Paul Patoff

. His robust and somewhat heavy frame was planned rather for bodily labor than for the housing of so active a mind, and he often complains that the exerc

as we walked briskly through the park. "You might renounce exercise

d any regular method of life, and I have never

I had hoped to induce Patoff to come with us

e does not want to do," I replied. "However

kes you

stairs and talk out the Egyptian question, I wanted to get him into the smoking-room to ask him questions about some friends of mine in the East, Miss Dabstreak had p

a smooth tongue and a despotic character, a much better combination than a weak

be a good diplomat

important in an ambassador; nowadays it is enough if his excellency can hold his tongue and show his teeth. The question is, whe

on from the joint government of the world by a herd of wily foxes to the domination of the universe by

the more agreeable. As for me, I would rather be gracefully deceived, as you call it, t

said I, "what are the

him, and increasing the speed of his walk. "I am not at all sure what he might do, if no one prevented him. He is capable of con

like his mot

pearance and their father in character. He is certainly not of the same type of constitution as his mother, he has not even the same shape of head, and I am glad of it. But his father was a Slav, a

madness in one man is not necessarily insanity in another; beside

on with the temperament of the Mongol, and would probably become a raving maniac. It is not the temperament only, nor the intellect only, which produces the idiot or the madman; it is the lack of balance between the two. Arrant cowards frequently have very warlike imaginations, and in their dreams conceive themselves doing extremely violent things. Suppose that with such an imagination you unite the temperament of an Arab fanatic, or the coarse, brutal courage of an English prize-fighter, you can put no bounds to the possible actions of the monster you create. The salvation of the human race lies in the fact that very strong and

such a monster as he described? It was more likely that her son might be, seeing that he in some points answered precisely to the description of a man with the intellect of one race and the temperament of another; a

g," I remarked, at last, "but ho

er. "She belongs to the class of people in whom the

d mind may be completely destroyed by an accident, ev

artificial insanity,-perfectly genuine while it lasts; bu

ave thought it quit

he was a very clever fellow. He was a servant; murdered his master to rob him; was caught, but succeeded in restoring the valu

" I a

aried him out, his feigned madness became so fatiguing to him that there was finally only a spasmodic attempt, and when I had done with him the sane man was per

cial insanity you spoke o

lcohol, from tobacco to belladon

a madman got drunk, he

way, even tea. How often do you hear a woman or a student say, 'I do not feel like myself to-day,-I have not had my tea'! When a man does not feel like himself, he means that he feels like some one else, and he is mildly crazy. Generally speaking, any

it is thought that insanity can be caus

We do not deny that some very extraordinary circu

ot believe in actua

nd until I have been convinced I do n

man of science. I fancy that nothing but

in regard to the human body. There is no doubt that dogs are subject to grief, joy, hope, and disappointment; but it is not possible to conclude from the conduct of a dog who is deprived

rybody would act in the same

ientists unfortunately very rare in our day. For we talk more nonsense about science than would fill many volumes, because we devote so much time to the pursuit of knowledge; nevertheless, the amount of knowledge actually acquired, beyond all possibility of contradiction, is ludicrously small as compared with the energy expended in

e, too, became silent, so that we talked little more un

been in England befo

e has," answ

s he ha

hteen months, about four or five years ago, as secretary

now that he never w

if they knew he had been so near

him? Did she never

th a short laugh, "sh

xclaimed, as we ent

um, and no one volunteered the information. Probably Cutter's visit to Carvel Place was connected with her sad state; perhaps Patoff's coming might be the result of it, also. It was impossible to say. But of this I was certain: that John Carvel and his wife had both grown older and sadder in the past two years, and that there was an air of concealment about the house which made me very uncomfortable. I have been connected with more than one odd story in my time, and I confess that I no longer care for excitement as I once did. If people are going to get into trouble, I would rather not be there to see it, and I have a strong dislike to being suddenly called upon to play an unexpected part in sensational events. Above all, I hate mystery; I hate the mournful air of superior sorrow that hangs about people who have a disagreeable secret, and the constant depression of long-protracted anxiety in those about me. It spoiled my pleasure in the quiet co

more lovely than ever dressed all in white, with a single row of pearls around her throat. Her delicate features were pale and luminous, and her brown eyes brigh

to me, and I am no longer young. You know, dear friend, that I am forty-six years old this summer, and it is a long time since any o

