A CHAPTER IN THE HISTORY OF A TYRONE FAMILY

AND

THE MURDERED COUSIN

Two stories by J. S. LeFanu

A Chapter in the History was first published in 1836. The Murdered Cousin was first published in 1851. 

A CHAPTER IN THE HISTORY OF A TYRONE FAMILY

Being a Tenth Extract from the Legacy of the Late Francis Purcell, P. P. Of Drumcoolagh

INTRODUCTION. In the following narrative, I have endeavoured to giveas nearly as possible the "_ipsissima verba_" of the valued friendfrom whom I received it, conscious that any aberration from her modeof telling the tale of her own life, would at once impair its accuracyand its effect. Would that, with her words, I could also bring beforeyou her animated gesture, her expressive countenance, the solemn andthrilling air and accent with which she related the dark passagesin her strange story; and, above all, that I could communicate theimpressive consciousness that the narrator had seen with her owneyes, and personally acted in the scenes which she described; theseaccompaniments, taken with the additional circumstance, that shewho told the tale was one far too deeply and sadly impressed withreligious principle, to misrepresent or fabricate what she repeated asfact, gave to the tale a depth of interest which the events recordedcould hardly, themselves, have produced. I became acquainted withthe lady from whose lips I heard this narrative, nearly twenty yearssince, and the story struck my fancy so much, that I committed itto paper while it was still fresh in my mind, and should its perusalafford you entertainment for a listless half hour, my labour shall nothave been bestowed in vain. I find that I have taken the story down asshe told it, in the first person, and, perhaps, this is as it shouldbe. She began as follows. 

My maiden name was Richardson, [A] the designation of a family ofsome distinction in the county of Tyrone. I was the younger of twodaughters, and we were the only children. There was a difference inour ages of nearly six years, so that I did not, in my childhood, enjoy that close companionship which sisterhood, in othercircumstances, necessarily involves; and while I was still a child, mysister was married. The person upon whom she bestowed her hand, was aMr. Carew, a gentleman of property and consideration in the northof England. I remember well the eventful day of the wedding; thethronging carriages, the noisy menials, the loud laughter, the merryfaces, and the gay dresses. Such sights were then new to me, andharmonized ill with the sorrowful feelings with which I regarded theevent which was to separate me, as it turned out, for ever, from asister whose tenderness alone had hitherto more than supplied all thatI wanted in my mother's affection. The day soon arrived which was toremove the happy couple from Ashtown-house. The carriage stood at thehall-door, and my poor sister kissed me again, and again, telling methat I should see her soon. The carriage drove away, and I gazedafter it until my eyes filled with tears, and, returning slowly to mychamber, I wept more bitterly, and so, to speak more desolately, thanever I had done before. My father had never seemed to love, or totake an interest in me. He had desired a son, and I think he neverthoroughly forgave me my unfortunate sex. My having come into theworld at all as his child, he regarded as a kind of fraudulentintrusion, and, as his antipathy to me had its origin in animperfection of mine, too radical for removal, I never even hoped tostand high in his good graces. My mother was, I dare say, as fond ofme as she was of any one; but she was a woman of a masculine anda worldly cast of mind. She had no tenderness or sympathy for theweaknesses, or even for the affections of woman's nature, and herdemeanour towards me was peremptory, and often even harsh. It is notto be supposed, then, that I found in the society of my parents muchto supply the loss of my sister. About a year after her marriage, wereceived letters from Mr. Carew, containing accounts of my sister'shealth, which, though not actually alarming, were calculated tomake us seriously uneasy. The symptoms most dwelt upon, were loss ofappetite and cough. The letters concluded by intimating that he wouldavail himself of my father and mother's repeated invitation to spendsome time at Ashtown, particularly as the physician who had beenconsulted as to my sister's health had strongly advised a removalto her native air. There were added repeated assurances that nothingserious was apprehended, as it was supposed that a deranged state ofthe liver was the only source of the symptoms which seemed to intimateconsumption. In accordance with this announcement, my sister and Mr. Carew arrived in Dublin, where one of my father's carriages awaitedthem, in readiness to start upon whatever day or hour they mightchoose for their departure. It was arranged that Mr. Carew was, assoon as the day upon which they were to leave Dublin was definitelyfixed, to write to my father, who intended that the two last stagesshould be performed by his own horses, upon whose speed and safetyfar more reliance might be placed than upon those of the ordinary_post-horses_, which were, at that time, almost without exception, ofthe very worst order. The journey, one of about ninety miles, was tobe divided; the larger portion to be reserved for the second day. OnSunday, a letter reached us, stating that the party would leave Dublinon Monday, and, in due course, reach Ashtown upon Tuesday evening. Tuesday came: the evening closed in, and yet no carriage appeared;darkness came on, and still no sign of our expected visitors. Hourafter hour passed away, and it was now past twelve; the night wasremarkably calm, scarce a breath stirring, so that any sound, suchas that produced by the rapid movement of a vehicle, would havebeen audible at a considerable distance. For some such sound I wasfeverishly listening. It was, however, my father's rule to close thehouse at nightfall, and the window-shutters being fastened, I wasunable to reconnoitre the avenue as I would have wished. It was nearlyone o'clock, and we began almost to despair of seeing them upon thatnight, when I thought I distinguished the sound of wheels, but soremote and faint as to make me at first very uncertain. The noiseapproached; it become louder and clearer; it stopped for a moment. Inow heard the shrill screaking of the rusty iron, as the avenuegate revolved on its hinges; again came the sound of wheels in rapidmotion. 

"It is they, " said I, starting up, "the carriage is in the avenue. " Weall stood for a few moments, breathlessly listening. On thunderedthe vehicle with the speed of a whirlwind; crack went the whip, andclatter went the wheels, as it rattled over the uneven pavement ofthe court; a general and furious barking from all the dogs about thehouse, hailed its arrival. We hurried to the hall in time to hearthe steps let down with the sharp clanging noise peculiar to theoperation, and the hum of voices exerted in the bustle of arrival. Thehall-door was now thrown open, and we all stepped forth to greet ourvisitors. The court was perfectly empty; the moon was shining broadlyand brightly upon all around; nothing was to be seen but the talltrees with their long spectral shadows, now wet with the dews ofmidnight. We stood gazing from right to left, as if suddenly awakenedfrom a dream; the dogs walked suspiciously, growling and snuffingabout the court, and by totally and suddenly ceasing their formerloud barking, as also by carrying their tails between their legs, expressing the predominance of fear. We looked one upon the otherin perplexity and dismay, and I think I never beheld more pale facesassembled. By my father's direction, we looked about to find anythingwhich might indicate or account for the noise which we had heard; butno such thing was to be seen--even the mire which lay upon the avenuewas undisturbed. We returned to the house, more panic struck thanI can describe. On the next day, we learned by a messenger, who hadridden hard the greater part of the night, that my sister was dead. OnSunday evening, she had retired to bed rather unwell, and, on Monday, her indisposition declared itself unequivocally to be malignantfever. She became hourly worse, and, on Tuesday night, a little aftermidnight, she expired. [B] I mention this circumstance, because it wasone upon which a thousand wild and fantastical reports were founded, though one would have thought that the truth scarcely required to beimproved upon; and again, because it produced a strong and lastingeffect upon my spirits, and indeed, I am inclined to think, upon mycharacter. I was, for several years after this occurrence, long afterthe violence of my grief subsided, so wretchedly low-spirited andnervous, that I could scarcely be said to live, and during this time, habits of indecision, arising out of a listless acquiescence in thewill 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, altogetherovercome them. We saw nothing more of Mr. Carew. He returned toEngland as soon as the melancholy rites attendant upon the eventwhich I have just mentioned were performed; and not being altogetherinconsolable, he married again within two years; after which, owing tothe remoteness of our relative situations, and other circumstances, wegradually lost sight of him. I was now an only child; and, as my eldersister had died without issue, it was evident that, in the ordinarycourse of things, my father's property, which was altogether in hispower, would go to me, and the consequence was, that before I wasfourteen, Ashtown-house was besieged by a host of suitors; however, whether it was that _I_ was too young, or that none of the aspirantsto my hand stood sufficiently high in rank or wealth, I was sufferedby both parents to do exactly as I pleased; and well was it for me, as I afterwards found that fortune, or, rather Providence, had soordained it, that I had not suffered my affections to become in anydegree engaged, for my mother would never have suffered any _sillyfancy_ of mine, as she was in the habit of styling an attachment, to stand in the way of her ambitious views; views which she wasdetermined to carry into effect, in defiance of every obstacle, and inorder to accomplish which, she would not have hesitated to sacrificeanything so unreasonable and contemptible as a girlish passion. 

When I reached the age of sixteen, my mother's plans began to developethemselves, and, at her suggestion, we moved to Dublin to sojourn forthe winter, in order that no time might be lost in disposing of me tothe best advantage. I had been too long accustomed to consider myselfas of no importance whatever, to believe for a moment that I was inreality the cause of all the bustle and preparation which surroundedme, and being thus relieved from the pain which a consciousness of myreal situation would have inflicted, I journeyed towards the capitalwith a feeling of total indifference. 

My father's wealth and connection had established him in the bestsociety, and, consequently, upon our arrival in the metropolis, wecommanded whatever enjoyment or advantages its gaieties afforded. Thetumult and novelty of the scenes in which I was involved did not failconsiderably to amuse me, and my mind gradually recovered its tone, which was naturally cheerful. It was almost immediately known andreported that I was an heiress, and of course my attractions werepretty generally acknowledged. Among the many gentlemen whom it was myfortune to please, one, ere long, established himself in my mother'sgood 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 respectingme, when I was made aware of them rather abruptly by my motherherself. We had attended a splendid ball, given by Lord M----, at hisresidence in Stephen's-green, and I was, with the assistance ofmy waiting-maid, employed in rapidly divesting myself of the richornaments which, in profuseness and value, could scarcely have foundtheir equals in any private family in Ireland. I had thrown myselfinto a lounging chair beside the fire, listless and exhausted, afterthe fatigues of the evening, when I was aroused from the reverie intowhich 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 wordor two with you before I go to rest. You are not fatigued, love, Ihope?"

"No, no, madam, I thank you, " said I, rising at the same time from myseat 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 themaid), you may leave the room; do not close the room door, but shutthat of the lobby. "

This precaution against curious ears having been taken as directed, mymother 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 youmust be modest upon the matter; but listen to me for a few moments, mylove, and I will prove to your satisfaction that your modesty is quiteunnecessary in this case. You have done better than we could havehoped, at least, so very soon. Lord Glenfallen is in love with you. Igive you joy of your conquest, " and saying this, my mother kissed myforehead. 

"In love with me!" I exclaimed, in unfeigned astonishment. 

"Yes, in love with you, " repeated my mother; "devotedly, distractedlyin love with you. Why, my dear, what is there wonderful in it; look inthe glass, and look at these, " she continued, pointing with a smile tothe jewels which I had just removed from my person, and which now laya 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 allthis?"

"Mistake! dearest; none, " said my mother. "None, none in the world;judge for yourself; read this, my love, " and she placed in my hand aletter, addressed to herself, the seal of which was broken. I readit through with no small surprise. After some very fine complimentaryflourishes upon my beauty and perfections, as, also, upon theantiquity and high reputation of our family, it went on to makea formal proposal of marriage, to be communicated or not to me atpresent, as my mother should deem expedient; and the letter wound upby a request that the writer might be permitted, upon our return toAshtown-house, which was soon to take place, as the spring was nowtolerably advanced, to visit us for a few days, in case his suit wasapproved. 

"Well, well, my dear, " said my mother, impatiently; "do you know whoLord Glenfallen is?"

"I do, madam, " said I rather timidly, for I dreaded an altercationwith my mother. 

"Well, dear, and what frightens you?" continued she; "are you afraidof a title? What has he done to alarm you? he is neither old norugly. "

I was silent, though I might have said, "He is neither young norhandsome. "

"My dear Fanny, " continued my mother, "in sober seriousness you havebeen most fortunate in engaging the affections of a nobleman such asLord Glenfallen, young and wealthy, with first-rate, yes, acknowledged_first-rate_ abilities and of a family whose influence is not exceededby that of any in Ireland--of course you see the offer in the samelight that I do--indeed I think you _must_. "

This was uttered in no very dubious tone. I was so much astonishedby the suddenness of the whole communication that I literally did notknow what to say. 

"You are not in love?" said my mother, turning sharply, and fixing herdark eyes upon me, with severe scrutiny. 

"No, madam, " said I, promptly; horrified, as what young lady would nothave been, at such a query. 

"I am glad to hear it, " said my mother, dryly. "Once, nearly twentyyears ago, a friend of mine consulted me how he should deal with adaughter who had made what they call a love match, beggared herself, and disgraced her family; and I said, without hesitation, take no careof her, but cast her off; such punishment I awarded for an offencecommitted against the reputation of a family not my own; and whatI advised respecting the child of another, with full as smallcompunction I would _do_ with mine. I cannot conceive anything moreunreasonable or intolerable than that the fortune and the character ofa family should be marred by the idle caprices of a girl. "

She spoke this with great severity, and paused as if she expected someobservation from me. I, however, said nothing. 

