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ill. I ii;pi*iiu 111 ■

•Hijjr'

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«f»

THE

MYSTERIES

MONTREAL.

A NOVEL FOUNDED ON FACTS

132 * * * .

MONTREAL, C. E.
PUBLISHED BY H. H. CUNNINGHAM,

Comte's Buildings^ Notre Dame Street.

^'■"ip^p""

9m^m

■■■V

J. W. Harrison, Printer.

PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS.

IGHT litenture is looked upon as being the mirror of Society's ex-
cellence and turpitude — as such, its moral is certainly good; because
it exposes to the uaiversal gaze the heart of man in all its organization,
dwelling much on the virtues of the indigent, and contrasting them strong-
ly with the vices of the wealthy. But, the means which the novelist has,
within a few years past, employed, — to say the least of them,— can only be
" justified by the end." For he has seized upon such extraordinary char-
acters to illustrate the lights and shadows of our nature, that it is impossible
to discover in them any thing mundane — they are either pure as angels, or
corrupt as demons ; and their exploits recall to mind the achievements of
the heathen deities. Then, these strange beings are unceremoniously ush-
ered into this world of matter, and pressed into the rehearsal of parts in
scenes enacted on boards familiar to us all : thus do we see a rival of Mars
dealing in Her Majesty's English, accoutred d la D'Orsay, and fighting
duels at twelve paces: or, the personification of the goddess of Cythera, par-
tial to rauget reading La Belle Assemblce, and dashing at routs, in church,
and public streets, and ultimately capturing the heart of some juvenile Sub,
who dreams not he has bargained for a cargo of whale-bone, cotton-wool,
and horse-hair ; and all in this, the nineteenth century of the Christian era!
There is, however, one slightly redeeming feature in this unnatural en-
listment of super-human agents : they are made to act in circles with which
we are acquainted. Yet this is but poor amends for the egregious error com-
mitted by securing the services of heroes who have never met with parallels
in the ordinary walks of life, nor will ever find followers. For, of what
avail is it to set those characters as examples to the reader ? Surely, it can-
not be to inspire him with horror at the commission of deeds unknown to the
criminal calendar of the world — on the contrary, it can only tend to lessen
in his eyes, the vices which reign in society, and consequently encourage
their pernicious growth. Although rather objectionable, it is quite another
thing when heavenly beings are held up as worthy of imitation ; because,
perceiving the insignificance of his worth, when compared to such perfec-
tion, he is naturally led to exert himself to follow in the same steps, and in-
sensibly refines his nature in the attempt to reach a similar slate of good-
ness, although it be impossible to reach the goal.

Then, do we maintain that, to fill mankind with a loatliiiig for wickedness,
the wicked man's heart alone should be dissected and laid oiieii, that all may

»1

-ee they can plunge in the same excesse. ; and that, on the other hand, to
•xcue wab,D every bosom a love of virtue, it i, only required to picture he
good man as he really i,, without drawing upon the super-natural ; for the
certainty of being endowed with power, sufficient to acquire and ha/ he
moral blessmgs a fellow-creature has been enabled to call down ul hil
head, will urge us on to that " land of promise."

If light literature has degenerated in the above respect, it has. as we have

already stated, vastly gained in another. Formerly, it claimed "e soct^

.n general, as ,ts province , its mo.al appertained of a character so diffuse

hat u often proved fruuless, for it soon became threadbare, and required

ir . ,"^"m" f ''"^'^ '^ '^' ^''' "''^ ^"g"^'^ ''"-■-t^. to render it
pala^^able. Now u has assumed a far superior tone by confining itself to
localmes. or md.vidual classes of people. Curiosity and vanityMll lead
man to enquire mto everything relaring to him. ever so indirectly, or tospots
he has visited, or transactions in which he has taken part. Hence, the as-
onishing success of such publications as have, of late years, deluged the
literary world. b « "*•»

It is after having maturely reflected on the above points, that this, a purely
local tale, has been wruten.-one that will present society as it exists in the
Canadian metropolis, a, well as in the whole United Province, because in-
habjtants. from its various parts, will be brought in to add interest to the

The principal events, forming the basis of this novel, are /ac/5 ; but the
actors are not those who from time to time, have appeared before the pub-
lie. What a number of individuals have really accomplished, and that, at
periods distant one from the other, will be assigned to a narrow circle of
purely fictitious characters. It will therefore baffle the ingenuity of the
curious who may attempt to fasten on particular members of society, any
act forming a link in the chain of this tale.

As the author of this work has had in view more than the satisfaction of
uniting together, dunng leisure hours, a string of circumstances, to many of
which he IS personally cognizant, he trusts credit will be given him for aim-
mg at some beneficial result, however much he may fall short of his desti-
nation. The field upon which he ventures affords rare opportunities of at-
tacking a host of defects in the various branches of our social system, which
have hitherto defied the stern critic's denunciation, and mocked the mild
remonstrance of the moralist. He will, therefore, make a judicious use of
these advantages, clothing the incidents he will narrate, with just sufficient fic-
tion to screen the real parties, that no one may suffer from their publication.

Montreal, August, 1846. * * *

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CHAPTER I

THE MIDNIGHT RENDEZVOUS.

'last this wind and rain ! A body can be surprised and
despatched in this delightful spot, without being aware
^^^^^ of his murderer's approach."

Such was the impatient exclamation of a tall and stout man, as
he tightly drew a large, loose cloak around his person, and stood
staring, in the dark, foolishly attempting to discover some lurking
assassin.

And well might this mysterious individual,— whom we shall call
Donald McDonald,— utter, with feigned assurance, words which
told how much he experienced those fears that flash only across a
guilty conscience, — rousing the worst passions which prey up-
on the human heart, and eradicating, from within it, every vestige
of moral superiority over the brute, as they either drive their vic-
tim to desperation, or reduce him to the degraded condition of
the wretch, who trembles before the monstrous creations of his
diseased fancy.

For it was in one of the long and stormy nights of a Canadian
fall he had sought the home of the wealthy dead — that retired
spot, at the foot of the Montreal Mountain, known as the McTa-
vish Monument ; and in the neighborhood of the mansion bearing
the name of the same individual, and which the spirits of the evil
kingdom are said, by credulous people, to have claimed as their
haunts, long before the completion of its magnificence. Then, a
furious wind swept in fearful gusts across the country, wildly re-
velling amidst the forests, and stripping them of their fast fading

TKS MYSTERIES OF MONTREAL.

garment ; at times, it louv'lly hi'-.ded around the limbs it had left
to nakedness, and howled hoarsely among the rocks like a mad-
dened wild beast ; whilst at others, it moaned round the vault, and
seemed to claim admittance, by its shrill whistling, through the
holes in the rust-ealen iron door, which then almost threatened
to burst open. The trees swung their branches, like giants that
give way to grief, aiid wring their hands and beat their breasts in
great agony ; whilst the mocking winds derided their sorrows, and
flung around them the ruins of their by-gone splendor ; and, with
all tins, the r a fell heavily, dropping like shot on the leaves that
strewed the ground, and mournfully beating against the door of
the tomb.

