“She’s been attackted, Doctor, sence you been here, dreadful.  It’s them high stirricks, Doctor, ‘n’ I never see ’em higher, nor more of ’em.  Laughin’ as ef she would bust.  Cryin’ as ef she’d lost all her friends, ‘n’ was a follerin’ their corpse to their graves.  And spassums,—­sech spassums!  And ketchin’ at her throat, ‘n’ sayin’ there was a great ball a risin’ into it from her stommick.  One time she had a kind o’ lockjaw like.  And one time she stretched herself out ‘n’ laid jest as stiff as ef she was dead.  And she says now that her head feels as ef a nail had been driv’ into it,—­into the left temple, she says, and that’s what makes her look so distressed now.”

The Doctor came once more to her bedside.  He saw that her forehead was contracted, and that she was evidently suffering from severe pain somewhere.

“Where is your uneasiness, Myrtle?” he asked.

She moved her hand very slowly, and pressed it on her left temple.  He laid his hand upon the same spot, kept it there a moment, and then removed it.  She took it gently with her own, and placed it on her temple again.  As he sat watching her, he saw that her features were growing easier, and in a short time her deep, even breathing showed that she was asleep.

“It beats all,” the old nurse said.  “Why, she’s been a complainin’ ever sence daylight, and she hain’t slep’ not a wink afore, sence twelve o’clock las’ night!  It’s j es’ like them magnetizers,—­I never heerd you was one o’ them kind, Dr. Hurlbut.”

“I can’t say how it is, Nurse,—­I have heard people say my hand was magnetic, but I never thought of its quieting her so quickly.  No sleep since twelve o’clock last night, you say?”

“Not a wink, ‘n’ actin’ as ef she was possessed a good deal o’ the time.  You read your Bible, Doctor, don’t you?  You’re pious?  Do you remember about that woman in Scriptur’ out of whom the Lord cast seven devils?  Well, I should ha’ thought there was seventy devils in that gal last night, from the way she carr’d on.  And now she lays there jest as peaceful as a new-born babe,—­that is, accordin’ to the sayin’ about ’em; for as to peaceful new-born babes, I never see one that come t’ anything, that did n’t screech as ef the haouse was afire ‘n’ it wanted to call all the fire-ingines within ten mild.”

The Doctor smiled, but he became thoughtful in a moment.  Did he possess a hitherto unexercised personal power, which put the key of this young girl’s nervous system into his hands?  The remarkable tranquillizing effect of the contact of his hand with her forehead looked like an immediate physical action.

It might have been a mere coincidence, however.  He would not form an opinion until his next visit.

At that next visit it did seem as if some of Nurse Byloe’s seventy devils had possession of the girl.  All the strange spasmodic movements, the chokings, the odd sounds, the wild talk, the laughing and crying, were in full blast.  All the remedies which had been ordered seemed to have been of no avail.  The Doctor could hardly refuse trying his quasi magnetic influence, and placed the tips of his fingers on her forehead.  The result was the same that had followed the similar proceeding the day before,—­the storm was soon calmed, and after a little time she fell into a quiet sleep, as in the first instance.