THE SPELL. By G. Monson.

Otago Witness, Issue 2571, 24 June 1903, Page 74

THE SPELL. By G. Monson.

(For the Witness.) One morning in. the surtmer of 1899 I found amongst my correspondence a note from Mrs Dale, in which she wrote : — "I am most anxious about Violet, who has rot been well for some time, and should be more thankful than words can express if you could find it convenient tc come down to Dalesford for two or three days. Violet has been nervous and fanciful lately, and altogether unlike her usual self. Please wire on receipt of this whether you can come." Op consulting my memoranda, I found I should not be able to leave -before the following Monday at the earlk-st. A busy doctor ;annot always leave at .a moment's notice. I wired to Mrs Dale the train I would leave by, and during the following two or three days ponds-red over the contents of the note. The Dales were friends of many years' standing. Harry Dale, Violet's brother, had been an old college chum of mine. He passed his examinations with flying colours : but, unfortunately, at the height of his triumph he contracted a sharp attack of influenza, which turned to something worse, and died within a week. Six months later his father met with a carriage accident, which proved fatal. I couM quite understand Mrs Dale's anxiety with regard to Violet. On the following Monday morning I arrived at Riversley. The cool, fresh green of the country was a pleasant change from the heat of the town. A trap was waiting at the station, and we drove quickly through the village, soon covering the mile between the station and Da'.esford. Pas&ing through the entrance* gates and around the drive the old grey mansion came into view. Mrs Dale came down the steps to welcome me. " How good of you to cdme so soon, Dr Grey," <-he said. "It is s-uch. a relief to nTe to see you here. Let us sit in tin 1 hall foi a few mimitos," she continued. "I want to speak to -"-ou before you see Violet. We went to t\*. n for the season, and a month iater she seemed to have <i nervous breakdown. Thinking re.«t and the quiet of the country would put her right, we came down here again ; but the has not been the same since. She persists in saying that she hears voices speaking of death and disaster during the night. Dr liny, I was afraid to wiite it, but I almost fear her mind is going." "Nothing as bad as tint, I hope," T replied. "It may be only nervous excitement, or hysteria, due to this breakdown." "I hope- it may be no worse," said Mrs Dale, as she led the way to the laigc dining room, where Violet was fitting in the window seat, filling some bowls with flowers'. As she came forward I was astonished at her changed appearance. Her face was pale and drawn, and she waft altogether un'ike the bnglu pretty girl I had know n. "Dr (Jiey,"' she said a few minutes later, when her mother left the room, don't think I am going mr.d, do you?" "Don't think of any such thing," I replied. "It is meielv ovei -excitement. You did too much tripping about in town, and will be quite well in a week or two, I am >>ure " We chatted for so mo time, and for the time being I could not understand Miss Dale's caM--. Theie had nevei been such a thing as insanity in the Dale family. They had a' ways had the reputation of being practical and liaid headed. Just then a sm.ill iicurti dressed in severe black turned the bend of the drive. "Here comes aunt." said Violet. "You have never met Mi«s Dale, have you?" "I have never nu-t Miss Dale, and shall be pleased to meet her," I answered. "We often have Aunt Mary down here for a week," Violet continued. "Mother does not like her to live in that gloomy house of hers without a change sometimes. ' Miss Dale was a pert en of no small importance in the scientific world, being a chemist of unusual skill, and had made some diMioveik-s of the utmost importance. She lived in a large house, and kept two or three servants. Most of . her time was spent in her laboiatory. We were ju.st seating ourselves at luncheon -when Mjls Dale came into the room. '"Just in time, Mary,' 1 said Mr> Dale; and I was introduced to the tcienikt. When during luncheon I happened to look in Miss Dale's direction 1 invariably found her eyes fixed upon me. Notwithstanding the fact that she was a brilliant/ conversationalist, and certainly nude hei - self vuy agreeable, I took a pi>itive dislike to lieiy*

