LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1699, 31 July 1879, Page 3

LITERATURE.

M. DIABLENTRAIN AND HIS PUPIL. [From "Truth."] In the Assembly-rooms of pleasant Leamington a large and fashionable audience —as the local journals would have expressed it—met one evening, not long ago, to witness a magnetic seance conducted by Monsieur Diablentrain and his pupil, Mdlle. Lucile. The programme of the entertainment, which had been profusely distributed among the letter-boxes of the principal houses in the locality, set forth that M Diablentrain would astonish his audience by the number of queer things he would do with Mdlle. Lucile. He would send her to sleep, and stick pins through] her arms without her feeling them. He would make her read the contents of closed letters ; see gestures made behind her back j hear words spoken in the faintest whisper, and at several yards' distance from her, while she was asleep ; and finally make her give many pro3fsof the amazing physical strength "she enjoyed whilst in her state of hypnotism. There wai enough in these arises to entice lovers of the marvellous, and that category of persons, still more numerous in these our times, who believe in nothing, and profess to see clearly through all that they do not understand. A rquad of these sceptics were seated in the front row of.the stalls. They were, for the most part, snowed-out fox hunters, who were staying in the principal hotel of Leamington. Each bad his crutch, toothpick, eye-glasß, and a solitaire in his shirtfront, and, having well dined, they were all disposed to make merry over the performance. When the curtain rose, however, and M. Diablentrain solemnly walked on to the platform holding his pupil by the hand, the sceptics nudged one another, saying: ' Hullo ! that's the fe'low with the pretty girl who dined with ns at tahlo Whole tonight ;' and this discovery set them busy with their opera-glaßses, for they were all facetious young men of a prying turn of mind.

M. Diablentrain was a curly-headed Frenchman, with black moustaches, tightly waxed at the tips; Mdlle: Lucile wai a pretty, ronnd cheeked girl of abont twenty, with very large, grave blue eyes, and flaxen hair plaited into two long tails, Grefcchen fashion, She was dressed in a loose white cashmere dressing-gown, with open sleeves which left her arms exposed; and_ she carried herself with a modest stateliness which prepossesced the audience in her favour. The men thought her pleasing to look upon, tho ladies owned' that she was interesting. M. Diablentrain, having made his bow, explain>d in very fair English, pronounced a la Francaise, that he was-not a mountebank, nor spiritualist, nor anything elso ending in ist. Ho possessed' the power of sending Mdle Lucile to sleep by a simple effort of his volition (coupled with her consent), and of making her do-things whilst under the influence of hypnotism, which neither she nor any other person could; perform when awake. He left it for men of science to decide whence this power_ of hjs arose and to analyse its manifestation*, if they coukl; : for himself, he was only anxious to prove that there was no. deception in anything he did, and f erefore bo begged that eight gentlemen from among the audience would do him the favor to mount on the stage and remain seated there throughout tho performance After a litt'e hesitation, eight knights of the toothpick and crutch ascen led the steps amid goneral amusement, their own included; for it takes litt'e to make people laugh in such junctures. Silence wai restored, however, when M. Diablentrain begged that Romebody would favor him with the loan of a gold pin—an "ordinary cravat - pin, the longer the better." A pin of the fiort was produced and handed up to the platform. Tho mesmerist carefully wiped it, and then proceeded to send his pupil to sleep. Ho did so almost instantaneously, without any passes. He simply stood near the footlights and stared fixedly at Mdle, Lucile, who, seated at the rear of the stage, returned his gaze, till a slight shiver thrilled o-cor her limbs, and her hoad tilted back. Her eyes remained wide open, with the pupils and lids motionless, and Diablentrain, with a wave of the hand, brought her to the front of tho stage Having then beckoned to the eight knights of the C. and T. to advance, he drew np Mdle. Lucile'a sleeve and forced the pin through the fleshy part of her arm above the elbow. There was no doubt abont it : there the pin stuck, and the andienco were soon enabled to satisfy themselves that there was no imposture, for the mesmerist and his pupil descended from the stage and walked among the seats. This was pretty wel'i but more wonderouß things

