use herself on the ground that the water-cure ought not to be
interrupted. But she--enough! I must try and control myself when I
speak of her. After all the poor creature cannot be blamed because she
had no heart, and because my love and passion could not conjure up one
within her breast.

"But at the time I wrote in all the roughness and bitterness of my
mood, and insisted upon her immediate return. I had almost forgotten
the dreams of the night before. But a little later, when I was taking a
walk through the city, chance willed it that they should again be
recalled to my mind.

"I met a gossiping acquaintance, who had also been passing a few weeks
at the island. Heaven knows how it came about that I stopped him and
inquired about my wife. He was very much surprised to hear that she had
been there, indeed that she was there still. As in such a small place
everybody met everybody else, he could not understand how so beautiful
a woman could have escaped his notice. 'To be sure, she has lived in
great retirement,' I stammered, and he found this very natural and
praiseworthy of a charming young lady, and hoped the cure would be
successful, and so left me; while I stood there like a fool for a full
quarter of an hour, staring vacantly at the same flag-stone, and
blocking peoples' way as if I had been a stopping-post. Yet she _must_
have been there; letters had daily passed back and forth; and then,
what earthly reason could she have for trying to deceive me in this
respect? But then again: you will readily understand that this
incident, trifling as it was in itself, was well calculated to add new
fuel to the fever that was raging within me.

"I could not expect her back before the following day. How I survived
the intervening hours will always remain a mystery to me. I was
incapable of any occupation, of any connected thought or action. I had
just sufficient strength and reason left to sit by the side of the
poor, feverish child, and apply the ice-bandages, and count the hairs
on its forehead.

"Even when night came I would not leave my post. I dreaded to dream.
Then came the morning again, and noon and afternoon, and still no news.
But at length a drosky drove up, the house-door was opened, the stairs
creaked under a light step, I sprang to my feet and rushed to meet her;
just then she entered the door, and my first look in her face
strengthened all my horrible suspicions.

"Or no; it was not her face. I have no righ