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credulity which has no bounds." Musing thus the reader of a thousand hearts before betrayed no signs of how deeply she had fathomed this one. The hands clasped upon the bosom, and sinking once more into a reposeful attitude, self-complacent as if enjoying the incense offered by a new worshiper, she looked again, and murmured, "Your eyes pain me!" The full breast heaved a sigh, the fan fell to the floor, and, as the skillful knave restored it to its place, her voice grew more soft and musical, while, reaching out the jeweled hand, and suffering it to rest for a moment encircled by the fingers that had just restored the ornament, the red lips whispered, "At least, my Dear Sir, let us be friends."

Unholy fires began to sparkle in the cold and calculating eye. Quick to follow up the advantage which she divined at once to have been gained, the Siren rose, inclining the head toward him as she moved away, with a glance in which coy timidity seemed mingling with doubt, irresolution, and a dawning love; then, reaching the sideboard, poured out a glass of wine, following it with another from the same flask and placing the two upon a salver. While a slight sound in the hall below afforded pretext for averting the face as if to listen, she extended the beverage, carefully watching in the mirror to perceive which glass he might select.

The rogue reasoned, "This drink cannot be hocussed. She poured both wine glasses fair from the same decanter. Her face is turned away. I'll take the one nearest to her, and leave her the one which she means for me. Let me see her drink first, too." The lady watched the motion in the mirror, the workings of the face, the furtive eye-glance, while her lips wreathed sardonically as she beheld him take, the glass which she had prepared for him.

Again the jeweled hand sought the sideboard, this time to produce daintily-cut morsels of richly fruited cake. The

burglar sat at ease, eyeing the wine, not yet venturing to taste. Gaily humming a note or two of some lively air, the wanton, now ringing her own glass against the one held by her neighbor, and then with "Must I set the example," sipped, and chatted, and broke the shreds of cake; while, feeling now entire security, the dark spirit with whom she had just pledged friendship, drained the sweet elixir.

"Come, my friend," resumed blithe Wantonness, while Cunning Joe felt delicious languor stealing along the veins and coiling itself within the breast: "Come, my friend, I am disengaged for the evening. You will not leave me." The poison began to work; it was one that intoxicates the senses while it beguiles the reason into rash security.

The burglar began to think "This is better than I hoped. The dimly gleaming arm stole from within the loosely flowing sleeve and momentarily rested against the hand that now reached out the empty wine glass. Securing the advantage already gained, by another death-dealing, bewildering look of the wicked, shameless eyes,-sufficiently experienced now to know that her prey was in the meshes of the net, she smiled and said, "You have never seen the cage where we keep the singing bird which Tofton and yourself have so kindly left with us. Would you like a sly peep?"

Still more subtly worked the two fold intoxication of the drug that bewilders the senses and the vice that burns into the soul. Briskly as a youthful gallant, with cunning leer and words of assent, the guest arose, while the sorceress who had beguiled him opened the door of the guarded staircase. They ascended together on the narrow, winding way; while perfumed tresses touched his cheek. A sudden boldness worked in the heart; opportunity was tempting; he stole an eager kiss, murmuring meanwhile a sentence about love.

Love in a seraglio? Miserable counterfeit of that pure

flame which fills the bosoms of the innocent with tender yearnings, mingling with the tide of soul that goes up to God in prayer, and then flowing forth to lift the fallen, to comfort the disconsolate, to do in ten thousand deeds of holy ministration the Master's blessed will! Yet they called it "love," as Satan calls vice "virtue," and fain would persuade the silly enthusiast that Heaven's joys are but a dreamy pretence and Hell's torments an eternal satisfaction. They were now at the threshold of the apartment of Charity Green, entering while still the whispered sentence had not died away. The innocent maiden rose with a look of silent inquiry not unmingled with woful terror; and now the strong man's limbs began to grow weak, while the film of coming stupor gathered before the brain. Bidding her guest be seated, the deceiver touched again the burning hand and glanced searchingly, while incoherent words began to take the place of the collected answer. Then the curtain fell.

"Charity, my dear," said Madame blandly, "have the goodness to follow me to the apartment below." The door closed with a spring lock. Chelmsford was encaged, unconscious of his condition, within the secluded prison prepared, by his own adroit management, for Charity Green.

CHAPTER XXXI.

THE NEW WILL.

The will of the Earl of Riverside had been duly proved. Dated a month previous to his sudden decease it contained provisions under which hitherto the executors had retained possession and admistered upon the estate. Of the entailed property, descending with the fief of Riverside, the val uable freehold known once as Marshland, and including the fertile meadow divided by the ancient Richmanstown causeway, on which Sloppery now stood, had passed, by course of law, into the hands of Squire Brompton of the Priory, as trustee of the unknown heirs of Sir Miles Wallingford, it having been decided that, by virtue of the terms of the instrument under which it had originally gone into the possession of that ancient family, no act of attainder or confiscation could ever cause it to be alienated from the heirs male. The unentailed property proving to be far more valuable than had been supposed, Dr. Hartwell, as residuary legatee, became the possessor of thirty thou sand pounds sterling, after the sums set apart for the payment of the bequests to whomsoever should produce the missing heiress had been reserved.

A new will was now discovered, dated at the town house of the Earl, only a few days prior to his death. The attor ney entrusted with the settlement of the sporting obligations of the deceased nobleman, and in his confidence for years, testified, under oath, that a secret drawer in the escritoir of the late Earl, used as a receptacle for such pri

vate papers as referred to the pleasures of a man about town, and which hitherto had been unsuspected, having been found to exist, the important document was contained within one of its compartments. There it might have slumbered still had it not been necessary to search for a lost package of receipts from sporting parties, debts of this nature, supposed to be cancelled, having been revived.

Mr. Bluefil, the Attorney, on producing this unexpected prize, betrayed no personal interest in its recovery. Written in the hand of Earl Roger, and in his brief, sententious style, the disconnected and ill-formed letters betrayed that death was already feeling after the fingers that held the pen. Reversing many of the legacies of the former document, it bequeathed all of the unentailed estate to the nephew of the testator, the Rev. Alphonso Bushwig, appointing him also sole executor. The preamble stated that the former will was revoked; it having been established to his mind that the missing heiress, abducted by gipsies, had deceased at Coddlington Green; and also that the character of his nephew had been grievously misrepre sented by persons formerly in his confidence.

On making this discovery, Attorney Bluefil addressed a letter from London to the Rector of Richmanstown, mentioning full particulars, and asking for instructions. The Divine replied by mail, that his solicitor was Sergeant Wildfire, of Lincoln's Inn; and that Mr. Bluefil would add to the present very sensible weight of obligations by an immediate consultation.

The learned Sergeant informed the Rector at once that the will was genuine, according to the best of his knowledge, that experts had pronounced the hand-writing to be that of the late Earl, and, so certain was he of its validity, that ten thousand pounds could be borrowed, if necessary, upon its face.

By the tenor of this, about sixty thousand pounds of

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