That night, when descending the stairs to dinner, Violet's maid passed me, and in passing slipped a rote into my hand. The note I transferred to my waistcoat' pocket, and when I retired that night I opened it, and read: '' I believe Miss Dale has a great influence over Miss Violet, and is responsible I in some way for her illness." i I thought the matter out. I disliked and distrusted Miss Dale, and therefore she was the one to base my theories upon. I hnd observed that she possessed some influence over her niece, and r-ecollected that when she had questioned me about her niece's , illness in the afternoon there was a susj picion of cruelty about her face. As for 1 the voices, I cou'd form no opinion abmit them. Violet's room, which Mrs Dak had shown me in the morning, was certainly not one to induce morbid fancies. Situated on a coiner of the house, it overlooked the gardens and the village ; it was a bright fcunshlny^apaitnunt. The contents of the note I was quits ready to accept, and resolved to watch Miss Da'e closely next day. The next day was .showery. Violet, on 'being questioned as to whether she had heaid the voice", said she had, and was looking worse. Miss Dale left early in the afternoon, as "die had some business to attend to. I was not sorry to see her depart. Violet's case stT.l puzzled me. If she had been under a spell it could not have puzzled me mero. One thing was certain : she seemed to have utterly changed. At Dales- | ford there nre two libriries. One, opening I off the hull, lias been built within recent j years, the other consisting of a small i loom upstairs in the old wing. In this room old manuscripts and books are stored, and it has always been one of my privileges, when visiting Dalesford, to examine j these. On this particular afternoon I looked over Rome of them, and 1 on an almost hidden s-helf came across a row of dust-coloured volumes. Opening one, I found it to bo in the form of a diary, written in a neat hand. The leaves were yellow with time, and the writing faded 1 to brown ; but it was quite lesrible. It was of absorbing interest, and I took it to my room, as I wished t<i finish it. | Viojet did not come clown to dinner that evening. Mis Dale looked more anxious than ever, and I was afraid she would break down aW. When I retired that night I could not sleep. The illness of Violet, the adventures of the historical character, in whose diary I was fo much interested , and the remembrance of Mi«s Dale's looks and questions regarding her niece, passed through my mind like kinematograph picture*. I rose and, stiiking a light, prepared to finish the diary. After half an hour's reading I came to the description of an escape which the hero of the memoirs had effected by means of n secret pas-sage while the enemy was coming down the road. One entrance to the j passage was in the old' libiary. and the 1 record gave instructions where to find it. ' It was the first time I had ever come across anything in the way of secret panels, and my curiosity became so great that I determined to find ifc without delay. Xo one would hear me. for both my rooms and the libraiy wire some distance away. I took up the snia.ll leading '.amp. and a minute later found me in the old room. The full moon, 'liming in at the windows, made the room as bright as day ; and I went to the panel described, and ran my finger round the moulding. It was quite 10 minute before I found the spring, and when I did the panel flew back with a suddenness which surprised me. for I had quite expected that through disuse it would refuse to move. 4'uming the lamp wick higher. I went forward into the darkness! It was a lorn: passage in which I found myelf, ju>-t -wide enough. f<-r one person to valk tluviujjli comfottably. At the end it broadened out. foiming a room about 6ft scuiare. This I had expected to find, but also «iw what made me give an exclamation r,f astonishment. Near the further wall stood a sniail folding table, and up6n it \va 4 — n phonograph. I went forward and examined it. The machine was evidently an expensive one, and its peculiarity wao its tiumuet, which branched out in several directions. A small dock was- cunningly attached to the machine, ard its hand; were pointed to h;ilf-pii=t 1. I do not know how I did it, but I must have started ■■■oine of the nieihaniMii, for out of each of the tiumnet mouth > came the voice of Mi>-s Dale : "The lake' t lie lake! End your troubles in the lake. ' I suv the whole thing. The next room was Violet's and thi-> instrument was the voice. For a moment I waited ; but the machine was silent, and 1 tinned and ran down ihs passage, into the library, down the long coiTi'dor and back staiis. I gave a, sigh of iehef, for 1 wai> m time. Down the f-taireo.se, looking like a spir.t in the white moonlight, came Violet. As she advanced I placed my hand on the latch of the door. She. of collide, could not then open the door, and the resistance mu&t have wakened her, for suddenly she seemed to s,ee me. She gave a .shudder, and then quietly fainted. Mrs' Dale, who bad been roused by the noise, came downstairs, and in a fewminutes Violet vas brought round, and taken back to her room, and from th.it time began to improve. The following morning I showed Mrs Dale the pai-sage and the phonograph, and her explanation of the plot was the tame as mine. "Mary has a comfortable income of her own," s.he said; "but I suspected lately that it wa> not enough to cany out some experiment she had on hand. Violet and I are the only other members of the family, and she w a e ti\ing to rid herself of us in this manner. It was an ingenious plot to woik on a girl's imagination and neivoiifcne"!, and Violet must have been under her influence ; but, oh ! thuuk goodness,

Dr Grey, you were in time to save her. I do not know in what way she would have dealt with me. There is no doubt she is a clever and dangerous woman." I had to go back to town that morn-in-g, and left Violet Dale on the high road to recovery. She was now like herself, this spell having been removed from her. Mrs Dale and I packed up the phono* graph, and it was sent to Miss Dale. Instead of that lady receiving word which would have proved her scheme suc,ceesful, she received the machine, the proof of her failure. She still lives in her gloomy house, and pursues her experiments. Neither Mrs Dale nor Violet have seen her since. > Amont. my possessions I value a yellowleaved diary, the same which rendered sucb a signal service.