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d　torn　with　agonising　doubts。　What　if　her　mind　was　poisoned　too！　What　if　she　thought　him　mad！　What　if　some　misfortune　had　befallen　her！　What　if　she　had　believed　him　dead；　and　her　heart　had　broken！　Hitherto　he　had　seen　his　own　trouble　chiefly；　but　now　he　began　to　think　day　and　night　on　hers；　and　though　he　ground　on　for　his　degree　not　to　waste　time；　and　not　to　be　driven　mad；　yet　it　was　almost　superhuman　labour；　sighs　issued　from　his　labouring　breast　while　his　hard；　indomitable　brain　laboured　away；　all　uphill；　at　Aristotle's　Divisions　and　Definitions。

On　the　seventh　day；　the　earliest　the　mad　statute　allowed；　the　two　Commissioners　returned；　and　this　time　Mr。　Abbott　took　the　lead；　and　told　him　that　the　policeman　Reynolds　had　left　the　force；　and　the　Dodds　had　left　the　town；　and　were　in　London；　but　their　address　not　known。

At　this　Alfred　was　much　agitated。　She　was　alive；　and　perhaps　near　him。

〃I　have　heard　a　good　deal　of　your　story；〃　said　Mr。　Abbott；　〃and　coupling　it　with　what　we　have　seen　of　you；　we　think　your　relatives　have　treated　you；　and　a　young　lady　of　whom　everybody　speaks　with　respect〃

〃God　bless　you　for　saying　that！　God　bless　you！〃

〃treated　you　both；　I　say；　with　needless　severity。〃

Dr。　Eskell　then　told　him　the　result　of　the　Special　Commission；　now　closed。　〃I　believe　you　to　be　cured；〃　said　he；　〃and　Mr。　Abbott　has　some　doubts　whether　you　were　ever　positively　insane。　We　shall　lay　your　case　before　the　Board　at　once；　and　the　Board　will　write　to　the　party　who　signed　the　order；　and　propose　to　him　to　discharge　you　at　once。〃

At　this　magnificent　project　Alfred's　countenance　fell；　and　he　stared　with　astonishment。　〃What！　have　you　not　the　power　to　do　me　justice　without　soliciting　Injustice　to　help　you？〃

〃The　Board　has　the　power；〃　said　Dr。　Eskell；　〃but　for　many　reasons　they　exercise　it　with　prudence　and　reserve。　Besides；　it　is　only　fair　to　those　who　have　signed　the　order；　to　give　them　the　graceful　office　of　liberating　the　patient；　it　paves　the　way　to　reconciliation。〃

Alfred　sighed。　The　Commissioners；　to　keep　up　his　heart；　promised　to　send　him　copies　of　their　correspondence　with　the　person　who　had　signed　the　order。　〃Then；〃　said　Mr。　Abbott　kindly；　〃you　will　see　your　case　is　not　being　neglected。〃

The　following　precis；　though　imperfect；　will　give　some　idea　of　the　correspondence：

1。　The　Board　wrote　to　Thomas　Hardie；　letting　him　know　the　result　of　the　Special　Commission；　and　requesting　him　to　discharge　his　nephew。

Thomas　quaked。　Richard　smiled；　and　advised　Thomas　to　take　no　notice。　By　this　a　week　was　gained　to　Injustice；　and　lost　to　Justice。

2。　The　Board　pointed　out　Thomas　Hardie's　inadvertence　in　not　answering　No。　1；　enclosed　copy　of　it；　and　pressed　for　a　reply。

Thomas　quaked；　Richard　smiled。

3。　Thomas　Hardie　to　the　Board。　From　what　he　had　heard；　it　would　be　premature　to　discharge　Alfred。　Should　prefer　to　wait　a　month　or　two。

4。　Board　to　Alfred；　conveying　this　in　other　terms。

5。　Alfred　to　Board；　warning　them　against　this　proposal。　To　postpone　justice　was　to　refuse　justice；　certainly　for　a　time；　probably　for　ever。

6。　The　Board　to　Thomas　Hardie；　suggesting　that　if　not　released　immediately　Alfred　ought　to　have　a　trial_i。e。；_　be　allowed　to　go　into　the　world　with　a　keeper。

7。　Alfred　to　the　Board；　begging　that　Dr。　Sampson；　an　honest　independent　physician；　might　be　allowed　to　visit　him　and　report　to　them。

