frequency of Sir Hugh Galbraith's visits to Deepdene. To love is to know the meaning of the word rival ; S8 Hypnotized } therefore Sc tt ^ated the baronet. Once more he pleaded with Ursula, and once more she tirmly refused him. But the man declined to accept her reply as final, declared he v )uld wait for months, years if need be — that time which held all things might yet hold the gift of her love for him, — perhaps some day the con- stancy of his affection would win her. A great passion for her beauty had taken possession of him, and win her he would, or, said he, if he failed it should not be because another man succeeded. Tom had not dared to again enter the farm house, but was talking to Ursula at the garden gate when Mr. Harlowe and Galbraith came strolling up the lane. At this unexpected sight the farmer was furi- ous, whilst Ursula, conscious of a constraint in the air, advanced with a friendly smile to greet Sir Hugh. •* Good morning," she said. " Come under the trees and rest ; or, as I am going to feed the chickens, per- haps you will help me." "I shall be delighted," replied Sir Hugh, "but please remember I strongly object to any violent ex- ertion on such a hot day." " You have evidently not forgotten your chase after Brigham Young," laughed Ursula. " I should think not. That noble head of the barn- yard proved one too many for me, and if he escapes to-day, I bar being made to pursue him." " That is right, Sir Hugh ; don't you let my little The Experiment Is Conceived. 59 girl impose on you," said the farmer, who, during the above conversation, had been standing irresolute as to what course he should take. " Well, Mr. Scott," he continued, when Ursula and her companion had walked off in the direction of the house, " may I ask what brings you here ?" "I just looked in for a few minutes to see Miss Harlowe, farmer, but now that I find she is otherwise engaged," with a vindictive sneer at Galbraith's re- treating back, " I'll say good morning." " Just so ! say it once for all," blurted out the irate old man, " I'm pretty plain-spoken, and you are not my sort; so we'd best part, and be done with it." " You think that I am not good enough for you, that I am not such a swell as that chap yonder, with a handle to his name, curse him !" " It is no business of yours whom I choose to admit to my house, but I'd have you understand, Tom Scott, that you, at any rate, are not welcome." " Stop a moment, farmer. You despise me — I see can it — but I'm not altogether a bad sort ; and if you treat me squarely, I'll work for your daughter." " That you'll not get the chance of doing ; Ursula shall never marry a man who is a gambler and a drunkard. You've forced me to say it; and now — ^go." Scott's eyes gleamed with a savage light at the old man's rough words. " By gum ! " he mentally ejaculated, " I'll give him one for that." 6o Hypnotized^? " I'm going," he added aloud, " but let me tell you this: you ve refused to listen to a man who would make your daughter an honest wife. Take care ; those kind," indicating Sir Hugh, who was still visible in the distance, " do not marry country girls." " Hold your tongue, you insolent scoundrel," roared Mr. Harlowe. " How dare you speak to me like that. 1 know very well that you are after my lass, and I know I'd sooner see her dead than give her to the likes of you. So don't let me have any more philan- dering here." " You go too far, Mr. Harlowe. Every man has a right to make love to a woman who is free ; and if 1 tried to win your daughter, I did so openly and and honestly." " Look here," said the farmer, whose blood was now at boiling-point ; " you leave my place this instant, and never show your damned face here again. Go !" " But—" " Go !" he repeated. " Perhaps some day my turn will come," snarled Scott, " and when it does — " But Mr. Harlowe had turned on his heel, and was half way up the garden-path, so the threat, whatever it might have been, was lost upon him. CHAPTER JX " And when the stream VV'hich overflowed the soul was passed away, A consciousness remained that it had left Deposited upon the silent shore Of memory, images and precious thoughts That shall not die, and cannot be destroyed." — Words wo KTH. Mr. Harlowe was worried, and he was very an^ry. As far as Tom Scott's outrageous proposal was con- cerned, that was all settled and done with ; but this other matter, — this proposition of Sir Hugh Gal- braith, — it troubled him not a little. When the baronet first spoke of the scheme, the farmer had been seriously annoyed, but as he thought over the subject, doubts began to arise in his mind. Was he quite justi- fied in denying to Ursula all chance of rising in the world ? If this aunt of Sir Hugh were really willing to take charge of her, why should she not enjoy all the pleasures and advantages of such a life ? But then there was another side to the question. Mr. Harlowe was no fool, and he wanted to know some good and valid reason for the deep interest Sir Hugh took in the girl. Had the man shown signs of being in love with her, it would have satisfactorily ex- plained affairs ; but though he sought her society on every occasion, there were no further indications that 62 Hypnotized ? he entertained any deeper feelings towards her than those of friendship, and tlie