g his wand over
the living and the dead. I paused; there was a dead silence in the
lecture-room. A thought rushed like a meteor-flash across my brain, and
bursting forth into a loud laugh of hysteric passion, I cried, "And
I, and I too am a maniac!" My class rose like one man; a cry of horror
burst through the room. I know no more.

'I was ill, very ill, and in bed. I looked around me--every object was
familiar to me. Through the half-closed window-shutter there streamed
one long line of red sunlight; I felt it was evening. There was no
one in the room, and as I endeavoured to recall my scattered thoughts
sufficiently to find out why I was thus, there came an oppressive
weakness over me. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, and was roused
by some one entering the room. It was my friend Dr. G------; he walked
stealthily towards my bed, and looked at me fixedly for several minutes.
I watched him closely, and saw that his countenance changed as he looked
on me; I felt his hand tremble slightly as he placed it on my wrist,
and heard him mutter to himself in a low tone, "My God! how altered!"
I heard now a voice at the door, saying in a soft whisper, "May I
come in?" The doctor made no reply, and my wife glided gently into the
apartment. She looked deathly pale, and appeared to have been weeping;
she leaned over me, and I felt the warm tears fall one by one upon my
forehead. She took my hand within both of hers, and putting her lips
to my ear, said, "Do you know _me_, William?" There was a long pause.
I tried to speak, but I could not. I endeavoured to make some sign of
recognition, and stared her fully in the face; but I heard her say, in
a broken voice, "He does not know _me_ now"; and then I felt it was in
vain. The doctor came over, and taking my wife's hand, endeavoured to
lead her from the room. I heard her say, "Not now, not now"; and I sank
back into a heavy unconsciousness.

'I awoke from what appeared to have been a long and deep sleep. I was,
however, unrefreshed and unrested. My eyes were dimmed and clouded, and
I in vain tried to ascertain if there was any one in the room with me.
The sensation of fever had subsided, and left behind the most depressing
debility. As by degrees I came to myself, I found that the doctor was
sitting beside my bed; he bent over me, and said, "Are you better,
William?" Never until now had my inability to reply given me any pain or
uneasiness; now, however, the abortive struggle to sp