towards her."

"And the count?"

"His agitation was inexpressible! With his clenched hands he grasped
convulsively the arms of his chair, the perspiration stood on his brow,
and he scarcely breathed, whilst his burning and fixed eyes never
quitted mine; his agony was equal to his wife's. The remainder of Madame
d'Harville's letter will tell you the conclusion of this painful scene,
monseigneur."

Rodolph continued the perusal of Madame d'Harville's letter:

"After a conversation in German, which lasted for some minutes,
between Sir Walter Murphy and Polidori, Sir Walter said to the
latter, 'Now reply. Was it not madame,' and he looked towards my
stepmother, 'who, during the illness of the count's first wife,
introduced you to him as a physician?'

"'Yes, it was!' replied Polidori.

"'In order that you might serve the horrid projects of madame,
were you not criminal enough to render mortal, by your deadly
prescriptions, the malady of the Countess d'Orbigny, which was
but slight in the first instance?'

"'Yes!' replied Polidori. My father heaved a painful sigh,
raised both his hands to heaven, and let them fall perfectly
overcome.

"'Lies and infamies!' cried my stepmother; 'it is all false,--a
plot got up to destroy me!'

"'Silence, madame!' said Sir Walter Murphy, in an authoritative
voice. Then continuing to address Polidori, 'Is it true that
three days since madame was at your residence in the Rue du
Temple, No. 17, where you lived under the assumed name of
Bradamanti?'

"'That is true.'

"'Did not madame propose to you to come here to assassinate the
Comte d'Orbigny, as you had assassinated his wife?'

"'Alas! I cannot deny it!' said Polidori.

"At this overwhelming revelation my father rose up, then,
extending his arms to me, he exclaimed, in a broken voice, 'In
the name of your unfortunate mother, pardon, pardon! I made her
suffer much, but I swear to you I was a stranger to the crime
which led her to the tomb!' and before I could prevent it, my
father fell at my knees. When Sir Walter and I raised him he had
fainted. I rang for the servants. Sir Walter took Polidori by
the arm and led him out of the room with him, saying to my
stepmother, 'Believe me, madame, it is best for you to leave
this house within an hour, otherwise I will deliver you up to
justice.' The wretched woman left the room in