farmer knew very well that ordinary friendship does not, as a rule, lead a man to propose such a scheme as the one laid before him by the l)aronet. Tom Scott's remarks also lingered unpleasantly in his mind, and it was largely owing to his inability to fathom the motives of Galbraith, that Mr. Harlowe declined so firmly to listen to his ideas. " There is a screw loose somewhere," thought the old man; but had he been told the real reason why Sir Hugh urged him to let Ursula go to London, he might have been still more mystified, for that a man should plan, and carry out such a great undertaking, solely for the sake of experiment, would have been incom- prehensible to his rustic mind. Finally, he determined to let the matter rest. Sir Hugh was to him a complete enigma, for Galbraith had no small talk, no commonplaces; then too,his somewhat rigid pose disconcerted the genial farmer, and made him mentally call the baronet " that cast-iron man," at the same time confessing that he could make no progress in conversation with him. How it came about that Ursula and Sir Hugh were such great friends was a constant puzzle to her father ; with the girl Galbraith seemed quite en rapport ; but when he was with Mr. Harlowe, conversation flowed with diffi- culty ; it was a case of speech frappL And Ursula, what of her ? Had she been interro- The Experiment Is Conceived. 63 gated as to whether she liked Sir Hugh or not, she would have replied " yes " unhesitatingly, and would then have paused — and said nothing more. She was happy in his society, and the whys and wherefores did not matter yet. "Chuck, chuck, chuck !" called Ursula softly, and from far and near, in answer to her welcome, the clucking army of fowls came scrambling to her from every corner of the yard. " They are almost as greedy as the proverbial law- yer," laughed Sir Hugh. " And so mischievous too. You have no idea what a lot of damage they do in the garden, if by any chance they get loose there. Even Don cannot up-root the flower-beds as satisfactorily as they can, — Oh ! quick, quick, there they go making for the gate. I, — you, — somebody must have left it open. Hurry, hurry, do not let them get through," cried Ursula frantically ; for, finding that the generous dinner pro- vided for them had come to an end, with true fowl- like ingratitude the whole mass of cocks and hens at once roamed off in search of pastures new, and seeing the garden-gate open, with one accord they made a rush to enter the coveted paradise. Away flew Sir Hugh, calling loudly to the now excited army, who, legs flying in all directions, and tails half-fanned, were running as fast as nature permitted. But he proved too quick for them. Bang ! — the gate was shut, and away went the mob of 64 Hypnotized ? scurrying bipeds, some of them almost flying in Ur- sula's face as she came up in hot pursuit. " Thank you so much," she panted breathlessly, as she fanned herself wi^h her hat, an ancient one and somewhat devoid of brim. " What wretches they are ; but, thank goodness, you won the day." "Victory unquestioned," replied he; "a bloodless one it is true, but decisive nevertheless. May I sit down here for a few minutes ?" " Surely, yes. A victor deserves his well-earned rest. What a chase it was ! Ha, ha, ha !" and the laughter came rippling out, as she leaned her head back on her clasped hands, and looked up at Sir Hugh. " You did not expect to have such an exciting run, did you ? " " No, I should think not; but, tell me, are you always so gay ? Laughter seems so near to you, that one would imagine you were never sad." " I am happy," she replied thoughtfully. " You are fortunate," he said ; " few people in this world can say that." " But why ? " she questioned, somewhat surprised. " I love the farm, and I have Daddy who adores me. Of course I am happy, — at least generally," with a slight hesitation in her voice. " You love the country ? " queried Sir Hugh. " Oh yes ! I have always lived in it. Once Daddy took me to Hereford for a week ; it was lovely, — how I did enjoy it. The shops, the big houses, and the Cathedral ; have you ever been there ? " The Experiment Is G)nceivcd. 65 " Yes," once, long ago. So you liked the place ? " " It was great fun seeing everything ; but somehow it tired me. I was glad to get back to Arleton." ** But the town, and all the people, — did you not like the stir and bustle of a large place ? " " At first I did, but afterwards it see.ned to make me feel lonely. You see I knew nobody." " Yet you are not lonely here." " Sometimes I am. Sometimes," turning her eyes to hifl, " I am fearfully lonely." " Would you like to have more friends, — the com- panionship of other girls ? " She was looking away from him again, — far away across the meadows to the blue hills beyond, and as she answered, there was something in her voice be- tokening dissatisfaction. " I do not care for girls much, at least noi those about here. I do not quite know what it is I want. As a rule I am busy, but when Daddy is away, and the long evenings come, then, when there is no one to talk to " " That is the time you are sad, is it ? Yet there can be no corner of your life wherefrom to call forth a troubled recollection." There was a short silence, then Sir Hugh continued abruptly : " You look tired ; you must not stay here any longer in this hot sun. Come," holding out his hand to her with a touch of decision, " let us go to the summer-house over there, and let me get you a glass of water." 