“ ‘Not for the world,’ he cried with a gesture of horror. ‘It ismore painful to me than I can express. If I were to see my fatherin one of these dreadful seizures I am convinced that I shouldnever survive it. My own nervous system is an exceptionallysensitive one. With your permission, I will remain in the waitingroomwhile you go into my father’s case.’
“To this, of course, I assented, and the young man withdrew.
The patient and I then plunged into a discussion of his case,of which I took exhaustive notes. He was not remarkable forintelligence, and his answers were frequently obscure, which Iattributed to his limited acquaintance with our language. Suddenly,however, as I sat writing, he ceased to give any answer at all tomy inquiries, and on my turning towards him I was shocked tosee that he was sitting bolt upright in his chair, staring at me witha perfectly blank and rigid face. He was again in the grip of hismysterious malady.
“My first feeling, as I have just said, was one of pity and horror.
My second, I fear, was rather one of professional satisfaction.
I made notes of my patient’s pulse and temperature, tested therigidity of his muscles, and examined his reflexes. There wasnothing markedly abnormal in any of these conditions, whichharmonized with my former experiences. I had obtained goodresults in such cases by the inhalation of nitrite of amyl, and thepresent seemed an admirable opportunity of testing its virtues.
The bottle was downstairs in my laboratory, so leaving my patientseated in his chair, I ran down to get it. There was some little delayin finding it—five minutes, let us say—and then I returned. Imaginemy amazement to find the room empty and the patient gone.
“Of course, my first act was to run into the waiting-room. Theson had gone also. The hall door had been closed, but not shut.
My page who admits patients is a new boy and by no means quick.
He waits downstairs, and runs up to show patients out when I ringthe consulting-room bell. He had heard nothing, and the affairremained a complete mystery. Mr. Blessington came in from hiswalk shortly afterwards, but I did not say anything to him uponthe subject, for, to tell the truth, I have got in the way of late ofholding as little communication with him as possible.
“Well, I never thought that I should see anything more of theRussian and his son, so you can imagine my amazement when, atthe very same hour this evening, they both came marching intomy consulting-room, just as they had done before.
“ ‘I feel that I owe you a great many apologies for my abruptdeparture yesterday, Doctor,’ said my patient.
“ ‘I confess that I was very much surprised at it,’ said I.
“ ‘Well, the fact is,’ he remarked, ‘that when I recover fromthese attacks my mind is always very clouded as to all that hasgone before. I woke up in a strange room, as it seemed to me, andmade my way out into the street in a sort of dazed way when youwere absent.’
“ ‘And I,’ said the son, ‘seeing my father pass the door of thewaiting-room, naturally thought that the consultation had cometo an end. It was not until we had reached home that I began torealize the true state of affairs.’
“ ‘Well,’ said I, laughing, ‘there is no harm done except thatyou puzzled me terribly; so if you, sir, would kindly step into thewaiting-room I shall be happy to continue our consultation whichwas brought to so abrupt an ending.’
“ For half an hour or so I discussed that old gentleman’ssymptoms with him, and then, having prescribed for him, I sawhim go off upon the arm of his son.
“I have told you that Mr. Blessington generally chose this hourof the day for his exercise. He came in shortly afterwards andpassed upstairs. An instant later I heard him running down, and heburst into my consulting-room like a man who is mad with panic.
“ ‘Who has been in my room?’ he cried.
“ ‘No one,’ said I.
“ ‘It’s a lie! He yelled. ‘Come up and look!’
“I passed over the grossness of his language, as he seemed halfout of his mind with fear. When I went upstairs with him hepointed to several footprints upon the light carpet.
“ ‘Do you mean to say those are mine?’ he cried.
“They were certainly very much larger than any which he couldhave made, and were evidently quite fresh. It rained hard thisafternoon, as you know, and my patients were the only peoplewho called. It must have been the case, then, that the man in thewaiting-room had, for some unknown reason, while I was busywith the other, ascended to the room of my resident patient.
Nothing had been touched or taken, but there were the footprintsto prove that the intrusion was an undoubted fact.
“Mr. Blessington seemed more excited over the matter than Ishould have thought possible, though of course it was enough todisturb anybody’s peace of mind. He actually sat crying in an armchair,and I could hardly get him to speak coherently. It was hissuggestion that I should come round to you, and of course I at oncesaw the propriety of it, for certainly the incident is a very singularone, though he appears to completely overrate its importance. Ifyou would only come back with me in my brougham, you wouldat least be able to soothe him, though I can hardly hope that youwill be able to explain this remarkable occurrence.”
Sherlock Holmes had listened to this long narrative with anintentness which showed me that his interest was keenly aroused.
His face was as impassive as ever, but his lids had drooped moreheavily over his eyes, and his smoke had curled up more thicklyfrom his pipe to emphasize each curious episode in the doctor’stale. As our visitor concluded, Holmes sprang up without a word,handed me my hat, picked his own from the table, and followedDr. Trevelyan to the door. Within a quarter of an hour we had beendropped at the door of the physician’s residence in Brook Street,one of those sombre, flat-faced houses which one associates witha West-End practice. A small page admitted us, and we began atonce to ascend the broad, well-carpeted stair.
