d to love, honor, and obey, and against
whom she was now secretly plotting.

After the first time when Dr. Medjora had taken Leon into the temple
of AEsculapius while asleep, and there hypnotized him, the two spent an
hour together in the crypt nightly. The Doctor deciphered for his
pupil the meaning of the hieroglyphics in the order in which he had
studied them out for himself. His method was peculiar. On the second
night, he revealed to Leon the secret approach, and took him into the
buried dome whilst yet awake. Then before his astonishment and
admiration for the place had subsided, and, therefore, while his mind
was yet off guard, as it were, he suddenly commanded him to sleep,
just as he had done on the Fall River steamboat, only this time he
succeeded. With scarcely any resistance, Leon passed into a hypnotic
trance, and while in that condition the Doctor began expounding to him
the sculptured records of a forgotten knowledge. At first the tasks
were brief, but they were increased, and more and more was
accomplished each night as he acquired greater hypnotic control over
his subject. At the end of each lesson, he would say to his pupil:

"Leon, to-morrow you will remember that we have been here together,
that I have taught you a part of the knowledge inscribed upon these
walls; you will forever retain a recollection of that knowledge which
you have gained to-night; but you will imagine that you have been with
me in your normal waking condition, and you will forever and forever
forget that I have commanded you to sleep. Do you promise?"

"I promise!" would be the reply, and then, to assure success, he would
awaken the lad and continue awhile his teaching, so that Leon would
depart awake, as he had entered. Thus it was, that the Doctor's scheme
for educating his _protege_ was meeting with marvellous success, and
Leon was rapidly assimilating the wisdom which was offered to him.
Already he knew more of diseases and their treatment, of the science
of chemistry and bacteriology, than many graduates of medical schools.
In addition to what may be termed his hypnotic education, he was
acquiring practical experience through his daily work in the
laboratory, so that at length Dr. Medjora thought that he could see a
promise of fruition for his cherished scheme.

In one thing he was disappointed. It was his hope to effect a love
match between Leon and Agnes, but his keen study of both of the young
people convinced him tha