66 Hypnotized ? Ursula rose mechanically and followed him. Some- how this quiet, cynical man had gained a curious ascendency over her. It even gave her pleasure to obey him, and now she was like a weary child, doing as she was bidden, with unquestioning faith. Inside the summer-house coolness reigned supreme, and the girl, sinking on to the mouldy old seat, was thankful for the change. It was so silent there, everything suggestive of movement or activity so far away, that with a delicious sense of indolence she leaned back and gave herself up to a feeling of rest. Silence, however, cannot be eternal, and presently she looked up to find Sir Hugh legarding her intently. Instinctively she shrank backward, and her very soul seemed to cry out, " Let me alone ! Let me go ! Struggle, struggle, struggle ! Ah !" " Well," said Sir Hugh interrogatively, "do you feel cooler now ?" Cool, — she was cold as if an icy wind had touched her heart. With a sense of shame the girl deliber- ately drew herself up and, flushing, replied : "Yes, it is better here. I was only thinking that " " W^hat ?" questioned he, smiling. "That I was tired." And in truth she was so. " I would leave you now, but I go to London this afternoon, and it is hard to cut short our last chat together." For a moment she was dumb, and Sir Hugh lost The Experiment Is Conceived* 67 himself in a dispassionate study of her expression. What was it her face portrayed ? A vivid crimson had sprung into her cheeks, a look that might be termed shy crept into her eyes, — then how pale she grew. " To London ! You are leaving Arleton then ?" " Yes, I must go to-day." He was watching her keenly. " I am sorry ; but you will come back soon ?" tui n- iiig her face to his, as though waiting for an answer. " Perhaps; still, who knows, we may meet in London first." Ursula smiled. " No chance of that, I think. Why, London is so far away, and I," with a sigh, "so seldom leave home. Only once Daddy took me away, tliat time I told you of, when we went to Hereford." " To be sure ; but you would like to go to some great city, would you not ?" " I do not think so. You see, I should miss so many things — my horse, for instance." How unsophisticated she was on sonie points. Anything so naive and fresh had not often come within his knowledge. " You could ride even in London," he rejoined, " there is always the Park." " But that must be very stiff, not like a good gallop across our dear old fields. Look at the common over there ; that is where to ride, with the wind blowing fresh on one's face, and the spring of the elastic turf under foot, to ride and ride on through the heather 68 Hypnotized } I !:i: and broom, to drink in big draughts of the flowei- sweet air, or to feel the coming storm sweeping on towards you, to bear the fearful stillness, the pause before the thunder breaks, and then, to race home with the great drops pattering on your face. A wild gallop, as your horse makes long, irregular swerves, and the thudding throb of his hoofs keeps time in the glorious flight ! " Unconsciously she .^tood up, and threw out her arms with a gesture of freedom. Her eyes were sparkling with excitement, not so much emotional as the out- come of exuberant youth, to the charm of which no man is ever insensible. " I should be smothered in a town," she said. " But have you ever thought oi the other side of the picture ? Of the balls and the opera, and all the pleasures you wcmld have ? " " No, I should not enjoy them, 1 should be too much afraid. I could not bear to know that not one familiar face was there to greet me." " You forget ; I should be there." " You ! " with a start, " Oh yes ! I forgot you are going back to-day," and her voice sank with the last word. She had crushed some blossoms in her hand, and was looking at them listlessly, as one might regard some remote question. "Tell me, would you feel afraid if I were there to help you ? " He was looking at her again, and once more she felt the strange, awful domination of his gaze. The Experiment Is Conceived* 69 " I should never ^be afraid with you," she sa \ in a dazed sort of way, as though compelled to answer him with the bare truth. "Of course not," he replied, carried away by her words, and ignoring the strained manner in which they were spoken. " Still it is only fancy after all ; you will stay at home, and I shall go to London ; but in a week, perhaps, I am going to run down here again." He had removed his eyes from hers, and she breathed more freely. " You are coming back, then. I am so glad." Galbraith might have made some kindly rejoinder, but at that instant the sound of Mr. Harlowe's voice reached them. Another moment, and the farmer appeared round the rhododendrons. Sir Hugh made a movement towards the gate. " Good-bye, Mr. Harlowe," he said ; " good-bye. Miss Ursula," and tlie intensity of his regard compelled her at once to turn her eyes to his. She laughed faintly. '* Good-bye," she said, and so absorbed was the girl in the thought of his going, that she did not notice that her mirth received no acknowledgement. Tre- mulous tears rose in her eyes