Year: 1878

She looked around for something to bar
ricade it with, and perceived chest of
drawers. Fear gave her strength. She
half lifted, half pushed it against the
door. Not content with this, she seized
a table, to increase the strength of her
defense. The leg was broken, and
when she touched it it fell with crash
to the floor. A long echo went sound
ing 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 pro-
tected with iron bars. The walls were
papered, and, after careful examination,
seemed to contain no signs of secret
door. -


Mrs. Martin now sank down into a
chair to reflect upon her position. As
was natural, after having taken these
precautions, the idea. presented itself
that they might be superfuous, 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 sleeping TRANQUILITY, its rosy
cheeks half buried in the pillow. The
fire had blazed up into a bright fame,
whilst the unsnuffed candle burned
dimly. The room was full of pale,
trembling shadows, but she had no super
stitious fears. Something positive could
alone raise her alarm. She listened at
tentiyely, but could hear nothing but
the bowling of the wind over the roof,
and the pattering of the rain against the
window-panes. AS her excitement di-
minished, the fatigue-which had been
forgotten-began again to make itself
felt, and she resolved to undress and go
to bed.


Her heart leaped into her throat.
For a moment she seemed perfectly
paralyzed. She had undressed and put
out the candle, when she accidently
dropped her watch. STOPPING to pick it
up, her eyes involuntarily glanced to-
wards the bed. A great mass of red
hair, hand, and a 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 herself cut off all means of
escape by the door, and was left entirely
to her own resources. Without uttering
cry, but trembling in every limb, the,
poor woman got into bed by the side of
her child. An idea-a plan-had sug-
gested itself. 1t had flashed through
her brain like lightning. 1t was the
only chance left.


Her bed was SO disposed that the rob-
ber could only get out from under 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 were no cur
tains in the way, SO 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 ap-
pearance. She had resolved to strangle
him in defense of her life and that of
her child.


The position was an awful one; and
probably had she been able to direct her
attention to the surrounding circum-
stances, she might have given way to her
fears, and endeavored 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 gleam. Every OBJ
iect in the vast apartment showed dimly
and uncertainty, and seemed to be en-
dowed with restless notion Now and
then mouse advanced stealthily along
the floor, but, startled by some move
ment under the bed, went securing back
in terror to its hole. The child breathed
steadily in its unconscious repose; the
mother endeavored also to initiate
slumber, but the man under the bed,
uneasy in his position, could not avoid
occasionally making slight noise.


Mrs. Martin was occupied only with
two ideas. First, she reflected on the
extraordinary delusion by which she had
been led to see enemies in the people of
the house and friend in this red-haired
man; secondly, it struck her that as he
could fear no resistance from woman,
he might push aside the chairs that were
in the way, regardless of the noise, and
thus avoid the snare that was laid for
him. Once even she thought, while
her attention was strongly directed to
one spot, he had made his exit, and was
leaning over her; but she was deceived
by f1ickering shadow on the opposite
wall. In reality there was no danger
that he would compromise the success
of his sanguinary enterprise; the shrieks
of victim, put on his guard, might
alarm the house.


Have you ever stood, hour after hour,
with your tishing-rod in hand, waiting
with the ferocious patience of an angler
for nibble? If you have, you have
some faint idea of the state of mind in
which Mrs. Martin-with far other in
terests at state-passed the time, until an
old clock ON the chimney y-piece told one
hour after midnight. Another source
of anxiety now presented itself-the
fire had nearly burnt out Her dizzy
eyes could scarcely see the floor, as she
bent with fearful attention over the head
of the bed : the terrible moose hanging,
like the sword of Damocles, above the
gloomy aperture. What" she thought
g if he delays his appearance until the
night has completely died away? Will
it not then be impossible for me to ad.
Just my scarf-to do the deed-to kill
this assassin--to save myself and my
child? o, God! deliver him into my
hands,"


A cautious movement below-the
dragging of hands and knees along the
foor-a heavy, suppressed breathing


announced that the supreme moment
was near at hand. Her white arms wert


barred to the shoulder; her hair fel


wildly around her face, like the name o.


lioness about to leap upon its prey