sat
"moping and mowing" in sulky loneliness, as if its grimaces were
intended to caricature the expression of pain which crossed the young
man's face--a strange distorted mirror of that suffering form.

After a time the young man moved uneasily, as if he had in vain sought
in sleep some repose from the torment of mind and body, and snapped
his fingers. His hounds came obedient to his call; but, after patting
them for a moment on the head, he again drove them from him with all
the pettish ill-temper of ennui, and rose, feebly and with difficulty,
from his chair. He moved languidly to the open book, looked at it for
a moment, then shook his head and turned away. Again he took up one of
the hunting horns and applied it to his lips; but the breath which he
could fetch from his chest produced no sound but a sort of low
melancholy whine from the instrument; and he flung it down. Then
dealing a blow at the head of the grinning ape, who first dived to
avoid it, and then snapped at its master's fingers, he returned
wearily to his chair, and sunk into it with a deep groan, which told
of many things--regret--bitter ennui--physical pain and mental
anguish. The tears rose for a moment to his heavy languid eyes, but he
checked their influence with a sneer of his thin upper-lip; then
calling "Congo," to his ape, he made the animal approach and took it
on his knees; and the two--the man and the beast--grinned at each
other in bitter mockery.

In this occupation of the most grotesque despair, the young man was
disturbed by another personage, who, raising the tapestry over a
concealed door, entered silently and unannounced.

"My Mother!" murmured the sufferer, in a tone of impatience, as he
became aware of the presence of this person; and turning away his
head, he began to occupy himself in caressing his ape.

"How goes it with you, Charles? Do you feel stronger now?" said the
mother, in a soft voice of the fondest cajolery, as she advanced with
noiseless, gliding steps.

The son gave no reply, and continued to play with the animal upon his
knee, whilst a dark frown knitted his brow.

"What say the doctors to your state to-day, my son?" resumed the
female soothingly. As she approached still nearer, the ape, with a
movement of that instinctive hate often observable in animals towards
persons who do not like them, sprang at her with a savage grin, that
displayed its sharp teeth, and would have bitten her hand had she not
started b