| Show THE LIFE OF THE T PARTY Y ZT v ELIZABETH JORDAN 0 M D appleton Appl ton centura co line aric I 1 bB CHAPTER APTER VI continued ir 16 that was something rex carried into his bedroom the warming coh that at least it was not his hostess who wanted to frighten him away from halcyon camp this did ke him far on his mental jour oke or he had never thought that Is it Os he undressed undress id rapidly and got into bed he was glad to be there he was not wholly over his earlier experience notwithstanding his gallant assertions the evening had been a hard one he fell asleep about one he was wag awakened almost immediately dia tely it seemed to him by a hand that clutched his arm and a voice that babbled incoherently at his bedside he sat up with a jerk and simultaneously flashed bashed on the light at the head of his bed down in the hall the big clock was striking three halcyon camps pet hour for nocturnal visits he had bad slept only two hours but he was already as wideawake wide awake as he fact ever been in his bis life his instant thought had been of joan it was herbert knee however who mouthed and G ered red at his bedside hale tor for gods sake wake up halel halel good lord anaa man I 1 am awake the matter anyone sick hurt As ashe he spoke hale shook off the clutching hand sprang out of bed seized his dressing gown from the chair where he had flung bung it arid and slipped it over over his pajamas so di distraught s was his hij visitor that hale had bad to break away away almost by force from the others frantic grasp he now seized the young mans shoulders pressed him backward into a chair and stood over him still gripping him and trying to steady him by eyes and hands kneeland pun pull yourself together tell me lipp happened ened quick every second may count nothing has happened kneeland pulled away from the others grip and added with the gulp of a terror stricken child 1 I I 1 just cant cants stand it au oh godl hale crossed the room to the open door closed it and locked it he ri remembered now that he had forgotten to lock it when he be went to bed now he said quietly tell me what this is all about aboul I 1 think I 1 understand it if but tell me anyway Kne elands head had been swinging from side to side now it steadied suddenly he stared at hale incredulously but with a dawning hope you you understand he be gasped he added under his breath and with 6 a desperate backward glance at the closed door what do you understand rex answered the look not the words dont worry he be soothed the door is locked we wont be interrupted quiet down now and ex he added gently but with 4 cip p meaning he cant get in kneeland drew a quick breath and covered his eyes with his hands what must you think of me he be muttered 1 I think youre the victim of one of the most hellish schemes that was ever tried on a poor devil hale said simply what I 1 cant under understand is why youve let it go on so long how could I 1 help myself there are a dozen ways in which you could have helped yourself your youre helping yourself now by coming to me and letting me straighten out this tangle why you go to someone long ago who could I 1 go to who would have understood and believed you tee see you here and he be V tso so internally infernally cl everl hale spoke with difficulty njuty the unconscious pathos of that one sentence you see you here had bad caught him by the throat well its a over er now he be said cheerfully wemusa we must he was interrupted by a sharp rap at the door kneeland straightened as it if under tidor i a galvanic shock then cried out frantically dont let him in fa halet haler oh hale tor for gods sake dont let him in well let him in all right hale said grimly ive got something important to say to that gentleman but I 1 pron promise Joise you that ill keep you with me tonight and this Is the last time you will ever have to see him he started to rise but kneeland sprang at him caught his arms and tried to hold him back he was like a roadman madman in his terror but he had little strength rex disengaged himself without difficulty and pushed the young man back into his bis chair abe be quiet iet he said you got a thing ng to be afraid of but we must have a showdown show down and this Is the best time for it sit tight and leave everything to me I 1 understand the whole devilish situation A knock struck the door again it was sharply imperative kneeland was almost beyond reason he was in a frenzy of animal tear fear rex got him down on the chair and went to the door he opened it and doctor craig strode in the doctor was cool and imperturbable he nodded to hale then glanced at kneeland the young man cowered back against his chair with a groan as if the gla glance nce had been a blow craigs tone was quietly friendly 1 I see my patient is here he said 1 I thought he would be he has taken quite a fancy to you I 1 hope he disturbed you hes been in a bad way the last few days Il ill litake take him along now no craig you wont take him along hale told him hes going to stay right here by the time hes up tomorrow morning he added incisively you will be out of the house for good Is that quite clear its quite clear that youre making a tool fool of yourself again hale craig said mildly you meion mean well but this is another situation you dont understand I 1 hoped the other break you made would be a lesson to you 1 I understand your whole damnable scheme hale brought out curtly it if you think I 1 dont sit down and make yourself comfortable and ill prove 11 it will you have a cigarette he picked up the box and offered it craig looked at him it was a long straight raight it look are you authorized author teed to act for mr kneeland he asked at last yes craig I 1 am sit down and ill teu tell you why craig still ignored the invitation are you taking my patient out of my hands bands he be asked with the same calmness the answer to both your questions is yes sit down craig sat down near the smoking table his bis back to the door hale drew a chair forward and sat down facing him at their left kneeland cowered like a terrified animal again craig gave hale a long thoughtful look but he did not speak rex went on ive been going into your case craig hale said slowly ever since I 1 got here you arent really very clever if most of the people around you been either self obsessed or as bad as you are yourself you would have been discovered and kicked out as soon as you began to develop your little scheme its a very elemental scheme it if you had been more patient and intelligent you might have carried it out but you were in too much of a hurry especially after I 1 got here you