"Thanks, my man, thanks," said the doctor. "A----h!" gasped Bill, after a deep draught, and smacking his lips,
"this is something like a glass of grog. I feel myself again. I'd as
lief set out again after another subject to-night as not." "Well, mate," said Tom, draining his glass, "I guess we'd better
toddle." The doctor then counted out twenty guineas, and gave the men ten apiece. "Thank ye kindly, sir," said they, "and when again you be in want of our
services, your honour knows where to find us. Good-night, sir." "Good-night," responded the doctor, as he showed them out and closed the
door. I was left alone for a moment, but when he returned he might begin
dissecting me at once, and that would be horrible, for I was still in my
trance. I hoped he would defer operations until the morrow. In the
meantime I hoped to come to. Then I heard the doctor's footsteps in the
passage, and here he was again. Would he really cut me up before I could
call out or defend myself? Good Heavens! What was he about now? He had
tucked up his shirt sleeves and seized his dissecting-knife! All was lost. My hopes had been raised only to be dashed to the ground. My last hour had come. Already I felt the point of the murderous
instrument against my chest. Rip!--an incision had been made! "Hullo!" cried the doctor, dropping his dissecting-knife. "What is this? Why the man's not dead!" The fact was, I was gradually recovering, and my blood had already begun
to flow. The intense mental agony I had endured had caused a cold sweat
to break out on my forehead. The incision luckily was not very deep, but
I bear the mark of the wound to this day. The doctor staunched the blood with his handkerchief, muttering to
himself, "And have I been obliged to pay twenty guineas for a living
subject? Humph! I've a good mind to cut him up all the same, no one
would be any the wiser for it." I began to fear lest he might do so in real earnest; however, he bound
up my wound and carried me into his own bedroom, where he placed me on a
mattress on the ground. He wiped the perspiration from my forehead and
felt my pulse. "He'll come round," he muttered to himself; "already he shows signs of
life. I would not for the world, though, that this got known in the
village. I should lose all my practice, and yet I don't know how to keep
the matter quiet, it _must_ ooze out." Life was rapidly returning. I began to open and shut my eyes and to
breathe, though with some difficulty. By degrees, however, I managed to
breathe more freely. "Ah, ha!" said the doctor, noticing the rapid change, "getting all
right, now--eh?" I remained in the same state for about an hour more, when the doctor
began undressing and preparing to turn in for the night. In another
moment he was between the sheets and snoring loudly. Soon after I fell
asleep myself. The following morning on awaking, I felt almost myself again. I could
move my limbs and sit up in bed, though I still felt very weak. "Well, how are we now?" asked the doctor, seeing that I moved with
comparative ease. "A nice trick you've played me. Do you know that you
have done me out of twenty guineas--by coming to life again--eh? I hoped
to have cut you all up by this time--and I might have done so, too,
easily enough at the time, but I suppose if I were to try it on now
you'd halloa." Then he began to ask me all sorts of questions, to which I answered
feebly. In reply to a question of his as to whether I felt hungry, I
nodded my head, and the doctor went to prepare me a cup of broth. When
he returned and I had partaken of it, new strength came back to me, and
I was able to relate to him all my sufferings while he listened
attentively. Well, day after day I improved in health under the doctor's
care, till I at length completely recovered. One morning after I was up
and dressed, and breakfasting with the doctor (N.B.--Nobody, not even
the doctor's servant, knew anything about either the removal of my body
from the grave or of my coming to life again, for the doctor took good
care to keep me locked up for a time in his bedchamber.) Well,
breakfasting one morning with the doctor, I noticed that he looked
rather thoughtful and confused. "Now, I'll tell you what your thoughts are, doctor," said I, "and you
see if I haven't guessed right." "Well," said he, somewhat surlily. "You are afraid that the affair about digging up my body may get known,
and will damage your reputation, and you do not know how to keep it
secret. Is it not so?" I asked. "Well, sir," said he, "you've just guessed about right, but what is to
be done?" "Listen to me," said I. "I have a plan." "Indeed!" said he, opening his eyes. "Yes, a plan to kill two birds with one stone," I said. "It is to your
interest that this affair should not be known--eh? Well, it is to my
interest, too. All will go well if you do as I propose." "What is that?" asked he, with eagerness. "First you must lend me a complete disguise, consisting of one of your
old wigs, a pair of tortoiseshell spectacles, and one of your suits of
clothes. Secondly, you must lend me a certain sum of money to keep me
for, say, a fortnight. I'll pay you back in due time, when my plan has
succeeded. You needn't be afraid. You can trust Jack Hearty--eh?" "Yes, certainly," said he, with some hesitation. "But how? I don't
understand." "Never mind that," said I; "you will know all in good time." "Well, Jack," said he, "I know you for a sharp fellow and an honest--so
I will trust you. I don't know what your scheme is; but if it fail, and
the worst comes to the worst, why I can but be exposed, and there is an
end of it." "Well said, doctor," said I; "now let us commence to put the scheme into
practice." He then took from his wardrobe rather a threadbare suit of black
clothes, which I immediately donned. Then I tried on an old powdered wig
with a pigtail and a pair of lace ruffles, next a pair of tortoiseshell
spectacles with glasses as big as a crown piece. I next corked my
eyebrows, slightly stained the tip of my nose with red and made a few
false wrinkles in my forehead. The doctor placed a gold-headed cane in
my hand and a large signet ring on my forefinger. I then took a book
under my arm, and at parting the doctor gave me a purse of gold to put
in my pocket, and off I started. The doctor laughed immoderately at my
successful disguise, and I heard him say as I was leaving the house, "I
don't know what he means to be up to, but some devilry, _I'll_ lay a
farthing." Well, gentlemen, the next thing I did was to walk straight off to catch
the stage, which would pass by the village of H----, where Molly was
staying with her aunt. I remember I had to run for it, and pretty hard,
too, but I caught it up. Tearing along as fast as my legs could carry
me, I passed by a group of villagers, some of my friends amongst them,
and I heard the following remarks:

"Here comes the doctor, running for his life!" --"Go it doctor, you'll
catch it up!"