He commanded it to return, and then felt,
as it were, an air pass by him; and, something having touched the hand
which held the sword, his arm was immediately benumbed as far as the
shoulder. He supposed that the weapon displeased the spirit, and set it
down within the circle. The human figure at once reappeared, but Eliphas
experienced such a sudden exhaustion in all his limbs that he was obliged
to sit down. He fell into a deep coma, and dreamed strange dreams. But of
these, when he recovered, only a vague memory remained to him. His arm
continued for several days to be numb and painful. The figure had not
spoken, but it seemed to Eliphas Levi that the questions were answered in
his own mind. For to each an inner voice replied with one grim word:
dead.'
'Your friend seems to have had as little fear of spooks as you have
of lions,' said Burdon. 'To my thinking it is plain that all these
preparations, and the perfumes, the mirrors, the pentagrams, must have
the greatest effect on the imagination. My only surprise is that your
magician saw no more.
Pages:
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122