ion
is always to attack the very person to whom he is most attached. His
son was sent away to school to avoid this danger, and then came an
attempt upon my sister, his wife, from which she escaped with injuries
that you may have observed when you met her in London. You understand
that he knows nothing of the matter when he is in his sound senses, and
would ridicule the suggestion that he could under any circumstances
injure those whom he loves so dearly. It is often, as you know, a
characteristic of such maladies that it is absolutely impossible to
convince the man who suffers from them of their existence.

"Our great object was, of course, to get him under restraint before he
could stain his hands with blood, but the matter was full of
difficulty. He is a recluse in his habits, and would not see any
medical man. Besides, it was necessary for our purpose that the
medical man should convince himself of his insanity; and he is sane as
you or I, save on these very rare occasions. But, fortunately, before
he has these attacks he always shows certain premonitory symptoms,
which are providential danger-signals, warning us to be upon our guard.
The chief of these is that nervous contortion of the forehead which you
must have observed. This is a phenomenon which always appears from
three to four days before his attacks of frenzy. The moment it showed
itself his wife came into town on some pretext, and took refuge in my
house in Brook Street.

"It remained for me to convince a medical man of Sir Thomas's insanity,
without which it was impossible to put him where he could do no harm.
The first problem was how to get a medical man into his house. I
bethought me of his interest in beetles, and his love for anyone who
shared his tastes. I advertised, therefore, and was fortunate enough
to find in you the very man I wanted. A stout companion was necessary,
for I knew that the lunacy could only be proved by a murderous assault,
and I had every reason to believe that that assault would be made upon
myself, since he had the warmest regard for me in his moments of
sanity. I think your intelligence will supply all the rest. I did not
know that the attack would come by night, but I thought it very
probable, for the crises of such cases usually do occur in the early
hours of the morning. I am a very nervous man myself, but I saw no
other way in which I could remove this terrible danger from my sister's
life. I need not ask yo