Isaid，’No；youstopathome，andlookafterthehouseandtheparish，andI’llbringthechildback。’Youshallhaveyouroldbedroom，Valeria，withthewhitecurtains，youknow，loopedupwithblue！WewillreturntotheVicarage（ifyoucangetupintime）bythenine—fortytrainto—morrowmorning。\"
ReturntotheVicarage！HowcouldIdothat？HowcouldIhopetogainwhatwasnowtheoneobjectofmyexistenceifIburiedmyselfinaremotenorth—countryvillage？ItwassimplyimpossibleformetoaccompanyDoctorStarkweatheronhisreturntohisownhouse。
\"Ithankyou，uncle，withallmyheart，\"Isaid。\"ButIamafraidIcan’tleaveLondonforthepresent。\"
\"Youcan’tleaveLondonforthepresent？\"herepeated。\"Whatdoesthegirlmean，Mr。Benjamin？\"Benjaminevadedadirectreply。
\"Sheiskindlywelcomehere，DoctorStarkweather，\"hesaid，\"aslongasshechoosestostaywithme。\"
\"That’snoanswer，\"retortedmyuncle，inhisrough—and—readyway。Heturnedtome。\"WhatistheretokeepyouinLondon？\"heasked。\"YouusedtohateLondon。Isupposethereissomereason？\"
ItwasonlyduetomygoodguardianandfriendthatIshouldtakehimintomyconfidencesoonerorlater。Therewasnohelpforitbuttorousemycourage，andtellhimfranklywhatIhaditinmymindtodo。Thevicarlistenedinbreathlessdismay。HeturnedtoBenjamin，withdistressaswellassurpriseinhisface，whenI
haddone。
\"Godhelpher！\"criedtheworthyman。\"Thepoorthing’stroubleshaveturnedherbrain！\"
\"Ithoughtyouwoulddisapproveofit，sir，\"saidBenjamin，inhismildandmoderateway。\"IconfessIdisapproveofitmyself。\"
\"’Disapproveofit’isn’ttheword，\"retortedthevicar。\"Don’tputitinthatfeebleway，ifyouplease。Anactofmadness——that’swhatitis，ifshereallymeanwhatshesays。\"Heturnedmyway，andlookedasheusedtolookattheafternoonservicewhenhewascatechisinganobstinatechild。\"Youdon’tmeanit，\"hesaid，\"doyou？\"
\"Iamsorrytoforfeityourgoodopinion，uncle，\"Ireplied。\"ButImustownthatIdocertainlymeanit。\"
\"InplainEnglish，\"retortedthevicar，\"youareconceitedenoughtothinkthatyoucansucceedwherethegreatestlawyersinScotlandhavefailed。_They_couldn’tprovethisman’sinnocence，allworkingtogether。And_you_aregoingtoproveitsingle—handed？Uponmyword，youareawonderfulwoman，\"criedmyuncle，suddenlydescendingfromindignationtoirony。\"Mayaplaincountryparson，whoisn’tusedtolawyersinpetticoats，bepermittedtoaskhowyoumeantodoit？\"
\"ImeantobeginbyreadingtheTrial，uncle。\"
\"Nicereadingforayoungwoman！YouwillbewantingabatchofnastyFrenchnovelsnext。Well，andwhenyouhavereadtheTrial——whatthen？Haveyouthoughtofthat？\"
\"Yes，uncle；Ihavethoughtofthat。Ishallfirsttrytoformsomeconclusion（afterreadingtheTrial）astotheguiltypersonwhoreallycommittedthecrime。ThenIshallmakeoutalistofthewitnesseswhospokeinmyhusband’sdefense。Ishallgotothosewitnesses，andtellthemwhoIamandwhatIwant。Ishallaskallsortsofquestionswhichgravelawyersmightthinkitbeneaththeirdignitytoput。Ishallbeguided，inwhatIdonext，bytheanswersIreceive。AndIshallnotbediscouraged，nomatterwhatdifficultiesarethrowninmyway。Thosearemyplans，uncle，sofarasIknowthemnow。\"
ThevicarandBenjaminlookedateachotherasiftheydoubtedtheevidenceoftheirownsenses。Thevicarspoke。
