eave me now! Let me
regain my own chamber alone; I have reasons, urgent reasons for so
doing; and this afternoon, Agnes, I shall be composed--collected again.
Do you proceed by that path; I will take this."

And, hastily pressing her hand, Wagner broke abruptly away.

For a few moments Agnes stood looking after him in vacant astonishment
at his extraordinary manner, and also at his alarming appearance, but
concerning which latter she had not dared to question him.

When he had entered the mansion by a private door, Agnes turned and
pursued her way along a circuitous path shaded on each side by dark
evergreens, and which was the one he had directed her to take so as to
regain the front gate of the dwelling.

But scarcely had she advanced a dozen paces, when a sudden rustling
among the trees alarmed her; and in an instant a female form--tall,
majestic, and with a dark veil thrown over her head, stood before her.

Agnes uttered a faint shriek: for, although the lady's countenance was
concealed by the veil, she had no difficulty in recognizing the stranger
who had already terrified her on three previous occasions, and who
seemed to haunt her.

And, as if to dispel all doubt as to the identity, the majestic lady
suddenly tore aside her veil, and disclosed to the trembling, shrinking
Agnes, features already too well known.

But, if the lightning of those brilliant, burning, black eyes had seemed
terrible on former occasions, they were now absolutely blasting, and
Agnes fell upon her knees, exclaiming, "Mercy! mercy! how have I
offended you?"

For a few moments those basilisk-eyes darted forth shafts of fire and
flame, and the red lips quivered violently, and the haughty brow
contracted menacingly, and Agnes was stupefied, stunned, fascinated,
terribly fascinated by that tremendous rage, the vengeance of which
seemed ready to explode against her.

But only a few moments lasted that dreadful scene; for the lady, whose
entire appearance was that of an avenging fiend in the guise of a
beauteous woman, suddenly drew a sharp poniard from its sheath in her
bodice, and plunged it into the bosom of the hapless Agnes.

The victim fell back; but not a shriek--not a sound escaped her lips.
The blow was well aimed, the poniard was sharp and went deep, and death
followed instantaneously.

For nearly a minute did the murderess stand gazing on the corpse--the
corpse of one erst so beautiful; and her countenance, gradually relaxi