such light. Witch or wizard, embodied spirit of any name, seemed well applied to the gaunt form which moved with quick and noiseless tread around the darkened hut.

"Sleep! sleep!" she muttered, as soft and gentle breathings fell on her ear; "ye know not what it is to wake. Would that I, too, could drown all memory in one long, dreamless sleep. Why have I waked? why does the ghost of former years rise up and mock me now? Avaunt! ye specter of the dead; ye clothe yourself in Arthur's image to despoil me of my child! I know your wiles. Be gone! I fear you not! In yonder cave I'll rob you of your power."

With wildly flashing eyes, from which all human thought and feeling seemed banished, Esther Cram passed through the door of her hut, and closing it carefully behind her, disappeared in the darkness and night.

CHAPTER V.

"OR has the shock, so harshly given, Confused me like the unhappy bark That strikes by night a craggy shelf,

And staggers blindly ere she sink?

And stunned me from my power to think,

And all my knowledge of myself?
And made me that delirious man
Whose fancy fuses old and new
And flashes into false and true,
And mingles all without a plan?"

"GIM-I-ni! if I an't glad to see that look about your eye, my friend; you've had a hard battle of it, certain; but it's all coming out right; I can see that as plain as daylight;" and the good Doctor rubbed his hands with a real hearty delight, while the patient gazed upon him in surprise.

"Who are you?" at length he faintly whispered.

"Who am I! why, my name is Adoniram Jepson; saddle-bags and I are pretty well known around these parts, I reckon.”

A quick, intelligent smile passed over the sick man's face, as the Doctor proudly displayed the insignia of his profession.

"That's right, you're coming to, fast; I lil smiles as that," said the Doctor encouragingly you must keep very still; you mustn't exert y any."

"Tell me what has happened, and why I am a place," the young man whispered, looking arou "Well, to make a long story short, and to kee mind from worrying, and asking all sorts of que I'll tell you about it," said the Doctor. "But yo take these drops first; there, now lie still and he About three weeks ago, these folks, that is, t woman and her gal, found you lying flat in one paths, your head against a sharp rock, and the running from an ugly-looking cut in your temple. for you they found you as they did; you couldn' stood it much longer; as it is, you've had a pretty fight of it."

"Did you say three weeks? have I been here so l asked his astonished listener.

"Yes, three weeks and one day, just; now don any more questions, if you can help it; I'm afraid fever'll come on again."

THE SICK MAN'S FRIGHT.

43

just before she cleared it, a hideous object, with great glaring eyes, and just ready to spring upon me, caught my gaze. What has happened since then is all a blank to me; O dear! how dreadful!" and he closed his eyes with a shudder.

"Come, come, this won't do; it'll put you all back again, and then I won't answer for consequences. You mustn't pore over such things; think of something pleasanter your folks at home for instance."

The young man opened his eyes eagerly, as the Doctor said this, and was about to reply, when, with a shriek, he sprang up, pointing towards the rafters.

"There it is again!" he cried, the very same!"

"Eh! what?-where ?" exclaimed the Doctor, jumping from his chair and looking up; "pooh! that's nothing but the little gal; your brain's getting wrong again, certain. Come down here, you little tree-toad; it's enough to scare any body to see your great black eyes staring so over them rafters; come down here, I nobody'll hurt you."

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say;

A few weeks before, Nell would have flashed those great black eyes" upon him in contemptuous anger at such a command, but now she came timidly down, and stood by his side, looking with confidence into the kind, genial face of the Doctor.

"I tell you it is the very same," cried the sick man, excitedly; "only more humanized now; what, and who is she?"

"She! why she's a-well-she's Esther Cram's child."

"Who is Esther Cram ?"

"Look here, now, my friend, you must not keep running on so with your questions; when you're better I'll tell you all you want to know, but you never will be better if you don't keep quiet."

"I can not rest till you explain that mystery"—the young man pointed to Nell as he spoke, who stood trembling, though but half-comprehending his words.

"She's no mystery," said the Doctor, smoothing her hair; "she an't so bad as she looks, poor thing; I've found that out since she hurt her foot; we've got to be pretty good friends, haven't we, Nell?"

"Oh! dear! you don't understand me,” the other exclaimed, with a nervous impatience that made the Doctor fear for his reason; "that's the same object that gave me such a fright; what is she?" The look of repugnance which accompanied these words made the poor child shrink behind the Doctor.

"Eh! you don't say so!" cried he, smiling, as a gleam of the truth flashed upon him; "well, it wouldn't be a bit surprising if she was; she's always hopping about up in the trees. What kind of an animal did you think it was?" he added, unable to restrain a hearty laugh at his patient's expense.

"I had not time to conjecture before my horse threw me," replied the other, "but surely nothing human could have looked so hideous."

"I guess we won't talk any more about it," said the Doctor, who saw Nell's bosom heaving with emotion