\"Doyoumeantotellme，\"hesaid，\"thatyouaregoingroamingaboutthecountrytothrowyourselfonthemercyofstrangers，andtoriskwhateverroughreceptionyoumaygetinthecourseofyourtravels？You！Ayoungwoman！Desertedbyyourhusband！Withnobodytoprotectyou！Mr。Benjamin，doyouhearher？Andcanyoubelieveyourears？IdeclaretoHeaven_I_don’tknowwhetherI
amawakeordreaming。Lookather——justlookather！Thereshesitsascoolandeasyasifshehadsaidnothingatallextraordinary，andwasgoingtodonothingoutofthecommonway！
WhatamItodowithher？——that’stheseriousquestion——whatonearthamItodowithher？\"
\"Letmetrymyexperiment，uncle，rashasitmaylooktoyou，\"I
said。\"Nothingelsewillcomfortandsupportme；andGodknowsI
wantcomfortandsupport。Don’tthinkmeobstinate。Iamreadytoadmitthatthereareseriousdifficultiesinmyway。\"
Thevicarresumedhisironicaltone。
\"Oh！\"hesaid。\"Youadmitthat，doyou？Well，thereissomethinggained，atanyrate。\"
\"Manyanotherwomanbeforeme，\"Iwenton，\"hasfacedseriousdifficulties，andhasconqueredthem——forthesakeofthemansheloved。\"
DoctorStarkweatherroseslowlytohisfeet，withtheairofapersonwhosecapacityoftolerationhadreacheditslastlimits。
\"AmItounderstandthatyouarestillinlovewithMr。EustaceMacallan？\"heasked。
\"Yes，\"Ianswered。
\"TheheroofthegreatPoisonTrial？\"pursuedmyuncle。\"Themanwhohasdeceivedanddesertedyou？Youlovehim？\"
\"Ilovehimmoredearlythanever。\"
\"Mr。Benjamin，\"saidthevicar，\"ifsherecoverhersensesbetweenthisandnineo’clockto—morrowmorning，sendherwithherluggagetoLoxley’sHotel，whereIamnowstaying。
Good—night，Valeria。Ishallconsultwithyourauntastowhatistobedonenext。Ihavenomoretosay。\"
\"Givemeakiss，uncle，atparting。\"
\"Ohyes，I’llgiveyouakiss。Anythingyoulike，Valeria。I
shallbesixty—fivenextbirthday；andIthoughtIknewsomethingofwomen，atmytimeoflife。ItseemsIknownothing。Loxley’sHotelistheaddress，Mr。Benjamin。Good—night。\"
BenjaminlookedverygravewhenhereturnedtomeafteraccompanyingDoctorStarkweathertothegardengate。
\"Praybeadvised，mydear，\"hesaid。\"Idon’taskyoutoconsider_my_viewofthismatter，asgoodformuch。Butyouruncle’sopinionissurelyworthconsidering？\"
Ididnotreply。Itwasuselesstosayanymore。Imadeupmymindtobemisunderstoodanddiscouraged，andtobearit。
\"Good—night，mydearoldfriend，\"wasallIsaidtoBenjamin。
ThenIturnedaway——Iconfesswiththetearsinmyeyes——andtookrefugeinmybedroom。
Thewindow—blindwasup，andtheautumnmoonlightshonebrilliantlyintothelittleroom。
AsIstoodbythewindow，lookingout，thememorycametomeofanothermoonlightnight，whenEustaceandIwerewalkingtogetherintheVicaragegardenbeforeourmarriage。ItwasthenightofwhichIhavewritten，manypagesback，whentherewereobstaclestoourunion，andwhenEustacehadofferedtoreleasemefrommyengagementtohim。Isawthedearfaceagainlookingatmeinthemoonlight；Iheardoncemorehiswordsandmine。\"Forgiveme，\"hehadsaid，\"forhavinglovedyou——passionately，devotedlylovedyou。Forgiveme，andletmego。\"
AndIhadanswered，\"Oh，Eustace，Iamonlyawoman——don’tmaddenme！Ican’tlivewithoutyou。Imustandwillbeyourwife！\"Andnow，aftermarriagehadunitedus，wewereparted！Parted，stilllovingeachaspassionatelyasever。Andwhy？Becausehehadbeenaccusedofacrimethathehadnevercommitted，andbecauseaScotchjuryhadfailedtoseethathewasaninnocentman。
