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THESPHINX
DuringthedreadreignofthecholerainNewYork,Ihadaccepted
theinvitationofarelativetospendafortnightwithhiminthe
retirementofhiscottageornéeonthebanksoftheHudson.Wehad
herearoundusalltheordinarymeansofsummeramusement;andwhat
withramblinginthewoods,sketching,boating,fishing,bathing,
music,andbooks,weshouldhavepassedthetimepleasantlyenough,
butforthefearfulintelligencewhichreacheduseverymorningfrom
thepopulouscity.Notadayelapsedwhichdidnotbringusnews
ofthedeceaseofsomeacquaintance.Thenasthefatalityincreased,
welearnedtoexpectdailythelossofsomefriend.Atlength
wetrembledattheapproachofeverymessenger.Theveryairfromthe
Southseemedtousredolentwithdeath.Thatpalsyingthought,indeed,
tookentirepossessionofmysoul.Icouldneitherspeak,think,nor
dreamofanythingelse.Myhostwasofalessexcitabletemperament,
and,althoughgreatlydepressedinspirits,exertedhimselftosustain
myown.Hisrichlyphilosophicalintellectwasnotatanytimeaffected
byunrealities.Tothesubstancesofterrorhewassufficientlyalive,but
ofitsshadowshehadnoapprehension.
Hisendeavorstoarousemefromtheconditionofabnormalgloom
intowhichIhadfallen,werefrustrated,ingreatmeasure,bycertain
volumeswhichIhadfoundinhislibrary.Thesewereofacharacter
toforceintogerminationwhateverseedsofhereditarysuperstitionlay
latentinmybosom.Ihadbeenreadingthesebookswithouthis
knowledge,andthushewasoftenatalosstoaccountfortheforcible
impressionswhichhadbeenmadeuponmyfancy.
Afavoritetopicwithmewasthepopularbeliefinomens—abelief
which,atthisoneepochofmylife,Iwasalmostseriouslydisposed
todefend.Onthissubjectwehadlongandanimateddiscussions—he
maintainingtheuttergroundlessnessoffaithinsuchmatters,—I
contendingthatapopularsentimentarisingwithabsolutespontaneity—
thatistosay,withoutapparenttracesofsuggestion—hadinitselfthe
unmistakableelementsoftruth,andwasentitledtoasmuchrespect
asthatintuitionwhichistheidiosyncrasyoftheindividualman
ofgenius.
Thefactis,thatsoonaftermyarrivalatthecottagetherehad
occurredtomyselfanincidentsoentirelyinexplicable,andwhichhad
initsomuchoftheportentouscharacter,thatImightwellhavebeen
