Year: 1870

L
remained in this state 1 don't know;
but awoke before it was light. 1 sprang
from my bed, lighted q candle, and
looked everywhere TO see had my su-
pernatural visitor left any trace behind
but | could find no clue TO the mystery
l thought must have had frightful
dream, till my eye fell on ring upon
my finger that had never seen before.
What could this mean? Who could
that mysterious being have been? l
tried to recall the features. They SEEM
ed familiar TO me. / had seen them
previously, but when or where? Yes
ycs-I remembered they. were none
other than those Of the Lady Theresa
Now it was, too, that l rccollected dis
tinctly the same beautiful hair. The
eyes, though wild still had the same
loving, melancholy expression. That
look that none but she could have!
Could her troubled spirit have come to
re veal to me the secret Of her dying
agony? Perhaps it was to ask me to
bear message. Oh! that l had been
a BILE to question her! How cursed my
trembling timidity, that had prevented
me from speaking to her!


In this excited state of mind | sat
down, listening intensely in fear of
hearing her footsteps. l took off the
ring to look at the gift of the dead,
when oh! horror more terrible than
wor DIS can eXpress-toO terrible even
for imaglnation-I saw engraved upon
it he heraldic bearings of Count Won
Silberstein's family.


The Legend of the Fatal Ring burst,
rs it were upon my mind; the whole
seemed only too clear. 1t had been the
La dy Theresa, but not come for SYM
pathy-no. She had removed the fatal
curse hanging over her brothers. house
that brother she loved so dearly-and
l was selected out of the whole world
to carry the dreadful weight with me
to the grave. / clasped my hands over
my eyes, for it seemed to be written in
blazing characters round the walls that
l was welded to a dead bride! / felt as
il voices of thunder were shrieking the
fearful secret into my ears. flung my
self on the floor bowling in the mad
ness of despair, and calling down fear
full imprecations on the head of the be-
ing whom moment before / had al
most revered as an angel of light. At
length nature exhausted itself, and /
fell nto deep sleep, from which did
not awake till the bright beams of the
sun showed me that the morning was
far advanced. L looked around in sur
prise at finding myself stretched on the
ground, though an indescribable weight
pressed me down. l could not at first
recollect what had occurred. BY degrees
the truth flashed across me. l sprang
on my feet, examined the door to learn
whether any one had entered the room
and seen my dcliriouS frenzy. All was
as | had left it, doors and windows bar
red fast. Ny secret was my own. No
mortal knew what had happened, and
no one should ever know.


dressed myself with scrupulous care,
arranged the furniture, 50 that no trace
was left of my impotent fury; and the
ring-the hateful ring fling it
out of the window, or bury it deep in
the earth? No, / dare not part with it;
throw it where l would, send it to
the most distant part of the world, it
still comes back to me, and perhaps in
way that would expose me to the whole
world. knew its power; it fixed itself
on its possessor. Had l not but now
seen the truth of this; for years, it may
lie for centuries, it had clung to Count
Won Silberstein's name; and now by
her means, l dare not mention her
name, fulfilling the prediction, 1t would
cling, fasten, eat into my very life; and
for how long? There was no second re-
moval, no hope, no dawning of morn
ing in that black .JOreper.


seized the ring, and hid il in my
bosom. Why should indulge the feel
] ing, il was childish fancy? ! would