Ilookedatthelovelymoonlight，pursuingtheseremembrancesandthesethoughts。Anewardorburnedinme。\"No！\"Isaidtomyself。
\"Neitherrelationsnorfriendsshallprevailonmetofalterandfailinmyhusband’scause。
Theassertionofhisinnocenceistheworkofmylife；Iwillbeginitto—night。\"
Idrewdowntheblindandlightedthecandles。Inthequietnight，aloneandunaided，Itookmyfirststeponthetoilsomeandterriblejourneythatlaybeforeme。Fromthetitle—pagetotheend，withoutstoppingtorestandwithoutmissingaword，I
readtheTrialofmyhusbandforthemurderofhiswife。
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PARTII。
PARADISEREGAINED。
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CHAPTERXV。
THESTORYOFTHETRIAL。THEPRELIMINARIES。
LETmeconfessanotherweakness，onmypart，beforeIbegintheStoryoftheTrial。Icannotprevailuponmyselftocopy，forthesecondtime，thehorribletitle—pagewhichholdsuptopublicignominymyhusband’sname。Ihavecopieditonceinmytenthchapter。Letoncebeenough。
TurningtothesecondpageoftheTrial，IfoundaNote，assuringthereaderoftheabsolutecorrectnessoftheReportoftheProceedings。Thecompilerdescribedhimselfashavingenjoyedcertainspecialprivileges。Thus，thepresidingJudgehadhimselfrevisedhischargetothejury。And，again，thechieflawyersfortheprosecutionandthedefense，followingtheJudge’sexample，hadrevisedtheirspeechesforandagainsttheprisoner。Lastly，particularcarehadbeentakentosecurealiterallycorrectreportoftheevidencegivenbythevariouswitnesses。ItwassomerelieftometodiscoverthisNote，andtobesatisfiedattheoutsetthattheStoryoftheTrialwas，ineveryparticular，fullyandtrulygiven。
Thenextpageinterestedmemorenearlystill。ItenumeratedtheactorsintheJudicialDrama——themenwhoheldintheirhandsmyhusband’shonorandmyhusband’slife。HereistheList：
THELORDJUSTICECLERK，}
LORDDRUMFENNICK，}JudgesontheBench。
LORDNOBLEKIRK，}
THELORDADVOCATE（Mintlaw），}DONALDDREW，Esquire（Advocate—Depute）。}CounselfortheCrown。
MR。JAMESARLISS，W。S。，AgentfortheCrown。
THEDEANOFFACULTY（Farmichael），}CounselforthePanelALEXANDERCROCKET，Esquire（Advocate），}（otherwisethePrisoner）
MR。THORNIEBANK，W。S。，}
MR。PLAYMORE，W。S。，}AgentsforthePanel。
TheIndictmentagainsttheprisonerthenfollowed。Ishallnotcopytheuncouthlanguage，fullofneedlessrepetitions（and，ifIknowanythingofthesubject，notguiltlessofbadgrammaraswell），inwhichmyinnocenthusbandwassolemnlyandfalselyaccusedofpoisoninghisfirstwife。ThelessthereisofthatfalseandhatefulIndictmentonthispage，thebetterandtruerthepagewilllook，to_my_eyes。
Tobebrief，then，EustaceMacallanwas\"indictedandaccused，attheinstanceofDavidMintlaw，Esquire，HerMajesty’sAdvocate，forHerMajesty’sinterest，\"oftheMurderofhisWifebypoison，athisresidencecalledGleninch，inthecountyofMid—Lothian。
