Part 34 (2/2)
The ten minutes had barely elapsed, when the sleeper moved. A moment later, Leon opened his eyes, and as the dim light from the little lamp enabled him to see the dome above him, he lay still, regarding it with some surprise. A few moments more, and he rubbed his eyes with the knuckle of his forefinger, and the Doctor knew that he was wondering whether he were awake or dreaming. Not fully satisfied, Leon sat up, and gazed about him. He was becoming more thoroughly awake, and very soon he would know that he was not in dream-land. But the Doctor no longer delayed his plan of action. Ere Leon could recover from the surprise of his first awakening, and as he gazed directly in front of him, Dr. Medjora touched an electric b.u.t.ton with his foot, and instantly a blaze of light appeared upon the wall. A hundred tiny incandescent lamps, arranged in the form of radiating spokes from a wheel, placed before a brightly burnished silver reflector, with thousands of facets upon its concaved surface, shed a light as dazzling as a sun. Leon closed his eyes to protect them from the glare, but when he opened them again another surprise awaited him. By touching another b.u.t.ton, the Doctor had started a motor, which, with a dull humming sound, set the wheel of lights in motion, the reflector revolving rapidly in one direction while the fixture which contained the lamps turned swiftly the opposite way. The scintillating rays were so dazzling, that it was impossible for Leon to gaze upon it more than an instant. He turned his back upon it, bewildered, but immediately before his eyes there appeared on the wall confronting him another similar wheel of light, which began to revolve also. Again he turned his eyes away, and again, and again, and again; but wherever he looked, the rapidly moving electric suns burst forth, until a dozen of them surrounded him.
He stood a moment with his gaze upon the floor, trying to recover control of himself, for his astonishment was such that he felt as though he were losing his mind. But all in vain. As much as he dreaded those fiery suns, as well as he knew instinctively that to look upon them was to be lost, he could not resist the temptation. Slowly, as with an effort, he raised his eyes and stared at the scintillating suns before him. For a brief time his eyes turned from one to another, but finally they became fixed and he gazed only at one. In a moment all the others were turned out, and that one revolved faster and faster. Two or three times it seemed as though he tried to withdraw his gaze, but eventually all resistance to the influence of the dazzling light ceased. Leon sank back into a partly sitting posture upon the rugs, and in a few moments the eyelids closed heavily, the head sank upon the breast, the body quivered, and the limbs hung limp.
Leon was pa.s.sing into a hypnotic, sleep, caused by the ingenious mechanical device coupled with the skilfully prepared surprise which the mind had received.
The Doctor pressed a b.u.t.ton, and the last wheel was extinguished and stood motionless. Once more the only light was from the little lamp, which now, by contrast with the recent glare, seemed like a glowworm.
Dr. Medjora came forth and placed himself in front of Leon. With the palms of his hands on the lad's temples, he rubbed the eyeb.a.l.l.s through the closed lids, with his thumbs. After a short time he spoke.
”Leon! Leon! Are you asleep?”
There was no reply.
”Leon! You are asleep, but you can speak!”
An indistinct murmur escaped from the sleeper.
”Leon! You are asleep! But you are also awake! Open your eyes, but do not awaken entirely! Open your eyes!”
In response to the command, authoritatively given, Leon's eyes opened slowly, and he stared before him, as though seeing nothing.
”Look! You can see me if you try! You can recognize me! You can speak!
Speak to me!”
The sleeper gazed at the Doctor a while, but said nothing.
”Do you not hear me? I tell you that you can speak! You must speak!
Speak! I command you! Speak!”
”Doc-tor Med-jo-ra!” was the reply uttered in separate syllables, with a pause between each, and in hollow tones.
”Good! You see you can speak if you will. You will find it easy enough directly. Look about you now, and tell me where you are.”
”I think I am in the temple!”
”You are correct. You are in the temple of aesculapius. Do you understand?”
”The temple of aesculapius! I understand!”
”Do you know how you came here?”
”No!”
”Do you wish to know?”
”No!”
”I brought you here. Do you understand that?”
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