ke humanity. Virtue and
goodness, after all, will work their way, especially where a mother's
feelings, conscious of the evil and conscious of the good, are forced
to strike the balance between them. This consideration it was which
determined Mrs. Lindsay, in addition to other considerations already
alluded to, to come to the resolution of leaving her property to her son
Charles. There is, besides, a want of confidence and of mutual affection
in villany which reacts upon the heart, precisely as it did upon that of
Mrs. Lindsay. She knew that her eldest son was in intention a murderer;
and there is a terrible summons in conscience which sometimes awakens
the soul into a sense of virtue and truth.

Be this as it may, Barney Casey's vigilance was ineffectual. From the
night on which Woodward got the bottle from the herbalist, Charles
Lindsay began gradually and slowly to decline. Barney's situation in the
family was that of a general servant, in fact, a man of all work, and
the necessary consequence was, that he could not contravene the conduct
of Harry Woodward, although he saw clearly that, notwithstanding
Charles's wound was nearly healed, his general health was getting worse.

Now, the benevolence and singular power of Valentine Greatrakes are
historical facts which cannot be contradicted. After about a month from
the time he cured Alice Goodwin he came to the town of Rathfillan, with
several objects in view, one of which was to see Alice Goodwin, and to
ascertain that her health was perfectly reestablished. But the other
and greater one was that which we shall describe. Mr. Lindsay, having
perceived that his son Charles's health was gradually becoming worse,
though his wound was healed, and on finding that the physician who
attended him could neither do anything for his malady, nor even account
for it, or pronounce a diagnosis upon its character, bethought him
of the man who had so completely cured Alice Goodwin. Accordingly, on
Greatrakes's visit to Rathfillan, he waited upon him, and requested, as
a personal favor, that he would come and see his dying son, for indeed
Charles at that time was apparently not many days from death. This
distinguished and wealthy gentleman at once assented, and told Mr.
Lindsay that he "would visit his sen the next day.

"I may not cure him," said he, "because there are certain complaints
which cannot be cured. Such complaints I never attempt to cure; and even
in others that are curabl