e pupil
dilated and contracted with extraordinary force. I asked no questions,
but waited there, very curious for what he would say. At last he spoke.
"I'm not frightened, but I'm--oh excited! This is life! This is living!
My nerves--my heart--my brain! They're throbbing--don't you feel it? Do
you tingle? Are you hot? Are you cold? Hold me tight--tight--tight! I
shall tremble away into waves--into surges--and know all the secrets of
things and all the reasons and all the mysteries!" He paused a moment
and then went on: "A woman--as clear as that candle: no, far clearer! In
a blue dress, with a black mantle on her head and a little black muff.
Young and wonderfully pretty, pale and ill; with the sadness of all
the women who ever loved and suffered pleading and accusing in her
wet-looking eyes. God knows I never did any such thing! But she took me
for my elder, for the other Clement. She came to me here as she would
have come to me there. She wrung her hands and she spoke to me 'marry
me!' she moaned; 'marry me and put an end to my shame!' I sat up in bed,
just as I sit here, looked at her, heard her--heard her voice melt away,
watched her figure fade away. Bless us and save us! Here I be!"

I made no attempt either to explain or to criticise this extraordinary
passage. It's enough that I yielded for the hour to the strange force
of my friend's emotion. On the whole I think my own vision was the
more interesting of the two. He beheld but the transient irresponsible
spectre--I beheld the human subject hot from the spectral presence. Yet
I soon recovered my judgement sufficiently to be moved again to try to
guard him against the results of excitement and exposure. It was easily
agreed that he was not for the night to return to his room, and I made
him fairly comfortable in his place by my fire. Wishing above all to
preserve him from a chill I removed my bedding and wrapped him in the
blankets and counterpane. I had no nerves either for writing or for
sleep; so I put out my lights, renewed the fuel and sat down on the
opposite side of the hearth. I found it a great and high solemnity just
to watch my companion. Silent, swathed and muffled to his chin, he sat
rigid and erect with the dignity of his adventure. For the most part
his eyes were closed; though from time to time he would open them with
a steady expansion and stare, never blinking, into the flame, as if he
again beheld without terror the image of the little woman wit