"But I need not explain to you, my dear Fanny, " she continued, "myviews upon this subject; you have always known them well, and I havenever yet had reason to believe you likely, voluntarily, to offend me, or to abuse or neglect any of those advantages which reason and dutytell you should be improved--come hither, my dear, kiss me, and do notlook so frightened. Well, now, about this letter, you need not answerit yet; of course you must be allowed time to make up your mind; inthe mean time I will write to his lordship to give him my permissionto 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 exactlywhat were my feelings towards Lord Glenfallen; whatever might havebeen my mother's suspicions, my heart was perfectly disengaged;and hitherto, although I had not been made in the slightest degreeacquainted with his real views, I had liked him very much, as anagreeable, well informed man, whom I was always glad to meet insociety; he had served in the navy in early life, and the polish whichhis manners received in his after intercourse with courts and citieshad not served to obliterate that frankness of _manner_ which belongsproverbially to the sailor. Whether this apparent candour went deeperthan the outward bearing I was yet to learn; however there was nodoubt that as far as I had seen of Lord Glenfallen, he was, thoughperhaps not so young as might have been desired in a lover, asingularly pleasing man, and whatever feeling unfavourable to him hadfound its way into my mind, arose altogether from the dread, notan unreasonable one, that constraint might be practised upon myinclinations. I reflected, however, that Lord Glenfallen was a wealthyman, and one highly thought of; and although I could never expect tolove him in the romantic sense of the term, yet I had no doubt butthat, all things considered, I might be more happy with him than Icould hope to be at home. When next I met him it was with no smallembarrassment, his tact and good breeding, however, soon reassured me, and effectually prevented my awkwardness being remarked upon; and Ihad the satisfaction of leaving Dublin for the country with the fullconviction that nobody, not even those most intimate with me, evensuspected the fact of Lord Glenfallen's having made me a formalproposal. This was to me a very serious subject of self gratulation, for, besides my instinctive dread of becoming the topic of thespeculations of gossip, I felt that if the situation which I occupiedin relation to him were made publicly known, I should stand committedin a manner which would scarcely leave me the power of retraction. Theperiod at which Lord Glenfallen had arranged to visit Ashtown-housewas now fast approaching, and it became my mother's wish to formme thoroughly to her will, and to obtain my consent to the proposedmarriage before his arrival, so that all things might proceed smoothlywithout apparent opposition or objection upon my part; whateverobjections, therefore, I had entertained were to be subdued; whateverdisposition to resistance I had exhibited or had been supposed tofeel, were to be completely eradicated before he made his appearance, and my mother addressed herself to the task with a decision and energyagainst which even the barriers, which her imagination had created, could hardly have stood. If she had, however, expected any determinedopposition from me, she was agreeably disappointed; my heart wasperfectly free, and all my feelings of liking and preference were infavour of Lord Glenfallen, and I well knew that in case I refused todispose of myself as I was desired, my mother had alike the power andthe will to render my existence as utterly miserable as any, eventhe most ill-assorted marriage could possibly have done. You willremember, my good friend, that I was very young and very completelyunder the controul of my parents, both of whom, my motherparticularly, were unscrupulously determined in matters of this kind, and willing, when voluntary obedience on the part of those withintheir power was withheld, to compel a forced acquiescence by anunsparing use of all the engines of the most stern and rigorousdomestic discipline. All these combined, not unnaturally, induced meto resolve upon yielding at once, and without useless opposition, towhat appeared almost to be my fate. The appointed time was come, and my now accepted suitor arrived; he was in high spirits, and, ifpossible, more entertaining than ever. I was not, however, quite inthe mood to enjoy his sprightliness; but whatever I wanted in gaietywas amply made up in the triumphant and gracious good humour of mymother, whose smiles of benevolence and exultation were showeredaround as bountifully as the summer sunshine. I will not weary youwith unnecessary prolixity. Let it suffice to say, that I was marriedto Lord Glenfallen with all the attendant pomp and circumstance ofwealth, rank, and grandeur. According to the usage of the times, nowhumanely reformed, the ceremony was made until long past midnight, theseason of wild, uproarious, and promiscuous feasting and revelry. Ofall this I have a painfully vivid recollection, and particularly ofthe little annoyances inflicted upon me by the dull and coarse jokesof the wits and wags who abound in all such places, and upon all suchoccasions. I was not sorry, when, after a few days, Lord Glenfallen'scarriage appeared at the door to convey us both from Ashtown; for anychange would have been a relief from the irksomeness of ceremonialand formality which the visits received in honour of my newly acquiredtitles hourly entailed upon me. It was arranged that we were toproceed to Cahergillagh, one of the Glenfallen estates, lying, however, in a southern county, so that a tedious journey (then owingto the impracticability of the roads, ) of three days intervened. I setforth with my noble companion, followed by the regrets of some, and bythe envy of many, though God knows I little deserved the latter; thethree days of travel were now almost spent, when passing the brow of awild heathy hill, the domain of Cahergillagh opened suddenly uponour view. It formed a striking and a beautiful scene. A lake ofconsiderable extent stretching away towards the west, and reflectingfrom its broad, smooth waters, the rich glow of the setting sun, wasoverhung by steep hills, covered by a rich mantle of velvet sward, broken here and there by the grey front of some old rock, andexhibiting on their shelving sides, their slopes and hollows, everyvariety of light and shade; a thick wood of dwarf oak, birch, andhazel skirted these hills, and clothed the shores of the lake, runningout in rich luxuriance upon every promontory, and spreading upwardconsiderably upon the side of the hills. 

"There lies the enchanted castle, " said Lord Glenfallen, pointingtowards a considerable level space intervening between two of thepicturesque hills, which rose dimly around the lake. This little plainwas chiefly occupied by the same low, wild wood which covered theother parts of the domain; but towards the centre a mass of taller andstatelier forest trees stood darkly grouped together, and among themstood an ancient square tower, with many buildings of an humblercharacter, forming together the manor-house, or, as it was moreusually called, the court of Cahergillagh. As we approached the levelupon which the mansion stood, the winding road gave us many glimpsesof the time-worn castle and its surrounding buildings; and seen as itwas through the long vistas of the fine old trees, and with therich glow of evening upon it, I have seldom beheld an object morepicturesquely striking. I was glad to perceive, too, that here andthere the blue curling smoke ascended from stacks of chimneys nowhidden by the rich, dark ivy, which, in a great measure, covered thebuilding; other indications of comfort made themselves manifest aswe approached; and indeed, though the place was evidently one ofconsiderable antiquity, it had nothing whatever of the gloom of decayabout it. 

"You must not, my love, " said Lord Glenfallen, "imagine this placeworse than it is. I have no taste for antiquity, at least I shouldnot choose a house to reside in because it is old. Indeed I do notrecollect that I was even so romantic as to overcome my aversion torats and rheumatism, those faithful attendants upon your noble relicsof feudalism; and I much prefer a snug, modern, unmysterious bed-room, with well-aired sheets, to the waving tapestry, mildewed cushions, and all the other interesting appliances of romance; however, thoughI cannot promise you all the discomfort generally pertaining to an oldcastle, you will find legends and ghostly lore enough to claim yourrespect; and if old Martha be still to the fore, as I trust she is, you will soon have a supernatural and appropriate anecdote for everycloset and corner of the mansion; but here we are--so, without moreado, welcome to Cahergillagh. "

We now entered the hall of the castle, and while the domestics wereemployed in conveying our trunks and other luggage which we hadbrought with us for immediate use to the apartments which LordGlenfallen had selected for himself and me, I went with him into aspacious sitting room, wainscoted with finely polished black oak, and hung round with the portraits of various of the worthies ofthe Glenfallen family. This room looked out upon an extensive levelcovered with the softest green sward, and irregularly bounded by thewild wood I have before mentioned, through the leafy arcade formedby whose boughs and trunks the level beams of the setting sun werepouring; in the distance, a group of dairy maids were plying theirtask, which they accompanied throughout with snatches of Irish songswhich, mellowed by the distance, floated not unpleasingly to the ear;and beside them sat or lay, with all the grave importance of consciousprotection, six or seven large dogs of various kinds; farther in thedistance, and through the cloisters of the arching wood, two orthree ragged urchins were employed in driving such stray kine as hadwandered farther than the rest to join their fellows. As I lookedupon this scene which I have described, a feeling of tranquillity andhappiness came upon me, which I have never experienced in so stronga degree; and so strange to me was the sensation that my eyes filledwith tears. Lord Glenfallen mistook the cause of my emotion, andtaking me kindly and tenderly by the hand he said, "Do not suppose, mylove, that it is my intention to _settle_ here, whenever you desireto leave this, you have only to let me know your wish and it shallbe complied with, so I must entreat of you not to suffer anycircumstances which I can controul to give you one moment'suneasiness; but here is old Martha, you must be introduced to her, oneof the heirlooms of our family. "

A hale, good-humoured, erect, old woman was Martha, and an agreeablecontrast to the grim, decrepit hag, which my fancy had conjured up, asthe depository of all the horrible tales in which I doubted not thisold place was most fruitful. She welcomed me and her master witha profusion of gratulations, alternately kissing our hands andapologising for the liberty, until at length Lord Glenfallen putan end to this somewhat fatiguing ceremonial, by requesting her toconduct me to my chamber if it were prepared for my reception. Ifollowed Martha up an old-fashioned, oak stair-case into a long, dimpassage at the end of which lay the door which communicated with theapartments which had been selected for our use; here the old womanstopped, and respectfully requested me to proceed. I accordinglyopened the door and was about to enter, when something like a mass ofblack tapestry as it appeared disturbed by my sudden approach, fellfrom above the door, so as completely to screen the aperture; thestartling unexpectedness of the occurrence, and the rustling noisewhich the drapery made in its descent, caused me involuntarily to steptwo or three paces backwards, I turned, smiling and half ashamed tothe old servant, and said, "You see what a coward I am. " The womanlooked puzzled, and without saying any more, I was about to draw asidethe curtain and enter the room, when upon turning to do so, I wassurprised to find that nothing whatever interposed to obstruct thepassage. I went into the room, followed by the servant woman, and wasamazed to find that it, like the one below, was wainscoted, and thatnothing 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 Iattempted first to come to my chamber, " answered I. 

"The cross of Christ about us, " said the old woman, turning suddenlypale. 

"What is the matter, my good friend, " said I; "you seem frightened. "

"Oh, no, no, your ladyship, " said the old woman, endeavouring toconceal her agitation; but in vain, for tottering towards a chair, shesunk into it, looking so deadly pale and horror-struck that I thoughtevery 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 shehad seen something more than had met my eye, "you appear ill, my poorwoman. "

"Nothing, nothing, my lady, " said she, rising; "I beg your ladyship'spardon for making so bold; may the great God defend us frommisfortune. "

"Martha, " said I, "something _has_ frightened you very much, and Iinsist on knowing what it is; your keeping me in the dark upon thesubject will make me much more uneasy than any thing you could tellme; I desire you, therefore, to let me know what agitates you; Icommand you to tell me. " "Your ladyship said you saw a black curtainfalling across the door when you were coming into the room, " said theold woman. 

"I did, " said I; "but though the whole thing appears somewhat strangeI cannot see any thing in the matter to agitate you so excessively. 

"It's for no good you saw that, my lady, " said the crone; "somethingterrible 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 ofmyself, catching more than I could account for, of her superstitiousterror. 

"Whenever something--something _bad_ is going to happen to theGlenfallen family, some one that belongs to them sees a blackhandkerchief or curtain just waved or falling before their faces; Isaw it myself, " continued she, lowering her voice, "when I was onlya 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 Iwas going into Lady Jane's room to waken her in the morning; and sureenough 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 was she lying cold anddead, God be merciful to me; so, my lady, there is small blame to meto be daunted when any one of the family sees it, for it's many's thestory I heard of it, though I saw it but once. "

I was not of a superstitious turn of mind; yet I could not resist afeeling of awe very nearly allied to the fear which my companion hadso unreservedly expressed; and when you consider my situation, theloneliness, antiquity, and gloom of the place, you will allow thatthe weakness was not without excuse. In spite of old Martha's bodingpredictions, however, time flowed on in an unruffled course; onelittle incident, however, though trifling in itself, I must relate asit serves to make what follows more intelligible. Upon the day aftermy arrival, Lord Glenfallen of course desired to make me acquaintedwith the house and domain; and accordingly we set forth upon ourramble; when returning, he became for some time silent and moody, astate so unusual with him as considerably to excite my surprise, Iendeavoured by observations and questions to arouse him--but in vain;at length as we approached the house, he said, as if speaking tohimself, "'twere madness--madness--madness, " repeating the wordbitterly--"sure and speedy ruin. " There was here a long pause; and atlength turning sharply towards me in a tone very unlike that in whichhe had hitherto addressed me, he said, "Do you think it possible thata woman can keep a secret?"

"I am sure, " said I, "that women are very much belied upon the scoreof talkativeness, and that I may answer your question with the samedirectness with which you put it; I reply that I _do_ think a womancan keep a secret. "

"But I do not, " said he, drily. 

We walked on in silence for a time; I was much astonished at hisunwonted abruptness; I had almost said rudeness. After a considerablepause he seemed to recollect himself, and with an effort resuming hissprightly manner, he said, "well, well, the next thing to keepinga secret well is, not to desire to possess one--talkativeness andcuriosity generally go together; now I shall make test of you in thefirst place, respecting the latter of these qualities. I shall be your_Bluebeard_--tush, why do I trifle thus; listen to me, my dearFanny, I speak now in solemn earnest; what I desire is, intimately, inseparably, connected with your happiness and honour as well as myown; and your compliance with my request will not be difficult; itwill impose upon you a very trifling restraint during your sojournhere, which certain events which have occurred since our arrival, havedetermined me shall not be a long one. You must promise me, upon yoursacred honour, that you will visit _only_ that part of the castlewhich can be reached from the front entrance, leaving the backentrance and the part of the building commanded immediately by it, tothe 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 thedoor which communicates from the front part of the house through thecorridor with the back. I do not urge this in jest or in caprice, butfrom a solemn conviction that danger and misery will be the certainconsequences of your not observing what I prescribe. I cannot explainmyself further at present--promise me, then, these things as you hopefor peace here and for mercy hereafter. "

I did make the promise as desired, and he appeared relieved; hismanner recovered all its gaiety and elasticity, but the recollectionof the strange scene which I have just described dwelt painfully uponmy mind. More than a month passed away without any occurrence worthrecording; but I was not destined to leave Cahergillagh withoutfurther adventure; one day intending to enjoy the pleasant sunshine ina ramble through the woods, I ran up to my room to procure my bonnetand shawl; upon entering the chamber, I was surprised and somewhatstartled to find it occupied; beside the fireplace and nearly oppositethe door, seated in a large, old-fashioned elbow-chair, was placed thefigure of a lady; she appeared to be nearer fifty than forty, and wasdressed suitably to her age, in a handsome suit of flowered silk; shehad a profusion of trinkets and jewellery about her person, and manyrings upon her fingers; but although very rich, her dress was notgaudy or in ill taste; but what was remarkable in the lady was, thatalthough her features were handsome, and upon the whole pleasing, thepupil of each eye was dimmed with the whiteness of cataract, and shewas evidently stone blind. I was for some seconds so surprised at thisunaccountable apparition, that I could not find words to address her. 

"Madam, " said I, "there must be some mistake here--this is mybed-chamber. "

"Marry come up, " said the lady, sharply; "_your_ chamber! Where isLord Glenfallen?"

"He is below, madam, " replied I; "and I am convinced he will be not alittle surprised to find you here. "

"I do not think he will, " said she; "with your good leave, talk ofwhat you know something about; tell him I want him; why does the minxdilly dally so?"

