Passages from the diary of a late physician / by Samuel Warren, author of 'Ten thousand a-year'.

  • Samuel Warren
Date:
[1890]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Passages from the diary of a late physician / by Samuel Warren, author of 'Ten thousand a-year'. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    ' Hark ! the song—the song !' cried bU the other voices together, wliile tlie singer began ; and in a few moments her voice only was lieard, wild and dis- mal beyond description, though not very loud, uttering words something like the following :— ' Hark to the bell, the merry, merry, merry bell. It is his kuell — the merry, merry knell'— ' Ding, dong 1— Ding, dong 1— Ding, dong r —sung the other voices in a kind of dolelul chorus. Tlie singer resumed— ' Lullaby ! Lullaby ! Lullaby ! His head, oh, his head it is white- All white 1 white 1 —Dead, dead, dead 1 —Sing you wretches 1' They resumed— • Ding, dong ! — Ding, dong !—Ding, dong I' The sun at that moment shone into the dreary room, while I was intently gazing on the miserable scene it dis- closed. Mercy !—niy Hesh crept—I be- gan to recognise in the singer, who oc- casionally looked wildly up into the sunshine—I could not be wrong—Mrs. Bt. Helen ! ' Who is that T I inquired faintly, turning away froi)i the room, while my companion closed and secured the door. ' Mrs. Jones is the perfonner, if it's she whom you mean ? ' Oh no, no, no ! Her name is not, it never was Jones!' said I, feeling very faint, and moving as quickly away as possible into the open air. ' Well, certainly,' said Mr. B , after considering a little, ' it is strange enough ; I have certainly now and then heard her mention your name among others. So you know, very probably, her real name—Mrs. St. Helen ?' He mentioned the name I dreaded to hear. ' I have had her these two years ; .she was removed hither from St. 's by order of a General Ogilvie, whom perlia|is you knnw, at who.se expense she continues here.' I got into the open air, and began at length to breathe more freely. I pro- test that I never in my life encounter- ed such a shock as tliat I had just ex- ]ierienced. He told me many sad, sliockings things, which I shall not re- cord. Oh ! merciful and just God, gover- nor of the world, sonietin)es even in this life thy most tremendous wrath alights upon the heads of the guilty. JIILNEU & CO., LIMITED, PEINTEKS, HALIFAX.