ulously poured into my mind all
manner of apocrypha concerning this gentleman's shortcomings--about the
necessity of praying for and at him, and about the effects of my
efforts, i. e., bringing a streak of celestial light upon him--until I
was almost ready to wish that he might be ----, rather than that I
should have any such unseasonable work to perform in his behalf. But
they kept me at it, straight through the night and a large portion of
the next day; and finally induced me to go, much against my will, to
reveal to him some of my experiences, and to endeavor to force from him
an acknowledgment that what I had heard about him was true.

The attempt to cause at least a temporary aberration of my intellect now
becomes very plain in the manuscript. Every idea is uttered in the most
exciting manner. All statements and prognostications about my neighbor
having proved false (he was amazed at my procedure), the invisible
busybodies boiled over thus:

'He has lied! he has lied to you! and if you would preserve your reason,
go and read the papers to him. He had schooled himself to show no
emotion, and you showed enough to excite his worst, most hideous fears.
So go, for Heaven's sake! He quailed once, and only once, before your
not sufficiently steady gaze. Woe! woe! woe! Now what shall be done?'
... [Evidently trying to get up a teapot tempest.] 'Do not strive to
unravel this mystery in that fiercely keen way, or this evil spirit will
have to give place to a more expert deceiver. God will certainly do
something soon to set these matters straight, or I shall cease to be!'
[She had said annihilation was possible!] 'Your father wishes to speak
to you.'

A fatherly spirit it was truly--was for driving me mad off hand, but
overshot the mark.

'Son, this is awful! I can only say to you, be calm and cool, for you
will need to be both to get free from this snare of Satan, so well
conceived. Better go to supper now (for appearance sake): after that,
pray for help. When you took away those books [after reading extracts to
the neighbor], the whole crew of devils,' etc., etc.

This exciting language 'brought me up with a round turn.' I saw at once
the object of the person who was talking with me. So I brought the
affair to a full stop, as far as the use of my hand was concerned. I
simply added, on that leaf--speaking now for myself:

'I will hear no further. This part of my discipline is finished.'

But I was forced to hear, whe