diff options
Diffstat (limited to '40510-8.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | 40510-8.txt | 7225 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 7225 deletions
diff --git a/40510-8.txt b/40510-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 8d23d72..0000000 --- a/40510-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7225 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Watcher, by J. Sheridan Le Fanu - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Watcher - and other weird stories - -Author: J. Sheridan Le Fanu - -Illustrator: Brinsley Sheridan Le Fanu - -Release Date: August 15, 2012 [EBook #40510] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WATCHER *** - - - - -Produced by Suzanne Shell, eagkw and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - - - [Illustration: AS IT PASSED HIM HE THOUGHT HE HEARD IT SAY IN A - FURIOUS WHISPER, "STILL ALIVE!"--Page 25. - [_Frontispiece._] - - - - - [Illustration] - - The Watcher - And Other Weird Stories - - by - J. Sheridan Le Fanu - - With Twenty-one Illustrations - by - Brinsley Sheridan Le Fanu - - [Illustration] - - LONDON - DOWNEY & CO. - 12, York Street, Covent Garden - - - - - LONDON: - PRINTED BY GILBERT AND RIVINGTON, LD., - ST. JOHN'S HOUSE, CLERKENWELL, E.C. - - - - -PREFACE. - - -Most of the tales in this volume were written prior to the publication -of "Uncle Silas," which is, perhaps, the novel by which my father is -best known. All the stories, with the exception of "The Watcher," were -included in "The Purcell Papers," edited by Mr. Alfred Perceval Graves -after my father's death, and published by Messrs. Bentley. - -It may be of interest to point out that the central idea in the story -entitled "Passage in the Secret History of an Irish Countess" is -embodied in "Uncle Silas." - -When "The Purcell Papers" were appearing in _The Dublin University -Magazine_ my father supplied the following note, which was reproduced by -Mr. Graves in his edition of the book:-- - - "The residuary legatee of the late Francis Purcell, who has the - honour of selecting such of his lamented old friend's manuscripts as - may appear fit for publication, in order that the lore which they - contain may reach the world before scepticism and utility have - robbed our species of the precious gift of credulity, and scornfully - kicked before them, or trampled into annihilation those harmless - fragments of picturesque superstition which it is our object to - preserve, has been subjected to the charge of dealing too largely - in the marvellous; and it has been half insinuated that such is his - love for _diablerie_, that he is content to wander a mile out of his - way in order to meet a fiend or a goblin, and thus to sacrifice all - regard for truth and accuracy to the idle hope of affrighting the - imagination, and thus pandering to the bad taste of his reader. He - begs leave, then, to take this opportunity of asserting his perfect - innocence of all the crimes laid to his charge, and to assure his - reader that he never pandered to his bad taste, nor went one inch - out of his way to introduce witch, fairy, devil, ghost, or any other - of the grim fraternity of the redoubted Raw-head-and-bloody-bones. - His province touching these tales has been attended with no - difficulty and little responsibility; indeed, he is accountable for - nothing more than an alteration in the names of persons mentioned - therein, when such a step seemed necessary, and for an occasional - note, whenever he conceived it possible innocently to edge in a - word. These tales have been _written down_ by the Rev. Francis - Purcell, P.P., of Drumcoolagh; and in all the instances, which are - many, in which the present writer has had an opportunity of - comparing the manuscript of his departed friend with the actual - traditions current amongst the families whose fortunes they pretend - to illustrate, he has uniformly found that whatever of supernatural - occurred in the story, so far from being exaggerated by him, had - been rather softened down, and, wherever it could be attempted, - accounted for." - - BRINSLEY LE FANU. - - _London, - November, 1894._ - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - PAGE - THE WATCHER 1 - - PASSAGE IN THE SECRET HISTORY OF AN IRISH COUNTESS 65 - - STRANGE EVENT IN THE LIFE OF SCHALKEN THE PAINTER 126 - - THE FORTUNES OF SIR ROBERT ARDAGH 169 - - THE DREAM 185 - - A CHAPTER IN THE HISTORY OF A TYRONE FAMILY 208 - - - - -[Illustration] - -The Watcher. - - -It is now more than fifty years since the occurrences which I am about -to relate caused a strange sensation in the gay society of Dublin. The -fashionable world, however, is no recorder of traditions; the memory of -selfishness seldom reaches far; and the events which occasionally -disturb the polite monotony of its pleasant and heartless progress, -however stamped with the characters of misery and horror, scarcely -outlive the gossip of a season, and (except, perhaps, in the remembrance -of a few more directly interested in the consequences of the -catastrophe) are in a little time lost to the recollection of all. The -appetite for scandal, or for horror, has been sated; the incident can -yield no more of interest or novelty; curiosity, frustrated by -impenetrable mystery, gives over the pursuit in despair; the tale has -ceased to be new, grows stale and flat; and so, in a few years, inquiry -subsides into indifference. - -Somewhere about the year 1794, the younger brother of a certain baronet, -whom I shall call Sir James Barton, returned to Dublin. He had served in -the navy with some distinction, having commanded one of his Majesty's -frigates during the greater part of the American war. Captain Barton was -now apparently some two or three-and-forty years of age. He was an -intelligent and agreeable companion, when he chose it, though generally -reserved, and occasionally even moody. In society, however, he deported -himself as a man of the world and a gentleman. He had not contracted any -of the noisy brusqueness sometimes acquired at sea; on the contrary, his -manners were remarkably easy, quiet, and even polished. He was in person -about the middle size, and somewhat strongly formed; his countenance was -marked with the lines of thought, and on the whole wore an expression of -gravity and even of melancholy. Being, however, as we have said, a man -of perfect breeding, as well as of affluent circumstances and good -family, he had, of course, ready access to the best society of the -metropolis, without the necessity of any other credentials. In his -personal habits Captain Barton was economical. He occupied lodgings in -one of the then fashionable streets in the south side of the town, kept -but one horse and one servant, and though a reputed free-thinker, he -lived an orderly and moral life, indulging neither in gaming, drinking, -nor any other vicious pursuit, living very much to himself, without -forming any intimacies, or choosing any companions, and appearing to mix -in gay society rather for the sake of its bustle and distraction, than -for any opportunities which it offered of interchanging either thoughts -or feelings with its votaries. Barton was therefore pronounced a saving, -prudent, unsocial sort of a fellow, who bid fair to maintain his -celibacy alike against stratagem and assault, and was likely to live to -a good old age, die rich and leave his money to a hospital. - -It was soon apparent, however, that the nature of Captain Barton's plans -had been totally misconceived. A young lady, whom we shall call Miss -Montague, was at this time introduced into the fashionable world of -Dublin by her aunt, the Dowager Lady Rochdale. Miss Montague was -decidedly pretty and accomplished, and having some natural cleverness, -and a great deal of gaiety, became for a while the reigning toast. Her -popularity, however, gained her, for a time, nothing more than that -unsubstantial admiration which, however pleasant as an incense to -vanity, is by no means necessarily antecedent to matrimony, for, -unhappily for the young lady in question, it was an understood thing, -that, beyond her personal attractions, she had no kind of earthly -provision. Such being the state of affairs, it will readily be believed -that no little surprise was consequent upon the appearance of Captain -Barton as the avowed lover of the penniless Miss Montague. - -His suit prospered, as might have been expected, and in a short time it -was confidentially communicated by old Lady Rochdale to each of her -hundred and fifty particular friends in succession, that Captain Barton -had actually tendered proposals of marriage, with her approbation, to -her niece, Miss Montague, who had, moreover, accepted the offer of his -hand, conditionally upon the consent of her father, who was then upon -his homeward voyage from India, and expected in two or three months -at furthest. About his consent there could be no doubt. The delay, -therefore, was one merely of form; they were looked upon as absolutely -engaged, and Lady Rochdale, with a vigour of old-fashioned decorum with -which her niece would, no doubt, gladly have dispensed, withdrew her -thenceforward from all further participation in the gaieties of the -town. Captain Barton was a constant visitor as well as a frequent guest -at the house, and was permitted all the privileges and intimacy which a -betrothed suitor is usually accorded. Such was the relation of parties, -when the mysterious circumstances which darken this narrative with -inexplicable melancholy first began to unfold themselves. - -Lady Rochdale resided in a handsome mansion at the north side of -Dublin, and Captain Barton's lodgings, as we have already said, were -situated at the south. The distance intervening was considerable, and it -was Captain Barton's habit generally to walk home without an attendant, -as often as he passed the evening with the old lady and her fair charge. -His shortest way in such nocturnal walks lay, for a considerable space, -through a line of streets which had as yet been merely laid out, and -little more than the foundations of the houses constructed. One night, -shortly after his engagement with Miss Montague had commenced, he -happened to remain unusually late, in company only with her and Lady -Rochdale. The conversation had turned upon the evidences of revelation, -which he had disputed with the callous scepticism of a confirmed -infidel. What were called "French principles" had, in those days, found -their way a good deal into fashionable society, especially that portion -of it which professed allegiance to Whiggism, and neither the old lady -nor her charge was so perfectly free from the taint as to look upon -Captain Barton's views as any serious objection to the proposed union. -The discussion had degenerated into one upon the supernatural and the -marvellous, in which he had pursued precisely the same line of argument -and ridicule. In all this, it is but true to state, Captain Barton was -guilty of no affectation; the doctrines upon which he insisted were, in -reality, but too truly the basis of his own fixed belief, if so it -might be called; and perhaps not the least strange of the many strange -circumstances connected with this narrative, was the fact that the -subject of the fearful influences we are about to describe was himself, -from the deliberate conviction of years, an utter disbeliever in what -are usually termed preternatural agencies. - -It was considerably past midnight when Mr. Barton took his leave, and -set out upon his solitary walk homeward. He rapidly reached the lonely -road, with its unfinished dwarf walls tracing the foundations of the -projected rows of houses on either side. The moon was shining mistily, -and its imperfect light made the road he trod but additionally dreary; -that utter silence, which has in it something indefinably exciting, -reigned there, and made the sound of his steps, which alone broke it, -unnaturally loud and distinct. He had proceeded thus some way, when on -a sudden he heard other footsteps, pattering at a measured pace, and, -as it seemed, about two score steps behind him. The suspicion of being -dogged is at all times unpleasant; it is, however, especially so in a -spot so desolate and lonely: and this suspicion became so strong in -the mind of Captain Barton, that he abruptly turned about to confront -his pursuers, but, though there was quite sufficient moonlight to -disclose any object upon the road he had traversed, no form of any -kind was visible. - -The steps he had heard could not have been the reverberation of his -own, for he stamped his foot upon the ground, and walked briskly up -and down, in the vain attempt to wake an echo. Though by no means a -fanciful person, he was at last compelled to charge the sounds upon -his imagination, and treat them as an illusion. Thus satisfying -himself, he resumed his walk, and before he had proceeded a dozen -paces, the mysterious footfalls were again audible from behind, and -this time, as if with the special design of showing that the sounds -were not the responses of an echo, the steps sometimes slackened -nearly to a halt, and sometimes hurried for six or eight strides to -a run, and again abated to a walk. - -Captain Barton, as before, turned suddenly round, and with the same -result; no object was visible above the deserted level of the road. He -walked back over the same ground, determined that, whatever might have -been the cause of the sounds which had so disconcerted him, it should -not escape his search; the endeavour, however, was unrewarded. In spite -of all his scepticism, he felt something like a superstitious fear -stealing fast upon him, and, with these unwonted and uncomfortable -sensations, he once more turned and pursued his way. There was no -repetition of these haunting sounds, until he had reached the point -where he had last stopped to retrace his steps. Here they were resumed, -and with sudden starts of running, which threatened to bring the unseen -pursuer close up to the alarmed pedestrian. Captain Barton arrested his -course as formerly; the unaccountable nature of the occurrence filled -him with vague and almost horrible sensations, and, yielding to the -excitement he felt gaining upon him, he shouted, sternly, "Who goes -there?" - -The sound of one's own voice, thus exerted, in utter solitude, and -followed by total silence, has in it something unpleasantly exciting, -and he felt a degree of nervousness which, perhaps, from no cause had -he ever known before. To the very end of this solitary street the -steps pursued him, and it required a strong effort of stubborn pride -on his part to resist the impulse that prompted him every moment to -run for safety at the top of his speed. It was not until he had -reached his lodging, and sat by his own fireside, that he felt -sufficiently reassured to arrange and reconsider in his own mind the -occurrences which had so discomposed him: so little a matter, after -all, is sufficient to upset the pride of scepticism, and vindicate the -old simple laws of nature within us. - -Mr. Barton was next morning sitting at a late breakfast, reflecting upon -the incidents of the previous night, with more of inquisitiveness than -awe--so speedily do gloomy impressions upon the fancy disappear under -the cheerful influences of day--when a letter just delivered by the -postman was placed upon the table before him. There was nothing -remarkable in the address of this missive, except that it was written in -a hand which he did not know--perhaps it was disguised--for the tall -narrow characters were sloped backward; and with the self-inflicted -suspense which we so often see practised in such cases, he puzzled over -the inscription for a full minute before he broke the seal. When he did -so, he read the following words, written in the same hand:-- - - -"Mr. Barton, late Captain of the _Dolphin_, is warned of _danger_. He -will do wisely to avoid ---- Street--(here the locality of his last -night's adventure was named)--if he walks there as usual, he will meet -with something bad. Let him take warning, once for all, for he has good -reason to dread - - "THE WATCHER." - - -Captain Barton read and re-read this strange effusion; in every light -and in every direction he turned it over and over. He examined the paper -on which it was written, and closely scrutinized the handwriting. -Defeated here, he turned to the seal; it was nothing but a patch of wax, -upon which the accidental impression of a coarse thumb was imperfectly -visible. There was not the slightest mark, no clue or indication of any -kind, to lead him to even a guess as to its possible origin. The -writer's object seemed a friendly one, and yet he subscribed himself as -one whom he had "good reason to dread." Altogether, the letter, its -author, and its real purpose, were to him an inexplicable puzzle, and -one, moreover, unpleasantly suggestive, in his mind, of associations -connected with the last night's adventure. - -In obedience to some feeling--perhaps of pride--Mr. Barton did not -communicate, even to his intended bride, the occurrences which we have -just detailed. Trifling as they might appear, they had in reality most -disagreeably affected his imagination, and he cared not to disclose, -even to the young lady in question, what she might possibly look upon -as evidences of weakness. The letter might very well be but a hoax, -and the mysterious footfall but a delusion of his fancy. But although -he affected to treat the whole affair as unworthy of a thought, it yet -haunted him pertinaciously, tormenting him with perplexing doubts, and -depressing him with undefined apprehensions. Certain it is, that for a -considerable time afterwards he carefully avoided the street indicated -in the letter as the scene of danger. - -It was not until about a week after the receipt of the letter which I -have transcribed, that anything further occurred to remind Captain -Barton of its contents, or to counteract the gradual disappearance from -his mind of the disagreeable impressions which he had then received. He -was returning one night, after the interval I have stated, from the -theatre, which was then situated in Crow Street, and having there handed -Miss Montague and Lady Rochdale into their carriage, he loitered for -some time with two or three acquaintances. With these, however, he -parted close to the College, and pursued his way alone. It was now about -one o'clock, and the streets were quite deserted. During the whole of -his walk with the companions from whom he had just parted, he had been -at times painfully aware of the sound of steps, as it seemed, dogging -them on their way. Once or twice he had looked back, in the uneasy -anticipation that he was again about to experience the same mysterious -annoyances which had so much disconcerted him a week before, and -earnestly hoping that he might _see_ some form from whom the sounds -might naturally proceed. But the street was deserted; no form was -visible. Proceeding now quite alone upon his homeward way, he grew -really nervous and uncomfortable, as he became sensible, with increased -distinctness, of the well-known and now absolutely dreaded sounds. - -By the side of the dead wall which bounded the College Park, the sounds -followed, recommencing almost simultaneously with his own steps. The -same unequal pace, sometimes slow, sometimes, for a score yards or so, -quickened to a run, was audible from behind him. Again and again he -turned, quickly and stealthily he glanced over his shoulder almost at -every half-dozen steps; but no one was visible. The horrors of this -intangible and unseen persecution became gradually all but intolerable; -and when at last he reached his home his nerves were strung to such a -pitch of excitement that he could not rest, and did not attempt even to -lie down until after the daylight had broken. - -He was awakened by a knock at his chamber-door, and his servant -entering, handed him several letters which had just been received by -the early post. One among them instantly arrested his attention; a -single glance at the direction aroused him thoroughly. He at once -recognized its character, and read as follows:-- - - -"You may as well think, Captain Barton, to escape from your own shadow -as from me; do what you may, I will see you as often as I please, and -you shall see me, for I do not want to hide myself, as you fancy. Do not -let it trouble your rest, Captain Barton; for, with a _good conscience_, -what need you fear from the eye of - - "THE WATCHER?" - - -It is scarcely necessary to dwell upon the feelings elicited by a -perusal of this strange communication. Captain Barton was observed to -be unusually absent and out of spirits for several days afterwards; -but no one divined the cause. Whatever he might think as to the -phantom steps which followed him, there could be no possible illusion -about the letters he had received; and, to say the least of it, their -immediate sequence upon the mysterious sounds which had haunted him -was an odd coincidence. The whole circumstance, in his own mind, was -vaguely and instinctively connected with certain passages in his past -life, which, of all others, he hated to remember. - -It so happened that just about this time, in addition to his approaching -nuptials, Captain Barton had fortunately, perhaps, for himself, some -business of an engrossing kind connected with the adjustment of a -large and long-litigated claim upon certain properties. The hurry and -excitement of business had its natural effect in gradually dispelling -the marked gloom which had for a time occasionally oppressed him, and in -a little while his spirits had entirely resumed their accustomed tone. - -During all this period, however, he was occasionally dismayed by -indistinct and half-heard repetitions of the same annoyance, and that -in lonely places, in the day time as well as after nightfall. These -renewals of the strange impressions from which he had suffered so -much were, however, desultory and faint, insomuch that often he really -could not, to his own satisfaction, distinguish between them and the -mere suggestions of an excited imagination. One evening he walked down -to the House of Commons with a Mr. Norcott, a Member. As they walked -down together he was observed to become absent and silent, and to a -degree so marked as scarcely to consist with good breeding; and this, -in one who was obviously in all his habits so perfectly a gentleman, -seemed to argue the pressure of some urgent and absorbing anxiety. It -was afterwards known that, during the whole of that walk, he had heard -the well-known footsteps dogging him as he proceeded. This, however, -was the last time he suffered from this phase of the persecution of -which he was already the anxious victim. A new and a very different -one was about to be presented. - -Of the new series of impressions which were afterwards gradually to work -out his destiny, that evening disclosed the first; and but for its -relation to the train of events which followed, the incident would -scarcely have been remembered by any one. As they were walking in at the -passage, a man (of whom his friend could afterwards remember only that -he was short in stature, looked like a foreigner, and wore a kind of -travelling-cap) walked very rapidly, and, as if under some fierce -excitement, directly towards them, muttering to himself fast and -vehemently the while. This odd-looking person proceeded straight toward -Barton, who was foremost, and halted, regarding him for a moment or two -with a look of menace and fury almost maniacal; and then turning about -as abruptly, he walked before them at the same agitated pace, and -disappeared by a side passage. Norcott distinctly remembered being a -good deal shocked at the countenance and bearing of this man, which -indeed irresistibly impressed him with an undefined sense of danger, -such as he never felt before or since from the presence of anything -human; but these sensations were far from amounting to anything so -disconcerting as to flurry or excite him--he had seen only a singularly -evil countenance, agitated, as it seemed, with the excitement of -madness. He was absolutely astonished, however, at the effect of this -apparition upon Captain Barton. He knew him to be a man of proved -courage and coolness in real danger, a circumstance which made his -conduct upon this occasion the more conspicuously odd. He recoiled a -step or two as the stranger advanced, and clutched his companion's arm -in silence, with a spasm of agony or terror; and then, as the figure -disappeared, shoving him roughly back, he followed it for a few paces, -stopped in great disorder, and sat down upon a form. A countenance more -ghastly and haggard it was impossible to fancy. - -"For God's sake, Barton, what is the matter?" said Norcott, really -alarmed at his friend's appearance. "You're not hurt, are you? nor -unwell? What is it?" - -"What did he say? I did not hear it. What was it?" asked Barton, wholly -disregarding the question. - -"Tut, tut, nonsense!" said Norcott, greatly surprised; "who cares what -the fellow said? You are unwell, Barton, decidedly unwell; let me call a -coach." - -"Unwell! Yes, no, not exactly unwell," he said, evidently making an -effort to recover his self-possession; "but, to say the truth, I am -fatigued, a little overworked, and perhaps over anxious. You know I have -been in Chancery, and the winding up of a suit is always a nervous -affair. I have felt uncomfortable all this evening; but I am better now. -Come, come, shall we go on?" - -"No, no. Take my advice, Barton, and go home; you really do need rest; -you are looking absolutely ill. I really do insist on your allowing me -to see you home," replied his companion. - -It was obvious that Barton was not himself disinclined to be persuaded. -He accordingly took his leave, politely declining his friend's offered -escort. Notwithstanding the few commonplace regrets which Norcott had -expressed, it was plain that he was just as little deceived as Barton -himself by the extempore plea of illness with which he had accounted for -the strange exhibition, and that he even then suspected some lurking -mystery in the matter. - -Norcott called next day at Barton's lodgings, to inquire for him, and -learned from the servant that he had not left his room since his return -the night before; but that he was not seriously indisposed, and hoped to -be out again in a few days. That evening he sent for Doctor Richards, -then in large and fashionable practice in Dublin, and their interview -was, it is said, an odd one. - -He entered into a detail of his own symptoms in an abstracted and -desultory kind of way, which seemed to argue a strange want of interest -in his own cure, and, at all events, made it manifest that there was -some topic engaging his mind of more engrossing importance than his -present ailment. He complained of occasional palpitations, and headache. -Doctor Richards asked him, among other questions, whether there was any -irritating circumstance or anxiety to account for it. This he denied -quickly and peevishly; and the physician thereupon declared his opinion, -that there was nothing amiss except some slight derangement of the -digestion, for which he accordingly wrote a prescription, and was about -to withdraw, when Mr. Barton, with the air of a man who suddenly -recollects a topic which had nearly escaped him, recalled him. - -"I beg your pardon, doctor, but I had really almost forgot; will you -permit me to ask you two or three medical questions?--rather odd ones, -perhaps, but as a wager depends upon their solution, you will, I hope, -excuse my unreasonableness." - -The physician readily undertook to satisfy the inquirer. - -Barton seemed to have some difficulty about opening the proposed -interrogatories, for he was silent for a minute, then walked to his -book-case and returned as he had gone; at last he sat down, and said,-- - -"You'll think them very childish questions, but I can't recover my wager -without a decision; so I must put them. I want to know first about -lock-jaw. If a man actually has had that complaint, and appears to have -died of it--so that in fact a physician of average skill pronounces him -actually dead--may he, after all, recover?" - -Doctor Richards smiled, and shook his head. - -"But--but a blunder may be made," resumed Barton. "Suppose an ignorant -pretender to medical skill; may _he_ be so deceived by any stage of the -complaint, as to mistake what is only a part of the progress of the -disease, for death itself?" - -"No one who had ever seen death," answered he, "could mistake it in the -case of lock-jaw." - -Barton mused for a few minutes. "I am going to ask you a question, -perhaps still more childish; but first tell me, are not the regulations -of foreign hospitals, such as those of, let us say, Lisbon, very lax and -bungling? May not all kinds of blunders and slips occur in their entries -of names, and so forth?" - -Doctor Richards professed his inability to answer that query. - -"Well, then, doctor, here is the last of my questions. You will probably -laugh at it; but it must out nevertheless. Is there any disease, in all -the range of human maladies, which would have the effect of perceptibly -contracting the stature, and the whole frame--causing the man to shrink -in all his proportions, and yet to preserve his exact resemblance to -himself in every particular--with the one exception, his height and -bulk; _any_ disease, mark, no matter how rare, how little believed in, -generally, which could possibly result in producing such an effect?" - -The physician replied with a smile, and a very decided negative. - -"Tell me, then," said Barton, abruptly, "if a man be in reasonable fear -of assault from a lunatic who is at large, can he not procure a warrant -for his arrest and detention?" - -"Really, that is more a lawyer's question than one in my way," replied -Doctor Richards; "but I believe, on applying to a magistrate, such a -course would be directed." - -The physician then took his leave; but, just as he reached the -hall-door, remembered that he had left his cane upstairs, and returned. -His reappearance was awkward, for a piece of paper, which he recognized -as his own prescription, was slowly burning upon the fire, and Barton -sitting close by with an expression of settled gloom and dismay. Doctor -Richards had too much tact to appear to observe what presented itself; -but he had seen quite enough to assure him that the mind, and not the -body, of Captain Barton was in reality the seat of his sufferings. - -A few days afterwards, the following advertisement appeared in the -Dublin newspapers:-- - -"If Sylvester Yelland, formerly a foremast man on board his Majesty's -frigate _Dolphin_, or his nearest of kin, will apply to Mr. Robery -Smith, solicitor, at his office, Dame Street, he or they may hear of -something greatly to his or their advantage. Admission may be had at -any hour up to twelve o'clock at night for the next fortnight, should -parties desire to avoid observation; and the strictest secrecy, as to -all communications intended to be confidential, shall be honourably -observed." - -The _Dolphin_, as we have mentioned, was the vessel which Captain Barton -had commanded; and this circumstance, connected with the extraordinary -exertions made by the circulation of hand-bills, etc., as well as by -repeated advertisements, to secure for this strange notice the utmost -possible publicity, suggested to Doctor Richards the idea that Captain -Barton's extreme uneasiness was somehow connected with the individual to -whom the advertisement was addressed, and he himself the author of it. -This, however, it is needless to add, was no more than a conjecture. No -information whatsoever, as to the real purpose of the advertisement -itself, was divulged by the agent, nor yet any hint as to who his -employer might be. - -Mr. Barton, although he had latterly begun to earn for himself the -character of a hypochondriac, was yet very far from deserving it. -Though by no means lively, he had yet, naturally, what are termed -"even spirits," and was not subject to continual depressions. He soon, -therefore, began to return to his former habits; and one of the earliest -symptoms of this healthier tone of spirits was his appearing at a grand -dinner of the Freemasons, of which worthy fraternity he was himself a -brother. Barton, who had been at first gloomy and abstracted, drank much -more freely than was his wont--possibly with the purpose of dispelling -his own secret anxieties--and under the influence of good wine, and -pleasant company, became gradually (unlike his usual self) talkative, -and even noisy. It was under this unwonted excitement that he left his -company at about half-past ten o'clock; and as conviviality is a strong -incentive to gallantry, it occurred to him to proceed forthwith to Lady -Rochdale's, and pass the remainder of the evening with her and his -destined bride. - -Accordingly, he was soon at ---- Street, and chatting gaily with the -ladies. It is not to be supposed that Captain Barton had exceeded the -limits which propriety prescribes to good fellowship; he had merely -taken enough of wine to raise his spirits, without, however, in the -least degree unsteadying his mind, or affecting his manners. With this -undue elevation of spirits had supervened an entire oblivion or contempt -of those undefined apprehensions which had for so long weighed upon his -mind, and to a certain extent estranged him from society; but as the -night wore away, and his artificial gaiety began to flag, these painful -feelings gradually intruded themselves again, and he grew abstracted and -anxious as heretofore. He took his leave at length, with an unpleasant -foreboding of some coming mischief, and with a mind haunted with a -thousand mysterious apprehensions, such as, even while he acutely felt -their pressure, he, nevertheless, inwardly strove, or affected to -contemn. - -It was his proud defiance of what he considered to be his own weakness -which prompted him upon this occasion to the course which brought about -the adventure which we are now about to relate. Mr. Barton might have -easily called a coach, but he was conscious that his strong inclination -to do so proceeded from no cause other than what he desperately -persisted in representing to himself to be his own superstitious -tremors. He might also have returned home by a route different from that -against which he had been warned by his mysterious correspondent; but -for the same reason he dismissed this idea also, and with a dogged and -half desperate resolution to force matters to a crisis of some kind, to -see if there were any reality in the causes of his former suffering, and -if not, satisfactorily to bring their delusiveness to the proof, he -determined to follow precisely the course which he had trodden upon the -night so painfully memorable in his own mind as that on which his -strange persecution had commenced. Though, sooth to say, the pilot who -for the first time steers his vessel under the muzzles of a hostile -battery never felt his resolution more severely tasked than did Captain -Barton, as he breathlessly pursued this solitary path; a path which, -spite of every effort of scepticism and reason, he felt to be, as -respected _him_, infested by a malignant influence. - -He pursued his way steadily and rapidly, scarcely breathing from -intensity of suspense; he, however, was troubled by no renewal of the -dreaded footsteps, and was beginning to feel a return of confidence, -as, more than three-fourths of the way being accomplished with impunity, -he approached the long line of twinkling oil lamps which indicated the -frequented streets. This feeling of self-congratulation was, however, -but momentary. The report of a musket at some two hundred yards behind -him, and the whistle of a bullet close to his head, disagreeably and -startlingly dispelled it. His first impulse was to retrace his steps in -pursuit of the assassin; but the road on either side was, as we have -said, embarrassed by the foundations of a street, beyond which extended -waste fields, full of rubbish and neglected lime and brick kilns, and -all now as utterly silent as though no sound had ever disturbed their -dark and unsightly solitude. The futility of attempting, single-handed, -under such circumstances, a search for the murderer, was apparent, -especially as no further sound whatever was audible to direct his -pursuit. - -With the tumultuous sensations of one whose life had just been exposed -to a murderous attempt, and whose escape has been the narrowest -possible, Captain Barton turned, and without, however, quickening his -pace actually to a run, hurriedly pursued his way. He had turned, as we -have said, after a pause of a few seconds, and had just commenced his -rapid retreat, when on a sudden he met the well-remembered little man in -the fur cap. The encounter was but momentary. The figure was walking at -the same exaggerated pace, and with the same strange air of menace as -before; and as it passed him, he thought he heard it say, in a furious -whisper, "Still alive, still alive!" - -The state of Mr. Barton's spirits began now to work a corresponding -alteration in his health and looks, and to such a degree that it was -impossible that the change should escape general remark. For some -reasons, known but to himself, he took no step whatsoever to bring the -attempt upon his life, which he had so narrowly escaped, under the -notice of the authorities; on the contrary, he kept it jealously to -himself; and it was not for many weeks after the occurrence that he -mentioned it, and then in strict confidence to a gentleman, the torments -of his mind at last compelled him to consult a friend. - -Spite of his blue devils, however, poor Barton, having no satisfactory -reason to render to the public for any undue remissness in the -attentions which his relation to Miss Montague required, was obliged -to exert himself, and present to the world a confident and cheerful -bearing. The true source of his sufferings, and every circumstance -connected with them, he guarded with a reserve so jealous, that it -seemed dictated by at least a suspicion that the origin of his strange -persecution was known to himself, and that it was of a nature which, -upon his own account, he could not or dare not disclose. - -The mind thus turned in upon itself, and constantly occupied with a -haunting anxiety which it dared not reveal, or confide to any human -breast, became daily more excited; and, of course, more vividly -impressible, by a system of attack which operated through the nervous -system; and in this state he was destined to sustain, with increasing -frequency, the stealthy visitations of that apparition, which from the -first had seemed to possess so unearthly and terrible a hold upon his -imagination. - - * * * * * - -It was about this time that Captain Barton called upon the then -celebrated preacher, Doctor Macklin, with whom he had a slight -acquaintance; and an extraordinary conversation ensued. The divine was -seated in his chambers in college, surrounded with works upon his -favourite pursuit and deep in theology, when Barton was announced. There -was something at once embarrassed and excited in his manner, which, -along with his wan and haggard countenance, impressed the student with -the unpleasant consciousness that his visitor must have recently -suffered terribly indeed to account for an alteration so striking, so -shocking. - -After the usual interchange of polite greeting, and a few commonplace -remarks, Captain Barton, who obviously perceived the surprise which his -visit had excited, and which Doctor Macklin was unable wholly to -conceal, interrupted a brief pause by remarking,-- - -"This is a strange call, Doctor Macklin, perhaps scarcely warranted by -an acquaintance so slight as mine with you. I should not, under ordinary -circumstances, have ventured to disturb you, but my visit is neither an -idle nor impertinent intrusion. I am sure you will not so account it, -when--" - -Doctor Macklin interrupted him with assurances, such as good breeding -suggested, and Barton resumed,-- - -"I am come to task your patience by asking your advice. When I say your -patience, I might, indeed, say more; I might have said your humanity, -your compassion; for I have been, and am a great sufferer." - -"My dear sir," replied the churchman, "it will, indeed, afford me -infinite gratification if I can give you comfort in any distress of -mind, but--but--" - -"I know what you would say," resumed Barton, quickly. "I am an -unbeliever, and, therefore, incapable of deriving help from religion, -but don't take that for granted. At least you must not assume that, -however unsettled my convictions may be, I do not feel a deep, a very -deep, interest in the subject. Circumstances have lately forced it upon -my attention in such a way as to compel me to review the whole question -in a more candid and teachable spirit, I believe, than I ever studied it -in before." - -"Your difficulties, I take it for granted, refer to the evidences of -revelation," suggested the clergyman. - -"Why--no--yes; in fact I am ashamed to say I have not considered even my -objections sufficiently to state them connectedly; but--but there is one -subject on which I feel a peculiar interest." - -He paused again, and Doctor Macklin pressed him to proceed. - -"The fact is," said Barton, "whatever may be my uncertainty as to the -authenticity of what we are taught to call revelation, of one fact I am -deeply and horribly convinced: that there does exist beyond this a -spiritual world--a system whose workings are generally in mercy hidden -from us--a system which may be, and which is sometimes, partially and -terribly revealed. I am sure, I know," continued Barton, with increasing -excitement, "there is a God--a dreadful God--and that retribution -follows guilt. In ways, the most mysterious and stupendous; by agencies, -the most inexplicable and terrific; there is a spiritual system--great -Heavens, how frightfully I have been convinced!--a system malignant, and -inexorable, and omnipotent, under whose persecutions I am, and have -been, suffering the torments of the damned!--yes, sir--yes--the fires -and frenzy of hell!" - -As Barton continued, his agitation became so vehement that the divine -was shocked and even alarmed. The wild and excited rapidity with which -he spoke, and, above all, the indefinable horror which stamped his -features, afforded a contrast to his ordinary cool and unimpassioned -self-possession, striking and painful in the last degree. - -"My dear sir," said Doctor Macklin, after a brief pause, "I fear you -have been suffering much, indeed; but I venture to predict that the -depression under which you labour will be found to originate in purely -physical causes, and that with a change of air and the aid of a few -tonics, your spirits will return, and the tone of your mind be once more -cheerful and tranquil as heretofore. There was, after all, more truth -than we are quite willing to admit in the classic theories which -assigned the undue predominance of any one affection of the mind to the -undue action or torpidity of one or other of our bodily organs. Believe -me, that a little attention to diet, exercise, and the other essentials -of health, under competent direction, will make you as much yourself as -you can wish." - -"Doctor Macklin," said Barton, with something like a shudder, "I -_cannot_ delude myself with such a hope. I have no hope to cling to but -one, and that is, that by some other spiritual agency more potent than -that which tortures me, _it_ may be combated, and I delivered. If this -may not be, I am lost--now and for ever lost." - -"But, Mr. Barton, you must remember," urged his companion, "that others -have suffered as you have done, and--" - -"No, no, no," interrupted he with irritability; "no, sir, I am not a -credulous--far from a superstitious man. I have been, perhaps, too much -the reverse--too sceptical, too slow of belief; but unless I were one -whom no amount of evidence could convince, unless I were to contemn the -repeated, the _perpetual_ evidence of my own senses, I am now--now at -last constrained to believe I have no escape from the conviction, the -overwhelming certainty, that I am haunted and dogged, go where I may, -by--by a Demon." - -There was an almost preternatural energy of horror in Barton's face, as, -with its damp and death-like lineaments turned towards his companion, he -thus delivered himself. - -"God help you, my poor friend!" said Doctor Macklin, much shocked. "God -help you; for, indeed, you _are_ a sufferer, however your sufferings may -have been caused." - -"Ay, ay, God help me," echoed Barton sternly; "but _will_ He help me? -will He help me?" - -"Pray to Him; pray in an humble and trusting spirit," said he. - -"Pray, pray," echoed he again; "I can't pray; I could as easily move a -mountain by an effort of my will. I have not belief enough to pray; -there is something within me that will not pray. You prescribe -impossibilities--literal impossibilities." - -"You will not find it so, if you will but try," said Doctor Macklin. - -"Try! I _have_ tried, and the attempt only fills me with confusion -and terror. I have tried in vain, and more than in vain. The awful, -unutterable idea of eternity and infinity oppresses and maddens my -brain, whenever my mind approaches the contemplation of the Creator; -I recoil from the effort, scared, confounded, terrified. I tell you, -Doctor Macklin, if I am to be saved, it must be by other means. The idea -of the Creator is to me intolerable; my mind cannot support it." - -"Say, then, my dear sir," urged he, "say how you would have me serve -you. What you would learn of me. What can I do or say to relieve you?" - -"Listen to me first," replied Captain Barton, with a subdued air, and -an evident effort to suppress his excitement; "listen to me while I -detail the circumstances of the terrible persecution under which my -life has become all but intolerable--a persecution which has made me -fear _death_ and the world beyond the grave as much as I have grown to -hate existence." - -Barton then proceeded to relate the circumstances which we have already -detailed, and then continued,-- - -"This has now become habitual--an accustomed thing. I do not mean the -actual seeing him in the flesh; thank God, _that_ at least is not -permitted daily. Thank God, from the unutterable horrors of that -visitation I have been mercifully allowed intervals of repose, though -none of security; but from the consciousness that a malignant spirit is -following and watching me wherever I go, I have never, for a single -instant, a temporary respite: I am pursued with blasphemies, cries of -despair, and appalling hatred; I hear those dreadful sounds called after -me as I turn the corners of streets; they come in the night-time while I -sit in my chamber alone; they haunt me everywhere, charging me with -hideous crimes, and--great God!