as she watched the baro- net depart. He was gone, — and with a slight shiver she turned to enter the house. Down the dusty road tramped Galbraith, thoughts thronging in upon him in tumultuous riot. H'jpe 70 Hypnotized } reigned triumphant in his heart. He must, he would succeed, in spite of Mr. Harlowe, or rather in conjunc- tion with him, — for a Macchiavellian idea had sud- denly struck him, — only a few rounds In the game had as yet been played, and he still held a trump card. Would it take the odd trick ? He thought so. At any rate it should be played out quickly. " Hullo ! what is the matter ? " he exclaimed, as a man suddenly met him face to face, and, standing in the middle of the road, attempted to bar the way. " I want a few words with you, Sir Hugh," replied Tom Scott, for it was Ursula's disfavoured lover who thus tried to stop him. " All right, but be quick about it, for I have a train to catch. What is it you want ? " " Don't be in such a hurry, my fine gentleman," an- swered the other, " what I have to say concerns Ursula Harlowe. Ah ! " as Galbraith paused, " that fetches you, eh ? " " Come, drop this insolence, and say what you have to." "Very well. It is this. I love that girl, and I intend to stop anyone else spooning on her. Do you hear ? " " I hear right enough, but I cannot see that it is any of my business." " Oh no I can you not ? Well, let me tell you then that I know your little game, and it won't work ; see ? " The Experiment Is Conceived* 71 " No, I do not see. If you are under the impression that T am in love with Miss Harlowe, I will tell you this much, that you are mistaken ; but beyond that I decline absolutely to discuss her, or any other lady, with you." " But if I insist on knowing what you do mean, why you go there so often, and why, " •' Oh ! Go to the deuce ! " said Sir Hugh, and he walked off across the fields leading to Arleton." CHAPTER X. " Friend, when first I looked upon your face, Our thought gave answer each to each so true, And either lived in cither's heart and speech." — Tennyson. The stars shone clear, and the wind was hushed. In the distant woods some night-bird sang, in melan- choly strain, a serenade to the sleeping flowers on whose folded petals dew-drops glistened and scintil- lated in the moonlight. The heavy perfume of Gloire- de- Dijon roses came in to Ursula, through the open window, where she sat dreaming in the big arm- chair and idly toying with a tiny kitten which lay curled up in blissful content on her lap. Mr. Harlowe was leaning against the window frame. He had made up his mind to tell Ursula about Sir Hugh Galbraith's proposition, not thinking it right that she should be kept entirely ignorant of what had passed on the subject, yet it was with a certain amount of trepidation that in his habitual straightforward way he finally told her the whole truth. Surprise, consternation, and then a great wonder- ment swept over the girl. She had the charm of being perfectly natural, and had, moreover, never learned the necessity for concealing her feelings ; so, frankly and without constraint, she in return told The Experiment Is G)nceived. 73 her father of many things which had not hitherto come within his knowledge — of all her longings for a wider sphere, a fuller acquaintance with the world. At first the man wa,s thunderstruck, as she thus poured out her heart to him, but when he realized that it was all very vague and that for the present she had not the slightest wish to leave home, he again grew satisfied that he had acted for the best, and was much relieved to learn that Ursula entirely approved of his decision. Late on into the night she sat up thinking over all that her father had told her. Long she pondered on Galbraith's strange proposition, and what its ultimate consequences would be if she ever acceded to it ; but, as in a dim manner she thus speculated on these possibilities, never for one moment did the girl imagine how soon they were to become realities. One theme ran through all her thoughts. Sir Hugh was coming back — he had said he would return in a week. " He will come, he will come," was the glad refrain that mingled with her dreams. " He will come," whispered the moon-beams, as they trod their silver pathway, folded in a tender veil of mist. " He will come," echoed the trees, whose top- most branches were trembling in the air that stirs before the dawn. Ah ! happy exuberant youth ! so full of hope and joy and love ! God forgive those who crush your fresh sweetness, and poison your trusting truth- white soul ! 