Page:The strange experiences of Tina Malone.djvu/61

Rh To my surprise he called me by name—a thing he had never done before.

I asked him if he knew the signs of hypnotism but he said he did not and begged me to go away to new surroundings and be active.

I said:

"Anyway, I'm getting food here for a book," and I said it brightly and smiled.

He took up some pamphlets that lay on the sofa beside me and threw them aside angrily as if they were rubbish. They were some books on occultism.

"Then write a cookery book," he said, "That's what you had better do."

He turned to my eldest sister—what they had told him about me I don't know.

"She had beterbetter [sic] go to stay with you," he said, adding in an undertone, "if you can put up with her."

"I have written to my friend, Mont Jones," I said, "and asked him to come and see me this afternoon. I want to tell him about this."

As he went out I heard him say to Kitty:

"Tell Mr. Mont Jones it's all right."

I thought that was rather officious of him. Whether my sisters rang up Mont Jones or not I don't know, but he did not come.

My sisters took me in hand then and persuaded me to dress, but I was made to feel that Tony had been brought home by Mr. Hughes very ill and was telepathing to me to go and see him, and I said I must go at once to Manly, where he lived.

I insisted on going and Kitty furiously and against her will said she would not let me go alone—She would go too.

"Why can't you be sensible," she said. "Aren't you tired of being made a fool of—You'll find it's only a hoax."

"No," I said, "I'm going."

I showed them I was going. I put on my things and Kitty, half beside herself, came too.

But when we got there there was no such street and we came home tired and wretched.

And so it went on—Kitty begged me to go to stay with her and I promised, but said that Tony had asked me to go to the theatre with him on Tuesday and had taken seats—So she stayed the night with me.

These attacks were so curious, for they did not last—Tony had seen me two or three days before, when I had been well and so when he had told me he knew the theatre would drive the blue devils away I accepted joyfully.