Dr. Hoyt was a handsome, gray-haired man, with kindly eyes and a distinguished manner.  When he was ushered into the library the young ladies were attracted by the physician at once, and from the first glance were inspired by confidence in his powers.  Yet Dr. Hoyt spoke rather doubtfully of the case in hand.

“These cases are not so rare as you might suppose,” he said; “yet no two of them are exactly alike.  Usually the recovery is slow and tedious; but recovery is not always assured.  In some instances, however, the memory is absolutely restored, and from what Mr. Burke has explained to me of Lucy Rogers’s history this is what we may expect now.  Or else, we must trust to time or an accident to awaken her dormant mental faculties.  The case is so interesting that I should like, with your permission, to make an experiment which can result in no harm if it does not succeed.”

“We put the matter entirely in your hands, sir,” said Uncle John.  “Act as you think best.”

“I thank you,” replied Dr. Hoyt, bowing.  Then he turned to the girls.  “Which of you young ladies has won the friendship of Lucy Rogers?” he asked.

Louise answered that she and Eliza Parsons had become good friends.

“Will you assist me?” asked the physician.

“Willingly, sir.”

“I wish to send the girl into a deep sleep, to render her unconscious without her suspecting my intention, or realizing the fact.  Can you suggest a way to do this?”

Louise tried to think.

“What means will you employ, sir?” she asked.

“There are many ways to accomplish this.  I prefer to administer a powerful sleeping potion.  Have you any confectionery or bon-bons at hand?”

“Yes, indeed.  I have just received a fresh box of bon-bons from New York.  But I’m not sure I can induce Eliza to eat candy.”

“Then let us prepare the potion in various ways.  But you must be careful, Miss Merrick, not to make a mistake and take the dose yourself.”

Louise laughed.

“I’ll be careful, sir,” she promised.

The two then retired to perfect their plan, and in an hour every arrangement was complete.

Louise went to her room, donned a wrapper, and bandaged her head.  Then she summoned Martha and asked the housekeeper to send Eliza Parsons to sit with her in the darkened room, as she was suffering from a headache.

The maid came at once, to all appearances, as happy and careless as ever.  After expressing her sympathy she asked what she could do.

“Just sit down and keep me company, dear,” replied Louise.  “I’m not very bad, but I’m restless and can’t sleep, and I want you to talk to me and amuse me.”

Eliza laughed.

“That is easy, as far as talking is concerned,” she said.  “But to amuse you, Miss Louise, may be more difficult.”

But the girls found a topic of conversation in the election, in which Eliza was much interested, and they chatted together for an hour or so before Louise made any move to consummate her plot.