. It stretched
out its arm toward the statue; and the statue fell in fragments on the
floor.

"12. With a confused sensation in me, which was partly anger and partly
distress, I stooped to look at the fragments. When I rose again, the
Shadow had vanished, and I saw no more.

"13. The darkness opened for the third time, and showed me the Shadow of
the Woman and the Shadow of the Man together.

"14. No surrounding scene (or none that I can now call to mind) was
visible to me.

"15. The Man-Shadow was the nearest; the Woman-Shadow stood back.
From where she stood, there came a sound as of the pouring of a liquid
softly. I saw her touch the shadow of the man with one hand, and with
the other give him a glass. He took the glass, and gave it to me. In
the moment when I put it to my lips, a deadly faintness mastered me from
head to foot. When I came to my senses again, the Shadows had vanished,
and the third vision was at an end.

"16. The darkness closed over me again; and the interval of oblivion
followed.

"17. I was conscious of nothing more, till I felt the morning sun shine
on my face, and heard my friend tell me that I had awakened from a
dream...."

After reading the narrative attentively to the last line (under
which appeared Allan's signature), the doctor looked across the
breakfast-table at Midwinter, and tapped his fingers on the manuscript
with a satirical smile.

"Many men, many opinions," he said. "I don't agree with either of you
about this dream. Your theory," he added, looking at Allan, with a
smile, "we have disposed of already: the supper that _you_ can't digest
is a supper which has yet to be discovered. My theory we will come to
presently; your friend's theory claims attention first." He turned again
to Midwinter, with his anticipated triumph over a man whom he disliked
a little too plainly visible in his face and manner. "If I understand
rightly," he went on, "you believe that this dream is a warning!
supernaturally addressed to Mr. Armadale, of dangerous events that are
threatening him, and of dangerous people connected with those events
whom he would do wisely to avoid. May I inquire whether you have arrived
at this conclusion as an habitual believer in dreams, or as having
reasons of your own for attaching especial importance to this one dream
in particular?"

"You have stated what my conviction is quite accurately," returned
Midwinter, chafing under the doctor's looks and tones. "Excus