Page:The International Journal of Psycho-Analysis II 1921 3-4.djvu/31

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A MAN'S UNCONSCIOUS PHANTASY OF PREGNANCY 285

I He felt as if he had woken him by touching him with the stick

I or his hand. The old man asked him then why he was frittering

away his day, when he might have been doing something useful. As he actually had no plans, he asked the old fellow for advice. The latter pointed with his stick towards the ruin and said, therein was situated a well, down which he was just to climb and percuss its walls. If he found a hollow place, he was to open it, and he would get the reward for his labours. While he was considering the words of the old man, the latter disappeared. He followed. the ad- vice, stepped into the well, and discovered a secret chamber filled with jugs, old armour, and coins. All the objects were deeply smothered in mildew.

Dream II. An unknown friend invited him to come to his farm.* There he showed him first the stabling, where one could see animals for breeding arranged in splendid order, and labelled ' according to name and pedigree. In a small nitch, separated oflf,

he saw a great number of hens' eggs covered with straw. He took up a strikingly large bean-shaped sample, and examined it with the greatest astonishment, since there were isolated letters on it, which were becoming clearer and clearer. On his friend's return, he hastily replaced the egg. They then went out into the yard, where animals reminiscent of rats were being reared in a pen-like enclosure. They gave out an intolerable odour. The whole farm was on a ridge ;' below lay a deserted churchyard with a meadow in its middle. Under a tree he saw a grave fallen in, and a chapel near it. He went in to this with his friend, and to the right and left of the gangway were placed children's coffins, I and on their lids could be seen modelled and painted, figures

representing the dead. He stepped through a glass door to the inner chamber, where stood the adult's coffins. As he turned round by chance, and looked back through the glass door, he saw that the dead children were dancing ; directly they saw him however, they lay down again in their places. He was startled, and could not believe his eyes, and therefore tried again. Every time he found the children dancing and lying down again as soon as he looked at them. In the meantime the friend had disappear- ed, and he was seized with intense dread since he could only emerge in to the open through that gangway.

» The dream heralded the phase of his first understanding of his own disease. The unknown one is doubtless the doctor.

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