Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1861-04-23

contrast with that & lowing beauty, she ap-
peared to him utterly insipid. He made
some remark about the picture. The Ba>
ron did not reply, but cloud passed over
his face, and Hermaine turned pale, and
eat silent. with dewneast eyes. A chill
seemed to be thrown over these three per-
sons, just now talking so joyously. Brief
remarks were made occasionally, in a
constrained force, and the supper ended
almost in silence. At the close, the Earl
made the fatigue of his journey an excuse
for retiring early. As the servant was
conducting him to his apartment they
passed again through the dining hall.
Whose portrait is ihis7" he asked
pointing to the portrait of the lady.
The servant hesitated.
Speak % said the Earl, imperiously.
Il is the portrait Of Mademoiselle Full
men = said The old man, trembling.
/" And who is she 2"
The elder sister of Mademoiselle Her
maine"
But she is dressed in Spanish cos
tune"
YES; her mother wasa Spanish lady"
"Where is she?"
She is dead" said the old man, solemn
ly. She lies at the left of the altar in the
Vnayel VI inc cdssle. '..-e..
Fatigue had no power that night to bring
sleep to Ralph's eyelids. 1t was in vain
that be extinguished the candles, and hur-
| ried his head under the blankets /; the image
of Fulmen still pursued him. Now. it was
Fulmen radiant with beauty, as she was
represented in the picture, and as he had
| seen her at the fancy ball again, it was
All, III
coffin, under the pavement of the chapel
Then he remembered his oath to love her
| as well dead as living, and cold sweat
bathed his brow. At that moment light
at the opposite extremity of the apartment
attracted his attention; a door, whose ex-
istence he had not suspected, turned noise
lessly on its hinges the candles relighted
themselves spontaneously, and figure
| draped in q winding sheet, entered the
room and approached his bed. 1t advanced
slowly; the most acute ear could have de-
tected no sound of footsteps. Brave as he
was, the Earl trembled at the apparition.
When the figure was within few feet of
the bed the winding sheet was thrown back
and revealed a young girl dressed in Span
! ish costume.
Fulmen!" he murmured, "the picture
has descended from its frame !"
1t was indeed Fulmen, just as she was
| painted. save that the lips were pale, the
| eyes mournful, the whole expression un-
| speakably sad.
"Fulmen % repeated the Earl, with a
tone of terror, in which was mingled sort
of feyerisb joy.
" 1t is l." she said. ado you remember
your oath! They have told you that am
| dead"
The teeth of Ralph chartered, but the
voice was so pure, so melodious, that it
aided him to shake off the torpor which was
creeping over him.
!" No, you are not dead" he exclaimed,
| with an effort
" have been dead year." replied Full.
men, sadly. q They buried me in the
chapel. You can read my epitaph on the
| marble slab, the third from the high al
tar"
| Ralph could not detach his eyes from
this singular creature, whose marvellous
beauty counteracted in some degree the
terror which the apparitiOn would other
wise have caused.
Alas" resumed the spectre, drawing
the shrOud about her form with oil the CO.
! quetry with which living belle might
wrap an opera cloak around her, al am
dead, really dead, at seventeen-when life
was full at light, and perfume, and music
| when tears, even, were so sweet that thew
resembed smiles; when the present was Sc
happy that the future was quite forgotten
and then | loved you. | trusted in your
oath /; but you did not care for me. You
have come here to marry my sister,"
"Fulmen murmured Ralph. who felt q
pang of rem0rse at bis heart, 81 have loved
you; love you still"
She shook her head.
The dead are never loved" she said
sadly.
Ralph trsmbled. he felt his blood cur
| die in his veins. He remembered hi.
oath Yet Fulmen did not complain. She
did not overwheim him with reproaches.
She seemed resigned. He saw her lear
her head upon her hand. tear shone II
her eye, and a SILVER passed through hel
frame.
am cold" she said, and rising from
the chat: in which she had seated herself
she approached the fireplace, and bent a,
1t to warm herself by the half extinguishet
brands. The dead are always eold," sh
murmured.
Heavens" exclaimed Ralph, 4" you ar
not dead; but, dead or living, you ar
beautifnl-more beautiful than any liv in,
woman-and love you as on the day frs
saw you"
The dead are never loved" she repeat
ed mourDfully.
But you are not dead. The limbs o
the dead are rigid; the flesh corrupt the,
cannot walk they cannot speak you ar
not dead-it is impossible"
I" am dead" repeated Fulmen, in a ton
of authority which admitted of no question
= dead, and yet suffer"
:" You suffer % the Earl exclaimed.
Yes. Because | died with a guilt
thought in my heart remembered the bal
where l met you. 1t was earthly love, nc
peuiteDce, that engrossed my last hours =
Yet if you, who are alive, can love me still
God will, perhaps, pardon me, and shal
suffer no longer"
II do love you." cried Ralph, gazing a
, the young girl SO beautiful in her sadness
Yet secret voice said within him: All
if she were only aliyep'
! A pale smile passed over the face of tn
phantom. 1t rose and advanced towar
| him. Ralph involuntary shrank back at it
approach.
I" You see," she said, mournfully. ait
always so the living fear the dead"
(" No, no !" said he eagerly, ashamed Q
; the mOmentary terror mo, Fulmen, m
beloved, come"
{ She extended her hand and took that q
: the young man. Ralph uttered a crv. Hi
hand was pressed by the cold, clammy fin
gers of corpse. She let his hand fall.
, No, she repeated, in half suffocate
3 voice, you see it cannot BE shall suffe
alwaysp
, And she fed, while Ralph was So oyer
powered that he had no power to speak O
move. The candles went out suddenly
silence reigned again in the chamber tn
phantom had vanished.
The next day dawned bright and beaut
} full. The Baron de Roche N6ire, who di
} not appear to notice the pallor and abstrac