protected the place of retreat of her father, of that Tiodoro, one of the most execrable rascals of whom we have to deliver Calabria. How can you be astonished, after that, that I have witnessed, without regret, the death of that young shepherd, the last obstacle between Luisella and myself! Fernand, I am bewitched!'

"You speak the truth, and I must believe you, for that foolish passion has not only made you forgetful of your duty, rebellious to discipline, eager to attain your purpose, even on the grave of an innocent? Has it not also made you forget other affections, other ties, and other promises? '

"Henrietta!' exclaimed Albéric, with anguish.

"Yes, Henrietta de Montmeillan! that angelic girl, affianced to you by her family and by your own! Henrietta, whom, when you left, you called your guardian angel, and whose sweet image had sustained you up until now, in the midst of our fatigues and our perils. Ah! you are no longer worthy of her: the guardian angel may take her flight toward heaven, for an evil genius now possesses you entirely.'

Fernand, spare me for pity's sake! No, I have not forgotten Henrietta; I have not ceased to love: at this very moment I have with me her likeness and her letters, sweet talismans which protect me. But, I repeat it, if we could believe in the jettature, I would think that Luisella had thrown a spell over me. I love her without ceasing to love Henrietta - it is another sort of love, a fever which burns and consumes me. Fernand, in me there are two beings — one, generous, honest, chivalrous, true to his friends and to his country, in short, the betrothed of Henrietta; the other, the slave of a guilty passion, not to be deterred either by folly or by crime, and it is the latter who is speaking to you now!'

But after all, what do you intend to do?

"I will tell you all. Five months ago, you know, I met with Luisella. I loved her, and without returning my love, she kept me constantly in suspense between hope and doubt; and has succeeded in using me as the instrument of her father's safety, obtaining from me an order for my men, in their rounds, to spare the farm of Gemigliano, where Tiodoro was concealed. Things went on that way till Saturday last. That day I met Luisella half-way to Martorano; never had she appeared to me so beautiful! I complained of her harshness, but she answered me with indifference; then, dissatisfied and exasperated with jealousy, I told her that I was not her dupe; that she still loved the young shepherd with whom she pretended to have quarrelled; that they had been seen together; that an officer of carabineers was not to be slighted by any girl for a young herdsman; and that I gave her notice to have her father quit the farm of Gemigliano, because I

was going to have it searched. What do you think she answered? 'Do as you please, I disengage you from your word,' and she kept on her way with an air of pride that would have become a queen. The day after, in the morning, I learned that her father had left Gemigliano.'

"Well?'

"Oh! then I was able to satisfy myself that virtuous bandits and brigands, watchful guardians of good faith and of family honor, were of pure invention, for this is what that infamous Tiodoro has done. As he found himself much less comfortable in his concealment at St. Euphemia than in the farm of Gemigliano, he notified his daughter yesterday that she must oppose my flame no longer, and that she must, on the other hand, dismiss in earnest her loving herdsman. Luisella wept a great deal, but her worthy father was inexorable: he has threatened her to deliver himself up to Captain Goguillot, and the poor child, struck with terror by that threat, has promised every thing. Tiodoro is reinstalled, since last evening, in Gemigliano; and Luisella is to receive me to-night at mid-night.'

"And the poor young herdsman?'

"Also the work of Tiodoro, my friend. Foreseeing with infernal shrewdness that that young rustic would be an obstacle between Luisella and myself, and not caring to be obliged to fly again to the depths of the forest, there to die of hunger, the worthy brigand sent notice to the Captain yesterday that young Paolo had the day before taken provisions to one of the most dangerous rebels, and that he could be found at the farm of Antonio Paëse. Thence his arrest, his condemnation, and his execution.

"And does Luisella know that Paolo has been shot?'

