Literary cadet, and Saturday evening bulletin. [volume] (Providence, R.I.) 1826-1827, 1826-06-03
II PREDICTION.
Les talk of graves. Shakespeare.
(coNcLunED.)

est not how to endure" said she to him., sand as
soon as night shall again fall upon our mountains,
will lead thee forth on thy escape; the danger OF
pursuit is now past; at mldnisht De ready Tor thy
Journey, leave the cave. aud ascend the rocks by the
path showed thee, to the field in which its mouth
i. situated; wait me there a few moments, and | will
bring thee u fleet horse, ready for the journey, for
which thy gold must pay, since | must declare to
the owner that have sold it at a distance, and for
more than its rated value"
That midnight came, and Meredith waited with
| trembling anxiety for the naughty step of Ruth, at
length he saw her, she had assembled the rock, AMI
standing on its verge was looking around tor her
guest; as she was thus alone in the clear moonlight,
| standing between rock and sky, and scarcely SEEM
| ing to touch the earth, her dark Ssexs md loose
| garments scattered by the wind, she looked like
some giant spirit OF the older time, preparing to as
cend into the mighty black cloud which singly hung
from the empyrean, and upon which she already
appeared to recline; Meredith beheld her and shud-
dered-but she approached and he recovered his
recollection.
"You must he speedy in your movements" said
she, when you leave me; your horse waits on the
other side OF this field, and | would have you has
ten lest his ~neishbor. should betray your purpose.
But, before you depart, Rhys Meredith, there is an
account to be settled between u.s. have dared
danger and privanons for you; that temptations of
the poor may not assail me, give me my reward and
90"
Rhys pressed his leathern bag to his bosom, but
answered nothing TO the speech Of Ruth: he seemed
to be studying SOME evasion, for he looked upon the
ground, and there was trouble in the working of his
lip. At length he said cautiously, 81 have it not
with me; | buried 1t, lest itshould betray me, in a
field some miles distant; thither will | go, dig it up,
| and send it il to thee from b, which is, as thou
| knowest, my first destination"
Ruth gave him one glance Of her awful eye when
| he had spoken; she had detected his meanncss; and
a a - a l-.. ANNL.t .l4.t
thou press to thy bosom SD earnestly" she demand
| ed; "surely thou art not the wise man | deemed
| thee, thus to deiraud my claim: thy friend alone
thou mightest cheat, aud safely; but | have been
| made wretched by thee, guilty by thee, and thy life
is in my power; lcould, as ( thou knowest, easily raise
the village, aud win halt thy wealth by giving thee
up to justice; but ! prefer reward from thy wis
| dom aud gratitude, give therefore and BECOME"
But Rhys knew too well the value Of the metal
| Of sin TO yield one half of to Ruth; he tried many
| miserable shifts and lies, and al last, baIled by the
| calm penetrated. OF his antagonist, boldly avowed
| his intention of keeping all the spoil he had won
| with so much hazard. Ruth looked at him with
| scorn: keep thy gold" she said; "if it thus can
| harden hearts, covet not its possessions; but there
is one thing thou must do, and that ere thou stir one
| foot. | have supported thee with hard earned in
| dustry, Mlt ! give thee; more proud, 1t should
seem, in bestowing than | could be, from such as
| thee, in receiving, but the horse that IS to bear thee
| hence tonight, | borrowed for a distsut iourney;l
\ must return with it, or with its value; open thy
bag, pay me for that and co."
But lthys seemed afraid to open his bag in the
| presence OF her he had wronged. Ruth understood
| his fears; but, scornins ylndIcation OF her prlnci-
! pies, contented herself with entreatiDg him to be
| honest. "Be more just to myself and me-" she per
| sisted: "the debt OF gratitude | pardon thee, but,
beseech thee, leave me not to encounter the conse-
! uuence of having stolen from my friend, the animal
| yyb;cb is hs only means of subsistence. | Dray thee
Rhy., not TO condemn me to scOrn.'
II was 10 no avail that Ruth hrmbled herself to
| entreaties: Meredith answers al not, and while she
was yet speaking, cast side-long looks towards
| the gate where the horse was waiting for his SER
vice, and seemed meditating, whether he should not
| dart from Ruth, and escape her eutreaties and de-
| mands by dint of speed. Her stern eye detected
his purpose; and, indignant at his baseness, and a
shamed OF her own degradation, she sprung sudden
| ly towards him, made a desperate clutch at the
| leathern bas, and tore it from the grasp of the de-
ceiver. Meredith made an attempt to recover it,
| and a fierce struggle cnsued, which drove them both
| back towards the yawning mouth of the cave from
! which he had just assembled to the world. On its
| very verge, on its very extreme edge, the demon
who had so long ruled his spirit now ~instigated him
TO mischief, and abandoned him to his natural bru-
tality; he struck the unhappy Ruth a revengeful
and tremendous blow. At that moment a horrible
thought glanced like lightning through her soul; he
was to her no longer Wnat ne nau Deen; ne was a
a robber, %rufian, liar; one whom to destroy was
Justice, and perhaps it was he ---. "Vi-
lain.'' she cried, "thou-thou dAlst predict that ]
was doomed to be a murderer. art thou-artt thou
destined to be the victim" She flung him from
her with terrific force, as he stood close to the
abyss, and the next instant heard him dash against
its sides, as he was whirled headlo1g into the dark
ness.
1t wa. an awful feeling, the next that passed over
the soul Of Ruth Tudor, as she stood alone in the
pale ~.orrowful looking moonlight, endea soring to
remember what had CHANGED. She gazed on the
purse, ON the chasni, wiped the drol>'i agony from
her heated brow, and then, with a sudden pang OF
recollection, rushed down to the cavern. The
light was still burning, as Rhys had left it, and
served to show her the wretch extended ~helplessly
beneath the cha.m. Though his body was crushed
his homes splintered, and his blood was ON the ca
vern's sides, he was yet living, and raised his head
TO look upon her, az she darkened the narrow en- |
trance in her passage: he glarsd upon her with the
visage ofa demon, and spoke like a fiend in pain
sMe hast thou murdered" he said, "but | shall be
avenged in all thy life to come. Deem not that thy |
doom is fulfilled, that the deed to which thou art
lated is done: in my dying hour | know, feel what
is to come upon thee; thou art yet again to do a
deed Of blood!' ""I.iar!" shrieked the infatuated
victim. '"Thou art yet doomed to be a murderer!'
LIAR "Thou art-and oi-thine only child!"-
She rushed to him, but he was dead.
Ruth Tudor stood for a momen: by the corpse,
blind, supplied, deaf, and dumb; in the next she
laughed aloud, till the cavern rung with her ghastly
mirth, and many voices miuglad with and answered
il; but the noises scared aud displeased her, and in
an instant she became stupidity grave; she threw