MD3PAD 214-216

[Toby G Levy]

        Maskelyne's brother Edmund is apparently drunk. He tells
Maskelyne of meeting an astronomer named Herschel at a pub named The
Octagon. William Herschel was the astronomer who would later discover
Uranus.  Edmund makes fun of Mason's dour expression.  The french
astronomer Lalande says he's off to see "Florizel  and Perdita" and
Edmund thinks Lalalnde is going to date two women at once.  The play
Lalande is going to see was written by David Garrick, who Mason saw a
few pages back. Mason takes his leave as well and is soon alone on the
street, thinking of America.

        Chapter 22 begins on page 215 switching the focus back to Dixon.
He is at the home of his mentor William Emerson. Also in attendance is
Father Christopher Maire, who hardly looks at all like a Jesuit priest.

vw#57: pinguid - fat; oily.

        Fr Maire studied in Italy with Fr Boscovich, who a mathematician
who  developed the first coherent description of atomic theory. Maire's
appearance resembles the goblins that haunts country roads in folk
tales.

        Emerson enters the front parlor to join Maire and Dixon. He
carrying an unappetizing plate of leftover breakfast. Emerson gives the
appearance of a wizard.  He is not always a nice person, as evidenced by
the fact that he once hypnotized an annoying child into staying up a
tree for most of a day.

        Wick's audience interrupts to weigh in on hypnotism.  Cousin
DePugh says it is all the rage in Paris and that he himself has been
"Mesmeriz'd."

        Euphie said that it cosset big money to get mesmerized by Mesmer
and DePugh said that he got a group rate and that he recouped the money
by not drinking for a while. His father had left the room and he told
everyone that his father doesn't know about it and to keep quiet about
it. Depugh adds that he's learned to do it himself and is thinking of
"setting up a practice." Brae advises him to do it in New York if he
wants to make a profit.

Toby