No person present even affected to deny, or attempted to repress, the unutterable, shuddering horror which these few words, thus uttered, were so well calculated to convey.  Mr. L —­ l (the student) swooned.  The nurses immediately left the chamber, and could not be induced to return.  My own impressions I would not pretend to render intelligible to the reader.  For nearly an hour, we busied ourselves, silently —­ without the utterance of a word —­ in endeavors to revive Mr. L —­ l.  When he came to himself, we addressed ourselves again to an investigation of M. Valdemar’s condition.

It remained in all respects as I have last described it, with the exception that the mirror no longer afforded evidence of respiration.  An attempt to draw blood from the arm failed.  I should mention, too, that this limb was no farther subject to my will.  I endeavored in vain to make it follow the direction of my hand.  The only real indication, indeed, of the mesmeric influence, was now found in the vibratory movement of the tongue, whenever I addressed M. Valdemar a question.  He seemed to be making an effort to reply, but had no longer sufficient volition.  To queries put to him by any other person than myself he seemed utterly insensible —­ although I endeavored to place each member of the company in mesmeric rapport with him.  I believe that I have now related all that is necessary to an understanding of the sleep-waker’s state at this epoch.  Other nurses were procured; and at ten o’clock I left the house in company with the two physicians and Mr. L —­ l.

In the afternoon we all called again to see the patient.  His condition remained precisely the same.  We had now some discussion as to the propriety and feasibility of awakening him; but we had little difficulty in agreeing that no good purpose would be served by so doing.  It was evident that, so far, death (or what is usually termed death) had been arrested by the mesmeric process.  It seemed clear to us all that to awaken M. Valdemar would be merely to insure his instant, or at least his speedy dissolution.

From this period until the close of last week —­ an interval of nearly seven months —­ we continued to make daily calls at M. Valdemar’s house, accompanied, now and then, by medical and other friends.  All this time the sleeper-waker remained exactly as I have last described him.  The nurses’ attentions were continual.

It was on Friday last that we finally resolved to make the experiment of awakening or attempting to awaken him; and it is the (perhaps) unfortunate result of this latter experiment which has given rise to so much discussion in private circles —­ to so much of what I cannot help thinking unwarranted popular feeling.

For the purpose of relieving M. Valdemar from the mesmeric trance, I made use of the customary passes.  These, for a time, were unsuccessful.  The first indication of revival was afforded by a partial descent of the iris.  It was observed, as especially remarkable, that this lowering of the pupil was accompanied by the profuse out-flowing of a yellowish ichor (from beneath the lids) of a pungent and highly offensive odor.