When I had made an end, he clasped his hands, and,
raising his face to heaven, said--"I thank Thee, Father of mercies! Thy
will be done. He was the last of five of Thy gifts. I am now childless,
and have nothing more worth living for but to obey Thy will. I thank
Thee that in his last moments it can be said of him as it was of thy
apostle--'Behold, he prayeth!'"

For some time we remained silent, reverencing the old man's grief. The
surgeon first broke silence:--"Stranger," he said, "I have not a doubt
of your innocence of any intention to injure the person of the deceased,
but your humane intention to awaken him was certainly the immediate
cause of his death; for, had you tried to rouse him from sleep, either
sooner or later in his dream, all might have been well. The gentle shake
you gave his arm, in all likelihood, was felt as the fatal fall of the
platform or push of the executioner, which caused, from fright, a sudden
collapse of the heart, that put a final stop to the circulation and
caused immediate death. We regret it; but cannot say there was any bad
intention on your part."

I thanked the surgeon for the justice he had done me in his remarks; and
then addressing the bereaved father, I begged his forgiveness for my
unfortunate interference with his son; I only did so to put a period to
his dream, as his sufferings appeared to me to be of the most acute
description.

He stretched out his hand, and grasping mine, which he held for some
time, while he strove to overcome his emotions, he at length said--

"Young man, from my heart I acquit you of every evil intention, and
believe you from evidence that cannot be called in question. What you
have told coincides with facts I already possess. For some time back the
conduct of Charles gave me serious cause of uneasiness; but I knew not
half the extent of his excesses, although his requests for money were
incessant. I supplied them as far as was in my power; for he accompanied
them with dutiful acknowledgments and plausible reasons. Until of late
I had fulfilled his every wish; but I found I could no longer comply
with prudence. Alas! you have let me at length understand that the
gaming-table was the gulf that swallowed up all. I had for some time
resolved to go personally and reason with him upon the folly of his
extravagances; but, unfortunately, delayed it from day to day and week
to week. I felt it to be my duty as a parent; but my heart shrunk from
it. Fatal d