rapid pace, the snow falling coldly on my uncovered head, my fingers numb, and my feet cold as icicles. My poor horse was at a good canter, with the reins kicking amongst his feet; the night as dark, the way as deso late as before. I made no movement to re cover the reins or to check the pace. I was drowsy and indifferent. I cannot say that I was longer terrified or depressed. I was too drowsy to care much about anything, or to feel acutely in any way. I felt myself won dering if I was not dreaming or, rather, gradu ally awaking from a dream. Then, too drowsy to settle the point with regard to the pres ent, I seemed to feel that the former part, at least, of the awful night's experience was only a dream. So for a mile or so, and then I saw, not very far off, lights! Imperceptibly again, I dozed away into unconsciousnes. The sequel — since it took place on Christ mas Day — need not take long to tell, for this paper is headed " Christmas Eve," and has not undertaken to pass beyond that eventful night. When I became conscious again, it was broad daylight and I was in bed, — in a bed, but the bed a strange one. I could not, from the appearance of the room, tell where I was, but I afterwards knew it to be an inn. Two men, complete strangers to me, were talking in whispers. They were standing in the window, and I could hear the tenor of their conversation. It was, in brief, to
this horrible effect, that I was " the man they wanted." That much sought after in dividual had left a lunatic asylum " without leave first asked and obtained." Probably mistaking them for eatables (say pickles), he had taken ajar of leeches with him; and had also been guilty of asportavit in the matter of the billiard balls of the estab lishment. Both these commodities had un mistakably been found upon me. Then, in addition, I also coincided with the missing gentleman in the trifling eccentricity of ranging the country in December without a hat! Lastly, he had broken through a glass window. Some of the blood from his cut hands had been transferred to me. Con clusive, these people thought. It was two whole days before I succeeded in establishing my identity with the hum ble solicitor in P , and in proving my non-identity with the escaped lunatic. There was a more tragical side of the adventure. My weird and mysterious trav elling companion of Christmas Eve was, of course, the missing madman, of whose dreadful end I had been an awe-struck witness. His body was never found. But my hat, which he had worn during the per formance, was picked up from the river just at P . This fact was taken (not unnatu rally, I must concede) as furnishing the true explanation of my sudden disappearance; and for two whole days my friends believed me no more. —Journal of Jurisprudence.
