Year: 1859

|
ing himself like dog who has scrambled out
of pond. "What have you to give mei
Salute messie,a,s ct mesdan.es. am wet to
the skin. Hope disturb nobody. Give me
bottle of wine."


The hostess, in surly, sleepy tone, told
her eldest son to serve the gentleman, and
then, addressing Mrs. Martin, said:


"You see your friends will not come, and
you are keeping US up to no purpose. You
had better 60 to bed"


~ will waiL.a little longer" was the reply,
which elcted kind of shrug of contempt.


'The red-haired man finished off his bottle
of wine, and then said:


/" Show me a room, good woman. I shall
sleep here tonight"


Mrs. Martin thought that as he pronounced
these words he cast a protecting glance to-
wards her, and she felt less repugnance at the
idea of passing the night in that house. When,
therefore, the red haired man, after polite
bow, went up stairs, she said that as her
friends had not arrived, they might as we'll
show her to bed room.


I" I thought it would come to that at last, "
said the landlady. "Pierre, take the lady's
trunks up stairs"


In few minutes Mrs. Martin found herself
alone in a spacious room, with q large fire
Eburning on the hearth. Her first care, after
putting the child to bed, was to examine the
door, which closed. only by "a latch. There
was no bolt inside. She looked around for
something to barricade it with, and perceived
a heavy chest of drawers. Fear gave strength.
She half lifted, half pushed it against the
door. Not content with this, she seized ia.
BILE, to increase the strength of her defence.
The leg was broken, and when she touched
it, it fell with crash to the floor. A long
echo went SO nding through the house, and
she felt her heart sink within her. But the
echo died away and no one came; SO she piled
the fragments of the table upon the chest of
drawers. Tolerably satisfied in this direction,
she proceeded to examine the windows. They
were all well protected with iron bars. The
walls were papered, and, after careful exami.
nation seemed to contain no visible signs Of
secret door.


Mrs. Martin now sank down into chair to
reflect on her position. AS was natural, after
having taken all these Trecautions, the idea
suggested itself that it might be su perfuous,
and she smiled at the thought of what,her
friends would say when she related to them
the terrors of the night. Her child was sleep.
ing tranquility, its rosy cheeks half buried in
the pillow. The fire had blazed up into
bright flame, while the unsnufed candle burn
ed dimly. The room was full of pale, trem-
bling shadows but she had no superstiious
fears. Something positive could alone raise
her alarm. She listened attentively, but could
hear nothing but the howling Of the wind
over the roof and the pattering of rain
againt the window panes. As her excitement
diminished, the fatigue-which had been for


Her heart ieaped into far itsas tfl6uffe felt. and
moment she seemed perfectly paralyzed. She
had undressed and put out the candlej when
she accidentally dropped her watch. Stop
ping to pick it up, her eyes involuntarily
glanced towards the bed. A great mass Of
red hair, hand and cleaning knife. were
revealed by the light Of the fire. After the
first moment Of terrible alarm, her presence
of mind returned. She felt that she had her.
self cut off all means of escape by the door,
and was left entirely to her own resources.
Without uttering a cry, but trembling in
every limb, the poor woman got into the, bed
by the side of her child. An idea-a plan
had suggested itself. 1t had flashed through
her brain like lighting. 1t was the only chance
left.


Her bed was so disposed that the robber
could only get from beneath it by a narrow
aperture at the head without making noise
and it was probable that he would choose,
from prudence this means of exit. There
was no curtain in the way. Mrs. Martin,
with terrible decision and noiseless energy,
made running knot in her silk scarf, and
held it poised over the aperture by which her
enemy was to make his appearance. She had
resolved to strangle him in defence of her
own life and that Of her child.


The position was an awful one; and pro-
badly, had she been able to direct her atten.
ton to the surrounding circumstances, she
might have given way to her fears, and en-.
deavored to raise the house by screams. The
fire on the hearth, unattended to, had fallen
abroad, and now gave only dull, sullen light,
with an occasional bright CLEAN. Every OBJ
iect in the vast apartment glowed with Arrest
less emotion. Now and then q mouse ad-
vanced stealthily along the floor, but, startled
by some movement under the bed, went seour-
ing back ia terror to its hole. The child
breathed steadily in its unconscious. repose
the mother endeavored also to initiate slum
her, but the man under the bed, uneasy in his
position, could not avoid occasionally making
noise.


Mrs. Martin was occupied with only two
ideas. First she reflected on the extraordina-
ry delusion by which she had been led to
see enemies in the people of TIE house,
and a friend in the red-haired man; and
secondly, it struck her that, as he could fear
no resistance from woman, he might push
bo ohoiro f6of in tho
gardless of the noise, and thus avoid the snare
that was laid for him. Once, even, she thought
that, whilst her attention was strongly d.
rected to one spot, he had made his exit, and
was leaning over her; but she was deceived
by Pickering shadow on the opposite wall
In reality there was no danger that he would
compromise the SUCCESS of Lis sanguinary en-
terprize the shrieks Of victim put on its
guard might alarm the house.


Have you ever stood, hour after hour, with
your fshing-rod in hand, waiting, with the
ferocious patience of an angler, for nibble 2
II you have, you have some faint idea of the
state of mind in which Mrs. Martin-with
far other interests at stake-passed the time,
until an old clock on the chimney-piece told
one after midnight Another source of anx
iety now presented tself-the fire had nearly
burnt out. Her dizzy eyes could scarcely
see the floor, as she bent with fearful atten-
ton over the head of the bed-the terrible
moose hanging, like the sword of Damocles,
above the gloomy aperture. "What," she
thought, "if he delay his appearance until
the light has completely died away? Will
it not then be impossible for me to adjust the
scarf-to do the deed-to kill this assassin
to save myself and my child. Oh, God |!
deliver him into my hands,


A cautious movement below-the dragging
of hands and knees along the aoor-a heavy
suppressed breathing announced that the
supreme moment was near at hand. Her
white arms were barred to the shoulder; her
hair fell wildly around her face, like the
names of lioness about to leap upon its
prey the distended orbits of her eyes glared