stly, in the entrance.

"I was forgetting," he said, "that I too have something to tell. I
have received a letter from Dr. Harding of Buenos Ayres. He says that
he attended Meyrick for three weeks before his death."

"And does he say what carried him off in the prime of life? It was not
fever?"

"No, it was not fever. According to the doctor, it was an utter
collapse of the whole system, probably caused by some severe shock.
But he states that the patient would tell him nothing, and that he was
consequently at some disadvantage in treating the case."

"Is there anything more?"

"Yes. Dr. Harding ends his letter by saying: 'I think this is all the
information I can give you about your poor friend. He had not been
long in Buenos Ayres, and knew scarcely any one, with the exception of
a person who did not bear the best of characters, and has since left--a
Mrs. Vaughan.'"

VIII

THE FRAGMENTS

[Amongst the papers of the well-known physician, Dr. Robert Matheson,
of Ashley Street, Piccadilly, who died suddenly, of apoplectic seizure,
at the beginning of 1892, a leaf of manuscript paper was found, covered
with pencil jottings. These notes were in Latin, much abbreviated, and
had evidently been made in great haste. The MS. was only deciphered
with difficulty, and some words have up to the present time evaded all
the efforts of the expert employed. The date, "XXV Jul. 1888," is
written on the right-hand corner of the MS. The following is a
translation of Dr. Matheson's manuscript.]

"Whether science would benefit by these brief notes if they could be
published, I do not know, but rather doubt. But certainly I shall
never take the responsibility of publishing or divulging one word of
what is here written, not only on account of my oath given freely to
those two persons who were present, but also because the details are
too abominable. It is probably that, upon mature consideration, and
after weighting the good and evil, I shall one day destroy this paper,
or at least leave it under seal to my friend D., trusting in his
discretion, to use it or to burn it, as he may think fit.

"As was befitting, I did all that my knowledge suggested to make sure
that I was suffering under no delusion. At first astounded, I could
hardly think, but in a minute's time I was sure that my pulse was
steady and regular, and that I was in my real and true senses. I then
fixed my eyes quietly on what was before me.

"Though