The Highland monthly - National Library of Scotland

A Strange Revenue. 457
stupid fellow interested somehow in this subject," he said
to himself, " or throw up the sponge altogether."
*' Miss Somerton's out, I suppose," ventured Richard.
" No, not out, but indisposed, my dear sir.''
" Sorry— nothing serious, I hope ?"
"Not at all, not at all. That, too, will pass, as the
eastern sage has it. The mention of indisposition, by the
way, reminds me that I have made a very important dis-
covery myseK in an herbal way."
" Really !
" drawled Richard.
"As any reflective mind must know, the amount of
human misery unr'^quited love entails upon mankind is
enormous. A woman loves a man ; the affection is not
returned ;
she pines and ultimately dies, or at least has her
happiness ruined for the rest of her life. She is jilted
same result, misery and death, natural or by suicide. Men
have the Same experience, but being stronger, and less
steadfast in their affections, they are not worth considering.
The idea has haunted me for a lifetime, that if a cure could
be invented, whereby forlorn, neglected, or spurned love
could be eradicated from the breast, and life be once more
sweetened and reinvigorated, human suffering would have
received its grandest antidote. The dismal roll of the
world's suicides would be reduced by two-thirds ;
asylums would be half emptied ;
—
our
the statistics of drunken-
ness would shrivel up; the orave would be cheated of its
saddest victims."
" But it is impossible, Professor, such a cure is impossible,
don't you think ?" asked Richard, smoking vigorously, and
in evident agitation.
" It is not impossible— I think I have got it," replied
the Professor, more deliberately, eyeing his guest narrowly
by the reflection of the mirror ;
" another few days will tell."
" That can only be proved by experiment. Professor,"
" will there not be a mighty
said Richard with surprise ;
difificulty in getting patients."
" Human patients, yes ; but, understand, sir, that a few
animals, domestic or wild, are quite sufficient for my