er. On the following day, I resolved upon making some
inquiries, with a view to ascertain who and what the individual was that
occupied the house to which I had been introduced, and which, upon a
survey in daylight, I could have no difficulty in tracing; but I
happened to be too much occupied to be able to put my purpose into
execution; and was thus obliged to remain, during the day, in a state
of suspense and ignorance of the secret involved in my previous night's
professional adventure. In the evening, however, and about the same hour
at which the messenger called for me on the previous occasion, the
same individual waited on me, with an apology for the apparently
unceremonious treatment I had received, and which, she said, would be
explained to my satisfaction; and a renewed request that I would again
accompany her to the same house, and on the same errand. I told the
messenger that I bore no great love to these secret adventures, but that
I would consent, on this occasion, to make a sacrifice of my principles
and feelings to the hope of being able to be of some use, in a
professional way, to the distressed lady I had seen on the previous
occasion, whose situation, so far as I could judge from appearances, was
not far removed from the extremity of danger. I again, accordingly,
committed myself to the guidance of the young woman; and, after a
repetition of the windings and evolutions of the previous visit, soon
found myself again seated in the chair that stood by the gorgeous bed of
the strange invalid. Everything seemed to be in the same situation as
before: the lamp gave out its weak light, the perfumes exhaled their
sweets, and the distressed lady exhibited the same strange contrast
between her reduced sickly condition and the superb finery of her
dishabille.

I had not been long seated, when she struggled to inform me, in a very
weak voice, that she was much beholden to me for my attention, and
grieved for the unceremonious treatment I had received on my last
visit. I replied, that I laid my account with much greater personal
inconvenience, in the pursuit of my profession, than any to which she
had subjected or could subject me--all such considerations being, in my
apprehension, of small importance in comparison with the good we had
often the power of administering to individuals in distress; and begged
to know the nature of the complaint under which she too evidently
laboured, that I might endeavour to ameliorate