o rise
slowly on his golden couch; his bed was occupied by a spectre, and
near the costly lamp, which shed a pale light round the chamber, the
chains of the martyr seemed to descend from the ceiling. Diocletian
uttered a cry that might have penetrated the grave. His guards ran
in, but instantly grew pale, drew back, and, pointing to the object
which caused an icy sweat to cover the imperial brow, they said with
horror to each other: "It is the Christian."

Thus a guilty conscience summons imaginary terrors around it. Cain
fled when no one pursued. Nero heard invisible trumpets ringing his
death-knell around the tomb of his mother. How often has the mountain
bandit, whose hand trembled not at murder, shuddered with fear, as
he hastened through the forest, at the sound of a branch waving in
the wind, or felt his hair stand erect with terror on beholding a
distant bush fantastically enlightened by the moon! Conscience has
made cowards of the most sanguinary freebooters and the most shameless
oppressors. The dreadful "worm that dieth not," and banishes every
cheerful thought from the guilty soul, is not inaptly compared to the
wretch we read of in the annals of Eastern crime, condemned to carry
about with him the dead and decomposing body of his murdered victim.

It is not to be expected that Charles escaped the agonies of a guilty
conscience. From the moment she left the church in Milan the usual
and dreadful struggle between shame and grace, humility and pride,
commenced in her heart. Although now and then forgotten in the
excitement of the extraordinary disguise she had assumed, nevertheless
the feeling of remorse dampened every pleasure, and added to the
disguise of her person another disguise of false joy to her countenance.
This reaction caused an important feature in the life of Alvira during
her stay in the beautiful town of Messina, whither we must ask our
reader to follow our heroines to commence in their military career
the most interesting part of his historical romance.

The Milanese recruits were busily engaged in going through military
instruction, when orders were received that the division should
sail immediately for Messina. There are few acquainted with the
military life who do not know how disagreeable are orders to move.
The bustle, the packing, the breaking up of associations, and the
inevitable want of comfort in the military march try the courage of
the brave man more than the din of bat