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MY BROTHER'S DOCTOR.

The scene just related brought me back to my senses and... to my own room in the Avenue de Clichy. I had a bump on my nose which the concierge put down to a fall from my bicycle. She also handed me a bill for this machine which I had left at the restaurant in the Bois.

The 1,000 francs was now dwindling fast. I began to reflect seriously upon the possibility of obtaining an allowance from my mother. But who was near enough to her to exert an influence on my behalf? My thoughts finally turned to my brother's doctor whom I had known since childhood as belonging to the family group.

He was a familiar figure to me, with thin, blond hair falling over his collar, protruding blue eyes and a receding chin. When still a young man he had neglected to obtain his doctor's certificate before leaving America to travel on the Continent with my mother. This remisences, together with a weak state of health, led to his being completely dependent upon her. At the time of my escape he had consumption and, though still active, it was another doctor, under his supervision, who treated my brother. 

He had always hoped to marry my mother but she had never even considered such a possibility, notwithstanding his unusual psychic powers. He could evoke spirits and at his mere request they would trace words on a special slate which, during a séance, was placed face downwards on the table. I knew that he resented my mother's attitude and that he sympathized with me. He then, I thought, was the best person to influence her and also to keep my hiding-place a secret.

I wrote to him though uncertain whether he would receive my letter. His answer, however, was soon followed by a visit. The long