support to her exhausted frame. The blister on the spine, from which I had expected so much, and the renewed sinapisms to the feet, had failed to make any impression! Thus was every successive attempt an utter failure! The disorder continued absolutely inaccessible to the approaches of medicine. The baffled attendants could but look at her, and lament. Good God, was Agnes to continue in this dreadful condition till her energies sunk in death? What would become of her lover? of her mother? These considerations greatly disturbed my peace of mind. I could neither think, read, eat, nor remain any where but in the chamber, where, alas! my presence was so unavailing! Dr. D-made his appearance soon after dinner; and we proceeded at once to the room where our patient lay. Though a little paler than before, her features were placid as those of the chiselled marble. Notwithstanding all she had suffered, and the fearful situation in which she lay at that moment, she still looked very beautiful. Her cap was off, and her rich auburn hair lay negligently on each side of her, upon the pillow. Her forehead was white as alabaster. She lay with her head turned a little on one side, and her two small white hands were clasped together over her bosom. This was the nurse's arrangement: for "poor dear young lady," she said, "I couldn't bear to see her laid straight along, with her arms close beside her like a corpse, so I tried to make her look as much asleep as possible!" The impression of beauty, however, conveyed by her symmetrical and tranquil features, was disturbed as soon as, lifting up the eyelids, we saw the fixed stare of the eyes. They were not glassy or corpselike, but bright as those of life, with a little of the dreadful expression of epilepsy. We raised her in bed, and she, as before, sate upright, but with a blank, absent aspect that was lamentable and unnatural. Her arms, when lifted and left suspended, did not fall, but sunk down again gradually. We returned her gently to her recumbent posture; and determined at once to try the effect of galvanism upon her. My machine was soon brought into the room; and when we had duly arranged matters, we directed the nurse to quit the chamber for a short time, as the effect of galvanism is generally found too startling to be witnessed by a - female spectator. I wish I had not myself seen it in the case of Miss P-! Her colour went and came her eyelids and mouth started open and she stared wildly about her with the aspect of one starting out of bed in a fright. I thought at one moment that the horrid spell was broken, for she sate up suddenly, leaned forwards towards me, and her mouth opened as though she were about to speak! "Agnes! Agnes! dear Agnes! Speak, speak! but a word! Say you live!" I exclaimed, rushing forwards. Alas, she heard me- she saw me not, but fell back in bed in her former state! When the galvanic shock was conveyed to her limbs, it produced the usual effects dreadful to behold in all cases but agonizing to me, in the case of Miss P-. The last subject on which I had seen the effects of galvanism, previous to the present instance, was the body of an executed malefactor; * and the associations revived on the present occasion were almost too painful to bear. I begged my friend to desist, for I saw the attempt was hopeless, and I would not allow her tender frame to be agitated to no purpose. My mind misgave me for ever making the attempt. What, thought I, if we have fatally disturbed the nervous system, and * A word about that case, by the way, in passing. The spectacle was truly horrific. When I entered the room where the experiments were to take place, the body of a man named Carter, which had been cut down from the gallows scarce half an hour, was lying on the table; and the cap being removed, his features, distorted with the agonies of suffocation, were visible. The crime he had been hanged for, was murder; and a brawny, desperate ruffian he looked! None of his clothes were removed. He wore a fustian jacket, and drab knee-breeches. The first time that the galvanic shock was conveyed to him will never, I dare say, be forgotten by any one present. We all shrunk from the table in consternation, with the momentary belief that we had positively brought the man back to life; for he suddenly sprung up into a sitting posture arms waved wildly the colour rushed into his cheeks his lips were drawn apart, so as to show all his teeth and his eyes glared at us with apparent fury. One young man, a medical student, shrieked violently, and was carried out in a swoon. One gentleman present, who happened to be nearest to the upper part of the body, was almost knocked down with the violent blow he received from the left arm. It was some time before any of us could recover presence of mind sufficient to proceed with the experiments. his prostrated the small remains of strength she had left? While I was torturing myself with such fears as these, Dr. laid down the rod, with a melancholy air, exclaiming "Well! what is to be done now? I cannnot tell you how sanguine I was about the success of this experiment! *** Do you know whether she ever had a fit of epilepsy?" he inquired. "No not that I am aware of. had." I never heard of it, if she "Had she generally a horror of thunder and lightning?" "Oh quite the contrary! she felt a sort of ecstasy on such occasions, and has written some beautiful