Of course, when Edith became my wife I should have to tell her my secrets.

I had not hitherto told her this, because there was unquestionably a slight risk in the mesmeric sleep, and I knew she would set her face against my practice.

The risk, of course, was that it might become too profound and pass into a trance beyond the mesmerizer's power to break, ending in death.

Repeated experiments had fully convinced me that the risk was next to nothing if reasonable precautions were exercised, and of this I hoped, though doubtingly, to convince Edith.

I went directly home after leaving her, and at once sent Sawyer to fetch Dr.Pillsbury.Meanwhile I sought my subterranean sleeping chamber, and exchanging my costume for a comfortable dressing-gown, sat down to read the letters by the evening mail which Sawyer had laid on my reading table.
One of them was from the builder of my new house, and confirmed what I had inferred from the newspaper item.