University of Virginia Library

10. CHAPTER X.
Recovering from a Julep.

Had I been philosopher enough to have doubted
the truth of a spiritual existence independent of
the body, the effects of the juleps would have
cured me of skepticism forever. It is a curious
fact, that when the senses are benumbed with the
fumes of strong drink, and our limbs can no longer
perform their offices, and we fall down drunk,
stupid, insensible—our bodies deprived of all sense,
sympathy or feeling; when the noble mansion,
which was created for the in-dwelling of our immortal
spirit, has been prostrated by our own follies,
and become a mere heap of breathing matter,
and all of our faculties are benumbed by the
fumes of strong drink, and all of our sympathies,
and feelings, bodily and mental, are paralyzed
and drunken, then our souls, as if exulting in the
release, which our deadened bodies give them, or
as if ashamed of the disgraced habitations to
which their destiny has assigned them, spread out
their wings, and soar away to scenes where the
body is incapable of accompanying them. At
least such was the case with me, for although I

lay on my bed stupid and insensible as a log,
never before was my mind so actively employed
as then, and never did my fancy play such wild
and fantastic tricks, or bear me so high on her
wings, in my sober moments.

It was late in the afternoon when I roused up,
and found myself upon my bed with my clothes all
on. It was a long while before I could convince
myself that I was not somebody beside myself,
and I should have rubbed my eyes and doubted
for a long time, had I not been impelled by a burning
thirst to go in search of water; luckily there
was a goblet full in my chamber, which I soon
emptied, and by degrees became convinced that
I was indeed nobody but myself; a very uncomfortable
conclusion to arrive at, for I should just
then have been glad to have been convinced that
I was anybody in the world besides myself, for I
felt very wretched. Although I soon established
my own identity, I could not easily separate and
distinguish the transactions of the past two days
from the transactions of my drunken visions.

My father was very particular, when I left home,
to caution me against eating an egg out of a wine
glass, but he never said a word about abstaining
from juleps. It was wrong in me to blame him
for my own misdeeds, but I could not help thinking,

that, if he had cautioned me against drinking,
I might have been spared the bitter feelings which
I then experienced. The prophetic words of my
cousin were constantly ringing in my ears, and
the reflection that I might, by my own folly, have
aided to bring on their fulfilment, filled me with
grief and shame. I had not yet done any thing
towards bettering my condition, and I made fresh
resolves not to let another day pass without making
a vigorous effort to obtain employment. But
the saddening thought came over me, that I was
without friends, and I knew not to whom I could
apply for help or advice, and I had not even fixed
in my own mind what kind of employment I should
seek. But I had met with nothing but kindness
thus far, and I felt assured that I should still meet
with kindness and polite treatment; for if men
would, when unsolicited, show me kindness and
favor, surely when I did solicit them they would
grant it more readily. Thus I reasoned with myself,
and very sound reasoning I thought it.

Of all the men whom I had seen, none had
treated me half so politely as Mr. Lummucks.
I never met him, but he would make me drink with
him; he slapped me across the shoulder with the
familiarity of a brother; he would make me go to
the Theatre with him, and he would pay for my

ticket; if I sat near him at table, he would send
me his wine, and after dinner he would offer me a
cigar, although I always refused it; he had given
me his card on board the steamboat, and he had
since pressed me to call at his store and see him.
What but the kindliest feelings, and the most generous
nature, could cause a man to show such civilities
to a stranger. Fortune, I thought, had
evidently thrown me in his way, and I determined
to second her endeavors to help me along, by
applying to him for assistance in procuring a
situation; and, I had not a doubt, but that a gentleman
of his benevolent feelings, would be very
glad of an opportunity of doing so.

With these soothing and comfortable reflections,
I lay down again, to sleep off all effects of my
dissipation, that I might get up in the morning
refreshed and invigorated, and better prepared to
prosecute my schemes for defeating the malicious
prophecy of my cousin. And so I fell asleep, and
dreamed of my mother and sister, and of the
beautiful Georgiana. For all the cares and
anxieties and disappointments of this wicked
world, cannot deprive us of the privilege of visiting,
in our dreams, the gentle beings whom we love.