When the Sleeper Wakes
amine the caves there. Halfway down the precipitous path to the Pentargen beach he came suddenly upon a man sitting in an attitude of profound distress ben
more so, and, to override the awkwardness of his involuntary pause, he remarked,
ly, hesitated a second, and added i
" was all he said, but his bear
es to Isbister's face and emphasizing his words with a languid
adv
.... They are all very well for the run of people. It's hard
t difficult,"
under the circumstances, prompted him to keep the conversation going. "I've never suffered from sleeplessness mysel
ake no ex
esture of rejection, and for
with a glance from his interlocutor's face o
day after day-from New Quay. It has only added muscular fatigue to the me
bbed his forehead with a lean hand. He res
hildless-who is it speaks of the childless as the dead twigs on the tree of life? I am wifeless, I ch
ive! We only live in patches. We have to eat, and then comes the dull digestive complacencies-or irritations. We have to take the air or else our thoughts grow sluggish, stupid, run into gulfs and blind alleys. A thousand distractions arise from within and wit
" said
the sleepless man with
s is the
es
e the two remaine
g days, since my work was done, my mind has been a whirlpool, swift, unprogressive an
"Towards
ively, and with an air of a remedy di
never clearer. But I know I am dra
es
y? Out of the light of the day, out
postulate
yself. If in no other way-at the foot of yonder dark precipice there, where the waves are green, and the w
tartled at the man's hysterical gust of
leep," repeated the str
ogether that afternoon. "It's not a cert, you know," he remarked. "There's a cliff like that at Lulwo
se rocks
h a cold night, broken bones grating as one s
r ideals," said Isbister with a sen
for the matter of that), really, as an arti
ss man irritably, "the other thing. No
walking along t
es
no cure for brain fag. Who told you to? No wonder; walking! And the sun on your head, heat
rt and looked at the
re for ever! See the white spume rush into darkness under that great cliff. And this blue vault, with the blinding sun pourin
s and bloodless lips. He spoke almost in a whisper. "It is the gar
e sunlit cliffs about them and back to that
on. "You get a night's sleep," he said, "and you wo
thought of which was righteous self-applause. He took possession forthwith. It seemed to him that the first need of this exhausted being was companio
spoke only in answer to Isbister's direct questions-and not to all of those. B
nd return towards Boscastle, alleging the view into Blackapit, he submitted quietly. Halfway up he began talking to himself, and abruptly turned a ghastly face on his helpe
ith his ha
ister with the air of an old friend.
ncerning his whirling brain. At the headland they stood for a space by the seat that looks into the dark mysteries of Blackapit, and then he sat down. Isbister had resumed his talk whenever the path had wi
weight. No-not drowsiness, would God it were! It is like a shadow, a deep shadow falling suddenly and swiftly across something busy. Spin, spin into
pped f
I can understand. At any rate, it don't matter ve
awhile while this rubbing continued, and then he had a fresh idea. "Come down to my room,
iently and followed
ments were slow and hesitating. "Come in with me," said Isbister, "and t
ctions. "I don't drink," he said slowly, coming up the garden path, and after a momen
d entered the room with the be
hair, seemed almost to fall into it. He leant forwa
ousness of an inexperienced host, making little remarks that scarcely required answering.
nd-his mind troubled with a design of the furtive administration of chloral. "Only cold mutton, yo
wer. Isbister stopped, mat
the portfolio, opened it, put it down, hesitated, seemed about to speak. "Perhaps," he whispered doubtfully. Presently he glanced
ch, and stood where the monkshood rose at the corner of the garden bed. From this point he could
lities with him. He felt that possibly his circumspect attitude and position seemed peculiar and unaccountabl
omplacency. "At any rate we must give him a chance." He struc
door of his sitting-room. He had some difficulty in explaining the situation in whispers, for she did not know he had a visitor. She retreated again w
attitude, dark against the window. Save for the singing of some sailors aboard one of the little slate-carrying ships in the harbour, the evening was very still. Outside, the spikes of monkshood and delphinium stood erect and moti
thing came from
ce to listen. At last he could lay his hand on the back of t
tor's face. He started violently and uttered an
enly afraid. Overcome by the strangeness of the man's condition, he took him by the shoulder and s
d. He suddenly became active and noisy, strode across the room
he said in the passage. "There i
ow glare as his astonished landlady entered with the light. His face was white as he turned blinking towards her. "I must fet