that time in such
matters, it was a moment of absorbing interest: that which I had
heard mocked at as foolishness, that which I myself had doubted as
a dream, was, perhaps, about to be brought home to my conviction,
and established for ever in my mind as a reality. Should the
present trial prove successful, how much of my past experience must
be remodelled and reversed!

"Convinced, as I have since been, to what valuable conclusions the
phenomena of mesmerism may conduct the enquirer, never, perhaps,
have I been more impressed with the importance of its pretensions
than at that moment, when my doubts of their validity were either
to be strengthened or removed. Concentrating my attention upon the
motionless pair, I observed that Mademoiselle M---- seemed at her
ease, and occasionally smiled or glanced at the assembled party;
but her eyes, as if by a charm, always reverted to those of her
mesmeriser, and at length seemed unable to turn away from them.
Then a heaviness, as of sleep, seemed to weigh down her eyelids,
and to pervade the expression of her countenance; her head drooped
on one side; her breathing became regular; at length her eyes
closed entirely, and, to all appearance, she was calmly asleep, in
just seven minutes from the time when Mr K---- first commenced his
operations. I should have observed that, as soon as the first
symptoms of drowsiness were manifested, the mesmeriser had
withdrawn his hands from those of Mademoiselle M----, and had
commenced what are called the mesmeric passes, conducting his
fingers slowly downward, without contact, along the arm of the
patient. For about five minutes, Mademoiselle M---- continued to
repose tranquilly, when suddenly she began to heave deep sighs, and
to turn and toss in her chair. She then called out, 'Je me trouve
malade! Je m'etouffe!' and rising in a wild manner, she continued
to repeat, 'Je m'etouffe!' evidently labouring under an oppression
of the breath. But all this time her eyes remained fast shut, and
at the command of her mesmeriser, she took his arm and walked,
still with her eyes shut, to the table. Mr K---- then said,
'Voulez-vous que je vous eveille?'--'Oui, oui,' she exclaimed; 'je
m'etouffe.' Upon this Mr K---- again operated with his hands, but
in a different set of moveme