England -- Social life and customs -- 20th century -- Fiction; Spiritualism -- Fiction
That night he became acquainted with a new sort of experience, something
hitherto quite foreign to him. Once again he woke in the night and found
himself surrounded by the vast dark, save where, in a corner of the
nursery, there burned the shaded night-light. But now there was no sense
of terror; he did not want to call for Blessington, but lay open-eyed
and absorbed in the amazing thing that was happening. The night-nursery
(where he knew he was), and he with it, were expanding and extending,
till they comprised the lawn and the wood beyond the lawn, and all else
that he had ever known. His sisters and his mother and father were all
there, though he could not see them; Blessington was there, and Graves
the butler, and Walter and William, the two footmen. He could not see
them, any more than he could see the moon and the sun, which were there
also, but they were there as part of an unusual presence that filled the
place. He could not see that unusual presence either, but it was
tremendously real and filled him not in the least with awe, but with the
feeling with which Blessington's face and his mother's face inspired
him... And the next thing that he was aware of was the rattle of the
blind, and Blessington's voice saying, "Eh, what a time of morning to
have slept to. I know a sleepy-head!"
He recounted this remarkable experience to Blessington at breakfast, who
was quite sure that it was all a dream; a nice dream, but a dream.
"Wasn't a dream," said Archie firmly.
"And where did Mr. Contradiction go?" asked Blessington.
Archie knew where Mr. Contradiction went, for Mr. Contradiction lived in
a very dull corner of the nursery with his face to the wall for five
minutes.
"Well, it didn't seem like a dream," he said. "May I get down?"
"Yes, and say your grace."
"Thank God for my good dinner," said Archie, who was not attending.
"Say it again, dear," said Blessington; "and think."
"I meant breakfast," said Archie. "Amen."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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