Detective and mystery stories; England -- Fiction; Murder -- Investigation -- Fiction
As to Sidney, the queer boy. Herrick took that young gentleman in hand
and tried to make him a healthy man. He made him ride, shoot, swim,
and indulge in all manner of out-of-door sports. At first Sidney
rebelled, but as he was really fond of Herrick he began to take kindly
to the regime. The consequence was he became more of a boy in a few
months, and actually began to eat meat. Herrick watched over him with
the greatest care and gradually Sidney lost his unpleasant faculty of
"seeing things." He went to college, and there he now is, becoming
rapidly more of a normal person. Once he met with a Theosophist who
told him, after hearing his story, that he had sunk the spirit in the
flesh and blamed Herrick severely. In fact, this gentleman took a
journey to Saxham to see and expostulate with Herrick on the
wickedness of debasing the psychic gifts of the boy.
"I would rather see him a healthy man," said the doctor impatiently,
"in what you say there may be a good deal. But the boy is now in
better health and easier to live with."
"Ah! you do not deserve to have such a person in the family," said the
theosophist, "but your work will not endure for ever. You have made
Mr. Endicotte eat meat, and materialised him. But in a few years he
will recover his gift. It will be stronger than ever."
"Then I hope he won't come here," said Herrick, "I have every respect
for persons so gifted, but I don't like them. To have one at your
elbow, who sees into the future and foretells death, and is always
seeing creatures of the air is horrible."
"You are a sceptic, Dr. Herrick."
"No. I think there are many things of which we know nothing--I mean in
regard to what we talk about. But for my part I want to do my duty in
this life and leave all these occult things to people who like them. I
should like my brother-in-law to act likewise. However, he is in good
health now, and I should be sorry to see him relapse into the state he
was when I first met him."
Thereupon the Theosophist sighed and departed. All the same he is
keeping a watch over Sidney, and should the boy again develope the
clairvoyant faculty, he will be made better use of, by those who
understand.
And then a happy day came when in Stephen's arms was placed a boy.
Bess Herrick placed him therein. "Do you know who this is?" she asked.
"My son and heir," replied Stephen, bending over the infant, "what
else, or who else should he be?"
"The first the very first really innocent creature who has been in
this house for close upon a century."
"That is complimentary to us all Bess," said her husband who had
entered the room, "but what if he is?"
Bess looked solemn. "I think he is the guardian angel of Ida and
Steve, to keep away the evil spirit of Colonel Carr."
"Come now Bess, you are not like Sidney. You have not seen----?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account