ang up; I was alone--quite alone. It was, once more, an
hallucination.

By degrees the first painful impression wore away. Some days had passed,
and I had begun to forget my singular delusion. When my thoughts aid
revert to it, the recollection was dismissed as that of a ridiculous
fancy. One afternoon I was in the Strand, coming from Charing Cross,
when I was once more overcome by that peculiar feeling of cold and
numbness which I had before experienced. The day was warm and bright and
genial, and yet I positively shivered. I had scarce time to interrogate
my own strange sensations when a man went by me rapidly. How was it that
I recognized him at once as the individual who had only passed my window
so casually on that morning of the hallucination? I don't know, and yet
I was aware that this man was the tall, fair passer-by of the Brompton
Road. At the same moment the voice I had previously heard whispered
distinctly in my ear the words, "Follow him!" I stood stupefied. The
usual throngs of indifferent persons were hurrying past me in that
crowded thoroughfare, but I felt convinced that not one of these had
spoken to me. I remained transfixed for a moment. I was bent on a matter
of business in the contrary direction to the individual I had remarked,
and so, although with unsteady step, I endeavored to proceed on my way.
Again that voice said, still more emphatically, in my ear, "Follow him!"
I stopped involuntarily. And a third time, "Follow him!" I told myself
that the sound was a delusion, a cheat of my senses, and yet I could not
resist the spell. I turned to follow. Quickening my pace, I soon came up
with the tall, fair man, and, unremarked by him, I followed him. Whither
was this foolish pursuit to lead me? It was useless to ask myself the
question--I was impelled to follow.

I was not destined to go very far, however. Before long the object of my
absurd chase entered a well-known insurance-office. I stopped at the
door of the establishment. I had no business within, why should I
continue to follow? Had I not already been making a sad fool of myself
by my ridiculous conduct? These were my thoughts as I stood heated by my
quick walk. Yes, heated; and yet, once more, came the sudden chill. Once
more that same low but now awful voice spoke in my ear: "Go in!" it
said. I endeavored to resist the spell, and yet I felt that resistance
was in vain. Fortunately, as it seemed to me, the thought crossed my
mind that an old