said, "There! do all you can with
me."

Voltaire and Kaffar came up to me, while the rest crowded around. The
former fixed his terrible eye upon me as if he would peer into my very
soul. A strange feeling began to creep over me; but I struggled against
it with all my strength, and for a minute I seemed to gain the mastery.
I laughed in his face, as if I scorned his boasted strength. A strange
gleam was emitted from his light grey eyes, while his lips became ashy
pale. Then I saw him grip Kaffar's hand. Instantly the room was peopled
with a strange crowd. Dark forms seemed to come from Voltaire's eyes;
peculiar influences were all around me. The faces of the two men became
dimmer and dimmer, the people appeared to float in mid air, and I with
them; then something heavy seemed to move away, I thought I heard
strange creeping noises, like that of an adder crawling amidst thick dry
grass, and then all was blank.

CHAPTER VI

AFTERWARDS

When I awoke to consciousness I was in my bedroom. For some time I could
not gather up my scattered senses; my mind refused to exercise its
proper functions. Presently I heard some one speak.

"I had no idea he was so far gone," a voice said. "You see, his power of
resistance is very great, and it needed four times the magnetism to
bring him under that it did your servant."

"I'm sorry you experimented on him at all," said another voice.

"Oh, I can assure you no harm's done. There, you see, he's coming to."

I felt something cold at my temples, then a strange shivering sensation
passed over me, and I was awake.

Voltaire, Kaffar, Tom Temple, and Simon Slowden were in the room. "How
do you feel, Mr. Blake?" asked Voltaire, blandly.

I lifted my eyes to his, and felt held by a strange power. "I'm all
right," I said almost mechanically, at the same time feeling as if I was
under the influence of a charm.

"Then," said Voltaire, "I will leave you. Good-night."

Immediately he left, followed by Kaffar, I experiencing a sense of
relief. "Did I do anything very foolish?" I asked, recollecting the
events of the evening.

"Oh no, Justin," replied Tom. "And yet that Voltaire is a terrible
fellow. Half the young ladies in the room were nearly as much mesmerized
as you were. You acted in pretty nearly the same way as Simon here, but
nothing else. Do you feel quite right?"

"I am awfully weak," I said, "and cold shivers creep down my legs."

"You were such a long time under t