“You’ll send him back to where he came from, won’t you, Dr. Annister? You won’t let him have his will over me?”
“We can succeed,” the doctor assured him in confident tones, “if you will do your part. You must control yourself at all times. Try to strengthen your enfeebled will power. Live quietly, sanely, and a clean, moral life. I don’t believe you’ve been doing that, Felix.”
“Oh, I’ve had to keep some excitement going. I’ve motored like the devil all around New York, and when I could have pleasant company with me that helped to hold that damned creature down as much as anything. Some people were better than others. Miss Marne’s sister, a jolly girl, especially if I fed her with champagne while we were out, was very useful and she saved me several times. But the last time it was a failure. She seemed to be afraid of me and though I made her drink wine till she was drunk, it was no good. I came back no better off than I was before.”
Dr. Annister made a sudden movement and looked at his watch. He was conscious of an irruption of unprofessional loathing into his feeling for his patient. He was wondering how much this callous disregard of everything but his own interest was due to his abnormal condition and how much to his innate selfishness; and his thoughts flew to his own cherished daughter.
“Well, Felix,” he said rising, “I’m due—I’ve barely time to make it—at a consultation over an important case, so that we can’t go any farther into this now. But I can help you. I’m sure I can, if you will follow orders. I shall try hypnosis. It’s the only thing we know, yet, that really has much effect. But some wonderful cures have been made with it. Come back tonight. My evening office hour is from eight to nine. Come about nine o’clock, so that I can take you the last one and have plenty of time for experiment. And there’s another thing, Felix,—ah!” He stopped suddenly, as a little spasm of pain crossed his face, and pressed his hand against his heart. “It’s nothing,” he went on deprecatingly, at the other’s look of inquiry. “This little organ in here,” and he patted his breast, “reminds me of its existence, once in a while, lately. I’m ordered to take a rest, and I suppose I’ll have to before long.”
“You’re not going away?” Brand queried anxiously. “You won’t go till after you’ve fixed me up?”
“I can’t go for some time—unless I have to. And don’t mention it to Mildred or Mrs. Annister. Now, about that other thing. I must insist, Felix, that you release Mildred from this engagement between you. I have let it go on against my own judgment too long already, because I was hoping that time would lessen her infatuation. But in the light of all that you have just told me it is impossible—it must not continue another day. You ought to see yourself how unfair it would be to her.”
“But suppose,” said Brand, with the suggestion of a sneer in his voice, “that Mildred should not wish to be released?”
The doctor pressed his lips together and his gray eyes flashed. His pale face looked very weary. “Her wishes can make no difference now,” he replied decisively. “Write to her and say that you wish to end the engagement. Make any excuse that you like. But you must not see her again. That is final, Felix. Good-bye. I’ll see you tonight.”