been for years guilty of conduct entirely
incompatible with the hypothesis of undisordered
mental functions. He had accused his domestic
of peculation, and had initiated legal proceedings
with a view of prosecuting in a court of law
one of his oldest friends."

"Whence you infer that, if my son has not for
years been doing cranky acts, he is not likely to
be deranged at present."

This adroit twist of the argument rather
surprised Dr. Wycherley. However, he was at
no loss for a reply. "It is not Insanity, but the
Incubation of Insanity, which is suspected in
your intelligent son's case: and the best course
will be for me to enumerate in general terms the
several symptoms of 'the Incubation of
Insanity:'" he concluded with some severity,
"after that, sir, I shall cease to intrude what
I fear is an unwelcome conviction."

The Parent, whose levity and cold reception of
good tidings he had thus mildly, yet with due
dignity, rebuked, was a man of the world; and
liked to make friends, not enemies; so he took
the hint, and made a very civil speech, assuring
Dr. Wycherley that, if he ventured to differ from
him, he was none the less obliged by the kind
interest he took in a comparative stranger: and
would be very glad to hear all about the
"Incubation of Insanity." He added, "The very
expression is new to me."

Dr. Wycherley bowed slightly; and complied:

"One diagnostic preliminary sign of abnormal
cerebral action is Kephalalgia, or true cerebral
headache; I mean persistent headache, which is
not accompanied by a furred tongue, or other
indicia significant of abdominal or renal disorder
as its origin."

Jane sighed. "He has sad headaches."

"The succeeding symptom is a morbid affection
of sleep. Either the patient suffers from
Insomnia; or else from Hypersomnia, which we
subdivide into sopor, carus, and lethargus; or
thirdly from Kakosomnia, or a propensity to
mere dozing, and to all the morbid phenomena
of dreams."

"Papa," said Jane, "poor Alfred sleeps very
badly: I hear him walking at all hours of the
night."

"I thought as much," observed Dr. Wycherley;
"Insomnia is the commonest feature. To
resume; the insidious advance of morbid thought
is next marked by high spirits, or else by low
spirits; generally the latter. The patient begins
by moping, then shows great lassitude and ennui,
then becomes abstracted, moody, and occupied
with a solitary idea."

Jane clasped her hands, and the tears stood in
her eyes; so well did this description tally with
poor Alfred's case.

"And at this period," continued Dr. Wycherley,
"my experience leads me to believe that
some latent delusion is generally germinating in
the mind, though often concealed with consummate
craft by the patient: the open development
of this delusion is the next stage, and, with this
last morbid phenomenon, incubation ceases and
insanity begins. Sometimes, however, the illusion
is physical rather than psychical, of the sense
rather than of the intelligence. It commences at
night: the incubator begins by seeing nocturnal
visions, often of a photopsic* character, or hearing
nocturnal sounds, neither of which have any
material existence, being conveyed to his optic
or auricular nerves not from without, but from
within, by the agency of a disordered brain.
These the reason, hitherto unimpaired,
combats at first, especially when they are nocturnal
only: but being reproduced, and becoming diurnal,
the judgment succumbs under the morbid
impression produced so repeatedly. These are
the ordinary antecedent symptoms characteristic
of the incubation of insanity; to which are
frequently added somatic exaltation, or, in popular
language, physical excitability—a disposition to
knit the brows—great activity of the mental
faculties—or else a well marked decline of the
powers of the understanding—an exaggeration of
the normal conditions of thought—or a reversal
of the mental habits and sentiments, such as a
sudden aversion to some person hitherto beloved,
or some study long relished and pursued."
* Luminous.

Jane asked leave to note these all down in her
note-book.

Mr. Hardie assented, adroitly; for he was
thinking whether he could not sift some grain
out of all this chaff. Should Alfred blab his
suspicions, here were two gentlemen who would
at all events help him to throw ridicule on them.

Dr. Wycherley having politely aided Jane
Hardie to note down "the preliminary process
of the Incubation of disorders of the Intellect,"
resumed: "Now, sir, your son appears to be in
a very inchoate stage of the malady: he has
cerebral Kephalalgia and Insomnia——"

"And, oh doctor, he knits his brows often;
and has given up his studies; won't go back to
Oxford this term."

"Exactly; and seeks isolation, and is a prey
to morbid distraction and reverie; but has no
palpable illusions; has he?"

"Not that I know of," said Mr. Hardie.

"Well but," objected Jane, "did not he say
something to you very curious the other night;
about Captain Dodd, and fourteen thousand
pounds?"

Mr. Hardie's blood ran cold:

"No," he stammered, "not that I remember."

"Oh yes he did, papa: you have forgotten it:
but at the time you were quite puzzled what he
could mean: and you did so." She put her
finger to her forehead: and the doctors
interchanged a meaning glance.

"I believe you are right, Jenny," said Mr.
Hardie, taking the cue so unexpectedly offered
him: "he did say some nonsense I could not
make head nor tail of; but we all have our
crotchets; there, run away, like a good girl, and