Year: 1874

posed the limbs properly, and arranged the
rooms in partial order, at least, so that the
undertaken and his men will have little or no
difficulty when the time indicated by our late
friend comes for them to take charge OF the
remains. Meanwhile, the keys of the cham
bers must necessarily continue in my pos
session."


Under the soothing influence of the BRAN
dy, my uncle appeared to have recovered
somewhat of his usual calmness, and his voice,
the harshness of which had been noticeable,
seemed again melowed to its habitual Tone


Mrs. Harold acquiesced with a sigh, and
meek folding of the hands


TO her, Sir John had ever been-notwth'
standing his taciturn disposition and retiring,
unobtrusive habits-the kindest of men, and
most generous of benefactors His present
illness had been so unexpected-for, though
in delicate health for long while, he had
never been actually ailing, so far as she knew
that it had taken her quite by SURPRISE 1t
had been of so short duration, also, that des'
pite its fatal termination, she found herself
utterly unable to comprehend or realize it.
Nor could she understand why, i'll his last
hours, he should be so anxious to exclude her
from his bedside-as, indeed, every one. She
had been only once summoned to his presence,
and then merely to witness his acknowledg-
ment of certain papers, Of the contents OF
which she had not even ventured guess she
had not seen his face, but he had apologlzed
for keeping the curtains close-drawn, on ac'
count of the draught of cold air occasloned
by the opening and shutting of the door on
her entrance. His voice, she had observed,
was strong and natural-not an unfrequent
symptom in some diseases, she had heard, pre-
ceding sudden dissolution.


Such was the purport if not the precise
language, of what the good woman impaired
to me in the faintest Of whispers, after the old
lawyer had again lapsed into silence.


admitted, in the same tone, the singular
ity of Sir Johns conduct-having no doubt,
from what had seen of his manner and voice
while in the chamber, but that it was wholly
attributable to disease; whereat the old lady
looked greatly relieved.


Night closed in atlength, dark and sombre.


The silence of half an hours duration
which followed my whispered colloquy with
Mrs. Harold, began to grow oppressive when
it was broken by the entrance of the only two
servitors about the place-a man and his wife,
living in a cottage near-who brought with
them the evening meal.


After it was over, Jenny and Joined Mrs.
Harold in the embrasure of the great bay
window, which occupied nearly the whole
front of the room, commanding view of the
grounds and buildings on that side; leaving
the old lawyer to finish the brandy-of which
he had already partaken, afterward remem-
bered, quite largely.


Mrs. Harold had just finished telling us,
in low tone, that the room in which we were,
had formerly been one of the state parlors
in Sir Hugh's time, but had been diverted
from its original purpose on the occasion of
her advent when uncle Danforth suddenly
arose from the table at the further end, and
approached us with steps-it seemed to me
slightly unsteady.


81 had almost forgotten, in the melancholy
regrets evoked on this sad OCCASION" he said,
addressing himself to Mrs. Harold "that l
shall be compelled to sit up mostof the night
writing letters and transcribing documents
and if, therefore, you should hear any noise
upstairs in the night, you will understand
that I am the cause, and that no one must
feel alarmed. And as have much to do l
will withdraw at once"


With brief "Good night" to Mrs. Harold
and his daughter, and supercilious wave OF
the hand to me, he left the room.


If the reason he had given for his absence
was in any way singular, it did not then occur
to me. I was only too glad to be relieved of
his presence.


Mrs. Harold was shortly afterward called
away to supervise her two servitors in their
avocations, and Jenny and l were left alone
together for a few blessed moments. But
brief and feeting moments as they were, l
found ample time to whisper the old, old
story! Need 1 add, to willing ears? And
when good Mrs. Harold returned-shall I
ever forget the proud tone of boyish foolish
ness in which told the sympathising dame
that Jenny had promised to become my wife?
Or how my ear tngled with the gentle slap
my 6ancGe gave me for thus illustrating an
authors zeal to publish? I think not. But
it was with entire unanimity that we made
Mrs. Harold story-teller for the rest of the
evening.


The hour was probably late when we part
ed for the night-though time passed as if on
angels wings to me-when, under the reiter-
ated direction of Mrs. Harold, set out to
find the apartment allotted me for a sleeping
room.


Alone in the large hall, it suddenly occur
ed to me that turn in the night air would
cool whatever of feverishness might linger in
my brain, and enable me to sleep the sounder.
Acting under the impulse of the moment, l
placed the night-lamp on convenient brack-
ct, and went softly down stairs, and out into
the great portico. The air was cold and
damp, with that uncongenial rawness, which,
at such seasons, indicates an approaching
storm.


Repentipg the impulse that had brought
me forth, l started to return, when [ felt
my foot touch something soft, just outside