The revelation which Clarissa had made to William wrought a great change
in him. Even the next day he felt cheerful, and upon waking and finding
Augustus still asleep, he said to him:
"Come, Augustus, we must rise, for I have some work to do. I promised
your mother I would bring you to her early. She is not well, and we are
to shield and care for her. Shall I carry you just as you are, and put
you beside her while she is sleeping? Perhaps we can surprise her. Shall
we try?"
There was such jovial pleasure in his face that Augustus was surprised
and he looked at him suspiciously, and asked:
"Did she ask for you or me to come?"
"Both of us, boy. She came in and kissed you after you were asleep, and
said she wanted us to come and see her before I went out."
"Where are you going? May I go? I get so lonesome here with only Dinah
and James."
"You may go if you wish. I should like to have you. You love Merle. I am
going to him, and try to finish my book upon science."
"Father, are you going to make him look dead?"
"I am going to put him in a trance, Augustus. You are too brave a boy
to be afraid of anything your father does. Do you think I would injure
Merle?"
"No; but mamma looked as though she were dead. I do not want to go."
"You will always be nervous, Augustus, until you have watched the
process of mesmeric influence. When you know what I am doing, you will
not feel as you did, when, without warning, you found your mother in a
mesmeric state. Come, my boy, be brave. I like to have you with me, if
you will come. I will take you to the theatre after my work is done, and
we will ask Merle to go with us. Merle loves me. Would he love me if I
did him any injury?"
"No; but it makes me nervous just to think of it."
"All that nervousness will go when you see me work. Will you come?"
"May I go away if I do not like it?"
"Yes. Now let's go to mamma; we will not bother with the chair. Let's
surprise her. I will put you beside her before she awakes. We will go
very quietly."
"Will she want us?"
"I think so. Come."
* * * * *
Later in the day, Augustus went with his father, but not without many
misgivings. He wanted to go, but he was afraid. He and Merle were the
best of friends, yet he felt a sense of nervousness about seeing him
entranced, although he was ashamed to acknowledge it to his father. He
did not doubt his father's power nor think that William would hurt
Merle, even temporarily, but the first shock he had received had
prejudiced him. He was very fond of his father, and had he heard anyone
doubt his abilities or powers, he would have resented it. He was glad
his father had asked him to go with him, while he was working upon the
evidence for his book, still, would have given much to have been
somewhere else at the time.
Arriving at Merle's house, each member of the family vied with the
others to entertain him, and after a while William said, "Come, Merle,
let's get to work."
"All right, Professor," responded Merle.