That feeds upon the brain.
“I recalled the reply--
Therein the patient must minister to himself.
“How fantastic it seemed. Here was that cool observer within me quoting
poetry over my own delirium without being able to allay it. What a
mystery was the brain that could become the theatre of such wild
drama. I turned my glance to the orchestra. Ah, what was that they were
playing?... Yes, it was a passage from Dvorak's American Symphony. How
familiar it was! My mind incontinently leapt to a remote scene, I saw
a well-lit room and children round the hearth and a figure at the
piano....
“It was as though the madman within me had fallen stone dead. I looked
at the stage coolly, and observed that someone was diving into the lake
from a trapeze that seemed a hundred feet high. The glare was still
behind, but I knew it for a sham glare. What a fool I had been.... But
what a hideous time I had had.... And what a close shave.... I took out
my handkerchief and drew it across my forehead.”
[Illustration: 0066]
[Illustration: 0067]