Sylvester Sound the Somnambulist/Chapter 33

Immediately on his arrival in town, Sylvester called on his friend Tom Delolme, who received him as usual with great cordiality, and was indeed happy to see him. The greeting, however, was brief: for Sylvester's anxiety to communicate the idea he had conceived, prompted him to open the subject at once.

"Tom," said he, "you know, I believe, something about somnambulism?"

"Sobdabbulisb?" replied Tom. "Yes: I kdow pretty well all that is kdowd about the batter!"

"Well, then, I wish to consult you on the subject; for I have a strong suspicion that I'm a somnambulist."

"Dodsedse!" returned Tom.

"I really suspect that I am!"

"You a sobdabbulist."

"Well! what idduced that suspiciod?"

"Why, Tom, let me go where I may, mystery follows me. Something of an extraordinary and unaccountable character is sure to occur, and that at night. If I go down to Cotherstone Grange a 'ghost' is certain to appear in the village: which 'ghost' never appears there when I am away. I slept here, you will remember, just before I left town. Your servant declared that he saw 'a ghost' then."

"I recollect. That 'ghost' broke by pier-glass. I see. But have you doe other groudds for suspiciod?"

"There have been innumerable occurrences for which I have been utterly unable to account; but that which makes me more immediately anxious to ascertain whether I am in reality a somnambulist or not, is the approaching trial. Sir Charles, you know, declares that he saw me there, while his butler is fully prepared to swear it. Now, I am unconscious of having been there—perfectly unconscious; and if I was there, to what but somnambulism can it be ascribed?"

"I see: I see it all—clearly. You have dever beed discovered id a state of sobdabbulisb?"

"Never."

"Did you ever od awakidg fide yourself id ady stradge place, or id ady place id which you'd doe idea of beidg?"

"Never: I have always, on awaking, found myself in bed."

"Have you directed ady persod to watch you at all?"

"No one has had ever the slightest idea of my having entertained this suspicion. You are the only man to whom I have breathed a syllable on the subject. I have been for some time endeavouring to prove the fact myself. I've tied strings to my ancle, locked my room-door, and hid the key."

​"Ah! that's of doe use. You'd be certaid while asleep to fide add hide the key agaid: that is, assubidg that you are a sobdabbulist. We bust see about this. If it be as you suspect, the proof will be highly ibportadt. We'll talk the batter over agaid by-add-bye. Add dow go up stairs, add have a wash. While you're gode, I'll ascertaid what we have id the house to eat."

Sylvester went up accordingly; and, on his return, found the table spread with cold chickens, beef, ham, and tongue, to the whole of which he did ample justice, and then had some coffee with Tom.

The library was then resorted to, and all the books they could find having reference to somnambulism were consulted. This occupied the whole of the evening; and it was at length decided that Sylvester should sleep that night in Tom's room, while Tom sat up in the room adjoining. The preliminaries having been thus arranged, Sylvester about twelve retired; and Tom took his seat at a table spread with books, cigars, and brandy-and-water.

In order that he might at once hear the slightest noise, Tom left the door of his room open; and, impressed with the importance of the proof desired, continued to listen with so much attention, that Sylvester could not have moved unheard.

From twelve till two o'clock all was still; but the clock had no sooner struck two, than Sylvester walked from one room to the other, and anxiously inquired if Tom had seen him.

"Doe," replied Tom. "Doe, I've deither seed dor heard you: all has beed still up to this tibe!"

"Then hadn't you better go to bed?"

"Doe, I shall dot go to bed to dight! That I have bade up by bide to. Go to sleep agaid: sobethidg bay occur yet."

"I should like to have one glass of brandy-and-water," said Sylvester, taking a seat at the table.

"Well, have it, by boy."

"And one cigar!"

"Oh! you'd better dot sboke."

"I think I should enjoy it."

"Well," returned Tom, who had not the slightest notion of Sylvester being asleep at the time; "if that's the case, you'd better go add put od your clothes. You'll sood get cold if you sit without theb.

Sylvester assented to this, and left the room; and having dressed himself partially, returned, filled his glass, lit a cigar, and began to smoke it.

"It's a singular thing that this cannot be proved," observed Sylvester, calmly, "isn't it?"

