ith a face of the most stolid gravity. Standing at a
distance, he would rush up with long strides, make a wavy flourish with
his hands over the face of the subject, and retreat as rapidly. Then with
eager, swelling eyes, aiming with the fore-finger of each hand, he would
run up and point at some phrenological bump upon the cranium. But the
patient sat immovable, and was neither to be soothed into slumber, nor
coaxed into giving any indication that the organs were excited; as is the
case with the well-drilled _proteges_ of your itinerant lecturers.

Nearly all the inmates were witnesses of this scene, except a few who were
restricted, and one fair girl who walked in the garden sobbing; and never
did tears fall out of more beautiful eyes, or shed over such a sweet face
the interest of sorrow. They gushed profusely on the rosebud in her hand;
fit emblem of herself; for she had not yet broke into the bloom of
womanhood. Where tears flow, despair has been already softened to sorrow,
and smiles may yet shine out of the darkness, as the bow of promise
bridges only a firmament of cloud. This poor creature, frightened at a
disturbance at the gate, fled like a fawn to her own apartment. The
professor was lugged in by the head and ears, with unnecessary roughness.
Appearances were much against him, as he always had a crazy look. His
strange dress and equipments, his unshaven beard, his long hair straggling
over his forehead, his long nose and long legs, his much-abused and
bunged-up hat, which yawned wide open at the crown and showed the lining,
wore the external tokens of a mind ill at ease. Added to this, a sickly
smile shed a yellow glare over his features, of which the effect was
neither natural nor pleasant; and as the lunatics pressed around, and the
clowns still clutched him by the throat, even that passed away, and left
an expression of bewilderment and undisguised dismay. At that moment the
physician arrived, and glancing at the new subject just brought to the
establishment, and concluding that his present wildness would need some
coercion at first, requested him to be brought into the nearest apartment.
The four formed a singular group. 'Sit down,' said the doctor, nodding
calmly to the professor, as he prepared to study the case. 'Ha! ha!'
exclaimed Professor Shaw, dropping into a chair, and striving hard to be
amused at his predicament, 'ha! ha! ha! My dear Sir, ha! ha! yes, I think
I may say ha! ha! ha!'--and he laughed