In spite of the awe which this grim lady inspired, there was somethingin her air of confident superiority which, when I considered ourrelative 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 someone about the house, so, again, I desire you, if you wish to continuehere, 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 moredistinctly 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 graspand shook me violently, repeating, "it's a lie, it's a lie, " witha 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, Iscreamed as loud as I could for help; the blind woman continued topour out a torrent of abuse upon me, foaming at the mouth with rage, and impotently shaking her clenched fists towards me. I heard LordGlenfallen's step upon the stairs, and I instantly ran out; as I pasthim I perceived that he was deadly pale, and just caught the words, "Ihope 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 theinside; what passed within I know not; but I heard the voices of thetwo speakers raised in loud and angry altercation. I thought I heardthe shrill accents of the woman repeat the words, "let her look toherself"; but I could not be quite sure. This short sentence, however, was, to my alarmed imagination, pregnant with fearful meaning; thestorm at length subsided, though not until after a conference of morethan two long hours. Lord Glenfallen then returned, pale and agitated, "That unfortunate woman, " said he, "is out of her mind; I dare say shetreated you to some of her ravings, but you need not dread any furtherinterruption from her, I have brought her so far to reason. She didnot hurt you, I trust. "

"No, no, " said I; "but she terrified me beyond measure. " "Well, " saidhe, "she is likely to behave better for the future, and I dare swearthat neither you nor she would desire after what has passed to meetagain. "

This occurrence, so startling and unpleasant, so involved in mystery, and giving rise to so many painful surmises, afforded me no veryagreeable food for rumination. All attempts on my part to arrive atthe truth were baffled; Lord Glenfallen evaded all my enquiries, andat length peremptorily forbid any further allusion to the matter. Iwas thus obliged to rest satisfied with what I had actually seen, and to trust to time to resolve the perplexities in which the wholetransaction had involved me. Lord Glenfallen's temper and spiritsgradually underwent a complete and most painful change; he becamesilent and abstracted, his manner to me was abrupt and often harsh, some grievous anxiety seemed ever present to his mind; and underits influence his spirits sunk and his temper became soured. Isoon perceived that his gaiety was rather that which the stir andexcitement of society produces, than the result of a healthy habit ofmind; and every day confirmed me in the opinion, that the considerategood nature which I had so much admired in him was little more thana 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 singularlyselfish man; this was a bitter discovery, and I strove to conceal itfrom myself as long as I could, but the truth was not to be denied, and I was forced to believe that Lord Glenfallen no longer lovedme, and that he was at little pains to conceal the alteration in hissentiments. One morning after breakfast, Lord Glenfallen had been forsome time walking silently up and down the room, buried in hismoody reflections, when pausing suddenly, and turning towards me, heexclaimed, "I have it, I have it; we must go abroad and stay there, too, andif that does not answer, why--why we must try some more effectualexpedient. Lady Glenfallen, I have become involved in heavyembarrassments; a wife you know must share the fortunes of herhusband, for better for worse, but I will waive my right if you preferremaining here--here at Cahergillagh; for I would not have you seenelsewhere without the state to which your rank entitled you; besidesit would break your poor mother's heart, " he added, with sneeringgravity, "so make up your mind--Cahergillagh or France, I will startif 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 informme that he should not be back until the next day. I was in very greatdoubt as to what course of conduct I should pursue, as to accompanyinghim in the continental tour so suddenly determined upon, I felt thatit would be a hazard too great to encounter; for at Cahergillagh I hadalways the consciousness to sustain me, that if his temper at any timeled him into violent or unwarrantable treatment of me, I had a remedywithin reach, in the protection and support of my own family, fromall useful and effective communication with whom, if once in France, I should be entirely debarred. As to remaining at Cahergillagh insolitude, and for aught I knew, exposed to hidden dangers, it appearedto me scarcely less objectionable than the former proposition; and yetI feared that with one or other I must comply, unless I was preparedto come to an actual breach with Lord Glenfallen; full of theseunpleasing doubts and perplexities, I retired to rest. I was wakened, after having slept uneasily for some hours, by some person shakingme rudely by the shoulder; a small lamp burned in my room, and by itslight, to my horror and amazement, I discovered that my visitant wasthe self-same blind, old lady who had so terrified me a few weeksbefore. I started up in the bed, with a view to ring the bell, andalarm the domestics, but she instantly anticipated me by saying, "Donot be frightened, silly girl; if I had wished to harm you I couldhave 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, inthe 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 marryme in presence of more than a hundred witnesses. "

"Well, " continued she, "he should have told you _then_, before youmarried him, that he had a wife living, which wife I am; I feel youtremble--tush! do not be frightened. I do not mean to harm you--markme now--you are not his wife. When I make my story known you will beso, neither in the eye of God nor of man; you must leave this houseupon to-morrow; let the world know that your husband has another wifeliving; go, you, into retirement, and leave him to justice, which willsurely overtake him. If you remain in this house after to-morrow youwill reap the bitter fruits of your sin, " so saying, she quitted theroom, leaving me very little disposed to sleep. 

Here was food for my very worst and most terrible suspicions; stillthere was not enough to remove all doubt. I had no proof of the truthof this woman's statement. Taken by itself there was nothing to induceme to attach weight to it; but when I viewed it in connection with theextraordinary mystery of some of Lord Glenfallen's proceedings, hisstrange 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 clearlyestablished by the very fact of her residing in the very place, whereof all others, he should least have desired to find her--her thusacting, and continuing to act in direct contradiction to his wishes;when, I say, I viewed her disclosure in connection with all thesecircumstances, I could not help feeling that there was at least afearful verisimilitude in the allegations which she had made. Still Iwas not satisfied, nor nearly so; young minds have a reluctance almostinsurmountable to believing upon any thing short of unquestionableproof, the existence of premeditated guilt in any one whom they haveever trusted; and in support of this feeling I was assured that if theassertion of Lord Glenfallen, which nothing in this woman's manner hadled 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 thesubstance of the communication which I had just heard, and in hiswords and looks to seek for its proof or refutation; full of thesethoughts I remained wakeful and excited all night, every momentfancying that I heard the step, or saw the figure of my recent visitortowards whom I felt a species of horror and dread which I can hardlydescribe. There was something in her face, though her features hadevidently been handsome, and were not, at first sight, unpleasing, which, upon a nearer inspection, seemed to indicate the habitualprevalence and indulgence of evil passions, and a power of expressingmere animal anger, with an intenseness that I have seldom seenequalled, and to which an almost unearthly effect was given by theconvulsive quivering of the sightless eyes. You may easily supposethat it was no very pleasing reflection to me to consider, thatwhenever caprice might induce her to return, I was within the reach ofthis violent, and, for aught I knew, insane woman, who had, upon thatvery 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, canconvey but a faint idea. Will you believe me when I tell you that Iwas actually afraid to leave my bed in order to secure the door, lestI should again encounter the dreadful object lurking in some corner orpeeping from behind the window curtains, so very a child was I in myfears. 

The morning came, and with it Lord Glenfallen. I knew not, andindeed I cared not, where he might have been; my thoughts were whollyengrossed by the terrible fears and suspicions which my lastnight's conference had suggested to me; he was, as usual, gloomy andabstracted, and I feared in no very fitting mood to hear what I hadto say with patience, whether the charges were true or false. I was, however, determined not to suffer the opportunity to pass, or LordGlenfallen to leave the room, until, at all hazards, I had unburdenedmy 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 greatimportance, of very deep concernment to you and to me. " I fixed myeyes upon him to discern, if possible, whether the announcementcaused him any uneasiness, but no symptom of any such feeling wasperceptible. 

"Well, my dear, " said he, "this is, no doubt, a very grave preface, and portends, I have no doubt, something extraordinary--pray let ushave 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 ashort 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 expresscommand, as to enter that portion of the house from which yourpromise, I might say, your oath, excluded you--answer me that?" headded, fiercely. 

"My lord, " said I, "I have neither forgotten your _commands_, sincesuch they were, nor disobeyed them. I was, last night, wakened from mysleep, as I lay in my own chamber, and accosted by the person whom Ihave mentioned--how she found access to the room I cannot pretend tosay. "

"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 didthis person say, since some comment upon her communication forms, nodoubt, the sequel to your preface. "

"Your lordship is not mistaken, " said I, "her statement was soextraordinary that I could not think of withholding it from you; shetold me, my lord, that you had a wife living at the time you marriedme, and that she was that wife. "

Lord Glenfallen became ashy pale, almost livid; he made two or threeefforts to clear his voice to speak, but in vain, and turning suddenlyfrom me, he walked to the window; the horror and dismay, which, inthe olden time, overwhelmed the woman of Endor, when her spellsunexpectedly conjured the dead into her presence, were but typesof what I felt, when thus presented with what appeared to be almostunequivocal evidence of the guilt, whose existence I had before sostrongly doubted. There was a silence of some moments, during which itwere hard to conjecture whether I or my companion suffered most. LordGlenfallen 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 atissue of motiveless guilt, and in a quarter from which I hadso little reason to look for ingratitude or treachery, that yourannouncement 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 asunexceptionable evidence against the honour of your husband, theravings of a lunatic. I now tell you that this is the last time Ishall speak to you upon this subject, and, in the presence of the Godwho 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 myhonour; and, as I have never taken the opinion of madmen touchingyour character or morals, I think it but fair to require that you willevince a like tenderness for me; and now, once for all, never againdare to repeat to me your insulting suspicions, or the clumsy andinfamous calumnies of fools. I shall instantly let the worthy lady whocontrived this somewhat original device, understand fully my opinionupon the matter--good morning"; and with these words he left me againin doubt, and involved in all horrors of the most agonizing suspense. I had reason to think that Lord Glenfallen wreaked his vengeance uponthe author of the strange story which I had heard, with a violencewhich was not satisfied with mere words, for old Martha, with whom Iwas a great favourite, while attending me in my room, told me that shefeared her master had ill used the poor, blind, Dutch woman, for thatshe had heard her scream as if the very life were leaving her, butadded a request that I should not speak of what she had told me to anyone, particularly to the master. 

"How do you know that she is a Dutch woman?" inquired I, anxious tolearn anything whatever that might throw a light upon the historyof this person, who seemed to have resolved to mix herself up in myfortunes. 

"Why, my lady, " answered Martha, "the master often calls her the Dutchhag, and other names you would not like to hear, and I am sure sheis neither English nor Irish; for, whenever they talk together, theyspeak some queer foreign lingo, and fast enough, I'll be bound; but Iought not to talk about her at all; it might be as much as my place isworth to mention her--only you saw her first yourself, so there can beno 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 thinknothing 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 tospeak on this topic was evident and strong. You will readily believethat upon the very slight grounds which my information afforded, contradicted as it was by the solemn oath of my husband, and derivedfrom what was, at best, a very questionable source, I could nottake any very decisive measure whatever; and as to the menace of thestrange woman who had thus unaccountably twice intruded herself intomy chamber, although, at the moment, it occasioned me some uneasiness, it was not, even in my eyes, sufficiently formidable to induce mydeparture from Cahergillagh. 

A few nights after the scene which I have just mentioned, LordGlenfallen having, as usual, early retired to his study, I was leftalone in the parlour to amuse myself as best I might. It was notstrange that my thoughts should often recur to the agitating scenes inwhich I had recently taken a part; the subject of my reflections, the solitude, the silence, and the lateness of the hour, as also thedepression of spirits to which I had of late been a constant prey, tended to produce that nervous excitement which places us whollyat the mercy of the imagination. In order to calm my spirits, I wasendeavouring 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 yourladyship's throat. " So vivid was the impression, that I started to myfeet, and involuntarily placed my hand upon my neck. I looked aroundthe 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 objectwas 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 thebell, and, attended by old Martha, I retired to settle for the night. While the servant was, as was her custom, arranging the lamp which Ihave already stated always burned during the night in my chamber, I was employed in undressing, and, in doing so, I had recourse to alarge looking-glass which occupied a considerable portion of the wallin which it was fixed, rising from the ground to a height of aboutsix feet; this mirror filled the space of a large pannel in thewainscoting opposite the foot of the bed. I had hardly been before itfor the lapse of a minute, when something like a black pall was slowlywaved 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 crossingherself. "Some misfortune is over us. "

"No, no, Martha, " said I, almost instantly recovering mycollectedness; for, although of a nervous temperament, I had neverbeen superstitious. "I do not believe in omens. You know, I saw, orfancied I saw, this thing before, and nothing followed. "

"The Dutch lady came the next morning, " replied she. 