"Why," replied Tom, "this is but the first attebpt. We cad't have proof always the bobedt we wish it. It bay be proved yet, add that sood. We bust dot be ibpatiedt. I've just beed readidg here ad extraordidary case, that of a bricklayer's labourer, whose fellow-workbed kdew hib to sleep regularly four or five hours a day while at work, although the work was of so perilous a character. It appears that whed they first discovered this they were extrebely apprehedsive; but as the dovelty of the thidg wore away, their apprehedsiods were subdued. His ​ebploybedt, of course, codsisted id supplyidg the bricklayers with hods of bricks add bortar, which he codveyed up ladders to the tops of houses while asleep, just as well add as safely as he did whed awake. He would attedd to all orders, edter idto codversatiod, add receive add deliver messages while id this state. He could, moreover, whed awake, recogdise voices which he happeded to have heard while asleep, if eved the persods who spoke were the bost perfect stradgers. His fellow-workbed frequedtly tried hib, id order to set aside all idcredulity, add dever kdew hib id ady sidgle idstadce to fail. He could tell the hour as well as they could; add therefore kdew as well whed to leave off work: he would dridk with theb, pay his share whed he had buddy, and play at cards while id a state of sobdab- bulisb: iddeed, doe ordidary observer could tell by his acts that he was dot thed perfectly awake. The way id which this rebarkable case was bade public, was this: He was id the habit of washidg hibself add chadgidg his dress whed he left off work—this he'd do, whether he hap- peded to be awake or asleep—add wud evedidg, havidg chadged his clothes as usual, add tied his workidg dress id a haddkerchief, he was accosted od his way hobe by a wobad, whob, after sobe little codversa- tiod, he perbitted to carry his buddle, of which she doe sooder got pos- sessiod, thad she rad up Hattod Garded, wedt dowd Saffrod Hill, got idto a house, add escaped. Well, the codsequedt excitebedt awoke hib; add, as he clearly recollected all that had occurred, he related the whole of the circubstadces to ad officer, who fadcied, frob the descriptiod, that he kdew the wobad well. She was therefore apprehedded, add although placed with a dubber of other wobed, the bad id ad idstadt recogdised her persod add voice; add, od searchidg her lodgidgs, the clothes were foudd! Dow this is a bost extraordidary case. You see this bad could recollect perfectly whed awake all that occurred while he slept. Gede- rally sobdabbulists do dot whed awake recollect what occurs duridg sleep; but, od the codtrary, that which they either hear or see while awake, bakes ad ibpressiod upod which duridg sleep they will act."

"That, if I am a somnambulist, is precisely the case with me," ob- served Sylvester, who, while smoking his cigar calmly, had listened with great attention. "I can recollect nothing when awake, which occurs during sleep. If I could, the mystery would soon be solved. I should like to have one game of chess," he added, "I have not had a game for a very long time. Will you have a game with me?"

"Do, dot dow," replied Tom; "I wadt you to go to bed agaid. It's of doe use by sittidg up, if you sit up with be: that's quite clear."

"Well, then, do you go to bed. I don't like the idea of your sitting up alone."

"I shall dot go to bed dow: that's settled. Cobe, old boy, cobe; fidish your glass add be off."

"Well," said Sylvester; "I will do so. What's o'clock?"

"Dearly half-past two."

"Half-past two. Then five hours more will settle it."

"I wish it bay, with all by heart."

"I'll drink that as a toast," said Sylvester; "I wish it may, with all ​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?"

​"Why, it is possible. Add it certaidly does appear to be albost ibpossible that, while you were doidg all this, I should dot have discovered that you were asleep."

"Might not the purpose for which you sat up, have induced you to dream on the subject?"

"If I slept, it bight; but I dod't believe I wedt to sleep at all. Add yet I cad't, od the other hadd, thidk that you could thus have deceived be. However, we'll talk the batter over agaid by-add-bye. Get up, add let's have a good breakfast. I'll go add have a wash; you'll dot be lodg?"

"I'll be down in ten minutes."

Tom then left the room, and Sylvester rose and dressed himself, thoughtfully, and went down to breakfast, but although they went over the matter again, conviction was not the result.

Sylvester, notwithstanding, felt justified in naming the subject to his solicitor, who was pleased with the idea of being able to plead somnambulism, but then he wanted absolute proof. Tom's evidence, under the circumstances, he feared, would be insufficient: still he resolved to see him on the subject, and accordingly called in the course of the day.

