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lord’s confidential servant, for whom I had entertained the greatest dislike) made up or whole establishment.—What a change for me!

"The baron’s morose humours continued, and the gloom of the castle in my fancy increased daily. It is here, then, I thought, that, shut out from the rest of the world, I am to end my days in solitude and misery? Oh, my father! where are you, that you fly not to the rescue of your devoted daughter?—And thou injured, and yet too much beloved Vileroy, what would thy feelings be, couldst thou know how much persecution I suffer for they sake?

"In short, there were moments when I believed I could have been brought into this secluded mansion, for no other purpose than destruction. As time, however, elapsed, and those fears began to vanish, I permitted myself to admire the grandeur of this vast fabric, and could even contemplate with a sort of mournful pleasure, the immense forest which almost surrounded it on every side. Whether it was that their dark foliage suited the melancholy with which I was impressed, or that the magnificent features of both art and nature, have power to sooth the soul, I know not; but certain it is, that a sort of resignation had taken possession of my mind, instead of that deep despair in which I had been at first plunged.

"Some weeks passed on thus, when one evening, as I was returning from a walk, attended by Alithee, I paused near the moat, and hear my name pronounced in a distinct yet suppressed voice, from the opposite side.

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"Amazed, I stopped, and listened in silence; but all was still again. After a time I turned away, when the sound was repeated, and I saw something white drop at a little distance from me. I took it up, and perceived it to be a pocket-handkerchief, in which was wrapped a stone, and to the stone was tied a billet. As it was at that time of the evening when the twilight gives place to darkness I was not able to read it; but concluding that the person, whoever he was, had communicated his business in the billet, I hastened back without saying a word, to may own apartment. As I wished the circumstance not to be spoken of, until I had discovered its meaning, I desired Alithee to be silent on the subject and secured here secrecy by a trifling present. I then hastened to peruse the contents of the note, which were as follows:—

" ‘Remember you have sworn, solemnly sworn to see me once more. The baron is under the necessity of attending a law suit in Vienna, and must leave you to-morrow morning. I have reconnoitered the approaches to the castle, and discovered (for what can be concealed from the eyes of an adoring lover?) the means by which I can gain access. Let not the impulse of sudden surprise at the sight of me, betray us. Oh, beloved of my soul! on this interview depends my life—my destiny—and yours.’

"Fearfully and painfully was I agitated by this extraordinary billet. In the calmness of that retirement in which I had lately lived, I had leisure for reflection, and, perhaps, been the more reconciled to it, because it had removed me from the dangerous pleasure of seeing him, and, as I thought, put it out of his power to claim the performance of the rash promise I had given him. But how was I to prevent it? To throw myself upon his mercy and entreat he would allow me to recant my fatal oath, was out of my power, for I had no messenger to send; and if I had, knew not the place in which he lay concealed. Only one method remained for me, and this was, to acquaint my husband with the whole. Yet how could I resolve on so desparate a measure? Revengeful and gloomy as he was, the death of Vileroy would inevitably succeed the disclosure. And what would it have gained to myself? No return of tenderness—only increased suspicion, and fresh cause for reproach! Besides, had I not sworn to see Vileroy once more? And could I dare again perjure myself to the most injured and faithful of lovers? No—in the dreadful dilemma in which I was involved, I must resolve to see him. Innocence, and conscious integrity would support me through the arduous trial, and enable me to prevail upon him to cease pursuing me thus to my destruction and his own.

"Had my resolution wavered, nothing on the part of the baron would have fixed it in his own favour. He neither chose to speak to me of his departure, on the length of his stay, and his design would have remained unknown to me even till the moment of his departure, had not some preparations which I perceived were making for the journey, convinced me that Vileroy had not been misinformed. I determined to try to break through this gloomy taciturnity.

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" ‘Are you going from home, my lord?’ said I.

" ‘I am, madame.’

" ‘You will not be absent long?’

" ‘Perhaps not;’ and with this laconic reply, he left me.

"Oh! thought I, how must one’s heart be fortified by virtue, to hear unmerited treatment like this!

"Alithee came running to me;—‘Oh, my lady,’ cried she, ‘what is to become of us? We are left alone in this great castle, for what it Francisco to defend us? He is afraid of stirring out of his own room at night; and here is my lord the baron gone away himself, and taken Roland with him.’

"To quiet her fears, I pretended to laugh at them, although my whole soul was shook with a variety of contending emotions. The day passed on gloomily, and when night came on, I carelessly said, ‘Alithee, you tell me that Francisco is afraid to go about the castle, therefore you and I must see that the entrances are all fastened.’

