Year: 1867

and his bosom heaved Such were the events of
the wedding night at Haddon.


XNXIV.


SECOND SIGHT.


The human being who had played the chief part
in this bloody tragedy was never again seen alive


We have witnessed the wild fight of the dark
figure from the mansion, out into the chilly night,
and seen it disappear beneath the gloomy boughs
of the forest, toward the sinking moon.


On the next day, the miserable man was follow
ed by his footprints in the snow; and other marks
were seen beside them, commencing at some dis
tance from the hail. These latter were evidently
made by the pondcrous boots of the old highland
easily distinguishable.


The double footprints wound through the mel
ancholy wilderness of evergreens, and ended upon
precipicc above the river, at a point where the
current, hemmcd in between high banks, and late
ly swollen by mighty frcshet rushed with fright
full rapidity around mass Of jagged rocks, juttlng
from the narrow bed.


On the brink of tile a'cfM lrecipce-to use the
very words of Lord Ruthven, uttered to Fergus in
Williamsburg-wcre found the traces of violent
struggle; and quarter of mile below the spot,
the bodies of the young nobleman and his servant
were discovered their arms clasped round each
other as though they refused to be separated even
in death.


The most rational supposition was that Lord
Ruthven had sought the precipice, which he had
heard spoken of, with the design Of selfdestruc
ton, but had been opposed by his attendant. \
struggle had doubtless taken place upon the Slip
perry cmincncc-mastcr and servant had probably


lost their foothold- the dark current, freezing
cold, kashed into foam by the jagged rocks, and
such as no swimmer could resist, had borne them
to their death. The clansman seemed to have per-
ished in attempting to rescue his chief-and they
were buried side by side.


f Such was the end of Lord Ruthven-but what
had taken place in the gloomy bridal chamber?
Nothing in relation to the events of that terri
BILE night, before the moment when Honorla S
scream aroused the household, was ever accurately
known to any one except the bride herself, and


Lady Brand


We can lay before the reader only the vague ru-
NOR WHICH crept about at the time and seemed to
! have originated in some words Of the young lady


overheard by chance, and repeated by the listener


Honoria' notwithstanding to this whispered
authority-was, in brief words, to the effect that


overcome BY the agtations of the evening, and ez-


hausted by fatigue, she had fallen into an uneasy


sleep, from which she was awakened by the same
t horrible breathing heard on the night when she
e eat the dumb cake As she opened her eyes, the


blood red light of the moon was shining as before,
on the wall, opposite the COUCH and on that wall,


she again saw the gigantic shadow Of 4 man, hold
v ing poignard Thencetorth, she could scarcely
! recall the events of the night.


Lord Ruthven, she believed, had appeared at
e her bedside, with ghastly countenance, wild,
q insane expression in his eyes, and the dagger In


his hand The .Smlo.c on the Wall was doubt
r less that of his figure.


All that Honoria remembered thereafter, was
r that the pale lips opened and muttered in hol-
. low and sepuchral voice, "False false false !''-


that the black shadow on the wall struck with the
- poignard as before in her dream and that burn,
r ing blade seemed to pass through her frame. She
= tainted, and when consciousness returned, hel
d mother was in the apartment.


n Such was the account attributed to the young
y ady-and it is well known that to the day Of hel
g death she believed the dream which she had on


the night of eating the dumb cCtke, to have been 4
If supernatural warning 1t is said, moreover: that
G when her eyes fell upon the poignard drawn from
G the wound in her arm she Swooned; and as soon a>


she opened her eyes, begged them to remove II
lfl-Sc had seen 1t Jttorr. 1t was the very weapon
,r she murmured to her mother, which she had seel
it the gigantic shadow strike into the white garment
If on the chair-which had fallen from the toldswher
i she shook the lnen-and which she had conceal


ed in the chest of drawers


e This singular statement was strangely in unison
% with paper left by Lord Ruthven upon the table


Of the chamber, and which was only discovered OF
e the next day. The package, carefully secured ane
u sealed, was directed to 'Sir Rein Brand, Bart
d simply and was dated on the evening of the day


which had witnessed the scene at Col Carriers il
e Williamsburg.


For reasons which he declared in brief, decisive
J. words, to be sufficient Sir Rein, after reading
% this paper instantly destroyed it. Noothcr human


eve looked upon it, and as the baronet preserved
n guarded silence upon the subject ever afterwards


it is impossible to state its contents with certainty
;. Here again. however, 4 whispered report guides


us-and rs Sir Rein was known to have commu
& nicated the contents of the paper to Lady Brand
it is probable that she ncautiousy permitted some
). thing to escape her The tradition is to this effect
q That Lord Ruthvcn, in this paper, declared him
S self the descendant of Scottish family who pos
sesscd the terrible gift of srcond sigt-that awtu
If faculty which enabled its posSessor to look into tht


future. That from his earliest years, the conscious
c ness of this fatal power had caused him unspcaka
ir bic wretchedness, and rendered character natu
r rally kindly, genial and cheerful melancholy anc
n irritable In vain had he struggled to Danish tho
r. thought, and laugh at the supcrSttious idea that
y he was endowed with this horrible faculty. Tmnc
g after time, he found that it was not imaginary


that his dreams painted the future, and that dcs
,;ta hS Str,,.rst oHort. t nrnid the nnrfnrmanct