The farmers' union., 1894-02-15

the door few inches and glances In,
and as he does so Il smothered cry OF
mingled dread and wonder escapes
from his lips.
There sits Jane Copcutt in an elegant
easy chair, her head L. slightly bowed.
she is sewing by tho light of a superb
piano lamp. which sends its radiance
down upon her fair head and face with
wonderful effect. Srellbound by the
beautiful vision. Pu1nley stands gaz-
ing upon it with parted lips and bated
breath lest it should suddenly fade
away. She is more beautiful, more
radiant. more angelic than ever. She
is the same dear, gracious, sweet-faced
ago.
But the room. too. that is all changed
all thing arc new and strange. His
home is changed.
The old arm chair is gone and in its
place Il new one, very handsome. with
a reading desk fixed into one arm, with
candle-sticks in it. The sofa is also
quite new, though its covering was Of
the same pattern. The walls are hung
with fine engravings of various sacred
objects: the carpet is new one, and
very rich and soft.
And there is a new piano, too. 1t
stands there open, as if some one had
just left it. 1t is of the cottage kind,
but exGuisitely finished. Then certain
word, of the German sage occurred to
him: There are some rare conditions
of the human mind IN which the great
central fact becomes recognizable, and
we see that everything is exactly its
cOatrary:' he felt that he was now in
one of these conditions. Nothing could
bc more contrary to his O: O:dinarv fur
niturc than its present appearance.
But instead of being pleased at this
discovery, it terrified the good curate
exceedingly. for it struck him that the
only condition" under which such
sanity, that he had in fact gone out of
his mind.
Softly closing the door, he stood for
a moment listening t. the slow tick.
tick of the tall clock, and then. as he
CROPPED his way OUT of the house, he
whispered over and over to himself,
"I'vc lost my reason; I've lost my rea-
| SON.
Cncc he halted. thinking he would
60 up stairs and arouse the Old house
k epcr: but no. he was now fairly
frightened: he did not dare go up stairs
for fear he should ind some other
transformation had been effected. 1t
was clear that he was the victim of q
mental dclu>ion.
The reflection that would have Oc.
Cured to nine men out Of ten under
such circum stances-that he had drunk
too much wine at dinner-never en-.
tered into the curatc's mind: he had
ne CT exceeded the bouns. of modera
ton in his life. and on the present oc.
ca>ion distinctly remembered that he
had taken but three glasses of wine
He had. however. been rather excited
10y the German di-course, which
might possibly for everything was pos
siole save that which he saw around
him-have had the effect of intoxica.
ton. He might even have mistaken
somebody else's house for his own. Al
| untenable supposition, indeed, since
he had let himself in with his own key
and there was no other house in the
neighborhood that ,e,er.bled it: more
, Owe. he knew the interior of all the
| houses in Blondel Parva and none hat
furniture in the least like what he saw
; around him. or nearly SO new.
Still in the extremity of his amaze
/ ment. and having no other explanation
{ Of the phenomenon. he actual,
, stepped off the veranda and walked on
l upon the lawn with intent to regard i
5 frC III the outside t. make sure of it
l identity. In doing this he closed tn,
: door. forgetting that he had placed tn
: KEY on that new table in the hdllwa
L and thereby shut himse,. cut. lncon
: venient as was the incident. he was no
;. altogether sorry that it had happened
5 He had no desire to re-enter hi
o changed home: it seemed to him tina
4 that way madness lay: il. intio Ell. it ha
K net already seized him. As to any
5 thing supernatural! having taken place
Q he never even thought of it. His min
e wa, too culture /. his soul was too pur