The darkness was awful, — had a single star twinkled amidst
the leaden clouds, it would have cheered the heart of him who
had ventured to that drea:y spot. But nothing relieved his
straining eye, save the flash of lightning as it rent the shroud
that over-hung the ear*'^ and ushered dreadful detonations of thun-
der, whose terrible ' "-ots found too faithful an echo among the
surrounding rocks. Every dart of the electric fluid struck terror
to Donald's bosom ; it, lighted up the scene around, clothing the
rocks and decayed ren-nants of trees with mantles of fire ; and it
seemed that some mighty magician's wand enlivened nature, and
metamorphosed it into a world of unearthly beings.

The lone spectator of these horrors mentally suffered most ex-
cracialirg torments. For, after the lightning had swept by, the
spots which just now were peopled with monstrous formations
clad ui flames, seemed plunged in deeper gloom ; and creatures,
blacker than night, follcved on the scene, and paralysed the va-
cant stare of the bewildered Doniiid.

A man, at peace with his Maker, — he, who rapturously dwells
on nature writhing in the grasp of the storms, and who sees, in
those terrible convulsions of matter, but other and more striking
evidence of the might of his God, would have felt "he Poet's in-
describable leaping at the heart, on witnessing eo magnificent a
spectacle. But to the evil-minded and the remorse-stricken,
these were terrors that are unequalled in this world. For Donald
thought he listened lo the winds moaning his requiem, whilst the

^v:/^

TUB MYSTERIES OP MONTREAL.

thunders broke upon his ear as a damning sentence, which the
lightning threatened to inflict upon his head. The earth itself, he
fancied, labored under his feet ; and he shook like an aspen-leaf,
and would have wished for wings to rise above it, lest it should
yawn and form some great chasm to bury him alive. In the
gloom, myriads of monsters obtruded their hideous forms on his
deluded vision ; and, as the darkness was momentarily dispelled,
crowds of burning demons surrounded him in all the attitudes of
anger and defiance. Then, if a poor affrighted bird, driven from
its shelter by the pitiless storm, 'lew past above him, instead of
welcoming it as a companion in solitude, the miserable Donald
heard its flutter with dread, as though it were that of some
evil spirit hastening to guide him to regions of eternal woe
and misery. The cold clammy sweat which deluged his tremb-
ling limbs, personified, to his alarmed senses, the icy clasping
to death's bosom; and if the wind heaved some hot and fetid
gust from the city, he felt it on his lips as the embrace of the
" Grim Tyrant" himself.

Overpowered by the frightful workings of his fancy, Donald
had staggered against the iron paling, which surrounds the base
of the large grey column, that rears itself above the sepulchre.
He sought to banish the idle fears which beset him on every side,
by turning his gaze upon the city, but the lamp-lights which, on
a cairn night, illumine the heavens, and give to Montreal, when
viewed from a distance at that hour, the appearance of a fairy
town, could not triumphantly struggle with the darkness which
then reigned over the whole country ; but only shed a dim glare
that casts in the gloom overhead, the mistiness that is seen ho-
vering above the smouldering of a great nocturnal conflagration.

As Donald's eye lay fastened on this distressing picture, like
all wicked and pusillanimous men, he believed himself the only
miserable and vicious being on earth, and envied the rest which
courts sov ^y few pillows, and tho#' dreams, heavenly strangers,
that make us forget we are of a corrupt world.

Whilst u:i3 musing, the storm abated, and he was awakened
from his revery by the town clock, as it slowly pealed forth, from
the spire of Christ church, the hour of midnight. Had the

' ifi^-tsii- -i^vnani

THE MYSTERIES OF MONTREAL.

watchman's rattle likewise reached his ear, he would have remem-
bered that all do not taste the slumbers, for which he was
thirsting but a moment before, and that he was not the only
wicked man in the world.

" This is the appointed time ! — will she come ?" he exclaimed
half aloud, startled at the sound of his own voice.

Passing his hand over his eyes to impart them a keener sense
of perception, he almost strained them out of their sockets, in
striving to pierce the night, and discover the party he had come to
meet. Again phantoms assailed him ; the air seemed filled with
strange things that danced about in most disgusting and horrible
postures ; and winged serpents and flying imps swooped over his
head, and appeared to absorb one another, without decreasing
their numbers. He was convulsively closing his eyes, to shut out
the horrid sight, when footsteps were heard hastily ascending the
slope below him. They sounded too heavily for those of the per-
son he expected, — at least he thought so ; and under that impres-
sion, he surrendered to the mastery of his racked fancy, which
warned him of an approaching demon come to snatch him away.
Then sprung in Donald's bosom the suggestion of self-preserva-
tion. He grasped a pistol, concealed in the folds of his cloak,
and slowly produced it, as he steadied himself upon his failing
limbs by seizing the iron bars against which he had been reclin-
ing.

Nearer came the sounds, and when they were heard upon the
stone steps which lead to the sepulchre, the affrighted wretch,
leaning forward with distended neck, hoarsely groaned, his voice
struggling in his choking throat :

" Who comes ? ^Who comes ?"

** Hush, sir ! do you not know me ?" answered a feeble and
trembling voice

" Who're you ? Speak, or your life ."

And before the miserable man could conclude to hiss the sen-
tence, he lost all control over his convulsed grasp, and the pistol
detonated with an awful explosion, which awakened the echoes
of the mountain, and was reverberated from rock to rock, as if the
shot had startled all nature from her slumbers.

THE MYSTERIES OF MONTREAL.

Shrill female shrieks pierced the air, the fall of heavy bodies
was heard, and all again sunk in profound calm and silence.

Donald stood petrified ; the pistol dropped at his feet, and he
almost felt that the warm blood of some fellow-creature scalded
his hand. His arm was still extended, his eye fixed, his teeth
chattering together ; and as his hold of the bars gradually loosen-
ed, he slowly reached the ground on one knee, and thus stood, the
image of despair, awaiting the vengeance of heaven and a merit-
ed doom.

He might have expired, and been found as frozen in that atti-
tude, had not a certain supernatural agency roused him from his
lethargy, as it irresistably attracted him to the spot whence the
cries had proceeded. As he groped down the craggy declivity
against which the tomb is abutting, he tore his hands on the sharp
stones and thorny bushes ; and, dreading to meet with some
goary corpse, averted his eyes, and shuddered whenever he touch-
ed the cold, wet trunk of some prostrate tree.

On reaching the level below, he perceived a faint light which at
first threw him into fresh terror; for his confused faculties endow-
ed with more than earthly attributes, the pale flickermg of a dark
lantern which had opened of itself, on being allowed to fall to the
ground by one of the persons who had shrieked.

