Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1867-02-23

my arms as 1f she had been frlghten-
ed child, and tried TO comfort her. n
My darling, this is madness Z
said, You know that no stranger can
come TO you in the pleasaunce. The
moat is ten feet wide and always full
of water, and the gates are Kept locked
day aud night by old Mason. The
chatelaine-ot a medieval fortress need
fear no intruder in her antique garden.
My wife shook her head sadly.
/" see him every day." she said.
On this / believe that my wife was
mad. shrank from questioning her
more closely concerning her mysterious
yisitaut.s It would be i'll, thought, to
give a form and substance to the shadow
that tormented- her by too close inquiry
about its look and. manner, its coming
! and going. -.-.s,-
/ took care to assure myself that no
stranger to the household could by any
possibility penetrate to the pleasaunce.
Having done this, / was faln to wait
the coming of the physician, II
| He came at last. / revealed to him
the conviction which was my misery. 1
told him that / believed my wife to DO
mad lie saw her-spent an hour alone
with her, and then came to me. To my
unspeakable relief he assured me of her
sanity.
cit is just possible that she may be
affected by one delus;on,' he said; "but
! she is so reasonable upon all other
/ points that can scarcely bring myself
/ to believe her the subject of mono
mania: am rather inclined to think
j that she really sees the person of whom
IL. 4 ~
with per. eet minuteness. The descrip-
tons of scenes or, individuals given by
patients afflicted with monomania are
always more or less disjointed; but
4 Your wife spoke 10 me as clearly and
calmly as / am now speaking to you.
Are You sure there is no one who can
1 appfoach her in that garden where she
walks ?" .,rs-t-s
81 am quite sure 4
( ageIs there any kinsman of your stew
ard, or banger-on of your household
a young man with a fair womanish
face, very paae, and rendered remarka-
BILE by a crimson scar, which looks like
the mark of blow ?"
a"My Godr" / cried, as the light
/ broke in upon me all at once. ''And
the dress-the strange, old-fashioned
dress pr
"The man wears hunting costume
of. purple and orange" answered the
doctor. t..
/ knew then that Andre de Brissac
had Kept his word, and that IN the
hour when my life was brightest his
shadow had come between me and hap
piness.
L showed my wife the picture IL the
library, for / would fain assure myself
that there was some error in my fancy
/ about my cousin. She shook like a
leaf when she beheld it, and chung to
me convulsively.
'tThis is witchcraft, Hector" she
said. 1.-The dress in that picture is the
dress of the man / see in the plea
saunce; but the face is not his.
Then she described to me the face of
the stranger; and it was my Cousins
face line for ine--Andre de Brissae-
whom she had never seen in the flesh.
Most wildly of all did she describe the
cruel mark upon his face, the trace of
q fierce blow from an open hand.
After This / carried my wife away
from Puy Verdun. We wandered far
through the southern provinces, and
into the very heart of Switzerland. L
thought to distance the CHASTITY phan-
tom, and [ fondly hoped that change of
scene would bring peace to my wife.
! 1t was not so. Go where we would,
the ghost of Andre de Brissac followed
u.s. To my eyes that fatal shadow
never revealed itself. That would have
been TOO poor o. vengeance. It was
my wife's heart which Andre made the
instrument of his revenge. The I'M
holy presence destroyed her life. My
constant companionship could not
shield her from the horrible intruder.
In vain did l watch her; in vain did l
strive TO comfort her. aea Z aa
/ HE will not let me be at peace, F"
she said; che comes between us, Hec-
tor. He is standing between US now.
| can see his face with the red mark
| upon it palmer than | see you're"