--threatening me with coming vengeance -and eternal misery! Hush! do you hear _that_?" he cried, with a horrible -smile of triumph. "There--there, will that convince you?" - -The clergyman felt the chillness of horror irresistibly steal over him, -while, during the wail of a sudden gust of wind, he heard, or fancied he -heard, the half articulate sounds of rage and derision mingling in their -sough. - -"Well, what do you think of _that_?" at length Barton cried, drawing a -long breath through his teeth. - -"I heard the wind," said Doctor Macklin; "what should I think of it? -What is there remarkable about it?" - -[Illustration: "THE PRINCE OF THE POWERS OF THE AIR!" MUTTERED BARTON.] - -"The prince of the powers of the air," muttered Barton, with a shudder. - -"Tut, tut! my dear sir!" said the student, with an effort to reassure -himself; for though it was broad daylight, there was nevertheless -something disagreeably contagious in the nervous excitement under which -his visitor so obviously suffered. "You must not give way to those wild -fancies: you must resist those impulses of the imagination." - -"Ay, ay; 'resist the devil, and he will flee from thee,'" said Barton, -in the same tone; "but _how_ resist him? Ay, there it is: there is the -rub. What--_what_ am I to do? What _can_ I do?" - -"My dear sir, this is fancy," said the man of folios; "you are your own -tormentor." - -"No, no, sir; fancy has no part in it," answered Barton, somewhat -sternly. "Fancy, forsooth! Was it that made _you_, as well as me, hear, -but this moment, those appalling accents of hell? Fancy, indeed! No, -no." - -"But you have seen this person frequently," said the ecclesiastic; "why -have you not accosted or secured him? Is it not somewhat precipitate, to -say no more, to assume, as you have done, the existence of preternatural -agency, when, after all, everything may be easily accountable, if only -proper means were taken to sift the matter." - -"There are circumstances connected with this--this _appearance_," said -Barton, "which it were needless to disclose, but which to _me_ are -proofs of its horrible and unearthly nature. I know that the being who -haunts me is not _man_. I say I _know_ this; I could prove it to your -own conviction." He paused for a minute, and then added, "And as to -accosting it, I dare not--I could not! When I see it I am powerless; I -stand in the gaze of death, in the triumphant presence of preterhuman -power and malignity; my strength, and faculties, and memory all forsake -me. Oh, God! I fear, sir, you know not what you speak of. Mercy, mercy! -heaven have pity on me!" - -He leaned his elbow on the table, and passed his hand across his eyes, -as if to exclude some image of horror, muttering the last words of the -sentence he had just concluded, again and again. - -"Dr. Macklin," he said, abruptly raising himself, and looking full upon -the clergyman with an imploring eye, "I know you will do for me whatever -may be done. You know now fully the circumstances and the nature of the -mysterious agency of which I am the victim. I tell you I cannot help -myself; I cannot hope to escape; I am utterly passive. I conjure you, -then, to weigh my case well, and if anything may be done for me by -vicarious supplication, by the intercession of the good, or by any aid -or influence whatsoever, I implore of you, I adjure you in the name of -the Most High, give me the benefit of that influence, deliver me from -the body of this death! Strive for me; pity me! I know you will; you -cannot refuse this; it is the purpose and object of my visit. Send me -away with some hope, however little--some faint hope of ultimate -deliverance, and I will nerve myself to endure, from hour to hour, the -hideous dream into which my existence is transformed." - -Doctor Macklin assured him that all he could do was to pray earnestly -for him, and that so much he would not fail to do. They parted with a -hurried and melancholy valediction. Barton hastened to the carriage -which awaited him at the door, drew the blinds, and drove away, while -Dr. Macklin returned to his chamber, to ruminate at leisure upon the -strange interview which had just interrupted his studies. - -It was not to be expected that Captain Barton's changed and eccentric -habits should long escape remark and discussion. Various were the -theories suggested to account for it. Some attributed the alteration to -the pressure of secret pecuniary embarrassments; others to a repugnance -to fulfil an engagement into which he was presumed to have too -precipitately entered; and others, again, to the supposed incipiency of -mental disease, which latter, indeed, was the most plausible, as well as -the most generally received, of the hypotheses circulated in the gossip -of the day. - -From the very commencement of this change, at first so gradual in its -advances, Miss Montague had, of course, been aware of it. The intimacy -involved in their peculiar relation, as well as the near interest which -it inspired, afforded, in her case, alike opportunity and motive for the -successful exercise of that keen and penetrating observation peculiar -to the sex. His visits became, at length, so interrupted, and his -manner, while they lasted, so abstracted, strange, and agitated, that -Lady Rochdale, after hinting her anxiety and her suspicions more than -once, at length distinctly stated her anxiety, and pressed for an -explanation. The explanation was given, and although its nature at first -relieved the worst solicitudes of the old lady and her niece, yet the -circumstances which attended it, and the really dreadful consequences -which it obviously threatened as regarded the spirits, and, indeed, the -reason, of the now wretched man who made the strange declaration, were -enough, upon a little reflection, to fill their minds with perturbation -and alarm. - -General Montague, the young lady's father, at length arrived. He had -himself slightly known Barton, some ten or twelve years previously, -and being aware of his fortune and connections, was disposed to regard -him as an unexceptionable and indeed a most desirable match for his -daughter. He laughed at the story of Barton's supernatural visitations, -and lost not a moment in calling upon his intended son-in-law. - -"My dear Barton," he continued gaily, after a little conversation, "my -sister tells me that you are a victim to blue devils in quite a new and -original shape." - -Barton changed countenance, and sighed profoundly. - -"Come, come; I protest this will never do," continued the General; "you -are more like a man on his way to the gallows than to the altar. These -devils have made quite a saint of you." - -Barton made an effort to change the conversation. - -"No, no, it won't do," said his visitor, laughing; "I am resolved to -say out what I have to say about this magnificent mock mystery of -yours. Come, you must not be angry; but, really, it is too bad to see -you, at your time of life, absolutely frightened into good behaviour, -like a naughty child, by a bugaboo, and, as far as I can learn, a very -particularly contemptible one. Seriously, though, my dear Barton, I -have been a good deal annoyed at what they tell me; but, at the same -time, thoroughly convinced that there is nothing in the matter that -may not be cleared up, with just a little attention and management, -within a week at furthest." - -"Ah, General, you do not know--" he began. - -"Yes, but I do know quite enough to warrant my confidence," interrupted -the soldier. "I know that all your annoyance proceeds from the -occasional appearance of a certain little man in a cap and great-coat, -with a red vest and bad countenance, who follows you about, and pops -upon you at the corners of lanes, and throws you into ague fits. Now, -my dear fellow, I'll make it my business to _catch_ this mischievous -little mountebank, and either beat him into a jelly with my own hands, -or have him whipped through the town at the cart's tail." - -"If _you_ knew what I know," said Barton, with gloomy agitation, "you -would speak very differently. Don't imagine that I am so weak and -foolish as to assume, without proof the most overwhelming, the -conclusion to which I have been forced. The proofs are here, locked up -here." As he spoke, he tapped upon his breast, and with an anxious sigh -continued to walk up and down the room. - -"Well, well, Barton," said his visitor, "I'll wager a rump and a dozen -I collar the ghost, and convince yourself before many days are over." - -He was running on in the same strain when he was suddenly arrested, -and not a little shocked, by observing Barton, who had approached the -window, stagger slowly back, like one who had received a stunning -blow--his arm feebly extended towards the street, his face and his very -lips white as ashes--while he uttered, "There--there--there!" - -General Montague started mechanically to his feet, and, from the window -of the drawing-room, saw a figure corresponding, as well as his hurry -would permit him to discern, with the description of the person whose -appearance so constantly and dreadfully disturbed the repose of his -friend. The figure was just turning from the rails of the area upon -which it had been leaning, and without waiting to see more, the old -gentleman snatched his cane and hat, and rushed down the stairs and into -the street, in the furious hope of securing the person, and punishing -the audacity of the mysterious stranger. He looked around him, but in -vain, for any trace of the form he had himself distinctly beheld. He ran -breathlessly to the nearest corner, expecting to see from thence the -retreating figure, but no such form was visible. Back and forward, from -crossing to crossing, he ran at fault, and it was not until the curious -gaze and laughing countenances of the passers-by reminded him of the -absurdity of his pursuit, that he checked his hurried pace, lowered his -walking-cane from the menacing altitude which he had mechanically given -it, adjusted his hat, and walked composedly back again, inwardly vexed -and flurried. He found Barton pale and trembling in every joint; they -both remained silent, though under emotions very different. At last -Barton whispered, "You saw it?" - -"It!--him--someone--you mean--to be sure I did," replied Montague, -testily. "But where is the good or the harm of seeing him? The fellow -runs like a lamplighter. I wanted to _catch_ him, but he had stolen away -before I could reach the hall door. However, it is no great matter; next -time, I dare say, I'll do better; and, egad, if I once come within -reach of him, I'll introduce his shoulders to the weight of my cane, in -a way to make him cry _peccavi_." - -Notwithstanding General Montague's undertakings and exhortations, -however, Barton continued to suffer from the self-same unexplained -cause. Go how, when, or where he would, he was still constantly dogged -or confronted by the hateful being who had established over him so -dreadful and mysterious an influence; nowhere, and at no time, was he -secure against the odious appearance which haunted him with such -diabolical perseverance. His depression, misery, and excitement became -more settled and alarming every day, and the mental agonies that -ceaselessly preyed upon him began at last so sensibly to affect his -general health, that Lady Rochdale and General Montague succeeded -(without, indeed, much difficulty) in persuading him to try a short tour -on the Continent, in the hope that an entire change of scene would, at -all events, have the effect of breaking through the influences of local -association, which the more sceptical of his friends assumed to be by no -means inoperative in suggesting and perpetuating what they conceived to -be a mere form of nervous illusion. General Montague, moreover, was -persuaded that the figure which haunted his intended son-in-law was by -no means the creation of his own imagination, but, on the contrary, -a substantial form of flesh and blood, animated by a spiteful and -obstinate resolution, perhaps with some murderous object in perspective, -to watch and follow the unfortunate gentleman. Even this hypothesis was -not a very pleasant one; yet it was plain that if Barton could once be -convinced that there was nothing preternatural in the phenomenon, which -he had hitherto regarded in that light, the affair would lose all its -terrors in his eyes, and wholly cease to exercise upon his health and -spirits the baneful influence which it had hitherto done. He therefore -reasoned, that if the annoyance were actually escaped from by mere -change of scene, it obviously could not have originated in any -supernatural agency. - -Yielding to their persuasions, Barton left Dublin for England, -accompanied by General Montague. They posted rapidly to London, and -thence to Dover, whence they took the packet with a fair wind for -Calais. The General's confidence in the result of the expedition on -Barton's spirits had risen day by day since their departure from the -shores of Ireland; for, to the inexpressible relief and delight of -the latter, he had not, since then, so much as even once fancied a -repetition of those impressions which had, when at home, drawn him -gradually down to the very abyss of horror and despair. This exemption -from what he had begun to regard as the inevitable condition of his -existence, and the sense of security which began to pervade his mind, -were inexpressibly delightful; and in the exultation of what he -considered his deliverance, he indulged in a thousand happy -anticipations for a future into which so lately he had hardly dared -to look. In short, both he and his companion secretly congratulated -themselves upon the termination of that persecution which had been to -its immediate victim a source of such unspeakable agony. - -It was a beautiful day, and a crowd of idlers stood upon the jetty to -receive the packet, and enjoy the bustle of the new arrivals. Montague -walked a few paces in advance of his friend, and as he made his way -through the crowd, a little man touched his arm, and said to him, in a -broad provincial _patois_,-- - -"Monsieur is walking too fast; he will lose his sick comrade in the -throng, for, by my faith, the poor gentleman seems to be fainting." - -Montague turned quickly, and observed that Barton did indeed look deadly -pale. He hastened to his side. - -"My poor fellow, are you ill?" he asked anxiously. - -The question was unheeded, and twice repeated, ere Barton stammered,-- - -"I saw him--by ----, I saw him!" - -"_Him!_--who?--where?--when did you see him?--where is he?" cried -Montague, looking around him. - -"I saw him--but he is gone," repeated Barton, faintly. - -"But where--where? For God's sake, speak," urged Montague, vehemently. - -"It is but this moment--_here_," said he. - -"But what did he look like?--what had he on?--what did he wear?--quick, -quick," urged his excited companion, ready to dart among the crowd, and -collar the delinquent on the spot. - -"He touched your arm--he spoke to you--he pointed to me. God be merciful -to me, there is no escape!" said Barton, in the low, subdued tones of -intense despair. - -Montague had already bustled away in all the flurry of mingled hope and -indignation; but though the singular _personnel_ of the stranger who had -accosted him was vividly and perfectly impressed upon his recollection, -he failed to discover among the crowd even the slightest resemblance to -him. After a fruitless search, in which he enlisted the services of -several of the bystanders, who aided all the more zealously as they -believed he had been robbed, he at length, out of breath and baffled, -gave over the attempt. - -"Ah, my friend, it won't do," said Barton, with the faint voice and -bewildered, ghastly look of one who has been stunned by some mortal -shock; "there is no use in contending with it; whatever it is, the -dreadful association between me and it is now established; I shall never -escape--never, never!" - -"Nonsense, nonsense, my dear fellow; don't talk so," said Montague, with -something at once of irritation and dismay; "you must not; never mind, I -say--never mind, we'll jockey the scoundrel yet." - -It was, however, but lost labour to endeavour henceforward to inspire -Barton with one ray of hope; he became utterly desponding. This -intangible and, as it seemed, utterly inadequate influence was fast -destroying his energies of intellect, character, and health. His first -object was now to return to Ireland, there, as he believed, and now -almost hoped, speedily to die. - -To Ireland, accordingly, he came, and one of the first faces he saw upon -the shore was again that of his implacable and dreaded persecutor. -Barton seemed at last to have lost not only all enjoyment and every hope -in existence, but all independence of will besides. He now submitted -himself passively to the management of the friends most nearly -interested in his welfare. With the apathy of entire despair, he -implicitly assented to whatever measures they suggested and advised; -and, as a last resource, it was determined to remove him to a house of -Lady Rochdale's in the neighbourhood of Clontarf, where, with the advice -of his medical attendant (who persisted in his opinion that the whole -train of impressions resulted merely from some nervous derangement) it -was resolved that he was to confine himself strictly to the house, and -to make use only of those apartments which commanded a view of an -enclosed yard, the gates of which were to be kept jealously locked. -These precautions would at least secure him against the casual -appearance of any living form which his excited imagination might -possibly confound with the spectre which, as it was contended, his -fancy recognized in every figure that bore even a distant or general -resemblance to the traits with which he had at first invested it. A -month or six weeks' absolute seclusion under these conditions, it was -hoped, might, by interrupting the series of these terrible impressions, -gradually dispel the predisposing apprehension, and effectually break up -the associations which had confirmed the supposed disease, and rendered -recovery hopeless. Cheerful society and that of his friends was to be -constantly supplied, and on the whole, very sanguine expectations were -indulged in, that under this treatment the obstinate hypochondria of the -patient might at length give way. - -Accompanied, therefore, by Lady Rochdale, General Montague, and his -daughter--his own affianced bride--poor Barton, himself never daring to -cherish a hope of his ultimate emancipation from the strange horrors -under which his life was literally wasting away, took possession of -the apartments whose situation protected him against the dreadful -intrusions from which he shrank with such unutterable terror. - -After a little time, a steady persistence in this system began to -manifest its results in a very marked though gradual improvement alike -in the health and spirits of the invalid. Not, indeed, that anything -at all approaching to complete recovery was yet discernible. On the -contrary, to those who had not seen him since the commencement of his -strange sufferings, such an alteration would have been apparent as might -well have shocked them. The improvement, however, such as it was, was -welcomed with gratitude and delight, especially by the poor young lady, -whom her attachment to him, as well as her now singularly painful -position, consequent on his mysterious and protracted illness, rendered -an object of pity scarcely one degree less to be commiserated than -himself. - -A week passed--a fortnight--a month--and yet no recurrence of the hated -visitation had agitated and terrified him as before. The treatment had, -so far, been followed by complete success. The chain of association had -been broken. The constant pressure upon the overtasked spirits had been -removed, and, under these comparatively favourable circumstances, the -sense of social community with the world about him, and something of -human interest, if not of enjoyment, began to reanimate his mind. - -It was about this time that Lady Rochdale, who, like most old ladies of -the day, was deep in family receipts, and a great pretender to medical -science, being engaged in the concoction of certain unpalatable mixtures -of marvellous virtue, despatched her own maid to the kitchen garden with -a list of herbs which were there to be carefully culled and brought back -to her for the purpose stated. The hand-maiden, however, returned with -her task scarce half-completed, and a good deal flurried and alarmed. -Her mode of accounting for her precipitate retreat and evident agitation -was odd, and to the old lady unpleasantly startling. - -It appeared that she had repaired to the kitchen garden, pursuant to -her mistress's directions, and had there begun to make the specified -selection among the rank and neglected herbs which crowded one corner of -the enclosure, and while engaged in this pleasant labour she carelessly -sang a fragment of an old song, as she said, "to keep herself company." -She was, however, interrupted by a sort of mocking echo of the air she -was singing; and looking up, she saw through the old thorn hedge, which -surrounded the garden, a singularly ill-looking, little man, whose -countenance wore the stamp of menace and malignity, standing close to -her at the other side of the hawthorn screen. She described herself as -utterly unable to move or speak, while he charged her with a message for -Captain Barton, the substance of which she distinctly remembered to have -been to the effect that he, Captain Barton, must come abroad as usual, -and show himself to his friends out of doors, or else prepare for a -visit in his own chamber. On concluding this brief message, the stranger -had, with a threatening air, got down into the outer ditch, and seizing -the hawthorn stems in his hands, seemed on the point of climbing through -the fence, a feat which might have been accomplished without much -difficulty. Without, of course, awaiting this result, the girl, throwing -down her treasures of thyme and rosemary, had turned and run, with the -swiftness of terror, to the house. Lady Rochdale commanded her, on pain -of instant dismissal, to observe an absolute silence respecting all that -portion of the incident which related to Captain Barton; and, at the -same time, directed instant search to be made by her men in the garden -and fields adjacent. This measure, however, was attended with the usual -unsuccess, and filled with fearful and indefinable misgivings, Lady -Rochdale communicated the incident to her brother. The story, however, -until long afterwards, went no further, and of course it was jealously -guarded from Barton, who continued to mend, though slowly and -imperfectly. - -Barton now began to walk occasionally in the courtyard which we have -mentioned, and which, being surrounded by a high wall, commanded no view -beyond its own extent. Here he, therefore, considered himself perfectly -secure; and, but for a careless violation of orders by one of the -grooms, he might have enjoyed, at least for some time longer, his -much-prized immunity. Opening upon the public road, this yard was -entered by a wooden gate, with a wicket in it, which was further -defended by an iron gate upon the outside. Strict orders had been given -to keep them carefully locked; but, in spite of these, it had happened -that one day, as Barton was slowly pacing this narrow enclosure, in his -accustomed walk, and reaching the further extremity, was turning to -retrace his steps, he saw the boarded wicket ajar, and the face of his -tormentor immovably looking at him through the iron bars. For a few -seconds he stood riveted to the earth, breathless and bloodless, in the -fascination of that dreaded gaze, and then fell helplessly upon the -pavement. - -There was he found a few minutes afterwards, and conveyed to his -room, the apartment which he was never afterwards to leave alive. -Henceforward, a marked and unaccountable change was observable in the -tone of his mind. Captain Barton was now no longer the excited and -despairing man he had been before; a strange alteration had passed upon -him, an unearthly tranquillity reigned in his mind; it was the -anticipated stillness of the grave. - -"Montague, my friend, this struggle is nearly ended now," he said, -tranquilly, but with a look of fixed and fearful awe. "I have, at last, -some comfort from that world of spirits, from which my _punishment_ has -come. I know now that my sufferings will be soon over." - -Montague pressed him to speak on. - -"Yes," said he, in a softened voice, "my punishment is nearly ended. -From sorrow perhaps I shall never, in time or eternity, escape; but -my _agony_ is almost over. Comfort has been revealed to me, and what -remains of my allotted struggle I will bear with submission, even with -hope." - -"I am glad to hear you speak so tranquilly, my dear fellow," said -Montague; "peace and cheerfulness of mind are all you need to make you -what you were." - -"No, no, I never can be that," said he, mournfully. "I am no longer fit -for life. I am soon to die: I do not shrink from death as I did. I am to -see _him_ but once again, and then all is ended." - -"He said so, then?" suggested Montague. - -"_He?_ No, no; good tidings could scarcely come through him; and these -were good and welcome; and they came so solemnly and sweetly, with -unutterable love and melancholy, such as I could not, without saying -more than is needful or fitting, of other long-past scenes and persons, -fully explain to you." As Barton said this he shed tears. - -"Come, come," said Montague, mistaking the source of his emotions, "you -must not give way. What is it, after all, but a pack of dreams and -nonsense; or, at worst, the practices of a scheming rascal that enjoys -his power of playing upon your nerves, and loves to exert it; a sneaking -vagabond that owes you a grudge, and pays it off this way, not daring to -try a more manly one." - -"A grudge, indeed, he owes me; you say rightly," said Barton, with a -sullen shudder; "a grudge as you call it. Oh, God! when the justice of -heaven permits the Evil One to carry out a scheme of vengeance, when -its execution is committed to the lost and frightful victim of sin, who -owes his own ruin to the man, the very man, whom he is commissioned to -pursue; then, indeed, the torments and terrors of hell are anticipated -on earth. But heaven has dealt mercifully with me: hope has opened to me -at last; and if death could come without the dreadful sight I am doomed -to see, I would gladly close my eyes this moment upon the world. But -though death is welcome, I shrink with an agony you cannot understand; -a maddening agony, an actual frenzy of terror, from the last encounter -with that--that DEMON, who has drawn me thus to the verge of the chasm, -and who is himself to plunge me down. I am to see him again, once more, -but under circumstances unutterably more terrific than ever." - -As Barton thus spoke, he trembled so violently that Montague was really -alarmed at the extremity of his sudden agitation, and hastened to lead -him back to the topic which had before seemed to exert so tranquillizing -an effect upon his mind. - -"It was not a dream," he said, after a time; "I was in a different -state, I felt differently and strangely; and yet it was all as real, as -clear and vivid, as what I now see and hear; it was a reality." - -"And what _did_ you see and hear?" urged his companion. - -"When I awakened from the swoon I fell into on seeing _him_," said -Barton, continuing, as if he had not heard the question, "it was slowly, -very slowly; I was reclining by the margin of a broad lake, surrounded -by misty hills, and a soft, melancholy, rose-coloured light illuminated -it all. It was indescribably sad and lonely, and yet more beautiful than -any earthly scene. My head was leaning on the lap of a girl, and she was -singing a strange and wondrous song, that told, I know not how, whether -by words or harmony, of all my life, all that is past, and all that is -still to come. And with the song the old feelings that I thought had -perished within me came back, and tears flowed from my eyes, partly -for the song and its mysterious beauty, and partly for the unearthly -sweetness of her voice; yet I know the voice, oh! how well; and I was -spell-bound as I listened and looked at the strange and solitary scene, -without stirring, almost without breathing, and, alas! alas! without -turning my eyes toward the face that I knew was near me, so sweetly -powerful was the enchantment that held me. And so, slowly and softly, -the song and scene grew fainter, and ever fainter, to my senses, till -all was dark and still again. And then I wakened to this world, as you -saw, comforted, for I knew that I was forgiven much." Barton wept again -long and bitterly. - -From this time, as we have said, the prevailing tone of his mind was one -of profound and tranquil melancholy. This, however, was not without its -interruptions. He was thoroughly impressed with the conviction that -he was to experience another and a final visitation, illimitably -transcending in horror all he had before experienced. From this -anticipated and unknown agony he often shrunk in such paroxysms of -abject terror and distraction, as filled the whole household with dismay -and superstitious panic. Even those among them who affected to discredit -the supposition of preternatural agency in the matter, were often in -their secret souls visited during the darkness and solitude of night -with qualms and apprehensions which they would not have readily -confessed; and none of them attempted to dissuade Barton from the -resolution on which he now systematically acted, of shutting himself up -in his own apartment. The window-blinds of this room were kept jealously -down; and his own man was seldom out of his presence, day or night, his -bed being placed in the same chamber. - -This man was an attached and respectable servant; and his duties, in -addition to those ordinarily imposed upon _valets_, but which Barton's -independent habits generally dispensed with, were to attend carefully -to the simple precautions by means of which his master hoped to exclude -the dreaded intrusion of the "Watcher," as the strange letter he had -at first received had designated his persecutor. And, in addition to -attending to these arrangements, which consisted merely in anticipating -the possibility of his master's being, through any unscreened window -or opened door, exposed to the dreaded influence, the valet was never -to suffer him to be for one moment alone: total solitude, even for a -minute, had become to him now almost as intolerable as the idea of going -abroad into the public ways; it was an instinctive anticipation of what -was coming. - -It is needless to say, that, under these mysterious and horrible -circumstances, no steps were taken toward the fulfilment of that -engagement into which he had entered. There was quite disparity enough -in point of years, and indeed of habits, between the young lady and -Captain Barton, to have precluded anything like very vehement or -romantic attachment on her part. Though grieved and anxious, therefore, -she was very far from being heart-broken; a circumstance which, for the -sentimental purposes of our tale, is much to be deplored. But truth must -be told, especially in a narrative whose chief, if not only, pretensions -to interest consist in a rigid adherence to facts, or what are so -reported to have been. - -Miss Montague, nevertheless, devoted much of her time to a patient but -fruitless attempt to cheer the unhappy invalid. She read for him, and -conversed with him; but it was apparent that whatever exertions he made, -the endeavour to escape from the one constant and ever-present fear that -preyed upon him was utterly and miserably unavailing. - -Young ladies, as all the world knows, are much given to the cultivation -of pets; and among those who shared the favour of Miss Montague was a -fine old owl, which the gardener, who caught him napping among the ivy -of a ruined stable, had dutifully presented to that young lady. - -The caprice which regulates such preferences was manifested in the -extravagant favour with which this grim and ill-favoured bird was at -once distinguished by his mistress; and, trifling as this whimsical -circumstance may seem, I am forced to mention it, inasmuch as it is -connected, oddly enough, with the concluding scene of the story. -Barton, so far from sharing in this liking for the new favourite, -regarded it from the first with an antipathy as violent as it was -utterly unaccountable. Its very vicinity was insupportable to him. He -seemed to hate and dread it with a vehemence absolutely laughable, and -to those who have never witnessed the exhibition of antipathies of -this kind, his dread would seem all but incredible. - -With these few words of preliminary explanation, I shall proceed to -state the particulars of the last scene in this strange series of -incidents. It was almost two o'clock one winter's night, and Barton -was, as usual at that hour, in his bed; the servant we have mentioned -occupied a smaller bed in the same room, and a candle was burning. The -man was on a sudden aroused by his master, who said,-- - -"I can't get it out of my head that that accursed bird has escaped -somehow, and is lurking in some corner of the room. I have been dreaming -of him. Get up, Smith, and look about; search for him. Such hateful -dreams!" - -The servant rose, and examined the chamber, and while engaged in so -doing, he heard the well-known sound, more like a long-drawn gasp than a -hiss, with which these birds from their secret haunts affright the quiet -of the night. This ghostly indication of its proximity, for the sound -proceeded from the passage upon which Barton's chamber-door opened, -determined the search of the servant, who, opening the door, proceeded a -step or two forward for the purpose of driving the bird away. He had, -however, hardly entered the lobby, when the door behind him slowly swung -to under the impulse, as it seemed, of some gentle current of air; but -as immediately over the door there was a kind of window, intended in the -daytime to aid in lighting the passage, and through which the rays of -the candle were then issuing, the valet could see quite enough for -his purpose. As he advanced he heard his master (who, lying in a -well-curtained bed had not, as it seemed, perceived his exit from the -room) call him by name, and direct him to place the candle on the table -by his bed. The servant, who was now some way in the long passage, did -not like to raise his voice for the purpose of replying, lest he should -startle the sleeping inmates of the house, began to walk hurriedly and -softly back again, when, to his amazement, he heard a voice in the -interior of the chamber answering calmly, and the man actually saw, -through the window which over-topped the door, that the light was slowly -shifting, as if carried across the chamber in answer to his master's -call. Palsied by a feeling akin to terror, yet not unmingled with a -horrible curiosity, he stood breathless and listening at the threshold, -unable to summon resolution to push open the door and enter. Then came -a rustling of the curtains, and a sound like that of one who in a low -voice hushes a child to rest, in the midst of which he heard Barton say, -in a tone of stifled horror--"Oh, God--oh, my God!" and repeat the same -exclamation several times. Then ensued a silence, which again was broken -by the same strange soothing sound; and at last there burst forth, in -one swelling peal, a yell of agony so appalling and hideous, that, under -some impulse of ungovernable horror, the man rushed to the door, and -with his whole strength strove to force it open. Whether it was that, in -his agitation, he had himself but imperfectly turned the handle, or that -the door was really secured upon the inside, he failed to effect an -entrance; and as he tugged and pushed, yell after yell rang louder and -wilder through the chamber, accompanied all the while by the same -hushing sounds. Actually freezing with terror, and scarce knowing what -he did, the man turned and ran down the passage, wringing his hands in -the extremity of horror and irresolution. At the stair-head he was -encountered by General Montague, scared and eager, and just as they met -the fearful sounds had ceased. - -"What is it?--who--where is your master?" said Montague, with the -incoherence of extreme agitation. "Has anything--for God's sake, is -anything wrong?" - -"Lord have mercy on us, it's all over," said the man, staring wildly -towards his master's chamber. "He's dead, sir; I'm sure he's dead." - -Without waiting for inquiry or explanation, Montague, closely followed -by the servant, hurried to the chamber-door, turned the handle, and -pushed it open. As the door yielded to his pressure, the ill-omened bird -of which the servant had been in search, uttering its spectral warning, -started suddenly from the far side of the bed, and flying through the -doorway close over their heads, and extinguishing, in its passage, the -candle which Montague carried, crashed through the skylight that -overlooked the lobby, and sailed away into the darkness of the outer -space. - -"There it is, God bless us!" whispered the man, after a breathless -pause. - -"Curse that bird!" muttered the general, startled by the suddenness of -the apparition, and unable to conceal his discomposure. - -"The candle was moved," said the man, after another breathless pause; -"see, they put it by the bed!" - -"Draw the curtains, fellow, and don't stand gaping there," whispered -Montague, sternly. - -The man hesitated. - -"Hold this, then," said Montague, impatiently, thrusting the candlestick -into the servant's hand; and himself advancing to the bedside, he drew -the curtains apart. The light of the candle, which was still burning at -the bedside, fell upon a figure huddled together, and half upright, at -the head of the bed. It seemed as though it had shrunk back as far as -the solid panelling would allow, and the hands were still clutched in -the bed-clothes. - -[Illustration: EXTINGUISHING IN ITS PASSAGE THE CANDLE WHICH MONTAGUE -CARRIED.] - -"Barton, Barton, Barton!" cried the general, with a strange mixture of -awe and vehemence. - -He took the candle, and held it so that it shone full upon his face. -The features were fixed, stern and white; the jaw was fallen, and the -sightless eyes, still open, gazed vacantly forward toward the front of -the bed. - -"God Almighty, he's dead!" muttered the general, as he looked upon this -fearful spectacle. They both continued to gaze upon it in silence for a -minute or more. "And cold, too," said Montague, withdrawing his hand -from that of the dead man. - -"And see, see; may I never have life, sir," added the man, after another -pause, with a shudder, "but there was something else on the bed with -him! Look there--look there; see that, sir!" - -As the man thus spoke, he pointed to a deep indenture, as if caused by a -heavy pressure, near the foot of the bed. - -Montague was silent. - -"Come, sir, come away, for God's sake!" whispered the man, drawing close -up to him, and holding fast by his arm, while he glanced fearfully -round; "what good can be done here now?