on as they were alone together, "I
must tell you all about this. The Turk has broken my heart; for I
believe I shall never get over the blow he has given me until I do
really die of the fulfilment of his terrible prophecy."

"'Lewis gazed at him in the profoundest amazement; and Ferdinand
continued--

"'"I see, now, that the mysterious being who communicates with us by
the medium of the Turk, has powers at his command which compel our most
secret thoughts with magic might; it may be that this strange
intelligence clearly and distinctly beholds that germ of the future
which fructifies within us in mysterious connection with the outer
world, and is thus cognizant of all that is to come upon us in distant
days, like those persons who are endowed with that unhappy seer-gift
which enables them to predict the hour of death."

"'"You must have put an extraordinary question," Lewis answered; "but I
should think you are tacking on some unduly important meaning to the
Oracle's ambiguous reply. Mere chance, I should imagine, has educed
something which is, by accident, appropriate to your question; and you
are attributing this to the mystic power of the person (most probably
quite an every-day sort of creature) who speaks to us through the
Turk."

"'"What you say," answered Ferdinand, "is quite at variance with all
the conclusions you and I have come to on the subject of what is
ordinarily termed 'chance.' However, you cannot be expected to
comprehend the precise condition in which I am, without my telling you
all about an affair which happened to me some time ago, as to which I
have never breathed a syllable to any one living till now. Several
years ago I was on my way back to B----, from a place a long way off in
East Prussia, belonging to my father. In K----, I met with some young
Courland fellows who were going back to B---- too. We travelled
together in three post carriages; and, as we had plenty of money, and
were all about the time of life when people's spirits are pretty high,
you may imagine the manner of our journey. We were continually playing
the maddest pranks of every kind. I remember that we got to M---- about
noon, and set to work to plunder the landlady's wardrobe. A crowd
collected in front of the inn, and we marched up and down, dressed in
some of her clothes, smoking, till the postilion's horn sounded, and
off we set again. We reached D---- in the highest possible spirits, and
were so delighted with the pla