The vampire nemesis and other weird stories of the China coast by Dolly Read Free Book Online

meanwhile, was standing outside the circle, quietly turning over the leaves of an album, utterly unconcerned whether anyone disbelieved the evidence of their senses or not.

    I Took my way home that evening in a very mixed frame of mind indeed. Here was something worthy of investigation. A thing, a power, that I had long ago thrown aside in disgust as a fraud and the device of charlatans, had been demonstrated before my astonished eyes, nay, more, upon my own person, in a manner that could not fail to bring conviction to the most sceptical.
    I began already to regret having allowed my interest to abate just because a few dishonest spiritualists had pretended to make use of a power they did not possess. I had undoubtedly been too hasty in my condemnation of all for the fault of the few, and had thus wasted many valuable years that might have been devoted to research into this mystery of mysteries. Anyhow, I decided, as I reached my own door, what I had that night experienced and witnessed was convincing enough to determine me upon reverting to the subject once more.
    I was fortunate—ought I to say fortunate or cursed ?—in meeting Rawdon again within the week at a friend's with whom I was dining. It was, with the exception of myself, a bachelor party; and as we sat over our coffee and cigars the usual discussion was going forward as to what form of play the cards should take, while the evening slipped by in the arranging.

    But I advocated no cards at all. The truth is I was burning with a desire to investigate this wonderful new force, with the power of which I had but lately become cognizant. So I deftly led the conversation round to occult matters in general, and gradually narrowed the field of discussion down to hypnotism. From there it was but a step to announce that Rawdon understood something about it, and to offer myself as a candidate to be experimented on.
    I am positive, now I look back upon that moment, that I saw a sudden gleam of triumph flicker for a moment in the eyes of Rawdon. Yet he seemed reluctant to go through with the test, and required some coaxing, with not a little chaff from the others, about his fears of failure, before he would consent to operate. I was so interested that I did not care what act of folly I committed if only I could learn more of this. Besides, there were only five men present besides ourselves, and one does not mind so much making a fool of oneself for five minutes when the fair sex is not represented.
    I noted this time two or three points. One was that I sank under the influence of the force much sooner than I had done before. I explained this to myself on the hypothesis that I had surrendered myself more readily to it than I had done before. Another was that when I came to, Rawdon seemed to be no more affected by what he called the " mental strain" than he had been after he had made the girl destroy her favourite blossoms. Possibly this was because he had not attempted to make me do anything so flagrantly opposed to my own inclinations as had been that paddle on the imaginary seashore.

    But most remarkable of all was that after the mists had cleared—and, by the way, they swept down upon me with much greater rapidity and stayed but an instant—the faces of two gentlemen sitting opposite to me, to whom I had been introduced for the first time, seemed perfectly familiar. I thought I had known them for years and years, instead of two short hours. I remembered incidents in their lives that had occurred many years ago. I saw myself in their company in familiar surroundings, and I recalled, with peculiar vividness, scenes in the past of my own life with which hitherto I had been totally unacquainted. It was literally recalling with wonderful detail incidents that until now I never knew had happened to me.
    All this puzzled me exceedingly, until some time afterwards I discovered that both men were old friends of Arnold Rawdon. Then a ray of light seemed to fall athwart my mind,