A moment's pause permitted him to collect his scattered senses,
and examine things around him. Before him lay the apparently
lifeless forms of two females : the one nearest to him had reached
the summer of womanhood, as was revealed by a stream of light
which shone full on her pale features ; her companion's delicate
and small stature pronounced her to be of very tender years, but
her face was concealed in the mantle she wore. On recognising
the former, Donald groaned heavily, his bosom was on the eve of
bursting, his heart plunged so madly within. At last, a gush of
burning tears came to his rescue, and relieved him from the great-
er weight of his torment ; and wringing his hands, he cried in

despair : — • i j

" My God ! it is her and her child!— Am I become so wicked

a wretch as to have murdered them ?"

Dreading their spirits might have departed, he stooped to feel

■§;l|

THE MYSTERIES OP MONTREAL.

strangely lighted un ZtL7n7\^' ■"*""" ''''<''=» "«'«
took P.aoe:Lm f atXc/arolr aTrw.'*-?^"' ™^"! "

misery, and the dissipation of fa hionable liff H ^ """"'
east, thirty; and, notwithstanding .he n I „f 0!^: TZ'Y
leterious intrusion of conventional ,„,lr u ' ^"'' ""' ''«■
that remarkable state of^resmlo;^^^^^^ charms were still i„
England, in noint of P'"""'''*'""'' .^n'^h places the women of

othfr countries Ye. C^" "'''T'"' '"' ''^y""' "•« ^- "f
spires us wi.'h a fell g o eritlftV'''^ "'-T""^ "'''"'' '-
any of those tender em'oL K 'hrarwWrh d' '"^™"«

i. not hU and,%^;trhrwr:;trt:r^^^^
r:rre:f;re:;:rrn;a"ir^^^^^^^

whose furious ou.pL.Ws des" Zed al h . ™'?"" ^™P"™'
its stronger and harsher ft- ^ ""' '="'"'' »"'' "'■•ew

however,'diminth ng • t m^ "0^1"^"' "''■^' "'*""''
this bold comparison, we raigh. Is'sim^a^e f '"^ r*'' "^P '»
to the earth, the Ede; „f dd^ whTcht i ' '"' ''"''''"'°"

a garden : although it possess dwi* T""'"' "="'' "-^^ "»
human frailly has sincf ranlirf ,' °'°'"' *' "«<="'= "-at
.ion,andwhLha echa gedthee I' ""'" ""'''""" -
-esprinkh„g,,,mtheirSS,r'XLtr^d

THE MYSTERIES OP MONTREAL.

oasis, and altering its tamer, and sweeter nature into savage gran-
deur and awful magnificence. Such were the ideas which a
glance at Clara Sterling's proud countenance called up in one's
mind.

At fifteen she must have been a Houri, possessed with all the
attributes of maidenly loveliness, but unconsciously harboring
within her young, careless, and innocent heart, a dormant mine
of stormy passions, which, upon being unfortunately brought into
play by a ^succession of heart-rending catastrophes, preyed fear-
fully, both on her mind and body.

Of the little girl who accompanied Clara, we chose to say no-
thing at present : it were uncalled for to unfold the cloak under
which she lay concealed.

Donald McDonald, in fainting, had sunk against the door of the
sepulchre. His hat had fallen, and left a profusion of thick, curly
red hair, to be seen. Heavy whiskers, of corresponding color,
encircled a bloated and usually burning face, whose features told
more of the recklessly wicked man, than of the cool, calculating,
and hypocritical villain, and betrayed a moral organization of the
most despicable character. His person was bulky ; and, altoge-
ther, his appearance bespoke the libertine of mature years, ad-
dicted to the use of intoxicating draughts, and given to excessive
debauchery ot every description.

Then, do we find blended, in this extraordinary tableau, the
haughtiness of a beautiful and fallen woman, the repulsive vicious-
ness of a degraded man,— and the sweet innocence of a virgin,
contrasting strangely with the tarnished nature of tlie older indivi-
duals, and picturing the purity of the lily of the valley, growing
beside plants of rude and blighting character.

l/f

CHAPTER II.

THE GIRL AND THE PARCHMENTS.

^LARA was ihe first to give signs of retun

U Qu„ , , ^" " "'S"° ""■ returning consciousness.

J She seemed ,„ have awakened from a long oppressive sleep

and lorgetfui f he eircumslances related in tlie foreeoins naires

ble dream. As she slowly rose to her feet, her mantle and veil fell
to the ground ; the nch tresses of h.r raven hair loosened and fl„;7
ed wantonly i„ the night breeze that whistled with del gh.hril"
thetr luxunant meshes ; the disorder in which her dress hidT
ftrown i ,„, f,„, ,„„„^, ,^^ bosom to bete notwUh"

andmg the prevailing darkness ; and as her eyes sta ;d X"
around, she presented the image of some stately elf, standing S^
her favortto haunts, the home of the dead, wi.l/her vMms V.
ended mot.onless before her. B„. when the light of "h Tamet

" It is but a wicked dream ! Have I not wandered in mv slecD »

husbtd !t"";!,r'^~' '"^° ""' left my home, abandl'dmy
Husband, and fled from my children !" ^

This partial attempt at reasoning, soon re-called her fully to the
uature of her s.tnafon ; she recollected the purpose of her m d-
ngh errand, her escape from her residence, and the pistol-sh , ■
b . all was a blank to her after that circumstance. Still, she ea-
sily recognised Donald, as he lay senseless by the door of te e
pulchre, and after a moment's observation, exclaimed :_

ae too seems to be visited with the sleep that pressed me
down.Mhanks to kind Providence it is so-I may, then, recover '

wnubsrcttj^f ™* ''-' '- ^"- ^^■■'^^" ^-^ p— I

THE MYSTERIES OF MONTREAL.

And she advanced towards him, having summoned up all her
resolution to effect her purpose. But on bending to search his
person, she perceived the blood on his hands and garments, and
starting back she cried, horror-stricken : —

•' My God ! he is dead ! — And how prepared to meet his Cre-
ator ! Such is the end of wickedness ! Yet, I take heaven to
witness, I never wished that evil should befall him, however
much he has injured me. I am degraded, still I can forgive my
enemy. Rest in peace then, Donald ; and may thy example deter
all men from following in the paths which have led thee hither,
and make me weep my fault the more. I forgive thee—may all
thou hast injured forgive thee likewise, and God be merciful to

thee !"

And she fell on her knees beside him, and wept, and prayed that
He, too, would forgive her foe. For such is woman, the creature
of impulse : she would expose her life for the man she would stab
with her own hand !

