第23部分(第7/8頁)

　latest　problem　child　had　almost　strangled　Dean　Stanton；　but　I　could　fill　out　the　rest　of　the　boilerplate　foolishness　in　the　meantime。　I　thought　my　handwriting　might　look　funny　…　trembly　…　but　it　came　out　about　the　same　as　always。

About　five　minutes　after　I　started；　I　put　the　pencil　down　and　went　into　the　W。C。　adjacent　to　my　office　to　take　a　leak。　I　didn't　need　to　go　very　bad；　but　I　could　manage　enough　to　test　what　had　happened　to　me；　I　thought。　As　I　stood　there；　waiting　for　my　water　to　flow；　I　became　sure　that　it　would　hurt　just　the　way　it　had　that　morning；　as　if　I　were　passing　tiny　shards　of　broken　glass；　what　he'd　done　to　me　would　turn　out　to　be　only　hypnosis；　after　all；　and　that　might　be　a　relief　in　spite　of　the　pain。

Except　there　was　no　pain；　and　what　went　into　the　bowl　was　clear；　with　no　sign　of　pus。　I　buttoned　my　fly；　pulled　the　chain　that　flushed　the　mode；　went　back　to　the　duty　desk；　and　sat　down　again。

I　knew　what　had　happened；　I　suppose　I　knew　even　when　I　was　trying　to　tell　myself　I'd　been　hypnotized。　I'd　experienced　a　healing；　an　authentic　Praise　Jesus；　The　Lord　Is　Mighty。　As　a　boy　who'd　grown　up　going　to　whatever　Baptist　or　Pentecostal　church　my　mother　and　her　sisters　happened　to　be　in　favor　of　during　any　given　month；　I　had　heard　plenty　of　Praise　Jesus；　The　Lord　Is　Mighty　miracle　stories。　I　didn't　believe　all　of　them；　but　there　were　plenty　of　people　I　did　believe。　One　of　these　was　a　man　named　Roy　Delfines；　who　lived　with　his　family　about　two　m