Page:Edgar Huntly, or The Sleep Walker.djvu/272



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, the fatigues of the day I returned home. As I entered, my wife was breaking the seal of a letter; but on seeing me she forbore, and presented the letter to me.

"I saw," said she, "by the superscription of this letter, who the writer was; so, agreeably to your wishes, I proceeded to open it; but you have come just time enough to save me the trouble."

This letter was from you: it contained information relative to Clithero. See how imminent a chance it was that saved my wife from a knowledge of its contents! It required all my efforts to hide my perturbation from her, and excuse myself from showing her the letter.

I know better than you the character of Clithero, and the consequences of a meeting between him and my wife: you may be sure that I would exert myself to prevent a meeting.

The method for me to pursue was extremely obvious. Clithero is a madman, whose liberty is dangerous, and who requires to be fettered and imprisoned as the most atrocious criminal.

I hastened to the chief magistrate, who is my friend, and, by proper representations, obtained from him authority to seize Clithero wherever I should meet with him, and effectually debar him from the perpetration of new mischiefs.

New-York does not afford a place of confinement for lunatics as suitable to his case as Pennsylvania. I was desirous of placing him as far as possible from the place of my wife's residence. Fortunately, there was a packet for Philadelphia, on the point of setting out on her voyage: this vessel I engaged to wait a day or two for the purpose of conveying him to the Pennsylvania hospital. Meanwhile, proper persons were stationed at Powell's-hook, and