8。　The　Board　to　Alfred；　declining　this；　for　the　present　as　unadvisable；　they　being　in　correspondence　with　the　person　who　had　signed　the　orderwith　a　view　to　his　liberation。

9。　T。　Hardie　to　the　Board；　shuffling；　and　requesting　time　to　make　further　inquiries。

10。　The　Board；　suggesting　there　should　be　some　reasonable　limit　to　delay。

11。　T。　Hardie；　asking　for　a　month　to　see　about　it。

12。　The　Board；　suggesting　a　week。

13。　Alfred　Hardie；　asking　permission　to　be　visited　by　a　solicitor　with　a　view　to　protection　of　his　liberty　and　property。

14。　The　Board；　declining　this；　pending　their　correspondence　with　other　parties；　but　asking　him　for　the　names　and　addresses　of　all　his　trustees。

15。　Thomas　Hardie；　informing　the　Board　he　had　now　learned　Alfred　had　threatened　to　kill　his　father　as　soon　as　ever　he　should　get　out；　and　leaving　the　Board　to　discharge　him　on　their　own　responsibility　if　they　chose　after　this　warning：　but　declining　peremptorily　to　do　so　himself。

16；　17；　18。　The　Board；　by　advice　of　Mr。　Abbott；　to　Alfred's　trustees；　warning　them　against　any　alienation　of　Alfred's　money　under　the　notion　that　he　was　legally　a　lunatic；　and　saying　that　a　public　inquiry　appeared　inevitable；　owing　to　Mr。　T。　Hardie's　unwillingness　to　enter　into　their　views。

19。　To　Alfred；　inquiring　whether　he　wished　to　encounter　the　expense　of　Chancery　proceedings　to　establish　his　sanity。

20。　Alfred　to　the　Board；　imploring　them　to　use　their　powers　and　discharge　him　without　further　delay；　and　assuring　them　he　meditated　no　violence　on　his　liberation；　but　should　proceed　against　all　parties　under　legal　advice。

21。　The　Board　to　T。　Hardie；　warning　him　that　he　must　in　future　pay　Alfred's　maintenance　in　Asylum　out　of　his　own　pocket；　and　pressing　him　either　to　discharge　the　young　man；　or　else　to　apply　to　the　Lord　Chancellor　for　a　Commission　de　Lunatico　Inquirendo；　and　enclosing　copy　of　a　letter　from　Wycherley　saying　the　patient　was　harmless。

22。　T。　Hardie　respectfully　declining　to　do　either；　but　reminding　the　Commissioners　that　the　matter　could　be　thrown　into　Chancery　without　his　consent；　only　the　expense；　which　would　be　tremendous；　would　fall　on　the　lunatic's　estate；　which　might　hereafter　be　regretted　by　the　party　himself。　He　concluded　by　promising　to　come　to　town　and　visit　Alfred　with　his　family　physician；　and　write　further　in　a　week。

Having　thus　thrown　dust　in　the　eyes　of　the　Board；　Thomas　Hardie　and　Richard　consulted　with　a　notoriously　unscrupulous　madhouse　keeper　in　the　suburbs　of　London；　and　effected　a　masterstroke；　whereof　anon。

The　correspondence　had　already　occupied　three　months；　and　kept　Alfred　in　a　fever　of　the　mind；　of　all　the　maddening　things　with　which　he　had　been　harassed　by　the　pretended　curers　of　insanity；　this　tried　him　hardest。　To　see　a　dozen　honest　gentlemen　wishing　to　do　justice；　able　to　do　justice　by　one　manly　stroke　of　the　pen；　yet　forego　their　vantage…ground；　and　descend　to　coax　an　able　rogue　to　do　their　duty　and　undo　his　own　interest　and　rascality！　To　see　a　strong　cause　turned　into　a　weak　one　by　the　timidity　of　champions　clad　by　law　in　complete　steel；　and　a　rotten　cause；　against　which　Law　and　Power；　as　well　as　Truth；　Justice；　and　Common　Sense；　had　now　declared；　turned　into　a　strong　one　by　the　pluck　and　cunning　of　his　one　unarmed　enemy！　The　ancients　feigned　that　the　ingenious　gods　tortured　Tantalus　in　hell　by　ever…present　thirst；　and　water　flowing　to　just　the　outside　of　his　lips。　A　Briton　can　thirst　for　liberty　as　hard　as　Tantalus　or　hunted　deer　can　thirst　for　cooling　springs　and　this　soul…gnawing　correspondence　brought　liberty；　and　citizenhood；　and　love；　and　happiness；　to　the　lips　of　Alfred's　burning；　pining；　aching　heart；　again；　and　again；　and　again；　then　carried　them　away　from　him　in　mockery。　Oh；　the　sickening　anguish　of　Hope　deferred；　and　deferred：

