without fear from this." He kicked the prostrate
form lightly with his foot, and then lifted Barnes up and sat him upon
the stone as he slowly revived, supporting him until he had
sufficiently recovered not to need assistance. Then he placed himself
in front of Barnes, and as soon as the young man seemed to have
regained his senses he folded his arms and said sternly:

"Look at me!" Barnes obeyed for a moment and then turned away and
would have risen, but the doctor called out authoritatively:

"You cannot get up! You have no legs!" Barnes reached down with his
hands towards his legs, only to be stopped by the words:

"You cannot feel! You have no hands! Now look at me! Look! I command
you!" Barnes gazed helplessly into the Doctor's eyes, and the latter
continued, in a voice of peremptory sternness:

"Now answer me when I speak to you. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand. I will answer!" The voice did not seem to be the
normal tones of the young man, and a smile passed over the Doctor's
face as he went on.

"Do you know who you are? If so, tell me!"

"I am Jack Barnes!"

"And who am I?"

"Doctor Medjora!"

"Do you know where you are?"

"Yes! In the chamber of AEsculapius!"

"If I let you go from here, what will you do?"

"I would tell the police what I know!"

"Good! Now listen to me!"

"I am listening!"

"You wish to escape?"

"Yes!"

"I am your master?"

"You are my master!"

"You must obey my commands! You understand that?"

"I must obey your commands. I understand that!"

"You are asleep now?"

"Yes, I am asleep!"

"But if I give you a command now when you are asleep, you will obey it
when I allow you to awaken?"

"What you command when I am asleep, I will do when you let me be
awake!"

"You followed me to-day?"

"I followed you."

"You will forget that?"

No answer came from the sleeper. The crucial test had come. The
contest of wills. The Doctor, however, was determined to succeed.
Success meant a great deal to him, for he must either kill this man,
or else control him. He did not consider the first expedient. Murder
was not even in his thought. He stepped up to Barnes and took his two
hands.

"You will forget that you followed me?"

Still no reply. The Doctor gently closed the open eyes of the sleeper,
and rubbed them with a rotary movement of the thumb. Again he
ventured:

"You will forget that you followed me?
You--will--forget--that--you--followed--Dr. Medjo