6 J il ■I •"I CHAPTER XL "Society is now one polished horde, Formed of two mighty tribes, the Bores and Bored." — Byeon. At five o'clock in the afternoon, the tinkle of silver spoons as they clash against the cups, and the faint aroma of tea and hot cakes which pervades the at- mosphere of the drawing-room, is ever welcome. Lady Brandram was always at home at that hour, much to the satisfaction of her large circle of acquain- tances, who knew they were sure of a welcome, and a cup of orange-pekoe, should they drop in at her house in Belgrave-square after a round of shopping, or that even more exhausting process, a series of dull duty-calls. There was nothing dull about Lady Brandram, nor about the people who met in her well-appointed rooms, for she possessed a great deal of quiet tact, and was a perfect hostess, in that she made all her guests feel that they were truly welcome, putting them completely at their ease with each other and with herself. She was a woman with no problem-soul, but one whose chief desire was to appear to advantage at every turn, and to be regarded as the friend of her friends — as in truth she was. Motherlj'^ towards all young peoj to t usm Si befo; that mem (as ir had h life fc Lord J altoge for hij a gene TJiu abled and en conten women and to tered and ki far bett ners white I«le,s; bi that we On th pie were t ge f The Experiment Is Conceived* 75 people, she showed more genuine kind-heartedness to the world in general than childless women are usually capable of. Since the death of Lord Brandram, some ten years before, she had looked to Sir Hugh Galbraith for that moral support which a woman exacts from some member of the opposite sex, be he husband, brother, or (as in her case) nephew; and more than that. Sir Hugh had largely contributed to the good lady's comfort in life by substantial pecuniary help, the late lamented Lord having been more addicted to the turf than was altogether compatible with providing a proper jointure for his widow. With all his cynicism, Galbraith was a irenerous man. Thus it came about that Lady Brandram was en- abled to continue her residence in Belgrave-square and entertain her large circle of friends to her heart's content. To have the rooms filled with well-gowned women and well set-up men was her greatest delight, and to the old lady's credit be it said, she had mas- tered the secret of true hospitality — to be courteous and kindly to all. Eastern nations understand this far better than we Northerners do ; perhaps our man- ners get frozen up sometimes, or lost in the thick, white fog which so frequently enwraps our British Isles; but it is not altogether the fault of the climate that we are, sometimes, very wanting in savoir faire. On this particular Thursday afternoon, several peo- ple were comfortably seated in Lady Brandram 's \\ 76 Hypnotised ? drawing-room. The softly-tinted walls, the rich dra- peries, and the priceless bric-a-brac scattered about, formed a charming background for the dainty toilettes of the women, who had disposed themselves in various lounging-chairs, and forthwith became talkative. A famous man once remarked that a posse of women conversing always reminded him of the epi- taph composed for "Soplionisba Young, Who on the twentieth day of June Began to hold her tongue." 'Tis true, 'tis pity, and pity 'tis, 'tis true, that men must work and women must talk, or but let us draw a veil over the possible consequences. Across the thickly-carpeted floor the light glowed from numerous shaded lamps, and the scented breath of hot-house flowers filled the air. It was a fad of Lady Brandram's to have the lamps lighted at tea- time, even when the lingering autumn sun forbade their necessity. " It is more cosy," she remarked, " and so much more becoming to the complexion." Someone, as usual, was talking about the weather. " One never knows what to put on," sighed Lady Brandram ; " yesterday it was hot, to-day it is cold, to- morrow it may be either or both." " That is true," replied Mr. Comstock ; " our English climate is full of unlimited possibilities." " Life is very flat at present," chimed in Lady Betty ; "even Sandown and Goodwood are things of the past, The Experiment Is Conceived. 77 and the world is singing pro tern, to the tune of tout ■passe, tout lasse, tout casse !" " Not at all, my dear girl," exclaimed Marmaduke Myddleton ; " it may be the fag end of the season, I ad- mit, but you need not make out that every thing is verging towards stagnation, just like a teetotum beginning to flap." " The autumn is generally somewhat depressing," rejoined Lady Brandram, yawning ever so slightly ; "with the waning of the social year, London grows more sphinx-like than ever." " Yes," said Mr. Comstock, " you see a great deal of sorrow all around you, as the winter comes on." " Oh ! I say, old fellow, there is something wrong with you ; come and have a drink," said Marmaduke, the last portion of his sentence uttered in an under- tone. " Mr. Comstock smiled. No one ever minded what Marmaduke said, or dreamed of getting angry over his impertinences. " I suppose such ideas strike you as rather abnormal, but when an old fogy like myself lives alone, he does get queer fancies into his head, you know. I like solitude at times, but at my age a man is too apt to regard the shady side of life's path- way as the more frequented one." " I adore solitude also," said Marmaduke, " but I much prefer it — a deux. As to your talk of age, why that is nonsense ; you will bobble along for years yet, on the ' sweet shady side of Pall Mall,' too, I'll be bound." 