Year: 1870

quainted with him bat OF the par


liCulars of the case | was totally
uninfOrmed. On one or two occa-
sions, however, when we had been
alone for few moments, | thought
| could detect a desire upon his
part TO make some disclosure in
which he was concerned but, come
how, when on the point, as | fan
Cied of unbOsoming himself, some.
thing always occurred TO prevent
his doing so. On this night, never
theless, when | was taking leave of
my friends, / whispered to him
when we reached the hall, to step
into mystudy and smokea final
cigar, as he had but q couple o:
squares 10 pass before he reached
his quarters.


ado you know, DOCTOR" he OBJ
served, as he sank languidly into
one OF my easy chairs, II bave for
sometime been wishing for an OPP
portunity like the present, as have
something at my heart which is
sapping my llfe-bloOd, and of which
| long TO unburden myself to you,
as know you will sympathize with
me for, my disease being mental
and beyond the reach of medicine,
needs counsel and advice only, l
having expended all mere physical
treatment upon II already.


"To be suCcinct, then about two
years ago while spending a few
weeks at Newport, | met and loved
a beautiful girl whose parents had
died some time previously, and who
was now the rich ward OF an old
and inexorable guardian, who,
without consulting her heart or
her feelings, had made up his mind
that she should become the wife of
q certain wealthy New York gen.
tleman, who was old enough to be
her father. She rebelled; and, re-
turning my affection, we were be.
trothed to each other and, come
veal or woe, pledged our souls to
eternal fidelity. This ofcourse was
our secret, and ours only. Save
ourselves no one on earth was O
party to 1t; and we had come to the
determination that, when the days
of her mourning for her mother,
whose death had not long previous.
ly succeeded that of her father,
come TO a close we should become
united at the altar"


"Before making her my wife, l
determined to visit Europe for the
purpose of walking Guys Hospital,
London, and subsequently, making
a short tour of the continent. Du-
ring the time | was in England /
heard from her regularly but after
starting for France, and having
formed no settled plan or route Of
travel, | did not anticipate any
further letters from her until my re
turn to New York, where she resi-
ded permanently with her guardian
and his maiden sister. AS you
may readily suppose, then, | did


ROme Florence, Berne, and Paris
In rather a hasty and superficial
manner, and that while crossing
the Bay of naples | actually saw
less OF it than | saw, at that mo-
ment, OF the Bay OF New York. So,
after an absence OF five months,
with my heart all ailame, | found
myself once more comfortably
enscOned in my old quarters on
street, not far, you are aware,
from where we are now seated.


But during the month immediate.
ly preceding my return. the sun
had set upon me forever! AS my
betrothed was one morning taking
her usual drive, she was accidentally
thrown from her carriage, aud her
Uranium SO trighlfully confused,
that a portion ofthe parietal bone
that was pressing upon the brain,
had to bG removed, and a small
silver plate inserted in its place.
She became perfectly conscious
after her brain had been relieved,
and, through some strange freak OF
fancy, begged that her initials might
be engraved upon the plate before
1t was applied TO its purpose, which
was at once accomplished to her
apparent qualification. Soon,
however, it began to be obvious
that her final recovery was com.
plelely out Of the question, while
her physicians declared that the
case, although of Il certain class,
was accompaniedwith symtoms of
q character 50 extraordinary as to
baflleall their skill, and con-
found alltheir previous education
on the subject.


81 was stricken to the earth at
this dreadful intelligence, aud as
her remains had not been very long
inferred, it being now late in the fall,
l formed the terrible resolve OF
gazing upon her face once more.
In furtheranCe Of this design, de-
termined to enlist the services ofa
couple of trusty friends, and was
lying awake Que night, with the
gas turned partly down perfect
ing the plan l had laid, when II
felt sensible of the presence of
some one in my bedroom. On |
turning suddenly around perceived |
the outline Of a human figure near
a table in the apartment, gradually
becoming stronger, until, at last
they filed and rounded out into
the form of woman; and there,
as sure as the heavens are above
me stood my beloved before me, as
as ever / had seen her
during her lifel / gazed on her
without a single tremor of fear,
and would have rushed to clasp
her in my arms, had she not raised
her hand and beCkOnod me not TO
move. She then, in language as
-