wanted to get to vienna and study you wanted a steady income there while you were doing your work last year it occurred to you that by convincing your best friend who has plenty of money or can get it in ainemer an emer gency that he was inheriting his mothers insanity and in sending him off his head b y constant and hellish suggestions you could get him iliin to jo go with you to vienna supposedly for treatment there he paused a mordent moment then went on it was a very pretty plan from your viewpoint you let bert infer that you alone could save him from a madhouse you had a patient very susceptible to suggestion you could have kept lim him in vienna a year or two you yott could have convinced him that you were keeping him out of an asylum you hale turnia turned arch and im certain of it he said quietly you could have been certain 1 of it if you had bad the initiative to 9 go 0 to any honest bidne st physician and ask doctor nick crosby who Is only two miles mile away and who attended your mother till she died would have told you that you had nothing to fear he told me that so did two psychiatrists I 1 have consulted any honest physician would have burst craigs infernal bubble tor for you ive let you run on you tool craig said with white fury airy ive given you enough rope to hang yourself with and youre doing it shut up hales ha les fire had died down he spoke wearily its my turn to talk now and yours to listen youve been averaging five or six hours of steady talk alk to herbert kneeland out of every twenty four and I 1 think hes had enough of it so have L if youre wise keer keep quiet and learn going to happen to you when I 1 tell you wr P A Z the answer to both your questions is yes sit down could coed have handled bandied the purse strings and you could have taken damned good care that he be never saw another psychiatrist while he was there you would have sent reassuring reports to his bis anxious father in one way or another yau you would have kept him there tiu till you yau finished finished your your own course of study and experiments hales voice rose as his temper rose if incidentally you you really drove tiie the boy mad while you had him there he went on it would have been just too bad probably that part of your scheme your plan was to give him just enough treat treatment men t to to keep him about where he is now terrorized despert desperately ply afraid of iou you and yet trusting you iou as his only anchor he was your best friend he has always been he has kept you here he has fitted up a laboratory for you that any man in your position would be proud of what was your return for all this you have put him through hell bell compared to what you were doing to him plain murder would have been a merciful thing when I 1 think of what you have made him suffer I 1 could strangle you with my bare hands you foell craig was choking with fury ill make you regret this hale ignored the interruption and aalthe au the time doctor craig he be emphasized the title with such bitter irony that craig whitened under the word you knew that he was in no more danger of insanity than you are or I 1 am you knew that his mother suffered from puerperal insanity which is due to complications in childbirth and is not hereditary bert kneeland was nervously run down but he was in no more danger of insanity than you are A choking gasp came from behind them kneeland had straightened up he was stammering out almost incoherent words halel Is that straight are you certain of that god in he heavert heave avent nl that please remember remember that im speaking for or casper kneeland Mee lind I 1 think he added slowly 1 I am speaking for his son too Is that right bert yes ph god yes yes dont boalt let him come comb ii near ear me again ag aln you dont know what he has put me through kneeland was still shaking and cow ering but his bis eyes dyed were quiet quieter 6 dont D ont I 1 hale looked at him a and nd then at craig 1 I think ive lust just proved that ido I 1 do damn you craig jerked put out between his teeth Iv Ive eliad had enough of this raving 1 I dont doubt you have hale agreed tin asa spoiling all 11 your plans and they were working io go nicely tilt tM asame my appearance here you jou and aria hurried you birt bert told me list last week you wanted him to sall ball wit hyou the middle 61 july you was ie in very very bad shape of his remaining wits pretty stupid about him after aft eryou you got frightened you might have had hada a madman mad man on your hands in a few weeks more and all the time you thought you were so cle clever verl encouraging cou raging him one day ind and casting him into I 1 i the depths of despair the next day A chap with less pluck than kneeland would have smashed under it weeks ago but hes young and strong hell soon be himself again he turned to kneeland the young man had bad stopped trembling he drew his bis chair close to hale but as far from craig as the circle would permit and sat down so youre a psychiatrist too coo craig sneered his face was livid his voice a hiss again he looked as venomous as the cobra he had suggested in the upper hall ball that noon no im not k a psychiatrist hale acknowledged placidly but I 1 got some expert advice about this case ive talked to your superiors in new york craig ive a letter in my pocket from dr marcel michel it 1 I paris a friend of mine I 1 fancy you know him by reputation what craig was out of his chair now youve been slandering me to my associates you inter fering hound theres a penalty for or slander and you pay tt it not until the grievance committee of bf the new york county medical society has acted an your case hale said gently and certainly not after your license to practice medicine has been revoked he watched craig sink back in his chali chair after that blow and went on conversationally weve a very strong case against you doctor 1 again he be underlined the word A statement signed by mr kneeland by bert himself by mlis miss joan kneeland by mrs wilbur wili I 1 nash by ayme me ian and deven cven by alak worth would interest the new york county medical society very M mucha u owl craig C stood up bert kneeland Is off his head owsald slowly sp so are you yom but theres a limit to what a doctor can be expected to endure from his patients and their tool fool friends I 1 snail shall take the first train from here in them the mor morning hIni good hale said heartily now Ill rubell tell you what else youre ure going to do wait a minute reordered he ordered as craig started for the door this is important I 1 craig waited his band OB an the doorknob door knob TO BE CONTINUED |