--come away, for God's sake!" - -At this moment they heard the steps of more than one approaching, and -Montague, hastily desiring the servant to arrest their progress, -endeavoured to loose the rigid grip with which the fingers of the dead -man were clutched in the bed-clothes, and drew, as well as he was able, -the awful figure into a reclining posture. Then closing the curtains -carefully upon it, he hastened himself to meet those who were -approaching. - - * * * * * - -It is needless to follow the personages so slightly connected with this -narrative into the events of their after lives; it is enough for us to -remark that no clue to the solution of these mysterious occurrences was -ever afterwards discovered; and so long an interval having now passed, -it is scarcely to be expected that time can throw any new light upon -their inexplicable obscurity. Until the secrets of the earth shall be no -longer hidden these transactions must remain shrouded in mystery. - -The only occurrence in Captain Barton's former life to which reference -was ever made, as having any possible connection with the sufferings -with which his existence closed, and which he himself seemed to regard -as working out a retribution for some grievous sin of his past life, was -a circumstance which not for several years after his death was brought -to light. The nature of this disclosure was painful to his relatives and -discreditable to his memory. - -It appeared, then, that some eight years before Captain Barton's final -return to Dublin, he had formed, in the town of Plymouth, a guilty -attachment, the object of which was the daughter of one of the ship's -crew under his command. The father had visited the frailty of his -unhappy child with extreme harshness, and even brutality, and it was -said that she had died heart-broken. Presuming upon Barton's implication -in her guilt, this man had conducted himself towards him with marked -insolence, and Barton resented this--and what he resented with still -more exasperated bitterness, his treatment of the unfortunate girl--by -a systematic exercise of those terrible and arbitrary severities with -which the regulations of the navy arm those who are responsible for its -discipline. The man had at length made his escape, while the vessel was -in port at Lisbon, but died, as it was said, in an hospital in that -town, of the wounds inflicted in one of his recent and sanguinary -punishments. - -Whether these circumstances in reality bear or not upon the occurrences -of Barton's after-life, it is of course impossible to say. It seems, -however, more than probable that they were, at least in his own mind, -closely associated with them. But however the truth may be as to the -origin and motives of this mysterious persecution, there can be no -doubt that, with respect to the agencies by which it was accomplished, -absolute and impenetrable mystery is like to prevail until the day of -doom. - - - - -[Illustration] - -Passage in the Secret History of an Irish Countess. - - -The following paper is written in a female hand, and was no doubt -communicated to my much regretted friend by the lady whose early history -it serves to illustrate, the Countess D----. She is no more--she long -since died, a childless and a widowed wife, and, as her letter sadly -predicts, none survive to whom the publication of this narrative can -prove "injurious, or even painful." Strange! two powerful and wealthy -families, that in which she was born, and that into which she had -married, are utterly extinct. - -To those who know anything of the history of Irish families, as they -were less than a century ago, the facts which immediately follow will -at once suggest the names of the principal actors; and to others -their publication would be useless--to us, possibly, if not probably -injurious. I have therefore altered such of the names as might, if -stated, get us into difficulty; others, belonging to minor characters in -the strange story, I have left untouched. - - * * * * * - -MY DEAR FRIEND,--You have asked me to furnish you with a detail of -the strange events which marked my early history, and I have, without -hesitation, applied myself to the task, knowing that, while I live, a -kind consideration for my feelings will prevent you giving publicity to -the statement; and conscious that, when I am no more, there will not -survive one to whom the narrative can prove injurious, or even painful. - -My mother died when I was quite an infant, and of her I have no -recollection, even the faintest. By her death, my education and habits -were left solely to the guidance of my surviving parent; and, so far as -a stern attention to my religious instruction, and an active anxiety -evinced by his procuring for me the best masters to perfect me in those -accomplishments which my station and wealth might seem to require, could -avail, he amply discharged the task. - -My father was what is called an oddity, and his treatment of me, though -uniformly kind, flowed less from affection and tenderness than from a -sense of obligation and duty. Indeed, I seldom even spoke to him except -at meal-times, and then his manner was silent and abrupt; his leisure -hours, which were many, were passed either in his study or in solitary -walks; in short, he seemed to take no further interest in my happiness -or improvement than a conscientious regard to the discharge of his own -duty would seem to claim. - -Shortly before my birth, a circumstance had occurred which had -contributed much to form and to confirm my father's secluded habits--it -was the fact that a suspicion of murder had fallen upon his younger -brother, a suspicion not sufficiently definite to lead to an indictment, -yet strong enough to ruin him in public opinion. - -This disgraceful and dreadful doubt cast upon the family name my father -felt deeply and bitterly, and not the less so that he himself was -thoroughly convinced of his brother's innocence. The sincerity and -strength of this impression he shortly afterwards proved in a manner -which produced the dark events which follow. Before, however, I enter -upon the statement of them, I ought to relate the circumstances which -had awakened the suspicion; inasmuch as they are in themselves somewhat -curious, and, in their effects, most intimately connected with my after -history. - -My uncle, Sir Arthur T----n, was a gay and extravagant man, and, -among other vices, was ruinously addicted to gaming; this unfortunate -propensity, even after his fortune had suffered so severely as to render -inevitable a reduction in his expenses by no means inconsiderable, -nevertheless continued to actuate him, almost to the exclusion of all -other pursuits. He was a proud, or rather a vain man, and could not bear -to make the diminution of his income a matter of gratulation and triumph -to those with whom he had hitherto competed; and the consequence was -that he frequented no longer the expensive haunts of dissipation, and -retired from the gay world, leaving his coterie to discover his reasons -as best they might. - -He did not, however, forego his favourite vice, for, though he could not -worship his divinity in the costly temples where it was formerly his -wont to take his stand, yet he found it very possible to bring about him -a sufficient number of the votaries of chance to answer all his ends. -The consequence was that Carrickleigh, which was the name of my uncle's -residence, was never without one or more of such reckless visitors. - -It happened that upon one occasion he was visited by one Hugh Tisdall--a -gentleman of loose habits but of considerable wealth--who had, in early -youth, travelled with my uncle upon the Continent. The period of his -visit was winter, and, consequently, the house was nearly deserted -except by its regular inmates; Mr. Tisdall was therefore highly -acceptable, particularly as my uncle was aware that his visitor's tastes -accorded exactly with his own. - -Both parties seemed determined to avail themselves of their suitability -during the brief stay which Mr. Tisdall had promised; the consequence -was that they shut themselves up in Sir Arthur's private room for nearly -all the day and the greater part of the night, during the space of -nearly a week. At the end of this period the servant having one morning, -as usual, knocked at Mr. Tisdall's bedroom door repeatedly, received no -answer, and, upon attempting to enter, found that it was locked. This -appeared suspicious, and the inmates of the house having been alarmed, -the door was forced open, and, on proceeding to the bed, they found the -body of its occupant perfectly lifeless, and hanging half-way out, the -head downwards, and near the floor. One deep wound had been inflicted -upon the temple, apparently with some blunt instrument, which had -penetrated the brain; and another blow less effective, probably the -first aimed, had grazed the head, removing some of the scalp, but -leaving the skull untouched. The door had been double-locked upon the -inside, in evidence of which the key still lay where it had been placed -in the lock. - -The window, though not secured on the interior, was closed--a -circumstance not a little puzzling, as it afforded the only other mode -of escape from the room; it looked out, too, upon a kind of courtyard, -round which the old buildings stood, formerly accessible by a narrow -doorway and passage lying in the oldest side of the quadrangle, but -which had since been built up, so as to preclude all ingress or egress. -The room was also upon the second story, and the height of the window -considerable. Near the bed were found a pair of razors belonging to the -murdered man, one of them upon the ground and both of them open. The -weapon which had inflicted the mortal wound was not to be found in -the room, nor were any footsteps or other traces of the murderer -discoverable. - -At the suggestion of Sir Arthur himself, a coroner was instantly -summoned to attend, and an inquest was held; nothing, however, in any -degree conclusive was elicited. The walls, ceiling, and floor of the -room were carefully examined, in order to ascertain whether they -contained a trap-door or other concealed mode of entrance--but no such -thing appeared. - -Such was the minuteness of investigation employed that although the -grate had contained a large fire during the night, they proceeded to -examine even the very chimney, in order to discover whether escape -by it were possible; but this attempt, too, was fruitless, for the -chimney, built in the old fashion, rose in a perfectly perpendicular -line from the hearth to a height of nearly fourteen feet above the roof, -affording in its interior scarcely the possibility of ascent, the flue -being smoothly plastered, and sloping towards the top like an inverted -funnel. Even if the summit of the chimney were attained, it promised, -owing to its great height, but a precarious descent upon the sharp and -steep-ridged roof. The ashes, too, which lay in the grate, and the soot, -as far as it could be seen, were undisturbed, a circumstance almost -conclusive. - -Sir Arthur was of course examined; his evidence was given with a -clearness and unreserve which seemed calculated to silence all -suspicion. He stated that up to the day and night immediately preceding -the catastrophe, he had lost to a heavy amount, but that, at their last -sitting, he had not only won back his original loss, but upwards of -four thousand pounds in addition; in evidence of which he produced -an acknowledgment of debt to that amount in the handwriting of the -deceased, and bearing the date of the fatal night. He had mentioned the -circumstance to his lady, and in presence of some of the domestics; -which statement was supported by their respective evidence. - -One of the jury shrewdly observed that the circumstance of Mr. Tisdall's -having sustained so heavy a loss might have suggested to some -ill-minded persons, accidentally hearing it, the plan of robbing him, -after having murdered him, in such a manner as might make it appear that -he had committed suicide; a supposition which was strongly supported by -the razors having been found thus displaced, and removed from their -case. Two persons had probably been engaged in the attempt, one watching -by the sleeping man, and ready to strike him in case of his awakening -suddenly, while the other was procuring the razors and employed in -inflicting the fatal gash, so as to make it appear to have been the act -of the murdered man himself. It was said that while the juror was making -this suggestion Sir Arthur changed colour. - -Nothing, however, like legal evidence appeared against him, and the -consequence was that the verdict was found against a person or persons -unknown; and for some time the matter was suffered to rest, until, after -about five months, my father received a letter from a person signing -himself Andrew Collis, and representing himself to be the cousin of the -deceased. This letter stated that Sir Arthur was likely to incur not -merely suspicion, but personal risk, unless he could account for certain -circumstances connected with the recent murder, and contained a copy of -a letter written by the deceased, and bearing date--the day of the -week, and of the month--upon the night the deed of blood had been -perpetrated. Tisdall's note ran as follows:-- - - -"DEAR COLLIS,--I have had sharp work with Sir Arthur; he tried some of -his stale tricks, but soon found that _I_ was Yorkshire too; it would -not do--you understand me. We went to the work like good ones, head, -heart and soul; and, in fact, since I came here, I have lost no time. -I am rather fagged, but I am sure to be well paid for my hardship; I -never want sleep so long as I can have the music of a dice-box, and -wherewithal to pay the piper. As I told you, he tried some of his queer -turns, but I foiled him like a man, and, in return, gave him more than -he could relish of the genuine _dead knowledge_. - -"In short, I have plucked the old baronet as never baronet was plucked -before; I have scarce left him the stump of a quill; I have got -promissory notes in his hand to the amount of--if you like round -numbers, say, thirty thousand pounds, safely deposited in my portable -strong-box, _alias_ double-clasped pocket-book. I leave this ruinous old -rat-hole early on to-morrow, for two reasons--first, I do not want to -play with Sir Arthur deeper than I think his security, that is, his -money, or his money's worth, would warrant; and, secondly, because I am -safer a hundred miles from Sir Arthur than in the house with him. Look -you, my worthy, I tell you this between ourselves--I may be wrong, but, -by G----, I am as sure as that I am now living, that Sir A---- attempted -to poison me last night. So much for old friendship on both sides! - -"When I won the last stake, a heavy one enough, my friend leant his -forehead upon his hands, and you'll laugh when I tell you that his -head literally smoked like a hot dumpling. I do not know whether his -agitation was produced by the plan which he had against me, or by his -having lost so heavily--though it must be allowed that he had reason to -be a little funked, whichever way his thoughts went; but he pulled -the bell, and ordered two bottles of champagne. While the fellow was -bringing them he drew out a promissory note to the full amount, which he -signed, and, as the man came in with the bottles and glasses, he desired -him to be off; he filled out a glass for me, and, while he thought my -eyes were off, for I was putting up his note at the time, he dropped -something slyly into it, no doubt to sweeten it; but I saw it all, and -when he handed it to me, I said, with an emphasis which he might or -might not understand: - -"'There is some sediment in this; I'll not drink it.' - -"'Is there?' said he, and at the same time snatched it from my hand and -threw it into the fire. What do you think of that? have I not a tender -chicken to manage? Win or lose, I will not play beyond five thousand -to-night, and to-morrow sees me safe out of the reach of Sir Arthur's -champagne. So, all things considered, I think you must allow that you -are not the last who have found a knowing boy in - - "Yours to command, - "HUGH TISDALL." - - -Of the authenticity of this document I never heard my father express a -doubt; and I am satisfied that, owing to his strong conviction in favour -of his brother, he would not have admitted it without sufficient -inquiry, inasmuch as it tended to confirm the suspicions which already -existed to his prejudice. - -Now, the only point in this letter which made strongly against my -uncle was the mention of the "double-clasped pocket-book" as the -receptacle of the papers likely to involve him, for this pocket-book -was not forthcoming, nor anywhere to be found, nor had any papers -referring to his gaming transactions been found upon the dead man. -However, whatever might have been the original intention of this -Collis, neither my uncle nor my father ever heard more of him; but he -published the letter in Faulkner's Newspaper, which was shortly -afterwards made the vehicle of a much more mysterious attack. The -passage in that periodical to which I allude appeared about four years -afterwards, and while the fatal occurrence was still fresh in public -recollection. It commenced by a rambling preface, stating that "a -_certain person_ whom _certain_ persons thought to be dead, was not -so, but living, and in full possession of his memory, and moreover -ready and able to make _great_ delinquents tremble." It then went on -to describe the murder, without, however, mentioning names; and in -doing so, it entered into minute and circumstantial particulars of -which none but an _eye-witness_ could have been possessed, and by -implications almost too unequivocal to be regarded in the light of -insinuation, to involve the "_titled gambler_" in the guilt of the -transaction. - -My father at once urged Sir Arthur to proceed against the paper in an -action of libel; but he would not hear of it, nor consent to my father's -taking any legal steps whatever in the matter. My father, however, wrote -in a threatening tone to Faulkner, demanding a surrender of the author -of the obnoxious article. The answer to this application is still in -my possession, and is penned in an apologetic tone: it states that -the manuscript had been handed in, paid for, and inserted as an -advertisement, without sufficient inquiry, or any knowledge as to whom -it referred. - -No step, however, was taken to clear my uncle's character in the -judgment of the public; and as he immediately sold a small property, -the application of the proceeds of which was known to none, he was said -to have disposed of it to enable himself to buy off the threatened -information. However the truth might have been, it is certain that no -charges respecting the mysterious murder were afterwards publicly made -against my uncle, and, as far as external disturbances were concerned, -he enjoyed henceforward perfect security and quiet. - -A deep and lasting impression, however, had been made upon the public -mind, and Sir Arthur T----n was no longer visited or noticed by the -gentry and aristocracy of the county, whose attention and courtesies -he had hitherto received. He accordingly affected to despise these -enjoyments which he could not procure, and shunned even that society -which he might have commanded. - -This is all that I need recapitulate of my uncle's history, and I now -recur to my own. Although my father had never, within my recollection, -visited, or been visited by, my uncle, each being of sedentary, -procrastinating, and secluded habits, and their respective residences -being very far apart--the one lying in the county of Galway, the other -in that of Cork--he was strongly attached to his brother, and evinced -his affection by an active correspondence, and by deeply and proudly -resenting that neglect which had marked Sir Arthur as unfit to mix in -society. - -When I was about eighteen years of age, my father, whose health had been -gradually declining, died, leaving me in heart wretched and desolate, -and, owing to his previous seclusion, with few acquaintances, and almost -no friends. - -The provisions of his will were curious, and when I had sufficiently -come to myself to listen to or comprehend them, surprised me not a -little: all his vast property was left to me, and to the heirs of my -body, for ever; and, in default of such heirs, it was to go after my -death to my uncle, Sir Arthur, without any entail. - -At the same time, the will appointed him my guardian, desiring that I -might be received within his house, and reside with his family, and -under his care, during the term of my minority; and in consideration of -the increased expense consequent upon such an arrangement, a handsome -annuity was allotted to him during the term of my proposed residence. - -The object of this last provision I at once understood: my father -desired, by making it the direct, apparent interest of Sir Arthur that -I should die without issue, while at the same time placing me wholly -in his power, to prove to the world how great and unshaken was his -confidence in his brother's innocence and honour, and also to afford -him an opportunity of showing that this mark of confidence was not -unworthily bestowed. - -It was a strange, perhaps an idle scheme; but as I had been always -brought up in the habit of considering my uncle as a deeply-injured man, -and had been taught, almost as a part of my religion, to regard him as -the very soul of honour, I felt no further uneasiness respecting the -arrangement than that likely to result to a timid girl of secluded -habits from the immediate prospect of taking up her abode for the first -time in her life among total strangers. Previous to leaving my home, -which I felt I should do with a heavy heart, I received a most tender -and affectionate letter from my uncle, calculated, if anything could do -so, to remove the bitterness of parting from scenes familiar and dear -from my earliest childhood, and in some degree to reconcile me to the -change. - -It was during a fine autumn that I approached the old domain of -Carrickleigh. I shall not soon forget the impression of sadness and of -gloom which all that I saw produced upon my mind; the sunbeams were -falling with a rich and melancholy tint upon the fine old trees, which -stood in lordly groups, casting their long, sweeping shadows over rock -and sward. There was an air of desolation and decay about the spot, -which amounted almost to desolation; the symptoms of this increased in -number as we approached the building itself, near which the ground -had been originally more artificially and carefully cultivated than -elsewhere, and the neglect consequently more immediately and strikingly -betrayed itself. - -As we proceeded, the road wound near the beds of what had been formerly -two fish-ponds--now nothing more than stagnant swamps, overgrown with -rank weeds, and here and there encroached upon by the straggling -underwood. The avenue itself was much broken, and in many places the -stones were almost concealed by grass and nettles; the loose stone -walls which had here and there intersected the broad park were, in -many places, broken down, so as no longer to answer their original -purpose as fences; piers were now and then to be seen, but the gates -were gone. And, to add to the general air of dilapidation, some huge -trunks were lying scattered through the venerable old trees, either -the work of the winter storms, or perhaps the victims of some extensive -but desultory scheme of denudation, which the projector had not capital -or perseverance to carry into full effect. - -After the carriage had travelled a mile of this avenue, we reached the -summit of rather an abrupt eminence, one of the many which added to the -picturesqueness, if not to the convenience of this rude passage. From -the top of this ridge the grey walls of Carrickleigh were visible, -rising at a small distance in front, and darkened by the hoary -wood which crowded around them. It was a quadrangular building of -considerable extent, and the front which lay towards us, and in which -the great entrance was placed, bore unequivocal marks of antiquity; the -time-worn, solemn aspect of the old building, the ruinous and deserted -appearance of the whole place, and the associations which connected -it with a dark page in the history of my family, combined to depress -spirits already predisposed for the reception of sombre and dejecting -impressions. - -When the carriage drew up in the grass-grown courtyard before the hall -door, two lazy-looking men, whose appearance well accorded with that of -the place which they tenanted, alarmed by the obstreperous barking of a -great chained dog, ran out from some half-ruinous out-houses, and took -charge of the horses; the hall door stood open, and I entered a gloomy -and imperfectly lighted apartment, and found no one within. However, I -had not long to wait in this awkward predicament, for before my luggage -had been deposited in the house--indeed, before I had well removed my -cloak and other wraps, so as to enable me to look around--a young girl -ran lightly into the hall, and kissing me heartily, and somewhat -boisterously, exclaimed: - -"My dear cousin, my dear Margaret, I am so delighted, so out of breath. -We did not expect you till ten o'clock; my father is somewhere about the -place; he must be close at hand. James, Corney--run out and tell your -master--my brother is seldom at home, at least at any reasonable -hour--you must be so tired, so fatigued, let me show you to your room. -See that Lady Margaret's luggage is all brought up, you must lie down -and rest yourself. Deborah, bring some coffee-- Up these stairs! We are -so delighted to see you, you cannot think how lonely I have been. How -steep these stairs are, are they not? I am so glad you are come; I could -hardly bring myself to believe that you were really coming; how good of -you, dear Lady Margaret." - -There was real good nature and delight in my cousin's greeting, and a -kind of constitutional confidence of manner which placed me at once at -ease, and made me feel immediately upon terms of intimacy with her. The -room into which she ushered me, although partaking in the general air of -decay which pervaded the mansion and all about it, had nevertheless been -fitted up with evident attention to comfort, and even with some dingy -attempt at luxury; but what pleased me most was that it opened, by a -second door, upon a lobby which communicated with my fair cousin's -apartment; a circumstance which divested the room, in my eyes, of the -air of solitude and sadness which would otherwise have characterized -it, to a degree almost painful to one so dejected in spirits as I was. - -After such arrangements as I found necessary were completed, we both -went down to the parlour, a large wainscoted room, hung round with grim -old portraits, and, as I was not sorry to see, containing in its ample -grate a large and cheerful fire. Here my cousin had leisure to talk more -at ease; and from her I learned something of the manners and the habits -of the two remaining members of her family, whom I had not yet seen. - -On my arrival I had known nothing of the family among whom I was come -to reside, except that it consisted of three individuals, my uncle, -and his son and daughter, Lady T----n having been long dead. In -addition to this very scanty stock of information, I shortly learned -from my communicative companion that my uncle was, as I had suspected, -completely reserved in his habits, and besides that, having been -so far back as she could well recollect, always rather strict (as -reformed rakes frequently become), he had latterly been growing more -gloomily and sternly religious than heretofore. - -Her account of her brother was far less favourable, though she did not -say anything directly to his disadvantage. From all that I could gather -from her, I was led to suppose that he was a specimen of the idle, -coarse-mannered, profligate, low-minded "squire-archy"--a result which -might naturally have flowed from the circumstance of his being, as it -were, outlawed from society, and driven for companionship to grades -below his own; enjoying, too, the dangerous prerogative of spending much -money. - -However, you may easily suppose that I found nothing in my cousin's -communication fully to bear me out in so very decided a conclusion. - -I awaited the arrival of my uncle, which was every moment to be -expected, with feelings half of alarm, half of curiosity--a sensation -which I have often since experienced, though to a less degree, when upon -the point of standing for the first time in the presence of one of whom -I have long been in the habit of hearing or thinking with interest. - -It was, therefore, with some little perturbation that I heard, first a -light bustle at the outer door, then a slow step traverse the hall, and -finally witnessed the door open, and my uncle enter the room. He was a -striking-looking man; from peculiarities both of person and of garb, the -whole effect of his appearance amounted to extreme singularity. He was -tall, and when young his figure must have been strikingly elegant; as it -was, however, its effect was marred by a very decided stoop. His dress -was of a sober colour, and in fashion anterior to anything which I could -remember. It was, however, handsome, and by no means carelessly put on. -But what completed the singularity of his appearance was his uncut -white hair, which hung in long, but not at all neglected curls, even -so far as his shoulders, and which combined with his regularly classic -features and fine dark eyes, to bestow upon him an air of venerable -dignity and pride which I have never seen equalled elsewhere. I rose as -he entered, and met him about the middle of the room; he kissed my cheek -and both my hands, saying: - -"You are most welcome, dear child, as welcome as the command of this -poor place and all that it contains can make you. I am most rejoiced to -see you--truly rejoiced. I trust that you are not much fatigued--pray -be seated again." He led me to my chair, and continued: "I am glad to -perceive you have made acquaintance with Emily already; I see, in your -being thus brought together, the foundation of a lasting friendship. You -are both innocent, and both young. God bless you--God bless you, and -make you all that I could wish!" - -[Illustration: I ROSE AS HE ENTERED.] - -He raised his eyes, and remained for a few moments silent, as if in -secret prayer. I felt that it was impossible that this man, with -feelings so quick, so warm, so tender, could be the wretch that public -opinion had represented him to be. I was more than ever convinced of his -innocence. - -His manner was, or appeared to me, most fascinating; there was a mingled -kindness and courtesy in it which seemed to speak benevolence itself. It -was a manner which I felt cold art could never have taught; it owed most -of its charm to its appearing to emanate directly from the heart; it -must be a genuine index of the owner's mind. So I thought. - -My uncle having given me fully to understand that I was most welcome, -and might command whatever was his own, pressed me to take some -refreshment; and on my refusing, he observed that previously to bidding -me good-night, he had one duty further to perform, one in whose -observance he was convinced I would cheerfully acquiesce. - -He then proceeded to read a chapter from the Bible; after which he took -his leave with the same affectionate kindness with which he had greeted -me, having repeated his desire that I should consider everything in his -house as altogether at my disposal. It is needless to say that I was -much pleased with my uncle--it was impossible to avoid being so; and I -could not help saying to myself, if such a man as this is not safe from -the assaults of slander, who is? I felt much happier than I had done -since my father's death, and enjoyed that night the first refreshing -sleep which had visited me since that event. - -My curiosity respecting my male cousin did not long remain -unsatisfied--he appeared the next day at dinner. His manners, though not -so coarse as I had expected, were exceedingly disagreeable; there was an -assurance and a forwardness for which I was not prepared; there was less -of the vulgarity of manner, and almost more of that of the mind, than I -had anticipated. I felt quite uncomfortable in his presence; there was -just that confidence in his look and tone which would read encouragement -even in mere toleration; and I felt more disgusted and annoyed at the -coarse and extravagant compliments which he was pleased from time to -time to pay me, than perhaps the extent of the atrocity might fully -have warranted. It was, however, one consolation that he did not often -appear, being much engrossed by pursuits about which I neither knew nor -cared anything; but when he did appear, his attentions, either with -a view to his amusement or to some more serious advantage, were so -obviously and perseveringly directed to me, that young and inexperienced -as I was, even _I_ could not be ignorant of his preference. I felt more -provoked by this odious persecution than I can express, and discouraged -him with so much vigour, that I employed even rudeness to convince him -his assiduities were unwelcome; but all in vain. - -This had gone on for nearly a twelvemonth, to my infinite annoyance, -when one day as I was sitting at some needlework with my companion -Emily, as was my habit, in the parlour, the door opened, and my cousin -Edward entered the room. There was something, I thought, odd in his -manner; a kind of struggle between shame and impudence--a kind of flurry -and ambiguity which made him appear, if possible, more than ordinarily -disagreeable. - -"Your servant, ladies," he said, seating himself at the same time; -"sorry to spoil your _tête-à-tête_, but never mind! I'll only take -Emily's place for a minute or two; and then we part for a while, -fair cousin. Emily, my father wants you in the corner turret. No -shilly-shally; he's in a hurry." She hesitated. "Be off--tramp, march!" -he exclaimed, in a tone which the poor girl dared not disobey. - -She left the room, and Edward followed her to the door. He stood there -for a minute or two, as if reflecting what he should say, perhaps -satisfying himself that no one was within hearing in the hall. - -At length he turned about, having closed the door, as if carelessly, -with his foot; and advancing slowly, as if in deep thought, he took his -seat at the side of the table opposite to mine. - -There was a brief interval of silence, after which he said: - -"I imagine that you have a shrewd suspicion of the object of my early -visit; but I suppose I must go into particulars. Must I?" - -"I have no conception," I replied, "what your object may be." - -"Well, well," said he, becoming more at his ease as he proceeded, -"it may be told in a few words. You know that it is totally -impossible--quite out of the question--that an off-hand young fellow -like me, and a good-looking girl like yourself, could meet continually, -as you and I have done, without an attachment--a liking growing up on -one side or other; in short, I think I have let you know as plain as if -I spoke it, that I have been in love with you almost from the first time -I saw you." - -He paused; but I was too much horrified to speak. He interpreted my -silence favourably. - -"I can tell you," he continued, "I'm reckoned rather hard to please, and -very hard to _hit_. I can't say when I was taken with a girl before; so -you see fortune reserved me----" - -Here the odious wretch wound his arm round my waist. The action at -once restored me to utterance, and with the most indignant vehemence I -released myself from his hold, and at the same time said: - -"I have not been insensible, sir, of your most disagreeable -attentions--they have long been a source of much annoyance to me; and -you must be aware that I have marked my disapprobation--my disgust--as -unequivocally as I possibly could, without actual indelicacy." - -I paused, almost out of breath from the rapidity with which I had -spoken; and, without giving him time to renew the conversation, I -hastily quitted the room, leaving him in a paroxysm of rage and -mortification. - -As I ascended the stairs, I heard him open the parlour-door with -violence, and take two or three rapid strides in the direction in which -I was moving. I was now much frightened, and ran the whole way until I -reached my room; and having locked the door, I listened breathlessly, -but heard no sound. This relieved me for the present; but so much had -I been overcome by the agitation and annoyance attendant upon the scene -which I had just gone through, that when Emily knocked at my door, I was -weeping in strong hysterics. - -[Illustration: LEAVING HIM IN A PAROXYSM OF RAGE AND MORTIFICATION.] - -You will readily conceive my distress, when you reflect upon my strong -dislike to my cousin Edward, combined with my youth and extreme -inexperience. Any proposal of such a nature must have agitated me; but -that it should have come from the man whom of all others I most loathed -and abhorred, and to whom I had, as clearly as manner could do it, -expressed the state of my feelings, was almost too overwhelming to be -borne. It was a calamity, too, in which I could not claim the sympathy -of my cousin Emily, which had always been extended to me in my minor -grievances. Still I hoped that it might not be unattended with good; for -I thought that one inevitable and most welcome consequence would result -from this painful _eclaircissement_, in the discontinuance of my -cousin's odious persecution. - -When I arose next morning, it was with the fervent hope that I might -never again behold the face, or even hear the name, of my cousin Edward; -but such a consummation, though devoutly to be wished, was hardly likely -to occur. The painful impressions of yesterday were too vivid to be at -once erased; and I could not help feeling some dim foreboding of coming -annoyance and evil. - -To expect on my suitor's part anything like delicacy or consideration -for me was out of the question. I saw that he had set his heart upon -my property, and that he was not likely easily to forego such an -acquisition--possessing what might have been considered opportunities -and facilities almost to compel my compliance. - -I now keenly felt the unreasonableness of my father's conduct in placing -me to reside with a family of all whose members, with one exception, -he was wholly ignorant, and I bitterly felt the helplessness of my -situation. I determined, however, in case of my cousin's persevering in -his addresses, to lay all the particulars before my uncle (although -he had never in kindness or intimacy gone a step beyond our first -interview), and to throw myself upon his hospitality and his sense of -honour for protection against a repetition of such scenes. - -My cousin's conduct may appear to have been an inadequate cause for -such serious uneasiness; but my alarm was caused neither by his acts -nor words, but entirely by his manner, which was strange and even -intimidating to excess. At the beginning of yesterday's interview there -was a sort of bullying swagger in his air, which towards the close gave -place to the brutal vehemence of an undisguised ruffian--a transition -which had tempted me into a belief that he might seek even forcibly -to extort from me a consent to his wishes, or by means still more -horrible, of which I scarcely dared to trust myself to think, to possess -himself of my property. - -I was early next day summoned to attend my uncle in his private room, -which lay in a corner turret of the old building; and thither I -accordingly went, wondering all the way what this unusual measure might -prelude. When I entered the room, he did not rise in his usual courteous -way to greet me, but simply pointed to a chair opposite to his own. This -boded nothing agreeable. I sat down, however, silently waiting until he -should open the conversation. - -"Lady Margaret," at length he said, in a tone of greater sternness than -I had thought him capable of using, "I have hitherto spoken to you as a -friend, but I have not forgotten that I am also your guardian, and that -my authority as such gives me a right to control your conduct. I shall -put a question to you, and I expect and will demand a plain, direct -answer. Have I rightly been informed that you have contemptuously -rejected the suit and hand of my son Edward?" - -I stammered forth with a good deal of trepidation: - -"I believe--that is, I have, sir, rejected my cousin's proposals; and my -coldness and discouragement might have convinced him that I had -determined to do so." - -"Madam," replied he, with suppressed, but, as it appeared to me, -intense anger, "I have lived long enough to know that coldness and -discouragement, and such terms, form the common cant of a worthless -coquette. You know to the full, as well as I, that _coldness and -discouragement_ may be so exhibited as to convince their object that he -is neither distasteful nor indifferent to the person who wears this -manner. You know, too, none better, that an affected neglect, when -skilfully managed, is amongst the most formidable of the engines which -artful beauty can employ. I tell you, madam, that having, without one -word spoken in discouragement, permitted my son's most marked attentions -for a twelvemonth or more, you have no right to dismiss him with no -further explanation than demurely telling him that you had always looked -coldly upon him; and neither your wealth nor your _ladyship_" (there was -an emphasis of scorn on the word, which would have become Sir Giles -Overreach himself) "can warrant you in treating with contempt the -affectionate regard of an honest heart." - -I was too much shocked at this undisguised attempt to bully me into an -acquiescence in the interested and unprincipled plan for their own -aggrandizement, which I now perceived my uncle and his son to have -deliberately entered into, at once to find strength or collectedness to -frame an answer to what he had said. At length I replied, with some -firmness: - -"In all that you have just now said, sir, you have grossly misstated my -conduct and motives. Your information must have been most incorrect as -far as it regards my conduct towards my cousin; my manner towards him -could have conveyed nothing but dislike; and if anything could have -added to the strong aversion which I have long felt towards him, it -would be his attempting thus to trick and frighten me into a marriage -which he knows to be revolting to me, and which is sought by him only as -a means for securing to himself whatever property is mine." - -As I said this, I fixed my eyes upon those of my uncle, but he was too -old in the world's ways to falter beneath the gaze of more searching -eyes than mine; he simply said: - -"Are you acquainted with the provisions of your father's will?" - -I answered in the affirmative; and he continued: - -"Then you must be aware that if my son Edward were--which God -forbid--the unprincipled, reckless man you pretend to think him"--(here -he spoke very slowly, as if he intended that every word which escaped -him should be registered in my memory, while at the same time the -expression of his countenance underwent a gradual but horrible change, -and the eyes which he fixed upon me became so darkly vivid, that I -almost lost sight of everything else)--"if he were what you have -described him, think you, girl, he could find no briefer means than -wedding contracts to gain his ends? 