Page:Sylvester Sound the Somnambulist (1844).djvu/393

my heart!" And, having finished his glass, he left the room, and calmly went to bed again.

From this time, Tom heard nothing of him till eight o'clock, when he awoke, and cried, "Are you there still, Tom?"

"Yes," replied Tom, going into his room. "What sort of a dight have you had?"

"I slept excellently well. You heard nothing of me?"

"Dothidg. You appeared to sleep souddly edough."

"I'm sorry for it. It's very strange. In one sense I'm sorry for it."

"Well," said Tom; "do you bead to get up, or lie a little lodger?"

"Oh, I'll get up now. Eight hours' sound sleep is enough for any man."

'Well, do so, thed; but you haved't had quite eight hours."

"It's eight o'clock now, and I went to bed at twelve."

"Yes, but you were with be dearly half ad hour."

"With you! when?"

"Why, frob two till half-past. You, of course, recollect?"

"What, this morning, do you mean?"

"This bordidg."

"Impossible."

"Dod't you rebebber it?"

"No! I'm unconscious of having even turned since I came to bed at twelve o'clock last night."

"Iddeed. You dod't recollect cobidg idto the other roob, add havidg a cigar, a glass of braddy-add-water, add wishing to have a gabe of chess?"

"Are you serious?"

"Perfectly."

"Then I recollect nothing whatever about it."

"Stop a bidite. Sobethidg bay be bade of this, dow. I related ad extraordidary case of sobdabbulisb—a case which I'd just beed readidg; that of a bricklayer's labourer—do you recollect that?"

"No. I recollect nothing that may have occurred since I came to bed last night at twelve."

"Thed, by boy, it is perfectly clear that your suspiciod is well foudded: that you are a sobdabbulist iddeed. You wedt idto that roob about two o'clock, add idquired if I'd seed or heard adythidg of you, add whed I told you that I had dot, you sat dowd add wished to have sobe braddy-add-water, add a cigar. I advised you to put od your clothes, add you did so, add sboked a cigar, add dradk braddy-add-water, add listeded to the case of sobdabbulisb to which I've just alluded, add thed wished to have a gabe of chess, but, as I refused to play, add urged you to go to bed agaid, you did So, after havidg fidished your glass, add I heard doe bore of you."

"But is it possible for me to have done all this, while you were unconscious of my being asleep?"

"You appeared to be awake—perfectly awake. The idea of your beidg asleep at the tibe dever occurred to be. Stop a bidite."

"Might you not have dreamt all this?"

"I dod't think that I closed by eyes, eved for a bobedt."

"But is it not possible?"