Twenty times he tried, and twenty times he failed; for in fact he was not awake, only dreaming that he was.

At length in an agony of despair, fancying he heard the goblins all over the house, he gave a great cry.

Then there came, as he thought, a hand upon the lock of his door.

It opened, and, looking up, he saw a lady with white hair, carrying a silver box in her hand, enter the room.

She came to his bed, he thought, stroked his head and face with cool, soft hands, took the dressing from his leg, rubbed it with something that smelt like roses, and then waved her hands over him three times.