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Of course, I thanked them most sincerely for this offer of liberty -- to me the most blessed boon of my existence, adding:

"Gentlemen, it is of no use for me to accept this offer at your bands, for although you acknowledge by this act that I have a right to my liberty, yet, you have no power to protect this right to me -- for since I am a married woman, I have no legal protection of my person, or any of my rights, only as this pro-tection is guaranteed to me through the voluntary act of my husband. The law does not compel him to protect or support me outside of an Insane Asylum, if he only chooses to claim that I am insane. This charge from my husband, even before it is proved against me, annihilates all my rights as a human being, not even excepting the right of self-defence from this charge. But on this, his single allegation, confirmed by the signature of your Superintendent, he can lawfully imprison me for life in this, or some other Insane Asylum. No father, brother, son or friend, or even our Governor himself, has the power to protect the personal liberty of any married woman in this State, while such a law exists on Illinois' statute book. There is no protection of my personal liberty under the American flag, so long as Mr. Packard lives, therefore I may as well spend my days in this prison as in any other."

The Trustees replied, "We pity you -- it is a hard case -- we never before realized how defenceless a married woman was under our laws -- but what can we do for you? Is there anything?"

"Yes, gentlemen, there is one thing you can do, and only one that I can see, by which you can exonerate yourselves from complicity in this transaction, and at the same time confer a great favor upon me, which is, to furnish me with a key, or a pass, by which my personal liberty would be in my own hands, rather than in your hands as it now is. I might continue to stay for the present, as I have done, subject to the rules of the other prisoners, in all other respects, except that of being my own keeper. I have felt it my duty to protest against my false imprisonment, and have, thereby, shut myself up more closely than the others are, for in my protest I said, 'I shall never return a voluntary prisoner into the wards,' neither can I do so, for I regard this vow as sacred. Indeed, I cannot now even return to the wards voluntarily, without a key or a pass. And if you force me back, it is you who are imprisoning me, and on you must hereafter rest the responsibility of being accomplices in this conspiracy."

They did not give me a key, nor a pass, neither did they request Dr. McFarland to do so, but thus compelled the Superintendent to carry me back in his own arms, as was the case.

But they did confer upon me the right to advise with the Doctor, assuring me I might do as he and myself could agree it was best to be done.

Accordingly, the following day the Superintendent called upon me in my room, and introduced the subject by saying:

"Well, Mrs. Packard, the Trustees thought you hit the mark with your gun!"

"Did they ? Was that what they were shouting at, after I left the room?"

"Yes, it was; for I told them that you wished 'to fire a few guns at Calvinism.'"

"I knew, Doctor, that I had put in a heavy charge, but I determined to risk it, and improve my chance lost I should not get another. I somewhat feared it might burst the cannon! but it did not; for I see none of them believe me to be an insane person, after all."

"Mrs. Packard, won't you give me a copy of that document, for what is worth hearing once, is worth hearing twice."

"Yes, Doctor, I am perfectly willing to do so, for I should like you to have a copy, and the Trustees also, and I should like my father to have one, and my early friend and teacher, Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, and some others of my Orthodox friends. But it is very irksome for me to copy. How would it do to get a few printed in handbill form, and send them to my friends?"

"I think it would be well to do so, and I will pay the printer. You re-write it, and add to it what was said, and I will see that it is done, forthwith."

"Do you mean to have both documents printed? The Ex-posure of the Conspiracy, also?"

"Yes, the whole; and anything else you may choose to add."

"Well done, for Dr. McFarland! If you are going to give me such liberty, I shall feel that I am a free woman; and this may possibly prepare the way for my liberation."

The paper was faithfully furnished by the Doctor, and I, with the most elastic feelings which this hope of deliverance inspired, went to work to prepare my document for the prin-ter. But before twenty-four hours had elapsed since this liberty license was granted to my hitherto prison bound intellect, the vision of a big book began to dawn upon my mind, accompa-nied with the most delightful feeling of satisfaction with my undertaking. The next time the Doctor called, I told him that:

"It seems to me I must write a book. The thoughts and their arrangement, are all new and original, until suggested to my mind by this sort of mental vision. What shall I do, Doctor?"