Chapter 11 Summary

In May of 1850, when Twain was about 15 years old, a hypnotist came to town, although the term then was "mesmerizer." After a few nights of failing to be hypnotized, Twain became the star of the show by pretending to be. The hypnotist was there for two weeks, but after the fourth night, Twain was his only subject. Together, they fooled everyone in town, except a handful of skeptics. Twain says he was as hurt by these skeptics as if he had been honest. He felt very proud when he finally won over the leader of the town's intellectuals, Dr. Peake, from Virginia.

Dr. Peake didn't know it, but Twain had been in the room several years before, while the doctor reminisced about a horrible fire in his hometown. He also spoke of an old house with a hole made by a British cannonball...