ThepoisonwasallegedtohavebeenwickedlyandfeloniouslygivenbytheprisonertohiswifeSara，ontwooccasions，intheformofarsenic，administeredintea，medicine，\"orotherarticleorarticlesoffoodordrink，totheprosecutorunknown。\"Itwasfurtherdeclaredthattheprisoner’swifehaddiedofthepoisonthusadministeredbyherhusband，ononeorother，orboth，ofthestatedoccasions；andthatshewasthusmurderedbyherhusband。ThenextparagraphassertedthatthesaidEustaceMacallan，takenbeforeJohnDaviot，Esquire，advocate，Sheriff—SubstituteofMid—Lothian，didinhispresenceatEdinburgh（onagivendate，viz。，the29thofOctober），subscribeaDeclarationstatinghisinnocenceoftheallegedcrime：thisDeclarationbeingreservedintheIndictment——togetherwithcertaindocuments，papersandarticles，enumeratedinanInventory——tobeusedinevidenceagainsttheprisoner。TheIndictmentconcludedbydeclaringthat，intheeventoftheoffensechargedagainsttheprisonerbeingfoundprovenbytheVerdict，he，thesaidEustaceMacallan，\"oughttobepunishedwiththepainsofthelaw，todeterothersfromcommittinglikecrimesinalltimecoming。\"
SomuchfortheIndictment！Ihavedonewithit——andIamrejoicedtobedonewithit。
AnInventoryofpapers，documents，andarticlesfollowedatgreatlengthonthenextthreepages。This，initsturn，wassucceededbythelistofthewitnesses，andbythenamesofthejurors（fifteeninnumber）ballotedfortotrythecase。Andthen，atlast，theReportoftheTrialbegan。Itresolveditself，tomymind，intothreegreatQuestions。Asitappearedtomeatthetime，soletmepresentithere。
CHAPTERXVI。
FIRSTQUESTION——DIDTHEWOMANDIEPOISONED？
THEproceedingsbeganatteno’clock。TheprisonerwasplacedattheBar，beforetheHighCourtofJusticiary，atEdinburgh。HebowedrespectfullytotheBench，andpleadedNotGuilty，inalowvoice。
Itwasobservedbyeveryonepresentthattheprisoner’sfacebetrayedtracesofacutementalsuffering。Hewasdeadlypale。
HiseyesneveroncewanderedtothecrowdintheCourt。Whencertainwitnessesappearedagainsthim，helookedatthemwithamomentaryattention。Atothertimeshekepthiseyesontheground。Whentheevidencetouchedonhiswife’sillnessanddeath，hewasdeeplyaffected，andcoveredhisfacewithhishands。Itwasasubjectofgeneralremarkandgeneralsurprisethattheprisoner，inthiscase（althoughaman），showedfarlessself—possessionthanthelastprisonertriedinthatCourtformurder——awoman，whohadbeenconvictedonoverwhelmingevidence。
Therewerepersonspresent（asmallminorityonly）whoconsideredthiswantofcomposureonthepartoftheprisonertobeasigninhisfavor。Self—possession，inhisdreadfulposition，signified，totheirminds，thestarkinsensibilityofaheartlessandshamelesscriminal，andaffordedinitselfapresumption，notofinnocence，butofguilt。
ThefirstwitnesscalledwasJohnDaviot，Esquire，Sheriff—SubstituteofMid—Lothian。HewasexaminedbytheLordAdvocate（ascounselfortheprosecution）；andsaid：
\"Theprisonerwasbroughtbeforemeonthepresentcharge。HemadeandsubscribedaDeclarationonthe29thofOctober。Itwasfreelyandvoluntarilymade，theprisonerhavingbeenfirstdulywarnedandadmonished。\"
HavingidentifiedtheDeclaration，theSheriff—Substitute——beingcross—examinedbytheDeanofFaculty（ascounselforthedefense）——continuedhisevidenceinthesewords：
\"ThechargeagainsttheprisonerwasMurder。ThiswascommunicatedtohimbeforehemadetheDeclaration。Thequestionsaddressedtotheprisonerwereputpartlybyme，partlybyanotherofficer，theprocurator—fiscal。Theanswersweregivendistinctly，and，sofarasIcouldjudge，withoutreserve。ThestatementsputforwardintheDeclarationwereallmadeinanswertoquestionsaskedbytheprocurator—fiscalorbymyself。\"
