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Emily, concealing the curiosity occasioned by the mysterious hints she had formerly heard on that subject.

I have heard all about it, Ma'amselle, said Annette, looking round the chamber and drawing closer to Emily; Benedetto told me as we travelled together: says he, Annette, you don't know about this castle here, that we are going to? No, says I, Mr. Benedetto, pray what do you know? But, Ma'amselle, you can keep a secret, or I would not tell it you for the world; for I promised never to tell, and they say that the signor does not like to have it talked of.

If you promised to keep this secret, said Emily, you do right not to mention it.

Annette paused a moment, and then said, O, but to you, Ma'amselle, to you I may tell it safely, I know.

Emily smiled: I certainly shall keep it as faithfully as yourself, Annette.

Annette replied very gravely, that would do, and proceeded-This castle, you must know, Ma'amselle, is very old, and very strong, and has stood out many sieges as they say. Now it was not Signor Montoni's always, nor his father's; no: but, by some law or other, it was to come to the signor if the lady died unmarried.

What lady? said Emily.

I am not come to that yet, replied Annette; it is the lady I am going to tell you about, Ma'amselle; but, as I was saying, this lady lived in the castle, and had every thing very grand about her, as you may suppose, Ma'amselle. The signor used often to come to see her, and was in love with her, and offered to marry her; for, though he was somehow related, that did not signify. But she was in love with somebody else, and would not have him, which made him very angry, as they say; and you know, Ma'amselle, what an ill-looking gentleman he is when he is angry. Perhaps she saw him in a passion, and therefore would not have him. But, as I was saying, she was very melancholy and unhappy, and all that, for a long while, and-Holy Virgin! what noise is that? did not you hear a sound, Ma'amselle?

It was only the wind, said Emily; but do come to the end of your story.

As I was saying-O, where was I?-as I was saying-she was very melancholy and unhappy a long while, and used to walk about upon the terrace, there, under the windows, by herself, and cry so! it would have done your heart good to hear her. That is-I don't mean good, but it would have made you cry too, as they tell me.

Well, but, Annette, do tell me the substance of your tale.

All in good time, Ma'am: all this I heard before at Venice, but what is to come I never heard till to-day. This happened a great many years ago, when Signor Montoni was quite a young man. The lady-they called her Signora Laurentini, was very handsome, but she used to be in great passions too, sometimes, as well as the signor. Finding he could not make her listen to him-what does he do, but leave the castle, and never comes near it for a long time! but it was all one to her; she was just as unhappy whether he was here or not, till one evening -Holy St. Peter! Ma'amselle, cried Annette, look at that lamp, see how blue it burns! She looked fearfully round the chamber. Ridiculous girl! said Emily, why will you indulge those fancies? Pray let me hear the end of your story, I am weary.

Annette still kept her eyes on the lamp, and proceeded in a lower voice. It was one evening, they say, at the latter end of the year, it might be about the middle of September, I suppose, or the beginning of October; nay, for that matter, it might be November, for that, too, is the latter end of the year; but that I cannot say for certain, because they did not tell me for certain themselves. However, it was at the latter end of the year, this grand lady walked out of the castle into the woods below, as she had often done before, all alone, only her maid was with her. The wind blew cold, and strewed the leaves about, and whistled dismally among those great old chesnut-trees that we passed, Ma'amselle, as we came to the castlefor Benedetto showed me the trees as he was talking-the wind blew cold, and her woman would have persuaded her to return: but all would not do, for she was fond of walking in the woods at evening time, and if the leaves were falling about her, so much the better.

Well, they saw her go down among the woods, but night came, and she did not return; ten o'clock, eleven o'clock, twelve o'clock came, and no lady! Well, the servants thought, to be sure, some accident had befallen her, and they went out to seek her. They searched all night long, but could not find her, or any trace of her; and, from that day to this, Ma'amselle, she has never been heard of.

Is this true, Annette? said Emily in much surprise.

True, Ma'am! said Annette with a look of horror, yes, it is true, indeed. But they do say, she added, lowering her voice, they do say, that the signora has been seen several times since walking in the woods and about the castle in the night: se veral of the old servants, who remained here some time after, declare they saw her; and since then, she has been seen by some of the vassals, who have happened to be in the castle, at night. Carlo the old steward could tell such things, they say, if he would!

How contradictory is this, Annette! said Emily; you say nothing has been since known of her, and yet she has been seen!

But all this was told me for a great secret, rejoined Annette, without noticing the remark; and I am sure, Ma'am, you would not hurt either me or Benedetto, so much as to go and tell it again. Emily remained silent, and Annette repeated her last sentence.

You have nothing to fear from my indiscretion, replied Emily; and letme advise you, my good Annette, be discreet yourself, and never mention what you have just told me to any other person. Signor Montoni, as you say, may be angry if he hears of it. But what inquiries were made concerning the lady?

O! a great deal, indeed, Ma'amselle, for the signor laid claim to the castle directly, as being the next heir; and they said, that is, the judges, or the senators, or somebody of that sort, said, he could not take possession of it till so many years were gone by, and then, if after all the lady could not be found, why she would be as good as dead, and the castle would be his own; and so it is his But the story went round, and many strange reports were spread, so very strange, Ma'amselle, that I shall not tell them.

own.

That is stranger still, Annette, said Emily smiling, and rousing herself from her reverie. But when Signora Laurentini was afterwards seen in the castle, did nobody speak to her?

Speak-speak to her! cried Annette with a look of terror; no, to be sure.

And why not? rejoined Emily, willing to hear further.

Holy Mother! speak to a spirit!

But what reason had they to conclude it was a

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spirit, unless they had approached and spoken tơ

it?

O Ma'amselle, I cannot tell. How can you ask such shocking questions? But nobody ever saw it come in or go out of the castle; and it was in one place now, and then the next minute in quite another part of the castle; and then it never spoke, and if it was alive, what should it do in the castle if it never spoke? Several parts of the castle have never been gone into since, they say, for that very

reason.

What, because it never spoke? said Emily, trying to laugh away the fears that began to steal upon her.

No, Ma'amselle, no, replied Annette rather angrily; but because something has been seen there. They say too, there is an old chapel adjoining the west side of the castle, where any time at midnight you may hear such groans!-it makes one shudder to think of them;-and strange sights have been seen there

Pr'ythee, Annette, no more of these silly tales, said Emily.

Silly tales, Ma'amselle! O, but I will tell you one story about this, if you please, that Caterina told me. It was one cold winter's night that Caterina (she often came to the castle then, she says, to keep old Carlo and his wife company, and so he recommended her afterwards to the signor, and she has lived here ever since) - Caterina was sitting with them in the little hall: says Carlo, I wish we had some of those figs to roast, that lie in the storecloset, but it is a long way off, and I am loth to fetch them; do, Caterina, says he, for you are young and nimble, do bring us some, the fire is in nice trim for roasting them; they lie, says he, in such a corner of the store-room, at the end of the north gallery; here, take the lamp, says he, and mind,

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