CONFIDENCES.
Some time after mid-day the next morning, Wyck awoke with the unpleasant
sensation that his head was of abnormal size, his throat very dry, and
altogether he felt and looked extremely seedy. A brandy-and-soda and a
cold tub eased him somewhat, and he managed to get through his dressing
and lounge daintily through his breakfast. A knock at the door was
followed by the entrance of Tommy.
"How do, old boy; head a bit thick?" was that youthful spark's airy
greeting, as he coolly settled himself in an easy-chair.
"A trifle, thanks. How's yours? Help yourself," he said, as he pushed
the brandy-decanter towards him.
"Thanks. I feel in want of a pick-me-up," and Tommy helped himself to a
stiff nobbler of brandy.
Wyck and Tommy were fast friends, though of such opposite dispositions.
Wyck liked his companion's light and jovial manner, and Tommy liked
Wyck's pocket.
"What sort of a cruise did you have, Tommy, while you were away?" asked
Wyck.
"Ripping. A month in the Mediterranean is great fun, I can tell you,
when you are in good company."
"You're a lucky devil, Tommy."
"Yes, I suppose so. But judging from the charming little history you
gave the Club last night you've been going it during my absence."
"Yes, I flatter myself I've had some good fun."
"I say, Wyck, I want to know how you do it."
"My secret; eh, Tommy?"
"Exactly. Now out with it. I swear dumb."
"Then I'll tell you, Tommy. Only mind, should you let it out, I'll kill
you," said Wyck, fiercely.
"It's a bargain, Wyck," answered Tommy, calmly helping himself to a
cigar from Wyck's box, and, lounging back, prepared to listen.
"Last night I mentioned an episode with a Colonel's daughter. Well all
that is true. Smarting under the slight, and vowing vengeance, I left
Nice and travelled to India, where I had plenty of chums. One night I
attended a big kick-up given by one of the Rajahs in honour of some
affair or other. All sorts of amusements were provided, and amongst the
numerous entertainments was one by a mesmerist and hypnotist, who gave
very clever manifestations of his skill. I happened to be standing close
to him and he begged my assistance in one of his experiments. I, of
course, agreed and did exactly what he told me, trying to help him to
the best of my power; but to my surprise all his passes had no effect
whatever upon me. Another fellow was taken in my place and the feat was
accomplished successfully. This puzzled me and the first opportunity I
got I asked the mesmerist the reason. His answer was: 'You are as strong
if not stronger than I and, unconscious to yourself, you make yourself
antagonistic.' I laid awake all that night, his words running through
my head, and when I fell asleep I dreamt I was a great mesmerist. A
hunting party was organised for the next day and I was invited. We took
the train some distance, and then rode into the jungle. I became
separated from the main party and was watching an open space in the
jungle when my attention was attracted by a pretty little tropical bird,
fluttering round and round a tree. This interested me, and on closer
inspection I found a huge snake had coiled himself on one of the upper
branches, and was calmly lying with its mouth open, waiting for his
prey. Smaller and smaller were the circles the bird made, and weaker and
weaker were its efforts to escape the fascination, until it finally
fluttered to a limb just above the snake. It seemed to turn its piteous
glance for help on me, but not I! I was enjoying it. At length it could
no longer resist its fate and it fluttered into its enemy's jaws. Now
other men would have let sentiment get the better of them and have shot
that snake; but I looked up to it with respect, and it set me thinking.
'What if I could bring people under my will like that!' I thought. 'No
girl would slight me any more.'
"Two days later, I left India for England. A sudden departure, but I was
on the eve of a great discovery. I gathered together all the treatises
relating to mesmerism that I could find and shut myself up in the
country to study them. By the time I had mastered them, I found I
thoroughly understood the art and, returning to London, I began to
practise on people whom I had engaged for the purpose. One evening I
accidentally made a great discovery. I found that by concentrating my
gaze at a certain angle on another I could control that person's will.
To my joy I found it answered with greater ease on women, and I started
experimenting right away. My first subject was Fanny at the 'Royal.' You
know the snubby little minx she was. She had tried to snub me more than
once in public, and I felt I owed her a grudge, so to her I went to pay
it.
"I found her alone in the bar, and calling for a whiskey and soda, she
served it out in her usual languid way that riled me. As she put out her
hand to take my half-crown I seized it and looked her in the face hard.
Her first impulse was to withdraw it in disgust, but gradually her face
began to relax, and in two minutes we were talking together like the
oldest friends."
"What did you will her to do?" asked Tommy, with interest.
"I willed her to think that she loved me. And I succeeded, for when her
_fiance_ came in, she gave me the preference of her company. I despised
and detested them both, so, to rile him, I boldly invited her to go with
me to the theatre that evening, and she could not refuse, for I willed
her to come. Needless to say, I did not take her. Her intended married
someone else; hence the first notch in my stick. The second was, as I
said, the Colonel's daughter, now the Lieutenant's wife. I found out her
address, and called when he was on duty. Though she gave me a chilly
reception, I soon had her will under control, and I carried on in public
with her for some days. On her husband's return, his kind friends told
him all about it. He accused her; she retaliated. There was a row, and
now he is in Africa, while she is living again with her father, fretting
her heart out. I was overjoyed at this success, for it enabled me to put
two notches on my stick and, as he is the only man represented, he ought
to feel honoured. As for the others, they are of all classes; some
married women; some Society ladies, who have displeased me at one time
or another."