'twas but to gripe your slender neck -until the breath had stopped, and lands, and lakes, and all were his." - -[Illustration: "TWAS BUT TO GRIPE YOUR SLENDER NECK UNTIL THE BREATH HAD -STOPPED."] - -I stood staring at him for many minutes after he had ceased to speak, -fascinated by the terrible serpent-like gaze, until he continued with a -welcome change of countenance: - -"I will not speak again to you upon this topic until one month has -passed. You shall have time to consider the relative advantages of the -two courses which are open to you. I should be sorry to hurry you to -a decision. I am satisfied with having stated my feelings upon the -subject, and pointed out to you the path of duty. Remember this day -month--not one word sooner." - -He then rose, and I left the room, much agitated and exhausted. - -This interview, all the circumstances attending it, but most -particularly the formidable expression of my uncle's countenance while -he talked, though hypothetically, of murder, combined to arouse all my -worst suspicions of him. I dreaded to look upon the face that had so -recently worn the appalling livery of guilt and malignity. I regarded it -with the mingled fear and loathing with which one looks upon an object -which has tortured them in a nightmare. - -In a few days after the interview, the particulars of which I have just -related, I found a note upon my toilet-table, and on opening it I read -as follows: - - -"MY DEAR LADY MARGARET, - -"You will be perhaps surprised to see a strange face in your room -to-day. I have dismissed your Irish maid, and secured a French one to -wait upon you--a step rendered necessary by my proposing shortly to -visit the Continent, with all my family. - - "Your faithful guardian, - "ARTHUR T----N." - - -On inquiry, I found that my faithful attendant was actually gone, and -far on her way to the town of Galway; and in her stead there appeared -a tall, raw-boned, ill-looking, elderly Frenchwoman, whose sullen and -presuming manners seemed to imply that her vocation had never before -been that of a lady's maid. I could not help regarding her as a creature -of my uncle's, and therefore to be dreaded, even had she been in no -other way suspicious. - -Days and weeks passed away without any, even a momentary doubt upon my -part, as to the course to be pursued by me. The allotted period had at -length elapsed; the day arrived on which I was to communicate my -decision to my uncle. Although my resolution had never for a moment -wavered, I could not shake off the dread of the approaching colloquy; -and my heart sank within me as I heard the expected summons. - -I had not seen my cousin Edward since the occurrence of the grand -_eclaircissement_; he must have studiously avoided me--I suppose from -policy, it could not have been from delicacy. I was prepared for a -terrific burst of fury from my uncle, as soon as I should make known my -determination; and I not unreasonably feared that some act of violence -or of intimidation would next be resorted to. - -Filled with these dreary forebodings, I fearfully opened the study door, -and the next minute I stood in my uncle's presence. He received me with -a politeness which I dreaded, as arguing a favourable anticipation -respecting the answer which I was to give; and after some slight delay, -he began by saying: - -"It will be a relief to both of us, I believe, to bring this -conversation as soon as possible to an issue. You will excuse me, then, -my dear niece, for speaking with an abruptness which, under other -circumstances, would be unpardonable. You have, I am certain, given the -subject of our last interview fair and serious consideration; and I -trust that you are now prepared with candour to lay your answer before -me. A few words will suffice--we perfectly understand one another." - -He paused, and I, though feeling that I stood upon a mine which might in -an instant explode, nevertheless answered with perfect composure: - -"I must now, sir, make the same reply which I did upon the last -occasion, and I reiterate the declaration which I then made, that I -never can nor will, while life and reason remain, consent to a union -with my cousin Edward." - -This announcement wrought no apparent change in Sir Arthur, except that -he became deadly, almost lividly pale. He seemed lost in dark thought -for a minute, and then with a slight effort said: - -"You have answered me honestly and directly; and you say your -resolution is unchangeable. Well, would it had been otherwise--would it -had been otherwise; but be it as it is, I am satisfied." - -He gave me his hand--it was cold and damp as death; under an assumed -calmness, it was evident that he was fearfully agitated. He continued -to hold my hand with an almost painful pressure, while, as if -unconsciously, seeming to forget my presence, he muttered: - -"Strange, strange, strange, indeed! fatuity, helpless fatuity!" there -was here a long pause. "Madness indeed to strain a cable that is rotten -to the very heart--it must break--and then--all goes." - -There was again a pause of some minutes, after which, suddenly changing -his voice and manner to one of wakeful alacrity, he exclaimed: - -"Margaret, my son Edward shall plague you no more. He leaves this -country on to-morrow for France--he shall speak no more upon this -subject--never, never more--whatever events depended upon your answer -must now take their own course; but, as for this fruitless proposal, it -has been tried enough; it can be repeated no more." - -At these words he coldly suffered my hand to drop, as if to express -his total abandonment of all his projected schemes of alliance; and -certainly the action, with the accompanying words, produced upon my mind -a more solemn and depressing effect than I believed possible to have -been caused by the course which I had determined to pursue; it struck -upon my heart with an awe and heaviness which _will_ accompany the -accomplishment of an important and irrevocable act, even though no doubt -or scruple remains to make it possible that the agent should wish it -undone. - -"Well," said my uncle, after a little time, "we now cease to speak upon -this topic, never to resume it again. Remember you shall have no further -uneasiness from Edward; he leaves Ireland for France on to-morrow; this -will be a relief to you. May I depend upon your honour that no word -touching the subject of this interview shall ever escape you?" - -I gave him the desired assurance; he said: - -"It is well--I am satisfied; we have nothing more, I believe, to say -upon either side, and my presence must be a restraint upon you, I shall -therefore bid you farewell." - -I then left the apartment, scarcely knowing what to think of the strange -interview which had just taken place. - -On the next day my uncle took occasion to tell me that Edward had -actually sailed, if his intention had not been interfered with by -adverse circumstances; and two days subsequently he actually produced a -letter from his son, written, as it said, on board, and despatched while -the ship was getting under weigh. This was a great satisfaction to me -and as being likely to prove so, it was no doubt communicated to me by -Sir Arthur. - -During all this trying period, I had found infinite consolation in the -society and sympathy of my dear cousin Emily. I never in after-life -formed a friendship so close, so fervent, and upon which, in all its -progress, I could look back with feelings of such unalloyed pleasure, -upon whose termination I must ever dwell with so deep, yet so -unembittered regret. In cheerful converse with her I soon recovered my -spirits considerably, and passed my time agreeably enough, although -still in the strictest seclusion. - -Matters went on sufficiently smooth, although I could not help sometimes -feeling a momentary, but horrible uncertainty respecting my uncle's -character; which was not altogether unwarranted by the circumstances of -the two trying interviews whose particulars I have just detailed. The -unpleasant impression which these conferences were calculated to leave -upon my mind was fast wearing away, when there occurred a circumstance, -slight indeed in itself, but calculated irresistibly to awaken all my -worst suspicions, and to overwhelm me again with anxiety and terror. - -I had one day left the house with my cousin Emily, in order to take a -ramble of considerable length, for the purpose of sketching some -favourite views, and she had walked about half a mile, when I perceived -that we had forgotten our drawing materials, the absence of which -would have defeated the object of our walk. Laughing at our own -thoughtlessness, we returned to the house, and leaving Emily without, I -ran upstairs to procure the drawing-books and pencils, which lay in my -bedroom. - -As I ran up the stairs I was met by the tall, ill-looking Frenchwoman, -evidently a good deal flurried. - -"Que veut, madame?" said she, with a more decided effort to be polite -than I had ever known her make before. - -"No, no--no matter," said I, hastily running by her in the direction of -my room. - -"Madame," cried she, in a high key, "restez ici, s'il vous plait; votre -chambre n'est pas faite--your room is not ready for your reception yet." - -I continued to move on without heeding her. She was some way behind me, -and feeling that she could not otherwise prevent my entrance, for I was -now upon the very lobby, she made a desperate attempt to seize hold of -my person: she succeeded in grasping the end of my shawl, which she drew -from my shoulders; but slipping at the same time upon the polished oak -floor, she fell at full length upon the boards. - -A little frightened as well as angry at the rudeness of this strange -woman, I hastily pushed open the door of my room, at which I now stood, -in order to escape from her; but great was my amazement on entering to -find the apartment occupied. - -The window was open, and beside it stood two male figures; they appeared -to be examining the fastenings of the casement, and their backs were -turned towards the door. One of them was my uncle; they both turned on -my entrance, as if startled. The stranger was booted and cloaked, and -wore a heavy broad-leafed hat over his brows. He turned but for a -moment, and averted his face; but I had seen enough to convince me that -he was no other than my cousin Edward. My uncle had some iron instrument -in his hand, which he hastily concealed behind his back; and, coming -towards me, said something as if in an explanatory tone; but I was too -much shocked and confounded to understand what it might be. He said -something about "repairs--window-frames--cold, and safety." - -I did not wait, however, to ask or to receive explanations, but hastily -left the room. As I went down the stairs I thought I heard the voice of -the French woman in all the shrill volubility of excuse, which was met, -however, by suppressed but vehement imprecations, or what seemed to me -to be such, in which the voice of my cousin Edward distinctly mingled. - -I joined my cousin Emily quite out of breath. I need not say that my -head was too full of other things to think much of drawing for that day. -I imparted to her frankly the cause of my alarms, but at the same time -as gently as I could; and with tears she promised vigilance, and -devotion, and love. I never had reason for a moment to repent the -unreserved confidence which I then reposed in her. She was no less -surprised than I at the unexpected appearance of her brother, whose -departure for France neither of us had for a moment doubted, but which -was now proved by his actual presence to be nothing more than an -imposture, practised, I feared, for no good end. - -The situation in which I had found my uncle had removed completely all -my doubts as to his designs. I magnified suspicions into certainties, -and dreaded night after night that I should be murdered in my bed. The -nervousness produced by sleepless nights and days of anxious fears -increased the horrors of my situation to such a degree, that I at length -wrote a letter to a Mr. Jefferies, an old and faithful friend of my -father's, and perfectly acquainted with all his affairs, praying him, -for God's sake, to relieve me from my present terrible situation, and -communicating without reserve the nature and grounds of my suspicions. - -This letter I kept sealed and directed for two or three days always -about my person--for discovery would have been ruinous--in expectation -of an opportunity which might be safely trusted, whereby to have it -placed in the post-office. As neither Emily nor I was permitted to pass -beyond the precincts of the demesne itself, which was surrounded by high -walls formed of dry stone, the difficulty of procuring such an -opportunity was greatly enhanced. - -At this time Emily had a short conversation with her father, which she -reported to me instantly. - -After some indifferent matter, he had asked her whether she and I were -upon good terms, and whether I was unreserved in my disposition. She -answered in the affirmative; and he then inquired whether I had been -much surprised to find him in my chamber on the other day. She answered -that I had been both surprised and amused. - -"And what did she think of George Wilson's appearance?" - -"Who?" inquired she. - -"Oh, the architect," he answered, "who is to contract for the repairs of -the house; he is accounted a handsome fellow." - -"She could not see his face," said Emily, "and she was in such a hurry -to escape that she scarcely noticed him." - -Sir Arthur appeared satisfied, and the conversation ended. - -This slight conversation, repeated accurately to me by Emily, had the -effect of confirming, if indeed anything was required to do so, all -that I had before believed as to Edward's actual presence; and I -naturally became, if possible, more anxious than ever to despatch the -letter to Mr. Jefferies. An opportunity at length occurred. - -As Emily and I were walking one day near the gate of the demesne, a man -from the village happened to be passing down the avenue from the house; -the spot was secluded, and as this person was not connected by service -with those whose observation I dreaded, I committed the letter to his -keeping, with strict injunctions that he should put it without delay -into the receiver of the town post-office; at the same time I added a -suitable gratuity, and the man, having made many protestations of -punctuality, was soon out of sight. - -He was hardly gone when I began to doubt my discretion in having trusted -this person; but I had no better or safer means of despatching the -letter, and I was not warranted in suspecting him of such wanton -dishonesty as an inclination to tamper with it; but I could not be quite -satisfied of its safety until I had received an answer, which could not -arrive for a few days. Before I did, however, an event occurred which a -little surprised me. - -I was sitting in my bedroom early in the day, reading by myself, when I -heard a knock at the door. - -"Come in," said I; and my uncle entered the room. - -"Will you excuse me?" said he. "I sought you in the parlour, and thence -I have come here. I desire to say a word with you. I trust that you have -hitherto found my conduct to you such as that of a guardian towards his -ward should be." - -I dared not withhold my assent. - -"And," he continued, "I trust that you have not found me harsh or -unjust, and that you have perceived, my dear niece, that I have sought -to make this poor place as agreeable to you as may be." - -I assented again; and he put his hand in his pocket, whence he drew a -folded paper, and dashing it upon the table with startling emphasis, he -said,-- - -"Did you write that letter?" - -The sudden and fearful alteration of his voice, manner, and face, but, -more than all, the unexpected production of my letter to Mr. Jefferies, -which I at once recognized, so confounded and terrified me that I felt -almost choking. - -I could not utter a word. - -"Did you write that letter?" he repeated, with slow and intense -emphasis. "You did, liar and hypocrite! You dared to write this foul and -infamous libel; but it shall be your last. Men will universally believe -you mad, if I choose to call for an inquiry. I can make you appear so. -The suspicions expressed in this letter are the hallucinations and -alarms of moping lunacy. I have defeated your first attempt, madam; and -by the holy God, if ever you make another, chains, straw, darkness, and -the keeper's whip shall be your lasting portion!" - -With these astounding words he left the room, leaving me almost -fainting. - -I was now almost reduced to despair; my last cast had failed; I had no -course left but that of eloping secretly from the castle and placing -myself under the protection of the nearest magistrate. I felt if this -were not done, and speedily, that I should be _murdered_. - -No one, from mere description, can have an idea of the unmitigated -horror of my situation--a helpless, weak, inexperienced girl, placed -under the power and wholly at the mercy of evil men, and feeling that -she had it not in her power to escape for a moment from the malignant -influences under which she was probably fated to fall; and with a -consciousness that if violence, if murder were designed, her dying -shriek would be lost in void space; no human being would be near to aid -her, no human interposition could deliver her. - -I had seen Edward but once during his visit, and, as I did not meet with -him again, I began to think that he must have taken his departure--a -conviction which was to a certain degree satisfactory, as I regarded -his absence as indicating the removal of immediate danger. - -Emily also arrived circuitously at the same conclusion, and not without -good grounds, for she managed indirectly to learn that Edward's black -horse had actually been for a day and part of a night in the castle -stables, just at the time of her brother's supposed visit. The horse had -gone and, as she argued, the rider must have departed with it. - -This point being so far settled, I felt a little less uncomfortable; -when, being one day alone in my bedroom, I happened to look out from the -window, and, to my unutterable horror, I beheld, peering through an -opposite casement, my cousin Edward's face. Had I seen the evil one -himself in bodily shape, I could not have experienced a more sickening -revulsion. - -I was too much appalled to move at once from the window, but I did so -soon enough to avoid his eye. He was looking fixedly into the narrow -quadrangle upon which the window opened. I shrank back unperceived, to -pass the rest of the day in terror and despair. I went to my room early -that night, but I was too miserable to sleep. - -At about twelve o'clock, feeling very nervous, I determined to call my -cousin Emily, who slept, you will remember, in the next room, which -communicated with mine by a second door. By this private entrance I -found my way into her chamber, and without difficulty persuaded her to -return to my room and sleep with me. We accordingly lay down together, -she undressed, and I with my clothes on, for I was every moment walking -up and down the room, and felt too nervous and miserable to think of -rest or comfort. - -Emily was soon fast asleep, and I lay awake, fervently longing for the -first pale gleam of morning; reckoning every stroke of the old clock -with an impatience which made every hour appear like six. - -It must have been about one o'clock when I thought I heard a slight -noise at the partition-door between Emily's room and mine, as if caused -by somebody turning the key in the lock. I held my breath, and the same -sound was repeated at the second door of my room--that which opened upon -the lobby--the sound was here distinctly caused by the revolution of the -bolt in the lock, and it was followed by a slight pressure upon the door -itself, as if to ascertain the security of the lock. - -The person, whoever it might be, was probably satisfied, for I heard the -old boards of the lobby creak and strain, as if under the weight of -somebody moving cautiously over them. My sense of hearing became -unnaturally, almost painfully acute. I suppose my imagination added -distinctness to sounds vague in themselves. I thought that I could -actually hear the breathing of the person who was slowly returning down -the lobby. At the head of the staircase there appeared to occur a pause; -and I could distinctly hear two or three sentences hastily whispered; -the steps then descended the stairs with apparently less caution. I now -ventured to walk quickly and lightly to the lobby door, and attempted to -open it; it was indeed fast locked upon the outside, as was also the -other. - -I now felt that the dreadful hour was come; but one desperate expedient -remained--it was to awaken Emily, and by our united strength to attempt -to force the partition-door, which was slighter than the other, and -through this to pass to the lower part of the house, whence it might be -possible to escape to the grounds, and forth to the village. - -I returned to the bedside and shook Emily, but in vain. Nothing that -I could do availed to produce from her more than a few incoherent -words--it was a deathlike sleep. She had certainly drunk of some -narcotic, as had I probably also, spite of all the caution with which -I had examined everything presented to us to eat or drink. - -I now attempted, with as little noise as possible, to force first one -door, then the other; but all in vain. I believe no strength could have -effected my object, for both doors opened inwards. I therefore collected -whatever movables I could carry thither, and piled them against the -doors, so as to assist me in whatever attempts I should make to -resist the entrance of those without. I then returned to the bed and -endeavoured again, but fruitlessly, to awaken my cousin. It was not -sleep, it was torpor, lethargy, death. I knelt down and prayed with an -agony of earnestness; and then seating myself upon the bed, I awaited my -fate with a kind of terrible tranquillity. - -I heard a faint clanking sound from the narrow court which I have -already mentioned, as if caused by the scraping of some iron instrument -against stones or rubbish. I at first determined not to disturb the -calmness which I now felt by uselessly watching the proceedings of those -who sought my life; but as the sounds continued, the horrible curiosity -which I felt overcame every other emotion, and I determined, at all -hazards, to gratify it. I therefore crawled upon my knees to the window, -so as to let the smallest portion of my head appear above the sill. - -The moon was shining with an uncertain radiance upon the antique grey -buildings, and obliquely upon the narrow court beneath, one side of -which was therefore clearly illuminated, while the other was lost in -obscurity; the sharp outlines of the old gables, with their nodding -clusters of ivy, being at first alone visible. - -Whoever or whatever occasioned the noise which had excited my curiosity, -was concealed under the shadow of the dark side of the quadrangle. I -placed my hand over my eyes to shade them from the moonlight, which was -so bright as to be almost dazzling, and, peering into the darkness, I -first dimly, but afterwards gradually almost with full distinctness, -beheld the form of a man engaged in digging what appeared to be a rude -hole close under the wall. Some implements, probably a shovel and -pickaxe, lay beside him, and to these he every now and then applied -himself as the nature of the ground required. He pursued his task -rapidly, and with as little noise as possible. - -"So," thought I, as, shovelful after shovelful, the dislodged rubbish -mounted into a heap, "they are digging the grave in which, before two -hours pass, I must lie, a cold, mangled corpse. I am _theirs_--I cannot -escape." - -I felt as if my reason was leaving me. I started to my feet, and in mere -despair I applied myself again to each of the two doors alternately. I -strained every nerve and sinew, but I might as well have attempted, with -my single strength, to force the building itself from its foundation. I -threw myself madly upon the ground, and clasped my hands over my eyes as -if to shut out the horrible images which crowded upon me. - -The paroxysm passed away. I prayed once more, with the bitter, agonized -fervour of one who feels that the hour of death is present and -inevitable. When I arose, I went once more to the window and looked out, -just in time to see a shadowy figure glide stealthily along the wall. -The task was finished. The catastrophe of the tragedy must soon be -accomplished. - -I determined now to defend my life to the last; and that I might be able -to do so with some effect, I searched the room for something which might -serve as a weapon; but either through accident, or from an anticipation -of such a possibility, everything which might have been made available -for such a purpose had been carefully removed. I must then die tamely, -and without an effort to defend myself. - -A thought suddenly struck me--might it not be possible to escape through -the door, which the assassin must open in order to enter the room? I -resolved to make the attempt. I felt assured that the door through which -ingress to the room would be effected was that which opened upon the -lobby. It was the more direct way, besides being, for obvious reasons, -less liable to interruption than the other. I resolved, then, to place -myself behind a projection of the wall, whose shadow would serve fully -to conceal me, and when the door should be opened, and before they -should have discovered the identity of the occupant of the bed, to -creep noiselessly from the room, and then to trust to Providence for -escape. - -In order to facilitate this scheme, I removed all the lumber which I had -heaped against the door; and I had nearly completed my arrangements, -when I perceived the room suddenly darkened by the close approach of -some shadowy object to the window. On turning my eyes in that direction, -I observed at the top of the casement, as if suspended from above, first -the feet, then the legs, then the body, and at length the whole figure -of a man present himself. It was Edward T----n. - -He appeared to be guiding his descent so as to bring his feet upon the -centre of the stone block which occupied the lower part of the window; -and, having secured his footing upon this, he kneeled down and began to -gaze into the room. As the moon was gleaming into the chamber, and the -bed-curtains were drawn, he was able to distinguish the bed itself and -its contents. He appeared satisfied with his scrutiny, for he looked up -and made a sign with his hand, upon which the rope by which his descent -had been effected was slackened from above, and he proceeded to -disengage it from his waist; this accomplished, he applied his hands to -the window-frame, which must have been ingeniously contrived for the -purpose, for, with apparently no resistance, the whole frame, containing -casement and all, slipped from its position in the wall, and was by him -lowered into the room. - -The cold night wind waved the bed-curtains, and he paused for a moment; -all was still again, and he stepped in upon the floor of the room. -He held in his hand what appeared to be a steel instrument, shaped -something like a hammer, but larger and sharper at the extremities. This -he held rather behind him, while, with three long, tip-toe strides, he -brought himself to the bedside. - -I felt that the discovery must now be made, and held my breath in -momentary expectation of the execration in which he would vent his -surprise and disappointment. I closed my eyes--there was a pause, but it -was a short one. I heard two dull blows, given in rapid succession: a -quivering sigh, and the long-drawn, heavy breathing of the sleeper was -for ever suspended. I unclosed my eyes, and saw the murderer fling the -quilt across the head of his victim: he then, with the instrument of -death still in his hand, proceeded to the lobby door, upon which he -tapped sharply twice or thrice. A quick step was then heard approaching, -and a voice whispered something from without. Edward answered, with a -kind of chuckle, "Her ladyship is past complaining; unlock the door, in -the devil's name, unless you're afraid to come in, and help me to lift -the body out of the window." - -The key was turned in the lock--the door opened, and my uncle entered -the room. - -I have told you already that I had placed myself under the shade of a -projection of the wall, close to the door. I had instinctively shrunk -down, cowering towards the ground, on the entrance of Edward through the -window. When my uncle entered the room, he and his son both stood so -very close to me that his hand was every moment upon the point of -touching my face. I held my breath, and remained motionless as death. - -"You had no interruption from the next room?" said my uncle. - -"No," was the brief reply. - -"Secure the jewels, Ned; the French harpy must not lay her claws upon -them. You're a steady hand, by G----! not much blood--eh?" - -"Not twenty drops," replied his son, "and those on the quilt." - -"I'm glad it's over," whispered my uncle again. "We must lift the--the -_thing_ through the window and lay the rubbish over it." - -They then turned to the bedside, and, winding the bed-clothes round the -body, carried it between them slowly to the window, and, exchanging -a few brief words with some one below, they shoved it over the -window-sill, and I heard it fall heavily on the ground underneath. - -"I'll take the jewels," said my uncle; "there are two caskets in the -lower drawer." - -He proceeded, with an accuracy which, had I been more at ease, would -have furnished me with matter of astonishment, to lay his hand upon the -very spot where my jewels lay; and having possessed himself of them, he -called to his son: - -"Is the rope made fast above?" - -"I'm not a fool--to be sure it is," replied he. - -They then lowered themselves from the window. I now rose lightly and -cautiously, scarcely daring to breathe, from my place of concealment, -and was creeping towards the door, when I heard my cousin's voice, in -a sharp whisper, exclaim: "Scramble up again! G--d d----n you, you've -forgot to lock the room-door!" and I perceived, by the straining of the -rope which hung from above, that the mandate was instantly obeyed. - -Not a second was to be lost. I passed through the door, which was only -closed, and moved as rapidly as I could, consistently with stillness, -along the lobby. Before I had gone many yards, I heard the door through -which I had just passed double-locked on the inside. I glided down the -stairs in terror, lest, at every corner, I should meet the murderer or -one of his accomplices. - -I reached the hall, and listened for a moment, to ascertain whether all -was silent around; no sound was audible. The parlour windows opened on -the park, and through one of them I might, I thought, easily effect my -escape. Accordingly, I hastily entered; but, to my consternation, a -candle was burning in the room, and by its light I saw a figure seated -at the dinner-table, upon which lay glasses, bottles, and the other -accompaniments of a drinking-party. Two or three chairs were placed -about the table irregularly, as if hastily abandoned by their occupants. - -A single glance satisfied me that the figure was that of my French -attendant. She was fast asleep, having probably drunk deeply. There was -something malignant and ghastly in the calmness of this bad woman's -features, dimly illuminated as they were by the flickering blaze of the -candle. A knife lay upon the table, and the terrible thought, struck -me--"Should I kill this sleeping accomplice, and thus secure my -retreat?" - -Nothing could be easier--it was but to draw the blade across her -throat--the work of a second. An instant's pause, however, corrected me. -"No," thought I, "the God who has conducted me thus far through the -valley of the shadow of death, will not abandon me now. I will fall into -their hands, or I will escape hence, but it shall be free from the stain -of blood. His will be done!" - -I felt a confidence arising from this reflection, an assurance of -protection which I cannot describe. There was no other means of escape, -so I advanced, with a firm step and collected mind, to the window. I -noiselessly withdrew the bars and unclosed the shutters--I pushed open -the casement, and, without waiting to look behind me, I ran with my -utmost speed, scarcely feeling the ground under me, down the avenue, -taking care to keep upon the grass which bordered it. - -I did not for a moment slacken my speed, and I had now gained the centre -point between the park-gate and the mansion-house. Here the avenue made -a wider circuit, and in order to avoid delay, I directed my way across -the smooth sward round which the pathway wound, intending, at the -opposite side of the flat, at a point which I distinguished by a group -of old birch-trees, to enter again upon the beaten track, which was from -thence tolerably direct to the gate. - -I had, with my utmost speed, got about half way across this broad flat, -when the rapid treading of a horse's hoofs struck upon my ear. My heart -swelled in my bosom as though I would smother. The clattering of -galloping hoofs approached--I was pursued--they were now upon the sward -on which I was running--there was not a bush or a bramble to shelter -me--and, as if to render escape altogether desperate, the moon, which -had hitherto been obscured, at this moment shone forth with a broad -clear light, which made every object distinctly visible. - -The sounds were now close behind me. I felt my knees bending under me, -with the sensation which torments one in dreams. I reeled--I stumbled--I -fell--and at the same instant the cause of my alarm wheeled past me at -full gallop. It was one of the young fillies which pastured loose about -the park, whose frolics had thus all but maddened me with terror. I -scrambled to my feet, and rushed on with weak but rapid steps, my -sportive companion still galloping round and round me with many a frisk -and fling, until, at length, more dead than alive, I reached the -avenue-gate, and crossed the stile, I scarce knew how. - -I ran through the village, in which all was silent as the grave, until -my progress was arrested by the hoarse voice of a sentinel, who cried, -"Who goes there?" I felt that I was now safe. I turned in the direction -of the voice, and fell fainting at the soldier's feet. When I came to -myself, I was sitting in a miserable hovel, surrounded by strange faces, -all bespeaking curiosity and compassion. - -Many soldiers were in it also: indeed, as I afterwards found, it was -employed as a guard-room by a detachment of troops quartered for that -night in the town. In a few words I informed their officer of the -circumstances which had occurred, describing also the appearance of the -persons engaged in the murder; and he, without loss of time, proceeded -to the mansion-house of Carrickleigh, taking with him a party of his -men. But the villains had discovered their mistake, and had effected -their escape before the arrival of the military. - -The Frenchwoman was, however, arrested in the neighbourhood upon the -next day. She was tried and condemned upon the ensuing assizes; and -previous to her execution, confessed that "_she had a hand in making -Hugh Tisdall's bed_." She had been a housekeeper in the castle at the -time, and a kind of _chère amie_ of my uncle's. She was, in reality, -able to speak English like a native, but had exclusively used the French -language, I suppose, to facilitate her disguise. She died the same -hardened wretch she had lived, confessing her crimes only, as she -alleged, that her doing so might involve Sir Arthur T----n, the great -author of her guilt and misery, and whom she now regarded with -unmitigated detestation. - -With the particulars of Sir Arthur's and his son's escape, as far as -they are known, you are acquainted. You are also in possession of their -after fate--the terrible, the tremendous retribution which, after long -delays of many years, finally overtook and crushed them. Wonderful and -inscrutable are the dealings of God with His creatures. - -Deep and fervent as must always be my gratitude to Heaven for my -deliverance, effected by a chain of providential occurrences, the -failing of a single link of which must have ensured my destruction, I -was long before I could look back upon it with other feelings than those -of bitterness, almost of agony. The only being that had ever really -loved me, my nearest and dearest friend, ever ready to sympathize, to -counsel, and to assist--the gayest, the gentlest, the warmest heart; the -only creature on earth that cared for me--_her_ life had been the price -of my deliverance; and I then uttered the wish, which no event of my -long and sorrowful life has taught me to recall, that she had been -spared, and that, in her stead, _I_ were mouldering in the grave, -forgotten and at rest. - - - - -[Illustration] - -Strange Event in the Life of Schalken the Painter. - - -You will no doubt be surprised, my dear friend, at the subject of the -following narrative. What had I to do with Schalken, or Schalken with -me? He had returned to his native land, and was probably dead and buried -before I was born; I never visited Holland, nor spoke with a native of -that country. So much I believe you already know. I must, then, give you -my authority, and state to you frankly the ground upon which rests the -credibility of the strange story which I am about to lay before you. - -I was acquainted, in my early days, with a Captain Vandael, whose father -had served King William in the Low Countries, and also in my own unhappy -land during the Irish campaigns. I know not how it happened that I -liked this man's society, spite of his politics and religion: but so it -was; and it was by means of the free intercourse to which our intimacy -gave rise that I became possessed of the curious tale which you are -about to hear. - -I had often been struck, while visiting Vandael, by a remarkable -picture, in which, though no _connoisseur_ myself, I could not fail to -discern some very strong peculiarities, particularly in the distribution -of light and shade, as also a certain oddity in the design itself, which -interested my curiosity. It represented the interior of what might be a -chamber in some antique religious building--the foreground was occupied -by a female figure, arrayed in a species of white robe, part of which -was arranged so as to form a veil. The dress, however, was not strictly -that of any religious order. In its hand the figure bore a lamp, by -whose light alone the form and face were illuminated; the features were -marked by an arch smile, such as pretty women wear when engaged in -successfully practising some roguish trick; in the background, and -(excepting where the dim red light of an expiring fire serves to define -the form) totally in the shade, stood the figure of a man equipped in -the old fashion, with doublet and so forth, in an attitude of alarm, his -hand being placed upon the hilt of his sword, which he appeared to be in -the act of drawing. - -"There are some pictures," said I to my friend, "which impress one, I -know not how, with a conviction that they represent not the mere ideal -shapes and combinations which have floated through the imagination of -the artist, but scenes, faces, and situations which have actually -existed. When I look upon that picture, something assures me that I -behold the representation of a reality." - -Vandael smiled, and, fixing his eyes upon the painting musingly, he -said,-- - -"Your fancy has not deceived you, my good friend, for that picture is -the record, and I believe a faithful one, of a remarkable and mysterious -occurrence. It was painted by Schalken, and contains, in the face of the -female figure which occupies the most prominent place in the design, an -accurate portrait of Rose Velderkaust, the niece of Gerard Douw, the -first and, I believe, the only love of Godfrey Schalken. My father knew -the painter well, and from Schalken himself he learned the story of the -mysterious drama, one scene of which the picture has embodied. This -painting, which is accounted a fine specimen of Schalken's style, was -bequeathed to my father by the artist's will, and, as you have observed, -is a very striking and interesting production." - -I had only to request Vandael to tell the story of the painting in order -to be gratified; and thus it is that I am enabled to submit to you a -faithful recital of what I heard myself, leaving you to reject or to -allow the evidence upon which the truth of the tradition depends--with -this one assurance, that Schalken was an honest, blunt Dutchman, and, I -believe, wholly incapable of committing a flight of imagination; and -further, that Vandael, from whom I heard the story, appeared firmly -convinced of its truth. - -There are few forms upon which the mantle of mystery and romance could -seem to hang more ungracefully than upon that of the uncouth and -clownish Schalken--the Dutch boor--the rude and dogged, but most cunning -worker in oils, whose pieces delight the initiated of the present day -almost as much as his manners disgusted the refined of his own; and yet -this man, so rude, so dogged, so slovenly, I had almost said so savage -in mien and manner, during his after successes, had been selected by the -capricious goddess, in his early life, to figure as the hero of a -romance by no means devoid of interest or of mystery. - -Who can tell how meet he may have been in his young days to play the -part of the lover or of the hero? who can say that in early life he had -been the same harsh, unlicked, and rugged boor that, in his maturer age, -he proved? or how far the neglected rudeness which afterwards marked his -air, and garb, and manners, may not have been the growth of that -reckless apathy not unfrequently produced by bitter misfortunes and -disappointments in early life? - -These questions can never now be answered. - -We must content ourselves, then, with a plain statement of facts, -leaving matters of speculation to those who like them. - -When Schalken studied under the immortal Gerard Douw, he was a young -man; and in spite of the phlegmatic constitution and excitable manner -which he shared, we believe, with his countrymen, he was not incapable -of deep and vivid impressions, for it is an established fact that the -young painter looked with considerable interest upon the beautiful niece -of his wealthy master. - -Rose Velderkaust was very young, having, at the period of which we -speak, not yet attained her seventeenth year; and, if tradition -speaks truth, she possessed all the soft dimpling charms of the fair, -light-haired Flemish maidens. Schalken had not studied long in the -school of Gerard Douw when he felt this interest deepening into -something of a keener and intenser feeling than was quite consistent -with the tranquillity of his honest Dutch heart; and at the same time he -perceived, or thought he perceived, flattering symptoms of a reciprocal -attachment, and this was quite sufficient to determine whatever -indecision he might have heretofore experienced, and to lead him to -devote exclusively to her every hope and feeling of his heart. In short, -he was as much in love as a Dutchman could be. He was not long in -making his passion known to the pretty maiden herself, and his -declaration was followed by a corresponding confession upon her part. - -Schalken, howbeit, was a poor man, and he possessed no counterbalancing -advantages of birth or position to induce the old man to consent to a -union which must involve his niece and ward in the strugglings and -difficulties of a young and nearly friendless artist. He was, therefore, -to wait until time had furnished him with opportunity, and accident with -success; and then, if his labours were found sufficiently lucrative, it -was to be hoped that his proposals might at least be listened to by her -jealous guardian. Months passed away, and, cheered by the smiles of the -little Rose, Schalken's labours were redoubled, and with such effect and -improvement as reasonably to promise the realization of his hopes, and -no contemptible eminence in his art, before many years should have -elapsed. - -The even course of this cheering prosperity was, unfortunately, destined -to experience a sudden and formidable interruption, and that, too, in a -manner so strange and mysterious as to baffle all investigation, and -throw upon the events themselves a shadow of almost supernatural horror. - -Schalken had one evening remained in the master's studio considerably -longer than his more volatile companions, who had gladly availed -themselves of the excuse which the dusk of evening afforded to withdraw -from their several tasks, in order to finish a day of labour in the -jollity and conviviality of the tavern. - -But Schalken worked for improvement, or rather for love. Besides, he was -now engaged merely in sketching a design, an operation which, unlike -that of colouring, might be continued as long as there was light -sufficient to distinguish between canvas and charcoal. He had not then, -nor, indeed, until long after, discovered the peculiar powers of -his pencil; and he was engaged in composing a group of extremely -roguish-looking and grotesque imps and demons, who were inflicting -various ingenious torments upon a perspiring and pot-bellied St. -Anthony, who reclined in the midst of them, apparently in the last stage -of drunkenness. - -The young artist, however, though incapable of executing, or even of -appreciating, anything of true sublimity, had nevertheless discernment -enough to prevent his being by any means satisfied with his work; and -many were the patient erasures and corrections which the limbs and -features of saint and devil underwent, yet all without producing in -their new arrangement anything of improvement or increased effect. - -The large, old-fashioned room was silent, and, with the exception -of himself, quite deserted by its usual inmates. An hour had -passed--nearly two--without any improved result. Daylight had already -declined, and twilight was fast giving way to the darkness of night. -The patience of the young man was exhausted, and he stood before his -unfinished production, absorbed in no very pleasing ruminations, one -hand buried in the folds of his long dark hair, and the other holding -the piece of charcoal which had so ill executed its office, and which he -now rubbed, without much regard to the sable streaks which it produced, -with irritable pressure upon his ample Flemish inexpressibles. - -"Pshaw!" said the young man aloud, "would that picture, devils, saint, -and all, were where they should be--in hell!" - -A short, sudden laugh, uttered startlingly close to his ear, instantly -responded to the ejaculation. - -The artist turned sharply round, and now for the first time became aware -that his labours had been overlooked by a stranger. - -Within about a yard and a half, and rather behind him, there stood what -was, or appeared to be, the figure of an elderly man: he wore a short -cloak, and broad-brimmed hat with a conical crown, and in his hand, -which was protected with a heavy, gauntlet-shaped glove, he carried a -long ebony walking-stick, surmounted with what appeared, as it glittered -dimly in the twilight to be a massive head of gold; and upon his -breast, through the folds of the cloak, there shone the links of a rich -chain of the same metal. - -The room was so obscure that nothing further of the appearance of the -figure could be ascertained, and the face was altogether overshadowed by -the heavy flap of the beaver which overhung it, so that no feature could -be clearly discerned. A quantity of dark hair escaped from beneath this -sombre hat, a circumstance which, connected with the firm, upright -carriage of the intruder, proved that his years could not yet exceed -threescore or thereabouts. - -There was an air of gravity and importance about the garb of this -person, and something indescribably odd--I might say awful--in the -perfect, stone-like movelessness of the figure, that effectually checked -the testy comment which had at once risen to the lips of the irritated -artist. He therefore, as soon as he had sufficiently recovered the -surprise, asked the stranger, civilly, to be seated, and desired to know -if he had any message to leave for his master. - -"Tell Gerard Douw," said the unknown, without altering his attitude in -the smallest degree, "that Mynher Vanderhausen, of Rotterdam, desires to -speak with him to-morrow evening at this hour, and, if he please, in -this room, upon matters of weight; that is all. Good-night." - -The stranger, having finished this message, turned abruptly, and, with -a quick but silent step quitted the room before Schalken had time to say -a word in reply. - -The young man felt a curiosity to see in what direction the burgher of -Rotterdam would turn on quitting the studio, and for that purpose he -went directly to the window which commanded the door. - -A lobby of considerable extent intervened between the inner door of the -painter's room and the street entrance, so that Schalken occupied the -post of observation before the old man could possibly have reached the -street. - -He watched in vain, however. There was no other mode of exit. - -Had the old man vanished, or was he lurking about the recesses of the -lobby for some bad purpose? This last suggestion filled the mind of -Schalken with a vague horror, which was so unaccountably intense as to -make him alike afraid to remain in the room alone and reluctant to pass -through the lobby. - -However, with an effort which appeared very disproportioned to the -occasion, he summoned resolution to leave the room, and, having -double-locked the door, and thrust the key in his pocket, without -looking to the right or left, he traversed the passage which had so -recently, perhaps still, contained the person of his mysterious -visitant, scarcely venturing to breathe till he had arrived in the open -street. - -"Mynher Vanderhausen," said Gerard Douw, within himself, as the -appointed hour approached; "Mynher Vanderhausen, of Rotterdam! I never -heard of the man till yesterday. What can he want of me? A portrait, -perhaps, to be painted; or a younger son or a poor relation to be -apprenticed; or a collection to be valued; or--pshaw! there's no one in -Rotterdam to leave me a legacy. Well, whatever the business may be, we -shall soon know it all." - -It was now the close of day, and every easel, except that of Schalken, -was deserted. Gerard Douw was pacing the apartment with the restless -step of impatient expectation, every now and then humming a passage from -a piece of music which he was himself composing; for, though no great -proficient, he admired the art; sometimes pausing to glance over the -work of one of his absent pupils, but more frequently placing himself at -the window, from whence he might observe the passengers who threaded the -obscure by-street in which his studio was placed. - -"Said you not, Godfrey," exclaimed Douw, after a long and fruitless gaze -from his post of observation, and turning to Schalken--"said you not the -hour of appointment was at about seven by the clock of the Stadhouse?" - -"It had just told seven when I first saw him, sir," answered the -student. - -"The hour is close at hand, then," said the master, consulting a -horologe as large and as round as