upon her knees to him, to relieve the last moments of her niece, by giving her his hand. In an evil hour he consented, and the narrator became a second time a bride, with her real husband as the witness.to her marriage with another, who soon finding how much he had been deceived, indignantly quitted both her and the country in which he had sacrificed all his future prospects." He offered me, however," she continued, "either an yearly maintenance, or a large sum of money at once. My husband made me choose the latter, and-";

At this part of her tale they were disturbed by a noise below, and the robber's sister suddenly rose, and left them. She had not been long gone when night closed in; and the light gradually dying away, bequeathed them to total darkness, leaving them in a situation the most unpleasant in every way. Never, however, had Charles Melville appeared to such advantage as he then did, for he contrived to

mingle the most kind solicitude and the, most unrepressed marks of attachment, with a gentle, even perhaps scrupulous delicacy of conduct that Mary felt deeply; but alarm became the predominant feeling of her mind, as one hour of the night slipped away after another, without the return of the robber's sister, especially when after some loud noise and laughter below, steps were heard ascending the stairs, and evidently, from their heavy fall, not those of a woman. Mary drew close to her cousin, and Charles threw his arm round her, holding a pistol in his right hand, resolved to defend her with the last drop of his blood, for he had heard of many outrages committed by these banditti on women in their power, which made him shudder for the fate of one so much beloved. The steps however turned another way; and assuring her that he would die to save her from injury, he pressed a kiss upon Ma ry's hand; and if he felt an inclination to have made it her lips instead, he could scarcely

H 5

A

scarcely be blamed; but he did not give In such circumstances, he would not have done it for a world.

way to it.

Occasional sounds of laughter and merriment, which seemed going on in the apartments of the lower story, continued at intervals for nearly two hours-hours to them of the most uncomfortable suspense; but at length all noises, one after another, subsided, and died into complete silence, which having continued for about half an hour, the door noiselessly opened, admitting the very welcome form of the robber's sister. As she came in, she put her finger to her lip, in token for them to keep silence; and setting down a lamp she held, she unfastened a cord that tied two parts of the crazy bedstead together, and pulled it hard, to see if it was strong enough to bear a heavy weight; and then slowly opening the casement, she fastened the rope to a bar that went up the centre of the window." Try," said she in a whisper to Charles, "if you could force yourself

yourself through there," pointing to the open casement.

Charles looked towards Mary, saying, he was sure she would never be able to get down by that means.

"Do as I bid you," answered the woman. "I do not intend that she should, or you either; but I intend that it shall be supposed that you have done so."

Charles instantly entered into her scheme, and, on trying, found that he could pass through the aperture with ease.

"It will do then," said the other, and gently let the rope down to the ground on the outside." Now," she continued, turning to Mary, "call all your courage, if you have any, for you may be obliged to step over one, who, if he saw you, would instantly murder you; so we must have no noise."

"I will make none," answered Mary firmly, "and will go wherever Charles goes with me; so shew me the way." "You are not so weak-hearted as you H 6 look,"

look," said the woman;

"follow me qui

etly, both of you;" and blowing out the lamp, she opened the anti-room door.

Charles came immediately after, and looking down the stairs, he could see the moonlight, which he supposed to come from the window of the room below, shining brightly upon the last three steps. Mary hung upon him, breathless with agitation, and the robber's sister, with a calm, still step, led the way down, pausing every moment, for fear her pace, noiseless as it was, should have awakened the attention of any of her brother's companions. But all was silent and peaceful, and they had got nearly to the bottom of the staircase, when one of the steps gave a loud creak under Charles's heavy foot. The woman started, and caught him tight by the wrist, with a look of horror that plainly spoke what would be the consequence of discovery; then holding up her finger, she listened for a moment with a look of intense attention. There was but

one