bout his desire to pay
funeral expenses.

The young physician drew back, as if in danger of contamination.

'Your money perish with you!' he said, solemnly. 'Think you charity
consists in bank notes?'

The doctor turned and reentered the chamber; and Hiram Meeker proceeded
slowly down the stairs and into the street.

His thoughts, as he walked homeward, were not of an enviable nature. I
confess I have no desire to attempt to portray them.

CHAPTER VII.

Hiram's slumbers that night were much disturbed.

His rest was broken by strange dreams, frightful or preposterous, which,
running into each other, became blended in a confused mass of floating
fancies.

At last he woke. He opened big eyes. It was perfectly dark.

* * * * *

Suddenly he realized just what he was. No business--no money--no
earth--no foothold--nothing but a naked soul.

Hiram lay breathing with slow respirations. Even his piety was not
present to support him. The world was swept from under him.

Then came a stern sense--a patent conviction--of all he had counted on:
nothing--nothing!

He turned over, and fell asleep again. But still refreshing slumber was
denied him; still were the night visions terrifying.

At last these appeared to take a definite shape. Heaving, working,
revolving, the chaotic mass assumed form and grew luminous.

All of a sudden, IT changed to one great, bright, burning
_eye_. Then _he_ was the eye--all eye--nothing but eye! What sights were
presented! The eye was gifted with a wonderful vision. It could discern
true from false--real from counterfeit--what was genuine from sham and
pretence.

More than this. The _eye_--which was Hiram--could discriminate between
what men considered valuable and available and important, and also good
and essential, and by all means to be secured: I say, the _eye_ had the
power to distinguish between these, and what was in truth and in very
deed good and just and right, and truly to be desired and sought after.

How things changed places!

Some shrank into littleness and utter insignificance, which formerly had
large proportions and a towering importance; others, which before seemed
puny and of little worth, grew grandly into magnitude, and power, and
might.

At a great distance could be observed the habitations of the children of
men. They appeared like objects seen through an inverted telescope--far
off and exceedingly diminished.

On the shor