'Now that is my story, and I have told it in the
interest of your trumpery science; but if on any
evening hereafter you observe me wearing this
damnable watch, and you have the thoughtfulness
to ask me the hour, I shall beg leave to put you to
the inconvenience of being knocked down.'
His humour did not amuse me. I could see that
in relating his delusion he was again somewhat dis-
turbed. His concluding smile was positively ghastly,
and his eyes had resumed something more than their
old restlessness; they shifted hither and thither about
the room with apparent aimlessness and I fancied
had taken on a wild expression, such as is sometimes
observed in cases of dementia. Perhaps this was
my own imagination, but at any rate I was now
persuaded that my friend was afflicted with a most
singular and interesting monomania. Without, I
trust, any abatement of my affectionate solicitude
for him as a friend, I began to regard him as a pa-
tient, rich in possibilities of profitable study. Why
not? Had he not described his delusion in the in-
terest of science? Ah, poor fellow, he was doing more
for science than he knew: not only his story but
himself was in evidence. I should cure him if I could,
of course, but first I should make a little experiment
in psychology--nay, the experiment itself might
be a step in his restoration.
'That is very frank and friendly of you, Bartine,'
I said cordially, 'and I'm rather proud of your con-
fidence.
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