Year: 1860

As proofs Of holy writ.'-OtheRO.


" Honest soldier,


Who hath relieved you p


Bernardo hath my place.'-Han!ct.


Left alone upon his post in the inner court,
Gerald revolved in his mind what could best
be done to aid his father Everything was
already in preparation for the prisoners es-
cape, bat the success or failure of the whole
enterprise turned solely upou the connivance
or opposition of the sentinel upon duty at the
hour when the escape was to be Effected
Gerald did not doubt however, that should
he himself not have the good fortune to be
chosen .or the midnight watch, he would not
find much difficulty in persuading the comrade
TO whom it should fall to exchange it for
more commodiouS hour. He felt that there
could be none who would not gladly accept
his offer, and thus be left to enjoy their nights
rest instead of enduring the fatigues of a te-
diOuS night watch. OF bis own safety, Of the
dishonor, the punishment that awaited him for
abettiug the escape of prisoner of such i'm
pOrtance he though not moment Al such
considerations were lost in his hoYcs of reScu-
lug his father. But still, in the vague un-
certainty that hung over the events of that
important night in the impatience of his mind
to arrive quickly at that awful hour-that
hour which was to decide so much Joy or
misery for him-Gerald scarcely knew how to
conceal his feverish agitation. He was aware,
however, how necessary it was to avoid be-
traying any feelings that might excite the least
suspicion and he determined to appear as
cold and as unconcerned as possible.


There was another also, although at this
moment a secondary torment, which added to
his trouble of mind He was unable to dis
engage his thoughts entirely from those feel
Jugs of bitter aud Scorching jealousy, which
various little indications of cOquetry, displayed
BY the evidently coquettish little Puritan, and
certain marks of desire 10 seek her presence.
and parade under her window, evinced by the
hated haywood, had placed in his heart-and
in jealous and impatient temperament like
Gerald's, such seed, once sowu, quickly grew
up with rank uxuriance, and spread on every
side, imbibing susttnance from every element
that approached it, living in want of better
hourishment, upon the very air itself. Per
hapS the sight of Mistress Mildred for mo-
ment at her window, passing word or mere
ly kind smile, might have poured balm up
on :he ulcer of jealousy, soothed the pain and
closed the wound-at least for the time. But
during his long watch Gerald looked at that
wellknown window in vain. There was not
a symptom of the fair girls presence in her
chamber, and Gerald's fertile imagination
the true Imagination of the Jealous lover
suggested to him thousand doubts and fears
Of Mildred's truth, ingeuiously invented self
tortures, weapons forged to be turned against
himself-all mere vague conjeetures, but as
suming in his eyes all the sodity aud reality
of truth. If she were not in her chamber, he
argued where could she be? Perhaps with
her father and her father was debating a
dispatch to that Mark haywood, who served
him sometimes as secretary aud Mildred was
gazing on him with pleasure and he was
raising his eyes from time to time to hers-or
perhaps she was in the other gardens or alleys
about the house, and that haywood was fol-
lowing her at distance not unobservcd; or
perhaps she passed close by him, and mutter-
cd words of admiration or even of love, and
she then listened with eomplacency or per-
hapS the handsome young recruit whispered in
her ear to ask her when he could see her pret-
ty face again aud she smiled on him aud said,
that when bis watch should be beneath her
window she would come. Madness Gerald
would pursue his vision no further. But al
though the clouds OF the vision rolled away,
they left dark, chilling mist of suspicion up
on his mind that he could not, perhaps did not
strive to shake of