78 Hypnotized ? ' -li Mr. Comstock paused for a moment, and then'said quietly : "I was forty-three last month — nearly double your a^e, Myddleton — and that is one of those incon- trovertible facts which sober a man." " Why, look at Aunt Mary over there ; she is ten years older than that, and as jolly as a sand-boy still." "Lady Brandram is charniiiij^ always, and as young as her heart," replied Mr. Comstock with old-fashioned courtesy. " It seems to me no one is really old now-a-days, 'when grandmothers are cyclists, and octogenarians figure in the Divorce Courts," said Marmaduke. "But this mud-hole that Lady Betty thinks we are sticking in must get stirred up soon." " Perhaps the very stagnation you deplore was the author of that new invention, the Modern Woman, with all her train of literature, theories and clubs," said Mr. Comstock. "Give me the stagnation a thousand times over, bad as it is, rather than that sort of thing," laughed Lady Betty in return. "I sincerely detest the ' revolt- ing' female. Life is vulgar, men and women are often vulgar, but the vulgarity of the New Woman is prodigious." " She makes men feel like Br'er Rabbit, * mighty poly,' though I for one do not intend to * go loungin' roun' an' sufferin'.' Aunt Marv would not like it ; she needs me to keep her flagging spirits up," said Mar- maduke. "And her spirit flagons down," he added sotto voce. The Experiment Is Conceived* 79 A pitying expression llitted across Lady Betty's face, as with considerable severity in her tone she demanded : " Why on earth do you call Lady Brandram 'Aunt ' ? She is no more your aunt than I am." " That is the very reason, my good girl. I call her Aunt Mary simply because she is not a particle of relation to me." " What an idiot you are, Marmaduke," laughed the <,nrl in return ; "but, oh ! my prophetic soul, here is Mrs, Osborne !" " Beast !" ejaculated Myddleton. " Marmaduke !" exclaimed Lady Betty in horrified accents. " She is ; I cannot help it." They had drawn back into a recess partially cut off from the rest of the room by a huge Japanese screen, and were watching the entrance of a lady, of very medium appearance, who bore down upon her hostess with a beaming smile. " My dearest Lady Brandram, how are you ? But I need not ask ; I am charmed to see you looking so well ; you really seem to grow younger every day. Mr. Comstock too, and to think that I should be so fortunate as to meet you here also " — and the rest of her spe'^ch was lost amid the shaking of hands and the clatter of tea-cups. " Hear that ?" demanded Myddleton, from his coigne of vantage. " How I hate, detest, and loathe that female." 8o Hypnotized ? " Marmaduke, will you be quiet ? She will hear you." " No such luck. She always calls me her 'dearest Mr. Myddleton ; ' it nearly makes me sick. She is nothing but a — a — a crystallized falsehood !" he ex- claimed. " Well, you need not go near her ; you can leave her alone, surely." " Just what you cannot do, most innocent maid ; she fastens onto you — positively sticks to you like a sort of social glue." " Oh ! Marmaduke, what nonsense ! I cannot see why you dislike her so very much. She is always most pleasant to me, though I must say I am by no means fond of her ; she rather rubs me up the wrong way." " Of course she does. I tell you she is a toad, and therefore poisonous. I have to be polite to her bo- cause society demands it, but inwardlj" I am raving mad whenever she comes near." Lady Betty laughed. " I certainly never pine for a chat with her, though she is the sort of woman I would not v/ifend for anything. After a visit to her house I always feel a sadder and a sillier girl, but to say that you hate her — that is going too far." " No, it is not. She is about the most exasperating creature I ever met. Here, Comstock, do not you thinK Mrs. Osborne is a very trying sort r/ person ?" Mr. Comstock, who had strolled away to examine a The Experiment Is Conceived, 8i beautiful Burne-Jones, which hung ou the opposite wall, turned round. " Trying ? Yes, perhaps so. But why do you ask ?" " Why does one do anything in this world ? Why take opium or smoke ? To gain information, of course, and a precious lot of it you do obtain from your first cigar." •' Will you not have some more tea, Lady Betty ?" enquired Mr. Comstock. " Let me get you a cup." " No, thank you," with an adorable little smile ; "I have had two cups already. But, Marmaduke, will not you have some ?" " Me ? Oh no ! thanks ; I do not like tea ; it has un- pleasant associations for me ; tea and frumps, you know, always go together." " What is that sentiment you are so emphatically expressing ?" asked a voice close to him. Lady Betty and Mr. Comstock started ; they had not perceived the approach of Mrs. Osborne, who, cup in hand, stood close behind tb3m. " I was only remarking," said Marmaduke calmly, in spite of the warning glance from Betty's brown eyes, " that tea and frumps always go together." " Oh ! really," said Mrs. Osborne gushingly ; " how very amusing. Yc u are always so witty, Mr. Myddle- ton." This speech fell rather flat, for Lady Betty and Marmaduke were silently convulsed — to have opened their lips would have meant eternal risgrace. 