a full-grown orange. "Mynher -Vanderhausen, from Rotterdam--is it not so?" - -"Such was the name." - -"And an elderly man, richly clad?" continued Douw. - -"As well as I might see," replied his pupil. "He could not be young, nor -yet very old neither, and his dress was rich and grave, as might become -a citizen of wealth and consideration." - -At this moment the sonorous boom of the Stadhouse clock told, stroke -after stroke, the hour of seven; the eyes of both master and student -were directed to the door; and it was not until the last peal of the old -bell had ceased to vibrate, that Douw exclaimed,-- - -"So, so; we shall have his worship presently--that is, if he means to -keep his hour; if not, thou mayst wait for him, Godfrey, if you court -the acquaintance of a capricious burgomaster. As for me, I think our old -Leyden contains a sufficiency of such commodities, without an -importation from Rotterdam." - -Schalken laughed, as in duty bound; and, after a pause of some minutes, -Douw suddenly exclaimed,-- - -"What if it should all prove a jest, a piece of mummery got up by -Vankarp, or some such worthy! I wish you had run all risks, and -cudgelled the old burgomaster, stadholder, or whatever else he may be, -soundly. I would wager a dozen of Rhenish, his worship would have -pleaded old acquaintance before the third application." - -"Here he comes, sir," said Schalken, in a low, admonitory tone; and -instantly, upon turning towards the door, Gerard Douw observed the same -figure which had, on the day before, so unexpectedly greeted the vision -of his pupil Schalken. - -There was something in the air and mien of the figure which at once -satisfied the painter that there was no mummery in the case, and that he -really stood in the presence of a man of worship; and so, without -hesitation, he doffed his cap, and courteously saluting the stranger, -requested him to be seated. - -The visitor waved his hand slightly, as if in acknowledgment of the -courtesy, but remained standing. - -"I have the honour to see Mynher Vanderhausen, of Rotterdam?" said -Gerard Douw. - -"The same," was the laconic reply. - -"I understand your worship desires to speak with me," continued Douw, -"and I am here by appointment to wait your commands." - -"Is that a man of trust?" said Vanderhausen, turning towards Schalken, -who stood at a little distance behind his master. - -"Certainly," replied Gerard. - -"Then let him take this box and get the nearest jeweller or goldsmith to -value its contents, and let him return hither with a certificate of the -valuation." - -At the same time he placed a small case, about nine inches square, in -the hands of Gerard Douw, who was as much amazed at its weight as at the -strange abruptness with which it was handed to him. - -In accordance with the wishes of the stranger, he delivered it into the -hands of Schalken, and repeating _his_ directions, despatched him upon -the mission. - -Schalken disposed his precious charge securely beneath the folds of his -cloak, and rapidly traversing two or three narrow streets, he stopped at -a corner house, the lower part of which was then occupied by the shop of -a Jewish goldsmith. - -Schalken entered the shop, and calling the little Hebrew into the -obscurity of its back recesses, he proceeded to lay before him -Vanderhausen's packet. - -On being examined by the light of a lamp, it appeared entirely cased -with lead, the outer surface of which was much scraped and soiled, and -nearly white with age. This was with difficulty partially removed, and -disclosed beneath a box of some dark and singularly hard wood; this, -too, was forced, and after the removal of two or three folds of linen, -its contents proved to be a mass of golden ingots, close packed, and, -as the Jew declared, of the most perfect quality. - -Every ingot underwent the scrutiny of the little Jew, who seemed to feel -an epicurean delight in touching and testing these morsels of the -glorious metal; and each one of them was replaced in the box with the -exclamation,-- - -"_Mein Gott_, how very perfect! not one grain of alloy--beautiful, -beautiful!" - -The task was at length finished, and the Jew certified under his hand -that the value of the ingots submitted to his examination amounted to -many thousand rix-dollars. - -With the desired document in his bosom, and the rich box of gold -carefully pressed under his arm, and concealed by his cloak, he retraced -his way, and, entering the studio, found his master and the stranger in -close conference. - -Schalken had no sooner left the room, in order to execute the commission -he had taken in charge, than Vanderhausen addressed Gerard Douw in the -following terms: - -"I may not tarry with you to-night more than a few minutes, and so I -shall briefly tell you the matter upon which I come. You visited the -town of Rotterdam some four months ago, and then I saw in the church of -St. Lawrence your niece, Rose Velderkaust. I desire to marry her, and if -I satisfy you as to the fact that I am very wealthy--more wealthy than -any husband you could dream of for her--I expect that you will forward -my views to the utmost of your authority. If you approve my proposal, -you must close with it at once, for I cannot command time enough to wait -for calculations and delays." - -Gerard Douw was, perhaps, as much astonished as anyone could be by the -very unexpected nature of Mynher Vanderhausen's communication; but he -did not give vent to any unseemly expression of surprise. In addition to -the motives supplied by prudence and politeness, the painter experienced -a kind of chill and oppressive sensation--a feeling like that which -is supposed to affect a man who is placed unconsciously in immediate -contact with something to which he has a natural antipathy--an undefined -horror and dread--while standing in the presence of the eccentric -stranger, which made him very unwilling to say anything that might -reasonably prove offensive. - -"I have no doubt," said Gerard, after two or three prefatory hems, "that -the connection which you propose would prove alike advantageous and -honourable to my niece; but you must be aware that she has a will of her -own, and may not acquiesce in what _we_ may design for her advantage." - -"Do not seek to deceive me, Sir Painter," said Vanderhausen; "you are -her guardian--she is your ward. She is mine if _you_ like to make her -so." - -The man of Rotterdam moved forward a little as he spoke, and Gerard -Douw, he scarce knew why, inwardly prayed for the speedy return of -Schalken. - -"I desire," said the mysterious gentleman, "to place in your hands at -once an evidence of my wealth, and a security for my liberal dealing -with your niece. The lad will return in a minute or two with a sum in -value five times the fortune which she has a right to expect from a -husband. This shall lie in your hands, together with her dowry, and you -may apply the united sum as suits her interest best; it shall be all -exclusively hers while she lives. Is that liberal?" - -Douw assented, and inwardly thought that fortune had been -extraordinarily kind to his niece. The stranger, he deemed, must be -most wealthy and generous, and such an offer was not to be despised, -though made by a humorist, and one of no very prepossessing presence. - -Rose had no very high pretensions, for she was almost without dowry; -indeed, altogether so, excepting so far as the deficiency had been -supplied by the generosity of her uncle. Neither had she any right to -raise any scruples against the match on the score of birth, for her own -origin was by no means elevated; and as to other objections, Gerard -resolved, and, indeed, by the usages of the time was warranted in -resolving, not to listen to them for a moment. - -"Sir," said he, addressing the stranger, "your offer is most liberal, -and whatever hesitation I may feel in closing with it immediately, -arises solely from my not having the honour of knowing anything of your -family or station. Upon these points you can, of course, satisfy me -without difficulty?" - -"As to my respectability," said the stranger, drily, "you must take that -for granted at present; pester me with no inquiries; you can discover -nothing more about me than I choose to make known. You shall have -sufficient security for my respectability--my word, if you are -honourable; if you are sordid, my gold." - -"A testy old gentleman," thought Douw; "he must have his own way. But, -all things considered, I am justified in giving my niece to him. Were -she my own daughter, I would do the like by her. I will not pledge -myself unnecessarily, however." - -"You will not pledge yourself unnecessarily," said Vanderhausen, -strangely uttering the very words which had just floated through the -mind of his companion; "but you will do so if it _is_ necessary, I -presume; and I will show you that I consider it indispensable. If the -gold I mean to leave in your hands satisfies you, and if you desire that -my proposal shall not be at once withdrawn, you must, before I leave -this room, write your name to this engagement." - -Having thus spoken, he placed a paper in the hands of Gerard, the -contents of which expressed an engagement entered into by Gerard Douw, -to give to Wilken Vanderhausen, of Rotterdam, in marriage, Rose -Velderkaust, and so forth, within one week of the date hereof. - -While the painter was employed in reading this covenant, Schalken, as we -have stated, entered the studio, and having delivered the box and the -valuation of the Jew into the hands of the stranger, he was about to -retire, when Vanderhausen called to him to wait; and, presenting the -case and the certificate to Gerard Douw, he waited in silence until he -had satisfied himself by an inspection of both as to the value of the -pledge left in his hands. At length he said: - -"Are you content?" - -The painter said "he would fain have another day to consider." - -"Not an hour," said the suitor, coolly. - -"Well, then," said Douw, "I am content; it is a bargain." - -"Then sign at once," said Vanderhausen; "I am weary." - -At the same time he produced a small case of writing materials, and -Gerard signed the important document. - -"Let this youth witness the covenant," said the old man; and Godfrey -Schalken unconsciously signed the instrument which bestowed upon another -that hand which he had so long regarded as the object and reward of all -his labours. - -The compact being thus completed, the strange visitor folded up the -paper, and stowed it safely in an inner pocket. - -"I will visit you to-morrow night, at nine of the clock, at your house, -Gerard Douw, and will see the subject of our contract. Farewell." And so -saying, Wilken Vanderhausen moved stiffly, but rapidly out of the room. - -Schalken, eager to resolve his doubts, had placed himself by the window -in order to watch the street entrance; but the experiment served only to -support his suspicions, for the old man did not issue from the door. -This was very strange, very odd, very fearful. He and his master -returned together, and talked but little on the way, for each had his -own subjects of reflection, of anxiety, and of hope. - -Schalken, however, did not know the ruin which threatened his cherished -schemes. - -Gerard Douw knew nothing of the attachment which had sprung up between -his pupil and his niece; and even if he had, it is doubtful whether he -would have regarded its existence as any serious obstruction to the -wishes of Mynher Vanderhausen. - -Marriages were then and there matters of traffic and calculation; and -it would have appeared as absurd in the eyes of the guardian to make a -mutual attachment an essential element in a contract of marriage, as it -would have been to draw up his bonds and receipts in the language of -chivalrous romance. - -The painter, however, did not communicate to his niece the important -step which he had taken in her behalf, and his resolution arose not from -any anticipation of opposition on her part, but solely from a ludicrous -consciousness that if his ward were, as she very naturally might do, to -ask him to describe the appearance of the bridegroom whom he destined -for her, he would be forced to confess that he had not seen his face, -and, if called upon, would find it impossible to identify him. - -Upon the next day, Gerard Douw having dined, called his niece to him, -and having scanned her person with an air of satisfaction, he took her -hand, and looking upon her pretty, innocent face with a smile of -kindness, he said: - -"Rose, my girl, that face of yours will make your fortune." Rose blushed -and smiled. "Such faces and such tempers seldom go together, and, when -they do, the compound is a love-potion which few heads or hearts can -resist. Trust me, thou wilt soon be a bride, girl. But this is trifling, -and I am pressed for time, so make ready the large room by eight -o'clock to-night, and give directions for supper at nine. I expect -a friend to-night; and observe me, child, do thou trick thyself out -handsomely. I would not have him think us poor or sluttish." - -With these words he left the chamber, and took his way to the room to -which we have already had occasion to introduce our readers--that in -which his pupils worked. - -When the evening closed in, Gerard called Schalken, who was about to -take his departure to his obscure and comfortless lodgings, and asked -him to come home and sup with Rose and Vanderhausen. - -The invitation was of course accepted, and Gerard Douw and his pupil -soon found themselves in the handsome and somewhat antique-looking room -which had been prepared for the reception of the stranger. - -A cheerful wood-fire blazed in the capacious hearth; a little at -one side an old-fashioned table, with richly-carved legs, was -placed--destined, no doubt, to receive the supper, for which -preparations were going forward; and ranged with exact regularity -stood the tall-backed chairs whose ungracefulness was more than -counterbalanced by their comfort. - -The little party, consisting of Rose, her uncle, and the artist, awaited -the arrival of the expected visitor with considerable impatience. - -Nine o'clock at length came, and with it a summons at the street-door, -which, being speedily answered, was followed by a slow and emphatic -tread upon the staircase; the steps moved heavily across the lobby, the -door of the room in which the party which we have described were -assembled slowly opened, and there entered a figure which startled, -almost appalled, the phlegmatic Dutchmen, and nearly made Rose scream -with affright; it was the form, and arrayed in the garb, of Mynher -Vanderhausen; the air, the gait, the height was the same, but the -features had never been seen by any of the party before. - -The stranger stopped at the door of the room, and displayed his form and -face completely. He wore a dark-coloured cloth cloak, which was short -and full, not falling quite to the knees; his legs were cased in dark -purple silk stockings, and his shoes were adorned with roses of the same -colour. The opening of the cloak in front showed the under-suit to -consist of some very dark, perhaps sable material, and his hands were -enclosed in a pair of heavy leather gloves which ran up considerably -above the wrist, in the manner of a gauntlet. In one hand he carried his -walking-stick and his hat, which he had removed, and the other hung -heavily by his side. A quantity of grizzled hair descended in long -tresses from his head, and its folds rested upon the plaits of a stiff -ruff, which effectually concealed his neck. - -So far all was well; but the face!--all the flesh of the face was -coloured with the bluish leaden hue which is sometimes produced by the -operation of metallic medicines administered in excessive quantities; -the eyes were enormous, and the white appeared both above and below the -iris, which gave to them an expression of insanity, which was heightened -by their glassy fixedness; the nose was well enough, but the mouth was -writhed considerably to one side, where it opened in order to give -egress to two long, discoloured fangs, which projected from the upper -jaw, far below the lower lip; the hue of the lips themselves bore the -usual relation to that of the face, and was consequently nearly black. -The character of the face was malignant, even satanic, to the last -degree; and, indeed, such a combination of horror could hardly be -accounted for, except by supposing the corpse of some atrocious -malefactor, which had long hung blackening upon the gibbet, to have at -length become the habitation of a demon--the frightful sport of satanic -possession. - -It was remarkable that the worshipful stranger suffered as little as -possible of his flesh to appear, and that during his visit he did not -once remove his gloves. - -Having stood for some moments at the door, Gerard Douw at length found -breath and collectedness to bid him welcome, and, with a mute -inclination of the head, the stranger stepped forward into the room. - -There was something indescribably odd, even horrible about all his -motions, something undefinable, something unnatural, unhuman--it was as -if the limbs were guided and directed by a spirit unused to the -management of bodily machinery. - -The stranger said hardly anything during his visit, which did not exceed -half an hour; and the host himself could scarcely muster courage enough -to utter the few necessary salutations and courtesies: and, indeed, such -was the nervous terror which the presence of Vanderhausen inspired, that -very little would have made all his entertainers fly bellowing from the -room. - -They had not so far lost all self-possession, however, as to fail to -observe two strange peculiarities of their visitor. - -During his stay he did not once suffer his eyelids to close, nor even to -move in the slightest degree; and further, there was a death-like -stillness in his whole person, owing to the total absence of the heaving -motion of the chest caused by the process of respiration. - -These two peculiarities, though when told they may appear trifling, -produced a very striking and unpleasant effect when seen and observed. -Vanderhausen at length relieved the painter of Leyden of his -inauspicious presence; and with no small gratification the little party -heard the street door close after him. - -"Dear uncle," said Rose, "what a frightful man! I would not see him -again for the wealth of the States!" - -"Tush, foolish girl!" said Douw, whose sensations were anything but -comfortable. "A man may be as ugly as the devil, and yet if his heart -and actions are good, he is worth all the pretty-faced, perfumed puppies -that walk the Mall. Rose, my girl, it is very true he has not thy pretty -face, but I know him to be wealthy and liberal; and were he ten times -more ugly--" - -"Which is inconceivable," observed Rose. - -"These two virtues would be sufficient," continued her uncle, "to -counterbalance all his deformity; and if not of power sufficient -actually to alter the shape of the features, at least of efficacy enough -to prevent one thinking them amiss." - -"Do you know, uncle," said Rose, "when I saw him standing at the door, -I could not get it out of my head that I saw the old, painted, wooden -figure that used to frighten me so much in the church of St. Laurence at -Rotterdam." - -Gerard laughed, though he could not help inwardly acknowledging the -justness of the comparison. He was resolved, however, as far as he -could, to check his niece's inclination to ridicule the ugliness of her -intended bridegroom, although he was not a little pleased to observe -that she appeared totally exempt from that mysterious dread of the -stranger, which, he could not disguise it from himself, considerably -affected him, as it also did his pupil Godfrey Schalken. - -Early on the next day there arrived from various quarters of the town, -rich presents of silks, velvets, jewellery, and so forth, for Rose; and -also a packet directed to Gerard Douw, which, on being opened, was found -to contain a contract of marriage, formally drawn up, between Wilken -Vanderhausen of the Boom-quay, in Rotterdam, and Rose Velderkaust of -Leyden, niece to Gerard Douw, master in the art of painting, also of the -same city; and containing engagements on the part of Vanderhausen to -make settlements upon his bride far more splendid than he had before led -her guardian to believe likely, and which were to be secured to her use -in the most unexceptionable manner possible--the money being placed in -the hands of Gerard Douw himself. - -I have no sentimental scenes to describe, no cruelty of guardians or -magnanimity of wards, or agonies of lovers. The record I have to make is -one of sordidness, levity, and interest. In less than a week after the -first interview which we have just described, the contract of marriage -was fulfilled, and Schalken saw the prize which he would have risked -anything to secure, carried off triumphantly by his formidable rival. - -For two or three days he absented himself from the school; he then -returned and worked, if with less cheerfulness, with far more dogged -resolution than before; the dream of love had given place to that of -ambition. - -Months passed away, and, contrary to his expectation, and, indeed, to -the direct promise of the parties, Gerard Douw heard nothing of his -niece or her worshipful spouse. The interest of the money, which was to -have been demanded in quarterly sums, lay unclaimed in his hands. He -began to grow extremely uneasy. - -Mynher Vanderhausen's direction in Rotterdam he was fully possessed of. -After some irresolution he finally determined to journey thither--a -trifling undertaking, and easily accomplished--and thus to satisfy -himself of the safety and comfort of his ward, for whom he entertained -an honest and strong affection. - -His search was in vain, however. No one in Rotterdam had ever heard of -Mynher Vanderhausen. - -Gerard Douw left not a house in the Boom-quay untried; but all in vain. -No one could give him any information whatever touching the object of -his inquiry; and he was obliged to return to Leyden, nothing wiser than -when he had left it. - -On his arrival he hastened to the establishment from which Vanderhausen -had hired the lumbering, though, considering the times, most luxurious -vehicle which the bridal party had employed to convey them to Rotterdam. -From the driver of this machine he learned, that having proceeded by -slow stages, they had late in the evening approached Rotterdam; but that -before they entered the city, and while yet nearly a mile from it, a -small party of men, soberly clad, and after the old fashion, with peaked -beards and moustaches, standing in the centre of the road, obstructed -the further progress of the carriage. The driver reined in his horses, -much fearing, from the obscurity of the hour, and the loneliness of the -road, that some mischief was intended. - -His fears were, however, somewhat allayed by his observing that these -strange men carried a large litter, of an antique shape, and which they -immediately set down upon the pavement, whereupon the bridegroom, having -opened the coach-door from within, descended, and having assisted his -bride to do likewise, led her, weeping bitterly and wringing her hands, -to the litter, which they both entered. It was then raised by the men -who surrounded it, and speedily carried towards the city, and before it -had proceeded many yards the darkness concealed it from the view of the -Dutch chariot. - -In the inside of the vehicle he found a purse, whose contents more than -thrice paid the hire of the carriage and man. He saw and could tell -nothing more of Mynher Vanderhausen and his beautiful lady. This mystery -was a source of deep anxiety and almost of grief to Gerard Douw. - -There was evidently fraud in the dealing of Vanderhausen with him, -though for what purpose committed he could not imagine. He greatly -doubted how far it was possible for a man possessing in his countenance -so strong an evidence of the presence of the most demoniac feelings to -be in reality anything but a villain; and every day that passed without -his hearing from or of his niece, instead of inducing him to forget his -fears, tended more and more to intensify them. - -The loss of his niece's cheerful society tended also to depress his -spirits; and in order to dispel this despondency, which often crept upon -his mind after his daily employment was over, he was wont frequently to -prevail upon Schalken to accompany him home, and by his presence to -dispel, in some degree, the gloom of his otherwise solitary supper. - -One evening, the painter and his pupil were sitting by the fire, having -accomplished a comfortable supper. They had yielded to that silent -pensiveness sometimes induced by the process of digestion, when their -reflections were disturbed by a loud sound at the street-door, as if -occasioned by some person rushing forcibly and repeatedly against it. -A domestic had run without delay to ascertain the cause of the -disturbance, and they heard him twice or thrice interrogate the -applicant for admission, but without producing an answer or any -cessation of the sounds. - -They heard him then open the hall door, and immediately there followed a -light and rapid tread upon the staircase. Schalken laid his hand on his -sword, and advanced towards the door. It opened before he reached it, -and Rose rushed into the room. She looked wild and haggard, and pale -with exhaustion and terror; but her dress surprised them as much even as -her unexpected appearance. It consisted of a kind of white woollen -wrapper, made close about the neck, and descending to the very ground. -It was much deranged and travel-soiled. The poor creature had hardly -entered the chamber when she fell senseless on the floor. With some -difficulty they succeeded in reviving her, and on recovering her senses -she instantly exclaimed, in a tone of eager, terrified impatience,-- - -"Wine, wine, quickly, or I'm lost!" - -Much alarmed at the strange agitation in which the call was made, they -at once administered to her wishes, and she drank some wine with a haste -and eagerness which surprised him. She had hardly swallowed it, when she -exclaimed with the same urgency,-- - -"Food, food, at once, or I perish!" - -A considerable fragment of a roast joint was upon the table, and -Schalken immediately proceeded to cut some, but he was anticipated; for -no sooner had she become aware of its presence than she darted at it -with the rapacity of a vulture, and, seizing it in her hands, she tore -off the flesh with her teeth and swallowed it. - -When the paroxysm of hunger had been a little appeased, she appeared -suddenly to become aware how strange her conduct had been, or it may -have been that other more agitating thoughts recurred to her mind, for -she began to weep bitterly, and to wring her hands. - -"Oh! send for a minister of God," said she; "I am not safe till he -comes; send for him speedily." - -Gerard Douw despatched a messenger instantly, and prevailed on his niece -to allow him to surrender his bedchamber to her use; he also persuaded -her to retire to it at once and to rest; her consent was extorted upon -the condition that they would not leave her for a moment. - -"Oh that the holy man were here!" she said; "he can deliver me. The dead -and the living can never be one--God has forbidden it." - -With these mysterious words she surrendered herself to their guidance, -and they proceeded to the chamber which Gerard Douw had assigned to her -use. - -"Do not--do not leave me for a moment," said she. "I am lost for ever if -you do." - -Gerard Douw's chamber was approached through a spacious apartment, which -they were now about to enter. Gerard Douw and Schalken each carried a -wax candle, so that a sufficient degree of light was cast upon all -surrounding objects. They were now entering the large chamber, which, -as I have said, communicated with Douw's apartment, when Rose suddenly -stopped, and, in a whisper which seemed to thrill with horror, she -said,-- - -"O God! he is here--he is here! See, see--there he goes!" - -She pointed towards the door of the inner room, and Schalken thought -he saw a shadowy and ill-defined form gliding into that apartment. He -drew his sword, and raising the candle so as to throw its light with -increased distinctness upon the objects in the room, he entered the -chamber into which the figure had glided. No figure was there--nothing -but the furniture which belonged to the room, and yet he could not be -deceived as to the fact that something had moved before them into the -chamber. - -A sickening dread came upon him, and the cold perspiration broke out in -heavy drops upon his forehead; nor was he more composed when he heard -the increased urgency, the agony of entreaty, with which Rose implored -them not to leave her for a moment. - -"I saw him," said she. "He's here! I cannot be deceived--I know him. -He's by me--he's with me--he's in the room. Then, for God's sake, as you -would save, do not stir from beside me!" - -They at length prevailed upon her to lie down upon the bed, where she -continued to urge them to stay by her. She frequently uttered incoherent -sentences, repeating again and again, "The dead and the living cannot be -one--God has forbidden it!" and then again, "Rest to the wakeful--sleep -to the sleep-walkers." - -These and such mysterious and broken sentences she continued to utter -until the clergyman arrived. - -Gerard Douw began to fear, naturally enough, that the poor girl, owing -to terror or ill-treatment, had become deranged; and he half suspected, -by the suddenness of her appearance, and the unseasonableness of the -hour, and, above all, from the wildness and terror of her manner, that -she had made her escape from some place of confinement for lunatics, and -was in immediate fear of pursuit. He resolved to summon medical advice -as soon as the mind of his niece had been in some measure set at rest -by the offices of the clergyman whose attendance she had so earnestly -desired; and until this object had been attained, he did not venture to -put any questions to her, which might possibly, by reviving painful or -horrible recollections, increase her agitation. - -The clergyman soon arrived--a man of ascetic countenance and venerable -age--one whom Gerard Douw respected much, forasmuch as he was a veteran -polemic, though one, perhaps, more dreaded as a combatant than beloved -as a Christian--of pure morality, subtle brain, and frozen heart. He -entered the chamber which communicated with that in which Rose reclined, -and immediately on his arrival she requested him to pray for her, as for -one who lay in the hands of Satan, and who could hope for deliverance -only from Heaven. - -That our readers may distinctly understand all the circumstances of the -event which we are about imperfectly to describe, it is necessary to -state the relative positions of the parties who were engaged in it. -The old clergyman and Schalken were in the ante-room of which we have -already spoken; Rose lay in the inner chamber, the door of which was -open; and by the side of the bed, at her urgent desire, stood her -guardian; a candle burned in the bedchamber, and three were lighted in -the outer apartment. - -The old man now cleared his voice, as if about to commence; but before -he had time to begin, a sudden gust of air blew out the candle which -served to illuminate the room in which the poor girl lay, and she with -hurried alarm, exclaimed: - -"Godfrey, bring in another candle; the darkness is unsafe." - -Gerard Douw, forgetting for the moment her repeated injunctions in the -immediate impulse, stepped from the bedchamber into the other, in order -to supply what she desired. - -"O God! do not go, dear uncle!" shrieked the unhappy girl; and at the -same time she sprang from the bed and darted after him, in order, by her -grasp, to detain him. - -But the warning came too late, for scarcely had he passed the threshold, -and hardly had his niece had time to utter the startling exclamation, -when the door which divided the two rooms closed violently after him, as -if swung to by a strong blast of wind. - -Schalken and he both rushed to the door, but their united and desperate -efforts could not avail so much as to shake it. - -Shriek after shriek burst from the inner chamber, with all the piercing -loudness of despairing terror. Schalken and Douw applied every energy -and strained every nerve to force open the door; but all in vain. - -There was no sound of struggling from within, but the screams seemed to -increase in loudness, and at the same time they heard the bolts of the -latticed window withdrawn, and the window itself grated upon the sill -as if thrown open. - -One last shriek, so long and piercing and agonized as to be scarcely -human, swelled from the room, and suddenly there followed a death-like -silence. - -A light step was heard crossing the floor, as if from the bed to the -window; and almost at the same instant the door gave way, and yielding -to the pressure of the external applicants, they were nearly -precipitated into the room. It was empty. The window was open, and -Schalken sprang to a chair and gazed out upon the street and at the -canal below. He saw no form, but he beheld, or thought he beheld, the -waters of the broad canal beneath settling ring after ring in heavy -circular ripples, as if a moment before disturbed by the immersion of -some large and heavy mass. - -No trace of Rose was ever after discovered, nor was anything certain -respecting her mysterious wooer detected or even suspected; no clue -whereby to trace the intricacies of the labyrinth, and to arrive at a -distinct conclusion was to be found. But an incident occurred, which, -though it will not be received by our rational readers as at all -approaching to evidence upon the matter, nevertheless produced a strong -and a lasting impression upon the mind of Schalken. - -[Illustration: THE WATERS OF THE BROAD CANAL BENEATH SETTLING RING AFTER -RING IN HEAVY CIRCULAR RIPPLES.] - -Many years after the events which we have detailed, Schalken, then -remotely situated, received an intimation of his father's death, and -of his intended burial upon a fixed day in the church of Rotterdam. It -was necessary that a very considerable journey should be performed by -the funeral procession, which, as it will readily be believed, was not -very numerously attended. Schalken with difficulty arrived in Rotterdam -late in the day upon which the funeral was appointed to take place. The -procession had not then arrived. Evening closed in, and still it did not -appear. - -Schalken strolled down to the church--he found it open; notice of the -arrival of the funeral had been given, and the vault in which the body -was to be laid had been opened. The official who corresponds to our -sexton, on seeing a well-dressed gentleman, whose object was to attend -the expected funeral, pacing the aisle of the church, hospitably invited -him to share with him the comforts of a blazing wood fire, which as was -his custom in winter time upon such occasions, he had kindled on the -hearth of a chamber which communicated by a flight of steps with the -vault below. - -In this chamber Schalken and his entertainer seated themselves; and -the sexton, after some fruitless attempts to engage his guest in -conversation, was obliged to apply himself to his tobacco-pipe and can -to solace his solitude. - -In spite of his grief and cares, the fatigues of a rapid journey of -nearly forty hours gradually overcame the mind and body of Godfrey -Schalken, and he sank into a deep sleep, from which he was awakened by -some one shaking him gently by the shoulder. He first thought that the -old sexton had called him, but _he_ was no longer in the room. - -He roused himself, and as soon as he could clearly see what was around -him, he perceived a female form, clothed in a kind of light robe of -muslin, part of which was so disposed as to act as a veil, and in her -hand she carried a lamp. She was moving rather away from him, and -towards the flight of steps which conducted towards the vaults. - -Schalken felt a vague alarm at the sight of this figure, and at the same -time an irresistible impulse to follow its guidance. He followed it -towards the vaults, but when it reached the head of the stairs, he -paused; the figure paused also, and turning gently round, displayed, by -the light of the lamp it carried, the face and features of his first -love, Rose Velderkaust. There was nothing horrible, or even sad, in the -countenance. On the contrary, it wore the same arch smile which used to -enchant the artist long before in his happy days. - -A feeling of awe and of interest, too intense to be resisted, prompted -him to follow the spectre, if spectre it were. She descended the -stairs--he followed; and, turning to the left, through a narrow passage -she led him, to his infinite surprise, into what appeared to be an -old-fashioned Dutch apartment, such as the pictures of Gerard Douw have -served to immortalize. - -Abundance of costly antique furniture was disposed about the room, and -in one corner stood a four-post bed, with heavy black cloth curtains -around it. The figure frequently turned towards him with the same arch -smile; and when she came to the side of the bed, she drew the curtains, -and by the light of the lamp which she held towards its contents, she -disclosed to the horror-stricken painter, sitting bolt upright in the -bed, the livid and demoniac form of Vanderhausen. Schalken had hardly -seen him when he fell senseless upon the floor, where he lay until -discovered, on the next morning, by persons employed in closing the -passages into the vaults. He was lying in a cell of considerable size, -which had not been disturbed for a long time, and he had fallen beside -a large coffin which was supported upon small stone pillars, a security -against the attacks of vermin. - -To his dying day Schalken was satisfied of the reality of the vision -which he had witnessed, and he has left behind him a curious evidence of -the impression which it wrought upon his fancy, in a painting executed -shortly after the event we have narrated, and which is valuable as -exhibiting not only the peculiarities which have made Schalken's -pictures sought after, but even more so as presenting a portrait, as -close and faithful as one taken from memory can be, of his early love, -Rose Velderkaust, whose mysterious fate must ever remain matter of -speculation. - -[Illustration: SHE DREW THE CURTAINS.] - -The picture represents a chamber of antique masonry, such as might be -found in most old cathedrals, and is lighted faintly by a lamp carried -in the hand of a female figure, such as we have above attempted to -describe; and in the background, and to the left of him who examines the -painting, there stands the form of a man apparently aroused from sleep, -and by his attitude, his hand being laid upon his sword, exhibiting -considerable alarm; this last figure is illuminated only by the expiring -glare of a wood or charcoal fire. - -The whole production exhibits a beautiful specimen of that artful and -singular distribution of light and shade which has rendered the name -of Schalken immortal among the artists of his country. This tale is -traditionary, and the reader will easily perceive, by our studiously -omitting to heighten many points of the narrative, when a little -additional colouring might have added effect to the recital, that we -have desired to lay before him, not a figment of the brain, but a -curious tradition connected with, and belonging to, the biography of -a famous artist. - - - - -[Illustration] - -The Fortunes of Sir Robert Ardagh. - - "The earth hath bubbles as the water hath-- - And these are of them." - - -In the south of Ireland, and on the borders of the county of Limerick, -there lies a district of two or three miles in length, which is rendered -interesting by the fact that it is one of the very few spots throughout -this country in which some vestiges of aboriginal forests still remain. -It has little or none of the lordly character of the American forest, -for the axe has felled its oldest and its grandest trees; but in the -close wood which survives live all the wild and pleasing peculiarities -of nature: its complete irregularity, its vistas, in whose perspective -the quiet cattle are browsing; its refreshing glades, where the grey -rocks arise from amid the nodding fern; the silvery shafts of the old -birch-trees; the knotted trunks of the hoary oak, the grotesque but -graceful branches which never shed their honours under the tyrant -pruning-hook; the soft green sward; the chequered light and shade; -the wild luxuriant weeds; the lichen and the moss--all are beautiful -alike in the green freshness of spring or in the sadness and sere of -autumn. Their beauty is of that kind which makes the heart full with -joy--appealing to the affections with a power which belongs to nature -only. This wood runs up, from below the base, to the ridge of a long -line of irregular hills, having perhaps, in primitive times, formed but -the skirting of some mighty forest which occupied the level below. - -But now, alas! whither have we drifted? whither has the tide of -civilization borne us? It has passed over a land unprepared for it--it -has left nakedness behind it; we have lost our forests, but our -marauders remain; we have destroyed all that is picturesque, while we -have retained everything that is revolting in barbarism. Through the -midst of this woodland there runs a deep gully or glen, where the -stillness of the scene is broken in upon by the brawling of a -mountain-stream, which, however, in the winter season, swells into -a rapid and formidable torrent. - -There is one point at which the glen becomes extremely deep and narrow; -the sides descend to the depth of some hundred feet, and are so steep -as to be nearly perpendicular. The wild trees which have taken root in -the crannies and chasms of the rock are so intersected and entangled, -that one can with difficulty catch a glimpse of the stream which wheels, -flashes, and foams below, as if exulting in the surrounding silence and -solitude. - -This spot was not unwisely chosen, as a point of no ordinary strength, -for the erection of a massive square tower or keep, one side of which -rises as if in continuation of the precipitous cliff on which it is -based. Originally, the only mode of ingress was by a narrow portal in -the very wall which overtopped the precipice, opening upon a ledge of -rock which afforded a precarious pathway, cautiously intersected, -however, by a deep trench cut out with great labour in the living rock; -so that, in its pristine state, and before the introduction of artillery -into the art of war, this tower might have been pronounced, and that not -presumptuously, impregnable. - -The progress of improvement and the increasing security of the times -had, however, tempted its successive proprietors, if not to adorn, at -least to enlarge their premises, and about the middle of the last -century, when the castle was last inhabited, the original square tower -formed but a small part of the edifice. - -The castle, and a wide tract of the surrounding country, had from time -immemorial belonged to a family which, for distinctness, we shall call -by the name of Ardagh; and owing to the associations which, in Ireland, -almost always attach to scenes which have long witnessed alike the -exercise of stern feudal authority, and of that savage hospitality which -distinguished the good old times, this building has become the subject -and the scene of many wild and extraordinary traditions. One of them I -have been enabled, by a personal acquaintance with an eye-witness of the -events, to trace to its origin; and yet it is hard to say whether the -events which I am about to record appear more strange and improbable as -seen through the distorting medium of tradition, or in the appalling -dimness of uncertainty which surrounds the reality. - -Tradition says that, sometime in the last century, Sir Robert Ardagh, a -young man, and the last heir of that family, went abroad and served in -foreign armies; and that, having acquired considerable honour and -emolument, he settled at Castle Ardagh, the building we have just now -attempted to describe. He was what the country people call a _dark_ man; -that is, he was considered morose, reserved, and ill-tempered; and, as -it was supposed from the utter solitude of his life, was upon no terms -of cordiality with the other members of his family. - -The only occasion upon which he broke through the solitary monotony -of his life was during the continuance of the racing season, and -immediately subsequent to it; at which time he was to be seen among -the busiest upon the course, betting deeply and unhesitatingly, and -invariably with success. Sir Robert was, however, too well known as a -man of honour, and of too high a family, to be suspected of any unfair -dealing. He was, moreover, a soldier, and a man of intrepid as well as -of a haughty character; and no one cared to hazard a surmise, the -consequences of which would be felt most probably by its originator -only. - -Gossip, however, was not silent; it was remarked that Sir Robert never -appeared at the race-ground, which was the only place of public resort -which he frequented, except in company with a certain strange-looking -person, who