n may
venture to walk abroad. What to me is the outcry of a mob in this
remote province of the realm? The king is my master, and England is my
country; upheld by their armed strength, I set my foot upon the rabble
and defy them."

He snatched a pen and was about to affix his signature to the paper
that lay on the table, when the captain of Castle William placed his
hand upon his shoulder. The freedom of the action, so contrary to the
ceremonious respect which was then considered due to rank and dignity,
awakened general surprise, and in none more than in the
lieutenant-governor himself. Looking angrily up, he perceived that his
young relative was pointing his finger to the opposite wall.
Hutchinson's eye followed the signal, and he saw what had hitherto
been unobserved--that a black silk curtain was suspended before the
mysterious picture, so as completely to conceal it. His thoughts
immediately recurred to the scene of the preceding afternoon, and in
his surprise, confused by indistinct emotions, yet sensible that his
niece must have had an agency in this phenomenon, he called loudly
upon her:

"Alice! Come hither, Alice!"

No sooner had he spoken than Alice Vane glided from her station, and,
pressing one hand across her eyes, with the other snatched away the
sable curtain that concealed the portrait. An exclamation of surprise
burst from every beholder, but the lieutenant-governor's voice had a
tone of horror.

"By Heaven!" said he, in a low inward murmur, speaking rather to
himself than to those around him; "if the spirit of Edward Randolph
were to appear among us from the place of torment, he could not wear
more of the terrors of hell upon his face."

"For some wise end," said the aged selectman, solemnly, "hath
Providence scattered away the mist of years that had so long hid this
dreadful effigy. Until this hour no living man hath seen what we
behold."

Within the antique frame which so recently had enclosed a sable waste
of canvas now appeared a visible picture-still dark, indeed, in its
hues and shadings, but thrown forward in strong relief. It was a
half-length figure of a gentleman in a rich but very old-fashioned
dress of embroidered velvet, with a broad ruff and a beard, and
wearing a hat the brim of which overshadowed his forehead. Beneath
this cloud the eyes had a peculiar glare which was almost lifelike.
The whole portrait started so distinctly out of the background that it
had the effect of a pe