296 The Course, the Camp, the Chase 



trial to the nervous system by so doing. As a rule they 

 would awake at their usual time in the morning, as if they 

 had only enjoyed an ordinary night's sleep, if left quietly 

 to themselves. Before finally leaving them, however, he 

 was in the habit of asking them if they were quite com- 

 fortable, when, if there was anything on their mind, they 

 would tell him what it was. Unless they were pacified, 

 and the irritating cause removed, they were quite unable 

 to rest comfortably, and their nerves became more or less 

 upset. 



When Mrs. Harland, on this occasion, was interrogated, 

 she replied that she was very unhappy, because George 

 (Mr. Thompson's son) was ill at Eton. She further stated 

 that the doctor was treating him quite wrong and thought 

 it was nothing, and there was a letter in the post-box at 

 Eton to his father to say so ; " but," she added, " it is not 

 so, the hurt is here," putting her hand to her temple as 

 she said the words. 



After soothing her as best he could, and seeing her 

 lapse quietly into sleep, Mr. Thompson went straight home 

 to Fairfield, and was so impressed with what she had said, 

 that he only waited to pack up a few things, and then 

 started off at once for Eton College, actually passing on 

 his way the very letter of which Mrs. Harland had spoken. 

 On his arrival he found his son very dangerously ill 

 indeed, and the latter has kindly written the particulars 

 as follows : — 



" The story of the clairvoyant telling^ my father, when 

 I was at Eton, that I was very ill, that the doctor there 

 was treating me quite wrong, that I was suffering from 

 congestion of the brain from a bad fall I had had against 

 a door, is quite true. 



