"With this view, I have not hesitated to reveal to the lawyer a
constitutional peculiarity of my poor uncle's, which was always kept a
secret among us at his own request--I mean his tendency to somnambulism.
I mentioned that he had been discovered (by the housekeeper and his old
servant) walking in his sleep, about three weeks before his death, and
that the part of the house in which he had been seen, and the basket of
keys which he was carrying in his hand, suggested the inference that he
had come from one of the rooms in the east wing, and that he might have
opened some of the pieces of furniture in one of them. I surprised the
lawyer (who seemed to be quite ignorant of the extraordinary actions
constantly performed by somnambulists), by informing him that my uncle
could find his way about the house, lock and unlock doors, and remove
objects of all kinds from one place to another, as easily in his sleep
as in his waking hours. And I declared that, while I felt the faintest
doubt in my own mind whether he might not have been dreaming of the
Trust on the night in question, and putting the dream in action in his
sleep, I should not feel satisfied unless the rooms in the east wing
were searched again.
Pages:
1116
1117
1118
1119
1120
1121
1122
1123
1124
1125
1126
1127
1128
1129
1130
1131
1132
1133
1134
1135
1136
1137
1138
1139
1140