, Mr. Griggs. I am so tired

t you would tell me one of yours, all about the fairies and the

a little sigh. "I believed in them once,-it was so nice. I

plied, "but few sad ones end happily. Why do

thing with a laugh, as some people can; and I cann

but not always alike," I remarked. "It is variety that mak

laughed

n we were small. I wonder whether it is true. I suppose I hav

"I should thin

he great variet

teresting cousin who has seen the whole world ou

not been dead eighteen months, and whose mother is dangerously

d the words were spoken through her closed teeth. Of course she was speaking of Pa

n's mother ver

on her knees, and leaning back in her seat, "I wish I could tell you all about it! I am sure you might do some

ave lived so much in the world l

ood manners to have

e that you are hurt, when nobody can do anything to help you? It is undig

, and life was more interesting, when everybody showed what they felt, and fought for

t is uncomfortable to live in constant danger of one's life. Y

But I do not half understand it myself. Will you not tell me a story, and help me to forget all about it? Here comes pa

opped. John Carvel came straight acro

ent?" I sprang to my feet. John laid his hand upon my arm; he was v

t the professor, who seemed already absorbed in listening to one of Chrysophrasia's speeches. He did not return my glance, and I left the room with my friend. A moment later we were in his study. A student's lamp with a green shade burned steadi

ment, "I am going to ask you a favor, and in order to

said I. "You

Her husband, as you know, died twenty years ago, and Paul was away, so that Cutter was so good as to take care of her. He said her only chance of recovery lay in being removed to her native country and carefully nursed. Thank God, I am rich. I received her here, and she has been here ever since. Do not look surprised. For the sake of a

sped my hand; his ow

d not even incur any danger; it

,-the one against which the hot-houses and the tennis-court are built. Of course the servants know,-everybody in the house knows all about it; but this is a huge old place, and there is plenty of room. It is not thought safe to take her out, and there appears to be something so peculiar about her insanity that Cu

indeed," I sa

may, poor thing!" rejo

she knew him at once for her son, though she treated him with a coldness almost amounting to horror. She stepped back from him, and folded her arms, only saying, over and over again, 'Paul, why did you come h

she should have recognized any one,

few minutes. She can hardly be induced to speak at all, but will sit quite still for hours with any book that is given her, turning over the pages mechanically. She has a curious fancy for big books, and will always select the thickest from a number of volumes; but whether or not she retains any impression of what she reads, or whether, in fact, she really reads at all, it is quite impossible to say. She will sometimes answer 'yes' or 'no' to a question, but she will give opposite answers to the same question in five minutes. She will stare stolidly at any one who talks to her consecutively; or will simply turn away, and close her eyes as though she were going to sleep. In other respects she is in normal health. She eats little, but regul

aid. "How old di

r fifty-third year. Her hair

dren besides Paul

egiment in St. Petersburg, while Paul went into the diplomacy. Madame Patoff must have spent much of her time with Alexander until he died, and Cutter says he was always the favo

Madame Patoff was decidedly of an encouraging nature. I myself was too much astonished at learning that the insane lady was actually an inmate of the house, and I was too much intereste

ad learned from John that she had recognized him, indeed, but had coldly repulsed him when he came before her. If Paul Patoff had been a warm-hearted man, he could not have been at that very moment making conversation for his cousins in the drawing-room, laughing and chatting, his eyeglass in h

roke off his conversation with her to go and see his

ou like me to

call some memory of the accident. Besides, it is better to go this evening, before she has slept, as the return of memory this afternoo

nd John Carvel left the r

a pamphlet that lay upon the table. It was something about t

Russian. Cutter does not know a word of the language; I suppose nobody else h

h the professor. I laid down the pamp

Griggs," said the learned man, eying me through his glasses with

t to make an experiment in order to ascertain

moment. You have a very striking face and figure, and you have not changed in the least. Besides, the mom

cognized you in a

nt possibility that when she sees us together she may reca

John, "I will leav

corridor was brightly lighted by a number of lamps; at the end of it we came to a massive door. John t

it the passage continued, still brilliantly illuminated, to a dark curtain which closed the othe