AclerkintheSheriff—Clerk’sofficethenofficiallyproducedtheDeclaration，andcorroboratedtheevidenceofthewitnesswhohadprecededhim。
TheappearanceofthenextwitnesscreatedamarkedsensationintheCourt。ThiswasnolessapersonthanthenursewhohadattendedMrs。Macallaninherlastillness——bynameChristinaOrmsay。
Afterthefirstformalanswers，thenurse（examinedbytheLordAdvocate）proceededtosay：
\"Iwasfirstsentfortoattendthedeceasedladyonthe7thofOctober。Shewasthensufferingfromaseverecold，accompaniedbyarheumaticaffectionoftheleftknee—joint。PrevioustothisIunderstoodthatherhealthhadbeenfairlygood。Shewasnotaverydifficultpersontonursewhenyougotusedtoher，andunderstoodhowtomanageher。Themaindifficultywascausedbyhertemper。Shewasnotasullenperson；shewasheadstrongandviolent——easilyexcitedtoflyintoapassion，andquiterecklessinherfitsofangerastowhatshesaidordid。AtsuchtimesI
reallyhardlythinksheknewwhatshewasabout。Myownideaisthathertemperwasmadestillmoreirritablebyunhappinessinhermarriedlife。Shewasfarfrombeingareservedperson。
Indeed，shewasdisposed（asIthought）tobealittletoocommunicativeaboutherselfandhertroubleswithpersonslikemewhowerebeneathherinstation。Shedidnotscruple，forinstance，totellme（whenwehadbeenlongenoughtogethertogetusedtoeachother）thatshewasveryunhappy，andfrettedagooddealaboutherhusband。Onenight，whenshewaswakefulandrestless，shesaidtome——\"
TheDeanofFacultyhereinterposed，speakingontheprisoner’sbehalf。HeappealedtotheJudgestosaywhethersuchlooseandunreliableevidenceasthiswasevidencewhichcouldbereceivedbytheCourt。
TheLordAdvocate（speakingonbehalfoftheCrown）claimeditashisrighttoproducetheevidence。Itwasoftheutmostimportanceinthiscasetoshow（onthetestimonyofanunprejudicedwitness）onwhattermsthehusbandandwifewereliving。Thewitnesswasamostrespectablewoman。Shehadwon，anddeserved，theconfidenceoftheunhappyladywhomsheattendedonherdeath—bed。
Afterbrieflyconsultingtogether，theJudgesunanimouslydecidedthattheevidencecouldnotbeadmitted。Whatthewitnesshadherselfseenandobservedoftherelationsbetweenthehusbandandwifewastheonlyevidencethattheycouldreceive。
TheLordAdvocatethereuponcontinuedhisexaminationofthewitness。ChristinaOrmsayresumedherevidenceasfollows：
\"MypositionasnurselednecessarilytomyseeingmoreofMrs。
Macallanthananyotherpersoninthehouse。Iamabletospeakfromexperienceofmanythingsnotknowntootherswhowereonlyinherroomatintervals。
\"Forinstance，IhadmorethanoneopportunityofpersonallyobservingthatMr。andMrs。Macallandidnotlivetogetherveryhappily。Icangiveyouanexampleofthis，notdrawnfromwhatotherstoldme，butfromwhatInoticedformyself。
\"TowardthelatterpartofmyattendanceonMrs。Macallan，ayoungwidowladynamedMrs。Beauly——acousinofMr。
Macallan’s——cametostayatGleninch。Mrs。Macallanwasjealousofthislady；andsheshoweditinmypresenceonlythedaybeforeherdeath，whenMr。Macallancameintoherroomtoinquirehowshehadpassedthenight。’Oh，’shesaid，’nevermindhow_I_
