nd he broke off. "I cannot go on, I
cannot tell you, but you can read it for yourself. In that diary which
I gave you there are some pages missing." The suspense was becoming
intolerable to me, and I broke in, "Yes, yes, I know; you cut them out.
Tell me where they are," He went on--"Yes, I cut them out lest they
should possibly fall into anyone's hands unaware. But before you read
them you must swear, as you hope for salvation, that you will never try
to do what is written in them. Swear this to me now, or I never can
let you see them." My eagerness was too great to stop now to discuss
trifles, and to humour him I swore as desired. He had been speaking with
a continual increasing effort; he cast a hurried and fearful glance
round as though he expected to see someone listening, and it was almost
in a whisper that he went on, "You will find them in--" His agitation
had become most painful to watch, and as he spoke the last words a
convulsion passed over his face, and speech failing him, he sank back on
his pillow. A strange fear took hold of me. For a moment I thought there
were others on the terrace beside myself, and turned round expecting to
see Miss Maltravers returned; but we were still alone. I even fancied
that just as Sir John spoke his last words I felt something brush
swiftly by me. He put up his hands, beating the air with a most painful
gesture, as though he were trying to keep off an antagonist who had
gripped him by the throat, and made a final struggle to speak. But the
spasm was too strong for him; a dreadful stillness followed, and he was
gone.

There is little more to add; for Sir John's guilty secret, perished with
him. Though I was sure from his manner that the missing leaves were
concealed somewhere at Worth, and though as executor I caused the most
diligent search to be made, no trace of them was afterwards found; nor
did any circumstance ever transpire to fling further light upon the
matter. I must confess that I should have felt the discovery of these
pages as a relief; for though I dreaded what I might have had to read,
yet I was more anxious lest, being found at a later period and falling
into other hands, they should cause a recrudescence of that plague which
had blighted Sir John's life.

Of the nature of the events which took place on that night at Naples
I can form no conjecture. But as certain physical sights have ere now
proved so revolting as to unhinge the intellect, so I can imagine th