The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-11-24

first intention" But Adams was i'm.
p%enetrable. Personally, l am inclined
to think that whatever the condition OF
his patients heart might be, he was q
little affected in that region. She was
evidently very fond of him, and liked
no one but him to dress the wound.
Still the mystery increased.
At last one afternoon | vas sitting in
Adams room, in a leisure interval,
when a lady's card was brought in. 1t
had q deep black border, and bore tho
inscription: Mrs. Stead, The Cedars.
She wished tosee Mr.. Adams. 1mmedi-
ately afterward, the lady was shown in.
Adams motioned me to stay. She was
a fine, tall woman of fifty, dressed in
deep mourning, with hair just turning
gray, a firm mouth, soft keen gray eyes,
and a face combining intellect and kind
ness.
"Have I the pleasure of speaking to
Mr.. Adams?" she said.
He bowed.
She then produced a paper which gave
an account Of our famous case and Of
the part Adams had played in it.
"May I inquire whether this patient
is still in the hospital? Can I see herr"
eyes; certainly. Would it not be
better for the patient to see the card
first, to avoid sudden excitement; that
is, if the lady's visit were likely to cause
excitement"
Perhaps it would be better to take
up the card, and say that Mrs Stead de-
sired to see her."
! Wonderfully calm and self possessed
the lady seemed to us; and yet she could
not entirely suppress some signs Of
emotion or excitement. She said that
illness in her family had prevented her
from seeing the papers for some time,
or she would probably have been here
before.
l took the card up and showed it to
the patient. She turned very pale, then
buried her face in her pillow and burst
into tears.
"Shall the lady come upp" l said.
i thought she sobbed ouj YES"
The visitor came up. Slowly and
calmly she walked up the ward. The
news had somehow got about and sew
eral of the men found that they had
business in that part of the hospital just
then. The lady stood by the bed, and
said softly:
elizabeth"
The girl looked up, and their eyes met.
One glance at the face was enough.
EYES," said the lady; Il can identify
her."
SIS it your daughter?" asked Adams.
cit is my cook" said the lady.
elizabeth Saunders"
] think / said that / only one saw
Adams considerably ~discomposed, and
that wa on the present occasion.
"I-I--thought her name wa Stead"
he Said, and his eyes rested on u pocket
handkerchief lying on the pillow. The
ladY's eyes followed his, and . slight
smile played or her features.
Yes; it was wen so. The acute scien-
ti6c observer, the far-sighted young
surgeon, famed for his diagnostic acu.
men, had seen through this case, but
had not seen through his patient. 1t
turned out that the girl, being remark
ably goo6-looking, and having acquired,
from a previous situation in a noble
mans family, q very c5rrect way OF
speaking and some very ladyish man.
ners, and frequenting places Of public
amusement, where she usually attracted
q good deal of attention. Her mistress
having been called away from home to
nurse a sick relative, had allowed her
servant to go, rs she thought, to visit
her parents in the country; but the girl.
having her wages in her pocket, had
preferred to remain with an acquaint-
ance in Londay, where she enjoyed her
Christmas holidays very much to her
own satisfaction, until her accident put
q stop to her maneuvers, or rather
changed her field of action. Finding,
as she recovered, that she was being
addressed as Miss Stead" and that she
was the object of much interest and at
tention, it seems to me-judging by
what experience of human nature on its
female side I have since acqLired mot
very remarkable that she preferred to
keep up the delusion; golden silence
being her main line of tactics. And,
iair readers, do you think it very con-
trary to your experience Of human
nature on it's male side, that an other
wise exceedingly acute young man
should be the subject Of q deluslon OF
this particular kind.
The lady spoke very kindly to the
girl, and guessing, / fancy, how matters
stood, said some very graceful things to
Adams. Subsequently, you will per-
haps be glad to hear, she proved q very
kind friend to him, and her influence
was OF no small assistance to him in his
future professional advancement. She
became, in fact, quite q mother to him.
though not q mother in-law.
I really do not know what befell the
girl, except that, at her own desire, the
lady obtained for her ga situation in
the country, out OF the way Of tempt
ation," aud that she proved to be q
faithful servant.
i I am sorry to have to state that pub
Ric interest in this case ut St. Michael's
somewhat rapidly declined after Mrs,
Stead's visit; perhaps because, as the
Lancet said, the interesting symptoms
haG ali disappeared. But l said then,
say now, and always will say. that it
was, from all points Of view, "A Really
Good Case"