e were ready to accompany

ble to the rash action in which she was about to engage, I cannot say. In either case, her first proceedi

ossibly be absent from his desk. Fritz invented no excuses; he confessed the truth, in his own outspoken manner. "I have a horror of mad people," he

d sadly-and l

disposal. He received my aunt with the utmost politeness, and proposed a scheme of his own for conducting

ess," my aunt said, when he had done. "For the present, my object is

uperintendent. "One of our patien

or friendless creature, found in the streets; known her

t looked at her i

you aware that Jack Straw is one of the mo

the character you describe

ou wish to

that purpose-

t of the late Mr. Wagner's peculiar opinions on the treatment of the insane, and of the interest which he had taken in this particular case. To which my aunt added: "And Mr. Wagner's widow feels the same interest, and

nt appeared

duty on the south side?"

s,

f them here

ce became audible on the outer side of the d

my aunt. "Permit me to escort you to Jack Straw,"

ombe or whether he was Foss, mattered but little. In either case he was a hulking, scowling, hideously ill-looking brute. "One of our assistants," we hea

nother close by, varied by yelling laughter, more terrible even than the cries, sounded on either side of us. We passed through a last door, the most solid of all, which shut out these dreadful noises, a

in," h

r in the door, and looked through

sleeping?" the su

ing,

e at

s,

endent turne

, and table-mats, out of his straw. Very neatly put together, I assure you. One of our visiting physicians

ggling with violent agitation. "Give me a minute or two fir

u know about this poor man?" she said. "I don't ask out of idle

an odd kind of accent-and we don't know whether he is a foreigner or not. You are to understand, madam, that he is here on sufferance. This is a royal institution, and, as a rule, we only receive lunatics of the educated class. But Jack Straw has had wonderful luck. Being too mad, I suppose, to take care of himself, he was run over in one of the streets in our neighborhood by the carriage of an exalted personage, whom it would be an indiscretion on my part even to name. The personage (an illustrious lady, I may inform you) was so distressed by the accide

hes. He exhibited this instrument of torture with every appearance of pride and pleasure. "This

whip across the man's shoulders, if his master had not pushed him back without ceremon

nted to the

see anything, rather than set

the whip had called forth. The pallor had left her face; she trembled no longer; her fine gray eyes were bright and steady. "That brute has r