proposal settled it, and it was agreed that we should pluck the pigeon amongst us, though the chief conduct of the scheme still remained in my hands: but on the very evening that we had fixed for carrying our purpose into effect, you, my lord, formed one of the party at his house. I knew enough of your character to be uneasy at your presence, and rightly; for, as you must well remember, you detected my false play. There was not one of us who would have taken ten thousand pounds for his share of that night's winnings; and by the defeat of my scheme, all the rancorous feelings I had before nourished against you were revived with double acrimony. I struck you, and you took instant revenge, which called from me a challenge, that I scarcely expected you would accept. France was appointed for our meeting; but on arriving at Calais, I found that the police were on the watch for me, on account of some of my former operations. This, however, did not deter

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me from giving you the rendezvous at Guisnes. A thousand motives prompted me to carry the business through at all risks in the first place, revenge, the strongest passion of my nature, excited me to punish you for the insult you had offered me; in the next, I hoped by shooting you, to wipe away the reproach from my character; and lastly, I well knew that a duel with a man of your rank and reputation, would at all events give me an eclat in society, which I could scarcely gain by any other means: and I was so practised a shot, that I did not doubt that I should' kill you."

He paused a moment, and held one pale bony hand towards heaven.-"Thank God," he said, "I did not-that, at least, is one crime off my soul; but I must make hasté, for my strength is failing. I missed you, as you know; some good" angel must have protected you; and in return you wounded me, as you thought,

mortally,

mortally, and no doubt fancied you had done a benefit to society."

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On my honour," replied lord Burton, "I never intended to fire at you; my glove got entangled about the trigger, or I should have discharged my pistol in the air."

Colonel Stanhope seemed surprised."Indeed!" he exclaimed; but then taking lord Burton's hand, as he sat by him, he pressed it tight in his, adding, "I believe you-it is like yourself. How strange it is," he continued, "that you, whom I have persecuted all my life, are the only person in whom I could put perfect confidence! But let me go on; the man who acted as my second was one of the few to whom I had shewn disinterested kindness, and one of the still fewer number who are capable of feeling gratitude. He soon saw that I was not dead, and had me conveyed to his house; but knowing that the police were at my heels, he spread the report of my death, which received confirmation in every

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every direction, from you and your second; and he contrived the rest so well, that to this day, by the people of Calais, I am supposed to lie in the churchyard of St. Pierre. While I lay upon a bed of agony, never knowing that I should live from one hour to another, perhaps you may suppose that I felt the visitings of remorse; but no such thing-the time for that was not yet arrived: on the contrary, one passion more violent than any I had hitherto felt took possession of my soul, and to the accomplishment of one wish I directed every energy of my mind. It was to work your destruction—either to deprive you of life, or to render your existence so miserable, that death would be a relief to you. I knew you to have strong feelings, and the man who has such is always the most susceptible of misery. On my recovery, I disguised my person, and changing my name, returned to Italy, where I understood you were; but first I wrote to England, inquiring for my father,

mind.

from

from whom I wished to extort a supply of money but in answer, I received information that his affairs had gone to ruin, that his property had been sold, and that he had left Northumberland. Perhaps I felt a pang of remorse, but it was not of long duration. On arriving at Sienna, I found the wife I had deserted become the mistress of the baron."

Lord Burton looked shocked at the broadness of the expression.-" She does not understand English," said the other, replying to the glance of Frederic's eye; "and you, baron, must hear the truth as it is. I found her as I have said; my feelings, by this time, were completely dead; I wanted money, not only for my support, but also to prosecute my plans of revenge; and I formed a scheme which I made her execute, whereby she so worked upon the compassion of the baron, that he married her under the idea that she was at the point of death. The baron soon discovered her illness to be pretended;

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