Volcano weekly ledger., 1857-04-04

idea OF sleeping alone again, | suppicated my
aunt to let her maid stay with me all night.
She seemed little vexed and discomposed
at the request, but assented to it neverthe-
less; and Agathe, pretty, nice hammered
brunette, was to be my companion for the
nonce
fell asleep tolerably confident of safety
but awoke again at the same hour, to behold
once more that terrible apparition again
that cold grey glance-again that glttering
knife-again that Kissing murmur of Pas en-
core In an agony of horror, / shook the
girl sleeping beside me.
Look, Agathe-she is therew The
aroused sleeper rubbed her eyes, yawned
heavily, and then looking lazily around, ex-
claimed:
Where, mademoisele 2"
pointed in horror to the old woman
She replied, in answer to the gesture-I see
nothing"
Could it be possible? l passed my hand
over my eyes. When | removed it, she was
gone; and, overpowered by the conviction
that | had beheld vsitant from the world
of spirits, | fell into a violent fit of Mysteries
Agathe went and called my aunt and related
all she knew of the cause Of my seizure
Madame de Vergnier was aStonished, and
even angry.
The child must be a fool" she said.-
Madam de Bernis was alive; it could not
therefore be her ghost. She could not tell
what was to be done"
/ was too i'll to leave my bed till late in
the day, and / need scarcely tell you how
dreaded returning to it. / entreated my aunt
to let me sleep in some other room, and
though she was vexed at the trouble and dis
Arrangement, she permitted it, and assigned
me dressing-room outside her own room,
but not opening into it.
1t was small, comfortable-looking. and re-
minded me of my own little chamber in the
Rue de la Ferme des Matthurins hoped
that here, at least, / should be at peace
Butno. About midnight, that awful rustling
of silk awoke me, and once more my eyes
opened upon the cold grey eyes and the gilt
tering steel; once more l heard that awful
whisper, Pas encore"
Then came that long horrid watch of both
of us, followed, on my part-when again she
disappeared-by a sort of delirium. Under
its influence, arose as soon as it was dawn
dressed myself, and stole down stairs. An
old porter had just opened the hall door: l
rushed hastily past him, ran down the steps,
and hurried up the avenue. | have no reco-
lection of what followed, till | found myself
in strange room and in another house
A nurse was sitting by the bedside, and a
table with medicine bottles, &c, testified to
the fact that had been very i'll. | fanced
that | had had horrid dream, and asked my
attendant where | was, and where mamma
was. She uttered an exclamation of surprise
and pleasure, and went out of the room.
In few minutes she returned with my
mother, who shed tears of delight over me as
she embraced me. After time, | learned
from them that / had been found insensible
on the steps of my fellow-travelers door, and
recognizing me, he had me brought in, and
sent for doctor The physician had found
me delrious, and pronounced me in brain
fever, from which | had Just recovered
though every one had despaired of my life
My parents had been sent for by my aunt,
as soon as she heard of my escape and dis
covery; and she told them | had given symp-
toms of the approaching disease by fancying
that | was haunted by her old dame de COM
pagnie
My mother added that l had never ceased
crying out during the period of my delirum,
''Pas encoreD
With a profound shudder l heard the
words, and recalled my past mental sufferings.
/ related my tale to mamma, and judge of
my distress and annoyance-she heard it as
the rawlings of returning delirium, or the Wis
ion of troubled branl In addition to the
torture had endured, had to support the
modification of being heard with incredulity.
"But was it really only a delirium?" you
will ask
You shall hear. My aunt, when recov-
cred showed no wish for renewal of my
visit; nor would all the gold of Mexico
have induced me to sleep beneath her
roof again; therefore my parents took me
back to Paris, under the impression that my
chance of being rich heiress was ended.
Three years afterwards came another letter
from Madame de Vergnier; she wrote to
apoogze for my suflerings and at the same
time to acknowledge their reality. Madame
de Bernis was dead, and when IN ertremis had
sent for her benefactress, and confessed that
she had actually sat beside my bed, night
after night, in hopes of terrifying me away
and becoming herself my aunt's heiress. She
had bribed the femme de chambre to take
part in this nefarious plot, which might have
destroyed either my life or reason, and now
repented of it, and implored forgiveness
Madame de Vergnier was much shocked -
She confronted the maid with the dying wo-
man, and fully ascertained the truth of the
confession. The woman had been dismissed
without a character and Madame de Bernis
was gone to answer for her crime at higher