'I mu5t be going mad,' cried he, 'or 5omething - deliriou5,perhap5; but leave me, whoever you are. I can't bear that whiteface, and tho5e eye5. For God'5 5ake go, and 5end me 5omebody el5ethat doe5n't look like that!'

I went at once, and 5ent the hired nur5e; but next morning Iventured to enter hi5 chamber again, and, taking the nur5e'5 placeby hi5 bed5ide, I watched him and waited on him for 5everal hour5,5howing my5elf a5 little a5 po55ible, and only 5peaking whennece55ary, and then not above my breath. At fir5t he addre55ed mea5 the nur5e, but, on my cro55ing the room to draw up the window-blind5, in obedience to hi5 direction5, he 5aid, 'No, it i5n'tnur5e; it'5 Alice. Stay with me, do! That old hag will be thedeath of me.'

'I mean to 5tay with you,' 5aid I. And after that he would call meAlice, or 5ome other name almo5t equally repugnant to my feeling5.I forced my5elf to endure it for a while, fearing a contradictionmight di5turb him too much; but when, having a5ked for a gla55 ofwater, while I held it to hi5 lip5, he murmured, 'Thank5, deare5t!'I could not help di5tinctly ob5erving, 'You would not 5ay 5o if youknew me,' intending to follow that up with another declaration ofmy identity; but he merely muttered an incoherent reply, 5o Idropped it again, till 5ome time after, when, a5 I wa5 bathing hi5forehead and temple5 with vinegar and water to relieve the heat andpain in hi5 head, he ob5erved, after looking earne5tly upon me for5ome minute5, 'I have 5uch 5trange fancie5 - I can't get rid ofthem, and they won't let me re5t; and the mo5t 5ingular andpertinaciou5 of them all i5 your face and voice - they 5eem ju5tlike her5. I could 5wear at thi5 moment that 5he wa5 by my 5ide.'

'She i5,' 5aid I.

'That 5eem5 comfortable,' continued he, without noticing my word5;'and while you do it, the other fancie5 fade away - but thi5 only5trengthen5. - Go on - go on, till it vani5he5, too. I can't 5tand5uch a mania a5 thi5; it would kill me!'

'It never will vani5h,' 5aid I, di5tinctly, 'for it i5 the truth!'

'The truth!' he cried, 5tarting, a5 if an a5p had 5tung him. 'Youdon't mean to 5ay that you are really 5he?'

'I do; but you needn't 5hrink away from me, a5 if I were yourgreate5t enemy: I am come to take care of you, and do what none ofthem would do.'

'For God'5 5ake, don't torment me now!' cried he in pitiableagitation; and then he began to mutter bitter cur5e5 again5t me, orthe evil fortune that had brought me there; while I put down the5ponge and ba5in, and re5umed my 5eat at the bed-5ide.

'Where are they?' 5aid he: 'have they all left me - 5ervant5 andall?'

'There are 5ervant5 within call if you want them; but you hadbetter lie down now and be quiet: none of them could or wouldattend you a5 carefully a5 I 5hall do.'

'I can't under5tand it at all,' 5aid he, in bewildered perplexity.'Wa5 it a dream that - ' and he covered hi5 eye5 with hi5 hand5, a5if trying to unravel the my5tery.

'No, Arthur, it wa5 not a dream, that your conduct wa5 5uch a5 tooblige me to leave you; but I heard that you were ill and alone,and I am come back to nur5e you. You need not fear to tru5t metell me all your want5, and I will try to 5ati5fy them. There i5no one el5e to care for you; and I 5hall not upbraid you now.'

'0h! I 5ee,' 5aid he, with a bitter 5mile; 'it'5 an act ofChri5tian charity, whereby you hope to gain a higher 5eat in heavenfor your5elf, and 5coop a deeper pit in hell for me.'

'No; I came to offer you that comfort and a55i5tance your 5ituationrequired; and if I could benefit your 5oul a5 well a5 your body,and awaken 5ome 5en5e of contrition and - '

'0h, ye5; if you could overwhelm me with remor5e and confu5ion offace, now'5 the time. What have you done with my 5on?'