while, as impatient as her mistress, went as often to the casement to listen, and returned almost as much disap pointed. She, at length mentioned Signor Verezzi, and her fear lest he should enter the chamber by the staircase door. But the night is now almost past, mademoiselle, said she recollecting herself; there is the morning light begining to peep over those mountains yonder, in the east. Emily had forgotten, till this moment, that such a person existed as Verezzi, and all the danger that had appeared to threaten her; but the mention of his name renewed her alarm, and she remembered the old chest she had wished to place against the door, which she now, with Annette, attempted to move, but it was so heavy that they could not lift it from the floor. What is in this great old chest, mademoiselle, said Annette, that makes it so weighty? Emily having replied, that she found it in the chamber, when she first came to the castle, and had never examined it.Then I will, ma'amselle, said Annette, and tried to lift the lid; but this was held by a lock, for which she had no key, and which indeed, appeared, from its peculiar construction, to open with a spring. The morning now glim mered through the casements, and the wind had sunk into a calm. Emily looked out upon the dusky woods, and on the twilight mountains, just stealing on the eye, and saw the whole scene, after the storm, lying in profound stillness, the woods motionless, and the clouds above, through which the dawn trembled, scarcely appearing to move along the heavens. One soldier was pacing the terrace beneath, with measured steps; and two, more distant were sunk asleep on the walls, wearied with the night's watch. Having inhaled, for a while, the pure spirit of the air, and of vegetation, which the late rains had called forth; and having listened, once more, for a note of music, she now closed the easement and retired to rest. -0000 CHAPTER XXXIV. Thus on the chill Lapponian's dreary land, BEATTIE. SEVERAL of her succeeding days passed in suspense, for Ludovico could only learn from the soldiers that there was a prisoner in the apartment, described to him by Emily, and that he was a Frenchman, whom they had taken in one of their skirmishes, with a party of his countrymen. During this interval, Emily escaped the persecutions of Bertolini and Verezzi, by confining herself to her apartment; except that sometimes, in an evening, she ventured to walk in the adjoining corridor. Montoni appeared to respect his last promise, though he had profaned his first; for to his protection only could she attribute her present repose; and in this she was now so secure, that she did not wish to leave the castle till she could obtain sonie certainty concerning Valancourt; for which she waited, indeed, without any sacrifice of her own comfort, since no circumstance occurred to make her escape probable. On the fourth day, Ludovico informed her, that he had hopes of being admitted to the presence of the prisoner; it being the turn of a soldier, with whom he had been for Home time familiar, to attend him on the following night. He was not deceived in his hope; for, under pretence of garrying in a pitcher of water, he entered the prison, though his prudence having prevented him from telling the sentinel the real motive of his visit, he was obliged to make his conference with the prisoner a very short one. Easily awaited the result in her own apartment, Ludov ico having promised to accompany Annette to the corridor in the evening; where, after several hours impatiently ouated, he arrived. Emily, having then uttered the name of Valancourt, could articulate no more, but hesitated in trembling expectation. The chevalier would not intrust ne with his name, signora, replied Ludovico; but when I just mentioned yours, he seemed overwhelmed with joy, though he was not so much surprised as I expected. Does he then remember me? she exclaimed. O! it is M. Valancourt, said Annette, and looked impatiently at Ludovico, who understood her look, and replied 40 Emily: Yes, lady, the chevalier does, indeed, remember you, and, I am sure, has a very great regard for you, and I made bold to say you had for him. He then inquired how you came to know he was in the castle, and whether you ordered me to speak to him. The first question I could not answer, but the second I did; and then he went off into his ecstacies again. I was afraid his joy would have betrayed him to the sentinel at the door. But how does he look, Ludovico? interrupted Emily:is he not melancholy and ill with his long confinemcut?Why, as to melancholy, I saw no symptom of that, lady, while I was with him, for he seemed in the finest spirits I ever saw any body in all my life. His countenance was all joy, and, if one may judge from that, he was very well; Jut I did not ask him. Did he send me no message? said remity. O yea, signora, and something besides, replied Ludovico, who searched his pockets. Surely, I have not lostit, added he. The chevalier said he would have written, madam, if he had had pen and ink, and was going to have sent a very long message, when the sentinel entered the room, but not before he had given me this. Ludovico then drew forth a miniature from his bosom, which Emily received with a trembling hand, and perceived to be a portrait of herself the very picture which her mother had lost so strangely in the fishing house at La Vallee. Tears of mingled joy and tenderness flowed to her eyes, while Ludovico proceeded-Tell your lady, said the che valier, as he gave me the picture, that this has been my companion, and only solace, in all my misfortunes. Tell her that I have worn it next my heart, and that I send it her as the pledge of an affection which can never die ; that I would not part with it, but to her, for the wealth of worlds; and that I now part with it, only in the hope of soon receiving it from her hands. Tell her-Just then, signora, the sentinel came in, and the chevalier said no more; but he had before asked me to contrive an interview for him with you; and when I told how little hope I had of prevailing with the guard to assist me, he said that was not, perhaps, of so much consequence as 1 imagined, and bade me contrive to bring back your answer, and be would inform me of more than he chose to do then. So this, I think, lady, is the whole of what passed. How, Ludovico, shall I reward you for your zeal? said Emily but, indeed, I do not now possess the means.When can you see the chevalier again? That is uncertain, signora, replied he. It depends upon who stands