"Methinks, such an occurrence scarcely deserved a supernaturalannouncement, " 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 youropinions, nor inclination to alter mine; so I will talk no more of thematter. Good night, " and so I was left to my reflections. After lyingfor about an hour awake, I at length fell into a kind of doze; but myimagination was still busy, for I was startled from this unrefreshingsleep by fancying that I heard a voice close to my face exclaim asbefore, "There is blood upon your ladyship's throat. " The words wereinstantly followed by a loud burst of laughter. Quaking with horror, Iawakened, and heard my husband enter the room. Even this was a relief. Scared as I was, however, by the tricks which my imagination hadplayed me, I preferred remaining silent, and pretending to sleep, toattempting to engage my husband in conversation, for I well knewthat his mood was such, that his words would not, in all probability, convey anything that had not better be unsaid and unheard. LordGlenfallen went into his dressing-room, which lay upon the right-handside of the bed. The door lying open, I could see him by himself, atfull 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 peculiarlyirritating, not to the temper, but to the nerves, in the consciousnessthat some one is in your immediate presence, actually enjoying theboon which you are seeking in vain; at least, I have always found itso, and never more than upon the present occasion. A thousand annoyingimaginations harassed and excited me, every object which I lookedupon, though ever so familiar, seemed to have acquired a strangephantom-like character, the varying shadows thrown by the flickeringof the lamp-light, seemed shaping themselves into grotesque andunearthly forms, and whenever my eyes wandered to the sleeping figureof my husband, his features appeared to undergo the strangest and mostdemoniacal contortions. Hour after hour was told by the old clock, andeach succeeding one found me, if possible, less inclined to sleep thanits predecessor. It was now considerably past three; my eyes, in theirinvoluntary wanderings, happened to alight upon the large mirror whichwas, as I have said, fixed in the wall opposite the foot of the bed. Aview of it was commanded from where I lay, through the curtains, as Igazed fixedly upon it, I thought I perceived the broad sheet of glassshifting its position in relation to the bed; I rivetted my eyesupon it with intense scrutiny; it was no deception, the mirror, asif acting of its own impulse moved slowly aside, and disclosed a darkaperture in the wall, nearly as large as an ordinary door; a figureevidently stood in this; but the light was too dim to define itaccurately. It stepped cautiously into the chamber, and with so littlenoise, that had I not actually seen it, I do not think I shouldhave been aware of its presence. It was arrayed in a kind of woollennight-dress, and a white handkerchief or cloth was bound tightly aboutthe head; I had no difficulty spite of the strangeness of the attirein recognising the blind woman whom I so much dreaded. She stoopeddown, bringing her head nearly to the ground, and in that attitude sheremained motionless for some moments, no doubt in order to ascertainif any suspicious sound were stirring. She was apparently satisfied byher observations, for she immediately recommenced her silent progresstowards a ponderous mahogany dressing table of my husband's; when shehad reached it, she paused again, and appeared to listen attentivelyfor some minutes; she then noiselessly opened one of the drawers fromwhich, having groped for some time, she took something which I soonperceived to be a case of razors; she opened it and tried the edgeof each of the two instruments upon the skin of her hand; she quicklyselected one, which she fixed firmly in her grasp; she now stoopeddown as before, and having listened for a time, she, with the handthat was disengaged, groped her way into the dressing room where LordGlenfallen lay fast asleep. I was fixed as if in the tremendous spellof a night mare. I could not stir even a finger; I could not lift myvoice; I could not even breathe, and though I expected every moment tosee the sleeping man murdered, I could not even close my eyes to shutout the horrible spectacle, which I had not the power to avert. I sawthe woman approach the sleeping figure, she laid the unoccupied handlightly 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 therazor was intended for my throat; yet the terrific fascination whichhad locked all my powers so long, still continued to bind me fast. Ifelt that my life depended upon the slightest ordinary exertion, andyet I could not stir one joint from the position in which I lay, noreven make noise enough to waken Lord Glenfallen. The murderous womannow, with long, silent steps, approached the bed; my very heart seemedturning to ice; her left hand, that which was disengaged, was uponthe pillow; she gradually slid it forward towards my head, and inan instant, with the speed of lightning, it was clutched in my hair, while, with the other hand, she dashed the razor at my throat. Aslight 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 aftershriek; 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 instinctof recoiling terror, I shrunk back into a corner--she was now withina 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 behindby a strong arm, stretched the monster senseless at my feet; at thesame moment the door opened, and several domestics, alarmed by mycries, entered the apartment. I do not recollect what followed, for Ifainted. One swoon succeeded another so long and death-like, that mylife was considered very doubtful. At about ten o'clock, however, Isunk into a deep and refreshing sleep, from which I was awakened atabout two, that I might swear my deposition before a magistrate, whoattended for that purpose. I, accordingly, did so, as did also LordGlenfallen; and the woman was fully committed to stand her trialat the ensuing assizes. I shall never forget the scene which theexamination of the blind woman and of the other parties afforded. Shewas brought into the room in the custody of two servants; she worea kind of flannel wrapper which had not been changed since the nightbefore; it was torn and soiled, and here and there smeared with blood, which had flowed in large quantities from a wound in her head; thewhite handkerchief had fallen off in the scuffle; and her grizzledhair fell in masses about her wild and deadly pale countenance. She appeared perfectly composed, however, and the only regret sheexpressed throughout, was at not having succeeded in her attempt, theobject of which she did not pretend to conceal. On being asked hername, she called herself the Countess Glenfallen, and refused to giveany 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'swife--I'll prove it--write down my words. I am willing to be hanged orburned, 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 toomany--I was to murder her, or she was to hang me--listen to all I haveto say. "

Here Lord Glenfallen interrupted. 

"I think, sir, " said he, addressing the magistrate, "that wehad better proceed to business, this unhappy woman's furiousrecriminations but waste our time; if she refuses to answer yourquestions, you had better, I presume, take my depositions. "

"And are you going to swear away my life, you black perjuredmurderer?" shrieked the woman. "Sir, sir, sir, you must hear me, " shecontinued, addressing the magistrate, "I can convict him--he bidme murder that girl, and then when I failed, he came behind me, andstruck me down, and now he wants to swear away my life--take down allI say. "

"If it is your intention, " said the magistrate, "to confess the crimewith which you stand charged, you may, upon producing sufficientevidence, criminate whom you please. "

"Evidence!--I have no evidence but myself, " said the woman. "I willswear it all--write down my testimony--write it down, I say--we shallhang side by side, my brave Lord--all your own handy--work, my gentlehusband. " 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 distinctanswers to the questions which I shall put to you upon this matter. "

"Then you shall hear nothing, " replied she sullenly, and no inducementor intimidation could bring her to speak again. 

Lord Glenfallen's deposition and mine were then given, as also thoseof the servants who had entered the room at the moment of my rescue;the magistrate then intimated that she was committed, and must proceeddirectly to gaol, whither she was brought in a carriage of LordGlenfallen's, for his lordship was naturally by no means indifferentto the effect which her vehement accusations against himself mightproduce, if uttered before every chance hearer whom she might meetwith between Cahergillagh and the place of confinement whither she wasdispatched. 

During the time which intervened between the committal and the trialof the prisoner, Lord Glenfallen seemed to suffer agonies of mindwhich baffle all description, he hardly ever slept, and when he did, his slumbers seemed but the instruments of new tortures, and hiswaking hours were, if possible, exceeded in intensity of terrors bythe dreams which disturbed his sleep. Lord Glenfallen rested, ifto lie in the mere attitude of repose were to do so, in hisdressing-room, and thus I had an opportunity of witnessing, faroftener than I wished it, the fearful workings of his mind; his agonyoften broke out into such fearful paroxysms that delirium and totalloss of reason appeared to be impending; he frequently spoke of flyingfrom the country, and bringing with him all the witnesses of theappalling scene upon which the prosecution was founded; then againhe would fiercely lament that the blow which he had inflicted had notended all. 

The assizes arrived, however, and upon the day appointed, LordGlenfallen and I attended in order to give our evidence. The cause wascalled on, and the prisoner appeared at the bar. Great curiosity andinterest were felt respecting the trial, so that the court was crowdedto excess. The prisoner, however, without appearing to take thetrouble of listening to the indictment, pleaded guilty, and norepresentations on the part of the court availed to induce her toretract her plea. After much time had been wasted in a fruitlessattempt to prevail upon her to reconsider her words, the courtproceeded according to the usual form, to pass sentence. This havingbeen done, the prisoner was about to be removed, when she said in alow, distinct voice--

"A word--a word, my Lord:--is Lord Glenfallen here in the court?" Onbeing 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 ofjustice of two crimes--first, that you married a second wife, whilethe first was living, and again, that you prompted me to the murder, for attempting which I am to die--secure him--chain him--bring himhere. "

There was a laugh through the court at these words, which werenaturally 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 lethim go free?"

It was intimated by the court that he would certainly be allowed "togo free, " and she was ordered again to be removed. Before, however, the mandate was executed, she threw her arms wildly into the air, anduttered one piercing shriek so full of preternatural rage and despair, that it might fitly have ushered a soul into those realms where hopecan come no more. The sound still rang in my ears, months after thevoice that had uttered it was for ever silent. The wretched woman wasexecuted 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, formeda mass of evidence so convincing that I wrote to my father, detailingthe grounds of my fears, and imploring him to come to Cahergillaghwithout delay, in order to remove me from my husband's control, previously to taking legal steps for a final separation. Circumstancedas I was, my existence was little short of intolerable, for, besidesthe fearful suspicions which attached to my husband, I plainlyperceived that if Lord Glenfallen were not relieved, and thatspeedily, insanity must supervene. I therefore expected my father'sarrival, or at least a letter to announce it, with indescribableimpatience. 

About a week after the execution had taken place, Lord Glenfallen onemorning met me with an unusually sprightly air--

"Fanny, " said he, "I have it now for the first time, in my power toexplain to your satisfaction every thing which has hitherto appearedsuspicious or mysterious in my conduct. After breakfast come with meto my study, and I shall, I hope, make all things clear. "

This invitation afforded me more real pleasure than I had experiencedfor months; something had certainly occurred to tranquillize myhusband's mind, in no ordinary degree, and I thought it by no meansimpossible that he would, in the proposed interview, prove himself themost injured and innocent of men. Full of this hope I repaired to hisstudy at the appointed hour; he was writing busily when I entered theroom, and just raising his eyes, he requested me to be seated. I tooka chair as he desired, and remained silently awaiting his leisure, while he finished, folded, directed, and sealed his letter; laying itthen upon the table, with the address downward, he said--

"My dearest Fanny, I know I must have appeared very strange to you andvery unkind--often even cruel; before the end of this week I will showyou the necessity of my conduct; how impossible it was that I shouldhave seemed otherwise. I am conscious that many acts of mine must haveinevitably given rise to painful suspicions--suspicions, which indeed, upon one occasion you very properly communicated to me. I havegotten two letters from a quarter which commands respect, containinginformation as to the course by which I may be enabled to prove thenegative of all the crimes which even the most credulous suspicioncould lay to my charge. I expected a third by this morning's post, containing documents which will set the matter for ever at rest, butowing, no doubt, to some neglect, or, perhaps, to some difficulty incollecting the papers, some inevitable delay, it has not come to handthis morning, according to my expectation. I was finishing one to thevery same quarter when you came in, and if a sound rousing be worthanything, I think I shall have a special messenger before two dayshave passed. I have been thinking over the matter within myself, whether I had better imperfectly clear up your doubts by submitting toyour inspection the two letters which I have already received, orwait till I can triumphantly vindicate myself by the production ofthe documents which I have already mentioned, and I have, I think, notunnaturally decided upon the latter course; however, there is a personin the next room, whose testimony is not without its value--excuse mefor one moment. "

So saying, he arose and went to the door of a closet which opened fromthe study, this he unlocked, and half opening the door, he said, "Itis only I, " and then slipped into the room, and carefully closed andlocked the door behind him. I immediately heard his voice in animatedconversation; my curiosity upon the subject of the letter wasnaturally great, so smothering any little scruples which I might havefelt, I resolved to look at the address of the letter which lay as myhusband had left it, with its face upon the table. I accordingly drewit over to me, and turned up the direction. For two or three moments Icould scarce believe my eyes, but there could be no mistake--inlarge characters were traced the words, "To the Archangel Gabriel inheaven. " I had scarcely returned the letter to its original position, and in some degree recovered the shock which this unequivocal proofof insanity produced, when the closet door was unlocked, and LordGlenfallen re-entered the study, carefully closing and locking thedoor again upon the outside. 

"Whom have you there?" inquired I, making a strong effort to appearcalm. 

"Perhaps, " said he musingly, "you might have some objection to seeingher, at least for a time. "

"Who is it?" repeated I. 

"Why, " said he, "I see no use in hiding it--the blind Dutchwoman; Ihave been with her the whole morning. She is very anxious to getout of that closet, but you know she is odd, she is scarcely to betrusted. "

A heavy gust of wind shook the door at this moment with a sound as ifsomething more substantial were pushing against it. 

"Ha, ha, ha!--do you hear her, " said he, with an obstreperous burstof laughter. The wind died away in a long howl, and Lord Glenfallen, suddenly checking his merriment, shrugged his shoulders, andmuttered--

"Poor devil, she has been hardly used. "

"We had better not tease her at present with questions, " said I, in asunconcerned a tone as I could assume, although I felt every moment asif I should faint. 

"Humph! may be so, " said he, "well, come back in an hour or two, orwhen you please, and you will find us here. "

He again unlocked the door, and entered with the same precautionswhich he had adopted before, locking the door upon the inside, andas I hurried from the room, I heard his voice again exerted as if ineager parley. I can hardly describe my emotions; my hopes had beenraised to the highest, and now in an instant, all was gone--thedreadful consummation was accomplished--the fearful retribution hadfallen upon the guilty man--the mind was destroyed--the power torepent was gone. The agony of the hours which followed what I wouldstill call my _awful_ interview with Lord Glenfallen, I cannot describe;my solitude was, however, broken in upon by Martha, who came to informme of the arrival of a gentleman, who expected me in the parlour. Iaccordingly descended, and to my great joy, found my father seated bythe fire. This expedition, upon his part, was easily accounted for:my communications had touched the honour of the family. I speedilyinformed him of the dreadful malady which had fallen upon the wretchedman. My father suggested the necessity of placing some person to watchhim, to prevent his injuring himself or others. I rang the bell, anddesired that one Edward Cooke, an attached servant of the family, should be sent to me. I told him distinctly and briefly, the natureof the service required of him, and, attended by him, my father and Iproceeded at once to the study; the door of the inner room was stillclosed, and everything in the outer chamber remained in the same orderin which I had left it. We then advanced to the closet door, at whichwe knocked, but without receiving any answer. We next tried to openthe door, but in vain--it was locked upon the inside; we knocked moreloudly, but in vain. Seriously alarmed, I desired the servant to forcethe door, which was, after several violent efforts, accomplished, andwe entered the closet. Lord Glenfallen was lying on his face upon asofa. 

"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 strongreluctance to approach the figure. 

"Edward, " said I, "try whether your master sleeps. "

The servant approached the sofa where Lord Glenfallen lay; he leanthis ear towards the head of the recumbent figure, to ascertain whetherthe 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_ bemistaken. "

The man then, in obedience to my command, turned the body round, and, gracious God! what a sight met my view--he was, indeed, perfectlydead. The whole breast of the shirt, with its lace frill, was drenchedwith gore, as was the couch underneath the spot where he lay. The headhung back, as it seemed almost severed from the body by a frightfulgash, which yawned across the throat. The instrument which hadinflicted it, was found under his body. All, then, was over; I wasnever to learn the history in whose termination I had been so deeplyand so tragically involved. 

The severe discipline which my mind had undergone was not bestowed invain. I directed my thoughts and my hopes to that place where there isno more sin, nor danger, nor sorrow. 

Thus ends a brief tale, whose prominent incidents many will recognizeas having marked the history of a distinguished family, and thoughit refers to a somewhat distant date, we shall be found not to havetaken, upon that account, any liberties with the facts, but in ourstatement of all the incidents, to have rigorously and faithfullyadhered to the truth. 

