Litchfield enquirer., 1857-03-05

priest.
 T The officer of the guard shrugged his shoul ders. ? And with men like us to be in each oth CTS secrets, is to be in each others power.' | The officer of the guard shrugged his shoul
 ders still higher
 t Art thou resolved 1? inquired Father Fran
 cis, quietly.
 1 am,' was the reply Mark Huntly will
 not long live to thwart thee.'
 Iris well, muttered the priest but the
 blow must be immediate.'
 It shall fall tomorrow said Wyckhamme, leave the means to me. But 1 say, father, how dost thou propose to get possession of the maiden, and when
 Tonight replied the monk, and his eye giistened, 1 an her father confessor.' ! Captain Wyckhamme smacked his lips. A sweet duty, by my faith, to listen to the Aut- tering thoughts of youthful female hearts I almost wish were monk Curse on thy licentious tongue exclaimed 1 the churchman in voice of suppressed pas 1 sion. Listen--L- have imposed upon her a midnight solitary penance At the dead hour of the night, she is to kneel before the shrine of the Virg in ill the cathedral I shall be l there.' ... .. .-. And attempt to carry her off? She will scream
 There are gags She will fly There are bonds, and secret keeping places the world wots not of, at my disposal-while Mark. Huntley-'
 Is my part of the job. Priest, it is we'll laid scheme think it may prosper 1t muSt 'ancvorcd tI,a nrif lu% tho cun hath passed the meridian is it not time thou vert on thy way homevard 2 Marry, you say true, exclaimed the other, and will plot my share in the matter as I ride
 Do so,' said the priest, 'and farewell five minutes Captain Wyckhamme, at tended by two ycoman of his troop, were spur 1 ring down Ludgate hill, on his way westward :; while Father Francis, enyeloped in his cowl, paced slowly and thoushtfully back to the ca thedral
 The people made way for him revcrently, aud Lowed low the fether lad the r,I'ntit .on of being rich in the olor of sanc:.ty and n,a ny counted themselves happy in his Bsue- d.ritc'
 The hours pa>s"d away. and t became night --a fair, calm, sum nyr's i i -ht, in which the m)ol anl stars seem str vIug to olt>hc each other. X a,~p hush was u.mn Lpidon. 'r'e l,st of the CT of pr s. w.o had been wh ng aw y tn l'nyth ned tSlIg;t iy d noisy game O. to 't:n Il i'll he.It, Ira q n l summoned within dnrs by his g;lant Ill ,St,r, and the strr t> were left to the occaSio ,a home l returning r,yeler, who eitM pac. d along with tipsy grlvity, or made the old hous, ring with saatchcs of the dri king songs Wi h st.ll buzzed ill his ears. The stately mass of o:d Paul's rose m:jcstically above all humbl tr'- l cmcnts, steeped in food of moollshue--.ts .ts quaint carvings and sculpturr,l pinnacIcs here Sttndng out clear and palrablc ill the starry air, and there broken by broad masses of deep black shadow.
 It was nenr the hour of midnight when the light figure of q wo:,lan closely muftlcd in it's drareries, gl;led cautiously and t;m.dIy along the quiet pavement, aud tr;Ipd up the st,p> towards one of the s:dc entrances of the c;l- theelral. Tine door of d chapelry, from which a!m ttance might be had iuto the main portion of the building, was open. AS she crossed the threshold the damp c;.i,l of the air, so d if r. cnt from the rcnial atmosphere without, made her pause. It was but for q momrnt, aid then she entered the cathedral. 1t vas an awfulIy solemn place. No work of mems hand could be u,ore grand its shadewy vast ness secrcI iot of the earth. The tye could only dimly trace it's proportions by the gorge oasly co!ored light admitted by the pai,tted glass, and imagination supplied the rest. Here were the vast clustering pillars. the cehoiug ai>lcs, the gre.ncd and arched magn.ticence of the roof, aud over all silence like the silence of the dead the intruder crossed ltr arms upon her bosom, for the place was chill and the next moment Mabel Lorue knelt before the shrine of the Virgin. Sue had hardly passed mnntc in devotion. when a heavy hand was laid upon her shoulder; with futtering heart she started to her feet, aud beheld the face of Father Francis dimly seen close to hers
 'Fatherv she exclaimed. 1 'Daugllter,' returned the priest, in q voice trembling with passionate cagerness, for he thought he had his victim in his clutch, thou must go w: :th me ; aud at the same instant, be- fore sue could make a motion to prevent him, he slipped kerchief prepared for the purpose over the lower part of her face, aud she was
 unable to utter sound.
 Come, sx'eet enc, come 7 said Father Fran
 cis, iH a low, tremulous voice, as he attempted i to seize her arm and waist Surprise and .es- pair, however, gave Maiae strength making a frantic fort. she freed herself from the rude grasp, and fled. Uuering muttered impre-
 cation, the priest pursued. hnt his flowing rui'ts h.ndcred his progress With reciing head,
 and almost insensb!e of what she did, iiabel
 aew over the pavement she tried to make for
 the door, but her confu ion was too great to
 enable her to discoEer it she heard the foo.-
 steps of the priest close to her, aud fed, un- witting whither she vent. I iHa now have panted the moak, as the fugitive appeared driven into corner of the
 building, and he made a plunge forward to erasn her. He was disappointed, A low