d escaped his lips. His face could not be seen, owing to the
gathering dusk of the evening; V---- only noticed that he took his
breath short and that his teeth were rattling together. "Yes,"
continued V---- after a short pause, "there is one thing that is very
strange about sleep-walkers. On the day after they have been in this
peculiar state in which they have acted as if they were perfectly wide
awake, they don't remember the least thing, that they did." Daniel did
not move. "I have come across something like what your condition was
yesterday once before in the course of my experience," proceeded V----.
"I had a friend who regularly began to wander about at night as you do
whenever it was full moon,--nay, he often sat down and wrote letters.
But what was most extraordinary was that if I began to whisper softly
in his ear I could soon manage to make him speak; and he would answer
correctly all the questions I put to him; and even things that he would
most jealously have concealed when awake now fell from his lips
unbidden, as though he were unable to offer any resistance to the power
that was exerting its influence over him. Deuce take it! I really
believe that, if a man who's given to walking in his sleep had ever
committed any crime, and hoarded it up as a secret ever so long, it
could be extracted from him by questioning when he was in this peculiar
state. Happy are they who have a clean conscience like you and me,
Daniel! We may walk as much as we like in our sleep; there's no fear of
anybody extorting the confession of a crime from us. But come now,
Daniel! when you scratch so hideously at the bricked-up postern, you
want, I dare say, to go up the astronomical tower, don't you? I suppose
you want to go and experiment like old Roderick--eh? Well, next time
you come, I shall ask you what you want to do." Whilst V---- was
speaking, the old man was shaken with continually increasing agitation;
but now his whole frame seemed to heave and rock convulsively past all
hope of cure, and in a shrill voice he began to utter a string of
unmeaning gibberish. V---- rang for the servants. They brought lights;
but as the old man's fit did not abate, they lifted him up as though he
had been a mere automaton, not possessed of the power of voluntary
movement, and carried him to bed. After continuing in this frightful
state for about an hour, he fell into a profound sleep resembling a
dead faint When he awoke he asked for wine; and, af