"She bore a light, and we proceeded along the corridor, and down the stone staircase. All was silent as the calmness of the evening, to which a new moon had given a soft, but indistinct light. We barricaded every passage, and then began to retrace our footsteps.

" ‘May the saints take us under their protection!’ exclaimed Alithee; ‘I am sure I heard a footstep.’

"I listened. ‘It must surely be the throbbing of your own heart,’ answered I, assuming the appearance of courage, ‘for no noise whatever reached my ear.’

" ‘Indeed, my lady,’ said Alithee, ‘I not only heard a footstep, and a hasty one too, but also a gentle sigh. But, perhaps,’ added she, ‘that might come from yourself.’

" ‘Most probably,’ replied I, ‘and the hasty footsteps you mention were doubtless the echo of my own. Do not you perceive that we have attained the door of my apartment?’ We entered it, and a slight repast having been prepared for me, I partook of it, and soon after retired to rest.

"At my request, Alithee had placed her bed on the floor in one corner of my chamber. She soon fell asleep, and I was left to my own reflections. The day had passed without any attempt being made by Vileroy to see me. He then found access to the castle more difficult than he had imagined. My heart sickened at the idea of his danger should the baron return and find him in the environs of the castle; and I prayed fervently that the impracticability of getting across the moat might compel him to relinquish his design. I began at length to persuade myself that this must inevitable be the case, and as a dead silence reigned around the castle, I fell at last into a quite slumber.

"I awoke not until Alithee was preparing to leave my chamber, and finding it was late, I arose and dressed.

"Alithee had just removed my breakfast, and I was beginning to think of

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a walk on the terrace, when a gentle tap on the door startled me. Before I could speak it was softly opened, and I beheld Vileroy.

"He threw himself at my feet.—‘Adored and persecuted Sophia,’ cried he, ‘could I refrain from seeking that interview which a solemn oath obliged you to consent to? Was I to tell you that I had attempted to conquer a passion which is interwoven in my very existence, I should aver a falsehood, and grant a merit to obedience which my heart disavows. No, I cannot, I will not make the effort! Vain indeed would be the endeavour to forget you, or obliterate your sweet idea from my heart. Impelled by love I approached your domains,—impelled by love I surmounted every obstacle which debarred me from your presence, and I now throw myself at your feet, to supplicate your compassion.’

" ‘Alas! Alphonso,’ replied I, ‘to what a cruel dilemma has my fate reduced me! To avow that I no longer regard you, would be to charge myself with inconstancy; and to acknowledge it, would be to swerve from my duty, and violate my marriage vow! Yet I can neither deceive you or myself; but, be not deluded by this confession, or suppose from it, that I will ever act unworthy of the character of a wife. The step you have taken is imprudent, and, I must add, unkind; for if you really love me, you would avoid everything which could endanger my honour or my peace.’

" ‘Hear me, my beloved Sophia! It is to become the guardian of that peace; to snatch you from the inhuman monster, who has attached dishonour to your name, that I come hither. It was with a bleeding heart that I learnt from your affectionate, discarded maid, that his hands had been lifted against you—from the general voice of Vienna, that he had affixed suspicions on your character—forbade your father ever to see you more—and brought you here a close prisoner for life!’

"I shuddered, and tears flowed fast down my cheeks. He proceeded:—

" "Oh! dearer to me than all that his vast globe contains, listen patiently to me. Has not this wretch fraudulently obtained you from me? Did he not obtain your consent to lead you to the altar, by the fabrication of a most wicked falsehood? and since he has become your husband, has he not tainted your fair fame—severed you from your father—and condemned you in the bloom of youth and beauty, to languish and perish in solitude and disgrace?’

"He paused, but I was incapable of articulating a reply.

" ‘It is thus then?’ continued he, ‘that the sun of your promised happiness is to fade and set?—oh, no. Reflect what you owe to the man capable of betraying your innocence, of deserting the sacred trust he laboured through so much guilt to obtain! Your vows to him are cancelled by every principle of justice and feeling. Fly with me. In my native country, France, our lives shall be sanctioned by a legal marriage, and until that blissful moment, I will be the faithful guardian of that innocence which I would protect and cherish—not pollute.’

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" ‘Vileroy,’ said I, perceiving that he awaited my answer, ‘did I consult only my own heart, resistance would be feeble,—for persuasion hangs upon your tongue. But I will be the creature of reason, and not of feeling or sophistry. Can the infamy of another exonerate me from guilt? And could I hope that your regard for me would remain undiminished, when I became lost to every sense of delicacy, decorum, and honour? Do not interrupt me, I beseech you. I can bear misery, but not the reproaches of an erring heart. Death to me would be preferable to dishonour. You were the only object that attached me to life; but, losing you, I wish to die. The world, which you say has so cruelly judged me, shall not receive from me a sanction to its opinion; and my husband shall experience remorse for his conduct, not a justification of it. Leave me, therefore, I beseech you. Every moment of your stay subjects me to fresh implications; nay, adds to the acuteness of that misery which you profess you wish to preserve me from.’