"Mr. Delolme," said he, "Mr. Sound has just informed me of that affair which occurred last night, or, rather, this morning, while you were sitting up. He imagines, as you are aware, that he is a somnambulist, and if we can absolutely prove him to be one, we can put in an excellent plea to this action, which can now be defended only by a plain blunt negative. Now, can you conscientiously declare that he is a somnambulist?"

"Doe," replied Tom; "I have by doubts still. If he be dot a sobdabbulist, it is, iddeed, stradge: if he be, add cabe idto the roob id which I was sittidg, dradk, sboked, add codversed—as I ibagided he did—without idspiridg be with a sidgle thought of his beidg asleep, it is equally stradge; but whether, id reality, he is a sobdabbulist or dot, I cad't, at presedt, uddertake to say. I will, however, discover the fact, if, iddeed, the discovery be possible; add I have, with that view, laid by plads for to dight, of which plads I bead to keep hib id igdoradce. If, as I suspect, he be wud who, id his sleep, recollects all that passes while he is awake, he is certaid to frustrate every schebe that bay happed to be codceived with his kdowledge. He shall, therefore, kdow dothidg whatever about it. I'll retire to by owd roob, as usual, to dight, add I hope that, id the bordidg, I shall have the proof required."

"I hope so too, for, at present, all we can do is to put in a flat denial, and I fear that, as Sir Charles is no ordinary man, and as we can find nothing whatever against the character of his butler—whose career we have traced from his infancy, upwards—a mere denial of the facts sworn to will have no effect. If we could but get this proof of Sound's somnambulism, we should be able, with confidence, to go into court; but the proof must be absolute to do any good: suspicion alone will be of no use at all."

"I perceive," observed Tom, "the ibportadce of the proof, add if it ​
Tom's trap for catching a Somnambulist.

​be possible, I'll have it. You'll dot see Sylvester agaid to-day, I suppose?"

"I don't expect to see him again. He is gone, I believe, to call upon Scholefield."

Well, if you should see hib, dod't explaid to hib adythidg which has passed betweed us."

"Certainly not. I see your object too clearly. Will you call upon me in the morning, or shall I call upon you?"

"Oh, I'll call upod you about ted."

The solicitor promised to be at home at that hour, and, being satisfied that everything possible would be done, took his leave.

In the evening, Tom attached strings to the window and door of the room in which Sylvester was to sleep, and, having left lengths conveniently available, sat down with Sylvester to have a game of chess. The game lasted till eleven, and they then had a glass of grog each, and a cigar, and, as Sylvester did not imagine for one moment that Tom meant to sit up again that night, they retired to their respective rooms about twelve.

Tom then got hold of the strings—one through the window, and the other through the door, and, as he held them in his hand, it was perfectly impossible for Sylvester to open either the door or the window of his room without Tom's knowledge. And there he sat, with the strings in his hand, a cigar in his mouth, and a glass of grog before him: and there he continued to sit until two, when the string attached to the door was drawn out of his hand slowly.

Tom was up in an instant, but paused; and then proceeded with the utmost caution. He distinctly heard footsteps ascending the stairs; and he followed the sound noiselessly. That they were the footsteps of Sylvester he had not the slightest doubt: he felt sure of it, and panted with impatience; but as the value of discretion in such cases was not unknown to him, he followed them cautiously still. A door opened—slowly; the door of the attic—and closed again as Tom ascended; and when he had reached it, he stood and listened; but heard no sound within. For what imagined purpose was Sylvester there? That room was perfectly empty. It surely was Sylvester. Tom began to doubt it. He opened the door, and found the room empty still. He looked round and marvelled. "Who's there?" he demanded. No answer was returned. He could hear no sound. He ceased to breathe, and might have heard the breathing of another; but there was no one breathing there. The window was open; but that was usual: still, being open, to the window he went, and, on looking out, to his horror beheld Sylvester pacing the parapet!

His blood in an instant chilled. He was breathless with terror. With uplifted hands he looked at him, appalled! He expected that every moment would be his last. And yet what could he do? What could be done?

Sylvester slowly approached, and—passed him: and Tom would have clutched him as he passed, but he then felt utterly powerless.