haveslept！WhatdoyoucarewhetherIsleepwellorill？HowhasMrs。Beaulypassedthenight？Isshemorebeautifulthaneverthismorning？Gobacktoher——praygobacktoher！Don’twasteyourtimewithme！’Beginninginthatmanner，sheworkedherselfintooneofherfuriousrages。Iwasbrushingherhairatthetime；andfeelingthatmypresencewasanimproprietyunderthecircumstances，Iattemptedtoleavetheroom。Sheforbademetogo。Mr。Macallanfelt，asIdid，thatmydutywastowithdraw，andhesaidsoinplainwords。Mrs。Macallaninsistedonmystayinginlanguagesoinsolenttoherhusbandthathesaid，’Ifyoucannotcontrolyourself，eitherthenurseleavestheroomorIdo。’Sherefusedtoyieldeventhen。’Agoodexcuse，’shesaid，’forgettingbacktoMrs。Beauly。Go！’Hetookheratherword，andwalkedoutoftheroom。Hehadbarelyclosedthedoorbeforeshebeganrevilinghimtomeinthemostshockingmanner。Shedeclared，amongotherthingsshesaidofhim，thatthenewsofallotherswhichhewouldbemostgladtohearwouldbethenewsofherdeath。Iventured，quiterespectfully，onremonstratingwithher。Shetookupthehair—brushandthrewitatme，andthenandtheredismissedmefrommyattendanceonher。Ilefther，andwaitedbelowuntilherfitofpassionhadwornitselfout。ThenI
returnedtomyplaceatthebedside，andforawhilethingswentonagainasusual。
\"ItmaynotbeamisstoaddawordwhichmayhelptoexplainMrs。
Macallan’sjealousyofherhusband’scousin。Mrs。Macallanwasaveryplainwoman。Shehadacastinoneofhereyes，and（ifI
mayusetheexpression）oneofthemostmuddy，blotchycomplexionsitwasevermymisfortunetoseeinaperson’sface。
Mrs。Beauly，ontheotherhand，wasamostattractivelady。Hereyeswereuniversallyadmired，andshehadamostbeautifullyclearanddelicatecolor。PoorMrs。Macallansaidofher，mostuntruly，thatshepainted。
\"No；thedefectsinthecomplexionofthedeceasedladywerenotinanywayattributabletoherillness。Ishouldcallthembornandbreddefectsinherself。
\"Herillness，ifIamaskedtodescribeit，Ishouldsaywastroublesome——nothingmore。Untilthelastdaytherewerenosymptomsintheleastdegreeseriousaboutthemaladythathadtakenher。Herrheumatickneewaspainful，ofcourse——acutelypainful，ifyoulike——whenshemovedit；andtheconfinementtobedwasirksomeenough，nodoubt。Butotherwisetherewasnothinginthelady’scondition，beforethefatalattackcame，toalarmheroranybodyabouther。Shehadherbooksandherwritingmaterialsonaninvalidtable，whichworkedonapivot，andcouldbearrangedinanypositionmostagreeabletoher。Attimesshereadandwroteagooddeal。Atothertimesshelayquiet，thinkingherownthoughts，ortalkingwithme，andwithoneortwoladyfriendsintheneighborhoodwhocameregularlytoseeher。
\"Herwriting，sofarasIknew，wasalmostentirelyofthepoeticalsort。Shewasagreathandatcomposingpoetry。Ononeoccasiononlysheshowedmesomeofherpoems。Iamnojudgeofsuchthings。Herpoetrywasofthedismalkind，despairingaboutherself，andwonderingwhyshehadeverbeenborn，andnonsenselikethat。Herhusbandcameinmorethanonceforsomehardhitsathiscruelheartandhisignoranceofhiswife’smerits。Inshort，sheventedherdiscontentwithherpenaswellaswithhertongue。Thereweretimes——andprettyoftentoo——whenanangelfromheavenwouldhavefailedtohavesatisfiedMrs。Macallan。
\"Throughouttheperiodofherillnessthedeceasedladyoccupiedthesameroom——alargebedroomsituated（likeallthebestbedrooms）onthefirstfloorofthehouse。
\"Yes：theplanoftheroomnowshowntomeisquiteaccuratelytaken，accordingtomyremembranceofit。Onedoorledintothegreatpassage，orcorridor，onwhichallthedoorsopened。A
