past, and wondering, until the day broke, and with the
daylight roused up my watchful attendant. He yawned, stretched his arms,
and rising from the chair, came to the side of my bed. I looked him in
the face. "Hast thou slept well, friend?" said he.

"I have slept as much as I wish, and would not disturb _you,"_ replied
I, "for I wanted nothing."

"Peradventure I did sleep," replied the man; "watching long agreeth not
with the flesh, although the spirit is most willing. Requirest thou
anything?"

"Yes," replied I, "I wish to know where I am?"

"Verily, thou art in the town of Reading in Berkshire, and in the house
of Phineas Cophagus."

"Cophagus!" exclaimed I; "Mr Cophagus, the surgeon and apothecary?"

"Phineas Cophagus is his name; he hath been admitted into our sect, and
hath married a daughter of our persuasion. He hath attended thee in thy
fever and thy frenzy, without calling in the aid of the physician,
therefore do I believe that he must be the man of whom thou speakest;
yet doth he not follow up the healing art for the lucre of gain."

"And the young person who was at my bedside, is she his wife?"

"Nay, friend, she is half-sister to the wife of Phineas Cophagus by a
second marriage, and a maiden, who was named Susannah Temple at the
baptismal font; but I will go to Phineas Cophagus and acquaint him of
your waking, for such were his directions."

The man then quitted the room, leaving me quite astonished with the
information he had imparted. Cophagus turned Quaker! and attending me
in the town of Reading. In a short time Mr Cophagus himself entered in
his dressing-gown. "Japhet!" said he, seizing my hand with eagerness,
and then, as if recollecting, he checked himself, and commenced in a
slow tone, "Japhet Newland--truly glad am I--hum--verily do I
rejoice--you, Ephraim--get out of the room--and so on."

"Yea, I will depart, since it is thy bidding," replied the man, quitting
the room.

Mr Cophagus then greeted me in his usual way--told me that he had found
me insensible at the door of a house a little way off, and had
immediately recognised me. He had brought me to his own home, but without
much hope of my recovery. He then begged to know by what strange chance
I had been found in such a desolate condition. I replied, "that although
I was able to listen, I did not feel myself equal to the exertion of
telling so long a story, and that I should infinitely prefer that he
should narrate to me what h