The Parasite

uch persecutions as she can inflict upon me. Even if none come, I shall live in a hell of apprehension. But she may torture me, she may drive me mad, she may kill me: I will neve

month ago if one of my colleagues had come to me with a story of demonic possession? Perhaps. I should have been less patient than he was. As it was, he took notes of my statement, asked me how much tea I drank, how many hours I slept, whether I had been overworking much, had I had sudden pains in the head, evil dreams, singing in t

ay put their heads together and I may find myself in an asylum. I can but grip

so torn with doubt and terror! It has been an uneventful day, but I know that I am on the edge of an abyss. I know it, and yet I go on with the routine

ctures are thought of. So it is from that point that she now attacks me. It will end, I can see, in my los

after the lecture, and complained of being puzzled by the discrepancy between my statements and those in the text books. He showed me his note-book, in which I was reported as having in one portion of the lecture championed the most outrageous and unscientific heresies. Of course I denied it, and declared that he had misunderstood me, but on comparing his notes with

ation? I had vowed never to open it again. And yet the force of habit is strong, and here I find myself taking up once more the record of my

ne in the most delicate way, purporting to be a temporary measure to relieve me from the effects of overwork, and to give me the opportunity of recovering my healt

se of a coming eclipse. Then as I felt the influence I would struggle against it, striving with clenched hands and beads of sweat upon my brow to get the better of it, while the students, hearing my incoherent words and watching my contortions, would roar with laughter at the antics of their professor. And then, when she had once fairly mastered me, out would come the most outrageous things—silly jokes,

ut of all keeping with the age and place. In the home of knowledge I am weighed down and tortured by a power of which science knows nothing. No magistrate would listen to me. No paper would discuss my case. No doctor would believe my symptoms. My ow

f a lonely country road. She asked me with her cold smile whether I had been chastened yet. I did not deign to answer her. “We must tr

devotion to science and the arduous nature of my researches which have shaken my nervous system. I have had the kindest message from the council advising me to travel abroad, and expressing the confident hope that I may be able to resume all my duties by the beginning of th

when a rowdy undergraduate breaks a few lamps or comes to blows with a policeman. Last night, however, there w

o that the defence was considerably stronger than the attack. Indeed, the latter does not appear to have ever been very formidable. Two of the lower windows have marks as if a chisel or some such instrument had been pushed under them

hall not! But, oh, the she-devil! She has taken my professorship. Now she would take my honor. Is there noth

down upon the edge of the bed and began to cry. It is many a long year since I shed tears, but all my nerve was gone, and I could but sob and sob in impotent grief and anger. There

f me. Now she would brand me as a criminal. This time she has failed. But how about the n

slight exertion of her will her subject would be conscious, and with a stronger one unconscious. Last night I was unconscious. I could have sworn that I slept soundly in my bed without so much as a dream. And yet those stains tell me that I dress

iver that I made the marks. I found it all crusted with paint, and I have cleaned it. My head aches as if it would burst

se only to pounce upon me again. I am never so frightened as when every thing is sti

ndon. Once here they may be drawn into the miserable network in which I am myself struggling. And I must tell them of it. I cannot marry Aga

not have it said that I am unfit to appear in public. If I am seen there, and have speech with some of the elders

o has influence, and I think that I made them realize that my chair is not vacant quite yet. The creature was at the ball—unable to dance, of course, but sitting with Mrs. Wilson. Again and again her eyes rested upon me. They were almost the last things I saw before I left the room. Once, as I sat sideways to her, I watched her, and

ands is greatly swollen this morning, and yet I have no remembrance of injuring it yesterday. Otherwise, I am feeling all the better for last night’s festivity. But I cannot understand how it is that

s she has me. No, I have come to the limit of my endurance. She has made me as desperate and dangerous a man as walks the earth. God knows I have never had the heart to hurt a

in bed. As I entered he sat up and turned a fa

ened?” I cried, but my hear

sion that you are a madman. Now I know it, and that you are a dangerous one as well. If it were not

mean——”

your fists in the face, knocked me down, kicked me furiously in the side, and left me l

inning. I poured them out with quivering hands and burning words which might have carried conviction to the most sceptical. “She hates you and she hates me!” I cried. “She revenged herself last night on both of us at o

out of the room,” he muttered. “She is capable of it. But is it possi

sperate; I shall give her fair warning to

ng rash,”

what may be the great crisis of my life. I shall start at once. I have gained one thing to-day, for I have made one man, at least, realize

into the exact nature of the spiritualistic rap, while the creature and I sat in silence looking across the room at each other. I read a sinister amusement in her eyes, and

aid she, with that bitter smile of hers. “How i

across and shook her roughly by the shoulder “As sure as there is a God in heaven, I swear that if you try another of your devilt

can hate. You had your choice. You chose to spurn the first; now you must test the other. It will take a litt

a pollution that you should dare even to think

tried to brazen it out. She read the black t

. “He actually dares to threaten a lonely woman. I mus

but the voice and manne

heard Wilson’s step upon the stair, I walked from the room. Ay, she may look venomous and deadly, but, for all that, she is beginning to see now that she has as m

troubles seem in a moment to have been shredded back from my life. She tells me that I am looking pale and worried and ill. The dear child puts it down to my loneliness and the perfunctory attentions of a housekeeper. I pray that she may never know the

red. It is fresh in my mind, and I can set it down correctly, though it is not

c sections in my freezing microtome, when in an instant I lost consciousness

nd pretty little trifles upon the wall. A small ornamental clock ticked in front of me, and the hands pointed to half-past three. It was all quite familiar to me, and yet I stared about for a moment in a ha

at errand already been done? Surely it must; otherwise, why should I be allowed to come back to consciousness? Oh, the agony of that

into Agatha’s chamber? Was it not this thick, reeking liquid with which jealous women had been known to mar the beauty of their rivals? My heart stood still as I held the bottle to the light. Thank God, it was full! No mischief had been done as yet. But had Agatha come in a minute sooner, was it not certain t

dress which restored me. I looked up, and saw her blue

y, Austin,” she said. “You want rest

to smile. “It was only a momentary

ur! The vicar was in the drawing-room, and, as I knew that you did not care for him, I

Thank God he stayed!

my arm as I staggered up from the chair. “Why are you glad that

into my pocket. “But I must go. I

! I have never seen your fa

I am a

ot wit

ling! You would

not told me

t I did, or what shadow might fall on my name. Would you believe

that I wou

r you. I am driven to it. There is no other way out,

pon, but I never paused for that. What weapon should I need, when I felt every muscle quivering with the strength of a frenzied man? I ran through the streets, so set upon what I had to do that I was only dimly conscious of the faces of friends whom I met—dimly cons

nce to Miss Penc

Penclosa died this afte

nd