Year: 1877

name of lion; the nose was sharp and
prominent, and the chin was overgrown
with white hair, which hung down il
locks as weird as the Ancient Mariners.
He politely dotted his cap, bowed, re-
placed it, and then said, in slightly
foreign accent:


L" Madam, it is not necessary for me
to stand on any further ceremony, as
your husband, DR.. Maynard (hereupon
he again bowed profoundly, has already
acquainted you with the nature of my
business here tonight. I perceive, he
added, glancing at my neghge robe, that
you were expecting me-


"'No,' l found voice to stammer.
The doctor has said nothing to me
about a visitor at this hour of the night.


"'Ah he wished to spare you, no
doubt, a disagreeable apprehension, he
returned, advancing and taking seat Oh
the sofa opposite me, where for a few
moments he sat and eyed me from head
to foot with strange glittering light in
his eyes that mysteriously impressed me.
You have remarkably fine physique,
madam, he observed, quietly; zone that
might deceive the eye of the most skilled
and practical physician. Do you suffer
much pain?'


unable to speak, I shook my head.
| A terrible suspicion was creeping over
me. / was alone, miles away from aid
or rescue, with mailman.


"sAh! he continued, reaectively,
your husband may have mistaken a
tumor for cancer. Allow me to feel
your pulse, he said, rising and bending
over me.


"I thought it best to humor him, re-
membering it was unwise for helpless
woman to oppose the as yet harmless
freak of a lunatic. He took out his
watch, shook his head gravely, laid my
hand down gently, then went toward the
study, where, on the table was an open
case of surgical instruments.


DO not be alarmed, madam, he
said to me as I was about to rise and
flee, and in another instant he was by
my side, with the case in his possession.


"Involuntarily l raised my hand and
cried:


"Spare me! Oh, spare me, I beseech
you!'


Madam he said sternly, clasping
nv wrist with his long, sinewy fingers,
with grip of steel, you behave like a
child. 1 have no time to parley, for l
have received letter from the emperor
of the French stating that he is suffer
ing from all lilac abscess, and is desirous
of my attendance. I must start for
Europe Immediately after performing
the operation upon your breast, and,
before could make the slightest resist
ance, he had me in his arms, and was
carrying ME into the study, where there
was long table covered with green
baize. On this he laid me, and, holding
me down with one hand with the strength
of q maniac, he brought forth from some
hidden recess in his gown several long
leather straps, with which he secured
me to the table with the skill OF an ex-
pert. 1t was but the work of mo-
ment to unloose my robe and bare my
bosom. Then, after carefully examining
my left breast, he said:


Madam, your husband has made a
mistake. find no necessity for my in
tended operation.


cat this 1 gave long drawn sigh of
relief, and prepared to rise.


"'But, he continued, L have made
the discovery that your heart is as large
as that of an OK! I will remove it SO
that you can see for yourself ; reduce it
to its natural size by curious process OF
my own, unknown to the medical
science, and of which / am sole discover
er, and then replace it again.


"He then began to examine the edge
of the cruel knife, on which I closed my
eyes, while every nerve was In perceptl-
BILE tremor.


"sThe mechanism of the heart is like
a watch he resumed; if it goes too
fast, the great blood vessel that supplies
the force must be stopped like the lever
of watch, and the works must be clean
ed, and repaired, and regulated. 1t may.
interest you to know that / was present
at the post-mortem examination held
over the remains of the beautiful Louise
of Prussia. Had 1 been consulted be-
fore her death I would have saved her by
taking out her heart, and removing the
polypi, between which it was wedged
like as if in wise; but was called too
late. The king and I had little differ
ence; he was German, am French. l
trust that is sufficient explanation.


"He now bent over me, his long
white beard brushing my face. I raised
my eyes beseechingly, trying to think
of some way to save myself. ooh, sir,
give me an anesthetic, that l may not
feel the pain 7 [ pleaded.


"sIndeed, indeed, madam, 1 would
comply with your wish were you not
the wife of q physician-of skillful
surgeon. I wish you to note with what
ease perform this difficult operation,
so that you may tell your husband of the
great savant whose services he secured,
fortunately in season.


GAS he said this, he made the final
test of the knife on his thumb. How
precious were the moments now! They
were fleeing all too fast, and yet oh eter-
nity seemed compressed in every one.
never tainted in my life, and 1 never
felt less like swooning than now, as 1
summoned all my presence OF mind to
delay the fearful moment, fervently
praying in the meantime for my hus-
band s return.


"Doctor, said 1, with assumed COM
posure, Il have the utmost confidence
in your skill would not trust my life
to another but, doctor, you have for
gotten to bring napkin to staunch the
blood. If you win have the goodness
to ascend to my sleeping chamber, at
the right of the hall, you will find every
tb;no yo,, need for that purpose in the