Again he came, and, as he approached, Tom nerved himself to grasp ​him, and, just as he was about to pass, he seized his arm, when Sylvester, with a convulsive start, slipped instantly over the parapet.

Tom, however, still held him—firmly; and cried aloud, "Sylvester!—Sylvester!—God! give me strength!—'tis I!—Sylvester!—I! Now!—make one effort!—for God's sake be firm! Seize the coping—the coping!"

Sylvester did so, but the stone gave way, and fell with a crash beneath him.

"Again!—again!" cried Tom; "again!—now then!—fear not!—don't be alarmed!—raise yourself up!—there!—now then!—now then!—there!—there!—Well done—well done—well done—well done!"

The moment he had succeeded in dragging Sylvester into the room, he exclaimed, "My boy! Thank God!" and fainted.

For some time Sylvester stood over him aghast. The shock appeared to have deprived him of all his faculties. He had some slight notion—some glimmering of an idea—of his having been in peril, but that idea was so fitful and confused, that nothing ever existed between it and vacancy.

All that he understood was that Tom was at his feet: every thought of assistance being necessary was absent. There he stood, and there he continued to stand, until James, who had heard his master fall, came trembling up with a light. Nor did he move even then. Neither the presence of James, nor the light, made the slightest impression upon him.

"Sir!" exclaimed James, who was half dead with fear; "Sir! Mr. Sound! sir! what is the matter?"

Sylvester still stood motionless; and James approached his master and knelt by his side, and, as he conceived that he had ceased to exist, he seized Sylvester's hand and cried, "Tell me—tell me—is my master dead?"

Sylvester started, and looked wildly round, and consciousness slightly returned; when he knelt by the side of his faithful friend, and took his hand and pressed it.

"Is he dead, sir?" reiterated James. "Is he, sir? Tell me—tell me?"

"God forbid!" replied Sylvester, faintly. "No, he is not dead."

James in an instant rushed from the room, and soon re-appeared with some water, and anxiously bathed his master's temples, while Sylvester knelt by his side.

"Some vinegar," said Sylvester; "or salts, if you have them."

James again flew from the room, and having found some vinegar hastily returned, and very soon had the satisfaction of seeing his master begin to revive.

"Sylvester," exclaimed Tom, on opening his eyes, "you are safe. I was wrong—very wrong; but you are safe."

Sylvester did not exactly understand this. He could not conceive how Tom could have been wrong. He did not, however, seek an explanation then; but did all in his power to restore him.

Consciousness having returned, Tom soon felt able to walk down ​
The perilous position.

​stairs, which he did with the assistance of James, who conducted him into his chamber.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, as he sank into a chair, "Sylvester, what an scape you have had!"

"I am anxious," said Sylvester, "of course, to know how, but wait till you are more composed."

"Jib," said Tom, "give me sobe braddy."

James looked at the bottle which stood by his side, and inquired if that contained brandy.

"Yes," replied Tom, "that's braddy, Jib."

James thought this strange—remarkably strange. He had never seen brandy in that room before. There were, moreover, sundry pieces of cigars lying about. He couldn't understand it at all! In fine, the whole of the circumstances of which he had become cognisant, since the noise above interfered with his repose, appeared to him to be a parcel of complicated mysteries. He did, notwithstanding, pour out a glass of brandy, and having handed it to his master, poured out another, and having handed that to Sylvester, put the bottle down.

"Pour out a glass for yourself," said Tom. And James did so, and drank it, and relished it much. "Add dow," added Tom, "go idto Mr. Soudd's roob, add bridg dowd his clothes."

Certainly, James thought it extremely correct that Sylvester should have his clothes, seeing that he had then nothing on but his shirt, while the night was not a hot one, nor anything like it. He therefore went up for the clothes in question, and having succeeded in bringing them down, Sylvester slipped them on.

"Dow," said Tom, "take adother glass, Jib, add thed be off to bed."

James liked the former part of this order much; but he didn't at all like the latter. He felt himself entitled to something bearing the semblance of an explanation! conscious of being—as far as all these most extraordinary circumstances were concerned—in the dark. He therefore stood and sipped, and sipped—in a manner, for him, unusual—until he found that no sort of an explanation would be vouchsafed, when—feeling that that kind of treatment was not exactly handsome—he indignantly finished his glass and withdrew.