Her short oration concluded, she sought for the mysterious pa-
pers. On partly removing Donald's coat, she perceived them
protruding from his bosom, and would have screamed with joy,
and changed her tears, so mournful a minute ago, to those of
joy, but her dehght knew no motion, no accent wherewith to be
expressed. Hastening to the lantern-light, she examined the seals
the parcel bore, and compared the impression of one of them
with the inscription on the stone of a large ring she wore— no-
thing had been disturbed, and all was in the same order as when
the documents were enclosed. She clasped them to her heart,
and kissed them, and rendered thanks to heaven. She was mad
with joy !

" I am saved !" she at last cried ; " and so is this innocent girl ;

and thou, Donald McDonald "

But she was arrested by Donald's hard breathing, as he was on
the point of recovering his consciousness.

" He still hves, the wretch !" exclaimed Clara, anxiously listen-
ing, and trusting her ears deceived her, and that it was but the
wind ; for she forgot she had beseeched heaven on his behalf a
moment before. But then she thought him dead : her resentment

THE MYSTERIES OP MONTREAL.

'ii

!;■'.

" Let him live, then !" she continueH • « T h^.r^ fi

his a.enio„s would „„. be cr^i':r:lj^:%i7n:;j!

.hou an thwarted in thy evety de.ign of infa.y , My ^sS
o„^% g.>ty head, and fo„ow thee to the g Je, an J Z:^!^

She begun these words in a whisper, bul as s1,p „,„™.j j i
voice grew louder and louder, and when U had rlT. 1 ' '
thema, it sounded inhumanly-lit waltho 1.1 , ff .,' "'"
ired combined with fiendish exuItaZ n "'■''''""^ •"■

n>an bu.afury-herglanfeSlrr.etwIirrL^r-
ble form was erect as the forest sapling-and her wELd i

in the air, seemed to call down the curses of .h,ri >'"'"'

with her own, in coalitton againstXT^c fUt'S '° """'
"But I must leave before he wakes ".he res,m,.H *'i,

ing more calm ; " else the villain can fee the Zt b" IT"
the chdd, at^d pubhsh my secret to the world. Come mv ift.^
f^f rpa^o^ "' ''"'"■' ''' ^'''- '-'"« -ardsr Ut
But the child moved not; her tender frame had undergone ton
many shocks within the l-t hour, to be thus easiCufed from
her state of msensibility. Clara bent down to revive her L"
posmg her face to the damp air, and bathing i, with a7n wLer sht
ound ,n .he crevices of the steps ; she called rrjme a„d
forced her eyehds apart, and poured the full glare of"„te™

hghtm her glassy eyes ; but her efforts proved unavailing

■ She cannot be dead !" ejacufated the horrified woman on ner
ce.v,ng no stgns of life in the child. " Surely," srcomZed'

THE MYSTERIES OF MONTREAL.

clasping her hands, and interrogating the heavens by her uplifted
eyes ; " that man, that wicked man, cannot have escaped death,
and this sweet creature gone in his stead ? Yet, far better for you,"
she added, looking pitifully on the child ; " to be a corpse, before
you have seared your lips on the lid of life's bitter cup. O," she
continued, hiding her face in her hands and shedding scalding
tears ; " that 1 had never reached beyond childhood's happy era !
That my soul had shrunk from the earth, when its purity rivalled
that of angels ! — But," she said, bru?hing away the large tear-
drops ; " this is no time to grieve over my sad destiny — I must
away, or that man will again step between happiness and me. But
this tender being, shall I abandon her to him— for she may not
have expired ? No, thank God, I feel her little heart is beating.
He shall not have her !"

Clara attempted to take the girl in her arms, but her strength
was unequalled for the task. As she abandoned the idea of sav-
ing her attendant by that means, a terrible thought crossed her
brain, and she said, with a tone of stern resolution : —

" I must not fly, and leave this child a victim to purchase a si-
lence I can now myself impose, and which shall be forever unbro-
ken. Were my secret divulged, I should destroy myself, and
Donald is alone possessed of it — hence I must, and will, in self-
preservation, and for the sake of this poor girl, reduce him to an
eternal silence !"

As she spoke these words, Clara felt as if they were scalding
drops of lead oozing from her lips ; her eyes rolled as if cased
within burning sockets ; the air was hot and close in her nostrils ;
the marrow boiled within her^bones ; and her very skin experienc-
ed a shrinking up on her limbs ; whilst a cold sweat, struggHng
through every pore, clung to her body like slime.

No wonder she was thus tormented, for she not only medi-
tated murder, but was reasoning herself into the commission of
the dreadful deed ; and when she had thus hastily convinced her-
self of the necessity of accomplishing the crime, a feeling of the
most fiendish description flew through her whole system, and ani-
mated her with a thirst for human blood. She clenched her hand
as though it held a dagger, and knelt beside the prostrate Donald.

THE MYSTERIES OP MONTREAL.

With her eyes riveted on his far*. o« ♦!,« u i

i« hfm info a deeper slel *».».*?''''' """''' """Sncl-

world, she groped for W, ho . ""«'" ""' "»"'''« i" 'W-

.ep.p.ed to bury her nail, in hTs Lh '"""'"'' "'"' =""

- Donald , S.r.Uef and relict fro" Lfsr/fal^ ""
And you would have murdered me '" e JafmM I) n ,
«tup,d air, for he had no, understood her wd h!f. T ' "!'"'
ally perceived things in a clearer iLhthr ' ^l^ «'''"'"•
rage, and his finger^s closed nvlmarivanT.r ',""', "'"'

pierced the skin of the palm ofTs hand' ""'' '''"°"

ma'J™l^.*°" V *'"f "'■'" *°" '^"""■^=< """Pt. O wo-
man . ijut, he vociferated, on discovering they were rone " t)l
papers arc missing, vou havp «f„i.„ .u , ^ • "'°

Speak, or, by heafln's — '' '" ">»"'— "'era are they ?_

ed «:nferant '''"''"''^'''"' '"''^''"'^ "s"'^^ "P "i^ infunat-

diff^e'X^rtla^LVhtlr.^:; 1 1 tf f^"' ^'' ^"""'^-'-^ '"■
some communicatfon harwill '.''"''''*'" ^°" ^ '^'"P^'' »'*

unpre^:^:: renTrr" aTt^^-oitr f 1^
creature, ehcI in the act of ««..;« • ^ assassinate a fellow-

cruelty^f awreLhan^hL:™;:!;" *""°""' """^ '° ""

' I have those papers, sir," she replied with alarm • « r
-etvc them in the state in whtchV're er„;.ed't:yo::

THE MVSTER1E3 OF MONTREAL.

when I should deliver my child in your power, and there lies that
child," pointing to the little girl who was still insensible.

" Is it so, Clara ?" ejaculated Donald, with brutal joy, and rush-
ing to seize the girl.