"Yes; and that is the strangest part of this event. In spite of the horror and disgust with which Tiodoro inspires me, I saw him an instant last night. He had given me an appointment near the farm, to speak to me about the business which concerns me. It appears that Luisella is passionately fond of me, but that she strove against that love, struggling with her own heart, clinging with a sort of desperate fervor to her first affection for Paolo. Her wish was to use her fondness for her poor herdsman, as a protection, as a safeguard against me. Fernand, a thought has crossed my mind: it is that by a singular coincidence, Luisella must have for Paolo the same feeling as the one inspired to me by Henrietta de Montmeillan; a sort of brotherly friendship, a quiet and pure tenderness, which would have sufficed her if she had not met with me, and with which I should have been satisfied, if I had not known her.'

''Well?'

"Well! the customs of this infernal country are very different from

ours. In France, the death of Paolo would have been an eternal obstacle between Luisella and me. Here it is quite the contrary; had he lived, he would have separated us forever, for, to be more certain of remaining true to him, Luisella had affianced herself to him. Owing to his death, I now hope, unless indeed his shade should come and interfere between her and me.'

"And shall you go to-night to her house?'

"I shall, and she will not refuse to admit me; she fears too much for her father! I expect to meet with sobs and tears, but no matter; I love her and I am loved by her.

“And are you certain that no snare, no ambush "Oh! I am perfectly secure. down the night-marauders for a

The firing of this evening will keep week at least. Beside, Luisella's hut is not very far in the forest. At mid-night, three claps of my hands, her window will open, and with a bound I shall be with her.' And do n't you wish me to accompany you?'

"O Fernand!' said Albéric with a reproachful tone.

"Those words were the last I could hear: the two officers moved away, and soon after even the sound of their steps was lost in the silence and darkness of the night. I need not tell you what passed in me during that conversation: all the incidents that I had hardly been able to comprehend, Luisella's confusion, her alternate coldness and tenderness, the language of Tiodoro, my arrest, Albéric's perplexity about condemning or discharging me, every thing appeared suddenly to me in a new light, still more terrible and more cruel than suspicion and doubt. While Albéric was speaking, jealousy, grief, hatred, and anger overwhelmed me; but, at the same time, it seemed to me that the wonderful chance that had preserved me from inevitable death was preparing a revenge for me.

'When I could hear no more, I half-raised myself out of my dismal concealment night had come, and looking at the stars, I reckoned that it must be near ten o'clock. I had precisely the time necessary for the accomplishment of my plans. I extricated myself entirely from the corpses that surrounded me, came out of the ditch, and gliding along the bushes, reached the forest of Saint Euphemia. There was no moon; the night was dark, though starry; I only could see a few steps before me: it was precisely what I needed.

'I made out the path that led to Luisella's hut; I took it with a sort of rage, clearing bogs and bushes. Twenty minutes after, I could see through the trees a small and rather dim light, which however served me as a guide. Ah! what would I not have given if that light, which indicated to me, through distance and darkness, Luisella's window, had been lighted for me! What rage when I thought that this was the signal to admit Albéric to my bride!—but that rage made me

strong, and I went speedily on. I was soon under the window. Luisella, dressed in black, was kneeling at the farthest end of the room, at the foot of a rude figure of the Virgin, such as are found in all the houses of my country: the light I had observed at such a distaace was under the figure. The noise I made when leaping into the room did not disturb Luisella, and I could look at her without her knowing me she was praying.

''Luisella,' said I, in a low voice.

'A shriek of terror issued from her breast: she turned, saw me, and standing erect against the wall, with a wild look, her lips perfectly livid and pale as death. His ghost! his ghost!' she exclaimed with horror.

Not the ghost, but the avenger!' said I, touching her with my burning hand.

'A few minutes of stupor and anguish elapsed, during which neither Luisella nor myself had the power of uttering a sound. At last, dragging herself toward me on her knees, and clinging to me, she said to me: 'Is it you, Paolo ? or is it your phantom?'

