that she regards you as her wedded husband, and I believe you cannot dispute that her conduct to me proves quite as clearly that she looks upon me as her brother.'
'Her brother!' He laughed disdainfully. 'Weak words—vain words of duplicity and self-deception. Beware of the devil's arts! She was my Helen, and I believe her spirit was present with you while you slept—"angels have charge over us." When I saw her in my dreams she pointed to that amber star and said : "Behold the Star of Victory! Look upon it and be happy for ever!" When I saw it again a hundred years later, she was also present, and said, half laughing, half crying, and her delicious voice thrilling through my heart: "Happy art thou, O Julius, for thou hast seen the Star of Victory!" And now to be buried in a living tomb, with devils for my playfellows! Oh, merciful God! Oh, Christ, thou blessed Son of God, save me! Oh, Helen, Helen, angelic spirit of my lost love, deliver me!'
Here the poor Doctor broke completely down. He threw himself upon the hard stone floor, and wept as if his very heart were breaking. I became dreadfully alarmed, and implored him to be calm, and arm himself with manly courage and resolution. He commanded me, as well as he could in his agony, to retire to my room and leave him to himself. I obeyed, lay down on my bed, and slept again.
When I returned to the breakfast-room it was empty, and I sat there for a long time, not knowing what to do. I could not go out into the hospital for fear of annoying my host, nor out into the streets for fear of being annoyed or knocked down myself. I therefore whiled away the time by alternately sitting still and walking up and down, like a soldier on guard. While so employed I heard a repetition of the strange music which had aroused me out of the insensibility into which I fell on the field of battle. It commenced at a considerable distance, and gradually ap-