•'Is it so ?" slowly repealed the woman, in an indignant tone,
and placing herself between him and his intended victim. " Sir,
the manner in which you have pronounced those words, tell me
too plainly what will be your conduct towards my daughter. It
portends her fall, shame, and desertion. But beware, wicked
man, beware ! It is not enough to have assisted in the mother's
ruin, but you must effect that of her offspring ! You would heap
on her the misery which has borne me down for years, and which
shall cling to me until death !"

" Look at me !" she resumed, after a moment's pause, as if
emerging from the bitterest reflections, and raising the light near
her face—" Look well, and say has not wretchedness been my lot,
ever since I knew you and yours ? Before that day, on which the
star of my happiness forever set, I was beautiful, they tell me ;
I then tasted the bliss of innocence ; I knew the love of friends ;
and my hopes were bright as the living sun. Now, what am I ?
My charms— a curse on them! they have gone; my virtue is lost—
the friends 1 have, are mine as long as I can deceive them, and iny
prospects are blacker than this night, and forever blasted. Oh !
that the earth would open and swallow me, to screen me from the
world's gaze, and put an end to my task of imposture ! I dread
every eye, lest my secret be read on my brow ; I shudder when
I meet innocence and virtue, because 1 feel it is profanity for the
bad to mingle with the good ! Yet, without you, I might have
tasted a Uttle happiness, here below ; for I trusted m all-merciful
God, and wept my sin, and hoped for pardon : indeed I thought
the stain was effaced, when Providence had wedded me to a kmd
husband, and blessed me with little angels. But who mtervened
between heavenly grace and me, and cast me back m the helll
was escaping, but my unfeeling persecutor, who exacts the fulfil-
ment of a promise extorted from me when stretched on a bed of
suflfering, shame and sorrow,— and thou art that persecutor !
Donald was thunder-struck as he listened to her upbraidings,

THE MVSTEHIBs OP MONTREAL.

and scarcely dared fo look nn tl,n f c i

by the ,i,fu'or the lantt" t :rter:,t'"T^'^^^^^^^-
teeth glistened, and her thinned o/n^M^ ^'^'' ''^'' ^^'^
came blue with passion. ^ '^P'"'"'^^ ^'^•^^^' ^^ they be-

He thoiighi himself in the presenrP nfn f„
every word she uttered ; and w "n !h! ?' '! '^' "'^^^^ ^''" «»
he sprung back, and se'arched tva f^fl ! '■' 'T l' ''' '^^^'
to madness by her attempt to murde him ^T ' ^"' ^^^^^'^
documents, and her rep oachesT u I "^^^^^^^io" of the
the spot. ^^P'oaches, he would have despatched her on

Clara, thinking he wished m oo«.,„
and continued w,^h inorltd l:::Zi:'^''' '"" '' ''" ""'■

wL ;:„"::";/;:;':: ::r„„'t::, '^"r^' °^ -^ ■"■■-^•

-r brutalized you, , .ho,,>d "nT "b t^, I'lf ^''^^^ -
.lumber ,n peace in ,lmt security whici, on.fi , '^ ', "' "°"''^
a man of honor. But vou JZ , "''' '" ''"= »'»'■') of a

despicable charac.ertw h ZlLTnT'''''''- ""' " '» V"
hour. Still, under otl.e cir umr" t".' '" "'"" y" >"«'

Piied wi.1, .„e condition:„r e'^: Zen .^t::?:' ""■= <=-
honor of children to "uard and ,1,!, r ', ' '""'^ "ow the

of mind I should die°ra,he'rTh ' " "'^ ''"'''»"''■ "''™'= Poace
oion of my fault. ktoMl T 'u'™"'!''' ''^ '=^°" ' '-P'"
faraway „i,h my dr.'h" ,2urer "°' '' ''"^ '"""'e'"' ''«

•0 weep my sin/and tea h m";", d „ ,rG d"t'^'"^ ^"'■""'°'
and despise man !" " *^°'' "'""o. and spurn

The vehemence with which ri^^.. i i

tence,, nearly overcame he D nTl ' """"' "''" """" »»"■

and in need of support ofcd her h ' ^ T'"^ '^^ """ ""k

refused it, and leaT. a a" n le " "b T', ' ^'^ '"^^'"^""y

drops of sweat that .re"mhled ^Thrmn'rhttol"^^^ ''' '"''

•^erJ:rthrc;;;:"'"S;r:tf--r"-y-."»^''

Should you attempt to sullv h, i, ^°"'''' """ y""" '" 'rust,

her lips poison y^rtrtLrtir 7 "" '? T" "' ^™™
of injuring her, lurks in youTrotten mind "™ b' ''"'' *""«'«

hera,uard.anwho.-.,f.on~tSX"a:;;r

THE MYSTKRIES OF MONTREAL.

avenge the insult you would offer her virtue. Take her and

away."

"But, madam, stay," said Donald, in a jesting tone, as Clara
was making a motion to depart ; " you, that deceive so well a too-
confiding husband," he continued, " may venture to practice your
deception on me. That cloak may contain anything but the child.
Wait then until I see that I am not duped."

And he knelt by thi child, and removed the mantle. On per-
ceiving her, he snalch^d the lantern from Clara's hand, and exa-
mined lier angel-like face. His eyes gleamed with a shameful
lustre; with covetous intensity they gloated on her tender beauty,
and lie bent to kiss her, but was arrested in the act by Clara's

hand.

" Hold, villain !" she cried ; " would you already pollute her lips
,with your unhallowed embrace ! May the bitterest curses of a mo
ther fall on you if yo>i harm her child, and death stiffen you on
attempting to carry out your infamous design."

Donald rose, for he dreaded tiie curse would meet with its ef-
fect.

" Take her, then, and we part for ever," said Clara, turnmg to

descend the stone-steps.

" A moment more, madam, and then we do part forever," ex-
claimed Donald, retaining her by her cloak. " This may be, it is
the last time we meet; and it is the only opportunity left me to

give explanations to which you never would listen. Clara,"

and his tone softened as he contimied,-" I loved you much and
long before your betrayer knew you. 1 had sought your alliance ;
but you spurned my suit, and I submitted to see him, my brother,
-though such, may he be cursed !-to see him the accepted
lover. °l followed you to the biink of the precipice mto which he
hurled you ; and for having thus given proof of my devotion, you
accuse me of being a party to your ruin ! And when the heart-
less man had abandoned you to a dismal faie-when you had m-
suited a true heart's love, and chosen that of a deceiver,-when
shame was your lot, and no man would call you wife, I sought you
still I again offered you my hand, foolish man that I was ; and you

ril^ MYSTERIES OP MONTREAL.

cruel ; let me teach you that however much J harf.H J '°
still be generous. Take her, take her ^ '"' ^ '""