seconddoor，atoneside（markedBontheplan），ledtoMr。
Macallan’ssleeping—room。Athirddoor，ontheoppositeside（markedContheplan），communicatedwithalittlestudy，orbook—room，used，asIwastold，byMr。Macallan’smotherwhenshewasstayingatGleninch，butseldomorneverenteredbyanyoneelse。Mr。Macallan’smotherwasnotatGleninchwhileIwasthere。Thedoorbetweenthebedroomandthisstudywaslocked，andthekeywastakenout。Idon’tknowwhohadthekey，orwhetherthereweremorekeysthanoneinexistence。Thedoorwasneveropenedtomyknowledge。Ionlygotintothestudy，tolookatitalongwiththehousekeeper，byenteringthroughaseconddoorthatopenedontothecorridor。
\"IbegtosaythatIcanspeakfrommyownknowledgepositivelyaboutMrs。Macallan’sillness，andaboutthesuddenchangewhichendedinherdeath。Bythedoctor’sadviceImadenotesatthetimeofdatesandhours，andsuchlike。Ilookedatmynotesbeforecominghere。
\"Fromthe7thofOctober，whenIwasfirstcalledintonurseher，tothe20thofthesamemonth，sheslowlybutsteadilyimprovedinhealth。Herkneewasstillpainful，nodoubt；buttheinflammatorylookofitwasdisappearing。Astotheothersymptoms，exceptweaknessfromlyinginbed，andirritabilityoftemper，therewasreallynothingthematterwithher。Shesleptbadly，Ioughtperhapstoadd。Butweremediedthisbymeansofcomposingdraughtsprescribedforthatpurposebythedoctor。
\"Onthemorningofthe21st，atafewminutespastsix，IgotmyfirstalarmthatsomethingwasgoingwrongwithMrs。Macallan。
\"IwasawokeatthetimeIhavementionedbytheringingofthehand—bellwhichshekeptonherbed—table。LetmesayformyselfthatIhadonlyfallenasleeponthesofainthebedroomatpasttwointhemorningfromsheerfatigue。Mrs。Macallanwasthenawake。Shewasinoneofherbadhumorswithme。Ihadtriedtoprevailonhertoletmeremoveherdressing—casefromherbed—table，aftershehaduseditinmakinghertoiletforthenight。Ittookupagreatdealofroom；andshecouldnotpossiblywantitagainbeforethemorning。Butno；sheinsistedonmylettingitbe。Therewasaglassinsidethecase；and，plainasshewas，sheneverweariedoflookingatherselfinthatglass。Isawthatshewasinabadstateoftemper，soIgaveherherway，andletthedressing—casebe。Findingthatshewastoosullentospeaktomeafterthat，andtooobstinatetotakehercomposingdraughtfrommewhenIofferedit，Ilaidmedownonthesofaatherbedfoot，andfellasleep，asIhavesaid。
\"ThemomentherbellrangIwasupandatthebedside，readytomakemyselfuseful。
\"Iaskedwhatwasthematterwithher。Shecomplainedoffaintnessanddepression，andsaidshefeltsick。IinquiredifshehadtakenanythinginthewayofphysicorfoodwhileIhadbeenasleep。Sheansweredthatherhusbandhadcomeinaboutanhoursince，and，findingherstillsleepless，hadhimselfadministeredthecomposingdraught。Mr。Macallan（sleepinginthenextroom）joineduswhileshewasspeaking。Hetoohadbeenarousedbythebell。HeheardwhatMrs。Macallansaidtomeaboutthecomposingdraught，andmadenoremarkuponit。Itseemedtomethathewasalarmedathiswife’sfaintness。Isuggestedthatsheshouldtakealittlewine，orbrandyandwater。Sheansweredthatshecouldswallownothingsostrongaswineorbrandy，havingaburningpaininherstomachalready。Iputmyhandonherstomach——quitelightly。ShescreamedwhenItouchedher。