Spare me, my beloved friend, the painful recital of all that I was
doomed to endure. The women often expressed the deepest sympathy for
me--a sympathy not less piercing to my soul than the scoffs of the young
people, and the proud contempt of the men, particularly of the more
corpulent, who threw an ample shadow before them. A fair and beauteous
maiden, apparently accompanied by her parents, who gravely kept looking
straight before them, chanced to cast a beaming glance on me; but was
evidently startled at perceiving that I was without a shadow, and hiding
her lovely face in her veil, and holding down her head, passed silently
on.

This was past all endurance. Tears streamed from my eyes; and with a
heart pierced through and through, I once more took refuge in the shade.
I leaned on the houses for support, and reached home at a late hour,
worn out with fatigue.

I passed a sleepless night. My first care the following morning was to
devise some means of discovering the man in the gray cloak. Perhaps I
may succeed in finding him; and how fortunate it were if he should be
as ill satisfied with his bargain as I am with mine!

I desired Bendel to be sent for, who seemed to possess some tact and
ability. I minutely described to him the individual who possessed a
treasure without which life itself was rendered a burden to me. I
mentioned the time and place at which I had seen him, named all the
persons who were present, and concluded with the following directions:
He was to inquire for a Dollond's telescope, a Turkey carpet interwoven
with gold, a marquee, and, finally, for some black steeds--the history,
without entering into particulars, of all these being singularly
connected with the mysterious character who seemed to pass unnoticed by