he hour of
seven."

The queerest part of this story is suggested by a letter received from
Dr. Morse the next day, which read as follows:

DEAR WATSON: You asked me to write you about the injured man, and
I do so now to tell you he is dead. He died a minute or two before
seven o'clock last evening; I know the hour exactly, because I was
watching him at the time, and for some moments he had been
whispering and muttering to himself, but all I could catch was
something about, "I withdraw my command;" when, suddenly raising
himself, he shouted, "Wake up, wake up!" and fell back dead just as
the clock in the church-yard struck seven.

I should be much interested to hear whether his story was true or
not. Drop me a line about it when you have time.

Very sincerely yours,
F. MORSE.

STORY OF AN INSANE SAILOR.

"That pocket-piece of yours," said the doctor, "reminds me that I have
an interesting one of my own; perhaps you can tell me what it is." He
took from his pocket a silver coin and handed it to Jennings, as he
spoke. One edge had been flattened, and a hole pierced in it.

"Ah! an old Spanish piece," said Jennings, "evidently of the time of
Pope Leo Fourth, sometime in the sixteenth century. A very interesting
piece. Where did you get it?"

"There is a curious story connected with that coin," meditatively
remarked Dr. Watson; "perhaps you would like to hear it."

[Illustration: ONE EDGE HAD BEEN FLATTENED AND A HOLE PIERCED IN IT.]

We had been dining with Watson and were now comfortably seated in the
library before an old-fashioned open fire. It was snowing outside,
making the warm, bright study all the more cheerful by contrast.

"Perhaps you remember," said Watson, "that during the winter of 1886 I
devoted much more of my time than usual to the Insane Asylum. I was very
much interested in testing the value of hypnotism for insane patients,
especially mild cases and those having illusions and insistent ideas. I
had been quite successful in one case--a woman who had tried to starve
herself to death under the impression that the devil commanded her not
to eat was greatly benefited by post-hypnotic suggestion. Suggesting
that the devil would not come any more induced pronounced hysteria, but
when hypnotized, and told that the devil commanded her t