"What about Marjorie Williamson?" asked Tommy, who was drinking in this
ignoble history of wrong redressed with avid interest. "I heard you had
some fun with her. Tell us about it."
"Oh! that was a great joke. It all came about like this:
"Of course you know that Marjorie was acknowledged to be one of the
prettiest little girls on the stage, and you know how stand-offish she
was where men were concerned. Charley Walkden was fearfully gone on her,
and occupied the same front stall for months. Every night he threw her a
bouquet with a note or present and every night, as regular as clockwork,
were they returned. One night he made himself too conspicuous, so that
Marjorie became annoyed, and that night's bouquet was returned on the
spot, accompanied with a verbal message that even an ardent admirer like
Charley could not misunderstand. I was in the theatre that night and
Wilson, the manager, told me about it. I mentioned it at the Club, and
when old Charley turned up he was chaffed by the others. He was annoyed
when he came in, but this fairly maddened him.
"'I'll lay five to one in hundreds,' he said, 'that there is not a man
here who would be allowed to see her home.' As no one seemed inclined to
take it up, I said, casually, 'I'll book that bet, Sir Charles.' Of
course, the boys were delighted and I suppose I got a bit excited, for I
offered to lay another even five hundred that I would take her to
Brighton within a week. Sir Charles eagerly snapped that up, and when I
left I felt keenly interested in Marjorie, as I stood to win a thousand
or lose six hundred.
"The next day I called on Wilson, the manager, who told me there was to
be a _matinee_ that afternoon. As I wanted his help I told him about the
bet and what my plans were. At first he demurred to assisting me to
carry them out, but I had been of some use previously to Wilson on
several occasions, so I had not much difficulty in shewing him there was
no harm in my scheme. By a little manoeuvring I was soon introduced to
the fair Marjorie and had her will well under my control. I saw her home
that afternoon and made five hundred. The next day I met her after
rehearsal; we took a cab to London Bridge, caught the mid-day train to
Brighton, lunched at the Metropole, and got back to town by five.
Witnesses were posted at both places to avoid disputes. Walkden was
madder than ever and that night we had a big kick-up, on the strength of
the thousand I had won."
"But what's become of Marjorie?" asked Tommy. "We never see her now."
"Oh, it appears that Lotty Carr, that stuck-up little minx who is
jealous of her and everybody else, heard something about this business
and asked Walkden, who, to save himself, told a lot of lies. Little Carr
then proceeded to make mischief by going first to Wilson and then to
Marjorie's mother. Wilson, of course, I was able to square, but the
mother was an invalid and the affair so upset her that it ended in her
death. Marjorie at once left the stage, forfeiting her salary. I was, of
course, awfully sorry and sent her half my winnings, which she returned.
_Truth_ then took it up and added to the fuss."
"What's she doing now?"
"Dressmaking or something of that sort. And, poor devil, I believe she
has two or three kids to support, brothers and sisters."
"Ah, well! I suppose she'll pick up with Sir Charles, now? He's got
plenty of the needful."
"Fool if she doesn't," replied this elegant young gentleman, flippantly.
Extremes meet. The naked savage has a fairly low estimate of the value
of his womankind, but it is many degrees higher than that of this
product of a highly-cultured civilization.
Tommy's curiosity was roused and he was anxious to draw more particulars
of his peculiar gift from his friend, so he continued his catechism.
"I say, Wyck! I suppose if you wanted a girl to get properly struck on
you, you could do it. Eh?"
"Rather, Tommy, I only want a girl to be in my company three or four
times and I can mould her so that she will break her heart and pine
away, if I leave her."
"Nonsense. But you don't go so far as that?"
"No, but I may do so for an experiment."
"I suppose you alluded to this power when you once said you had
conquered every nation under the sun?"
"Oh! only that I had willed girls of most nationalities."
"And who are the two you are looking after now?"
"One I have found; she is a Swiss. The other I am looking for; she is an
Australian."
"Australian, eh? I fancy I could fit you up there. I know a jolly girl
from Australia."
"You do? By Jove, Tommy, that's glorious! Who is she?"
"I don't know her very well. She lives in one of the suburbs with some
retired Australians, called Whyte. Her name is Amy Johnson."
"Is she good-looking?"
"She's more, she's sweetly pretty. But I believe she is engaged to a
young fellow named Morris, also an Australian."
"That makes it all the more interesting. But how are we to meet?" said
Wyck, really roused.
"I can arrange that, if you are game for a suburban ball-room. The
Brixton Bachelors give their annual ball shortly. She will be there and
I will get you an invite."
"Tommy, you're a brick," said his friend, slapping him on the back; a
proceeding which ensured the success of his neat manoeuvre, by which a
note or two was transferred from Wyck's pocket-book to that of his
friend, who was "rather hard-pressed, you know," and Wyck was "a
devilish good chap for helping a fellow out of a hole."
In Piccadilly they parted, Tommy's last words being:
"'Ware young Australian, old chap. These colonial fellows are not to be
trifled with."
"My dear boy, I've heard that before. They told me the same with regard
to Americans, but three of my notches represent Yankee maidens. I'm all
right. Don't forget the ticket for the ball. I must complete my score of
fifty."
He waved him an adieu, and went his way, very well pleased with himself
and full of self-confidence. The old pitcher in the fable succumbed at
the hundredth journey, and Wyck's successful career will be cut short by
the fiftieth notch.