d feet
above terra firma; and I am quite sure I shall want to jump. I always
am tempted to jump from any great height. Do you believe in these
sensations? I have heard people say that they could hardly restrain
themselves from jumping into the water whenever they ride in a boat or
cross a bridge.'

'I have heard of such cases,' I replied. And so we talked on,
discussing this singular and seldom met with, but still existing fact,
of single insane freaks in the otherwise perfectly sane, when the
gentle Quakeress, uttering a little shocked exclamation and suddenly
lowering her paper, turned toward us.

'Pardon me! but, June, child, what did you tell me was the name of the
young man to whom thy friend Hilda O'Neil is betrothed?'

'Trent, auntie--Gerald Trent.'

'Of Boston?'

'Of Boston; yes. Why, Aunt Ann?'

'I--I fear, then, that there is sorrow in store for thy young friend.
Gerald Trent is missing.'

'Missing?'

The Quakeress held the paper toward me, I being nearest her, and
pointing with a finger to some headlines half-way down the page, said:

'Perhaps thee would better read it.'

I took the paper and read aloud these lines:

'"ANOTHER WORLD'S FAIR MYSTERY.--GERALD TRENT AMONG THE
MISSING.

'"_Another Young Man swallowed up by the Maelstrom._

'"Yesterday we chronicled the disappearance of Harvey Parker
who was traced by his friends to this city, where he had
arrived to visit the Exposition for a week or more. He is
known to have arrived at the Rock Island Depot and to have
set out for the Van Buren Street Viaduct _en route_ for the
Fair. This was on Monday last, five days ago, since which
time, as was stated in our yesterday's issue, he has not been
seen or heard from by his friends or by the police, who are
searching for him.

'"Nearly two weeks ago, Gerald Trent, only son of Abner
Trent, one of Boston's millionaire merchants, came to this
city to see the Exposition and to secure accommodations for
his family, who were to come later. He stopped at an up-town
hotel for some days, visited the Fair, and secured apartments
for his friends, which were to have been vacated for their
use in a few days.

'"He had written to his family, telling them to await his
telegram, which they would receive in three or four days.
When this time had expired and no telegram came, they waited
another day, and then sen