was never seen elsewhere, or under other circumstances. It -was remarked, too, that this man, whose relation to Sir Robert was never -distinctly ascertained, was the only person to whom he seemed to speak -unnecessarily; it was observed that while with the country gentry he -exchanged no further communication than what was unavoidable in -arranging his sporting transactions, with this person he would converse -earnestly and frequently. Tradition asserts that, to enhance the -curiosity which this unaccountable and exclusive preference excited, -the stranger possessed some striking and unpleasant peculiarities of -person and of garb--though it is not stated, however, what these -were--but they, in conjunction with Sir Robert's secluded habits and -extraordinary run of luck--a success which was supposed to result from -the suggestions and immediate advice of the unknown--were sufficient to -warrant report in pronouncing that there was something _queer_ in the -wind, and in surmising that Sir Robert was playing a fearful and a -hazardous game, and that, in short, his strange companion was little -better than the Devil himself. - -Years rolled quietly away, and nothing very novel occurred in the -arrangements of Castle Ardagh, excepting that Sir Robert parted with his -odd companion, but as nobody could tell whence he came, so nobody could -say whither he had gone. Sir Robert's habits, however, underwent no -consequent change; he continued regularly to frequent the race meetings, -without mixing at all in the convivialities of the gentry, and -immediately afterwards to relapse into the secluded monotony of his -ordinary life. - -It was said that he had accumulated vast sums of money--and, as his bets -were always successful and always large, such must have been the case. -He did not suffer the acquisition of wealth, however, to influence his -hospitality or his house-keeping--he neither purchased land, nor -extended his establishment; and his mode of enjoying his money must have -been altogether that of the miser--consisting merely in the pleasure of -touching and telling his gold, and in the consciousness of wealth. - -Sir Robert's temper, so far from improving, became more than ever gloomy -and morose. He sometimes carried the indulgence of his evil dispositions -to such a height that it bordered upon insanity. During these paroxysms -he would neither eat, drink, nor sleep. On such occasions he insisted on -perfect privacy, even from the intrusion of his most trusted servants; -his voice was frequently heard, sometimes in earnest supplication, -sometimes raised, as if in loud and angry altercation with some unknown -visitant. Sometimes he would for hours together walk to and fro -throughout the long oak-wainscoted apartment which he generally -occupied, with wild gesticulations and agitated pace, in the manner of -one who has been roused to a state of unnatural excitement by some -sudden and appalling intimation. - -These paroxysms of apparent lunacy were so frightful, that during their -continuance even his oldest and most faithful domestics dared not -approach him; consequently his hours of agony were never intruded upon, -and the mysterious causes of his sufferings appeared likely to remain -hidden for ever. - -On one occasion a fit of this kind continued for an unusual time; the -ordinary term of their duration--about two days--had been long past, -and the old servant who generally waited upon Sir Robert after these -visitations, having in vain listened for the well-known tinkle of his -master's hand-bell, began to feel extremely anxious; he feared that his -master might have died from sheer exhaustion, or perhaps put an end to -his own existence during his miserable depression. These fears at length -became so strong, that having in vain urged some of his brother servants -to accompany him, he determined to go up alone, and himself see whether -any accident had befallen Sir Robert. - -He traversed the several passages which conducted from the new to the -more ancient parts of the mansion, and having arrived in the old hall -of the castle, the utter silence of the hour--for it was very late in -the night--the idea of the nature of the enterprise in which he was -engaging himself, a sensation of remoteness from anything like human -companionship, but, more than all, the vivid but undefined anticipation -of something horrible, came upon him with such oppressive weight that -he hesitated as to whether he should proceed. Real uneasiness, however, -respecting the fate of his master, for whom he felt that kind of -attachment which the force of habitual intercourse not unfrequently -engenders respecting objects not in themselves amiable, and also a -latent unwillingness to expose his weakness to the ridicule of his -fellow-servants, combined to overcome his reluctance; and he had just -placed his foot upon the first step of the staircase which conducted to -his master's chamber, when his attention was arrested by a low but -distinct knocking at the hall-door. Not, perhaps, very sorry at finding -thus an excuse even for deferring his intended expedition, he placed -the candle upon a stone block which lay in the hall and approached the -door, uncertain whether his ears had not deceived him. This doubt was -justified by the circumstance that the hall entrance had been for nearly -fifty years disused as a mode of ingress to the castle. The situation of -this gate also, which we have endeavoured to describe, opening upon a -narrow ledge of rock which overhangs a perilous cliff, rendered it at -all times, but particularly at night, a dangerous entrance. This -shelving platform of rock, which formed the only avenue to the door, was -divided, as I have already stated, by a broad chasm, the planks across -which had long disappeared, by decay or otherwise; so that it seemed at -least highly improbable that any man could have found his way across the -passage in safety to the door, more particularly on a night like this, -of singular darkness. The old man, therefore, listened attentively, to -ascertain whether the first application should be followed by another. -He had not long to wait. The same low but singularly distinct knocking -was repeated; so low that it seemed as if the applicant had employed -no harder or heavier instrument than his hand, and yet, despite the -immense thickness of the door, with such strength that the sound was -distinctly audible. - -The knock was repeated a third time, without any increase of loudness; -and the old man, obeying an impulse for which to his dying hour he could -never account, proceeded to remove, one by one, the three great oaken -bars which secured the door. Time and damp had effectually corroded the -iron chambers of the lock, so that it afforded little resistance. With -some effort, as he believed, assisted from without, the old servant -succeeded in opening the door; and a low, square-built figure, -apparently that of a man wrapped in a large black cloak, entered -the hall. The servant could not see much of this visitor with any -distinctness; his dress appeared foreign, the skirt of his ample cloak -was thrown over one shoulder; he wore a large felt hat, with a very -heavy leaf, from under which escaped what appeared to be a mass of long -sooty-black hair; his feet were cased in heavy riding-boots. Such were -the few particulars which the servant had time and light to observe. The -stranger desired him to let his master know instantly that a friend had -come, by appointment, to settle some business with him. The servant -hesitated, but a slight motion on the part of his visitor, as if to -possess himself of the candle, determined him; so, taking it in his -hand, he ascended the castle stairs, leaving the guest in the hall. - -[Illustration: HE PAUSED, BUT THERE WAS NO SOUND.] - -On reaching the apartment which opened upon the oak-chamber he was -surprised to observe the door of that room partly open, and the room -itself lit up. He paused, but there was no sound; he looked in, and saw -Sir Robert, his head and the upper part of his body reclining on a -table, upon which two candles burned; his arms were stretched forward on -either side, and perfectly motionless; it appeared that, having been -sitting at the table, he had thus sunk forward, either dead or in a -swoon. There was no sound of breathing; all was silent, except the -sharp ticking of a watch, which lay beside the lamp. The servant coughed -twice or thrice, but with no effect; his fears now almost amounted to -certainty, and he was approaching the table on which his master partly -lay, to satisfy himself of his death, when Sir Robert slowly raised his -head, and, throwing himself back in his chair, fixed his eyes in a -ghastly and uncertain gaze upon his attendant. At length he said, slowly -and painfully, as if he dreaded the answer,-- - -"In God's name, what are you?" - -"Sir," said the servant, "a strange gentleman wants to see you below." - -At this intimation Sir Robert, starting to his feet and tossing his arms -wildly upwards, uttered a shriek of such appalling and despairing terror -that it was almost too fearful for human endurance; and long after the -sound had ceased it seemed to the terrified imagination of the old -servant to roll through the deserted passages in bursts of unnatural -laughter. After a few moments Sir Robert said,-- - -"Can't you send him away? Why does he come so soon? O Merciful Powers! -let him leave me for an hour; a little time. I can't see him now; try to -get him away. You see I can't go down now; I have not strength. O God! -O God! let him come back in an hour; it is not long to wait. He cannot -lose anything by it; nothing, nothing, nothing. Tell him that! Say -anything to him." - -The servant went down. In his own words, he did not feel the stairs -under him till he got to the hall. The figure stood exactly as he had -left it. He delivered his master's message as coherently as he could. -The stranger replied in a careless tone: - -"If Sir Robert will not come down to me; I must go up to him." - -The man returned, and to his surprise he found his master much more -composed in manner. He listened to the message, and though the cold -perspiration rose in drops upon his forehead faster than he could wipe -it away, his manner had lost the dreadful agitation which had marked it -before. He rose feebly, and casting a last look of agony behind him, -passed from the room to the lobby, where he signed to his attendant not -to follow him. The man moved as far as the head of the staircase, from -whence he had a tolerably distinct view of the hall, which was -imperfectly lighted by the candle he had left there. - -He saw his master reel, rather than walk, down the stairs, clinging all -the way to the banisters. He walked on, as if about to sink every moment -from weakness. The figure advanced as if to meet him, and in passing -struck down the light. The servant could see no more; but there was -a sound of struggling, renewed at intervals with silent but fearful -energy. It was evident, however, that the parties were approaching the -door, for he heard the solid oak sound twice or thrice, as the feet of -the combatants, in shuffling hither and thither over the floor, struck -upon it. After a slight pause, he heard the door thrown open with such -violence that the leaf seemed to strike the side-wall of the hall, for -it was so dark without that this could only be surmised by the sound. -The struggle was renewed with an agony and intenseness of energy that -betrayed itself in deep-drawn gasps. One desperate effort, which -terminated in the breaking of some part of the door, producing a sound -as if the door-post was wrenched from its position, was followed by -another wrestle, evidently upon the narrow ledge which ran outside the -door, overtopping the precipice. This proved to be the final struggle; -it was followed by a crashing sound as if some heavy body had fallen -over, and was rushing down the precipice through the light boughs that -crossed near the top. All then became still as the grave, except when -the moan of the night-wind sighed up the wooded glen. - -The old servant had not nerve to return through the hall, and to him the -darkness seemed all but endless; but morning at length came, and with -it the disclosure of the events of the night. Near the door, upon the -ground, lay Sir Robert's sword-belt, which had given way in the scuffle. -A huge splinter from the massive door-post had been wrenched off by -an almost superhuman effort--one which nothing but the gripe of a -despairing man could have severed--and on the rocks outside were left -the marks of the slipping and sliding of feet. - -[Illustration: AT THE FOOT OF THE PRECIPICE.] - -At the foot of the precipice, not immediately under the castle, but -dragged some way up the glen, were found the remains of Sir Robert, -with hardly a vestige of a limb or feature left distinguishable. The -right hand, however, was uninjured, and in its fingers were clutched, -with the fixedness of death, a long lock of coarse sooty hair--the only -direct circumstantial evidence of the presence of a second person. - - - - -[Illustration] - -The Dream. - - -Dreams! What age, or what country of the world, has not felt and -acknowledged the mystery of their origin and end? I have thought not a -little upon the subject, seeing it is one which has been often forced -upon my attention, and sometimes strangely enough; and yet I have never -arrived at anything which at all appeared a satisfactory conclusion. It -does appear that a mental phenomenon so extraordinary cannot be wholly -without its use. We know, indeed, that in the olden times it has been -made the organ of communication between the Deity and His creatures; -and when a dream produces upon a mind, to all appearance hopelessly -reprobate and depraved, an effect so powerful and so lasting as to break -down the inveterate habits, and to reform the life of an abandoned -sinner, we see in the result, in the reformation of morals which -appeared incorrigible, in the reclamation of a human soul which seemed -to be irretrievably lost, something more than could be produced by a -mere chimera of the slumbering fancy, something more than could arise -from the capricious images of a terrified imagination. And while Reason -rejects as absurd the superstition which will read a prophecy in every -dream, she may, without violence to herself, recognize, even in the -wildest and most incongruous of the wanderings of a slumbering -intellect, the evidences and the fragments of a language which may be -spoken, which _has_ been spoken, to terrify, to warn and to command. We -have reason to believe too, by the promptness of action which in the -age of the prophets followed all intimations of this kind, and by the -strength of conviction and strange permanence of the effects resulting -from certain dreams in latter times--which effects we ourselves may have -witnessed--that when this medium of communication has been employed -by the Deity, the evidences of His presence have been unequivocal. My -thoughts were directed to this subject in a manner to leave a lasting -impression upon my mind, by the events which I shall now relate, the -statement of which, however extraordinary, is nevertheless accurate. - -About the year 17--, having been appointed to the living of C----h, I -rented a small house in the town which bears the same name: one morning -in the month of November, I was awakened before my usual time by my -servant, who bustled into my bedroom for the purpose of announcing a -sick call. As the Catholic Church holds her last rites to be totally -indispensable to the safety of the departing sinner, no conscientious -clergyman can afford a moment's unnecessary delay, and in little more -than five minutes I stood ready, cloaked and booted for the road, in the -small front parlour in which the messenger, who was to act as my guide, -awaited my coming. I found a poor little girl crying piteously near the -door, and after some slight difficulty I ascertained that her father was -either dead or just dying. - -"And what may be your father's name, my poor child?" said I. She held -down her head as if ashamed. I repeated the question, and the wretched -little creature burst into floods of tears still more bitter than she -had shed before. At length, almost angered by conduct which appeared to -me so unreasonable, I began to lose patience, and I said rather -harshly,-- - -"If you will not tell me the name of the person to whom you would lead -me, your silence can arise from no good motive, and I might be justified -in refusing to go with you at all." - -"Oh, don't say that--don't say that!" cried she. "Oh, sir, it was that -I was afeard of when I would not tell you--I was afeard, when you heard -his name, you would not come with me; but it is no use hidin' it -now--it's Pat Connell, the carpenter, your honour." - -She looked in my face with the most earnest anxiety, as if her very -existence depended upon what she should read there. I relieved the child -at once. The name, indeed, was most unpleasantly familiar to me; but, -however fruitless my visits and advice might have been at another time, -the present was too fearful an occasion to suffer my doubts of their -utility, or my reluctance to re-attempting what appeared a hopeless -task, to weigh even against the lightest chance that a consciousness of -his imminent danger might produce in him a more docile and tractable -disposition. Accordingly I told the child to lead the way, and followed -her in silence. She hurried rapidly through the long narrow street which -forms the great thoroughfare of the town. The darkness of the hour, -rendered still deeper by the close approach of the old-fashioned houses, -which lowered in tall obscurity on either side of the way; the damp, -dreary chill which renders the advance of morning peculiarly cheerless, -combined with the object of my walk--to visit the death-bed of a -presumptuous sinner, to endeavour, almost against my own conviction, -to infuse a hope into the heart of a dying reprobate--a drunkard but -too probably perishing under the consequences of some mad fit of -intoxication; all these circumstances served to enhance the gloom and -solemnity of my feelings, as I silently followed my little guide, who -with quick steps traversed the uneven pavement of the Main Street. After -a walk of about five minutes, she turned off into a narrow lane, of that -obscure and comfortless class which is to be found in almost all small -old-fashioned towns, chill, without ventilation, reeking with all manner -of offensive effluviĉ, and lined by dingy, smoky, sickly and pent-up -buildings, frequently not only in a wretched but in a dangerous -condition. - -"Your father has changed his abode since I last visited him, and, I am -afraid, much for the worse," said I. - -"Indeed he has, sir; but we must not complain," replied she. "We have to -thank God that we have lodging and food, though it's poor enough, it is, -your honour." - -Poor child! thought I. How many an older head might learn wisdom from -thee--how many a luxurious philosopher, who is skilled to preach but not -to suffer, might not thy patient words put to the blush! The manner and -language of my companion were alike above her years and station; and, -indeed, in all cases in which the cares and sorrows of life have -anticipated their usual date, and have fallen, as they sometimes do, -with melancholy prematurity to the lot of childhood, I have observed the -result to have proved uniformly the same. A young mind, to which joy and -indulgence have been strangers, and to which suffering and self-denial -have been familiarized from the first, acquires a solidity and an -elevation which no other discipline could have bestowed, and which, in -the present case, communicated a striking but mournful peculiarity to -the manners, even to the voice, of the child. We paused before a narrow, -crazy door, which she opened by means of a latch, and we forthwith began -to ascend the steep and broken stairs which led to the sick man's room. - -As we mounted flight after flight towards the garret-floor, I heard more -and more distinctly the hurried talking of many voices. I could also -distinguish the low sobbing of a female. On arriving upon the uppermost -lobby, these sounds became fully audible. - -"This way, your honour," said my little conductress; at the same time, -pushing open a door of patched and half-rotten plank, she admitted me -into the squalid chamber of death and misery. But one candle, held in -the fingers of a scared and haggard-looking child, was burning in the -room, and that so dim that all was twilight or darkness except within -its immediate influence. The general obscurity, however, served to throw -into prominent and startling relief the death-bed and its occupant. The -light fell with horrible clearness upon the blue and swollen features of -the drunkard. I did not think it possible that a human countenance could -look so terrific. The lips were black and drawn apart; the teeth were -firmly set; the eyes a little unclosed, and nothing but the whites -appearing. Every feature was fixed and livid, and the whole face wore a -ghastly and rigid expression of despairing terror such as I never saw -equalled. His hands were crossed upon his breast, and firmly clenched; -while, as if to add to the corpse-like effect of the whole, some white -cloths, dipped in water, were wound about the forehead and temples. - -As soon as I could remove my eyes from this horrible spectacle, I -observed my friend Dr. D----, one of the most humane of a humane -profession, standing by the bedside. He had been attempting, but -unsuccessfully, to bleed the patient, and had now applied his finger to -the pulse. - -"Is there any hope?" I inquired in a whisper. - -A shake of the head was the reply. There was a pause, while he continued -to hold the wrist; but he waited in vain for the throb of life--it was -not there: and when he let go the hand, it fell stiffly back into its -former position upon the other. - -"The man is dead," said the physician, as he turned from the bed where -the terrible figure lay. - -Dead! thought I, scarcely venturing to look upon the tremendous and -revolting spectacle. Dead! without an hour for repentance, even a moment -for reflection. Dead! without the rites which even the best should have. -Was there a hope for him? The glaring eyeball, the grinning mouth, the -distorted brow--that unutterable look in which a painter would have -sought to embody the fixed despair of the nethermost hell--These were my -answer. - -The poor wife sat at a little distance, crying as if her heart would -break--the younger children clustered round the bed, looking with -wondering curiosity upon the form of death, never seen before. - -When the first tumult of uncontrollable sorrow had passed away, availing -myself of the solemnity and impressiveness of the scene, I desired the -heart-stricken family to accompany me in prayer, and all knelt down -while I solemnly and fervently repeated some of those prayers which -appeared most applicable to the occasion. I employed myself thus in a -manner which I trusted was not unprofitable, at least to the living, for -about ten minutes; and having accomplished my task, I was the first to -arise. - -I looked upon the poor, sobbing, helpless creatures who knelt so humbly -around me, and my heart bled for them. With a natural transition I -turned my eyes from them to the bed in which the body lay; and, great -God! what was the revulsion, the horror which I experienced on seeing -the corpse-like, terrific thing seated half upright before me. The white -cloths which had been wound about the head had now partly slipped from -their position, and were hanging in grotesque festoons about the face -and shoulders, while the distorted eyes leered from amid them-- - - "A sight to dream of, not to tell." - -I stood actually riveted to the spot. The figure nodded its head and -lifted its arm, I thought, with a menacing gesture. A thousand confused -and horrible thoughts at once rushed upon my mind. I had often read -that the body of a presumptuous sinner, who, during life, had been the -willing creature of every satanic impulse, had been known, after the -human tenant had deserted it, to become the horrible sport of demoniac -possession. - -I was roused by the piercing scream of the mother, who now, for the -first time, perceived the change which had taken place. She rushed -towards the bed, but, stunned by the shock and overcome by the conflict -of violent emotions, before she reached it she fell prostrate upon the -floor. - -I am perfectly convinced that had I not been startled from the torpidity -of horror in which I was bound by some powerful and arousing stimulant, -I should have gazed upon this unearthly apparition until I had fairly -lost my senses. As it was, however, the spell was broken--superstition -gave way to reason: the man whom all believed to have been actually dead -was living! - -Dr. D---- was instantly standing by the bedside, and upon examination he -found that a sudden and copious flow of blood had taken place from the -wound which the lancet had left; and this, no doubt, had effected his -sudden and almost preternatural restoration to an existence from which -all thought he had been for ever removed. The man was still speechless, -but he seemed to understand the physician when he forbade his repeating -the painful and fruitless attempts which he made to articulate, and he -at once resigned himself quietly into his hands. - -I left the patient with leeches upon his temples, and bleeding freely, -apparently with little of the drowsiness which accompanies apoplexy. -Indeed, Dr. D---- told me that he had never before witnessed a seizure -which seemed to combine the symptoms of so many kinds, and yet which -belonged to none of the recognized classes; it certainly was not -apoplexy, catalepsy, nor _delirium tremens_, and yet it seemed, in some -degree, to partake of the properties of all. It was strange, but -stranger things are coming. - -During two or three days Dr. D---- would not allow his patient to -converse in a manner which could excite or exhaust him, with anyone; he -suffered him merely as briefly as possible to express his immediate -wants. And it was not until the fourth day after my early visit, the -particulars of which I have just detailed, that it was thought expedient -that I should see him, and then only because it appeared that his -extreme importunity and impatience to meet me were likely to retard -his recovery more than the mere exhaustion attendant upon a short -conversation could possibly do. Perhaps, too, my friend entertained some -hope that if by holy confession his patient's bosom were eased of the -perilous stuff which no doubt oppressed it, his recovery would be more -assured and rapid. It was then, as I have said, upon the fourth day -after my first professional call, that I found myself once more in the -dreary chamber of want and sickness. - -The man was in bed, and appeared low and restless. On my entering the -room he raised himself in the bed, and muttered, twice or thrice,-- - -"Thank God! thank God!" - -I signed to those of his family who stood by to leave the room, and took -a chair beside the bed. So soon as we were alone, he said, rather -doggedly,-- - -"There's no use in telling me of the sinfulness of bad ways--I know it -all. I know where they lead to--I have seen everything about it with my -own eyesight, as plain as I see you." He rolled himself in the bed, as -if to hide his face in the clothes; and then suddenly raising himself, -he exclaimed with startling vehemence, "Look, sir! there is no use in -mincing the matter: I'm blasted with the fires of hell; I have been in -hell. What do you think of that? In hell--I'm lost for ever--I have not -a chance. I am damned already--damned--damned!" - -The end of this sentence he actually shouted. His vehemence was -perfectly terrific; he threw himself back, and laughed, and sobbed -hysterically. I poured some water into a tea-cup, and gave it to him. -After he had swallowed it, I told him if he had anything to communicate, -to do so as briefly as he could, and in a manner as little agitating to -himself as possible; threatening at the same time, though I had no -intention of doing so, to leave him at once in case he again gave way to -such passionate excitement. - -"It's only foolishness," he continued, "for me to try to thank you for -coming to such a villain as myself at all. It's no use for me to wish -good to you, or to bless you; for such as me has no blessings to give." - -I told him that I had but done my duty, and urged him to proceed to the -matter which weighed upon his mind. He then spoke nearly as follows:-- - -"I came in drunk on Friday night last, and got to my bed here; I don't -remember how. Sometime in the night it seemed to me I wakened, and -feeling unasy in myself, I got up out of the bed. I wanted the fresh -air; but I would not make a noise to open the window, for fear I'd waken -the crathurs. It was very dark and throublesome to find the door; but at -last I did get it, and I groped my way out, and went down as asy as I -could. I felt quite sober, and I counted the steps one after another, as -I was going down, that I might not stumble at the bottom. - -"When I came to the first landing-place--God be about us always!--the -floor of it sunk under me, and I went down--down--down, till the senses -almost left me. I do not know how long I was falling, but it seemed to -me a great while. When I came rightly to myself at last, I was sitting -near the top of a great table; and I could not see the end of it, if it -had any, it was so far off. And there was men beyond reckoning sitting -down all along by it, at each side, as far as I could see at all. I did -not know at first was it in the open air; but there was a close -smothering feel in it that was not natural. And there was a kind of -light that my eyesight never saw before, red and unsteady; and I did not -see for a long time where it was coming from, until I looked straight -up, and then I seen that it came from great balls of blood-coloured fire -that were rolling high overhead with a sort of rushing, trembling sound, -and I perceived that they shone on the ribs of a great roof of rock -that was arched overhead instead of the sky. When I seen this, scarce -knowing what I did, I got up, and I said, 'I have no right to be here; I -must go.' And the man that was sitting at my left hand only smiled, and -said, 'Sit down again; you can _never_ leave this place.' And his voice -was weaker than any child's voice I ever heerd; and when he was done -speaking he smiled again. - -"Then I spoke out very loud and bold, and I said, 'In the name of God, -let me out of this bad place.' And there was a great man that I did not -see before, sitting at the end of the table that I was near; and he was -taller than twelve men, and his face was very proud and terrible to look -at. And he stood up and stretched out his hand before him; and when he -stood up, all that was there, great and small, bowed down with a sighing -sound; and a dread came on my heart, and he looked at me, and I could -not speak. I felt I was his own, to do what he liked with, for I knew at -once who he was; and he said, 'If you promise to return, you may depart -for a season;' and the voice he spoke with was terrible and mournful, -and the echoes of it went rolling and swelling down the endless cave, -and mixing with the trembling of the fire overhead; so that when he sat -down there was a sound after him, all through the place, like the -roaring of a furnace. And I said, with all the strength I had, 'I -promise to come back--in God's name let me go!' - -"And with that I lost the sight and the hearing of all that was there, -and when my senses came to me again, I was sitting in the bed with the -blood all over me, and you and the rest praying around the room." - -Here he paused, and wiped away the chill drops which hung upon his -forehead. - -I remained silent for some moments. The vision which he had just -described struck my imagination not a little, for this was long before -Vathek and the "Hall of Eblis" had delighted the world; and the -description which he gave had, as I received it, all the attractions of -novelty beside the impressiveness which always belongs to the narration -of an _eye-witness_, whether in the body or in the spirit, of the scenes -which he describes. There was something, too, in the stern horror with -which the man related these things, and in the incongruity of his -description with the vulgarly received notions of the great place of -punishment, and of its presiding spirit, which struck my mind with awe, -almost with fear. At length he said, with an expression of horrible, -imploring earnestness, which I shall never forget,-- - -"Well, sir, is there any hope; is there any chance at all? or is my soul -pledged and promised away for ever? is it gone out of my power? must I -go back to the place?" - -In answering him, I had no easy task to perform; for however clear -might be my internal conviction of the groundlessness of his fears, and -however strong my scepticism respecting the reality of what he had -described, I nevertheless felt that his impression to the contrary, and -his humility and terror resulting from it, might be made available as no -mean engines in the work of his conversion from profligacy, and of his -restoration to decent habits and to religious feeling. - -I therefore told him that he was to regard his dream rather in the light -of a warning than in that of a prophecy; that our salvation depended not -upon the word or deed of a moment, but upon the habits of a life; that, -in fine, if he at once discarded his idle companions and evil habits, -and firmly adhered to a sober, industrious, and religious course of -life, the powers of darkness might claim his soul in vain, for that -there were higher and firmer pledges than human tongue could utter, -which promised salvation to him who should repent and lead a new life. - -I left him much comforted, and with a promise to return upon the next -day. I did so, and found him much more cheerful, and without any remains -of the dogged sullenness which I suppose had arisen from his despair. -His promises of amendment were given in that tone of deliberate -earnestness which belongs to deep and solemn determination; and it was -with no small delight that I observed, after repeated visits, that his -good resolutions, so far from failing, did but gather strength by time; -and when I saw that man shake off the idle and debauched companions -whose society had for years formed alike his amusement and his ruin, and -revive his long-discarded habits of industry and sobriety, I said within -myself, There is something more in all this than the operation of an -idle dream. - -One day, some time after his perfect restoration to health, I was -surprised, on ascending the stairs for the purpose of visiting this -man, to find him busily employed in nailing down some planks upon the -landing-place, through which, at the commencement of his mysterious -vision, it seemed to him that he had sunk. I perceived at once that he -was strengthening the floor with a view to securing himself against such -a catastrophe, and could scarcely forbear a smile as I bid "God bless -his work." - -He perceived my thoughts, I suppose, for he immediately said: - -"I can never pass over that floor without trembling. I'd leave this -house if I could, but I can't find another lodging in the town so cheap, -and I'll not take a better till I've paid off all my debts, please God; -but I could not be asy in my mind till I made it as safe as I could. -You'll hardly believe me, your honour, that while I'm working, maybe a -mile away, my heart is in a flutter the whole way back, with the bare -thoughts of the two little steps I have to walk upon this bit of a -floor. So it's no wonder, sir, I'd thry to make it sound and firm with -any idle timber I have." - -I applauded his resolution to pay off his debts, and the steadiness with -which he perused his plans of conscientious economy, and passed on. - -Many months elapsed, and still there appeared no alteration in his -resolutions of amendment. He was a good workman, and with his better -habits he recovered his former extensive and profitable employment. -Everything seemed to promise comfort and respectability. I have little -more to add, and that shall be told quickly. I had one evening met Pat -Connell, as he returned from his work, and as usual, after a mutual, and -on his side respectful salutation, I spoke a few words of encouragement -and approval. I left him industrious, active, healthy--when next I saw -him, not three days after, he was a corpse. - -The circumstances which marked the event of his death were somewhat -strange--I might say fearful. The unfortunate man had accidentally met -an old friend just returned, after a long absence; and in a moment of -excitement, forgetting everything in the warmth of his joy, he yielded -to his urgent invitation to accompany him into a public house, which lay -close by the spot where the encounter had taken place. Connell, however, -previously to entering the room, had announced his determination to take -nothing more than the strictest temperance would warrant. - -But oh! who can describe the inveterate tenacity with which a drunkard's -habits cling to him through life? He may repent, he may reform, he may -look with actual abhorrence upon his past profligacy; but amid all this -reformation and compunction, who can tell the moment in which the base -and ruinous propensity may not recur, triumphing over resolution, -remorse, shame, everything, and prostrating its victim once more in all -that is destructive and revolting in that fatal vice? - -The wretched man left the place in a state of utter intoxication. He was -brought home nearly insensible, and placed in his bed. The younger part -of the family retired to rest much after their usual hour; but the poor -wife remained up sitting by the fire, too much grieved and shocked at -the occurrence of what she had so little expected, to settle to rest. -Fatigue, however, at length overcame her, and she sank gradually into an -uneasy slumber. She could not tell how long she had remained in this -state; but when she awakened, and immediately on opening her eyes, she -perceived by the faint red light of the smouldering turf embers, two -persons, one of whom she recognized as her husband, noiselessly gliding -out of the room. - -"Pat, darling, where are you going?" said she. - -There was no answer--the door closed after them; but in a moment she was -startled and terrified by a loud and heavy crash, as if some ponderous -body had been hurled down the stair. - -[Illustration: NOISELESSLY GLIDING OUT OF THE ROOM.] - -Much alarmed, she started up, and going to the head of the staircase, -she called repeatedly upon her husband, but in vain. - -She returned to the room, and with the assistance of her daughter, whom -I had occasion to mention before, she succeeded in finding and lighting -a candle, with which she hurried again to the head of the staircase. - -At the bottom lay what seemed to be a bundle of clothes, heaped -together, motionless, lifeless--it was her husband. In going down -the stairs, for what purpose can never now be known, he had fallen -helplessly and violently to the bottom, and coming head foremost, the -spine of the neck had been dislocated by the shock, and instant death -must have ensued. - -The body lay upon that landing-place to which his dream had referred. - -It is scarcely worth endeavouring to clear up a single point in a -narrative where all is mystery; yet I could not help suspecting that the -second figure which had been seen in the room by Connell's wife on the -night of his death might have been no other than his own shadow. - -I suggested this solution of the difficulty; but she told me that the -unknown person had been considerably in advance of her husband, and on -reaching the door, had turned back as if to communicate something to his -companion. - -It was, then, a mystery. - -[Illustration: AT THE FOOT OF THE STAIRS.] - -Was the dream verified?