54 THE PHRENOLOGIST. 



men of the craniological genus. When he quitted the University of 

 Gottingen, he had the reputation of a, clever man led astray, by the 

 ignis fatuus of an idle fancy, and devoted to the illustration of eccen- 

 tric theories, to the neglect of those nobler branches of science, 

 which his strong mind was fully capable of advancing. 



Having spent some short time in Italy and France, he arrived in 

 England ; having, reaped golden opinions from all sorts of men, and, 

 despite of his devotion to one absorbing subject, found time to fall in 

 love with, and marry the sister of Sir William Desmond. Sir Wil- 

 liam's indignation in such cases, commonly called pride conquered 

 the affection he bore his sister ; and she was treated as an outcast 

 from the family, a disgrace to the blood of Desmond. The Doctor,, 

 however, proved an affectionate husband. But, unfortunately, after 

 they had been married about four years, Kopfstirn heard that the 

 skull of a mammoth had been found in America. An examination 

 of this skull was, of course, decided upon. Himself, his wife, and 

 only child, sailed to the land of mammoths; found the story of the 

 skull nothing but a story, and returned, as many other sight-seekers 

 have returned, with an added portion of the acerbity of disappoint- 

 ment in their compositions. But this was not all ; he suffered by his 

 voyage. When within sight of the white cliffs of Old England, the 

 vessel was wrecked, and Ernest Kopfstirn returned to Occiput 

 House, a solitary mourner. His wife and child had perished ; and, 

 when he alluded to this circumstance he would turn to the windows 

 and look mournfully at the ocean-grave of his loved ones ! 



But we must now return to the incident, with which our tale 

 opened. 



Humanity dwelt in the bosom of Dr. Kopfstirn, and he failed not 

 to watch over the stranger, whose life he had saved, with the utmost 

 assiduity. In a month, he was sufficiently recovered to leave his 

 room, and four dreary weeks had they proved ! The couch of sick- 

 ness is ever sad, but when the sting is pointed by an affli ction be- 

 yond the reach of art to alleviate affliction of the mind illness is 

 exasperated into its sharpest poignancy. That his mind was not 

 free from oppression, the gloom settled on his expansive brow too 

 plainly indicated. 



The stranger was a dark-haired, handsome-featured man ; by his 

 looks, something more than five-and- twenty ; though recent fever, 

 and a sadness that belongs not to the spring of life, might unite to 

 make him appear older than he was. He had certainly the conver- 

 sation and easy bearing, which may either be expected to accompany 

 a greater age, or much familiar intercourse with the world. Though 

 mild and affable, he was frequently abstracted, and a degree of con- 

 tradiction and irresolution marked his conduct. 



The first time he appeared out of his sleeping apartment was one 

 day, a short time before dinner, and after the doctor had congratu- 

 lated the patient on his recovery, he was anxious to try his attain- 

 ments, and was leading him directly to his favourite subject, the only 

 subject, in fact, worth discussing phrenology. 



Fortunately for the stranger, and perhaps equally, or more so, for 

 the reader, dinner was at that moment announced ; which abruptly 



