at her mind was even more
affected than they had imagined. All her ideas were confused and
wandering. Her bright and cheerful moods, which now grew seldomer than
ever, were all the effects of mental delusion. At such times she had
no recollection of her lover's having been in danger, but was only
anticipating his arrival. "When the winter has passed away," said she,
"and the trees put on their blossoms, and the swallow comes back over
the sea, he will return." When she was drooping and desponding, it was
in vain to remind her of what she had said in her gayer moments, and
to assure her that Eugene would indeed return shortly. She wept on in
silence, and appeared insensible to their words. But at times her
agitation became violent, when she would upbraid herself with having
driven Eugene from his mother, and brought sorrow on her gray hairs.
Her mind admitted but one leading idea at a time, which nothing could
divert or efface; or if they ever succeeded in interrupting the
current of her fancy, it only became the more incoherent, and
increased the feverishness that preyed upon both mind and body. Her
friends felt more alarm for her than ever, for they feared that her
senses were irrecoverably gone, and her constitution completely
undermined.

In the mean time, Eugene returned to the village. He was violently
affected, when the story of Annette was told him. With bitterness of
heart he upbraided his own rashness and infatuation that had hurried
him away from her, and accused himself as the author of all her woes.
His mother would describe to him all the anguish and remorse of poor
Annette; the tenderness with which she clung to her, and endeavoured,
even in the midst of her insanity, to console her for the loss of her
son, and the touching expressions of affection that were mingled with
her most incoherent wanderings of thought, until his feelings would be
wound up to agony, and he would entreat her to desist from the
recital. They did not dare as yet to bring him into Annette's sight;
but he was permitted to see her when she was sleeping. The tears
streamed down his sunburnt cheeks, as he contemplated the ravages
which grief and malady had made; and his heart swelled almost to
breaking, as he beheld round her neck the very braid of hair which she
once gave him in token of girlish affection, and which he had returned
to her in anger.

At length the physician that attended her determined to adventure upon
an experiment,