New-York tribune., 1885-03-29
THE GOLDEN LOCK.
an INCIDENT IN THE LIFE OF APHYsIc1AN
nv WILLIAM A. HAMMOND, M. D.

luxurious chair in the room Then had iighteu
cigar and had composed myself to think tor haif an
bonr before going to bed had good deal Win
which to occupy my thoughts was ~rit,ng
hooL IN an abtruse subject connected with the
mind. a patient in whom was greatly Interested
had not responded as decidedly as was desiraoe 10
the remedies was giving him; and then-ahu uu.h
compels me to say that this was pre-emiioh'-'no
young lady had escorted to the dinnertable would
not cot ont Of NV mental vision although honestly
tired nv hest TO Danish her. Finally / gave up the
attempt and allowed my imagination to run loose
with all sorts of erratc IDEAS of which she formed
nronnent feature | began then to think that
was in love- and if it was the first time that the
fantest CLEAN of the tender passion had ever shohe
in my heart l was an old bachelor-so called
though under fifty. Many assaults. so had been
told had been made on my celibacy by designing
mammas working in the interests OF their
but had gaanty held the citadel OF my aiiectionS
AGAINST them all and had about reached the con-
clusion that / should remain single all my ilio.
Sociotv seemed to have arrived at the opinion that
7 was not a "marrying man." and hence when
went to receptions and dinners and balls, as did
very often it fell to my lot usually to look a'er tne
dowarers and other wal-fowcrs. was always Will
ing to make myself useful in this way ana therefore
Twas welcome guest wherever Went was Well
to-do as the world looks at matters; my practlce
was excellent: / held professorshIp In noted
medical college and had written several works
that had been we'll received by the profession
Resides had q snug little fortune that my father
had left me- But was in love with my profession,
and when a physician gets into that state In which
he finds something moro in his studies than his
bread and butter" he is not very apt to be leu
astray by the Establishments of women. no matter
how attractive they may be for mankind In general
or how assiduously they may make use OF theT
charms Now, so far as knew, was in love- ana
that too with a woman that l had never seen
before that night of whom / had no other knowi-
edge than that derived from three hours conversa'
tion and observation, and of whose antecedentS
was altogether ignorant, except that, meeting her
in good society was bound TO take it for granted
that she was lady. | had always prided inyseh
on my knowledge of woman, and If knew any
thing at all knew that no one of the SEX reVeais
her true nature to a during the first three nouns
of her acquaintance with him. L was conscious,
therefore that was making fool OF myself ana
acting IN opposition to some of my most cherished
principles, in being caught in this gnominious
manner True she had made no effort, so far as
could perceive to capture | had fallen into
the pit solely through my own weakness, and that
made it all the worse. | was old enough TO have
known better Well, many a wiser man than had
been caught in fully as easy and idiotic way by
pretty face and engaging manners. IL there was
any consolation in that knowledge had 1t IN
abundance
had not thought her particularly attractive, as
we talked together in the drawing-room before
going in to dinner. She had it is true. beautiful
face and figure, but though was old fool. prob
ably, i was not such big one as to be caught by
allurenients of that kind. She mad not talked much
and what she had said of very little conse-
quence was not quite that she was not
weak-mnded for there was a certain degree of
abstraction in her manner that had prevented her
replying at TO my remarks. She had appeared
to to be in kind of reverie or rather of mental
inaction from which she had to herself before
she could gather her thoughts together 50 as TO
comprehend my speeches and frame suitable
responses. Her brain had struck me as being one OF
those slow-workng ones so often met with IN
persons who, without being absolute idiots. are
nevertheless not far removed from imbecillty; In
whom the cerebral cells never ready for action,
and in whom some extraordinary excitation Is
necessary to start them going
Besides this, there was lcOk of surprise in her
face which was altogether inconTuous for there
was nothing in her surroundings at all calculated
to develop wonder or astOnshment. The remarks
that during the ten minutes subsequent TO my
presentation and the signal from the hostess that
dinner was ready, had addressed to her, were of
the most commonplace description, and yet each
time that had spoken to her she had raised her
eyebrows in amazement and then after a half
minute or so of apparent mental vacuty, had STAN
mered out some simple response, generally ayes"
ora no." or a few words not so decided in their
meaning.
Still, to a certain extent, she had fascinated me
from the very BEGINNING without at that time
exciting my admiration. Into this feeling there
entered a strong degree of professional interest.
There was something morbid about her; bf that /
sure, and made up my mind to study her so
far as could consistently with the requirements
of politeness Certainly she beautiful, but
tben as have said, mere facial beauty did not go
for much with me. was constantly the look
out for expression in the faces Of the men and
women that came in my way, and hers was not of
the kind that pleased me. One feature she had.
however that was magnificent, and that
head of golden red hair. nowhere observed in such
perfection nowadays as in Lombardy and Venice.
could see at a glance that had she let it down it
would have reached to her feet and to the color
1t was sGperD.
was apprehensive that would pass stupid two
OF three hours at the swell dinner that about
TO come of, but my anticipation was agreeably
disappointed, for more charming companion it had
never been my good fortune to meet than the one
that sat next to me at that table. No sooner had
she eaten the half-dozen oysters before her, and
drank the glass Of Chablis that poured out for
her. than an entire change ensued in her manner
aud mental characteristics. She became vIvacions,
quick 10 discern the drift of my remarks. ready at
repsrtee witty to degree that l had never
equaled IN q woman. while her face lighted up with
an Intelligence that astonished while it delighted
me. L was enraptured. overwhelmed, enthralled,
subJugated, everything, in fact that expresses the
complete supremacy that she had acquired over
me- and that is indicative of the domInanee of love
AS the dinner went on there was elimination in her
flow of spirits, in the apposteness of every word
she uttered-aow she was beautiful nou there was
expression in all the infinite variety Of which the