To one deep chamber shut from sound, and due

To languid limbs and sickness."-Tennison's Princess.

I DID not return to the cottage until the usual hour for going to bed, as I did not dare subject myself to Fanny's penetrating glance, in my present state of excitement. The moment family prayers were concluded, I took my candle, and, pleading fatigue, retired to my room. Knowing that sleep was out of the question my then frame of mind, I merely substituted the clothes I intended to wear in the morning for those I had on, and, wrapping my dressing-gown round me, flung myself on the bed. Here I lay, tossing about, and unable to compose myself for an hour or two, the one idea constantly recurring to me, "What if Coleman should fail!"

in

At length, feverish and excited, I sprang up, and throwing open the window, which was near the ground, enjoyed the fresh breeze, as it played around my heated temples. It was a lovely night; the stars, those calm eyes of Heaven, gazed down in their brightness on this world of sin and sorrow, seeming to reproach the stormy passions and restless strife of men, by contrast with their own impassive grandeur. After remaining motionless for several minutes, I was about to close the window, when the sound of a footstep on the turf beneath caught my ear, and a form, which I recognized in the moonlight as that of Archer, approached.

"Up and dressed already, Fairlegh?" he commenced, in a low tone, as he perceived me; 66 may I come in ?"

In silence I held out my hand to him, and assisted him to enter. "Like me," he resumed, "I suppose, you could not sleep."

"Utterly impossible," replied I; "but what brings you here— has anything occurred ?"

"Nothing," returned Archer; "Oaklands retired early, as he said he wished to be alone, and I followed his example, but could not contrive to sleep. I don't know how it is, I was engaged in an affair of this nature once before, and never cared a pin about the matter; but somehow I have got what they call a presentiment that harm will come of to-morrow's business. I saw that man, Wilford, for a minute yesterday, and I know by the expression of his eye that he means mischief; there was such a look of fiendish triumph in his face, when he found the challenge was accepted-if ever there was a devil incarnate, he is one.”

A sigh was my only answer, for his words were but the echo of my forebodings.

"Now I will tell you what brought me here," he continued; แ don't you think that we ought to have a surgeon on the ground, in case of anything going wrong?"

"To be sure," replied I; "I must have been mad to have forgotten that it was necessary-what can be done?—it is not every man that would choose to be mixed up with such an affair. Where is it that William Ellis's brother (Ellis of Trinity Hall, you know) has settled?—he told me he had purchased a practice somewhere in our neighbourhood."

"The very man, if we could but get him," replied Archer; "the name of the village is Harley End: do you know such a place?" "Yes," returned I, "I know it well; it is a favourite meet of the hounds, about twelve miles hence. I'll find him, and bring him here—what time is it? just two-if I could get a horse, I would do it easily."

"My tilbury and horse are up at the village," said Archer; "now Harry's horses are at home, they could not take mine in at the Hall."

"The very thing," said I, "we shall not lose a moment in that case. Is your horse fast? I shall have to try his mettle."

"He'll not fail you," was the reply, "but don't spare him—I would rather you should ruin fifty horses than arrive too late."

On reaching the inn, we had to rouse a drowsy hostler, in order to procure the key of the stables, and it was half-past two before I was able to start.

The road to Harley End was somewhat intricate, more than once I took a wrong turning, and was forced to retrace my steps; being aware also of the distance I had to perform, I did not dare to hurry the horse too much, so that it only wanted a quarter to four when I reached my destination. Here, however, fortune favoured me. Mr. Ellis, it appeared, being an ardent disciple of Isaac Walton, had resolved to rise at daybreak, in order to beguile sundry trout, and, at the entrance of the village, I met him strolling along, rod in hand. Two minutes sufficed to make him acquainted with the object of my mission, and, in less than five minutes more, (a space of time which I employed in washing out the horse's mouth at an opportune horse-trough, with which I took the liberty of making free,) he had provided himself with a case of instruments, and other necessary horrors, all of which he described to me seriatim, as we returned, with an affectionate minuteness for which I could have strangled him.

We started at a rattling pace on our homeward drive, hedge-row and fence gliding by us, like slides in a magic lantern. Archer's horse did not belie the character he had given of him. With head erect, and expanded nostril, he threw his legs forward in a long slashing trot, whirling the light tilbury along at the rate of at least eleven miles an hour; and fortunate it was that he did not flinch from his work, for we had between thirteen and fourteen miles to perform in an hour and ten minutes, in order to reach the appointed spot by five o'clock. In our way we had to pass within a quarter of a mile of Heathfield Hall, all seemed quiet as we did so, and I heard the old clock over the stables strike a quarter to five.

"We shall be in capital time," said I, drawing a long breath, as I felt relieved from an anxious dread of being too late. "It was a near thing though, and if I had not met you as I did, we should scarcely have done it."