verses during their continuance. Such seemed rather her hour of inspiration than otherwise!" "Do you think the lightning itself has affected her? think her sight is destroyed?" Do o you "I have no means of knowing whether the immobility of the pupils arises from blindness, or is only one of the temporary effects of catalepsy." "Then she believed the prophecy, you think, of the world's destruction on Tuesday?" or at least, a fearful “No. — I don't think she exactly believed it; but I am sure that day brought with it awful apprehensions degree of uncertainty." "Well between ourselves, there was something very strange in the coincidence, was not there? Nothing in life ever shook my firmness as it was shaken yesterday! I almost fancied the earth was quivering in its sphere!" "It was a dreadful day! One I shall never forget! - That is the image of it," I exclaimed, pointing to the poor sufferer" which will be engraven on my mind as long as I live! But the worst is, perhaps, yet to be told you: Mr. N―, her lover to whom she was very soon to have been married, He will be here shortly to see her "My God!" exclaimed Dr. D— clasping his hands, eyeing Miss P with intense commiseration, 'What a fearful bride for him! "I dread his coming - I know not what we shall do! — And, then, there's her mother poor old lady! her I have written to, and expect almost hourly!" "Why what an accumulation of shocks and miseries! it will be upsetting you!” said my friend, seeing my distressed your misery is catching; and besides, I am most pressingly engaged: but you may rely on my services, if you should require them in any way.” My friend took his departure, leaving me more disconsolate than ever. Before retiring to bed, I rubbed in mustard upon the chief surfaces of the body, hoping-though faintly—that it might have some effect in rousing the system. I kneeled down, before stepping into bed, and earnestly prayed, that as all human efforts seemed baffled, the Almighty would set her free from the mortal thraldom in which she lay, and restore her to life, and those who loved her more than life! Morning came it found me by her bed-side as usual, and her, in no wise altered -apparently neither better nor worse! If the unvarying monotony of my description should fatigue the reader what must the actual monotony and hopelessness have been to me! - He was - and had While I was sitting beside Miss P-, I heard my youngest boy come down stairs, and ask to be let into the room. a little fair-haired youngster, about three years of age, always been an especial favourite of Miss P-'s her "own sweet pet" as the poor girl herself called him. Determined to throw no chance away, I beckoned him in, and took him on my knee. He called to Miss P-, as if he thought her asleep; patted her face with his little hands, and kissed her. "Wake, wake! Cousin Aggy "Papa says 't is time to get up! - Do you sleep with eyes open ?*-Eh?-Cousin Aggy?" He looked at her intently for some moments and seemed frightened. He turned pale, and struggled to get off my knee. I allowed him to go and he ran to his mother, who was standing at the foot of the bed - and hid his face behind her. get np!" He cried * I had been examining her eyes, and had only half closed the lids. I passed breakfast-time in great apprehension - expecting the two arrivals I have mentioned. I knew not how to prepare either the mother or the betrothed husband for the scene that awaited them, and which I had not particularly described to them. It was with no little trepidation that I heard the startling knock of the general postman; and with infinite astonishment and doubt that I took out of the servant's hands, a letter from Mr. N—, for poor Agnes! For a while I knew not what to make of it. Had he received the alarming express I had forwarded to him; and did he write to Miss P-? Or was he unexpectedly absent from Oxford, when it arrived? The latter supposition was corroborated by the post-mark, which I observed was Lincoln. I felt it my duty to open the letter. Alas! it was in a gay strain usually gay for N—; informing Agnes that he had been suddenly summoned into Lincolnshire, to his cousin's wedding where he was very happy-both on account of his relative's happiness, and the anticipation of a similar scene being in store for himself! Every line was buoyant with hope and animation: but the postscript most affected me. un "P.S.. The tenth of July, by the way—my Agnes — Is it all over with us, sweet Pythonissa? Are you and I at this moment on separate fragments of the globe? I shall seal my conquest over you with a kiss when I see you! Remember, you parted from me in a pet, naughty one! and kissed me rather coldly! But that is the way that your sex always end arguments, when you are vanquished!" - I read these lines in silence; my wife burst into tears. I hastened to send a second summons to Mr. N-, and directed it to him in Lincoln, where he had requested Miss P- to address him. Without explaining the precise nature of Miss P-'s seizure, I gave him warning that he must hurry up to town instantly; and that even then, it was doubtful whether he would see her alive. After this little occurrence, I could hardly trust myself to go up-stairs again, and look upon the unfortunate girl. My heart fluttered at the door, and when I entered I burst into tears. could utter no more than the words, "poor and withdrew. poor Agnes!" I |