"It is I,' replied I, 'whom God has saved from certain death, to use my arm as the instrument of punishment and vengeance!'

To punish, to avenge! Ah! you speak the truth: I am guilty; I have deceived you; I ought to have confessed all to you; I ought to have told you to what I was compelled, for my father's safety.'

เ

Ah! I replied, with a bitter smile, that filial piety is quite touching, but Tiodoro, I am sure, would not have found you so courageous, so determined to save him, had not his safety depended on a handsome officer whom you love, and whom you are awaiting.' "For mercy's sake, Paolo! spare me, forgive me!'

"No! no mercy! no forgiveness! Had he any pity when he killed me? had you any yourself, when you allowed me to die? What had I done to you, that you should thus torture me? I have loved you as one loves who is alone in the world, and who meets with a being he adores, on whom he concentrates his heart, hope, youth, life and soul! For you I would have defied a thousand deaths! Three days ago, it was with delight that I disobeyed Manhe's terrible laws, because it was for you and with you that I faced that peril: this evening, when twenty guns were directed toward me, when those formidable weapons threatened to annihilate me, it was of you and you alone that I thought! Your beloved name was yet on my lips, my eyes sought on the horizon the place of your home; I was almost happy to die, for I thought I felt in my death itself an embrace of our mutual love! And you, you were even then bestowing your heart on another; on a Frenchman, an officer for whom you are only the caprice of a day, the fancy of an hour! Your hand, which still bore our be

trothal-ring, was pressing that cruel and perfidious hand, bargaining for your father's safety! What was I to you?-a toy, to be played with and to be broken afterward; a poor herdsman, who might be deceived without remorse, and driven to despair without crime; a ground-worm, which the heel of the handsome officer might crush before you, without a cry issuing from your breast in the attempt to protect me. I was in the way of your amours-I was only fit to die!'

"Well, then, I love him,' replied Luisella with sombre energy; ‘I love him to madness; and if that is a crime, strike me, Paolo, for I am guilty! I can neither explain nor understand myself, how that passion has by degrees engrossed my whole soul; how that man has fascinated me; how my gentle and pure tenderness for you has been effaced by his image! Yes, I love him: I am guilty, but I am not base. Albéric does not know to what extent I love him. What passed this morning, the treachery that betrayed you, the sentence by which you were condemned, the blow which was to strike you, I was ignorant of it all. My father has done the whole: it is he who announced to me a few hours ago your conviction and your death. Pitiless for my grief, for my remorse, he told me that he was lost, and that I was the cause, if I did not consent to admit Albéric this night.'

"But here, Paolo, see!' Luisella drew from her bosom a sharp and thin knife, and said to me, with an undeniable accent of truth and despair: 'After your death I was no longer a thoughtless and deluded girl; I was a widow, mourning over her betrothed, over her husband; I clothed myself in black and knelt at the foot of the Virgin. Your memory and my prayers would have been an unconquerable barrier between Alberic and myself; and had he wished to overleap it, this knife would have done justice.'

''On him?' I inquired in a low voice.

"No, on myself!' she replied with a shudder.

"In that case,' I explained, taking hold of the knife, 'that avenging weapon will change its destination, for it will strike Albéric: it is mid-night, and he will soon be here.'

'Luisella, who had risen, fell again at my feet: 'Oh! I beseech you, I entreat you,' said she, in a voice broken by sobs, any thing but that! Kill me, crush me, but not Albéric! See, Paolo, I understand you; you require a victim. Oh! yes; you have been grossly outraged; you have been betrayed, and a miracle alone has saved your life; but not Albéric! Listen: what I have said just now is not true. I wanted to move you, I wanted to save myself, coward that I am; but it is not true: Albéric is not guilty. I have done all, told all, resolved all. I am a wretch, strike me, kill me, but not Albéric!'

'She writhed at my feet. 'How much you love him!' said I coldly. 'She understood that I was inexorable; then, drawing away from