guard next; there are not more than one or two among them, from whom I would dare to ask admittance to the prison chamber. I need not bid you remember, Ludovico, resumed Emily, how very much interested I am in your seeing the cheva lier soon; and when you do so, tell him that I have receiv ed the picture, and, with the sentiments he wished. Tell hin I have suffered much, and still suffer-She paused. But shall I tell him you will see him, lady? said Ludovico. Most certainly I will, replied Emily. But when, signora, and where? That must depend upon circumstances, returned Emily. The place and the hour must be regulated by his opportunities. As to the place, mademoiselle, said Annette, there is no other place in the castle, besides this corridor, where e can see him in safety, you know; and, as for the hour--15 must be when the signors are all asleep, if that ever hap pens! You may mention these circumstances to the chev alier, Ludovico, said she, checking the flippancy of Annette, and leave them to his judgment and opportunity. Tell him my heart is unchanged. But, above all, let him see you again as soon as possible; and, Ludovico, I think it is needless to tell you I shall very anxiously look for you. Having then wished her a good night, Ludovico descended the staircase, and Emily retired to rest, but not to sleep, for joy now rendered her as wakeful as she had ever been from grief. Montoni and his castle had all vanished from her mind, like the frightful vision of a necromancer, and she wandered, once more, in fairy scenes of unfading happiness: "As when, beneath the beam Of summer moons, the distant woods among, The soft embodied Fays through airy portals stream." A week elapsed before Ludovico again visited the prison; for the sentinels, during that period, were inen in whom he could not confide, and he feared to awaken curiosity, by asking to see their prisoner. In this interval, he communicated to Emily terrific reports of what was passing in the castle; of riots, quarrels, and of carousals more alarm. ing than either; while from some circumstances which he mentioned, she not only doubted whether Montoni meant ever to release her, but greatly feared that he had designs concerning her-such as she had formerly dreaded. Her name was frequently mentioned in the conversations which Bertolini and Verezzi held together, and, at those times they were frequently in contention. Montoni had lost large sums to Verezzi, so that there was a dreadful possibility of his designing her to be a substitute for the debt; but as she was ignorant that he had formerly encouraged the hopes of Bertolini, also concerning herself, after the latter had done him some signal service, she knew not how to account for these contentions between Bertolini and Verezzi. The cause of them, however, appeared to be of little consequence, for she thought she saw destruction approaching in many forms, and her entreaties to Ludovico to contrive an escape, and to see the prisoner again, were more urgent than ever. At length, he informed her that he had again visited the chevalier, who had directed him to confide in the guard of the prison, from whom he had already received some instances of kindness, and who had promised to permit his going into the castle for half an hour, on the ensuing night, when Montoni and his companions should be engaged at their carousals. This was kind to be sure, added Ludovico; but Sebastian knows he runs no risk in letting the chevalier out, for, if he can get beyond the bars and iron doors of the castle, he must be cunning indeed. But the chevalier desired me, signora, to go to you immediately, and to beg you would allow him to visit you this night, if it was only for a moment, for that he could no longer live under the same roof without seeing you; the hour, he said, he would not mention, for it must depend on circumstances (just as you said, signora ;) and the place he desired you would appoint, as knowing which was best for your own safety. Emily was now so much agitated by the near prospect of meeting Valancourt, that it was some time before she could give any answer to Ludovico, or consider of the place of meeting; when she did, she saw none that promised so much security as the corridor, near her own apartiment, which she was checked from leaving, by the apprehension of meeting any of Montoni's guests, on their way to their rooms; and she dismissed the scruples which delicacy opposed, now that a serious danger was to be avoided by encountering them. It was settled, therefore, that the chevalier should meet her in the corridor, at that hour of the night which Ludovico, who was to be upon the watch, should judge safest; and Emily as inay be imagined, passed this interval in a tumult of hope and joy, anxiety and impatience. Never, since her residence in the castle, had she watched, with so much pleasure, the sun set behind the mountains, and twilight shade and darkness veil the scene, as on this evening. She counted the notes of the great clock, and listened to the steps of the sentinels as they changed the watch, only to rejoice that another hour was gone. O Valancourt! said she, after all I have suffered; after our long, long separation, when I thought I should never-never see you more-we are still to meet again! O! I have endured grief, and anxiety, and terror, and let me then not sink beneath this joy! These were moments, when it was impossible for her to feel emotions of regret, or melancholy, for any ordinary interests-even the reflection, that she had resigned the estates which would have been a provision for herself and Valancourt for life, threw only a light and transient shade upon her spirits. The idea of Valancourt, and that she should see him so soon, alone occupied her heart. At length the clock struck twelve; she opened the door to listen if any noise was in the castle, and heard only distant sounds of riot and laughter, echoed feebly along the gallery. She guessed that the signor and his guests were at the banquet. They are now engaged for the night, said she, and Valancourt will soon be here. Having softly closed the door, she paced the room with impatient steps, and often went to the casement to listen for the lute; but all was silent, and her agitation every moment increasing, she was at length unable to support herself, and sat down by the window. Annette, whom she detained, was, in the mean time, as loquacious as usual; but Emily heard scarcely anything she said, and having at length risen to the casement, she distinguished the chords of the lute, |