1837 -3*. LABORATORY INCIDENTS. 1 1 5 



Puzzled what to do, I showed it to Bartolome, and then to Chris- 

 tison, who could make no more of it than I ; Christison declar- 

 ing, however, it must be for me. At last, Bartolome went to the 

 college album, but I was the only G. W. It might still, however, 

 be some student of divinity, or some extra-collegian who took 

 advantage of the post-office ; and, as I felt perfectly convinced 

 that I was not the enchanter that could wield the 'fairy's' 

 wand, and as it was no business of mine to keep her from her 

 ' Dearest George,' though I was not he, I marked within the 

 envelope my profession and address, and a statement of my 

 having opened it, but being sure it could not be for me, I had 

 returned it ; I sealed it and gave it back ; this was on Saturday. 

 On Monday it was gone, and no questions asked, nor have I 

 heard any more about it. I thought it possible the veritable 

 fellow might conceive the opening of the letter a designed insult, 

 and demand satisfaction ; but he had the good sense to say no- 

 thing about it. How he and Agnes took the singular denoue- 

 ment, I, of course, do not know ; but Christison very justly 

 remarked that it would have been the best answer to a demand 

 for explanation, to declare that I was the insulted person, in 

 having my name connected with such persons ; and so the mat- 

 ter rests. 



" Now for some Laboratory incidents, though I fear you will 

 but shrug up your shoulders at the word, and think of the middle 

 syllable, ' bore ;' nevertheless, as your sensitive nose cannot be 

 offended by noisome odours or pestilential emanations, I shall 

 venture to record another thing or two, begging you will read 

 them with the window up, and put out all the contaminated air 

 with your bellows. 



" Well, my first is a claim on your sympathy, but about a very 

 trivial matter. You'll remember a paragraph regarding the find- 

 ing of a huge glass bottle, containing an opium liquid, which 

 disappointed us completely, our bottle breaking in the cleaning, 

 and our stuff almost suffocating us with its overpowering odour, 

 and after all yielding nothing. It so happened, that some of the 

 large porcelain basins, in which the stuff had been evaporated, 

 were left standing on the table of our farthest back room. 

 Something led me into that room, where I had not been for 



