LETTERS TO BROTHER JOHN. 197 



had gradually been growing- stronger and stronger, 

 until he felt it had become irresistible. 



In the other case, a girl, about seventeen years 

 of age, was drinking- her tea before the fire. There 

 was a large looking-glass over the mantel-shelf. 

 Suddenly she exclaimed, in a frightened tone of 

 voice, " Oh, mother ! mother ! for God's sake, take 

 the cup and saucer out of my hand ! " She did so, 

 and asked what was the matter. The girl drew a 

 deep breath, and said, She did not know ; but all 

 at once she felt, that if the cup and saucer were not 

 taken from her, she must have thrown them at the 

 looking-glass over the mantel-shelf. She dared 

 not, for weeks afterward, look at that glass, while 

 she had any thing in her hand. Both patients were 

 in a very ill state of health. 



I have no doubt that many of the extraordinary 

 cases of shop-lifting, of which we hear, result from 

 the same physical causes a desire to do something 

 wicked, without object or motive of any kind, 

 depending solely on a morbid condition of the 

 health, and entirely unconnected with moral de- 

 pravity. 



These are the characteristics of that bane of 

 artificial life, commonly called " indigestion." The 

 whole of these symptoms may not always be present 