"Impossible, Donald," interrupted Clara with iov "Th.n
Shalt neve, tennent me again I Donald, forgi^^^" ^'^" ^^"

msult upon her ;-toll her you will blalt har h • Z^ ^"^ '"''
»d accou,p,.h the ,hroa.;l„ „e r ty y wll'f re"'"""'''
■ng l,er, when you are but add.ng sarcTs m ^he rifTtm
I am ,0 blame for having ,oo readily believed y u werf capab e
of a generous act. I should have refleoled <!,,,, i ^

would be hearties, enough to summon „ti "''""■" "'"°

If I fi.«d upon th,s spot for our meeting," interrupted Donald,

THE MYSTERIES OF MONTREAL.

lever known
an bereft of
mce burned,
m 1 brought
me the fruit
Thus did
rn you from
y affections
le wretch I
;d my des-
s from your
;ngc, sweet
? the child
cars which
our daugh-
after a mo-
not be so
len, I can

Then

you

ice, as he
le fiendish
ick those

:iad knelt
retch ! is
njury and
)rospects,
persecut-
s. Still,
i capable
ture who
this hour
have the

Donald,

With increased bitterness of tone ; " it was merely to avoid a sur-
prise, for were we discovered in this interview, your fair name

might suffer."

And he laid a cruelly sarcastic stress on these words, to strike

Clara as with a venomed dagger.

" Or," he resumed with affected non-chalance ; " I might not
have met my " feeble victim" alone had this rendez-vous taken
place elsewhere : some bravo might have been at her command to
accomplish the crim% madam, which you, but a moment ago, at-
tempted to perpetrate at my expense, and when I was entirely

in your power."

An unnatural smile wrinkled around his livid lips, as he uttered
these bitter taunts. Yet, his shafts fell harmless at the proud wo-
man's feet ; she could not but despise the man who delighted m
insulting an unprotected female.

" Sir," replied she, as a scornful curl of the lip conveyed more
than she could express ; " I admire your prudence, and yet not-
withstanding this precaution to obviate the intrusion of an offen-
sive witness to the accomplishment of our mutual engagement, it
seems you were provided with arms to meet me ! However, what
else could be expected from the noble-minded, courageous Donald
McDonald ? Adieu ! brave knight, I must leave you."

She was turning to retire, when her relentless persecutor agam

recalled her ; —

" Why not kiss your child, madam ?" he jeeringly enquired.
« Surely a mother cannot part so coldly from her offspring ; and
a mother, too, of such delicacy of feeling as Clara Sterling, who
sacrifices one child for the happiness of the balance of her

family."

" Monster," returned the indignant woman; *' how could 1 be
so hypocritical as to pretend affeclion for her ? I do, indeed, sacri-
fice her to secure the welfare of others ! It is but another of your
taunts, and, mark my words, you shall soon repent these coward-
ly insults to my feelings. Meanwhile, I again charge you to the
peril of your body and soul, never to breathe a wicked word to
that innocent being's heart. Once more, farewell, and remember
my curse !"

..jKui-ipmm^ ■

• — +'"~'^^ ■ V Hi l^*.- -^•fc I !•-*,-<

THE MYSTERIES OF MONTREAL.

' I

Clara withdrew with haughty step, and as she slowly disappeared
she seemed like a Queen of Elfs nnarchingihrough her dominions.
When Donald had lost sight of the lurid glare of the dark-lantern,
he recovered from the effect of Clara's threats, and bent to take
the little girl m his arms, to bear her away ; and casting his eyes
around him, as the ruffian is wont to do when about to commit
some crime, he crouched over the seiiseless child like a tiger over
his fallen prey. As he raised her to his bosom, he felt her sweet
breath on his cheek, and it struck remorse to his bosom ; for its
purity instantly revealed to him all the degradation of his heart,
and made him regret the days when he was as innocent as his
tender victim. Bui these noble sentiments, which shone like
pearls in the mire, soon yielded before the onslaught of his pas-
sions. That breath, which was insensibly working a salutary-
moral reform within him, fanned his cheek too mildly : it awaken-
ned his worse inclinations, and he was already feasting, in imagi-
nation, over the charms of his innocent burthen.

Animated by his shameful propensities, he hastened from the
sepulchre, the sooner to accomplish the sacrifice of the poor thing.
The obstacles he met in the dark, called many an imprecation from
his burning lips ; and he cursed his want of speed, for he would
have wished to fly, like the vulture that soars away with its prey.
In his impatience, he lost all recollection of the path which
should have led him to the Old Race Ground, on the eastern
side of the Mountain ; and found himself much beyond his des-
tination in the vicinity of a farm house, beyond the Mile-End,
without, however, knowing he was in that locality.

We shall now leave Donald in his predicament, to follow Clara
to her home.

It was not without a pang that she abandoned the child to her
pitiless enemy ; yet, so completely rejoiced was she upon recov-
ering the documents from Donald's keeping, and her feelings were
so confused by the various incidents of the meeting, that she
scarcely knew what to say, and how to act.

Strange, indeed, was it in her, to lead the little one to almost
certain ruin ; but when, as she represented to the cruel man she
wished to silence, it is cor;sidered that the honor, peace of mind

THE MVSTERIES OF MONTREAL.

disappeared
dominions,
ark-lantern,
'ent to take
iig his eyes

to commit
a tiger over

her sweet
3m ; for its
F his heart,
•cent as his
shone like
of his pas-
a salutary
it awaken-
[, in imagi-

l from the
poor thing.
:aiion from
r he would
h its prey,
ath which
he eastern
id his des-
Mile-End,

How Clara

lild to her
)on recov-
lings were
, that she

to almost
1 man she
J of mind

and domestic happiness of a whole family circle depended on the
issue, Clara's step may be viewed with some leniency ; and so she
thought herself; and when she had reached her bed-chamber,
that reflection seemed to pour balm on the dreadful wound the
separation had inflicted on her breaking heart ; she almo.st felt
proud at having had courage enough to hush some of the fiercest
sentiments and sympathies of the human heart, to ensure the wel-
fare of unsuspecting friends. Without being desirous of pleading
her case, and seeking her acquittal on the strength of an extenua-
ting circumstance, we cannot help observing that, no alternative
wa.s left her — of two evils she choose the least, as the cant phrase
goes ; and consequently, sacrificed one being for the sake of
many.

For the remainder of that night she was sleepless ; nor can it be
told on what her mind was intent, for her brain reeled continually ;
and as every incident of the midnight rendez-vous pictured itself
back to her imagination, she hoped it would prove some horrid
dream, and dreaded the approach of day, as its light would dash
her idle illusions to the ground. Amidst these scenes, which flit-
ted across her mind in rapid and confused succession, acquiring
some worse feature at every turn, she would pause, and closing
her eyes, as if to shut out the tantalizing spectacle, listen to a
voice like that from the tomb, as it solemnly spoke to her sotal
these awful words : —

" Woman, hadst thou not committed one first fault, thou
shouldsl not now be guilty of deception towards thy husband and
friends ; and thou shouldst not have sacrificed an innocent fellow-
creature to render thy deception the more eff"ective !"