82 Hypnotized ? •;-•; ( " I saw a friend of yours to-day," went on Mrs. Osborne, as no one else broke the silence, — " Sybil Car- lisle. Dear girl, she is so devoted to her mother. The old lady is laid up with a bad cold, and Sybil will not leave her to go to the Thornlow's ball to-night. Such a sweet unselfish girl, but rather self-opinionated for one so young — do you not think so ?" " Evidently, Miss Carlisle has given her a snub," whispered Marinaduke to Lady Betty, who promptly tried to frown him down. " No, Sybil is clever, and has a great deal of com- mon-sense, but she is not dictatorial," eagerly replied the girl, who was always ready to stand up for the absent ones. " You think not ; ah, well ! perhaps you are right, but it is a pity, then, that she should give strangers such a false impression. Someone told me the other day that they thought iiar so conceited. I assured them she was not, but I fear they did not quite believe me." " 1 am not surprised," murmured Marmaduke. " I mean," he continued blandly, " when one has formed an opinion it is sometimes hard to change it." " Just so," replied Mrs. Osborne, glancing sharply from one face to another in the small group ; but childlike innocence was written on all. " I hear the wedding is postponed again," chimed in Mrs. Quentin, a young and pretty woman some- what of the fin-de-sUcle type. The Experiment Is Conceived. 83 " You do not mean to say so ? How very strange ! I have often thought that they were not quite suited to each other, not what you might call — very much in love." " They are awfully in love, indeed they are, Mrs. Osborne," eagerly asserted Lady Betty. " Mr. Des- mond just adores Sybil, and she — she is in love with him, too." Mrs. Osborne smiled the superior smile of the mar- ried over the single, and then, for want of further stimulus, the subject dropped. Betty's loving little heart grew very sore at any disparaging allusion to her friend and, knowing well how restless and unsettled Sybil was at that time, she had been deeply distress- ed over the second postponement of the wedding, for she had made up her mind that, once married to Eric, Sybil would be much happier, with a firm hand to guide her and plenty of love and sunshine to surround her. The vain longing for a public career in which the girl indulged, and the excitability of her finely- strung nature, would calm down and disappear, thought Betty, when the cares and duties of a house- hold fell upon her shoulders. And in the meantime the devoted little friend declined to listen to one word of fault-finding against Sybil. " I heard the other day that your house in Kensing- ton Square was for sale, Mrs. Osborne," said Mr. Comstock ; "is it true ? " " Yes, I am sorry to say it is. We find it too large, 84 Hypnotized ? and are going to take up our abode in InverneHS Terrace." " You will naturally feel parting with the old place." " Undoubtedly. You see it is the house I was born in. ncefyed* 85 " We have all missed you so much, Sir Hugh. I am sure dear Lady Betty will be rejoiced to have her companion back again " — this from Mrs. Osborne with a seraphic smile at the girl in question, who, with shining eyes and outstretched hands was welcoming her cousin. " Thank you, Mrs. Osborne. It is good to be at home again. " Did you have much sport ? " enquired Lady Brandram. " Excellent, and glorious weather too. The country is grand at this time of the year." " People have not come back from Scotland yet, and Town is horribly dull," said Lady Betty. " Yes ; even that last resource, politics, is at a dis- count in September," put in Mr. Comstock. " Betty," said Sir Hugh, turning to her, " have you seen Eric Desmond lately ? " " He was here yesterday. Why do you want to know ? " " Because I must see him at once on some private business." " Why did you not come home when he did, Hugh ? " she enquired. " Because I could not," he hesitated. " Would not, you mean," she replied, laughing. " What, or rather who, was the attraction ? Come, confess, it was not the fishing that really detained you." 86 Hypnotized ? " Nonsense, Betty. Do you suppose I am goinjy to be cross-questioned like this ? You should show more deference to your elders." " And leave the science of * pumping ' to Mrs. Os- borne," muttered Marmaduke. " Sit down, Hugh, and tell me all about your tour, where you went and what you saw," said lady Betty, utterly ignoring the last speaker. She knew it was the only way to shut him up, argument being the joy of his soul. " All right, little girl," replied Galbraith, with a pleased intonation, (all men like the attentions of a pretty woman) and forthwith they ensconced them- selves in the cosy corner, banked by its soft pillows of silk. They were good friends, these two — chums, may be — but nothing more. Brought up in close com- panionship, they understood one another thoroughly, and enjoyed each other's society, but to Mrs. Osborne, who was surreptitiously watching them, such a state of things appeared simply unintelligible. She was distinctly one of those narrow-minded people whose circle is a week, and whose starting point is Sunday; a dangerous woman, too, for she was clever in her own way, and contrived to set everyone else by the ears, without getting implicated herself. One does occasionall}'' meet such people in the social jungle through which we all have to travel. They can- not be openly, honestly vindictive like a man, but under a smiling exterior, and with soft words, they The Experiment Is Conceived* 87 sting us, wound us, hurt us, oh ! so cruelly. Lan- guage is a powerful instrument for the disguising of the truth, and in the mouth of such a woman is a deadly weapon ; a hint here, a seemingly careless word dropped there, and lives are wrecked, hearts are broken, faith is shattered. Against such a Society