[Footnote A: I have carefully altered the names as they appear in theoriginal MSS. , for the reader will see that some of the circumstancesrecorded are not of a kind to reflect honour upon those involvedin them; and, as many are still living, in every way honoured andhonourable, who stand in close relation to the principal actors inthis drama, the reader will see the necessity of the course which wehave adopted. ]

[Footnote B: The residuary legatee of the late Francis Purcell, who has the honour of selecting such of his lamented old friend'smanuscripts as may appear fit for publication, in order that the lorewhich they contain may reach the world before scepticism and utilityhave robbed our species of the precious gift of credulity, andscornfully kicked before them, or trampled into annihilation, thoseharmless fragments of picturesque superstition, which it is our objectto preserve, has been subjected to the charge of dealing too largelyin the marvellous; and it has been half insinuated that such is hislove for _diablerie_, that he is content to wander a mile out of hisway, in order to meet a fiend or a goblin, and thus to sacrifice allregard for truth and accuracy to the idle hope of affrighting theimagination, and thus pandering to the bad taste of his reader. Hebegs leave, then, to take this opportunity of asserting his perfectinnocence of all the crimes laid to his charge, and to assure hisreader that he never _pandered to his bad taste_, nor went one inchout of his way to introduce witch, fairy, devil, ghost, or any otherof the grim fraternity of the redoubted Raw-head and bloody-bones. Hisprovince, touching these tales, has been attended with no difficultyand little responsibility; indeed, he is accountable for nothing morethan an alteration in the names of persons mentioned therein, whensuch a step seemed necessary, and for an occasional note, whenever heconceived it possible, innocently, to edge in a word. These tales havebeen _written down_, as the heading of each announces, 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 opportunityof comparing the manuscript of his departed friend with the actualtraditions which are current amongst the families whose fortunesthey pretend to illustrate, he has uniformly found that whateverof supernatural occurred in the story, so far from having beenexaggerated by him, had been rather softened down, and, wherever itcould be attempted, accounted for. ]

THE MURDERED COUSIN

 "And they lay wait for their own blood: they lurk privily for their own lives. 

 "So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owner thereof. "

This story of the Irish peerage is written, as nearly as possible, in the very words in which it was related by its "heroine, " the lateCountess D----, and is therefore told in the first person. 

My mother died when I was an infant, and of her I have norecollection, even the faintest. By her death my education was leftsolely to the direction of my surviving parent. He entered upon histask with a stern appreciation of the responsibility thus castupon him. My religious instruction was prosecuted with an almostexaggerated anxiety; and I had, of course, the best masters to perfectme in all those accomplishments which my station and wealth might seemto require. My father was what is called an oddity, and his treatmentof me, though uniformly kind, was governed less by affection andtenderness, than by a high and unbending sense of duty. Indeed Iseldom saw or spoke to him except at meal-times, and then, thoughgentle, he was usually reserved and gloomy. His leisure hours, whichwere many, were passed either in his study or in solitary walks;in short, he seemed to take no further interest in my happiness orimprovement, than a conscientious regard to the discharge of his ownduty would seem to impose. 

Shortly before my birth an event occurred which had contributed muchto induce and to confirm my father's unsocial habits; it was the factthat a suspicion of _murder_ had fallen upon his younger brother, thoughnot sufficiently definite to lead to any public proceedings, yetstrong enough to ruin him in public opinion. This disgraceful anddreadful doubt cast upon the family name, my father felt deeply andbitterly, and not the less so that he himself was thoroughly convincedof his brother's innocence. The sincerity and strength of thisconviction he shortly afterwards proved in a manner which produced thecatastrophe of my story. 

Before, however, I enter upon my immediate adventures, I ought torelate the circumstances which had awakened that suspicion to whichI have referred, inasmuch as they are in themselves somewhatcurious, and in their effects most intimately connected with my ownafter-history. 

My uncle, Sir Arthur Tyrrell, was a gay and extravagant man, and, among other vices, was ruinously addicted to gaming. This unfortunatepropensity, even after his fortune had suffered so severely as torender retrenchment imperative, nevertheless continued to engross him, nearly to the exclusion of every other pursuit. He was, however, aproud, or rather a vain man, and could not bear to make the diminutionof his income a matter of triumph to those with whom he had hithertocompeted; and the consequence was, that he frequented no longer theexpensive haunts of his dissipation, and retired from the gay world, leaving his coterie to discover his reasons as best they might. Hedid not, however, forego his favourite vice, for though he couldnot worship his great divinity in those costly temples where he wasformerly wont to take his place, yet he found it very possible tobring about him a sufficient number of the votaries of chance toanswer all his ends. The consequence was, that Carrickleigh, whichwas the name of my uncle's residence, was never without one or more ofsuch visiters as I have described. It happened that upon one occasionhe was visited by one Hugh Tisdall, a gentleman of loose, and, indeed, low habits, but of considerable wealth, and who had, in early youth, travelled with my uncle upon the Continent. The period of this visitwas winter, and, consequently, the house was nearly deserted exceptingby its ordinary inmates; it was, therefore, highly acceptable, particularly as my uncle was aware that his visiter's tastes accordedexactly with his own. 

Both parties seemed determined to avail themselves of their mutualsuitability during the brief stay which Mr. Tisdall had promised; theconsequence was, that they shut themselves up in Sir Arthur's privateroom for nearly all the day and the greater part of the night, duringthe space of almost a week, at the end of which the servant having onemorning, as usual, knocked at Mr. Tisdall's bed-room door repeatedly, received no answer, and, upon attempting to enter, found that it waslocked. This appeared suspicious, and the inmates of the house havingbeen alarmed, the door was forced open, and, on proceeding to the bed, they found the body of its occupant perfectly lifeless, and hanginghalfway out, the head downwards, and near the floor. One deep woundhad been inflicted upon the temple, apparently with some bluntinstrument, which had penetrated the brain, and another blow, lesseffective--probably the first aimed--had grazed his head, removingsome of the scalp. The door had been double locked upon the _inside_, in evidence of which the key still lay where it had been placed in thelock. The window, though not secured on the interior, was closed; acircumstance not a little puzzling, as it afforded the only othermode of escape from the room. It looked out, too, upon a kind ofcourt-yard, round which the old buildings stood, formerly accessibleby a narrow doorway and passage lying in the oldest side of thequadrangle, but which had since been built up, so as to preclude allingress or egress; the room was also upon the second story, and theheight of the window considerable; in addition to all which the stonewindow-sill was much too narrow to allow of any one's standing upon itwhen the window was closed. Near the bed were found a pair of razorsbelonging to the murdered man, one of them upon the ground, and bothof them open. The weapon which inflicted the mortal wound was not tobe found in the room, nor were any footsteps or other traces of themurderer discoverable. At the suggestion of Sir Arthur himself, thecoroner 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 toascertain whether they contained a trap-door or other concealed modeof entrance, but no such thing appeared. Such was the minuteness ofinvestigation employed, that, although the grate had contained alarge fire during the night, they proceeded to examine even the verychimney, in order to discover whether escape by it were possible. Butthis attempt, too, was fruitless, for the chimney, built in the oldfashion, rose in a perfectly perpendicular line from the hearth, toa height of nearly fourteen feet above the roof, affording in itsinterior scarcely the possibility of ascent, the flue being smoothlyplastered, and sloping towards the top like an inverted funnel;promising, too, even if the summit were attained, owing to its greatheight, 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 itcould be seen, were undisturbed, a circumstance almost conclusive uponthe point. 

Sir Arthur was of course examined. His evidence was given withclearness and unreserve, which seemed calculated to silence allsuspicion. He stated that, up to the day and night immediatelypreceding 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 £4, 000 in addition; in evidence of which he producedan acknowledgment of debt to that amount in the handwriting of thedeceased, bearing date the night of the catastrophe. He had mentionedthe circumstance to Lady Tyrrell, and in presence of some of hisdomestics; which statement was supported by _their_ respectiveevidence. One of the jury shrewdly observed, that the circumstance ofMr. Tisdall's having sustained so heavy a loss might have suggested tosome ill-minded persons, accidentally hearing it, the plan of robbinghim, after having murdered him in such a manner as might make itappear that he had committed suicide; a supposition which was stronglysupported by the razors having been found thus displaced and removedfrom their case. Two persons had probably been engaged in the attempt, one watching by the sleeping man, and ready to strike him in case ofhis awakening suddenly, while the other was procuring the razors andemployed in inflicting the fatal gash, so as to make it appear to havebeen the act of the murdered man himself. It was said that while thejuror was making this suggestion Sir Arthur changed colour. Therewas nothing, however, like legal evidence to implicate him, and theconsequence was that the verdict was found against a person or personsunknown, and for some time the matter was suffered to rest, until, after about five months, my father received a letter from a personsigning himself Andrew Collis, and representing himself to be thecousin of the deceased. This letter stated that his brother, SirArthur, was likely to incur not merely suspicion but personal risk, unless he could account for certain circumstances connected withthe recent murder, and contained a copy of a letter written by thedeceased, and dated the very day upon the night of which the murderhad been perpetrated. Tisdall's letter contained, among a great dealof other matter, the passages which follow:--

"I have had sharp work with Sir Arthur: he tried some of his staletricks, but soon found that _I_ was Yorkshire, too; it would notdo--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; Inever want sleep so long as I can have the music of a dice-box, andwherewithal to pay the piper. As I told you, he tried some of hisqueer turns, but I foiled him like a man, and, in return, gave himmore than he could relish of the genuine _dead knowledge_. In short, I have plucked the old baronet as never baronet was plucked before; Ihave scarce left him the stump of a quill. I have got promissory notesin his hand to the amount of ----; if you like round numbers, sayfive-and-twenty thousand pounds, safely deposited in my portablestrong box, alias, double-clasped pocket-book. I leave this ruinousold rat-hole early on to-morrow, for two reasons: first, I do notwant to play with Sir Arthur deeper than I think his security wouldwarrant; and, secondly, because I am safer a hundred miles away fromSir Arthur than in the house with him. Look you, my worthy, I tellyou this between ourselves--I may be wrong--but, by ----, I am sureas that I am now living, that Sir A---- attempted to poison me lastnight. So much for old friendship on both sides. When I won the laststake, a heavy one enough, my friend leant his forehead upon hishands, and you'll laugh when I tell you that his head literally smokedlike a hot dumpling. I do not know whether his agitation was producedby 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 orderedtwo bottles of Champagne. While the fellow was bringing them, he wrotea promissory note to the full amount, which he signed, and, as theman came in with the bottles and glasses, he desired him to be off. Hefilled a glass for me, and, while he thought my eyes were off, for Iwas putting up his note at the time, he dropped something slyly intoit, no doubt to sweeten it; but I saw it all, and, when he handedit to me, I said, with an emphasis which he might easily understand, 'There is some sediment in it, I'll not drink it. ' 'Is there?' saidhe, and at the same time snatched it from my hand and threw it intothe fire. What do you think of that? Have I not a tender bird inhand? Win or lose, I will not play beyond five thousand to-night, andto-morrow sees me safe out of the reach of Sir Arthur's Champagne. "

Of the authenticity of this document, I never heard my father expressa doubt; and I am satisfied that, owing to his strong convictionin favour of his brother, he would not have admitted it withoutsufficient inquiry, inasmuch as it tended to confirm the suspicionswhich already existed to his prejudice. Now, the only point in thisletter which made strongly against my uncle, was the mention of the"double-clasped pocket-book, " as the receptacle of the papers likelyto involve him, for this pocket-book was not forthcoming, nor anywhereto be found, nor had any papers referring to his gaming transactionsbeen discovered upon the dead man. 

But whatever might have been the original intention of this man, Collis, neither my uncle nor my father ever heard more of him; hepublished the letter, however, in Faulkner's newspaper, which wasshortly afterwards made the vehicle of a much more mysterious attack. The passage in that journal to which I allude, appeared about fouryears afterwards, and while the fatal occurrence was still fresh inpublic recollection. It commenced by a rambling preface, stating that"a _certain person_ whom _certain_ persons thought to be dead, was notso, but living, and in full possession of his memory, and moreover, ready and able to make _great_ delinquents tremble": it then went onto describe the murder, without, however, mentioning names; and indoing so, it entered into minute and circumstantial particulars ofwhich none but an _eye-witness_ could have been possessed, and byimplications almost too unequivocal to be regarded in the light ofinsinuation, to involve the "_titled gambler_" in the guilt of thetransaction. 

My father at once urged Sir Arthur to proceed against the paper inan action of libel, but he would not hear of it, nor consent to myfather's taking any legal steps whatever in the matter. My father, however, wrote in a threatening tone to Faulkner, demanding asurrender of the author of the obnoxious article; the answer to thisapplication is still in my possession, and is penned in an apologetictone: it states that the manuscript had been handed in, paid for, and inserted as an advertisement, without sufficient inquiry, or anyknowledge as to whom it referred. No step, however, was taken toclear my uncle's character in the judgment of the public; and, as heimmediately sold a small property, the application of the proceeds ofwhich were known to none, he was said to have disposed of it to enablehimself to buy off the threatened information; however the truth mighthave been, it is certain that no charges respecting the mysteriousmurder were afterwards publicly made against my uncle, and, as far asexternal disturbances were concerned, he enjoyed henceforward perfectsecurity and quiet. 

A deep and lasting impression, however, had been made upon the publicmind, and Sir Arthur Tyrrell was no longer visited or noticed by thegentry of the county, whose attentions he had hitherto received. Heaccordingly affected to despise those courtesies which he no longerenjoyed, and shunned even that society which he might have commanded. This is all that I need recapitulate of my uncle's history, and I nowrecur to my own. 

Although my father had never, within my recollection, visited, orbeen visited by my uncle, each being of unsocial, procrastinating, and indolent habits, and their respective residences being very farapart--the one lying in the county of Galway, the other in thatof Cork--he was strongly attached to his brother, and evinced hisaffection by an active correspondence, and by deeply and proudlyresenting that neglect which had branded Sir Arthur as unfit to mix insociety. 

When I was about eighteen years of age, my father, whose health hadbeen gradually declining, died, leaving me in heart wretchedand desolate, and, owing to his habitual seclusion, with fewacquaintances, and almost no friends. The provisions of his will werecurious, and when I was sufficiently come to myself to listen to, orcomprehend them, surprised me not a little: all his vast property wasleft to me, and to the heirs of my body, for ever; and, in defaultof 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 myguardian, desiring that I might be received within his house, andreside with his family, and under his care, during the term of myminority; and in consideration of the increased expense consequentupon such an arrangement, a handsome allowance was allotted to himduring the term of my proposed residence. The object of this lastprovision I at once understood; my father desired, by making it thedirect apparent interest of Sir Arthur that I should die withoutissue, while at the same time he placed my person wholly in his power, to prove to the world how great and unshaken was his confidence inhis brother's innocence and honour. It was a strange, perhaps anidle scheme, but as I had been always brought up in the habit ofconsidering 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 ofhonour, I felt no further uneasiness respecting the arrangement thanthat likely to affect a shy and timid girl at the immediate prospectof taking up her abode for the first time in her life among strangers. Previous to leaving my home, which I felt I should do with a heavyheart, I received a most tender and affectionate letter from my uncle, calculated, if anything could do so, to remove the bitterness ofparting from scenes familiar and dear from my earliest childhood, and in some degree to reconcile me to the measure. It was upon a fineautumn day that I approached the old domain of Carrickleigh. I shallnot soon forget the impression of sadness and of gloom which all thatI saw produced upon my mind; the sunbeams were falling with a richand melancholy lustre upon the fine old trees, which stood in lordlygroups, casting their long sweeping shadows over rock and sward; therewas an air of neglect and decay about the spot, which amounted almostto desolation, and mournfully increased as we approached the buildingitself, near which the ground had been originally more artificiallyand carefully cultivated than elsewhere, and where consequentlyneglect more immediately and strikingly betrayed itself. 

