remarked a flight of steps descending from the centre of each of the two turrets which fronted the garden; but had again forgotten them, till the reflection of the light upon a substance of which she could not perfectly have ascertained the nature without this assistance from her memory, reminded her of the situation of those steps.

Almost instantly she observed the figure of a man to issue from the door-way, and begin to descend the steps; scarcely had she lost him in the shade below, ere a second came forth; that he was exceedingly tall, was the only observation that she had time given her to make upon him, and which opportunity the moment he was engaged in closing the door afforded her; he then ran down the steps with hasty strides, and became, like him that preceded him, lost to her view in the gloom.

Although she could not be justified in forming any opinion of the actions of those with whose motives she was not acquainted, still Eleonora could not forbear considering the scene of which she had just been a witness as an extraordinary

one.

one. In all our opinions we are greatly swayed by concomitant ideas, and such was at that moment her case; there had seemed to her something mysterious in the account which she had heard of Sir Sigismund; something like secrecy had appeared to her to govern every individual of the superior order whom she had yet seen in Castle Gower; and under an impression of this nature, she was tempted to class every transaction which was not explained to herself, amidst the marvellous, an inclination which she would not have felt on any spot where simplicity of conduct had marked every preceding scene and character.

She could not forbear imagining, that one of these two persons must be Sir Sigismund; the taller might probably be Sir Hildebrand. But for what purpose should they descend at that hour into the garden? Sir Sigismund was an invalid, and it was therefore more likely that he would avoid, than court the damps of night: but then he had been represented by his servants to Gillian as being a prey to lowness of spi

rits; a disorder of this kind, it was not impossible, might cause him to wish to shun the light of day, and to taste the air when none were stirring to interrupt his solitary walk; his mind might be so much disordered by his disease, that it might not be safe for him to be trusted alone; and on this account his son, or an attendant, might have the charge of following his steps.

Whilst these thoughts were passing in her mind, the two persons who had given rise to them appeared traversing a walk which ran parallel with her window. The taller was still behind, and at the distance of a few paces from his companion, who moved with a slow step, which in the opinion of Eleonora denoted a melancholy mind; his arms were crossed upon his breast, and his head bowed over them; thus he continued for some time to proceed; with a sudden start he then raised his hands towards Heaven, uttered a groan, which must have been deep and from the heart, for its sound to have reached Eleonora, even faintly, at the distance at which

she

she was stationed from him, and darted, with the velocity of a hind, amidst the trees. The steps of his follower were immediately quickened in proportion to his, and again they both disappeared from the sight of Eleonora.

She could not prevail upon herself to quit the window. At the expiration of about half an hour, she heard the sound of voices near the foot of the steps leading into the turret; she could not distinguish what was said, but in a few seconds more she beheld the same two figures ascend the steps and re-enter the turret; the door was closed with a loud clap by the taller of the two, who still followed his companion, and immediately after the light disappeared, and returned no more.

END OF VOL. I.