Fiend there is no protection. CHAPTER XII. " He draweth out the thread of his verbosity, Finer than the staple of his argument." — Love's Labour Lost. It was late when Sir Hugh rose from the dinner- table that night to join the ladies in the drawing- room. Lady Brandram had insisted that he should remain to dine with her, and with the charming addition of his pretty cousin, the meal had passed off pleasantly enough. The periodical and lengthy visits of Lady Betty to Belgrave-square had tended to establish the girl more in the position of daughter of the house than that of an ordinary visitor. Little brown mouse, her aunt often playfully called her, and brown she certainly was, but not very mouse-like. Golden-brown hair, yellow-brown eyes, olive-brown skin, and withal, the tiniest, trimmest, daintiest scrap of humanity in the world — such was Lady Betty. What if she did use slang occasionally, or indulged in small frivolities for her own amuse- ment. Her heart was in the right place, and from the crown of her well-poised head, to the sole of her smartly-shod foot, she was a true gentlewoman. During the evening she played and sang to her cousin, for whose especial benefit the girl declared she hac kee her m I The Experiment Is Conceived. 89 had remained at home from the Thornlow's ball, keeping the egotistical man of the world amused with her merry chatter. " You do remind me so of one of Ouida's heroes/' she laughed, "just as you sit there, leaning back in that big chair, with a slow smile hovering round your mouth." " How so ? Wl.ere does the resemblance come in ?" " Just in the tout ensemble. She always describes the man, with a capital M, as icily-cynical, and the proud possessor of a tawny moustache, one who has drunk the cup of pleasure to the very dregs." " And so you think I have drunk of the cup of pleasure to the last drop, eh, little girl ?" "No, not that exactly. At least, I don't know whether you have or not, but you must admit that you have a tawny moustache, and certainly you are very cynical and sarcastic sometimes." " Only as cynical as life, Betty, after all." ** Why, life is just lovely, 'real elegant' as Miss Almira Pepper said to me the other day. You do not know her, do you ? She is a new friend of mine, an American girl, who comes from a place named Eureka — ' way out west ' she calls it." " Good gracious ! What a name !" "And she is so amusing, she says I am 'just too cute for anything,' " said Betty, imitating Miss Almira's nasal drawl. Sir Hugh laughed. " We shall have you talking 7 9© Hypnotized ? like a little Yankee next. How did you come to meet this girl ?" " She is staying in London with her mother, and they go everywhere. They have heaps of money, and she is so beautiful, and wears such lovely clothes." " And uses such lovely slang too, I suppose. I am afraid, Betty, you will grpw worse than ever now, and be using some terrible American as well as English ex- pressions." " Pray, why so, Mr. Lecturer ? But, truly, Almira does not say anything very outrageous. Yesterday, her brother, who is just fourteen, did make a funny speech. I had to laugh, it was so comical." " What did the boy say ? " " You promise not to be shocked if I tell you ? " " Honour bright, I promise." "Well, then, she asked if it was still raining, and he said, ' You bet your variegated socks it am ! ' " " Betty ! " came in a shocked voice from Lady Bran- dram, who had been indulging in a surreptitious "forty winks," and just awakened in time to hear the con- clusion of the girl's sentence. " I did not say it. Aunt Mary ; it was Almira Pep- per's brother." " You should not repeat such things, ray dear ; it is not decent; and how do you know whether Hugh wears coloured or black socks ? " " Aunt Mary," began Betty again, and then stopped. She felt explanation would be useless under the cir- cui wii J nig a pi quet whe her. his a the M phiin, event; before Ast( ^y dun sat wi eioquei brain answed positioi sibJe, pj his qui: ^tlie fan( fiarnel his cheri in his sci sented tc through • I cbarms aj ^a*e tactl Th^ Experiment Is Conceived. cuiustances ; and seeing that r,lK •.. ^f 'au.hter, ehe alsolitf.::;' f^V" «>^aicing it was not unh'I fv,« i j- '"^rtn. niffht that Sir Hul ou !. " "^ *° ^'^ '^''" good- a private interviewti H rBT;'"""^ *° "''-" quest she then bade im! ^"'"^'■'»"- At his re- where, undisturbed he IhT"" ?. '° ^'' ^"^o^^' •- The «an felttti'tl ,:!? - "^^ ^"«--« '» '"«aunfs entire colIaboraZ V °'''^''' '° g*'" the whole truth ; and so w hb^' '""" ""■'' ''"''«'• plain, straightforward iar'^!''^ ""'^ing, and in ~hr^----::^/."cri:: -t with bewildered air, Ts r Hut "^ °'*"'*«^«' eloquent words all the h^pesand!^^ ^""''^ «"' in b-in was teeming. Wh^rauttr h"" "'''='^ ^'« answered him, as nine out of evl °f ! P*"'"'^' «he potion would have done that tie ^- """"'" '° ''^'• s'ble, preposterous-and then • k*' ^"^ ^'^ '"P"*' ;;; ^."-tism. deemir^thZif 2 T'' ^ '^r Idle fancy. *" "t Was but an Earnestly he pleaded for her heln • h's cherished plans_in fact forT^? ^"''^'''^ out 'n his scheme.' He showed ' h tL' r""'^''*'- ented to introduce Ursula the wh Je " "" "^^ '^''■ t>. .% IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) V / /- O # ,, .^, f/. 1.0 j" I.I 1.25 23. 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