As we proceeded, the road wound near the beds of what had beenformerly two fish-ponds, which were now nothing more than stagnantswamps, overgrown with rank weeds, and here and there encroached uponby the straggling underwood; the avenue itself was much broken; and inmany places the stones were almost concealed by grass and nettles; theloose stone walls which had here and there intersected the broad park, were, in many places, broken down, so as no longer to answer theiroriginal purpose as fences; piers were now and then to be seen, butthe 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 someextensive but desultory scheme of denudation, which the projector hadnot capital or perseverance to carry into full effect. 

After the carriage had travelled a full mile of this avenue, wereached the summit of a rather abrupt eminence, one of the many whichadded to the picturesqueness, if not to the convenience of this rudeapproach; from the top of this ridge the grey walls of Carrickleighwere visible, rising at a small distance in front, and darkened by thehoary wood which crowded around them; it was a quadrangular buildingof considerable extent, and the front, where the great entrance wasplaced, lay towards us, and bore unequivocal marks of antiquity; thetime-worn, solemn aspect of the old building, the ruinous and desertedappearance of the whole place, and the associations which connectedit with a dark page in the history of my family, combined to depressspirits already predisposed for the reception of sombre and dejectingimpressions. When the carriage drew up in the grass-grown court-yardbefore the hall-door, two lazy-looking men, whose appearance wellaccorded with that of the place which they tenanted, alarmed bythe obstreperous barking of a great chained dog, ran out from somehalf-ruinous outhouses, and took charge of the horses; the hall-doorstood open, and I entered a gloomy and imperfectly-lighted apartment, and found no one within it. However, I had not long to wait in thisawkward predicament, for before my luggage had been deposited in thehouse, indeed before I had well removed my cloak and other muffles, so as to enable me to look around, a young girl ran lightly into thehall, and kissing me heartily and somewhat boisterously exclaimed, "Mydear cousin, my dear Margaret--I am so delighted--so out of breath, wedid not expect you till ten o'clock; my father is somewhere about theplace, he must be close at hand. James--Corney--run out and tell yourmaster; 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; seethat Lady Margaret's luggage is all brought up; you must lie down andrest yourself. Deborah, bring some coffee--up these stairs; we areso delighted to see you--you cannot think how lonely I have been; howsteep these stairs are, are not they? I am so glad you are come--Icould hardly bring myself to believe that you were really coming;how good of you, dear Lady Margaret. " There was real good natureand delight in my cousin's greeting, and a kind of constitutionalconfidence of manner which placed me at once at ease, and made me feelimmediately upon terms of intimacy with her. The room into whichshe ushered me, although partaking in the general air of decay whichpervaded the mansion and all about it, had, nevertheless, been fittedup with evident attention to comfort, and even with some dingy attemptat luxury; but what pleased me most was that it opened, by a seconddoor, upon a lobby which communicated with my fair cousin's apartment;a circumstance which divested the room, in my eyes, of the air ofsolitude and sadness which would otherwise have characterised it, to adegree almost painful to one so depressed and agitated as I was. 

After such arrangements as I found necessary were completed, we bothwent down to the parlour, a large wainscotted room, hung round withgrim old portraits, and, as I was not sorry to see, containing, in itsample grate, a large and cheerful fire. Here my cousin had leisure totalk more at her ease; and from her I learned something of the mannersand the habits of the two remaining members of her family, whom I hadnot yet seen. On my arrival I had known nothing of the familyamong whom I was come to reside, except that it consisted of threeindividuals, my uncle, and his son and daughter, Lady Tyrrell havingbeen 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 retired in his habits, and besidesthat, having been, so far back as she could well recollect, alwaysrather strict, as reformed rakes frequently become, he had latterlybeen growing more gloomily and sternly religious than heretofore. Heraccount of her brother was far less favourable, though she did not sayanything directly to his disadvantage. From all that I could gatherfrom her, I was led to suppose that he was a specimen of the idle, coarse-mannered, profligate "_squirearchy_"--a result which mightnaturally have followed from the circumstance of his being, as itwere, outlawed from society, and driven for companionship to gradesbelow his own--enjoying, too, the dangerous prerogative of spendinga good deal of money. However, you may easily suppose that I foundnothing in my cousin's communication fully to bear me out in so verydecided a conclusion. 

I awaited the arrival of my uncle, which was every moment to beexpected, with feelings half of alarm, half of curiosity--a sensationwhich I have often since experienced, though to a less degree, whenupon the point of standing for the first time in the presence of oneof whom I have long been in the habit of hearing or thinking withinterest. It was, therefore, with some little perturbation that Iheard, first a slight bustle at the outer door, then a slow steptraverse the hall, and finally witnessed the door open, and my uncleenter the room. He was a striking looking man; from peculiarities bothof person and of dress, the whole effect of his appearance amounted toextreme singularity. He was tall, and when young his figure must havebeen strikingly elegant; as it was, however, its effect was marred bya very decided stoop; his dress was of a sober colour, and in fashionanterior to any thing which I could remember. It was, however, handsome, and by no means carelessly put on; but what completed thesingularity of his appearance was his uncut, white hair, which hungin long, but not at all neglected curls, even so far as his shoulders, and which combined with his regularly classic features, and fine darkeyes, to bestow upon him an air of venerable dignity and pride, whichI have seldom seen equalled elsewhere. I rose as he entered, andmet him about the middle of the room; he kissed my cheek and both myhands, saying--

"You are most welcome, dear child, as welcome as the command of thispoor place and all that it contains can make you. I am rejoiced to seeyou--truly rejoiced. I trust that you are not much fatigued; pray beseated again. " He led me to my chair, and continued, "I am glad toperceive you have made acquaintance with Emily already; I see, in yourbeing 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. "

He raised his eyes, and remained for a few moments silent, as ifin secret prayer. I felt that it was impossible that this man, withfeelings manifestly so tender, could be the wretch that public opinionhad represented him to be. I was more than ever convinced of hisinnocence. His manners were, or appeared to me, most fascinating. I know not how the lights of experience might have altered thisestimate. But I was then very young, and I beheld in him a perfectmingling of the courtesy of polished life with the gentlest andmost genial virtues of the heart. A feeling of affection and respecttowards him began to spring up within me, the more earnest that Iremembered how sorely he had suffered in fortune and how cruelly infame. My uncle having given me fully to understand that I was mostwelcome, and might command whatever was his own, pressed me to takesome supper; and on my refusing, he observed that, before bidding megood night, he had one duty further to perform, one in which he wasconvinced I would cheerfully acquiesce. He then proceeded to read achapter from the Bible; after which he took his leave with the sameaffectionate kindness with which he had greeted me, having repeatedhis desire that I should consider every thing in his house asaltogether at my disposal. It is needless to say how much I waspleased with my uncle--it was impossible to avoid being so; and Icould not help saying to myself, if such a man as this is not safefrom the assaults of slander, who is? I felt much happier than Ihad done since my father's death, and enjoyed that night the firstrefreshing sleep which had visited me since that calamity. Mycuriosity respecting my male cousin did not long remain unsatisfied;he appeared upon the next day at dinner. His manners, though not socoarse as I had expected, were exceedingly disagreeable; there was anassurance and a forwardness for which I was not prepared; there wasless 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 readencouragement even in mere toleration; and I felt more disgusted andannoyed at the coarse and extravagant compliments which he was pleasedfrom time to time to pay me, than perhaps the extent of the atrocitymight fully have warranted. It was, however, one consolation that hedid not often appear, being much engrossed by pursuits about whichI neither knew nor cared anything; but when he did, his attentions, either with a view to his amusement, or to some more serious object, were so obviously and perseveringly directed to me, that young andinexperienced as I was, even _I_ could not be ignorant of theirsignificance. I felt more provoked by this odious persecution than Ican express, and discouraged him with so much vigour, that I didnot stop even at rudeness to convince him that his assiduities wereunwelcome; 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 cousinEdward entered the room. There was something, I thought, odd in hismanner, a kind of struggle between shame and impudence, a kind offlurry and ambiguity, which made him appear, if possible, more thanordinarily 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 takeEmily's place for a minute or two, and then we part for a while, faircousin. Emily, my father wants you in the corner turret; no shilly, shally, he's in a hurry. " She hesitated. "Be off--tramp, march, Isay, " 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 therefor a minute or two, as if reflecting what he should say, perhapssatisfying himself that no one was within hearing in the hall. Atlength he turned about, having closed the door, as if carelessly, withhis foot, and advancing slowly, in deep thought, he took his seat atthe side of the table opposite to mine. There was a brief interval ofsilence, after which he said:--

"I imagine that you have a shrewd suspicion of the object of my earlyvisit; 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, "itmay 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, anda good-looking girl like yourself, could meet continually as you andI have done, without an attachment--a liking growing up on one side orother; in short, I think I have let you know as plainly as if I spokeit, that I have been in love with you, almost from the first timeI saw you. " He paused, but I was too much horrified to speak. Heinterpreted my silence favourably. "I can tell you, " he continued, "I'm reckoned rather hard to please, and very hard to _hit_. I can'tsay when I was taken with a girl before, so you see fortune reservedme--. "

Here the odious wretch actually put his arm round my waist: theaction at once restored me to utterance, and with the most indignantvehemence I released myself from his hold, and at the same timesaid:--

"I _have_, sir, of course, perceived your most disagreeableattentions; they have long been a source of great annoyance to me; andyou must be aware that I have marked my disapprobation, my disgust, asunequivocally as I possibly could, without actual indelicacy. "

I paused, almost out of breath from the rapidity with which I hadspoken; and without giving him time to renew the conversation, Ihastily quitted the room, leaving him in a paroxysm of rage andmortification. As I ascended the stairs, I heard him open theparlour-door with violence, and take two or three rapid strides in thedirection in which I was moving. I was now much frightened, and ranthe whole way until I reached my room, and having locked the door, Ilistened breathlessly, but heard no sound. This relieved me forthe present; but so much had I been overcome by the agitation andannoyance attendant upon the scene which I had just passed through, that when my cousin Emily knocked at the door, I was weeping in greatagitation. You will readily conceive my distress, when you reflectupon my strong dislike to my cousin Edward, combined with my youth andextreme inexperience. Any proposal of such a nature must have agitatedme; but that it should come from the man whom, of all others, Iinstinctively most loathed and abhorred, and to whom I had, as clearlyas manner could do it, expressed the state of my feelings, was almosttoo annoying to be borne; it was a calamity, too, in which I could notclaim the sympathy of my cousin Emily, which had always been extendedto me in my minor grievances. Still I hoped that it might not beunattended with good; for I thought that one inevitable and mostwelcome consequence would result from this painful _éclaircissement_, in the discontinuance of my cousin's odious persecution. 

When I arose next morning, it was with the fervent hope that Imight never again behold his face, or even hear his name; but sucha consummation, though devoutedly to be wished, was hardly likely tooccur. The painful impressions of yesterday were too vivid to beat once erased; and I could not help feeling some dim foreboding ofcoming annoyance and evil. To expect on my cousin's part anything likedelicacy or consideration for me, was out of the question. I saw thathe had set his heart upon my property, and that he was not likelyeasily to forego such a prize, possessing what might have beenconsidered opportunities and facilities almost to compel mycompliance. I now keenly felt the unreasonableness of my father'sconduct in placing me to reside with a family, with all the members ofwhich, with one exception, he was wholly unacquainted, and I bitterlyfelt the helplessness of my situation. I determined, however, in theevent of my cousin's persevering in his addresses, to lay all theparticulars before my uncle, although he had never, in kindness orintimacy, gone a step beyond our first interview, and to throw myselfupon his hospitality and his sense of honour for protection against arepetition of such annoyances. 

My cousin's conduct may appear to have been an inadequate cause forsuch serious uneasiness; but my alarm was awakened neither by his actsnor by words, but entirely by his manner, which was strange and evenintimidating. At the beginning of our yesterday's interview, there wasa sort of bullying swagger in his air, which, towards the end, gave place to something bordering upon the brutal vehemence of anundisguised ruffian, a transition which had tempted me into a beliefthat he might seek, even forcibly, to extort from me a consent to hiswishes, or by means still more horrible, of which I scarcely dared totrust myself to think, to possess himself of my property. 

I was early next day summoned to attend my uncle in his privateroom, which lay in a corner turret of the old building; and thitherI accordingly went, wondering all the way what this unusual measuremight prelude. When I entered the room, he did not rise in his usualcourteous way to greet me, but simply pointed to a chair opposite tohis own; this boded nothing agreeable. I sat down, however, silentlywaiting until he should open the conversation. 

