It was five o'clock, and the June sun lay hot upon the pavement. He feltthe metal door-knob burn the palm of his hand.
"Ah, Laidlaw, this is well met," cried a voice at his elbow; "I was inthe act of coming to see you. I've a case that will interest you, andbesides, I remembered that you flavoured your tea with orangeleaves!--and I admit--"
It was Alexis Stephen, the great hypnotic doctor.
"I've had no tea to-day," Laidlaw said, in a dazed manner, after staringfor a moment as though the other had struck him in the face. A new ideahad entered his mind.
"What's the matter?" asked Dr. Stephen quickly. "Something's wrong withyou. It's this sudden heat, or overwork. Come, man, let's go inside."
A sudden light broke upon the face of the younger man, the light of aheaven-sent inspiration. He looked into his friend's face, and told adirect lie.
"Odd," he said, "I myself was just coming to see you. I have somethingof great importance to test your confidence with. But in _your_ house,please," as Stephen urged him towards his own door--"in your house. It'sonly round the corner, and I--I cannot go back there--to my rooms--tillI have told you.
"I'm your patient--for the moment," he added stammeringly as soon asthey were seated in the privacy of the hypnotist's sanctum, "and Iwant--er--"
"My dear Laidlaw," interrupted the other, in that soothing voice ofcommand which had suggested to many a suffering soul that the cure forits pain lay in the powers of its own reawakened will, "I am always atyour service, as you know. You have only to tell me what I can do foryou, and I will do it." He showed every desire to help him out. Hismanner was indescribably tactful and direct.
Dr. Laidlaw looked up into his face.
"I surrender my will to you," he said, already calmed by the other'shealing presence, "and I want you to treat me hypnotically--and at once.I want you to suggest to me"--his voice became very tense--"that I shallforget--forget till I die--everything that has occurred to me during thelast two hours; till I die, mind," he added, with solemn emphasis, "tillI die."
He floundered and stammered like a frightened boy. Alexis Stephenlooked at him fixedly without speaking.
"And further," Laidlaw continued, "I want you to ask me no questions. Iwish to forget for ever something I have recently discovered--somethingso terrible and yet so obvious that I can hardly understand why itis not patent to every mind in the world--for I have had a moment ofabsolute _clear vision_--of merciless clairvoyance. But I want no oneelse in the whole world to know what it is--least of all, old friend,yourself."
He talked in utter confusion, and hardly knew what he was saying. Butthe pain on his face and the anguish in his voice were an instantpassport to the other's heart.
"Nothing is easier," replied Dr. Stephen, after a hesitation so slightthat the other probably did not even notice it. "Come into my other roomwhere we shall not be disturbed. I can heal you. Your memory of the lasttwo hours shall be wiped out as though it had never been. You can trustme absolutely."
"I know I can," Laidlaw said simply, as he followed him in.