--whither had the disembodied spirit sped? who -can say? We know not. But I left the house of death that day in a state -of horror which I could not describe. It seemed to me that I was scarce -awake. I heard and saw everything as if under the spell of a nightmare. -The coincidence was terrible. - - - - -[Illustration] - -A Chapter in the history of a Tyrone Family - - -In the following narrative I have endeavoured to give as nearly as -possible the _ipsissima verba_ of the valued friend from whom I received -it, conscious that any aberration from _her_ mode of telling the tale of -her own life would at once impair its accuracy and its effect. - -Would that, with her words, I could also bring before you her animated -gesture, the expressive countenance, the solemn and thrilling air and -accent with which she related the dark passages in her strange story; -and, above all, that I could communicate the impressive consciousness -that the narrator had seen with her own eyes, and personally acted in -the scenes which she described. These accompaniments, taken with the -additional circumstance that she who told the tale was one far too -deeply and sadly impressed with religious principle to misrepresent -or fabricate what she repeated as fact, gave to the tale a depth of -interest which the recording of the events themselves could hardly have -produced. - -I became acquainted with the lady from whose lips I heard this narrative -nearly twenty years since, and the story struck my fancy so much that I -committed it to paper while it was still fresh in my mind; and should -its perusal afford you entertainment for a listless half hour, my labour -shall not have been bestowed in vain. - -I find that I have taken the story down as she told it, in the first -person, and perhaps this is as it should be. - -She began as follows: - -My maiden name was Richardson, the designation of a family of some -distinction in the county of Tyrone. I was the younger of two daughters, -and we were the only children. There was a difference in our ages of -nearly six years, so that I did not, in my childhood, enjoy that close -companionship which sisterhood, in other circumstances, necessarily -involves; and while I was still a child, my sister was married. - -The person upon whom she bestowed her hand was a Mr. Carew, a gentleman -of property and consideration in the north of England. - -I remember well the eventful day of the wedding; the thronging -carriages, the noisy menials, the loud laughter, the merry faces, and -the gay dresses. Such sights were then new to me, and harmonized ill -with the sorrowful feelings with which I regarded the event which was to -separate me from a sister whose tenderness alone had hitherto more than -supplied all that I wanted in my mother's affection. - -The day soon arrived which was to remove the happy couple from Ashtown -House. The carriage stood at the hall-door, and my poor sister kissed me -again and again, telling me that I should see her soon. - -The carriage drove away, and I gazed after it until my eyes filled with -tears, and, returning slowly to my chamber, I wept more bitterly and, so -to speak, more desolately, than ever I had wept before. - -My father had never seemed to love or to take an interest in me. He had -desired a son, and I think he never thoroughly forgave me my unfortunate -sex. - -My having come into the world at all as his child he regarded as a kind -of fraudulent intrusion; and as his antipathy to me had its origin in an -imperfection of mine too radical for removal, I never even hoped to -stand high in his good graces. - -My mother was, I dare say, as fond of me as she was of anyone; but she -was a woman of a masculine and a worldly cast of mind. She had no -tenderness or sympathy for the weaknesses, or even for the affections, -of woman's nature, and her demeanour towards me was peremptory, and -often even harsh. - -It is not to be supposed, then, that I found in the society of my -parents much to supply the loss of my sister. About a year after her -marriage, we received letters from Mr. Carew, containing accounts of my -sister's health, which, though not actually alarming, were calculated to -make us seriously uneasy. The symptoms most dwelt upon were loss of -appetite, and a cough. - -The letters concluded by intimating that he would avail himself of my -father and mother's repeated invitation to spend some time at Ashtown, -particularly as the physician who had been consulted as to my sister's -health had strongly advised a removal to her native air. - -There were added repeated assurances that nothing serious was -apprehended, as it was supposed that a deranged state of the liver was -the only source of the symptoms which at first had seemed to intimate -consumption. - -In accordance with this announcement, my sister and Mr. Carew arrived in -Dublin, where one of my father's carriages awaited them, in readiness to -start upon whatever day or hour they might choose for their departure. - -It was arranged that Mr. Carew was, as soon as the day upon which they -were to leave Dublin was definitely fixed, to write to my father, who -intended that the two last stages should be performed by his own -horses, upon whose speed and safety far more reliance might be placed -than upon those of the ordinary post-horses, which were at that time, -almost without exception, of the very worst order. The journey, one of -about ninety miles, was to be divided; the larger portion being reserved -for the second day. - -On Sunday a letter reached us, stating that the party would leave Dublin -on Monday, and in due course reach Ashtown upon Tuesday evening. - -Tuesday came: the evening closed in, and yet no carriage; darkness came -on, and still no sign of our expected visitors. - -Hour after hour passed away, and it was now past twelve; the night was -remarkably calm, scarce a breath stirring, so that any sound, such as -that produced by the rapid movement of a vehicle, would have been -audible at a considerable distance. For some such sound I was feverishly -listening. - -It was, however, my father's rule to close the house at nightfall, and -the window-shutters being fastened, I was unable to reconnoitre the -avenue as I would have wished. It was nearly one o'clock, and we began -almost to despair of seeing them upon that night, when I thought I -distinguished the sound of wheels, but so remote and faint as to make me -at first very uncertain. The noise approached; it became louder and -clearer; it stopped for a moment. - -I now heard the shrill screaming of the rusty iron, as the avenue gate -revolved on its hinges; again came the sound of wheels in rapid motion. - -"It is they," said I, starting up; "the carriage is in the avenue." - -We all stood for a few moments breathlessly listening. On thundered -the vehicle with the speed of the whirlwind; crack went the whip, and -clatter went the wheels, as it rattled over the uneven pavement of the -court. A general and furious barking from all the dogs about the house -hailed its arrival. - -We hurried to the hall in time to hear the steps let down with the sharp -clanging noise peculiar to the operation, and the hum of voices exerted -in the bustle of arrival. The hall door was now thrown open, and we all -stepped forth to greet our visitors. - -The court was perfectly empty; the moon was shining broadly and brightly -upon all around; nothing was to be seen but the tall trees with their -long spectral shadows, now wet with the dews of midnight. - -We stood gazing from right to left as if suddenly awakened from a dream; -the dogs walked suspiciously, growling and snuffling about the court, -and by totally and suddenly ceasing their former loud barking, expressed -the predominance of fear. - -We stared one upon another in perplexity and dismay, and I think I never -beheld more pale faces assembled. By my father's directions, we looked -about to find anything which might indicate or account for the noise -which we had heard; but no such thing was to be seen--even the mire -which lay upon the avenue was undisturbed. We returned to the house, -more panic-struck than I can describe. - -On the next day, we learned by a messenger, who had ridden hard the -greater part of the night, that my sister was dead. On Sunday evening -she had retired to bed rather unwell, and on Monday her indisposition -declared itself unequivocally to be malignant fever. She became hourly -worse, and, on Tuesday night, a little after midnight, she expired. - -I mention this circumstance, because it was one upon which a thousand -wild and fantastical reports were founded, though one would have thought -that the truth scarcely required to be improved upon; and again, because -it produced a strong and lasting effect upon my spirits, and indeed, I -am inclined to think, upon my character. - -I was, for several years after this occurrence, long after the violence -of my grief subsided, so wretchedly low-spirited and nervous, that I -could scarcely be said to live; and during this time, habits of -indecision, arising out of a listless acquiescence in the will of -others, a fear of encountering even the slightest opposition, and a -disposition to shrink from what are commonly called amusements, grew -upon me so strongly, that I have scarcely even yet altogether overcome -them. - -We saw nothing more of Mr. Carew. He returned to England as soon as the -melancholy rites attendant upon the event which I have just mentioned -were performed; and not being altogether inconsolable, he married again -within two years; after which, owing to the remoteness of our relative -situations, and other circumstances, we gradually lost sight of him. - -I was now an only child; and, as my elder sister had died without issue, -it was evident that, in the ordinary course of things, my father's -property, which was altogether in his power, would go to me; and the -consequence was, that before I was fourteen, Ashtown House was besieged -by a host of suitors. However, whether it was that I was too young, or -that none of the aspirants to my hand stood sufficiently high in rank or -wealth, I was suffered by both parents to do exactly as I pleased; and -well was it for me, as I afterwards found, that fortune, or rather -Providence, had so ordained it, that I had not suffered my affections to -become in any degree engaged, for my mother would never have suffered -any silly fancy of mine, as she was in the habit of styling an -attachment, to stand in the way of her ambitious views--views which she -was determined to carry into effect in defiance of every obstacle, and -in order to accomplish which she would not have hesitated to sacrifice -anything so unreasonable and contemptible as a girlish passion. - -When I reached the age of sixteen, my mother's plans began to develop -themselves; and, at her suggestion, we moved to Dublin to sojourn for -the winter, in order that no time might be lost in disposing of me to -the best advantage. - -I had been too long accustomed to consider myself as of no importance -whatever, to believe for a moment that I was in reality the cause of all -the bustle and preparation which surrounded me; and being thus relieved -from the pain which a consciousness of my real situation would have -inflicted, I journeyed towards the capital with a feeling of total -indifference. - -My father's wealth and connection had established him in the best -society, and consequently, upon our arrival in the metropolis, we -commanded whatever enjoyment or advantages its gaieties afforded. - -The tumult and novelty of the scenes in which I was involved did not -fail considerably to amuse me, and my mind gradually recovered its tone, -which was naturally cheerful. - -It was almost immediately known and reported that I was an heiress, and -of course my attractions were pretty generally acknowledged. - -Among the many gentlemen whom it was my fortune to please, one, ere -long, established himself in my mother's good graces, to the exclusion -of all less important aspirants. However, I had not understood or even -remarked his attentions, nor in the slightest degree suspected his or my -mother's plans respecting me, when I was made aware of them rather -abruptly by my mother herself. - -We had attended a splendid ball, given by Lord M----, at his residence -in Stephen's Green, and I was, with the assistance of my waiting-maid, -employed in rapidly divesting myself of the rich ornaments which, in -profuseness and value, could scarcely have found their equals in any -private family in Ireland. - -I had thrown myself into a lounging-chair beside the fire, listless and -exhausted after the fatigues of the evening, when I was aroused from the -reverie into which I had fallen by the sound of footsteps approaching my -chamber, and my mother entered. - -"Fanny, my dear," said she, in her softest tone, "I wish to say a word -or two with you before I go to rest. You are not fatigued, love, I -hope?" - -"No, no, madam, I thank you," said I, rising at the same time from my -seat, with the formal respect so little practised now. - -"Sit down, my dear," said she, placing herself upon a chair beside me; -"I must chat with you for a quarter of an hour or so. Saunders" (to the -maid), "you may leave the room; do not close the room door, but shut -that of the lobby." - -This precaution against curious ears having been taken as directed, my -mother proceeded: - -"You have observed, I should suppose, my dearest Fanny--indeed, you -_must_ have observed Lord Glenfallen's marked attentions to you?" - -"I assure you, madam--" I began. - -"Well, well, that is all right," interrupted my mother. "Of course, you -must be modest upon the matter; but listen to me for a few moments, my -love, and I will prove to your satisfaction that your modesty is quite -unnecessary in this case. You have done better than we could have hoped, -at least, so very soon. Lord Glenfallen is in love with you. I give you -joy of your conquest;" and, saying this, my mother kissed my forehead. - -"In love with me!" I exclaimed in unfeigned astonishment. - -"Yes, in love with you," repeated my mother; "devotedly, distractedly in -love with you. Why, my dear, what is there wonderful in it? Look in the -glass, and look at these," she continued, pointing, with a smile, to the -jewels which I had just removed from my person, and which now lay in a -glittering heap upon the table. - -"May there not--" said I, hesitating between confusion and real alarm, -"is it not possible that some mistake may be at the bottom of all -this?" - -"Mistake, dearest! none," said my mother. "None; none in the world. -Judge for yourself; read this, my love." And she placed in my hand a -letter, addressed to herself, the seal of which was broken. I read it -through with no small surprise. After some very fine complimentary -flourishes upon my beauty and perfections, as also upon the antiquity -and high reputation of our family, it went on to make a formal proposal -of marriage, to be communicated or not to me at present, as my mother -should deem expedient; and the letter wound up by a request that the -writer might be permitted, upon our return to Ashtown House, which was -soon to take place, as the spring was now tolerably advanced, to visit -us for a few days, in case his suit was approved. - -"Well, well, my dear," said my mother, impatiently; "do you know who -Lord Glenfallen is?" - -"I do, madam," said I, rather timidly; for I dreaded an altercation with -my mother. - -"Well, dear, and what frightens you?" continued she. "Are you afraid of -a title? What has he done to alarm you? He is neither old nor ugly." - -I was silent, though I might have said, "He is neither young nor -handsome." - -"My dear Fanny," continued my mother, "in sober seriousness, you have -been most fortunate in engaging the affections of a nobleman such as -Lord Glenfallen, young and wealthy, with first-rate--yes, acknowledged -_first-rate_ abilities, and of a family whose influence is not exceeded -by that of any in Ireland. Of course, you see the offer in the same -light that I do--indeed, I think you _must_." - -This was uttered in no very dubious tone. I was so much astonished by -the suddenness of the whole communication, that I literally did not know -what to say. - -"You are not in love?" said my mother, turning sharply, and fixing her -dark eyes upon me with severe scrutiny. - -"No, madam," said I, promptly; horrified--what young lady would not have -been?--at such a query. - -"I'm glad to hear it," said my mother, drily. "Once, nearly twenty years -ago, a friend of mine consulted me as to how he should deal with a -daughter who had made what they call a love-match--beggared herself, and -disgraced her family; and I said, without hesitation, take no care for -her, but cast her off. Such punishment I awarded for an offence -committed against the reputation of a family not my own; and what I -advised respecting the child of another, with full as small compunction -I would _do_ with mine. I cannot conceive anything more unreasonable or -intolerable than that the fortune and the character of a family should -be marred by the idle caprices of a girl." - -She spoke this with great severity, and paused as if she expected some -observation from me. - -I, however, said nothing. - -"But I need not explain to you, my dear Fanny," she continued, "my views -upon this subject; you have always known them well, and I have never yet -had reason to believe you are likely to offend me voluntarily, or to -abuse or neglect any of those advantages which reason and duty tell you -should be improved. Come hither, my dear; kiss me, and do not look so -frightened. Well, now, about this letter--you need not answer it yet; of -course, you must be allowed time to make up your mind. In the meantime, -I will write to his lordship to give him my permission to visit us at -Ashtown. Good-night, my love." - -And thus ended one of the most disagreeable, not to say astounding, -conversations I had ever had. It would not be easy to describe exactly -what were my feelings towards Lord Glenfallen;--whatever might have been -my mother's suspicions, my heart was perfectly disengaged--and hitherto, -although I had not been made in the slightest degree acquainted with his -real views, I had liked him very much as an agreeable, well-informed -man, whom I was always glad to meet in society. He had served in the -navy in early life, and the polish which his manners received in his -after intercourse with courts and cities had not served to obliterate -that frankness of manner which belongs proverbially to the sailor. - -Whether this apparent candour went deeper than the outward bearing, I -was yet to learn. However, there was no doubt that, as far as I had seen -of Lord Glenfallen, he was, though perhaps not so young as might have -been desired in a lover, a singularly pleasing man; and whatever feeling -unfavourable to him had found its way into my mind, arose altogether -from the dread, not an unreasonable one, that constraint might be -practised upon my inclinations. I reflected, however, that Lord -Glenfallen was a wealthy man, and one highly thought of; and although I -could never expect to love him in the romantic sense of the term, yet I -had no doubt but that, all things considered, I might be more happy with -him than I could hope to be at home. - -When next I met him it was with no small embarrassment; his tact and -good breeding, however, soon reassured me, and effectually prevented -my awkwardness being remarked upon. And I had the satisfaction of -leaving Dublin for the country with the full conviction that nobody, -not even those most intimate with me, even suspected the fact of Lord -Glenfallen's having made me a formal proposal. - -This was to me a very serious subject of self-gratulation, for, besides -my instinctive dread of becoming the topic of the speculations of -gossip, I felt that if the situation which I occupied in relation to -him were made publicly known, I should stand committed in a manner which -would scarcely leave me the power of retraction. - -The period at which Lord Glenfallen had arranged to visit Ashtown House -was now fast approaching, and it became my mother's wish to form me -thoroughly to her will, and to obtain my consent to the proposed -marriage before his arrival, so that all things might proceed smoothly, -without apparent opposition or objection upon my part. Whatever -objections, therefore, I had entertained were to be subdued; whatever -disposition to resistance I had exhibited or had been supposed to feel, -were to be completely eradicated before he made his appearance; and my -mother addressed herself to the task with a decision and energy against -which even the barriers her imagination had created could hardly have -stood. - -If she had, however, expected any determined opposition from me, she was -agreeably disappointed. My heart was perfectly free, and all my feelings -of liking and preference were in favour of Lord Glenfallen; and I well -knew that in case I refused to dispose of myself as I was desired, my -mother had alike the power and the will to render my existence as -utterly miserable as even the most ill-assorted marriage could possibly -have made it. - -You will remember, my good friend, that I was very young and very -completely under the control of my parents, both of whom, my mother -particularly, were unscrupulously determined in matters of this kind, -and willing, when voluntary obedience on the part of those within their -power was withheld, to compel a forced acquiescence by an unsparing use -of all the engines of the most stern and rigorous domestic discipline. - -All these combined, not unnaturally induced me to resolve upon yielding -at once, and without useless opposition, to what appeared almost to be -my fate. - -The appointed time was come, and my now accepted suitor arrived; he was -in high spirits, and, if possible, more entertaining than ever. - -I was not, however, quite in the mood to enjoy his sprightliness; but -whatever I wanted in gaiety was amply made up in the triumphant and -gracious good-humour of my mother, whose smiles of benevolence and -exultation were showered around as bountifully as the summer sunshine. - -I will not weary you with unnecessary details. Let it suffice to say, -that I was married to Lord Glenfallen with all the attendant pomp and -circumstance of wealth, rank, and grandeur. According to the usage of -the times, now humanely reformed, the ceremony was made, until long past -midnight, the season of wild, uproarious, and promiscuous feasting and -revelry. - -Of all this I have a painfully vivid recollection, and particularly of -the little annoyances inflicted upon me by the dull and coarse jokes of -the wits and wags who abound in all such places, and upon all such -occasions. - -I was not sorry when, after a few days, Lord Glenfallen's carriage -appeared at the door to convey us both from Ashtown; for any change -would have been a relief from the irksomeness of ceremonial and -formality which the visits received in honour of my newly-acquired -titles hourly entailed upon me. - -[Illustration: THE SEASON OF WILD, UPROARIOUS, AND PROMISCUOUS FEASTING -AND REVELRY.] - -It was arranged that we were to proceed to Cahergillagh, one of the -Glenfallen estates, lying, however, in a southern county; so that, owing -to the difficulty of the roads at the time, a tedious journey of three -days intervened. - -I set forth with my noble companion, followed by the regrets of some, -and by the envy of many; though God knows I little deserved the latter. -The three days of travel were now almost spent, when passing the brow of -a wild heathy hill, the domain of Cahergillagh opened suddenly upon our -view. - -It formed a striking and a beautiful scene. A lake of considerable -extent stretching away towards the west, and reflecting from its broad, -smooth waters the rich glow of the setting sun, was overhung by steep -hills, covered by a rich mantle of velvet sward, broken here and there -by the grey front of some old rock, and exhibiting on their shelving -sides and on their slopes and hollows every variety of light and shade. -A thick wood of dwarf oak, birch, and hazel skirted these hills, and -clothed the shores of the lake, running out in rich luxuriance upon -every promontory, and spreading upward considerably upon the side of the -hills. - -"There lies the enchanted castle," said Lord Glenfallen, pointing -towards a considerable level space intervening between two of the -picturesque hills which rose dimly around the lake. - -This little plain was chiefly occupied by the same low, wild wood which -covered the other parts of the domain; but towards the centre, a mass of -taller and statelier forest trees stood darkly grouped together, and -among them stood an ancient square tower, with many buildings of a -humbler character, forming together the manor-house, or, as it was more -usually called, the Court of Cahergillagh. - -As we approached the level upon which the mansion stood, the winding -road gave us many glimpses of the time-worn castle and its surrounding -buildings; and seen as it was through the long vistas of the fine old -trees, and with the rich glow of evening upon it, I have seldom beheld -an object more picturesquely striking. - -I was glad to perceive, too, that here and there the blue curling smoke -ascended from stacks of chimneys now hidden by the rich, dark ivy which, -in a great measure, covered the building. Other indications of comfort -made themselves manifest as we approached; and indeed, though the place -was evidently one of considerable antiquity, it had nothing whatever of -the gloom of decay about it. - -"You must not, my love," said Lord Glenfallen, "imagine this place -worse than it is. I have no taste for antiquity--at least I should -not choose a house to reside in because it is old. Indeed, I do not -recollect that I was even so romantic as to overcome my aversion to -rats and rheumatism, those faithful attendants upon your noble relics -of feudalism; and I much prefer a snug, modern, unmysterious bedroom, -with well-aired sheets, to the waving tapestry, mildewed cushions, and -all the other interesting appliances of romance. However, though I -cannot promise you all the discomfort generally belonging to an old -castle, you will find legends and ghostly lore enough to claim your -respect; and if old Martha be still to the fore, as I trust she is, -you will soon have a supernatural and appropriate anecdote for every -closet and corner of the mansion. But here we are--so, without more -ado, welcome to Cahergillagh!" - -We now entered the hall of the castle, and while the domestics were -employed in conveying our trunks and other luggage which we had -brought with us for immediate use, to the apartments which Lord -Glenfallen had selected for himself and me, I went with him into a -spacious sitting-room, wainscoted with finely-polished black oak, and -hung round with the portraits of various worthies of the Glenfallen -family. - -This room looked out upon an extensive level covered with the softest -green sward, and irregularly bounded by the wild wood I have before -mentioned, through the leafy arcade formed by whose boughs and trunks -the level beams of the setting sun were pouring. In the distance a group -of dairy-maids were plying their task, which they accompanied throughout -with snatches of Irish songs which, mellowed by the distance, floated -not unpleasingly to the ear; and beside them sat or lay, with all the -grave importance of conscious protection, six or seven large dogs of -various kinds. Farther in the distance, and through the cloisters of the -arching wood, two or three ragged urchins were employed in driving such -stray kine as had wandered farther than the rest to join their fellows. - -As I looked upon the scene which I have described, a feeling of -tranquillity and happiness came upon me, which I have never experienced -in so strong a degree; and so strange to me was the sensation that my -eyes filled with tears. - -Lord Glenfallen mistook the cause of my emotion, and taking me kindly -and tenderly by the hand, he said: - -"Do not suppose, my love, that it is my intention to _settle_ here. -Whenever you desire to leave this, you have only to let me know your -wish, and it shall be complied with; so I must entreat of you not to -suffer any circumstances which I can control to give you one moment's -uneasiness. But here is old Martha; you must be introduced to her, one -of the heirlooms of our family." - -A hale, good-humoured, erect old woman was Martha, and an agreeable -contrast to the grim, decrepit hag which my fancy had conjured up, as -the depositary of all the horrible tales in which I doubted not this old -place was most fruitful. - -She welcomed me and her master with a profusion of gratulations, -alternately kissing our hands and apologizing for the liberty; until at -length Lord Glenfallen put an end to this somewhat fatiguing ceremonial -by requesting her to conduct me to my chamber, if it were prepared for -my reception. - -I followed Martha up an old-fashioned oak staircase into a long, dim -passage, at the end of which lay the door which communicated with the -apartments which had been selected for our use; here the old woman -stopped, and respectfully requested me to proceed. - -I accordingly opened the door, and was about to enter, when something -like a mass of black tapestry, as it appeared, disturbed by my sudden -approach, fell from above the door, so as completely to screen the -aperture; the startling unexpectedness of the occurrence, and the -rustling noise which the drapery made in its descent, caused me -involuntarily to step two or three paces backward. I turned, smiling -and half-ashamed, to the old servant, and said,-- - -"You see what a coward I am." - -The woman looked puzzled, and, without saying any more, I was about to -draw aside the curtain and enter the room, when, upon turning to do so, -I was surprised to find that nothing whatever interposed to obstruct the -passage. - -I went into the room, followed by the servant-woman, and was amazed to -find that it, like the one below, was wainscoted, and that nothing like -drapery was to be found near the door. - -"Where is it?" said I; "what has become of it?" - -"What does your ladyship wish to know?" said the old woman. - -"Where is the black curtain that fell across the door, when I attempted -first to come to my chamber?" answered I. - -"The cross of Christ about us!" said the old woman, turning suddenly -pale. - -"What is the matter, my good friend?" said I; "you seem frightened." - -"Oh no, no, your ladyship," said the old woman, endeavouring to conceal -her agitation; but in vain, for tottering towards a chair, she sank into -it, looking so deadly pale and horror-struck that I thought every moment -she would faint. - -"Merciful God, keep us from harm and danger!" muttered she at length. - -"What can have terrified you so?" said I, beginning to fear that she had -seen something more than had met my eye. "You appear ill, my poor -woman!" - -"Nothing, nothing, my lady," said she, rising. "I beg your ladyship's -pardon for making so bold. May the great God defend us from misfortune!" - -"Martha," said I, "something _has_ frightened you very much, and I -insist on knowing what it is; your keeping me in the dark upon the -subject will make me much more uneasy than anything you could tell me. -I desire you, therefore, to let me know what agitates you; I command you -to tell me." - -"Your ladyship said you saw a black curtain falling across the door when -you were coming into the room," said the old woman. - -"I did," said I; "but though the whole thing appears somewhat strange, I -cannot see anything in the matter to agitate you so excessively." - -"It's for no good you saw that, my lady," said the crone; "something -terrible is coming. It's a sign, my lady--a sign that never fails." - -"Explain, explain what you mean, my good woman," said I, in spite of -myself, catching more than I could account for, of her superstitious -terror. - -"Whenever something--something _bad_ is going to happen to the -Glenfallen family, some one that belongs to them sees a black -handkerchief or curtain just waved or falling before their faces. I saw -it myself," continued she, lowering her voice, "when I was only a little -girl, and I'll never forget it. I often heard of it before, though I -never saw it till then, nor since, praised be God. But I was going into -Lady Jane's room to waken her in the morning; and sure enough when I got -first to the bed and began to draw the curtain, something dark was waved -across the division, but only for a moment; and when I saw rightly into -the bed, there she was lying cold and dead, God be merciful to me! So, -my lady, there is small blame to me to be daunted when any one of the -family sees it; for it's many the story I heard of it, though I saw it -but once." - -I was not of a superstitious turn of mind, yet I could not resist a -feeling of awe very nearly allied to the fear which my companion had -so unreservedly expressed; and when you consider my situation, the -loneliness, antiquity, and gloom of the place, you will allow that the -weakness was not without excuse. - -In spite of old Martha's boding predictions, however, time flowed on in -an unruffled course. One little incident, however, though trifling in -itself, I must relate, as it serves to make what follows more -intelligible. - -Upon the day after my arrival, Lord Glenfallen of course desired to make -me acquainted with the house and domain; and accordingly we set forth -upon our ramble. When returning, he became for some time silent and -moody, a state so unusual with him as considerably to excite my -surprise. - -I endeavoured by observations and questions to arouse him--but in vain. -At length, as we approached the house, he said, as if speaking to -himself,-- - -"'Twere madness--madness--madness," repeating the words bitterly; "sure -and speedy ruin." - -There was here a long pause; and at length, turning sharply towards me, -in a tone very unlike that in which he had hitherto addressed me, he -said,-- - -"Do you think it possible that a woman can keep a secret?" - -"I am sure," said I, "that women are very much belied upon the score of -talkativeness, and that I may answer your question with the same -directness with which you put it--I reply that I _do_ think a woman can -keep a secret." - -"But I do not," said he, drily. - -We walked on in silence for a time. I was much astonished at his -unwonted abruptness--I had almost said rudeness. - -After a considerable pause he seemed to recollect himself, and with an -effort resuming his sprightly manner, he said,-- - -"Well, well, the next thing to keeping a secret well is not to desire to -possess one; talkativeness and curiosity generally go together. Now I -shall make test of you, in the first place, respecting the latter of -these qualities. I shall be your _Bluebeard_--tush, why do I trifle -thus? Listen to me, my dear Fanny; I speak now in solemn earnest. What I -desire is intimately, inseparably connected with your happiness and -honour as well as my own; and your compliance with my request will not -be difficult. It will impose upon you a very trifling restraint during -your sojourn here, which certain events which have occurred since our -arrival have determined me shall not be a long one. You must promise me, -upon your sacred honour, that you will visit _only_ that part of the -castle which can be reached from the front entrance, leaving the back -entrance and the part of the building commanded immediately by it to the -menials, as also the small garden whose high wall you see yonder; and -never at any time seek to pry or peep into them, nor to open the door -which communicates from the front part of the house through the corridor -with the back. I do not urge this in jest or in caprice, but from -a solemn conviction that danger and misery will be the certain -consequences of your not observing what I prescribe. I cannot explain -myself further at present. Promise me, then, these things, as you hope -for peace here and for mercy hereafter." - -I did make the promise as desired, and he appeared relieved; his manner -recovered all its gaiety and elasticity: but the recollection of the -strange scene which I have just described dwelt painfully upon my mind. - -More than a month passed away without any occurrence worth recording; -but I was not destined to leave Cahergillagh without further adventure. -One day, intending to enjoy the pleasant sunshine in a ramble through -the woods, I ran up to my room to procure my hat and cloak. Upon -entering the chamber I was surprised and somewhat startled to find it -occupied. Beside the fireplace, and nearly opposite the door, seated in -a large, old-fashioned elbow-chair, was placed the figure of a lady. She -appeared to be nearer fifty than forty, and was dressed suitably to her -age, in a handsome suit of flowered silk; she had a profusion of -trinkets and jewellery about her person, and many rings upon her -fingers. But although very rich, her dress was not gaudy or in ill -taste. But what was remarkable in the lady was, that although her -features were handsome, and upon the whole pleasing, the pupil of each -eye was dimmed with the whiteness of cataract, and she was evidently -stone-blind. I was for some seconds so surprised at this unaccountable -apparition, that I could not find words to address her. - -[Illustration: UPON ENTERING THE CHAMBER, I WAS SURPRISED AND SOMEWHAT -STARTLED TO FIND IT OCCUPIED.] - -"Madam," said I, "there must be some mistake here--this is my -bedchamber." - -"Marry come up," said the lady, sharply; "_your_ chamber! Where is Lord -Glenfallen?" - -"He is below, madam," replied I; "and I am convinced he will be not a -little surprised to find you here." - -"I do not think he will," said she, "with your good leave; talk of what -you know something about. Tell him I want him. Why does the minx -dilly-dally so?" - -In spite of the awe which this grim lady inspired, there was something -in her air of confident superiority which, when I considered our -relative situations, was not a little irritating. - -"Do you know, madam, to whom you speak?" said I. - -"I neither know nor care," said she; "but I presume that you are some -one about the house, so again I desire you, if you wish to continue -here, to bring your master hither forthwith." - -"I must tell you, madam," said I, "that I am Lady Glenfallen." - -"What's that?" said the stranger, rapidly. - -"I say, madam," I repeated, approaching her that I might be more -distinctly heard, "that I am Lady Glenfallen." - -"It's a lie, you trull!" cried she, in an accent which made me start, -and at the same time, springing forward, she seized me in her grasp, and -shook me violently, repeating, "It's a lie--it's a lie!" with a rapidity -and vehemence which swelled every vein of her face. The violence of her -action, and the fury which convulsed her face, effectually terrified me, -and disengaging myself from her grasp, I screamed as loud as I could for -help. The blind woman continued to pour out a torrent of abuse upon me, -foaming at the mouth with rage, and impotently shaking her clenched fist -towards me. - -I heard Lord Glenfallen's step upon the stairs, and I instantly ran out; -as I passed him I perceived that he was deadly pale, and just caught the -words: "I hope that demon has not hurt you?" - -I made some answer, I forget what, and he entered the chamber, the door -of which he locked upon the inside. What passed within I know not; but I -heard the voices of the two speakers raised in loud and angry -altercation. - -I thought I heard the shrill accents of the woman repeat the words, -"Let her look to herself;" but I could not be quite sure. This short -sentence, however, was, to my alarmed imagination, pregnant with fearful -meaning. - -The storm at length subsided, though not until after a conference of -more than two long hours. Lord Glenfallen then returned, pale and -agitated. - -"That unfortunate woman," said he, "is out of her mind. I daresay she -treated you to some of her ravings; but you need not dread any further -interruption from her: I have brought her so far to reason. She did not -hurt you, I trust." - -"No, no," said I; "but she terrified me beyond measure." - -"Well," said he, "she is likely to behave better for the future; and I -dare swear that neither you nor she would desire, after what has passed, -to meet again." - -This occurrence, so startling and unpleasant, so involved in mystery, -and giving rise to so many painful surmises, afforded me no very -agreeable food for rumination. - -All attempts on my part to arrive at the truth were baffled; Lord -Glenfallen evaded all my inquiries, and at length peremptorily forbade -any further allusion to the matter. I was thus obliged to rest satisfied -with what I had actually seen, and to trust to time to resolve the -perplexities in which the whole transaction had involved me. - -Lord Glenfallen's temper and spirits gradually underwent a complete and -most painful change; he became silent and abstracted, his manner to me -was abrupt and often harsh, some grievous anxiety seemed ever present to -his mind; and under its influence his spirits sank and his temper became -soured. - -I soon perceived that his gaiety was rather that which the stir and -excitement of society produce, than the result of a healthy habit of -mind; every day confirmed me in the opinion, that the considerate -good-nature which I had so much admired in him was little more than -a mere manner; and to my infinite grief and surprise, the gay, kind, -open-hearted nobleman who had for months followed and flattered me, was -rapidly assuming the form of a gloomy, morose, and singularly selfish -man. This was a bitter discovery, and I strove to conceal it from myself -as long as I could; but the truth was not to be denied, and I was forced -to believe that my husband no longer loved me, and that he was at little -pains to conceal the alteration in his sentiments. - -One morning after breakfast, Lord Glenfallen had been for some time -walking silently up and down the room, buried in his moody reflections, -when pausing suddenly, and turning towards me, he exclaimed: - -"I have it--I have it! We must go abroad, and stay there too; and -if that does not answer, why--why, we must try some more effectual -expedient. Lady Glenfallen, I have become involved in heavy -embarrassments. A wife, you know, must share the fortunes of her -husband, for better for worse; but I will waive my right if you prefer -remaining here--here at Cahergillagh. For I would not have you seen -elsewhere without the state to which your rank entitles you; besides, it -would break your poor mother's heart," he added, with sneering gravity. -"So make up your mind--Cahergillagh or France. I will start if possible -in a week, so determine between this and then." - -He left the room, and in a few moments I saw him ride past the window, -followed by a mounted servant. He had directed a domestic to inform me -that he should not be back until the next day. - -I was in very great doubt as to what course of conduct I should pursue -as to accompanying him in the continental tour so suddenly determined -upon. I felt that it would be a hazard too great to encounter; for at -Cahergillagh I had always the consciousness to sustain me, that if his -temper at any time led him into violent or unwarrantable treatment of -me, I had a remedy within reach, in the protection and support of my own -family, from all useful and effective communication with whom, if once -in France, I should be entirely debarred. - -As to remaining at Cahergillagh in solitude, and, for aught I -knew, exposed to hidden dangers, it appeared to me scarcely less -objectionable than the former proposition; and yet I feared that with -one or other I must comply, unless I was prepared to come to an actual -breach with Lord Glenfallen. Full of these unpleasing doubts and -perplexities, I retired to rest. - -I was wakened, after having slept uneasily for some hours, by some -person shaking me rudely by the shoulder; a small lamp burned in my -room, and by its light, to my horror and amazement, I discovered that my -visitant was the self-same blind old lady who had so terrified me a few -weeks before. - -I started up in the bed, with a view to ring the bell, and alarm the -domestics; but she instantly anticipated me by saying: - -"Do not be frightened, silly girl! If I had wished to harm you, I could -have done it while you were sleeping; I need not have wakened you. -Listen to me, now, attentively and fearlessly, for what I have to say -interests you to the full as much as it does me. Tell me here, in the -presence of God, did Lord Glenfallen marry you--_actually marry you_? -Speak the truth, woman." - -"As surely as I live and speak," I replied, "did Lord Glenfallen marry -me, in presence of more than a hundred witnesses." - -"Well," continued she, "he should have told you _then_, before you -married him, that he had a wife living,--that I am his wife. I feel you -tremble--tush! do not be frightened. I do not mean to harm you. Mark me -now--you are _not_ his wife. When I make my story known you will be so -neither in the eye of God nor of man. You must leave this house upon -to-morrow. Let the world know that your husband has another wife living; -go you into retirement, and leave him to justice, which will surely -overtake him. If you remain in this house after to-morrow, you will reap -the bitter fruits of your sin." - -So saying, she quitted the room, leaving me very little disposed to -sleep. - -Here was food for my very worst and most terrible suspicions; still -there was not enough to remove all doubt. I had no proof of the truth of -this woman's statement. - -Taken by itself, there was nothing to induce me to attach weight to -it; but when I viewed it in connection with the extraordinary mystery -of some of Lord Glenfallen's proceedings, his strange anxiety to -exclude me from certain portions of the mansion, doubtless lest I -should encounter this person--the strong influence, nay, command which -she possessed over him, a circumstance clearly established by the very -fact of her residing in the very place where, of all others, he should -least have desired to find her--her thus acting, and continuing to act -in direct contradiction to his wishes; when, I say, I viewed her -disclosure in connection with all these circumstances, I could not -help feeling that there was at least a fearful verisimilitude in the -allegations which she had made. - -Still I was not satisfied, nor nearly so. Young minds have a -reluctance almost insurmountable to believing, upon anything short of -unquestionable proof, the existence of premeditated guilt in anyone -whom they have ever trusted; and in support of this feeling I was -assured that if the assertion of Lord Glenfallen, which nothing in -this woman's manner had led me to disbelieve, were true, namely that -her mind was unsound, the whole fabric of my doubts and fears must -fall to the ground. - -I determined to state to Lord Glenfallen freely and accurately the -substance of the communication which I had just heard, and in his words -and looks to seek for its proof or refutation. Full of these thoughts, -I remained wakeful and excited all night, every moment fancying that I -heard the step or saw the figure of my recent visitor, towards whom I -felt a species of horror and dread which I can hardly describe. - -There was something in her face, though her features had evidently been -handsome, and were not, at first sight, unpleasing, which, upon a nearer -inspection, seemed to indicate the habitual prevalence and indulgence -of evil passions, and a power of expressing mere animal anger with an -intenseness that I have seldom seen equalled, and to which an almost -unearthly effect was given by the convulsive quivering of the sightless -eyes. - -You may easily suppose that it was no very pleasing reflection to me to -consider that, whenever caprice might induce her to return, I was within -the reach of this violent and, for aught I knew, insane woman, who had, -upon that very night, spoken to me in a tone of menace, of which her -mere words, divested of the manner and look with which she uttered them, -can convey but a faint idea. - -Will you believe me when I tell you that I was actually afraid to leave -my bed in order to secure the door, lest I should again encounter the -dreadful object lurking in some corner or peeping from behind the -window-curtains, so very a child was I in my fears? - -The morning came, and with it Lord Glenfallen. I knew not, and indeed I -cared not, where he might have been; my thoughts were wholly engrossed -by the terrible fears and suspicions which my last night's conference -had suggested to me. He was, as usual, gloomy and abstracted, and I -feared in no very fitting mood to hear what I had to say with patience, -whether the charges were true or false. - -I was, however, determined not to suffer the opportunity to pass, or -Lord Glenfallen to leave the room, until, at all hazards, I had -unburdened my mind. - -"My lord," said I, after a long silence, summoning up all my firmness, -"my lord, I wish to say a few words to you upon a matter of very great -importance, of very deep concernment to you and to me." - -I fixed my eyes upon him to discern, if possible, whether the -announcement caused him any uneasiness; but no symptom of any such -feeling was perceptible. - -"Well, my dear," said he, "this is no doubt a very grave preface, and -portends, I have no doubt, something extraordinary. Pray let us have it -without more ado." - -He took a chair, and seated himself nearly opposite to me. - -"My lord," said I, "I have seen the person who alarmed me so much a -short time since, the blind lady, again, upon last night." His face, -upon which my eyes were fixed, turned pale; he hesitated for a moment, -and then said: - -"And did you, pray, madam, so totally forget or spurn my express -command, as to enter that portion of the house from which your promise, -I might say your oath, excluded you? Answer me that!" he added fiercely. - -"My lord," said I, "I have neither forgotten your _commands_, since -such they were, nor disobeyed them. I was, last night, wakened from my -sleep, as I lay in my own chamber, and accosted by the person whom I -have mentioned. How she found access to the room I cannot pretend to -say." - -"Ha! this must be looked to," said he, half reflectively. "And pray," -added he