"Lady Margaret, " at length he said, in a tone of greater sternnessthan I thought him capable of using, "I have hitherto spoken to you asa friend, but I have not forgotten that I am also your guardian, andthat my authority as such gives me a right to controul your conduct. I shall put a question to you, and I expect and will demand aplain, direct answer. Have I rightly been informed that you havecontemptuously 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; andmy coldness and discouragement might have convinced him that I haddetermined to do so. "

"Madame, " replied he, with suppressed, but, as it appeared to me, intense anger, "I have lived long enough to know that _coldness anddiscouragement_, and such terms, form the common cant of a worthlesscoquette. You know to the full, as well as I, that _coldness anddiscouragement_ may be so exhibited as to convince their object thathe is neither distasteful nor indifferent to the person who wears thatmanner. You know, too, none better, that an affected neglect, whenskillfully managed, is amongst the most formidable of the allurementswhich artful beauty can employ. I tell you, madame, that having, without one word spoken in discouragement, permitted my son's mostmarked attentions for a twelvemonth or more, you have no _right_ todismiss him with no further explanation than demurely telling him thatyou had always looked coldly upon him, and neither your wealth nor_your ladyship_ (there was an emphasis of scorn on the word whichwould have become Sir Giles Overreach himself) can warrant you intreating with contempt the affectionate regard of an honest heart. "

I was too much shocked at this undisguised attempt to bully me intoan acquiescence in the interested and unprincipled plan for theirown aggrandisement, which I now perceived my uncle and his son haddeliberately formed, at once to find strength or collectedness toframe an answer to what he had said. At length I replied, with afirmness that surprised myself:--

"In all that you have just now said, sir, you have grossly misstatedmy conduct and motives. Your information must have been mostincorrect, as far as it regards my conduct towards my cousin; mymanner towards him could have conveyed nothing but dislike; and ifanything could have added to the strong aversion which I have longfelt towards him, it would be his attempting thus to frighten me intoa marriage which he knows to be revolting to me, and which is soughtby him only as a means for securing to himself whatever property ismine. "

As I said this, I fixed my eyes upon those of my uncle, but he was tooold in the world's ways to falter beneath the gaze of more searchingeyes 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 beaware that if my son Edward were, which God forbid, the unprincipled, reckless man, the ruffian you pretend to think him"--(here he spokevery slowly, as if he intended that every word which escaped himshould be registered in my memory, while at the same time theexpression of his countenance underwent a gradual but horrible change, and the eyes which he fixed upon me became so darkly vivid, thatI almost lost sight of everything else)--"if he were what you havedescribed him, do you think, child, he would have found no shorter waythan marriage to gain his ends? A single blow, an outrage not a degreeworse than you insinuate, would transfer your property to us!!"

I stood staring at him for many minutes after he had ceased to speak, fascinated by the terrible, serpent-like gaze, until he continued witha welcome change of countenance:--

"I will not speak again to you, upon this topic, until one month haspassed. You shall have time to consider the relative advantages of thetwo courses which are open to you. I should be sorry to hurry you toa decision. I am satisfied with having stated my feelings upon thesubject, and pointed out to you the path of duty. Remember this daymonth; not one word sooner. "

He then rose, and I left the room, much agitated and exhausted. 

This interview, all the circumstances attending it, but mostparticularly the formidable expression of my uncle's countenance whilehe talked, though hypothetically, of _murder_, combined to arouse allmy worst suspicions of him. I dreaded to look upon the face thathad so recently worn the appalling livery of guilt and malignity. Iregarded it with the mingled fear and loathing with which one looksupon an object which has tortured them in a night-mare. 

In a few days after the interview, the particulars of which I havejust detailed, I found a note upon my toilet-table, and on opening itI read as follows:--

"_My Dear Lady Margaret_, You will be, perhaps, surprised to see a strange face in your roomtoday. I have dismissed your Irish maid, and secured a French one towait upon you; a step rendered necessary by my proposing shortly tovisit the Continent with all my family. 

Your faithful guardian, "_ARTHUR TYRELL_. "

On inquiry, I found that my faithful attendant was actually gone, andfar on her way to the town of Galway; and in her stead there appeareda tall, raw-boned, ill-looking, elderly Frenchwoman, whose sullen andpresuming manners seemed to imply that her vocation had never beforebeen that of a lady's-maid. I could not help regarding her as acreature of my uncle's, and therefore to be dreaded, even had she beenin no other way suspicious. 

Days and weeks passed away without any, even a momentary doubt upon mypart, as to the course to be pursued by me. The allotted period hadat length elapsed; the day arrived upon which I was to communicate mydecision to my uncle. Although my resolution had never for a momentwavered, I could not shake off the dread of the approaching colloquy;and my heart sank within me as I heard the expected summons. I hadnot seen my cousin Edward since the occurrence of the grand_éclaircissement_; he must have studiously avoided me; I suppose frompolicy, it could not have been from delicacy. I was prepared for aterrific burst of fury from my uncle, as soon as I should make knownmy determination; and I not unreasonably feared that some act ofviolence or of intimidation would next be resorted to. Filled withthese dreary forebodings, I fearfully opened the study door, and thenext minute I stood in my uncle's presence. He received me witha courtesy which I dreaded, as arguing a favourable anticipationrespecting the answer which I was to give; and after some slight delayhe began by saying--

"It will be a relief to both of us, I believe, to bring thisconversation as soon as possible to an issue. You will excuse me, then, my dear niece, for speaking with a bluntness which, under othercircumstances, would be unpardonable. You have, I am certain, giventhe subject of our last interview fair and serious consideration;and I trust that you are now prepared with candour to lay your answerbefore me. A few words will suffice; we perfectly understand oneanother. "

He paused; and I, though feeling that I stood upon a mine which mightin an instant explode, nevertheless answered with perfect composure:"I must now, sir, make the same reply which I did upon the lastoccasion, and I reiterate the declaration which I then made, that Inever can nor will, while life and reason remain, consent to a unionwith my cousin Edward. "

This announcement wrought no apparent change in Sir Arthur, exceptthat he became deadly, almost lividly pale. He seemed lost in darkthought for a minute, and then, with a slight effort, said, "You haveanswered me honestly and directly; and you say your resolution isunchangeable; well, would it had been otherwise--would it had beenotherwise--but be it as it is; I am satisfied. "

He gave me his hand--it was cold and damp as death; under an assumedcalmness, it was evident that he was fearfully agitated. He continuedto hold my hand with an almost painful pressure, while, as ifunconsciously, seeming to forget my presence, he muttered, "Strange, strange, strange, indeed! fatuity, helpless fatuity!" there was here along pause. "Madness _indeed_ to strain a cable that is rotten tothe very heart; it must break--and then--all goes. " There was againa pause of some minutes, after which, suddenly changing his voice andmanner to one of wakeful alacrity, he exclaimed, "Margaret, my son Edward shall plague you no more. He leaves thiscountry to-morrow for France; he shall speak no more upon thissubject--never, never more; whatever events depended upon your answermust now take their own course; but as for this fruitless proposal, ithas been tried enough; it can be repeated no more. "

At these words he coldly suffered my hand to drop, as if to expresshis total abandonment of all his projected schemes of alliance; andcertainly the action, with the accompanying words, produced upon mymind a more solemn and depressing effect than I believed possible tohave been caused by the course which I had determined to pursue; itstruck upon my heart with an awe and heaviness which _will_ accompanythe accomplishment of an important and irrevocable act, even thoughno doubt or scruple remains to make it possible that the agent shouldwish it undone. 

"Well, " said my uncle, after a little time, "we now cease to speakupon this topic, never to resume it again. Remember you shall haveno farther uneasiness from Edward; he leaves Ireland for Franceto-morrow; this will be a relief to you; may I depend upon your_honour_ that no word touching the subject of this interview shallever escape you?" I gave him the desired assurance; he said, "It iswell; I am satisfied; we have nothing more, I believe, to say uponeither side, and my presence must be a restraint upon you, I shalltherefore bid you farewell. " I then left the apartment, scarcelyknowing what to think of the strange interview which had just takenplace. 

On the next day my uncle took occasion to tell me that Edward hadactually sailed, if his intention had not been prevented by adversewinds or weather; and two days after he actually produced a letterfrom his son, written, as it said, _on board_, and despatched whilethe 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 bySir Arthur. 

During all this trying period I had found infinite consolation in thesociety and sympathy of my dear cousin Emily. I never, in after-life, formed a friendship so close, so fervent, and upon which, in all itsprogress, I could look back with feelings of such unalloyed pleasure, upon whose termination I must ever dwell with so deep, so yetunembittered a sorrow. In cheerful converse with her I soon recoveredmy spirits considerably, and passed my time agreeably enough, althoughstill in the utmost seclusion. Matters went on smoothly enough, although I could not help sometimes feeling a momentary, but horribleuncertainty respecting my uncle's character; which was not altogetherunwarranted by the circumstances of the two trying interviews, theparticulars of which I have just detailed. The unpleasant impressionwhich these conferences were calculated to leave upon my mind was fastwearing away, when there occurred a circumstance, slight indeedin itself, but calculated irrepressibly to awaken all my worstsuspicions, and to overwhelm me again with anxiety and terror. 

I had one day left the house with my cousin Emily, in order to takea ramble of considerable length, for the purpose of sketching somefavourite views, and we had walked about half a mile when I perceivedthat we had forgotten our drawing materials, the absence of whichwould have defeated the object of our walk. Laughing at our ownthoughtlessness, we returned to the house, and leaving Emily outside, I ran upstairs to procure the drawing-books and pencils which layin my bed-room. As I ran up the stairs, I was met by the tall, ill-looking Frenchwoman, evidently a good deal flurried; "Que veutMadame?" said she, with a more decided effort to be polite, than Ihad ever known her make before. "No, no--no matter, " said I, hastilyrunning by her in the direction of my room. "Madame, " cried she, in ahigh key, "restez ici s'il vous plaît, votre chambre n'est pas faite. "I continued to move on without heeding her. She was some way behindme, and feeling that she could not otherwise prevent my entrance, forI was now upon the very lobby, she made a desperate attempt to seizehold of my person; she succeeded in grasping the end of my shawl, which she drew from my shoulders, but slipping at the same time uponthe polished oak floor, she fell at full length upon the boards. Alittle frightened as well as angry at the rudeness of this strangewoman, I hastily pushed open the door of my room, at which I nowstood, in order to escape from her; but great was my amazement onentering to find the apartment preoccupied. The window was open, andbeside it stood two male figures; they appeared to be examining thefastenings of the casement, and their backs were turned towards thedoor. One of them was my uncle; they both had 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, andaverted his face; but I had seen enough to convince me that he was noother than my cousin Edward. My uncle had some iron instrument in hishand, which he hastily concealed behind his back; and coming towardsme, said something as if in an explanatory tone; but I was toomuch shocked and confounded to understand what it might be. He saidsomething about "_repairs_--window-frames--cold, and safety. " I didnot wait, however, to ask or to receive explanations, but hastily leftthe room. As I went down stairs I thought I heard the voice ofthe Frenchwoman in all the shrill volubility of excuse, and othersuttering suppressed but vehement imprecations, or what seemed to me tobe such. 

I joined my cousin Emily quite out of breath. I need not say that myhead was too full of other things to think much of drawing for thatday. I imparted to her frankly the cause of my alarms, but, atthe same time, as gently as I could; and with tears she promisedvigilance, devotion, and love. I never had reason for a moment torepent the unreserved confidence which I then reposed in her. She wasno less surprised than I at the unexpected appearance of Edward, whosedeparture for France neither of us had for a moment doubted, butwhich was now proved by his actual presence to be nothing more than animposture practised, I feared, for no good end. The situation in whichI had found my uncle had very nearly removed all my doubts as to hisdesigns; I magnified suspicions into certainties, and dreaded nightafter night that I should be murdered in my bed. The nervousnessproduced by sleepless nights and days of anxious fears increased thehorrors of my situation to such a degree, that I at length wrote aletter to a Mr. Jefferies, an old and faithful friend of my father's, and perfectly acquainted with all his affairs, praying him, forGod's sake, to relieve me from my present terrible situation, andcommunicating without reserve the nature and grounds of my suspicions. This letter I kept sealed and directed for two or three days alwaysabout my person, for discovery would have been ruinous, in expectationof an opportunity, which might be safely trusted, of having it placedin the post-office; as neither Emily nor I were permitted to passbeyond the precincts of the demesne itself, which was surrounded byhigh walls formed of dry stone, the difficulty of procuring such anopportunity was greatly enhanced. 

At this time Emily had a short conversation with her father, which shereported to me instantly. After some indifferent matter, he hadasked her whether she and I were upon good terms, and whether I wasunreserved in my disposition. She answered in the affirmative; andhe then inquired whether I had been much surprised to find him in mychamber on the other day. She answered that I had been both surprisedand amused. "And what did she think of George Wilson's appearance?""Who?" inquired she. "Oh! the architect, " he answered, "who is tocontract for the repairs of the house; he is accounted a handsomefellow. " "She could not see his face, " said Emily, "and she was insuch a hurry to escape that she scarcely observed him. " Sir Arthurappeared satisfied, and the conversation ended. 

This slight conversation, repeated accurately to me by Emily, had theeffect of confirming, if indeed any thing was required to do so, all that I had before believed as to Edward's actual presence; and Inaturally became, if possible, more anxious than ever to despatch theletter to Mr. Jefferies. An opportunity at length occurred. As Emilyand I were walking one day near the gate of the demesne, a lad fromthe village happened to be passing down the avenue from the house;the spot was secluded, and as this person was not connected by servicewith those whose observation I dreaded, I committed the letter to hiskeeping, with strict injunctions that he should put it, without delay, into the receiver of the town post-office; at the same time I addeda suitable gratuity, and the man having made many protestations ofpunctuality, was soon out of sight. He was hardly gone when I beganto doubt my discretion in having trusted him; but I had no betteror safer means of despatching the letter, and I was not warranted insuspecting him of such wanton dishonesty as a disposition to tamperwith it; but I could not be quite satisfied of its safety until I hadreceived an answer, which could not arrive for a few days. Before Idid, however, an event occurred which a little surprised me. I wassitting in my bed-room early in the day, reading by myself, when Iheard a knock at the door. "Come in, " said I, and my uncle entered theroom. "Will you excuse me, " said he, "I sought you in the parlour, andthence I have come here. I desired to say a word to you. I trust thatyou have hitherto found my conduct to you such as that of a guardiantowards 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 makethis 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, anddashing it upon the table with startling emphasis he said, "Did youwrite that letter?" The sudden and fearful alteration of his voice, manner, and face, but more than all, the unexpected production of myletter to Mr. Jefferies, which I at once recognised, so confounded andterrified me, that I felt almost choking. I could not utter a word. "Did you write that letter?" he repeated, with slow and intenseemphasis. "You did, liar and hypocrite. You dared to write that fouland infamous libel; but it shall be your last. Men will universallybelieve you mad, if I choose to call for an inquiry. I can makeyou appear so. The suspicions expressed in this letter are thehallucinations and alarms of a moping lunatic. I have defeated yourfirst attempt, madam; and by the holy God, if ever you make another, chains, darkness, and the keeper's whip shall be your portion. " Withthese astounding words he left the room, leaving me almost fainting. 

I was now almost reduced to despair; my last cast had failed; I had nocourse left but that of escaping secretly from the castle, and placingmyself under the protection of the nearest magistrate. I felt if thiswere not done, and speedily, that I should be _murdered_. No one, frommere description, can have an idea of the unmitigated horror of mysituation; a helpless, weak, inexperienced girl, placed under thepower, and wholly at the mercy of evil men, and feeling that I had itnot in my power to escape for one moment from the malignant influencesunder which I was probably doomed to fall; with a consciousness, too, that if violence, if murder were designed, no human being would benear to aid me; my dying shriek would be lost in void space. 

