And if 'twas a crime, you did not the deed.

I am fighting with life, with death I strive;

Ready for neither; both crush with their might;

Only those seven words keep me alive—

You said 'you shall follow me,' and 'I'll write.'

They stealthily talk; I hear what they say—

Sharply she hears who each syllable dreads—

Glancing at me in significant way,

Touching their foreheads and shaking their heads.

'Mad?'—'not exactly—bewilder'd—confus'd;