And these were the accents of a remorse-stricken conscience,
which broke, in upbraiding terms, upon her heart, as she loved to
excuse her fault, and attempted to excite a feeling of pride within
her bosom, at having accomplished so trying an act.

Whenever that voice made itself heard, a cold sweat spread
over her fevered Umbs ; she would have torn her hair and groan-
ed, but her every organ was paralized, as the little girl she had
abandoned appeared to her as a phantom, and cursed her, for hav-
ing cast her away.

THE MYSTERIES OP MONTREAL.

These shocks could not be endured long ; — delirium seized up-
on the unfortunate Clara, and threw a gloom among the inmates
of Blue-Bell Cottage as they rose, on that fated morning, to find
her the wreck of what she had been on the yesterday.

:ed up-
Qmates
to find

' CHAPTER III.

THE BAD MAN AND HIS VICTIM.

JONALD'S wanderings would have led him to a greater
distance, had not the grey dawn of morning allowed him to
^^^^ perceive he had strayed far from his intended course.
In the dim twilight, he could snatch the faint outlines of a farm-
house and its appurtenances, as they gradually emerged, in all their
dazzling whiteness, from the receding gloom, like some fairy habi-
tations rising by magic from the morning mistiness. The trees
and shrubbery seemed hung with drapery, as a slight fog gently
closed around them, and concealed the rude work of the autumn
winds ; hillocks rolled up, one after the other, in the distance, as the
light grew stronger ; and where, but a moment before, all appeared
a sea teaming with hazy clouds, there sprung beautiful cottages,
undulating valleys, old darkened rocks, and picturesque groves,
with sufficient shade above them to deceive the eye, and wake
any thoughts but those of the " sear and yellow leaf." The ram
which had fallen in the course of the night, had formed like dew-
drops that strewed the sickly grass with pearls mnumerable, and
mournfully trickled down the limbs of the trees like large tears,
as they met not with the soft bosom of the verdant leaf, on which
they loved to gUtter in milder months. After the night-storm the
sun was soon bursting in the East, retaining still a remnant of the
.low it was wont to shed in the Indian Summer, then just elapsed.
A few birds, which the blasts of the Fall had not yet driven to
more genial climates, lingered above the rustic buildings, to wake
the inmates of the dwelling with their little songs ; whilst that con-
ceited king of the barn-yard, consigned to immortal fame by he
fabulist, Chanticlear bid welcome to returning day, and exulted

over the departure of night. , • , r •. n

Over this scene dwelt that most solemn calm, which, if it could

«mm'

THE MrSTERlES OP MONTREAL.

be .acnlegious .„ defile, by erne i^. i, ?7' "'"'='' " -^""W
hours .he Crea.o, ha, se apal, fo™? " ""'^'""7. during those
» word, i, i. ,ha. calm, wh Ih f ' K ?"u ' ""' '"''-"''''">• I"

fc'njsolf from hi, delemm D„"l'"' """^' ^"^'"V '» «.ricafe

W"!. .he peacef„J„ess of e ervU, It 7 "? """^ ''''"8 «'™<=k
la.d down the hule girl and sh 1 ?' ""= f^^-house. He
-Pe away .he perfp';, „' ^'.^f -f '- .ook offh. ha. ,:
aLhough his garments were T, i te.f u** '"' ''"'^''^ ' f«
s.orm of the nigh,, and ahhough L 1 °™ """' "?<»"■•'= 'o .he
«n unnatural sweat poured ovTr 1,7 '?f ^ ''■"'P '"-i ^l-'Uy.
- ~athe aWst dreadld^ttnreot;^--:^

i^ ^^^^ZZ:^:, f -^ -ghWing eot.

'[hey slept weil and soundly for the [ ''""*"« ""^ ''"ri-""-
•he bread 'hey consumedt^s I^ntl™ '" J? '""'"" "-^
.he,r hands ; their fortunes hungno on I™ > ""= ''''°'" "f
wave and wind, „or on the flue uaZsT , "'"" "'' "'' °'^««
•hey depended on their own eter >!" ^' 'iomn.ercial worJd-
and which yielded ple„tif„I,;i~^J"'' .""^ '=""' 'hey tilled,
domesfc strife, that follows ,n h Lat r"/"''- <^'""''«ed
"ust never have entered that huLt ^ ° d.sappointed hopes

•emptations of pride and an,bti„™tht;'«' ""' ""^ '"*«
ary men's eyes ; nor the folhe of 'f! "?'' "''P f""" "^ion!

-"dustry ,„ satisfy vitiated a^peri es 'T' """^'' '"^ 'he fruits „f
and qu,e, consciences, generous ., '"""' ex,ravagance,_

and true love, bro,,g,u\trD ffl'^/'-^ f-"' -d -c re
domes„c felicities, which it were hetv. .'' n """ °'' ""'^ ''°« »f
'U"«e cts, ,0 taste but Cor aliL ""'^ ""' '"' "'' P"" u-for-

THE MYSTERIES OP MONTUEAL.

" Where shall I go ?» exclaimed Donald on rising adruptly, like
ditTon" ' ^°'' ^'' ^^^' '' ^' '"^^'"^^ ''^'''''^ °" ^»« ^°»-

^^ "If these people discover me with this child," he continued,
they will naturally suspect foul play; and I have little time left
to dev.se some means of escaping detection, for they will soon be
out,^and then who knows what may happen me for my night's

And he mused awhile, his arms crossed over his chest, and his
gaze mchned towards the ground, attempting to fix upon some
plan to prevent bemg interfered with.

But he was not long allowed to reflect on the course he should
adopt ; for the mastiff of the place, on returning from his rounds in
^e barn-yard, perceived a stranger's presence, and gave the alarm
With a loud and generous bark, that sounded to Donald's ears, as
It It issued from a score of canine throats.

Fearing the people would awake, Donald seized the little girl
in his arms, and hurrying over a slight hill, soon disappeared in
the woods, which cover the gradual slope formed by the Moun-
tain, at its western eitemity.

"This is a quandary!" he exclaimed, on reaching a retired

r^'nl 'T^^'^^u^" ^"' '"^ '' ^''^ '^'' ^'-^Sgage where I in-
tend placing her. The country people will soon be in the fields :
the highway will be frequented , and to see me issuing from this
place, at this hour, will cause some one to interfere,— I shall be
arrested, and what will come next, but an inquiry, a conviction,
and then a punishment !"

