The novels of Charles Brockden Brown, consisting of Wieland;or, The transformation. Arthur Mervyn; or, Memoirs of the year 1793. Edgar Huntly; or, Memoirs of a sleep-walker. Jane Talbot. Ormond; or, The secret witness. Clara Howard; or, The enthusiasm of love. With a memoir of the author.

44

ORMOND; OR,

closed, and some power appeared to have laid a leaden
hand upon her faculties. The floor was moistened and
stained by the effusion from her stomach. Constantia
touched her hand, and endeavoured to rouse her. It
was with difficulty that her attention was excited. Her
languid eyes were scarcely opened before they again
closed and she sunk into forgetfulness.
Repeated efforts, however, at length recalled her to
herself, and extorted from her some account of her condition. On the day before, at noon, her stomach became
diseased, her head dizzy, and her limbs unable to support her. Her brother was absent, and her drowsiness,
interrupted only by paroxysms of vomiting, continued
till his return late in the evening. HIe had then shown
himself for a few minutes at her bedside, had made some
inquiries and precipitately retired, since when he had not
reappeared.
It was natural to imagine that Whiston had gone to
procure medical assistance. That he had not returned,
during a day and a half, was matter of surprise. His
own disposition was recollected, and his absence could
only be accounted for by supposing that sickness had
disabled him from regaining his own house. What was
his real destiny, it was impossible to conjecture. It was
not till some months after this period that satisfactory
intelligence was gained upon this head.
It appeared that Whiston had allowed his terrors to
overpower the sense of what was due to his sister and to
humanity. On discovering the condition of the unhappy
girl, he left the house, and, instead of seeking a physician, he turned his steps towards the country. After
travelling some hours, being exhausted by want of food,
by fatigue, and by mental as well as bodily anguish, he
laid himself down under the shelter of a hayrick, in a
vacant field. Here he was discovered in the morning
by the inhabitants of a neighbouring farm-house. These
people had too much regard for their own safety to
accommodate him under their roof, or even to approach
within fifty paces of his person.
A passenger, whose attention and compassion had
been excited by this incident, was endowed with more