Spirit of the age., 1861-06-05

l
brain was turning: tried to scream out
nv voice failed mel was mute and power
less; iny knees rocked and smote zach othe~;
convulsive tremor shonk mr to the ceutre, md i
| with gr an of agony sank falnting 10 the /
earth.
The day was breaking are | came to my /
| self arose, and all was quiet around me
| | walked 10 the boat-the boatnien were +
sleep ng; awnke them, and we returned To
Dresden. | IN, ew myself upon IN. bel /
my b ain seemed stupefied and eX austed-
fell luto profound sleep, aud awoAe not /
till late he following evening. messenger
had broughta note from the Cpunt-'Fhe |
! Countess is worse. The note detailed briefly |
that she had passed feverish and distul bed /
| night, and that the medical attendants had
never eff, the villa. Was it then but
dream my dreadful vision of the past night
anc had M mind, sorrow ny for the sfflction
of my best fri nd, conjured mp the awful
scenes | believed to have witnessed! How
could it be otherwise The billet | received
told most distinctly that she Was confined to
her bed, severely, dangerously i'll and Of
course watched with all the care and atten-
tion the most sedulous anxiety could confer.
| opened the picture, and then conviction
flashed with hgntning's rapidlty upon me,
that it Nas 40 delusion-tbat no dream had
brought the images before my mind. 'Ah,
| cried my friend, my patron, how have [
hearay tree Why did | not earlier com
muntcaLe the dreaiful stor of the picture.
and mus guard you against the machina-
tions ny ich the fend himself has sur
rounded you ? But, then wnat had 10
tell ?nDE e nDo ly the vague and shadowy
Gounts tnat took, even in my own mind, no
paipabie shape or form |?
l. TIE entire day was passed in alternate
resolution and abandonment; nov, deter
mined TO hasten to the villa, and disclose TO
the Count every circumstance | had seen,
and then thinking how little such mere suS-
plcIon would gain credence, and how unfit
the present moment to obtrude upon his
breaking and distracted heart the horl id
dread that haunted mine. Towards evening
a messenger arrived breathleSs with haste
lie brought no note, but bade me hasten 10
tn, villa, us the Count wi>hedt, see ne nth
all poss, bic dispatch | mounted the SER
wants horse, and in few minutes reached
tue place. Servants were running hither
and tnither dstractedy. | asked, eagerly.
ho~ was the Countess? No one could tell,
but all seemed to imply that there was no
hope Tor ner recovery. | entered the large
anu spacious hail. and as | looked around
upon the splendid hanglngs, the gided cor
nlces, ami marbled pillars and thought upon
the sorrow such Splendor surrounded my
heart sckened A SHADOW fell upon the
brigntly polished floor | looked up-a fig
ute stool at the window of the nalt, and
stared me steadily in face. The eyes
N.:re ol .red Nj div and the dirk naj,mnant
features were lit up with a scOrnful Scowl IF
more than human hate and triumph. 1t was
the incarnation of the Evil One exulting over
. a fallen and tost spirit loud s'n,ek rent
the air Iud me. L dared not turn my
eJ es from the horrid 81 5ht before me. Oh,
heavens! 1t Is true ! he Is, he is the Tutore.
L crled, DIS the feature, conVulsed for an in
stanL with hendlsh triumph, resumed theiI
cold md even more appalling aspect. A
Threatening gesture from ms hand arres ed
me, was ABOUT to call aloud. My voice
ca,ne not, though my li.Js moved. could
not rise from the seat Ia dreadful scream
1ang through the buldng--anothcr ami aa
other toliowed-the figure was zone Al
he same moment the Coun rusned frwar,
his ess disordered, his hair falling loose
ly upon his shoulders madness, wild in
sanity, in his look. He turned and saw me
ana bursting into torrent Of hystercA
, laugh er, cried out
'Ha, ha, CAL welcome to our abode O
pleasure mere, all is ga ets and hlppnesS
" uat sorrow ever crosses this threshhold
, and tncn, with sudden revulSiOn, he stare
at M iixedls, md SAID in low sepulchra
vof'e, She i, dead--dead! But tue time
p .sslng-a few minutes more, aud twill b
LOO late TINS, Carl, will explain ALL lax
this, aud tns-these papers must be YOU
care-proniise me to observe them to tn
lettci they were her-hcr last wisles, ali
you Knew her Oh, is this d. cam it
100, 100 horrible t. be real An I said he
: alter ,inents pause L am read, i an
nm. yr-ili rbu1t h..
g the door, towards the inner apartme .ts.
5 started up and tollowei him-I anew nc
: when way he took in the corridor and as
!, stood ancertain, a loud report of fire-arm
r crashed on my ear. flew TO the sic
!, chambei-servants stood ga>pins and treml
! ling without. tore open the door; the;
! lay the Count upon the floor, MS head rer
: asunder 10y the bullets from the pistol hi
: hand still glasped. He had ehdeavored
re .ch the bed, and fell hat up n chai
9 In the bed lay the still warm cor sc of th
F.. Countess, beautiful as in life. | ooked fror
r one t. the other; my scared and stony heal
q tn ncd to apathy by the horrnr had wi
q messed, gave no relief to It's feeling l.. tear
G and spoke no, as | slowly left tt
room.
y For two days spoke not to any one
: dreamy uncpnscIousneSS seemed to wrap IN
= faculties, and felt not the time p ,sslng. @
! the third da rallied sufficiently toopen II
h pa, .trs the Count had entrusted to me. Or
= contained an affectIonale forewell to myse
k from the Count, with dying bequest:: Il
# her was in lady's hand-it pore the Cou
a tess's signature and here [ discovered wiI
a surprise and horror, that To the performan
D. of the rash act, by which the Count nad el
d mna ed his existence, he was bound by
I, solemn oath | read and re-read to assn
! me If the fact 1t was true! Sucn was Il
e terr,nle ,.romse she extnrted from the VI etc
,r ed lover under the deiuslve hope of the
e meeting in an ther and happier life. Tn'
n foll,wed the directions for the funeral, whic
le were minute to degree. The bodies
q 10 b, hen cotfined, were to be placed in
e small ,emple IN he garden, near the rive
the kes OF which was to be sent to Dom
e nician monk no lived H. an obscure part
IT the city. Bp him were the coffins to
: closed, nich it was srictls enjoined Shou
is he done by him, alone and unaccomp ,nie
n the night befre the burial. All was do
d a, the wish of the dece sed enj incl, and t
nt key despatched by trusty servant Of q
K. own t. the triar, who appearei TO he in {
# ectauon of 1t, and knew its import.
e. sat in the lonely and desolate roo
which had formerly been mIne, in the villa
ds the Count-that long and d, ca night t
ed Wind p ,ui ed its mournfuI wsiling through
TX pine ees in dirgefui memory of him W
re ~aS n more From the window of the te
ed pie brg ghi ligh cleaned till near ulornir
err whenIt e adnaiiy faded away. Tnither
tyx.t l. n. IL L Il. 4