　　　　　〃The　Hell　it　is　in　suing　long　to　bide。〃

But　indeed　his　hopes　began　to　sicken　for　good　when　he　found　that　the　Board　would　not　allow　any　honest　independent　physician　to　visit　him；　or　any　solicitor　to　see　him。　At　first；　indeed；　they　refused　it　because　Mr。　Thomas　Hardie　was　going　to　let　him　out：　but　when　T。　Hardie　would　not　move　at　their　request；　then　on　a　fresh　application　they　refused　it；　giving　as　their　reason　that　they　had　already　refused　it。　Yet　in　so　keen　a　battle　he　would　not　throw　away　a　chance：　so　he　determined　to　win　Dr。　Wycherley　altogether　by　hook　or　by　crook；　and　get　a　certificate　of　sanity　from　him。　Now　a　single　white　lie；　he　knew　would　do　the　trick。　He　had　only　to　say　that　Hamlet　was　mad。　And　〃Hamlet　was　mad〃　is　easily　said。

Dr。　Wycherley　was　a　collector　of　mad　people；　and　collectors　are　always　amateurs；　and　very　seldom　connoisseurs。　His　turn　of　mind　co…operating　with　his　interests；　led　him　to　put　down　any　man　a　lunatic；　whose　intellect　was　manifestly　superior　to　his　own。　Alfred　Hardie；　and　one　or　two　more　contemporaries；　had　suffered　by　this　humour　of　the　good　doctor's。　Nor　did　the　dead　escape　him　entirely。　Pascal；　according　to　Wycherley；　was　a　madman　with　an　illusion　about　a　precipice；　John　Howard　a　moral　lunatic　in　whom　the　affections　were　reversed；　Saul　a　moping　maniac　with　homicidal　paroxysms　and　nocturnal　visions；　Paul　an　incoherent　lunatic；　who　in　his　writings　flies　off　at　a　tangent；　and　who　admits　having　once　been　the　victim　of　a　photopsic　illusion　in　broad　daylight；　Nebuchadnezzar　a　lycanthropical　lunatic；　Joan　of　Arc　a　theomaniac；　Bobby　Burton　and　Oliver　Cromwell　melancholy　maniacs；　Napoleon　an　ambitious　maniac；　in　whom　the　sense　of　impossibility　became　gradually　extinguished　by　visceral　and　cerebral　derangement；　Porson　an　oinomaniac；　Luther　a　phrenetic　patient　of　the　old　demoniac　breed；　alluded　to　by　Shakespeare：

　　　　〃One　sees　more　devils　than　vast　Hell　can　hold。　　　　　　That　is　the　madman。〃

But　without　intending　any　disrespect　to　any　of　these　gentlemen；　he　assigned　the　golden　crown　of　Insanity　to　Hamlet。　To　be　sure；　this　character　tells　his　friends　in　the　play　he　shall　_feign_　insanity；　and　swears　them　not　to　reveal　the　reason；　and　after　this　hint　to　his　friends　and　the　pit　（it　is　notorious　he　was　not　written　for　readers）　he　keeps　his　word；　and　does　it　as　cleverly　as　if　his　name　was　David　or　Brutus　instead　of　Hamlet；　indeed；　like　Edgar；　he　rather　overdoes　it；　and　so　puzzles　his　enemies　in　the　play；　and　certain　German　criticasters　and　English　mad　doctors　in　the　closet；　and　does　not　puzzle　his　bosom　friend　in　the　play　one　bit；　nor　the　pit　for　whom　he　was　created。　Add　to　this　his　sensibility；　and　his　kindness　to　others；　and　his　eloquent　grief　at　the　heart…rending　situation　which　his　father's　and　mother's　son　was　placed　in　and　had　brains　to　realise；　though　his　psychological　critics；　it　seems；　have　not；　and　add　to　all　that　the　prodigious　extent　of　his　mind；　his　keen　observation；　his　deep　reflection；　his　brilliant　fancy；　united　for　once　in　a　way　with　the　great　Academic；　or　judicial；　intellect；　that　looks　down