a solitary house. We all three alighted, and
walked, by a damp soft footpath in a garden
where a neglected fountain had overflowed, to
the door of the house. It was not opened
immediately, in answer to the ringing of the bell,
and one of my two conductors struck the man
who opened it, with his heavy riding-glove,
across the face.

"There was nothing in this action to attract
my particular attention, for I had seen common
people struck more commonly than dogs. But,
the other of the two, being angry likewise, struck
the man in like manner with his arm; the look
and bearing of the brothers were then so exactly
alike, that I then first perceived them to be twin
brothers.

"From the time of our alighting at the outer
gate (which we found locked, and which one of
the brothers had opened to admit us, and had
relocked), I had heard cries proceeding from an
upper chamber. I was conducted to this chamber
straight, the cries growing louder as we ascended
the stairs, and I found a patient in a high fever
of the brain, lying on a bed.

"The patient was a woman of great beauty,
and young; assuredly not much past twenty.
Her hair was torn and ragged, and her arms
were bound to her sides with sashes and
handkerchiefs. I noticed that these bonds were all
portions of a gentleman's dress. On one of
them, which was a fringed scarf for a dress of
ceremony, I saw the armorial bearing of a Noble,
and the letter E.

"I saw this, within the first minute of my
contemplation of the patient; for, in her restless
strivings she had turned over on her face on the
edge of the bed, had drawn the end of the scarf
into her mouth, and was in danger of suffocation.
My first act was to put out my hand to relieve
her breathing; and in moving the scarf aside,
the embroidery in the corner caught my sight.

"I turned her gently over, placed my hands
upon her breast to calm her and keep her down,
and looked into her face. Her eyes were dilated
and wild, and she constantly uttered piercing
shrieks, and repeated the words, 'My husband.
my father, and my brother!' and then counted
up to twelve, and said, 'Hush!' For an instant,
and no more, she would pause to listen, and then
the piercing shrieks would begin again, and she
would repeat the cry, 'My husband, my father,
and my brother!' and would count up to twelve
and say 'Hush!' There was no variation in the
order, or the manner. There was no cessation
but the regular moment's pause, in the utterance
of these sounds.

"'How long,' I asked, 'has this lasted?'

"To distinguish the brothers, I will call them
the elder and the younger; by the elder, I mean
him who exercised the most authority. It was
the elder who replied, 'Since about this hour
last night.'

"'She has a husband, a father, and a
brother?'

"'A brother.'

"'I do not address her brother?'

"He answered with great contempt, 'No.'

"'She has some recent association with the
number twelve?'

"The younger brother impatiently rejoined,
'With twelve o'clock?'

"'See, gentlemen,' said I, still keeping my
hands upon her breast, 'how useless I am, as
you have brought me!  If I had known what I
was coming to see, I could have come provided.
As it is, time must be lost. There are no
medicines to be obtained in this lonely place.'

"The elder brother looked to the younger,
who said haughtily, 'There is a case of medicines
here;' and brought it from a closet, and put it
on the table. * * * * * *

"I opened some of the bottles, smelt them,
and put the stoppers to my lips. If I had
wanted to use anything save narcotic medicines
that were poisons in themselves, I would not
have administered any of those.

"'Do you doubt them?' asked the younger
brother.

"'You see, monsieur, I am going to use
them,' I replied, and said no more.

"I made the patient swallow, with great difficulty,
and after many efforts, the dose that I
desired to give. As I intended to repeat it
after a while, and as it was necessary to watch
its influence, I then sat down by the side of the
bed. There was a timid and suppressed woman
in attendance (wife of the man down stairs),
who had retreated into a corner. The house
was damp and decayed, indifferently furnished—
evidently, recently occupied and temporarily
used. Some thick old, hangings had been nailed
up before the windows, to deaden the sound of
the shrieks. They continued to be uttered in
their regular succession, with the cry, 'My
husband, my father, and my brother!' the
counting up to twelve, and 'Hush!' The
frenzy was so violent, that I had not unfastened
the bandages restraining the arms; but, I had
looked to them, to see that they were not painful.
The only spark of encouragement in the
case, was, that my hand upon the sufferer's
breast had this much soothing influence, that
for minutes at a time it tranquillised the
figure. It had no effect upon the cries; no
pendulum could be more regular.

"For the reason that my hand had this effect
(I assume), I had sat by the side of the bed for
half an hour, with the two brothers looking on,
before the elder said:

"'There is another patient.'

"I was startled, and asked, 'Is it a pressing
case?'

"'You had better see,' he carelessly answered;
and took up a light. * * * * *

"The other patient lay in a back room across
a second staircase, which was a species of loft
over a stable. There was a low plastered ceiling
to a part of it; the rest was open, to the ridge
of the tiled roof, and there were beams across.
Hay and straw were stored in that portion of
the place, fagots for firing, and a heap of apples
in sand. I had to pass through that part, to get
at the other. My memory is circumstantial and
unshaken. I try it with these details, and I see