Year: 1872




ance on the scene. He was at this time
lawyer of fair standing and repute-
young, good-looking, and, for those days,
well versed in the arts and usages of
polite society. Retained as counsel by
the H family in a lawsuit, on its
termination in their favor he gradually
advanced from the position of legal adj
wiser to that of trusty and intimate
friend and in the heart of one at least
in the family he seems to have stood
higher still


One morning M came down to
New York, went to the jewelers., and
bought handsome gold ring, which he
purposed presenting to his mistress as a
pledge of their approaching union.
But that union was destined never to
take place. On reaching her house he
found every thing in wild confusion {:
the young lady had eloped the night
previous with the traitor B, and no
one knew whittier. M returned to
his farm, moody and sullen, and from
that hour was an altered man. The ring
which the falsehood of Miss H had
defrauded of its original purpose he
wore always thereafter around his neck
and next his heart; and surely, if there
be poison in the evil passions and un-
hallowed emotions of the human soul,
we can almost believe them to have
hardened into the gold and crystallized
into the gems of that engagement-ring


Meanwhile B and his wife found
little difficulty in obtaining the forgive
ness and favor of the H family; and
at the decease of the old people they
inherited half the estate, the remainder
going to an only son, at that time absent
in Europe M, however, kept en-
tirely aloof from them until the time of
his death; but shortly before that event
he sent to B a letter protesting for
giveness and a desire for reconciliation,
and inclosing the engagement-ring as a
pledge thereof. But, for whatever rea-
son made, this pledge seems to have
been insincere for of the same date is
an extract from Ms journal con-
tanning these words:


Being move sicke past hope of re-
coverie, | doe herebye declare my on
dyinge Hatred toward B, himselfe
and his posteritie forever; and | pray
God that my Revenge be fulfilled to the
Uttermoste-yea, at the PERIL of mine
own Soule Amen"


These words, dreadful in any case, but
doubly so as coming from dying man,
closed the collection. A note, written
apparently by $, the compiler, add
ed that NJ had been buried in Trim
ity Churchyard, and that the tombstone
above him bore this inscription:


" In memory of - NJ


Who died February 6, III.


Requiescat in pace"


| laid down the manuscript, poured
out glass Of wine, and slipped and pom
dered. The omission OF all the ma es
puzzled me. What object could the
papers have been collected for, unless to
record a VOW of vengeance, and the
causes which led to and justified it?
Yet, without the names, was it not void
of all significance True, the omission
had probably greatly increased the
chances Of the manuscripts being pre-
served through so many years but
preservation at the expense of identifi-
cation seems objectless. On the other
hand, was it likely that NJ, at the
moment of dissolution, would have
prayed for vengeance on his enemy,
even at peril of his own soul, and have
caused the prayer to be written down,
without any purpose whatever? De-
cidedly not How he had intended or
expected his revenge to be accomplished
was beyond my comprehension per-
haps he deemed the ring a sort of tails
man, enabling his disembodied spirit to
haunt the wearer. | finished my glass
of port and set it down. A little wine
always makes me imaginative


While debating whether to light
fresh pipe or my bedroom candle,
loud ring at the door bell settled the
qrestion for me- Who the deuce can
be coming here at this time of night y
| grunted, rubbing my eyes and yawn.
ing. A knock at the door heralded the
entrance Of my friend Browne. | had
not seen him for week or two, but he
could not have changed more in as many
years. | was quite startled at his ap-
pearance.


"Good Heavens, Brownew l ex.
claimed. "Why, you look as if you'd
seen a ghost ~


Browne started and looked at me for
n moment; then he dropped into my
easy.chair from which | had incau-
tiously risen to give him welcome),
leaned his elbows on his knees and his
head on his hands, gazed gloomily into
the fire for few moments, and then
said in low, awe.struck voice. very
different from his usual brisk, lively
tone:


And so have Simpson ~


! was completely unnerved. Until
this evening l had known Browne as
rising young barrister, clever, sensible,
and always in good spirits. The idea of
such man as he coming in suddenly
and deliberately at that hour of the
night and solemnly asserting that he
had seen a ghost, was enough to un-
nerve any body. / was at loss what
to say, and therefore said the very last
thing | meant to | asked him to have
a glass of wine


Browne, without word, filled my
glass to the brim, drained it, filled it
again, and drained that, looking all the
while as if he were going to be hanged.
But | began to look rather serious my
self then.


"Simpson," said Browne, abstractedly
again gazing into the fire, sha'n't