wera to follow. Mdlle. Lucilo received ordeJSf to Stare into the eyes of one of the dandier on the stagey ani she did stare so fixedly tint nothing he could do would divert the direction of her gaze. He put his hand Bp} she slapped it dewn. He j tried to turn round, but with a grasp ■ stronger than a man's she collared him and wheeled him rotrad to the position' of ' eyes front.' Another of tho crutch gentlemen sought to interpose his body between the pair, bat he was caught round the waist with no more ceremony than a bundle of linen; and sent sprawling backward ever a chair. All the others who tried to repeat the experiment were dealt with in the name fashion, muoh to their discomfiture, and- to the delight of tho audience, who roared with laughter at seeing so many doughty fox-hunters put out of conceit with themselves. Afier this, M. Diablentrain'selected the toughest and brawniest of the sporting contingent—a stalwart dragoon officer, fix feet high—and' made him stand back to back with Mdlle. Lucilo. Prom that moment the somnambulist seemed' riaeted to his shoulder-blades. It was in vain that he struggled, writhed; jumped, ran round the stage, sat down, and tried in every way to rid himself of his burden ;• the pretty sleeper with her features eet in an immutable expression of serenity, adhered fast to him. finally, the young giant, streaming with perspiration, lay down on his stomach-with his hands ipread out; but she reclined on the top of him with her hands folded across her breast, coolly as if she were on a couch.

It is not necessary to recapitulate all the tricks which M Diablentrain made his pupil perform. Enough that by the end of the proceedings the whole audience were convinced that they had eeon physical force* at work which there was no explaining. Indeed, tho Frenchman's tricks would have been more marvellous as mete juggleries than as manifestations of mesmeric influence 'i ho eight gentlemen of the toothpick and crutch felt this so well that as they walked back to their hotel discoursing abont what they had witnessed, they agreed that M. Diablentrain was a "rum 'un " —no small concession from- persons of their kidney There I'ngered in them, however, just enough scepticism to make them desirous of seeing M. Diablentrain perform "off the stage;" so having reached their hotel they hovered about the doorstep, resolving to invite the Frenchman and his attractive pupil to have some supper with them, and sftorwards to perform a queer prank or two in private. Now a Frenchman never refuses an invitation to supper, when courteously tendeied. When M. Diablentrain descended from his fly escorting Mdle Lucile, who was closely mufflled up, ho bowed civilly to the gentlemen who had assisted him during his performance, and gracefully accepted the hint of the dragoon, who acted as spokesman, that champagne ad libitum and other good things would bo spread for his entertainment. " Mon Dieu, shentlemen, Ido not refuse," said he, laughing. "I think Mademoiselle must be hungry and thirsty, for these performances are tiring work; in fact, we were just going to Bup.' ' Wi'l Mam'eelle accept my arm, then ? ' proposed the dragoon, whilst a waiter, who had received instructions, came to say that the cloth had been laid in a private room. ' Monsieur is veree goot, murmured the French girl, with a glance of those grave blue eyes of hers, and she took the officer's arm. _ Five m'nutes later the whole party were installed as cosily as possible round an exceedingly well served table. It was a merry party enough, for M. Diablentrain gabbled away in the pleasantest style, as he ate and d'ank ; and Mdle. Lucile likewise played an nncommonly good knife and fork. It was a wonder to see so romantio a creature, who 'scarcely spoke, who smiled so dreamily, and who at odd moments wore an air of snch pensive abstraction, polish off viands as if she were recruiting for a long journey. The sight touched her host), who were hospitable young men ; they motioned to the waiter to fi" her glass again and again. Mdle. Lucile, however, made a more sparing use of their generous liquor than M. Diablentrain, so that she was only a little flushed, but otherwise quite self-possessed by the time this amiable Frenchman was in the condition when a man will cheerfully bet that he cculd grasp the moon with his teeth. So soon as he got to be thoroughly festive M. Diablentrain naturally acceded to the proposals which his hosts made him for giving them a little performance in private. He did so the more readily as, having produced a bundle of tickets for his forthcoming benefit, the gentlemen of the toothpick instantly took twenty off his hands at half-p-guinea apiece, and thereby gave him a happy consciousness that he was not wasting his time. ' Well, shentlemen,' drawled he, rather unsteadily, •what you wish me to do ? I send Mademoiselle to sleep here, and what next ? Shall wo stick three pins in her arm, or wi'l a carving-knife— ?' 'No, nothing of that,' answered one of the sportsmen, ' All we want to know is whether Mam'selle could do to any chance stranger she met in the streets or in tl is hotel what she did to us—stare in the eyes, you know, and get stuck to one's back.'

