New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1852-03-16

he discovered the pale lay brother. " Speak,"
The trembling monk endeavored TO obey, but
the words fell disjointedly from his lips
"What means this'" asked Henriques, stern
ly tY0ui look like one who has seen an evil
spirit" syaz
And you, father" was hcrejGnder " Did
not hear you, as drew near, battling with an
imp Of darkness' You smile-why, could have
sworn that heard voices''
Go, in peace said his companion, haush-
tily, 'tyour lips have touched the vine cup once
too often, or your dreams have been evil. What
seek yon:'' 7.-
The inferior told his errand.
ss 1t is q strange hour,'' said the other, but
| am ready. Return you to the priory win
but seek my cloak, and follow on the instant
I. was some months after this incident, thst
the whole brotherhood were aroused at the same
hour by wild shrieks and fearful moans, ~ Of
one in the last agony-a suffering being battling
for the life which was fast ebbing away crea-
ture warning against the fat Of the Creator.
Each raised himself on his narrow pallet TO lis
ten; each at once traced the inexplicsble sounds
to the vaulted tower Ere long they had all
left their beds The sufferer could be no othR
than the pious Father Henriques, dying benesth
the devilish tortures Of the fend whom he had
failed to dislodge from his chosen dwelling. To
the timid there is safety in crowd, and accord
from so unholy contact, ventured forth in Q
body, with the prior at their head, to succour
their suffering brother.
When they reached the tower all was silent
they beat upon the door, but there WAS no re-
ply and, gathering courage from curiosity,
they at length lifted the latch and entered still
there was no sound, and they ascended the stone
stair slowly and cautiously. When they stood
before the entrance Of the monks cell Trey
o6 fnv nm ant and fhaSnc fvvH HgnA
hastily pushed back the door. i5es5I sfI
One glance sufhced to explain ALL On the
low couch of Henriques lay the newly made
corpse Of a female, so young and so lovely, that
in her form, death seemed beautiful. Her long
dark hair was untressed, and fell about hez like
a garment, on which her white arms CLEANED
out with dazzling whiteness. The monk knelt
beside her, pale and ghastly his deep voice
| breaking forth at intervals as he groaned out,
:. Ny wife my wife! the dream of my exist
ence, the solace Of my solitude! couldst thou,
indeed, not survive the knowledge of the saeri-
lege which thou hadst unwittingly committed ?
Better that thou shouldst have abandoned me
when my treachery was first apparent, forgot
ten me, any thing but died, my wife! my wife r
He did not even look upon the intruders ss they
entered, but continued gazing with dilated eyes
and parted lips upon the corpse. A murmur
| ran through the brotherhood the prior ap-
preached the wretched culprit with words Of
vengeance and violence, but he spoke in vain.
The punishment of the widowed husband Was in
ficted by higher hand, the wretched Hem
riques was a maniac! They buried her whom
he had loved silently in the dark recesses Of the
dungeon vault, and he stood by and laughed, at
the earth was heaped upon the body. He was
mad for years. bowling, furious maniac. whom
neither the scourge nor the chain had power te
intimidate; but at length light broke upon his
brain, and all the past was but an evil and d
dreary dream. He yet remembered how, OF
one of his secret missions, for the furtherance o1
some conventual speculation, young bright
vision had crossed his path, and that, regardless
alike of his vows and of his duty, he had won
that creature of beauty to his bosom, ere she
knew that he was already welded to the cloister.
Memories we're with him also of long years Of
concealnent and self condemnation, patiently
and sweetly borne for his sake. Nor had h
forgotten how all had at length terminated.
He could trace, in his hours of solitude, tn
mental outline of bed of death, unhallowed
unpitied, unsanctiied by the holy offices of tn
church; he could trace-but why should VI
dwell on the monks maddening memories:
Ten years of penance and vigil and abstin
ence followed upon his malady, and then he wa
again received, a repentant sinner, into tn
bosom of the church. Life had but one jo,
left to him it was, to steal away from tn
| world, and sit in bitter rumination beside th
gloomy sepulchre of her whom he had love-
and lost rrg a s77. s.. .st