"Syl, by dear boy," said Tom, "give be your hadd! You're alive, by boy; but your life was dot worth a bobedt's purchase. I was a fool, I kdow—a codsubbate fool—but I acted od the ibpulse of the bobedt."

"But how," inquired Sylvester; "how were you a fool? You said just now that you were wrong—very wrong! How were you wrong? In what respect?"

"I'll explaid. But first let us have just a little bore braddy. If ady bad had told be that I should ever have acted id a case like this with such bodstrous iddiscretiod, I should have felt disposed to kick hib. I ought to have kdowd better. The bost igdoradt bad alive would scarcely have beed guilty of so badifest ad act of folly."

"Well, but in what did this folly consist?"

"I'll tell you. You see these stridgs."

​"Yes?"

"Wud of theb cobbudicates with the sash of your bed-roob widdow, add the other with the haddle of the door. Resolved od ascertaididg, if possible, whether you were a sobdabbulist or dot, I, idstead of goidg to bed, kept these stridgs id by hadd, out of which wud of theb, about two o'clock, was slowly drawd. I kdew id ad idstadt thed that you had opeded your door, add as I heard you goidg up stairs, I followed. You wedt idto the attic. I followed you there, add od lookidg roudd I could see dothidg of you. But I wedt to the widdow, add there I saw you walkidg upod the very verge of the parapet!"

"Good God!" exclaimed Sylvester; "is it possible?"

"There you were, add if I'd dot beed a fool, all would have beed well doubtless: you would have cobe id agaid, I've do doubt, id perfect safety. But to be, your positiod appeared to be so perilous, that actidg, as I said before, od the ibpulse of the bobedt, I seized your arb, add I'd doe sooder dode so thad you fell over the parapet, add there I held you. How I got you up agaid I cad't explaid. It is sufficiedt for be that I did get you up, add that here you are dow alive before be."

"My escape, then, must have been miraculous?"

"It was. I wouldd't see you id the sabe positiod agaid if ady bad were to lay be dowd a billiod of buddy. I shudder whed I think of it. Let us for a little while talk about sobethidg else. Wud thidg, however, is certaid: you are a sobdabbulist, Syl, add a very idveterate sobdabbulist too. I see dow, who it was that got be idto all those scrapes five or six years ago. You're ad old hadd at it. There was parapet business goidg od thed! Dod't you rebebber?"

"I do," replied Sylvester, "and innumerable other things which have appeared to me to be mysteries, are now solved."

"Dod't you recollect by study? Dod't you rebebber what a gabe you used to have id it dight after dight? I see it all dow, add I shall tell the goverdor of it id triubph, for I feel codvidced that, to this day, he believes that the whole of by eardest declaratiods of iddocedce were false. You it was that caused the destructiod of that wobad I used to prize so highly: it was also you that sbashed by glass just before you left towd. This explaids all! Jib's character is viddicated, add you are codvicted. I shall bridg ad actiod agaidst you, old fellow, for dabages."

"Do so," said Sylvester, smiling, "and I'll plead 'somnambulism' to it. However," he added, seriously, "the proof is now clear. That Sir Charles and his servant saw me I can now have no doubt. What effect the proof will have in the forthcoming trial of course remains to be seen."

"The effect will be to give you a verdict," said Tom. "There cad be doe doubt about that."

"I don't know. I fear that they will require it to be proved that I was in a state of somnambulism then. But, independently of this affair, isn't the fact of my being a somnambulist awful to contemplate? I can never be safe!"

"Doď't let's have ady bore horrible reflectiods. We have had sufficiedt horror for wud dight, at least. I'll take care of you, by boy, for ​the tibe beidg. You shall be safe. You shall sleep with be. I'll fix you. You shall dot, however, kdow exactly how."

"I had better be chained to the bed every night."

"I'll get a pair of haddcuffs id the bordidg, add while you are here, put wud od your wrist add the other od by owd. I'll dot allow you to go prowlidg about at dight id this stupid state of bide. But we'll say doe bore about it dow. Let's go to bed. You lie od that side, add I'll lie od this. If you get away frob be, let be kdow, add I'll believe it."

They then went to bed: and when Tom was quite sure that Sylvester was asleep, he tied the tails of their shirts together, and quietly went to sleep himself.