the leading peculiarities of the cases of Charles and Edith.

In the course of the morrow I called again upon Charles. I thought he
looked better. There was certainly a change in him since my first visit.

"Well," I asked, "and how did you sleep last night?"

"Oh, doctor!" he answered, "such a dream!"

"Well, come, what was it?"

"I thought," he began, "that I was again in search of that garden gate
that I have before alluded to, but when I came in sight of it it was no
longer distinct and tangible as on the preceding night, but misty in
outline, and as I approached it seemed to recede and grew more misty, as
if I saw it through a fog. The fog grew more and more dense, like an
immense black cloud, and I saw nothing. Then the cloud seemed to
solidify, and it turned to a solid wall of stone, and I found myself
suddenly enclosed within what looked like the courtyard of a prison. I
looked out for some loophole, but all attempt at escape appeared
impossible. My eye soon caught an inscription on the wall, which ran
thus, 'The boundary of the body.'

"'What,' I said, within myself, 'can my spirit no longer soar into those
blissful realms it was wont formerly to revel in? Must I tamely submit
to this imprisonment without one effort? No,' I said; 'never will I
basely give in thus.' And, noticing a wide chink between the stones, I
placed the tip of my foot in. I soon found another notch for my fingers.
There was no one near, so, finding higher up another chink, I put the
other foot in that, and after considerable difficulty and danger,
succeeded in reaching the top of the wall. I found that the prison was
built on a high rock in the middle of the sea, and guarded by demon
sentinels.

"I looked out into the distance. There was nothing but sea and sky, and
that, too, seemed so blended together as to appear all one element. In
whatever direction I chanced to gaze, all was vast, infinite,
indefinable.

"'Yonder must be the realms of the spirit,' I muttered to myself, as I
lolled upon the summit of the prison wall. The words I uttered fell upon
the ear of a demon sentinel below, armed with a long halberd. He raised
the alarm, and I was forced to descend from my perch. Finding myself
once more in the prison yard, I heard rapid footsteps behind me, and the
jingling of keys. I turned round suddenly and beheld the jailor.

"'What is this place?' I asked, somewhat sternly, 'and why am I here?'

"'This building,' answered the j