“What did you dream, sir?”

“What business is that of yours, you infernal, inquisitive rascal?”

“Well, sir,” said Nick, respectfully, “I thought from what you did—­”

“Did?  What did I do?”

Nick very briefly described the scene which he had witnessed.

Dr. Jarvis seemed overcome with horror.

“Is it possible?” he cried.

Then suddenly he turned and hurried out into the laboratory.  He went straight to the corpse upon the slab of stone, and drew back the cloth.

Nick followed, and together they gazed upon the mutilated body.  It seemed to Nick that it was the same which he had seen before, and which he had known to be not that of Patrick Deever.  But in the uncertain light he could not be certain.

Dr. Jarvis gave him little time for making his decision.

He hastily replaced the cloth, shuddering convulsively as he did so. 
Then he returned to his room.

He sat down upon the edge of his cot, and held his head in his hands.  When he looked up his violent mood had passed away.  He seemed to wish to talk.

“It was a hideous dream,” he said.

“Murder?” asked Nick.

“There was murder in it,” replied the doctor.  “I thought that I had killed—­that I had killed a man.”

“Patrick Deever?”

“How the devil did you know that?” cried the doctor, springing to his feet.

“Well, sir, the man has disappeared, and—­”

“And somebody has been filling your head with foolish stories.  Who was it?”

“Mr. Deever was asking some questions about his brother.”

“And you told him everything you knew, and a good deal more, I suppose?”

“I didn’t tell him anything.”

“It’s lucky for you that you didn’t.  Now, look here, Cleary, you know where your interest lies.  Don’t you lose a good job by talking too much.”

“No, sir; I won’t.  But there’s something in dreams, and—­”

“There was agony in this one.  I thought that I had killed Deever, and was obliged to hide his body.  I felt that the police were close upon me.

“It seemed as if I had only one night in which to make myself safe.  I thought first of burning the body in the furnace.  Then it seemed best to use the acid.  Heavens, I am glad to be awake again!”

“Such a dream as that means something, sir.”

“It means this—­that miserable, drunken rascal has disappeared, and I am likely to have trouble about it.”

“He’ll come back.”

“I don’t know about that.  Perhaps he won’t come back.”

“Have you any idea where he is, sir?”

“Do you think I killed him, Cleary?”

“No, sir; certainly not.”

“But suppose I did?  What then?”

“Well, sir; it’s a terrible thing.  I—­”

“Would you betray me?”

“I would not say a word unless I was sure that you were guilty.”