Possessed | Page 4

see--brutal things?"
"Worse than that. In one dream I see him--Oh!" she shuddered and the
agony in her eyes was more eloquent than words.
"My dear lady, you are naturally wrought up by these dreadful

experiences, you need rest, quiet surroundings, good food, a little
relaxation----"
"No, no, no," Mrs. Wells interrupted impatiently.
"Don't tell me those old things. I am a trained nurse. I know my case is
entirely different."
"How is it different? We all have dreams. I have dreams myself. One
night I dreamed that I was dissecting the janitor downstairs; sometimes
I wish I had."
Penelope brushed aside this effort at humor. "You haven't dreamed that
twenty times with every detail the same, have you? That's how I dream.
I see these faces, real faces, again and again. I hear the same cries, the
same words, vile words. Oh, I can't tell you how horrible it is!"
"But we are not responsible for our dreams," the doctor insisted.
She shook her head wearily. "That's just the point, it seems to me that I
am responsible. I feel as if I enjoy these horrible dreams--while I am
dreaming them. When I am awake, the very thought of them makes me
shudder, but while I am dreaming I seem to be an entirely different
person--a low, vulgar creature proud of the brutal strength and
coarseness of her man. I seem to be a part of this human beast! When I
wake up I feel as if my soul had been stained, dragged in the mire,
almost lost. It seems as if I could never again feel any self-respect. Oh,
doctor," Penelope's voice broke and the tears filled her eyes, "you must
help me! I cannot bear this torture any longer! What can I do to escape
from such a curse?"
Seldom, in his years of practice, had the specialist been so moved by a
patient's confession as was Dr. Owen during Penelope's revelation of
her suffering. As a kindly human soul he longed to help this agonized
mortal; as a scientific expert he was eager to solve the mystery of this
nervous disorder. He leaned toward her with a look of compassion.
"Be assured, my dear Mrs. Wells, I shall do everything in my power to

help you. And in order to accomplish what we want, I must understand
a great many things about your past life." He drew a letter from his
pocket. "Let me look over what Captain Herrick wrote me about you.
Hm! He refers to your married life?"
"Yes."
The doctor studied the letter in silence. "I see. Your husband died about
four years ago?"
"Four years and a half."
"I judge that your married life was not very happy?"
"That is true, it was very unhappy."
"Is there anything in your memory of your husband, any details
regarding your married life, that may have a bearing on your present
state of mind?"
"I--I think perhaps there is," she answered hesitatingly.
"Is it something of an intimate nature that--er--you find it difficult to
tell me about?"
"I will tell you about it, doctor, but, if you don't mind," she made a
pathetic little gesture, "I would rather tell you at some other time. It has
no bearing upon my immediate trouble, that is, I don't think it has."
"Good. We'll take that up later on. Now I want to ask another question.
I understood you to say that when you did that brave act on the battle
field you really wanted to--to have the whole thing over with?"
"Yes, I did."
"You did not go out to rescue Captain Herrick simply because you--let
us say, cared for him?"
For the first time Penelope's face lighted in an amused smile. "I haven't

said that I care for Captain Herrick, have I? I don't mind telling you,
though, that I should not have gone into that danger if I had not known
that Chris was wounded. I cared for him enough to want to help him."
"But not enough to go on living?"
"No, I did not want to go on living."
He eyed her with the business-like tenderness that an old doctor feels
for a beautiful young patient. "Of course, you realize, Mrs. Wells, that
it will be impossible for me to help you or relieve your distressing
symptoms unless you tell me what is behind them. I must know clearly
why it was that you did not wish to go on living."
"I understand, doctor, I am perfectly willing to tell you. It is because I
was convinced that my mind was affected."
"Oh!" He smiled at her indulgently. "I can tell you, my dear lady, that I
never saw a young woman who, as far as outward appearances go,
struck me as being more sane and