Both continued so perfectly immovable that I could not even discern his breathing, nor the heaving of her lovely bosom. "Were they beings of this world?--was it him in very truth?" At this moment the leaves of the trees above were agitated by the passing breeze, for small twittering shadows were suddenly cast on the faces and figures of the group, so as to alter the expression of the former in a startling way, making them flit and gibber, as it were. I thought some horrid change was coming o'er the spirit of my dream, as I exclaimed,--"Oh, no, no!--he is gone, poor fellow--gone--cold at the bottom of the sea--and I am mad--Oh God, I am a lunatic!" And I once more shut my eyes and wept, until I thought my very heart would have burst in twain; but they were blessed tears, for they revived me, and my soul felt lighter as I again thanked Heaven for my deliverance, and tried to convince myself that all I had seen was but the phantoms of my weakness. A minute might have fled before I looked up again, but the lovely delusion was gone, as the servant or nurse who was attending me, perceiving me so excited by what I had seen in the other apartment, had risen and closed the window-blinds; thus shutting out every thing in the room beyond from my view. The doctor now arrived, and, sliding up to my bedside, made his enquiries as to how I felt, and was greatly pleased with my amendment. "This will be great joy to all of them, sir," said he, in broken English; "so, Mrs Gerard, give your patient his draught, and after the sleep I hope it will procure"---- I interrupted him. "Pray, doctor, how long have I been ill?--and how is all going on in the little Midge?--and in whose house am I?--and who were the young lady and gentleman that I saw?" He laughed. "Why, Mr Brail, you have fired off one whole broadside of questions at me; but rest satisfied--all is right on board of de leetle vessel; and you are in my friend Mr Duquesné's house, who (if you will only take my advice, and try and obtain some rest, for you have not slept since you were wounded a week ago) will have the pleasure of paying his respects to you--and Miss Helen Hudson, too, longs----But I declare I am forgetting my own instructions--so not vone oder vord, monsieur,--not vone vord--Adieu until de afternoon." And he vanished out of the room in the same noiseless cat-like way he had entered it. To obtain any information from the nurse that sat beside me, I knew was out of the question; so I took the medicine, and soon fell into a balmy sleep. END OF VOLUME ONE. EDINBURGH: PRINTED BY BALLANTYNE AND CO., PAUL'S WORK. End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Cruise of the Midge (Vol. I of 2), by Michael Scott