The expression of passive despair gradually over-cast his coun-
tenance, and he buried his face in his hands, wishing, but for a
moment, that death would relieve him from his predicament For
such It IS with weak and wicked men : the instant they are' per-
plexed and thwarted in the execution of their shameful plans to
die seems a boon to them; but were the remedy applied, and their
wishes fulfilled, how different their disposition, and how promi
nemly, and in what disgusting shape, their more ignoble nature, and
cowardly character, would picture themselves !
A sigh from the sleeping child roused Donald from the stupor

THE MYSTERIES OF MONTREAL.

into which the exaggerated sense of his misery had plunged him,
and once more his evil passions found their sway.

'« She will awake soon, and how am I to protect myself from
her cries ?" he said, dreading that the voice of innocence might
call for retribution on his guilty head. '' Shall I abandon her ?"
he ejaculated, after a moment's pause ; " Shall I place my hand
on her mouth ? But this would be murder ! And why should I
destroy this poor thing ? She has never harmed me ; besides, is
she not my kin, the daughter of my brother Roderick ? Nature s
voice forbids me committing the crime. Yet she may doom me
to degrading punishment— and I should deserve it, for why wreak
my vengeance on the offspring, when it was the mother who m-
jured me ! No, I have held Clara to the conditions of our agree-
ment, that she might experience the misery I would never heap
upon her little girl. Then, rest in peace, poor child, I shall not
raise a murderer's hand on you.— Shall I leave her ? God forbid !
Donald's wrongs are not to be so tamely satisfied ! A fine result
of my night's labor ;— nay, of twelve year's incessant watching
and wretchedness ! I shall not trust so valuable a treasure to the
man who would find her alive in this place ; nor confide her to the
mournful mercies of some compassionate Robin, should she ex-
pire in these woods."

" Then, she is so sweet— she will grow to be such a fine wo-
man !" he continued, removing the cloak, and gazing rapturously
on her delicate features, as he softly kissed her over the eyes ;
for there was something angel-like as they lay closed, and cast
their long silky lash around them. His mind seemed to acquire
momentary quiet, from the holy influence the youthful creature's
repose exercised on his rude heart ; and his conversion would
have dated from that minute, so sanctifying is the contact of
female purity, had not the thirst for vengeance and retaliation been
so strong in his bosom.

«' And is it possible," he exclaimed afresh, his eye reddening
with passion, and his heart brimful with jealousy ; " that so beau-
tiful a child should belong to another than I ? I, who cherished
the cruel woman so madly ! A curse on my destiny ! Yet, by
that beauty I may see myself avenged, and this is another reason

''^f

!5T

■P

THE MYSTERIES OF MONTREAL.

why I should retain possession of her. Relinquish her when safe
in my grasp — when Clara has the proofs of her shame, and I am
without proofs to substantiate it — No, no, I part not with her so ;
besides, how ridiculous should I appear in that woman's eyes, upon
allowing so favorable an opportunity to escape me, of inflicting
a deep wound in her heart ! Clara Stirling, know that my rage is
not so impotent ; it is not a child's whim ; and may you live to
see the fruits of your love felled to the ground by adversity's
blast ! Yes, may you never die till you have known that Donald
can hate as much as he loved !"

Thus, step by step, did McDonald work his passionate temper
into a fearful state of excitement. The fear of losing his prey and
an opportunity of avenging himself, at first enraged him ; then,
the many dangers, to his personal safety, attendant upon a discov-
ery of his villanous acts and purposes, inspired him with still
greater passion. He, therefore, felt that a two-fold object was to
be achieved, by securing against an exposure that threatened to
mar his plot ; and what tantalized him most, was the feeling that
his mental energies could not devise a means of preventing detec-
tion, however much he taxed their ingenuity. He felt within his
soul, that Providence opposed him ; and, with too much pusillani-
mity, in his corrupt heart, to dare rebel against a power he feared,
as much as he hated it, he repressed those sacrilegious and horrid
imprecations, to which a bolder man would have given vent, in his
idle fury.

Moreover, he trembled at the thought of appearing ridiculous
in Clara's eyes. That mistaken notion of self regard, therefore,
prevailed upon him to turn a deaf hear to all noble sugges-
tions ; and it is not surprising, for one would rather suffer death
than appear ridiculous before the woman he has loved ; because, in
exciting her derision, it is arming her with a galling plea, she may
urge for not returning our passion ; it lowers us in our own estima-
tion ; and who knows but this feeling is the cause of many a sui-
cide, when the party experiencing it has no confidence in
himself !

The vehemence of his incoherent soliloquy, made Donald heed-
less of the risk he ran by tarrying longer in that place ; and it

"TT^^H

THE MYSTEHIES OF MONTREAL.

was not for some minutes after, he attained sufficient self-com-
mand to perceive his dangerous situation. , ,. , • ,
He would have sought for another retreat, but the little girl
seemed to sk ep less soundly. Her breathing became short, hur-
ried. and hard ; some painful dream must have seized upon her
for she groaned, stifled sobs issued from her convulsed bosom, and
her little hands were up-raised as if to repel an «s«ai ant-at last,
she could find voice, and a sharp, shrill shriek thrilled Donald »
whole frame willi horror.

Before he could start to his feet, the child had sprung away, and
was speeding through the forest like a deer. Her cloak had drop-
red • her hair waved in the wind as she ran ; and, thus flying over
rock and fallen tree, she personified some fair wood-nymph, dis-
turbed in her recess, and seeking to hide herself from a stranger s
intrusive glance, in the deeper solitudes of the forest.

On recovering from the extreme astonishment, into which the
young fugitive's sudden motion had thrown him, Donald rose to
pursue her; but she had disappeared in the dense brush-wood
abounding i^ that vicinity. He gnashed his teeth w.th rage, for
he dreaded she might reach some habitation before he could over-
take her. His fury imparted speed to his pace ; and boundmg
Ue aw Id beast iter its prey, he dashed through the thtcke,
^Med by the noise the child made in breaking down the dried

'' Aft«?few mtal-s chase, he shouted with joy, like the hunts-
man that sees the object of his sport, as he perceived her emerg-
™ from the wood into a cleared spot; and he chuckled with de-
hght at the expectation of soon regaining possession of the litUe
'frl. But his fiendish exultation was of short duration, for she
darted down a hill, and turned towards a small hut that lay below,
Idling that direction more through the influence of Providence,
thin wlrti the intention of finding a refuge at the cofs humble
door her senses were so confused !

There yet remained a short distance between her and hbera-
tion from her pursuer-a few yards more, and the villain would be
:::pelled to Ibandon the chase, lest the inmates of the hove m^
apprehend him. He, therefore, saw the necessity of a desperate

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TO THE PUBLIC.

The "Mysteries" will be completed in about Fifteen
Parts, at 7|d. each.

As a limited issue is contemplated, parties in town, as well
as at a distance, desirous of receiving the wovli as it comes
out, should leave their address, and at least Five .Shillings,
in advance, with the Publisher.

{jQ^ Part II, will be issued on the first of October, and
the succeeding Parts on the First and Fifteenth of each
month*

Montreal, September^ 1846.

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