"At this moment, Alithee opened the door to ask some orders from me. Vileroy was still at my feet. Her surprise could only be equalled by my own consternation and his. But conscious innocence gave me courage.

" ‘Alithee,’ said I, ‘here is that friend of my early youth, who you know, announced his approach by throwing the handkerchief over the moat. My friends are apprehensive of my misery, shut up as I am in this castle, and excluded from all intercourse with the world. I am inaccessible to their supplications; for here I will remain, until my lord, the

baron, shall think it right himself, to emancipate me. But I leave to you the concealment of this stranger, as also your assistance in contriving his departure this evening; and you know you may depend on my gratitude.’

" ‘Oh! my dear lady,’ cried she, ‘worlds would not bribe me to betray you. I only wonder at the patient sweetness of your disposition, to endure what you do, and live in this gloomy place! Oh! had I such a husband, and but a single friend in the world who would take me away, I would go with him to the very end of the earth. But how, my lady, did monsieur get into the castle? As sure as I Live, it was his footsteps I heard last night, when we closed the doors; for somebody’s steps besides our own, I am sure I did hear.’

"I now questioned Vileroy on this particular, who, perceiving that Alithee must be admitted to our confidence, owned that she was right. He had watched the departure of the baron and Roland from the castle, and having before discovered a part of the moat, which was more shallow than the rest, had readily got across it. For the remainder of the day, he had secreted himself under the projection of the walls, hoping, that when night approached, he should find some inlet into the castle. In this, however, he was disappointed, and began to give himself up to despair, when he perceived me and Alithee descend the stone staircase, and advance to one of the posterns to see if it was fastened. The moment was propitious. He passed on, and ascending the staircase whilst we were thus employed

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arrived in the corridor before us. The light from our taper flashed before as, and he still proceeded. He saw me enter the apartment we occupied, in the day, and marking it, retraced his way back the whole length of the corridor, and there, under the recess of an arched door, passed the night. From this concealed situation, he saw Alithee leave my room in the morning, and afterwards beheld her taking in my breakfast; and waiting until he saw her convey the things away, when he concluded she would be occupied in taking her own morning repast, he entered the room as I have described.

"Alithee was the first to suggest his want of refreshment, which she flew to procure, and we then entered on a consultation for the means of his departure. Alithee was sure that he could retire with the same security he had entered, after Francisco was gone to rest. And Vileroy seemed to listen to her plans of safety, with the latent hope, that he should not quit the castle alone. In short, his pleadings were renewed through the whole of the day, and he combatted in every possible view, the misery of my situation and his own; but all that he could obtain from me was a promise, that if my misery increased, so as to become intolerable, I would write to him to secure me an asylum in a convent. The approach of evening threw him into agonies. Even Alithee was affected by them, and she joined in urging me to fly with this adoring lover.

" ‘I will brave the baron’s fury,’ cried she, ‘I will tell him that you escaped alone; and as he cannot be back from Vienna for some days, by that time you may be safe.’

"Alas! how powerfully did my heart second these pleadings—the moment of decision arrived. Vileroy, abandoned to despair, was again on his knees, when a loud blast from the horn at the drawbridge, shook the whole fabric! Alithee, in the utmost consternation, declared it was the blast of Roland! What was to be done? How was Vileroy to effect

his escape, or where could he be concealed? At this moment of danger, I found how very dear he was to my heart. I had resisted his pleadings,—his despair; but, to see him sacrificed to the jealous rage of my husband, was anguish unutterable, and not to be endured! Francisco’s voice was now heard, summoning Alithee to assist him at the drawbridge. I had been acquainted by accident, with a passage through a panel in my own room, to a turret at the top of a little winding staircase. To this I hastily conducted Vileroy, and returning precipitately, seated myself in the saloon, ready to receive or hear tidings of the baron.

"Alithee was the first that entered. With an affrighted countenance she told me the baron was returned. I bade her compose herself.

" ‘On our promised fidelity,’ said I, ‘rest all my hopes. Swear to conceal my friend until you can effect his escape, and all will be well, for I am innocent of any fault, and can have nothing further to dread.’

" ‘I do swear, my lady,’ replied she; ‘but the baron is in a gloomy

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mood, and he swore both at Francisco and me for our delay, as he called it, and asked what was going on in the castle, that we came not instantly to him.’