I had seen Edward but once during his visit, and as I did not meethim again, I began to think that he must have taken his departure; aconviction which was to a certain degree satisfactory, as I regardedhis absence as indicating the removal of immediate danger. Emily alsoarrived circuitously at the same conclusion, and not without goodgrounds, for she managed indirectly to learn that Edward's black horsehad 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 bed-room, I happened to look out fromthe window, and to my unutterable horror, I beheld peering through anopposite casement, my cousin Edward's face. Had I seen the evil onehimself in bodily shape, I could not have experienced a more sickeningrevulsion. 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 downinto the narrow quadrangle upon which the window opened. I shrunk backunperceived, to pass the rest of the day in terror and despair. I wentto my room early that night, but I was too miserable to sleep. 

At about twelve o'clock, feeling very nervous, I determined to callmy cousin Emily, who slept, you will remember, in the next room, whichcommunicated with mine by a second door. By this private entrance Ifound my way into her chamber, and without difficulty persuaded her toreturn to my room and sleep with me. We accordingly lay down together, she undressed, and I with my clothes on, for I was every momentwalking up and down the room, and felt too nervous and miserable tothink of rest or comfort. Emily was soon fast asleep, and I lay awake, fervently longing for the first pale gleam of morning, and reckoningevery stroke of the old clock with an impatience which made every hourappear like six. 

It must have been about one o'clock when I thought I heard a slightnoise at the partition door between Emily's room and mine, as ifcaused by somebody's turning the key in the lock. I held my breath, and the same sound was repeated at the second door of my room, thatwhich opened upon the lobby; the sound was here distinctly causedby the revolution of the bolt in the lock, and it was followed by aslight pressure upon the door itself, as if to ascertain the securityof the lock. The person, whoever it might be, was probably satisfied, for I heard the old boards of the lobby creak and strain, as ifunder the weight of somebody moving cautiously over them. My senseof hearing became unnaturally, almost painfully acute. I supposethe imagination added distinctness to sounds vague in themselves. Ithought that I could actually hear the breathing of the person who wasslowly returning along the lobby. 

At the head of the stair-case there appeared to occur a pause; and Icould distinctly hear two or three sentences hastily whispered;the steps then descended the stairs with apparently less caution. Iventured to walk quickly and lightly to the lobby door, and attemptedto open it; it was indeed fast locked upon the outside, as wasalso the other. I now felt that the dreadful hour was come; but onedesperate expedient remained--it was to awaken Emily, and by ourunited strength, to attempt to force the partition door, which wasslighter than the other, and through this to pass to the lower part ofthe house, whence it might be possible to escape to the grounds, andso to the village. I returned to the bedside, and shook Emily, but invain; nothing that I could do availed to produce from her more thana few incoherent words; it was a death-like sleep. She had certainlydrunk of some narcotic, as, probably, had I also, in spite of all thecaution with which I had examined every thing presented to us to eator drink. I now attempted, with as little noise as possible, to forcefirst one door, then the other; but all in vain. I believe no strengthcould have affected my object, for both doors opened inwards. Itherefore collected whatever moveables I could carry thither, andpiled them against the doors, so as to assist me in whatever attemptsI should make to resist the entrance of those without. I then returnedto the bed and endeavoured again, but fruitlessly, to awaken mycousin. It was not sleep, it was torpor, lethargy, death. I knelt downand prayed with an agony of earnestness; and then seating myself uponthe bed, I awaited my fate with a kind of terrible tranquillity. 

I heard a faint clanking sound from the narrow court which Ihave already mentioned, as if caused by the scraping of some ironinstrument against stones or rubbish. I at first determined not todisturb the calmness which I now experienced, by uselessly watchingthe proceedings of those who sought my life; but as the soundscontinued, the horrible curiosity which I felt overcame everyother emotion, and I determined, at all hazards, to gratify it. I, therefore, crawled upon my knees to the window, so as to let thesmallest possible portion of my head appear above the sill. 

The moon was shining with an uncertain radiance upon the antique greybuildings, and obliquely upon the narrow court beneath; one side ofit was therefore clearly illuminated, while the other was lost inobscurity, the sharp outlines of the old gables, with their noddingclusters of ivy, being at first alone visible. Whoever or whateveroccasioned the noise which had excited my curiosity, was concealedunder the shadow of the dark side of the quadrangle. I placed my handover my eyes to shade them from the moonlight, which was so bright asto be almost dazzling, and, peering into the darkness, I first dimly, but afterwards gradually, almost with full distinctness, beheld theform of a man engaged in digging what appeared to be a rude hole closeunder the wall. Some implements, probably a shovel and pickaxe, laybeside him, and to these he every now and then applied himself as thenature of the ground required. He pursued his task rapidly, and withas little noise as possible. "So, " thought I, as shovelful aftershovelful, the dislodged rubbish mounted into a heap, "they aredigging the grave in which, before two hours pass, I must lie, acold, mangled corpse. I am _theirs_--I cannot escape. " I felt as ifmy reason was leaving me. I started to my feet, and in mere despair Iapplied myself again to each of the two doors alternately. I strainedevery nerve and sinew, but I might as well have attempted, with mysingle strength, to force the building itself from its foundations. Ithrew myself madly upon the ground, and clasped my hands over my eyesas if to shut out the horrible images which crowded upon me. 

The paroxysm passed away. I prayed once more with the bitter, agonisedfervour of one who feels that the hour of death is present andinevitable. When I arose, I went once more to the window and lookedout, just in time to see a shadowy figure glide stealthily along thewall. The task was finished. The catastrophe of the tragedy must soonbe accomplished. I determined now to defend my life to the last; andthat I might be able to do so with some effect, I searched the roomfor something which might serve as a weapon; but either throughaccident, or else in anticipation of such a possibility, every thingwhich might have been made available for such a purpose had beenremoved. 

I must then die tamely and without an effort to defend myself. Athought suddenly struck me; might it not be possible to escape throughthe door, which the assassin must open in order to enter the room?I resolved to make the attempt. I felt assured that the door throughwhich ingress to the room would be effected was that which openedupon the lobby. It was the more direct way, besides being, for obviousreasons, less liable to interruption than the other. I resolved, then, to place myself behind a projection of the wall, the shadow wouldserve fully to conceal me, and when the door should be opened, andbefore they should have discovered the identity of the occupant ofthe bed, to creep noiselessly from the room, and then to trust toProvidence for escape. In order to facilitate this scheme, I removedall the lumber which I had heaped against the door; and I hadnearly completed my arrangements, when I perceived the room suddenlydarkened, by the close approach of some shadowy object to the window. On turning my eyes in that direction, I observed at the top of thecasement, as if suspended from above, first the feet, then the legs, then the body, and at length the whole figure of a man present itself. It was Edward Tyrrell. He appeared to be guiding his descent so as tobring his feet upon the centre of the stone block which occupied thelower part of the window; and having secured his footing upon this, hekneeled down and began to gaze into the room. As the moon was gleaminginto the chamber, and the bed-curtains were drawn, he was able todistinguish the bed itself and its contents. He appeared satisfiedwith his scrutiny, for he looked up and made a sign with his hand. He then applied his hands to the window-frame, which must havebeen ingeniously contrived for the purpose, for with apparently noresistance the whole frame, containing casement and all, slipped fromits position in the wall, and was by him lowered into the room. Thecold 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, shapedsomething like a long hammer. 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 inmomentary expectation of the execration in which he would vent hissurprise and disappointment. I closed my eyes; there was a pause, butit was a short one. I heard two dull blows, given in rapid succession;a quivering sigh, and the long-drawn, heavy breathing of the sleeperwas for ever suspended. I unclosed my eyes, and saw the murderer flingthe quilt across the head of his victim; he then, with the instrumentof death still in his hand, proceeded to the lobby-door, upon whichhe tapped sharply twice or thrice. A quick step was then heardapproaching, and a voice whispered something from without. Edwardanswered, with a kind of shuddering chuckle, "Her ladyship is pastcomplaining; unlock the door, in the devil's name, unless you'reafraid to come in, and help me to lift her out of the window. " Thekey was turned in the lock, the door opened, and my uncle entered theroom. I have told you already that I had placed myself under the shadeof a projection of the wall, close to the door. I had instinctivelyshrunk down cowering towards the ground on the entrance of Edwardthrough the window. When my uncle entered the room, he and his sonboth stood so very close to me that his hand was every moment upon thepoint of touching my face. I held my breath, and remained motionlessas 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 uponthem. You're a steady hand, by G--d; 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 roundthe body, carried it between them slowly to the window, and exchanginga few brief words with some one below, they shoved it over thewindow-sill, and I heard it fall heavily on the ground underneath. 

"I'll take the jewels, " said my uncle; "there are two caskets in thelower drawer. "

He proceeded, with an accuracy which, had I been more at ease, wouldhave furnished me with matter of astonishment, to lay his hand uponthe very spot where my jewels lay; and having possessed himself ofthem, he called to his son:--

"Is the rope made fast above?"

"I'm no fool; to be sure it is, " replied he. 

They then lowered themselves from the window; and I rose lightly andcautiously, scarcely daring to breathe, from my place of concealment, and was creeping towards the door, when I heard my uncle's voice, in asharp whisper, exclaim, "Get up again; G--d d--n you, you've forgotto lock the room door"; and I perceived, by the straining of the ropewhich hung from above, that the mandate was instantly obeyed. Nota second was to be lost. I passed through the door, which was onlyclosed, and moved as rapidly as I could, consistently with stillness, along the lobby. Before I had gone many yards, I heard the doorthrough which I had just passed roughly locked on the inside. I glideddown the stairs in terror, lest, at every corner, I should meet themurderer or one of his accomplices. I reached the hall, and listened, for a moment, to ascertain whether all was silent around. No sound wasaudible; the parlour windows opened on the park, and through oneof them I might, I thought, easily effect my escape. Accordingly, Ihastily entered; but, to my consternation, a candle was burning in theroom, and by its light I saw a figure seated at the dinner-table, uponwhich lay glasses, bottles, and the other accompaniments of a drinkingparty. Two or three chairs were placed about the table, irregularly, as if hastily abandoned by their occupants. A single glance satisfiedme that the figure was that of my French attendant. She was fastasleep, having, probably, drank deeply. There was something malignantand ghastly in the calmness of this bad woman's features, dimlyilluminated as they were by the flickering blaze of the candle. Aknife lay upon the table, and the terrible thought struck me--"ShouldI kill this sleeping accomplice in the guilt of the murderer, and thussecure my retreat?" Nothing could be easier; it was but to draw theblade across her throat, the work of a second. 

An instant's pause, however, corrected me. "No, " thought I, "the Godwho has conducted me thus far through the valley of the shadow ofdeath, will not abandon me now. I will fall into their hands, or Iwill escape hence, but it shall be free from the stain of blood; Hiswill be done. " I felt a confidence arising from this reflection, anassurance of protection which I cannot describe. There were no othermeans of escape, so I advanced, with a firm step and collected mind, to the window. I noiselessly withdrew the bars, and unclosed theshutters; I pushed open the casement, and without waiting to lookbehind me, I ran with my utmost speed, scarcely feeling the groundbeneath me, down the avenue, taking care to keep upon the grass whichbordered it. I did not for a moment slacken my speed, and I had nowgained the central point between the park-gate and the mansion-house. Here the avenue made a wider circuit, and in order to avoid delay, Idirected my way across the smooth sward round which the carriagewaywound, intending, at the opposite side of the level, at a point whichI distinguished by a group of old birch trees, to enter again upon thebeaten track, which was from thence tolerably direct to the gate. Ihad, with my utmost speed, got about half way across this broad flat, when the rapid tramp of a horse's hoofs struck upon my ear. My heartswelled in my bosom, as though I would smother. The clattering ofgalloping hoofs approached; I was pursued; they were now upon thesward on which I was running; there was not a bush or a bramble toshelter me; and, as if to render escape altogether desperate, themoon, which had hitherto been obscured, at this moment shone forthwith a broad, clear light, which made every object distinctly visible. The sounds were now close behind me. I felt my knees bending underme, with the sensation which unnerves one in a dream. I reeled, I stumbled, I fell; and at the same instant the cause of my alarmwheeled past me at full gallop. It was one of the young fillies whichpastured loose about the park, whose frolics had thus all but maddenedme with terror. I scrambled to my feet, and rushed on with weak butrapid steps, my sportive companion still galloping round and round mewith 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, untilmy progress was arrested by the hoarse voice of a sentinel, whocried "Who goes there?" I felt that I was now safe. I turned in thedirection of the voice, and fell fainting at the soldier's feet. WhenI came to myself, I was sitting in a miserable hovel, surrounded bystrange faces, all bespeaking curiosity and compassion. Many soldierswere in it also; indeed, as I afterwards found, it was employed as aguard-room by a detachment of troops quartered for that night in thetown. In a few words I informed their officer of the circumstanceswhich had occurred, describing also the appearance of the personsengaged in the murder; and he, without further loss of time than wasnecessary to procure the attendance of a magistrate, proceeded to themansion-house of Carrickleigh, taking with him a party of his men. But the villains had discovered their mistake, and had effected theirescape before the arrival of the military. 

The Frenchwoman was, however, arrested in the neighbourhood upon thenext day. She was tried and condemned at the ensuing assizes; andprevious to her execution confessed that "_she had a hand in makingHugh Tisdall's bed_. " She had been a housekeeper in the castle at thetime, and a _chère amie_ of my uncle's. She was, in reality, ableto speak English like a native, but had exclusively used the Frenchlanguage, I suppose to facilitate her designs. She died the samehardened wretch she had lived, confessing her crimes only, as shealleged, that her doing so might involve Sir Arthur Tyrrell, thegreat author of her guilt and misery, and whom she now regarded withunmitigated detestation. 

With the particulars of Sir Arthur's and his son's escape, as faras they are known, you are acquainted. You are also in possessionof 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 mydeliverance, effected by a chain of providential occurrences, thefailing of a single link of which must have ensured my destruction, it was long before I could look back upon it with other feelings thanthose of bitterness, almost of agony. The only being that hadever really loved me, my nearest and dearest friend, ever ready tosympathise, to counsel, and to assist; the gayest, the gentlest, thewarmest heart; the only creature on earth that cared for me; _her_life had been the price of my deliverance; and I then uttered thewish, which no event of my long and sorrowful life has taught me torecall, that she had been spared, and that, in her stead, _I_ weremouldering in the grave, forgotten, and at rest.