I reached out my hand for it, not venturing on words, for fear of disturbing the patient; but Jeffy, with unpardonable wilfulness, danced out of my circuit, and at the same instant the sick man turned his head, and beheld Jeffy in the possession of his property. Jeffy looked very repentant, said in low, deprecatory tones, "I'm sorry," and, depositing the wig in the drawer, hastened to escape, which I know he would not have done but for the disabled condition of the invalid, who could only look his wrath. I had so hoped that he would sleep until some one came; but this unfortunate Jeffy had dissipated my hope, and left me in pitiable dilemma.
In the vain endeavor to restore the scattered influence of Morpheus, I flew to one of the aids of the mystic god, and beseeching its assistance, I prepared to administer the draught. I could not find a spoon on the instant. When I did, I made a mistake in dropping the opiate, and was obliged to commence anew, and all the while that handsome face, with large, pleading eyes in it, held me in painful duress. When I turned towards him and held the glass to his lips, I trembled, as I had not done, even in the church, when Abraham Axtell and I stood before the opened entrance into earth. All the words that I that day had heard in the tower were ringing like clarions in the air, and they shook me with their vibrant forces.
"Am I in heaven?"
It was the same voice that had said to Miss Axtell, "Will you send me out again?" that spake these words.
Was he going into delirium again? I was desirous of keeping him upon our planet, and I said,—
"Oh, no,—they don't need morphine in heaven."
"They need you there, though. You must go now," he said; and he made an effort to take the glass from my hand.
"I have never been in heaven," I said.
"Then they deceive, they deceive, and there isn't any heaven! Oh, what if after all there shouldn't be such a place?"
He lifted up his one usable hand in agony.