"Here the baron entered. He threw a glance at me and round the apartment, and then seating himself, ordered refreshments to be immediately brought in.

"I tried to speak, but the words seemed to die away upon my lips. At length I said:—

" ‘You seem fatigued, my lord.’

"At this moment, Roland entered with the refreshments.

" ‘This damned decision of the business before our arrival,’ said he to Roland, without answering me, ‘has disconcerted me extremely, and I almost regret, that, instead of returning here, I had not accompanied the courier back, and seen if anything further could be done.’

"This intimation was all the explanation which I received of the cause of his return.

"As the baron still remained taciturn, I soon retired to my chamber, where I indulged in the most painful reflections. The perils with which I was surrounded, Vileroy’s danger, and the confidence I had been obliged to place in Alithee, all rushed upon my sinking spirits. There is something ever degrading in being under the necessity of confiding secrets to an inferior; who generally annex guilt to such confessions, and who too frequently want that noble spirit of independence, which renders them incapable of betraying a trust. If Alithee deceived me, I was lost indeed. Yet now my confidence in her must become unbounded; for how otherwise, could I get provisions to convey to Vileroy, or how be able to assist in his escape? I had only a moment to speak to her, when she came to assist in undressing me; but she assured me of her faith, and that she would devise some means to convey him from the turret. If she was not faithless, she was indescreet; for file next evening, having watched the baron, as she thought, safe, on one side of the castle, whither Roland accompanied him, she ran through my chamber to the turret, without apprising me of her design, and brought him down with her. Here, fearful of proceeding, she left him to see if the coast was still clear, and was perceived by the baron. The cautious manner in which she looked about her excited his suspicions, and he followed her unobserved. Alithee, convinced that this was the moment favourable for his departure from the interior of the castle, ran to me in the saloon, where I was seated, and bade me instantly enter my chamber, if I wished to take a last view of Vileroy. These words, so extraordinary, and as they, alas! proved prophetic, roused me from the deep reflection in which I was absorbed, and I instinctively followed her; but scarcely had I entered the room, before the baron rushed after me. Ah how shall I proceed in this dreadful relation? The baron drew his sword.

" ‘Vile harlot,’ said he fiercely to me, ‘prepare to feel the extremity of my vengeance!’

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"Vileroy, supposing he threatened my life, stepped between us.

" ‘She is innocent,’ cried he, ‘spare her life.’

" ‘I mean to spare her life,’ replied the baron, ‘but for thee, Vileroy, hadst thou a thousand lives, I would sacrifice them all.’

"Vileroy in his terror for me, had drawn his sword, but was entirely thrown off his guard.

"The baron pointed his sword at his breast, saying, ‘may this stroke precipitate thee to the lowest hell.’

"Thus saying, he plunged his sword into the breast of Vileroy, who fell—groaned—and expired.

"Heaven still left me my senses, I fainted not. Had nature yielded to the shock, I should have escaped a variety of horrors which I have since endured. The baron advanced towards me with his bloody weapon.

" ‘And what hinders me from sheathing my sword in thy perfidious heart?’ cried he.

"He raised his arm.—Ah! why did the fear of death lead me to prostrate myself at his feet? He spurned me from him, leaving me on the floor, told me he should meditate till morning, on a punishment due to my crimes.

" ‘In the meantime,’ added he, furiously, "I shall leave your paramour to entertain you.’

"He then retired, followed by Roland, first pushing Alithee out of the room,

"I was now left alone with the murdered corpse of the unfortunate Vileroy. How could I survive that horrid moment? I tried the door—it was fastened. I called—I supplicated—no voice answered me! Frantic with grief, and terror, I threw myself on the bosom of Vileroy. I strove to stop the current of blood which still flowed from his heart.—I talked to him.—I besought him not to desert me.—I strove to raise him. Oh, agony unutterable!—he was become cold, and insensible to my touch!

I found his sword on the floor, and attempted to raise it against myself, but I feared death, and could not resolve to destroy myself. How this horrible night passed, I know not. Daylight at length appearing through the windows, recalled my recollection. The baron’s threats appalled my very soul. I looked towards the door, and every moment expected the entrance of an assassin. For some time I listened in vain, but at length heard the sound of advancing footsteps. I started from the floor, and recollecting the turret above, resolved to seek a refuge from death. In a moment I opened the panel of the wainscot, and closing it after me, stopped on the stone steps breathless with terror. I presently heard myself called. I rushed up the stairs into the turret, in a state of desperation, and looked about me for a place of concealment. It occurred to me at this moment, that I had formerly observed some boards in the floor had the appearance of a trap-door. I searched for and at last found it, but fitted too well with the other boards for me to raise it with my