"Famous horse," replied Ellis; "but you've rather over-driven him the last two or three miles; if I were Archer, I should have a little blood taken from him-nothing like venesection; it's safe practice in such cases as the present. You've a remarkably clear head, Fairlegh, I know; now I'll just explain to you the common sense of the thing: the increased action of the heart forces the blood so rapidly through the lungs, that proper time is not allowed for oxygenization-"

"We shall be in sight of the place, when we have advanced another hundred yards," interrupted I, as we turned down a green lane.

"Shall we?" replied my companion, standing up in the gig, and shading his eyes with his hand. "Yes, I see them, they're on the ground already, and, by Jove, they are placing their men; they must have altered the time, for it wants full ten minutes of five now."

"If they have," replied I, lashing the horse into a gallop, as I remembered that this unhappy change would probably frustrate Coleman's scheme, "if they have, all is lost."

My companion gazed upon me with a look of surpise, but had no time to ask for an explanation, for at that moment we reached the gate leading into the field, around which was collected a group, consisting of a gig and a dog-cart (which had conveyed the respective parties, and a servant attendant upon each, to the ground), and two or three labouring men, whom the unusual occurrence had caused to leave their work, and who were eagerly watching the proceedings whilst, just inside the gate, a boy, whom I recognised as Wilford's tiger, was leading about a couple of saddle-horses, one of them being the magnificent black thorough-bred mare, of which mention has been already made.

Pulling up the horse with a jerk which threw him on his haunches, I sprang out, and, placing my hand on the top rail of the gate, leaped over it, gaining, as I did so, a full view of the antagonist parties, who were stationed at about two hundred yards from the spot where I alighted. Scarcely, however, had I taken a step or two towards the scene of action, when one of the seconds, Wentworth, I believe, dropped a white handkerchief, and immediately the sharp report of a pistol rang in my ear, followed instantaneously by a second. From the first moment I caught sight of them, my eyes had become riveted by a species of fascination, which rendered it impossible to withdraw them, upon Oaklands. As the handkerchief dropped, I beheld him raise his arm, and discharge his pistol in the air, at the same moment he gave a violent start, pressed his hand to his side, staggered blindly forward a pace or two, then fell heavily to the ground (rolling partially over as he did so), where he lay, perfectly motionless, and to all appearance dead.

On finding all my worst forebodings thus apparently realized, I stood for a moment horror-stricken by the fearful sight I had witnessed. I was first roused to a sense of the necessity for action by Ellis the surgeon, who shouted as he ran past me—

"Come on, for God's sake, though I believe he's a dead man!" In another moment I was kneeling on the turf, assisting Archer Q

(who trembled so violently that he could scarcely retain his grasp) to raise and support Oaklands' head.

"Leave him to me," said I; "I can hold him without assistance; you will be of more use helping Ellis."

"Oh! he's dead-I tell you he is dead!" exclaimed Archer, in a tone of the most bitter anguish.

"He is no such thing, sir," returned Ellis angrily; "hand me that lint, and don't make such a fuss; you're as bad as a woman.” Though slightly reassured by Ellis's speech, I confess that, as I looked upon the motionless form I was supporting, I felt half inclined to fear Archer might be correct in his supposition. Oaklands' head, as it rested against me, seemed to lie a perfectly dead weight upon my shoulder; the eyes were closed, the lips, partly separated, were rapidly assuming a blue, livid tint, whilst from a small circular orifice on the left side of the chest the life-blood was gushing with fearful rapidity.

66

Open that case of instruments, and take out the tenaculum. No, no! not that; here, give them to me, sir; the man will bleed to death while you are fumbling," continued Ellis, snatching his instruments from the trembling hands of Archer. "You are only in the way where you are," he added; "fetch some cold water, and sprinkle his face; it will help to revive him.”

At this moment Wilford joined the group which was beginning to form round us. He was dressed, as usual, in a closely-fitting suit of black, the single-breasted frock-coat buttoned up to the neck, so as not to show a single speck of white which might serve to direct his antagonist's aim. He approached with his wonted air of haughty indifference, coolly fastening the button of his glove. On perceiving me, he slightly raised his hat, saying

"You are resolved to see this matter to its conclusion, then, Mr. Fairlegh; no one can be better aware than you are how completely your friend brought his fate upon himself."

He paused, as if for an answer; but, as I remained silent, not being able to trust myself to speak, he added, gazing sternly at the prostrate form before him—"Thus perish all who dare to cross my path!" Then casting a withering glance around, as he marked the indignant looks of the bystanders, he turned on his heel, and stalked slowly away.

"He'd best quicken his pace," observed one of the countrymen who had joined the group, "for there's them a coming as may stop his getting away quite so easy."