quickly, while in turn he fixed his eyes upon me, "what did -this person say? since some comment upon her communication forms, no -doubt, the sequel to your preface." - -"Your lordship is not mistaken," said I; "her statement was so -extraordinary that I could not think of withholding it from you. She -told me, my lord, that you had a wife living at the time you married me, -and that she was that wife." - -Lord Glenfallen became ashy pale, almost livid; he made two or three -efforts to clear his voice to speak, but in vain, and turning suddenly -from me, he walked to the window. The horror and dismay which, in the -olden time, overwhelmed the woman of Endor when her spells unexpectedly -conjured the dead into her presence, were but types of what I felt when -thus presented with what appeared to be almost unequivocal evidence of -the guilt whose existence I had before so strongly doubted. - -There was a silence of some moments, during which it were hard to -conjecture whether I or my companion suffered most. - -Lord Glenfallen soon recovered his self-command; he returned to the -table, again sat down, and said: - -"What you have told me has so astonished me, has unfolded such a tissue -of motiveless guilt, and in a quarter from which I had so little reason -to look for ingratitude or treachery, that your announcement almost -deprived me of speech; the person in question, however, has one excuse, -her mind is, as I told you before, unsettled. You should have remembered -that, and hesitated to receive as unexceptionable evidence against the -honour of your husband, the ravings of a lunatic. I now tell you that -this is the last time I shall speak to you upon this subject, and, in -the presence of the God who is to judge me, and as I hope for mercy in -the day of judgment, I swear that the charge thus brought against me is -utterly false, unfounded, and ridiculous. I defy the world in any point -to taint my honour; and, as I have never taken the opinion of madmen -touching your character or morals, I think it but fair to require that -you will evince a like tenderness for me; and now, once for all, never -again dare to repeat to me your insulting suspicions, or the clumsy and -infamous calumnies of fools. I shall instantly let the worthy lady who -contrived this somewhat original device understand fully my opinion upon -the matter. Good morning." - -And with these words he left me again in doubt, and involved in all the -horrors of the most agonizing suspense. - -I had reason to think that Lord Glenfallen wreaked his vengeance upon -the author of the strange story which I had heard, with a violence which -was not satisfied with mere words, for old Martha, with whom I was a -great favourite, while attending me in my room, told me that she feared -her master had ill-used the poor blind Dutchwoman, for that she had -heard her scream as if the very life were leaving her, but added a -request that I should not speak of what she had told me to any one, -particularly to the master. - -"How do you know that she is a Dutchwoman?" inquired I, anxious to learn -anything whatever that might throw a light upon the history of this -person, who seemed to have resolved to mix herself up in my fortunes. - -"Why, my lady," answered Martha, "the master often calls her the Dutch -hag, and other names you would not like to hear, and I am sure she is -neither English nor Irish; for, whenever they talk together, they speak -some queer foreign lingo, and fast enough, I'll be bound. But I ought -not to talk about her at all; it might be as much as my place is worth -to mention her, only you saw her first yourself, so there can be no -great harm in speaking of her now." - -"How long has this lady been here?" continued I. - -"She came early on the morning after your ladyship's arrival," answered -she; "but do not ask me any more, for the master would think nothing of -turning me out of doors for daring to speak of her at all, much less to -_you_, my lady." - -I did not like to press the poor woman further, for her reluctance to -speak on this topic was evident and strong. - -You will readily believe that upon the very slight grounds which my -information afforded, contradicted as it was by the solemn oath of my -husband, and derived from what was, at best, a very questionable source, -I could not take any very decisive measures whatever; and as to the -menace of the strange woman who had thus unaccountably twice intruded -herself into my chamber, although, at the moment, it occasioned me some -uneasiness, it was not, even in my eyes, sufficiently formidable to -induce my departure from Cahergillagh. - -A few nights after the scene which I have just mentioned, Lord -Glenfallen having, as usual, retired early to his study, I was left -alone in the parlour to amuse myself as best I might. - -It was not strange that my thoughts should often recur to the agitating -scenes in which I had recently taken a part. - -The subject of my reflections, the solitude, the silence, and the -lateness of the hour, as also the depression of spirits to which I had -of late been a constant prey, tended to produce that nervous excitement -which places us wholly at the mercy of the imagination. - -In order to calm my spirits I was endeavouring to direct my thoughts -into some more pleasing channel, when I heard, or thought I heard, -uttered within a few yards of me, in an odd, half-sneering tone, the -words,-- - -"There is blood upon your ladyship's throat." - -So vivid was the impression that I started to my feet, and involuntarily -placed my hand upon my neck. - -I looked around the room for the speaker, but in vain. - -I went then to the room-door, which I opened, and peered into the -passage, nearly faint with horror lest some leering, shapeless thing -should greet me upon the threshold. - -When I had gazed long enough to assure myself that no strange object was -within sight,-- - -"I have been too much of a rake lately; I am racking out my nerves," -said I, speaking aloud, with a view to reassure myself. - -I rang the bell, and, attended by old Martha, I retired to settle for -the night. - -While the servant was--as was her custom--arranging the lamp which I -have already stated always burned during the night in my chamber, I was -employed in undressing, and, in doing so, I had recourse to a large -looking-glass which occupied a considerable portion of the wall in which -it was fixed, rising from the ground to a height of about six feet; this -mirror filled the space of a large panel in the wainscoting opposite the -foot of the bed. - -[Illustration: SOMETHING LIKE A BLACK PALL WAS SLOWLY WAVED.] - -I had hardly been before it for the lapse of a minute when something -like a black pall was slowly waved between me and it. - -"Oh, God! there it is," I exclaimed, wildly. "I have seen it again, -Martha--the black cloth." - -"God be merciful to us, then!" answered she, tremulously crossing -herself. "Some misfortune is over us." - -"No, no, Martha," said I, almost instantly recovering my collectedness; -for, although of a nervous temperament, I had never been superstitious. -"I do not believe in omens. You know I saw, or fancied I saw, this thing -before, and nothing followed." - -"The Dutch lady came the next morning," replied she. - -"But surely her coming scarcely deserved such a dreadful warning," I -replied. - -"She is a strange woman, my lady," said Martha; "and she is not _gone_ -yet--mark my words." - -"Well, well, Martha," said I, "I have not wit enough to change your -opinions, nor inclination to alter mine; so I will talk no more of the -matter. Good-night," and so I was left to my reflections. - -After lying for about an hour awake, I at length fell into a kind of -doze; but my imagination was very busy, for I was startled from this -unrefreshing sleep by fancying that I heard a voice close to my face -exclaim as before,-- - -"There is blood upon your ladyship's throat." - -The words were instantly followed by a loud burst of laughter. - -Quaking with horror, I awakened, and heard my husband enter the room. -Even this was a relief. - -Scared as I was, however, by the tricks which my imagination had played -me, I preferred remaining silent, and pretending to sleep, to attempting -to engage my husband in conversation, for I well knew that his mood was -such, that his words would not, in all probability, convey anything that -had not better be unsaid and unheard. - -Lord Glenfallen went into his dressing-room, which lay upon the -right-hand side of the bed. The door lying open, I could see him by -himself, at full length upon a sofa, and, in about half an hour, I -became aware, by his deep and regularly drawn respiration, that he was -fast asleep. - -When slumber refuses to visit one, there is something peculiarly -irritating, not to the temper, but to the nerves, in the consciousness -that some one is in your immediate presence, actually enjoying the boon -which you are seeking in vain; at least, I have always found it so, and -never more than upon the present occasion. - -A thousand annoying imaginations harassed and excited me; every object -which I looked upon, though ever so familiar, seemed to have acquired -a strange phantom-like character, the varying shadows thrown by the -flickering of the lamplight seemed shaping themselves into grotesque and -unearthly forms, and whenever my eyes wandered to the sleeping figure -of my husband, his features appeared to undergo the strangest and most -demoniacal contortions. - -Hour after hour was told by the old clock, and each succeeding one found -me, if possible, less inclined to sleep than its predecessor. - -It was now considerably past three; my eyes, in their involuntary -wanderings, happened to alight upon the large mirror which was, as I -have said, fixed in the wall opposite the foot of the bed. A view of it -was commanded from where I lay, through the curtains. As I gazed fixedly -upon it, I thought I perceived the broad sheet of glass shifting its -position in relation to the bed; I riveted my eyes upon it with intense -scrutiny; it was no deception, the mirror, as if acting of its own -impulse, moved slowly aside, and disclosed a dark aperture in the wall, -nearly as large as an ordinary door; a figure evidently stood in this, -but the light was too dim to define it accurately. - -It stepped cautiously into the chamber, and with so little noise, that -had I not actually seen it, I do not think I should have been aware of -its presence. It was arrayed in a kind of woollen night-dress, and a -white handkerchief or cloth was bound tightly about the head; I had no -difficulty, spite of the strangeness of the attire, in recognizing the -blind woman whom I so much dreaded. - -She stooped down, bringing her head nearly to the ground, and in that -attitude she remained motionless for some moments, no doubt in order to -ascertain if any suspicious sounds were stirring. - -She was apparently satisfied by her observations, for she immediately -recommenced her silent progress towards a ponderous mahogany -dressing-table of my husband's. When she had reached it, she paused -again, and appeared to listen attentively for some minutes; she then -noiselessly opened one of the drawers, from which, having groped for -some time, she took something, which I soon perceived to be a case of -razors. She opened it, and tried the edge of each of the two instruments -upon the skin of her hand; she quickly selected one, which she fixed -firmly in her grasp. She now stooped down as before, and having listened -for a time, she, with the hand that was disengaged, groped her way into -the dressing-room where Lord Glenfallen lay fast asleep. - -I was fixed as if in the tremendous spell of a nightmare. I could not -stir even a finger; I could not lift my voice; I could not even breathe; -and though I expected every moment to see the sleeping man murdered, I -could not even close my eyes to shut out the horrible spectacle which I -had not the power to avert. - -I saw the woman approach the sleeping figure, she laid the unoccupied -hand lightly along his clothes, and having thus ascertained his -identity, she, after a brief interval, turned back and again entered my -chamber; here she bent down again to listen. - -I had now not a doubt but that the razor was intended for my throat; yet -the terrific fascination which had locked all my powers so long, still -continued to bind me fast. - -I felt that my life depended upon the slightest ordinary exertion, and -yet I could not stir one joint from the position in which I lay, nor -even make noise enough to waken Lord Glenfallen. - -The murderous woman now, with long, silent steps, approached the bed; -my very heart seemed turning to ice; her left hand, that which was -disengaged, was upon the pillow; she gradually slid it forward towards -my head, and in an instant, with the speed of lightning, it was clutched -in my hair, while, with the other hand, she dashed the razor at my -throat. - -A slight inaccuracy saved me from instant death; the blow fell short, -the point of the razor grazing my throat. In a moment, I know not how, I -found myself at the other side of the bed, uttering shriek after shriek; -the wretch was however determined, if possible, to murder me. - -Scrambling along by the curtains, she rushed round the bed towards me; -I seized the handle of the door to make my escape. It was, however, -fastened. At all events, I could not open it. From the mere instinct of -recoiling terror, I shrunk back into a corner. She was now within a yard -of me. Her hand was upon my face. - -I closed my eyes fast, expecting never to open them again, when a blow, -inflicted from behind by a strong arm, stretched the monster senseless -at my feet. At the same moment the door opened, and several domestics, -alarmed by my cries, entered the apartment. - -I do not recollect what followed, for I fainted. One swoon succeeded -another, so long and death-like, that my life was considered very -doubtful. - -At about ten o'clock, however, I sank into a deep and refreshing sleep, -from which I was awakened at about two, that I might swear my deposition -before a magistrate, who attended for that purpose. - -I accordingly did so, as did also Lord Glenfallen, and the woman was -fully committed to stand her trial at the ensuing assizes. - -I shall never forget the scene which the examination of the blind woman -and of the other parties afforded. - -She was brought into the room in the custody of two servants. She wore -a kind of flannel wrapper, which had not been changed since the night -before. It was torn and soiled, and here and there smeared with blood, -which had flowed in large quantities from a wound in her head. The -white handkerchief had fallen off in the scuffle, and her grizzled hair -fell in masses about her wild and deadly pale countenance. - -She appeared perfectly composed, however, and the only regret she -expressed throughout, was at not having succeeded in her attempt, the -object of which she did not pretend to conceal. - -On being asked her name, she called herself the Countess Glenfallen, and -refused to give any other title. - -"The woman's name is Flora Van-Kemp," said Lord Glenfallen. - -"It _was_, it _was_, you perjured traitor and cheat!" screamed the -woman; and then there followed a volley of words in some foreign -language. "Is there a magistrate here?" she resumed; "I am Lord -Glenfallen's wife--I'll prove it--write down my words. I am willing to -be hanged or burned, so _he_ meets his deserts. I did try to kill that -doll of his; but it was he who put it into my head to do it--two wives -were too many; I was to murder her, or she was to hang me: listen to all -I have to say." - -Here Lord Glenfallen interrupted. - -"I think, sir," said he, addressing the magistrate "that we had better -proceed to business; this unhappy woman's furious recriminations but -waste our time. If she refuses to answer your questions, you had better, -I presume, take my depositions." - -"And are you going to swear away my life, you black-perjured murderer?" -shrieked the woman. "Sir, sir, sir, you must hear me," she continued, -addressing the magistrate; "I can convict him--he bid me murder that -girl, and then, when I failed, he came behind me, and struck me down, -and now he wants to swear away my life. Take down all I say." - -"If it is your intention," said the magistrate, "to confess the crime -with which you stand charged, you may, upon producing sufficient -evidence, criminate whom you please." - -"Evidence!--I have no evidence but myself," said the woman. "I will -swear it all--write down my testimony--write it down, I say--we shall -hang side by side, my brave lord--all your own handy-work, my gentle -husband!" - -This was followed by a low, insolent, and sneering laugh, which, from -one in her situation, was sufficiently horrible. - -"I will not at present hear anything," replied he, "but distinct answers -to the questions which I shall put to you upon this matter." - -"Then you shall hear nothing," replied she sullenly, and no inducement -or intimidation could bring her to speak again. - -Lord Glenfallen's deposition and mine were then given, as also those of -the servants who had entered the room at the moment of my rescue. - -The magistrate then intimated that she was committed, and must proceed -directly to gaol, whither she was brought in a carriage of Lord -Glenfallen's, for his lordship was naturally by no means indifferent to -the effect which her vehement accusations against himself might produce, -if uttered before every chance hearer whom she might meet with between -Cahergillagh and the place of confinement whither she was despatched. - -During the time which intervened between the committal and the trial of -the prisoner, Lord Glenfallen seemed to suffer agonies of mind which -baffled all description; he hardly ever slept, and when he did, his -slumbers seemed but the instruments of new tortures, and his waking -hours were, if possible, exceeded in intensity of terror by the dreams -which disturbed his sleep. - -Lord Glenfallen rested, if to lie in the mere attitude of repose were -to do so, in his dressing-room, and thus I had an opportunity of -witnessing, far oftener than I wished it, the fearful workings of his -mind. His agony often broke out into such fearful paroxysms that -delirium and total loss of reason appeared to be impending. He -frequently spoke of flying from the country, and bringing with him all -the witnesses of the appalling scene upon which the prosecution was -founded; then, again, he would fiercely lament that the blow which he -had inflicted had not ended all. - -The assizes arrived, however, and upon the day appointed Lord Glenfallen -and I attended in order to give our evidence. - -The cause was called on, and the prisoner appeared at the bar. - -Great curiosity and interest were felt respecting the trial, so that the -court was crowded to excess. - -The prisoner, however, without appearing to take the trouble of -listening to the indictment, pleaded guilty, and no representations on -the part of the court availed to induce her to retract her plea. - -After much time had been wasted in a fruitless attempt to prevail upon -her to reconsider her words, the court proceeded, according to the usual -form, to pass sentence. - -This having been done, the prisoner was about to be removed, when she -said, in a low, distinct voice: - -"A word--a word, my lord!--Is Lord Glenfallen here in the court?" - -On being told that he was, she raised her voice to a tone of loud -menace, and continued: - -"Hardress, Earl of Glenfallen, I accuse you here in this court of -justice of two crimes,--first, that you married a second wife while the -first was living; and again, that you prompted me to the murder, for -attempting which I am to die. Secure him--chain him--bring him here!" - -There was a laugh through the court at these words, which were naturally -treated by the judge as a violent extemporary recrimination, and the -woman was desired to be silent. - -"You won't take him, then?" she said; "you won't try him? You'll let him -go free?" - -It was intimated by the court that he would certainly be allowed "to go -free," and she was ordered again to be removed. - -Before, however, the mandate was executed, she threw her arms wildly -into the air, and uttered one piercing shriek so full of preternatural -rage and despair, that it might fitly have ushered a soul into those -realms where hope can come no more. - -The sound still rang in my ears, months after the voice that had uttered -it was for ever silent. - -The wretched woman was executed in accordance with the sentence which -had been pronounced. - -For some time after this event, Lord Glenfallen appeared, if possible, -to suffer more than he had done before, and altogether his language, -which often amounted to half confessions of the guilt imputed to him, -and all the circumstances connected with the late occurrences, formed a -mass of evidence so convincing that I wrote to my father, detailing the -grounds of my fears, and imploring him to come to Cahergillagh without -delay, in order to remove me from my husband's control, previously to -taking legal steps for a final separation. - -Circumstanced as I was, my existence was little short of intolerable, -for, besides the fearful suspicions which attached to my husband, I -plainly perceived that if Lord Glenfallen were not relieved, and that -speedily, insanity must supervene. I therefore expected my father's -arrival, or at least a letter to announce it, with indescribable -impatience. - -About a week after the execution had taken place, Lord Glenfallen one -morning met me with an unusually sprightly air. - -"Fanny," said he, "I have it now for the first time in my power to -explain to your satisfaction everything which has hitherto appeared -suspicious or mysterious in my conduct. After breakfast come with me to -my study, and I shall, I hope, make all things clear." - -This invitation afforded me more real pleasure than I had experienced -for months. Something had certainly occurred to tranquillize my -husband's mind in no ordinary degree, and I thought it by no means -impossible that he would, in the proposed interview, prove himself the -most injured and innocent of men. - -Full of this hope, I repaired to his study at the appointed hour. He was -writing busily when I entered the room, and just raising his eyes, he -requested me to be seated. - -I took a chair as he desired, and remained silently awaiting his -leisure, while he finished, folded, directed, and sealed his letter. -Laying it then upon the table with the address downward, he said,-- - -"My dearest Fanny, I know I must have appeared very strange to you and -very unkind--often even cruel. Before the end of this week I will show -you the necessity of my conduct--how impossible it was that I should -have seemed otherwise. I am conscious that many acts of mine must have -inevitably given rise to painful suspicions--suspicions which, indeed, -upon one occasion, you very properly communicated to me. I have -got two letters from a quarter which commands respect, containing -information as to the course by which I may be enabled to prove the -negative of all the crimes which even the most credulous suspicion -could lay to my charge. I expected a third by this morning's post, -containing documents which will set the matter for ever at rest, but -owing, no doubt, to some neglect, or perhaps to some difficulty in -collecting the papers, some inevitable delay, it has not come to hand -this morning, according to my expectation. I was finishing one to the -very same quarter when you came in, and if a sound rousing be worth -anything, I think I shall have a special messenger before two days -have passed. I have been anxiously considering with myself, as to -whether I had better imperfectly clear up your doubts by submitting to -your inspection the two letters which I have already received, or wait -till I can triumphantly vindicate myself by the production of the -documents which I have already mentioned, and I have, I think, not -unnaturally decided upon the latter course. However, there is a person -in the next room whose testimony is not without its value--excuse me -for one moment." - -So saying, he arose and went to the door of a closet which opened from -the study; this he unlocked, and half opening the door, he said, "It is -only I," and then slipped into the room, and carefully closed and locked -the door behind him. - -I immediately heard his voice in animated conversation. My curiosity -upon the subject of the letter was naturally great, so, smothering any -little scruples which I might have felt, I resolved to look at the -address of the letter which lay, as my husband had left it, with its -face upon the table. I accordingly drew it over to me, and turned up the -direction. - -For two or three moments I could scarce believe my eyes, but there could -be no mistake--in large characters were traced the words, "To the -Archangel Gabriel in Heaven." - -I had scarcely returned the letter to its original position, and in some -degree recovered the shock which this unequivocal proof of insanity -produced, when the closet door was unlocked, and Lord Glenfallen -re-entered the study, carefully closing and locking the door again upon -the outside. - -"Whom have you there?" inquired I, making a strong effort to appear -calm. - -"Perhaps," said he, musingly, "you might have some objection to seeing -her, at least for a time." - -"Who is it?" repeated I. - -"Why," said he, "I see no use in hiding it--the blind Dutchwoman. I have -been with her the whole morning. She is very anxious to get out of that -closet; but you know she is odd, she is scarcely to be trusted." - -A heavy gust of wind shook the door at this moment with a sound as if -something more substantial were pushing against it. - -"Ha, ha, ha!--do you hear her?" said he, with an obstreperous burst of -laughter. - -The wind died away in a long howl, and Lord Glenfallen, suddenly -checking his merriment, shrugged his shoulders, and muttered: - -"Poor devil, she has been hardly used." - -"We had better not tease her at present with questions," said I, in as -unconcerned a tone as I could assume, although I felt every moment as if -I should faint. - -"Humph! may be so," said he. "Well, come back in an hour or two, or when -you please, and you will find us here." - -He again unlocked the door, and entered with the same precautions which -he had adopted before, locking the door upon the inside; and as I -hurried from the room, I heard his voice again exerted as if in eager -parley. - -I can hardly describe my emotions; my hopes had been raised to the -highest, and now, in an instant, all was gone: the dreadful consummation -was accomplished--the fearful retribution had fallen upon the guilty -man--the mind was destroyed, the power to repent was gone. - -The agony of the hours which followed what I would still call my awful -interview with Lord Glenfallen, I cannot describe; my solitude was, -however, broken in upon by Martha, who came to inform me of the arrival -of a gentleman, who expected me in the parlour. - -I accordingly descended, and, to my great joy, found my father seated by -the fire. - -This expedition upon his part was easily accounted for: my -communications had touched the honour of the family. I speedily -informed him of the dreadful malady which had fallen upon the wretched -man. - -My father suggested the necessity of placing some person to watch him, -to prevent his injuring himself or others. - -I rang the bell, and desired that one Edward Cooke, an attached servant -of the family, should be sent to me. - -I told him distinctly and briefly the nature of the service required of -him, and, attended by him, my father and I proceeded at once to the -study. The door of the inner room was still closed, and everything in -the outer chamber remained in the same order in which I had left it. - -We then advanced to the closet-door, at which we knocked, but without -receiving any answer. - -We next tried to open the door, but in vain; it was locked upon the -inside. We knocked more loudly, but in vain. - -Seriously alarmed, I desired the servant to force the door, which was, -after several violent efforts, accomplished, and we entered the closet. - -Lord Glenfallen was lying on his face upon a sofa. - -"Hush!" said I; "he is asleep." We paused for a moment. - -"He is too still for that," said my father. - -We all of us felt a strong reluctance to approach the figure. - -"Edward," said I, "try whether your master sleeps." - -The servant approached the sofa where Lord Glenfallen lay. He leant his -ear towards the head of the recumbent figure, to ascertain whether the -sound of breathing was audible. He turned towards us, and said: - -"My lady, you had better not wait here; I am sure he is dead!" - -"Let me see the face," said I, terribly agitated; "you _may_ be -mistaken." - -The man then, in obedience to my command, turned the body round, and, -gracious God! what a sight met my view. - -The whole breast of the shirt, with its lace frill, was drenched with -his blood, as was the couch underneath the spot where he lay. - -The head hung back, as it seemed, almost severed from the body by a -frightful gash, which yawned across the throat. The razor which had -inflicted the wound was found under his body. - -All, then, was over; I was never to learn the history in whose -termination I had been so deeply and so tragically involved. - -The severe discipline which my mind had undergone was not bestowed in -vain. I directed my thoughts and my hopes to that place where there is -no more sin, nor danger, nor sorrow. - -Thus ends a brief tale whose prominent incidents many will recognize as -having marked the history of a distinguished family; and though it -refers to a somewhat distant date, we shall be found not to have taken, -upon that account, any liberties with the facts. - - -THE END. - - - - - LONDON: - PRINTED BY GILBERT AND RIVINGTON, LD., - ST. JOHN'S HOUSE, CLERKENWELL, E.C. - - - - - BY THE AUTHOR OF "BALLYBEG JUNCTION." - - THE - MERCHANT OF KILLOGUE - A Munster Tale - - BY - F. M. ALLEN - - AUTHOR OF "THROUGH GREEN GLASSES," "A HOUSE OF TEARS," - "IN ONE TOWN," ETC., ETC. - - In Three Volumes. - - -THE WORLD. - -"An inside and intimate picture of Irish life and character, in phases -and circumstances which have not, so far as we know, been approached by -any other novelist or satirist. The work is not describable, it is not -to be indicated by comparison; the very touch of occasional caricature -in the election scenes, and in the 'brigand' of the story, O'Ruark, -which throws out the sheer clear actuality of the people, the places, -the 'ways'; the extraordinary humour of the talk; the jarring of small -interests and petty ambitions in the town that is all the world to its -inhabitants; the swift stroke of fate and sudden investment of the scene -with tragic interest--are Mr. Downey's own. Mick Moloney's last 'few -words with the master' is an incident worthy to be placed beside the -famous death scene in the mountain-pass in 'Tom Burke.'" - - -THE DAILY TELEGRAPH. - -"Vivid and convincing sketches of Irish provincial life abound in 'The -Merchant of Killogue.'... The story is admirably worked up to a -surprising and startling _dénouement_." - - -WESTMINSTER GAZETTE. - -"The only fault we have to find with 'The Merchant of Killogue' is that -it is too conscientious.... In depicting his characters he shows rare -skill and knowledge as well as a very considerable gift of humour. They -are all vivid, distinct, and lifelike.... The workmanship is of quite -unusual merit." - - -DAILY CHRONICLE. - -"Mr. Downey's Celts are human beings, motived by the ordinary motives, -and talking like rational men and women. His central figure, John -O'Reilly, is an artistic creation." - - -LITERARY WORLD. - -"Natural, strong in local characterisation and colouring, with many -touches of quaint humour peculiarly Irish and racy, and bright and -readable from cover to cover." - - -SATURDAY REVIEW. - -"There is no questioning the ability of Mr. Edmund Downey's Munster -tale. It is long since a writer has introduced us to a set of characters -so fresh, so unlike the usual creations of the novelist." - - -VANITY FAIR. - -"Every character in the book is put down in words so subtle and strong -that for yourself you know the people. There is nothing of the new woman -in it, and not a line concerning the analyses of soul and body. It is -just a picture of Irish life which might have been written in shorthand -as it happened, and written out afterwards in longhand, so clear and -sharp and vital is it. It is an exciting story, with a thrilling winding -up." - - -ST. JAMES'S GAZETTE. - -"When we say that Mr. Downey reminds us not a little of his great -precursor, Lever, we are paying him no idle compliment." - - -GUARDIAN. - -"One of the best descriptions of Irish life that we have read since -Lever." - - -SPECTATOR. - -"A very bright and vivacious book.... The merchant is a very carefully -painted portrait, and he is really made to live." - - -THE SUN. - -"Before you are half-way through the first chapter of this entertaining -book you realize that you are here face to face with Ireland drawn from -the life, that this is fiction not of stale convention but of first-hand -observation, and that the story demands more than ordinary attention." - - -ATHENĈUM. - -"It is pleasant for a reviewer to be able to congratulate him on the -good account to which he has now turned his extensive acquaintance with -Irish provincial life." - - -ST. PAUL'S. - -"The humour is neither farcical nor conventional, it is the humour of -situation and character.... The dialogue is animated, easy, and natural -throughout." - - -LLOYDS'. - -"The rich racy humour of Irish life bubbles up in many fantastic forms -and shapes throughout Mr. Downey's novel." - - -MORNING POST. - -"Excellent portraits abound in this tale of Munster." - - -STANDARD. - -"The plot acts mainly as a peg on which the author hangs his sketches of -Irish character, and these are excellently done. The merchant himself -... is a remarkable study.... O'Ruark is, in his way, quite a creation, -and his perennial flow of Irish wit is one of the pleasantest things in -the three volumes." - - -TRUTH. - -"The characters and the scenes are excellently drawn." - - -LIVERPOOL MERCURY. - -"A story that holds the attention of the reader down to the last page." - - -FREEMAN'S JOURNAL. - -"The book has all the interest of a story that we feel derives its life -from experience." - - -IRISH WEEKLY INDEPENDENT. - -"'The Merchant of Killogue' is a book in which high spirits predominate. -It is no mean compliment to say that two or three chapters read like -chapters of 'Charles O'Malley' or 'Harry Lorrequer.'" - - -BOSTON (U.S.A.) LITERARY WORLD. - -"A remarkable novel of Irish life is 'The Merchant of Killogue.' I do -not know any novel which paints the life so realistically.... As a -portrait of the time and the people the book ought to live." - - - +W. HEINEMANN+, PUBLISHER, - BEDFORD STREET, STRAND, LONDON - - - - -G. W. APPLETON'S NOVELS. - - -A TERRIBLE LEGACY: - -A Tale of the South Downs. - -"One of the most amusing novels we have ever read. The author revels in -a good character, and so the book is filled with grotesque oddities, at -which we laugh consumedly.... A novelist who possesses the rare gift of -humour. We are grateful for an afternoon of hearty laughter. Could we -say as much of nine books out of ten?"--_World._ - -"One of the most amusing novels we have ever read. Mr. Appleton has done -for the South Downs what Mr. Blackmore has done for Exmoor."--_St. -Stephen's Review._ - -"It is not in respect of this rare gift of humour that I alone value the -author. This story is a tale of the South Downs, and Mr. Appleton has -the power of depicting in words the changing aspects of nature with an -absolute fidelity to truth. Counties differ, as human faces differ, only -more so. Mr. Appleton has made the South Downs his own literary -property."--_Vanity Fair._ - -"The reader will not be long in discovering that the book is the work of -a good and clever writer of no mean dramatic powers--whether in point -of conception or of execution--with much drollery and quaintness at -command, and a well-developed faculty of dealing with the mysterious, -and other admirable gifts."--_Illustrated London News._ - -"Laughter-moving from first to last. Mr. Appleton has written nothing -better than this."--_Scotsman._ - -"The readers of this strange romance will be bound to confess that the -author has held them captive."--_Daily News._ - -"From first to last absorbs the attention of the reader."--_Morning -Post._ - -"The novel is a novel in the true sense of the word, and whoever reads -it must feel refreshed at finding he is perusing altogether a new style -of book."--_Observer._ - -"The novel is a piece of sound workmanship, and distinctly marked -off from the ordinary run. It is worthy of its author's high -reputation."--_Weekly Dispatch._ - -"He has created types that deserve to survive and acquire as much -popularity as has fallen to the share of some of those of our most -famous humorists."--_Echo._ - -"One of the most original works of fiction we have met with for a -long time, as different from the usual feeble imitations of 'Ouida' -and 'George Eliot' as a breezy common or a bright spring day is -from the faint, perfume-laden atmosphere of an aristocratic -drawing-room."--_London Journal._ - -"Mr. Appleton's genius seems freer, brighter, and more effective in the -lighter moods, and he is able to display a varied cultivation without -the slightest obtrusion of learning."--_Sunday Times._ - -"'A Terrible Legacy' is a book of great ability and power. It is a -curious tribute to the vast vitality of Dickens' genius that a -comparatively new and an able writer should openly take him for a model. -Mr. Appleton is not a mere imitator: he does not follow in Dickens' -footsteps by appropriating his materials, but by adopting his point of -view. He has chosen his master wisely, for his own talent is similar in -kind."--_New York Daily Graphic._ - - -FROZEN HEARTS: - -A Romance. - -"There is so much power and pathos in the narrative as to give it an -impress of realism, and it is, on the whole, one that most people can -read with hearty relish."--_Scotsman._ - -"'Frozen Hearts' makes high pretensions, and justifies -them."--_Westminster Review._ - -"Good melodrama, such as this is, is a sure panacea against dulness, and -implies the possession of that vigour and _élan_ which every novelist -should have about him. In some portions, as in the exciting description -of the barricade fighting, and in the interview between the unjustly -slandered heroine and the mother who is breaking her own heart with her -own cruelty, the author rises to real power."--_Globe._ - -"It is full of all kinds of excitement, and in some places reveals -evidence of strong dramatic power."--_Academy._ - -"The story is new and striking.... Some of the less important characters -are amusing, and the light comedy scenes are above the average.... Mr. -Appleton possesses the knack, so useful to a novelist, of getting to his -point without any superfluous matter, and is always original and -generally correct."--_Sunday Times._ - -_Victor Hugo_ writes: "Je trouve grand plaisir à la lecture de ce livre. -Le chapitre sur les troubles à Paris m'a vivement interessé." - - -CATCHING A TARTAR: - -A Novel. - -"Mr. Appleton's new novel is in every way the equal, if it be not -positively the superior of 'Frozen Hearts,' the work which established -his just claims to popularity. It is a capital story, written in a -most natural and graceful style. The plot is interesting, and all -the characters are distinct and realistic creations; some, indeed, -are likely to 'live,' and become by reason of their quaint sayings -and doings, popular, as were in days of yore some of Dickens' and -Thackeray's personages. Notably is this the case with John, a most -original and amusing character, whose pithy sayings provoke many a -hearty laugh. The intrigue of the story is lively and intricate, but -so skilfully contrived that the 'situations' never appear forced or -unnatural. 'Catching a Tartar' is worthy of much praise, and is -decidedly one of the cleverest novels we have read or reviewed for a -long time. Mr. Appleton possesses exceptional talent as a novelist, and, -above all, the rare quality of getting to his point without encumbering -his narrative with superfluous matter. He is always original, and never -dull or commonplace. His next venture in the shape of a novel will be -looked forward to with much interest."--_Morning Post._ - -"Many able men have come short of being successful novel writers, -simply because they lacked brightness or lightness or smoothness of -composition. Mr. Appleton displays these qualities; his book is -therefore easy to read.... A vein of humour throughout, the effect -of which is heightened by many a touch of genuine pathos. So -marked an advance in the course of a single year is deserving of -note."--_Athenĉum._ - -"Mr. Appleton has here achieved a very decided success in the way of a -novel of mystery. We must, if we are honest, admit that our attention -has been irresistibly enchained throughout the three volumes. The book -is one, altogether, to be read, and we may safely predict that no one -who masters the first fifty pages will be the least likely to leave it -unfinished."--_Graphic._ - -"The story is contrived with great ingenuity, and told with great skill -and spirit.... Characters firmly and sharply drawn, with a good deal of -quiet fun and humour."--_Guardian._ - -"The narrative moves on briskly, and never lets the attention -flag."--_Spectator._ - - -JACK ALLYN'S FRIENDS: - -A Novel. - -"Mr. Appleton knows how to write novels of absorbing and unflagging -interest and of remarkable cleverness, and his latest effort, 'Jack -Allyn's Friends,' unmistakably possesses these qualities. Much of the -peculiar interest of the story is derived from the subtlety with which -the catastrophe is brought about. But there is also a brisk, almost -boisterous vitality about the book--a sort of vigorous simplicity, -resembling that of Messrs. Besant and Rice--with abundant humour and -some cleverly-managed love-making under difficulties. With all these -characteristics, 'Jack Allyn's Friends' is a novel which even those who -may pronounce its condemnation from the serene heights of ĉstheticism -will read and enjoy."--_Scotsman._ - -"Mr. Appleton has succeeded in writing a novel which combines the -merits of Miss Braddon with those of Bret Harte. The plot is carefully -prepared, and the interest sustained until the very close of the third -volume. The stout old American, Bill Hooker, reminds us of one of Bret -Harte's Rocky Mountain heroes, whose hearts are of the same sterling -metal as the ore from their mines."--_Graphic._ - -"There is no doubt about the interest of this novel. The plot is -certainly contrived with no little art. The secret is ingeniously kept. -Suspicion is skilfully directed, first in one direction, then in -another, and the _dénouement_ will probably be unsuspected. A decidedly -readable novel."--_Spectator._ - - - - -Transcriber's note - - -For this txt-version text in italics has been surrounded with -_underscores_, and a spaced-out word with +signs. Text in small -capitals was changed to all capitals. - -A few errors in punctuation were silently corrected. Also the -following corrections were made: - - In the table of contents "183" was changed to "185" (The Dream 185), - also on page - 38 "behavour" changed to "behaviour" (frightened into good behaviour, - like a naughty child) - 102 "stange" changed to "strange" (to think of the strange interview - which had just) - 102 "communciated" changed to "communicated" (it was no doubt - communicated to me) - 103/4 "he" changed to "she" (favourite views, and she had walked) - 229 "decrepid" changed to "decrepit" (the grim, decrepit hag which my - fancy had) - 238 "first" changed to "fist" (shaking her clenched fist to me) - 257 "coninued" changed to "continued" (still continued to bind me) - -Otherwise the original text has been preserved, including inconsistent -hyphenation, and unusual spelling of foreign words. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Watcher, by J. Sheridan Le Fanu - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WATCHER *** - -***** This file should be named 40510-8.txt or 40510-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/0/5/1/40510/ - -Produced by Suzanne Shell, eagkw and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at -http://gutenberg.org/license). - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need, are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org. - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at -http://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at -809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email -business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact -information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official -page at http://pglaf.org - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit http://pglaf.org - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - http://www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. |