' You doubt it V asked the Frenchman. ' Hark 1 I hear a noise of wheels. Perhaps it is a traveller com'ug to the hotel. Will you that Mademoise'le shall go down and stare at this travellor, then st : ck to his back, notwithstanding his screams ?' ' If he screams, that would bo howling fun,' replied the dragoon, and so conenrred they all, laughing. ' Veil, then, silence, shentlemen !' said M. Diablentrain, and obedient to a wave of - his hand, the French girl pushed back her chair and looked hard at h-m. In a moment the magnetic fluid which this devilish man seemed to possess had wrought its usual effect, and she wai asleep. Now it eo chanced that the Lord Bishop of Leamington coming to hold a visitation of his clergy was the occupant of the carriage whose wheels the mesmerist had heard. His lordship was arriving to sleep at the hotel after a hard day's preaching, lunching, and dining in divers parishes of- his diocese. Ascending the staircase, followed by his chaplain and an obsequious-array of waiters with luggage, the Bishop met half-way the fair haired, open-eyed somnambulist, who gazed at him with the fixity of a statue. 'Good evening,' muttered- the Bishop, astonished, and ha timidly fingered the brim of his shovel hat; but with a sharp Blap Mdlie. Lucile knocked his hand aside and sent the episcopal headdress flying over the balusters. ' Goi bles3 my soul!' stammered the Bishop as he stopped; but grasping him tightly by tho throat the somnambulist forced his right reverend head up and stared at him till he hallooed in terror. Of course his trusty chaplain rushod at once to the rescue, but a back-hander dealt with no feminine lightness made him.stumble dowj three stepj, he bawling:. 'Oh, oh, my jaw t' Nothing better happened to a pair of waiters who held a portmanteau between them, for this weight upsetting their equilibrium made them roll from the top. of the stairs to the bottom, as soon as Mdlle. Licile had pushed one of them on the chest. Meanwhile, the noise of this unholy shindy, attracting many residents in the hotel, the passage and staircase were soon filled with a crowd of ladies, who recoiled scandalised at seeing tlieir reverend Bishop—a most austere man-—struggling and whining on the stairs with a girl who for greater convenience had now grasped him tight by both ears, and held his hoad at arms' length like a pitcher of water, or a lamp full of explosive oil.

1 he gentlemen of the toothpick and crutch had uct bargained for teazing a Bishop, and they thought it high time to stop the fun. But M Diablentrain had vacished. Oppressed by the heat and champagne, and losing all recollection, ho had retroated to his bedchamber and bolted him»elf ia, nor knocks or supplications could avail to draw him out. "To-morrow, shentlemen; no more wine to-night, thank you," he kopt on repeating; and he might have left the Bishop in his unpleasant predicament all the night had not his lordship himself, leaped clean out of Mdlle. Lucilo's grasp, and bounded off with tho agility of a football till he reached a room, whose door he locked. The s omnambulldt follewed him, and thumped at the door, but sho could not force it; and there she remained hammering till M. Diablentrain, hiving at last been drawn out by ooaxings and threats, came out, rubbing his eyes, to break tho spell over her. Leamington has been talking over since of this queer affair. As for M. Diablentrain and his pupil, they made a pofc of money on the next night, Jand all subsequent nights of their performance at the Assembly Roc-mat