y
made her a surrender of his small property; but with difficulty did he
command sufficient calmness to accomplish even this. He was
distracted--his blood seemed to have been turned to fire--he clenched
his hands, and he gnashed his teeth, and exhibited the wildest symptoms
of madness. About ten o'clock he desired fuel for a large fire to be
brought into the kitchen, and got a strong cord, which he coiled, and
threw carelessly on the table. The family were then ordered to bed.
About eleven they were all asleep; and at the solemn hour of twelve he
heaped additional fuel upon the living turf, until the blaze shone with
scorching light upon everything around. Dark and desolating was the
tempest within him, as he paced, with agitated steps, before the
crackling fire.

"She is risen!" he exclaimed--"the spectre of all my crimes is risen to
haunt me through life! I _am_ a murderer--yet she lives, and my guilt is
not the less! The stamp of eternal infamy is upon me--the finger of
scorn will mark me out--the tongue of reproach will sting me like that
of the serpent--the deadly touch of shame will cover me like a
leper--the laws of society will crush the murderer, not the less that
his wickedness in blood has miscarried: after that comes the black and
terrible tribunal of the Almighty's vengeance--of His fiery indignation!
Hush!--What sounds are those? They deepen--they deepen! Is it thunder?
It cannot be the crackling of the blaze! It _is_ thunder!--but it speaks
only to _my_ ear! Hush!--Great God, there is a change in my voice! It is
hollow and supernatural! Could a change have come over me? Am I living?
Could I have--Hah!--Could I have departed? and am I now at length given
over to the worm that never dies? If it be at my heart, I may feel it.
God!--I am damned! Here is a viper twined about my limbs, trying to dart
its fangs into my heart! Hah!--there are feet pacing in the room, too,
and I hear voices! I am surrounded by evil spirits! Who's there?--What
are you?--Speak!--They are silent!--There is no answer! Again comes the
thunder! But perchance this is not my place of punishment, and I will
try to leave these horrible spirits!"

He opened the door, and passed out into a small green field that lay
behind the house. The night was calm, and the silence profound as death.
Not a cloud obscured the heavens;--the light of the moon fell upon the
stillness of the scene around him, with all the touching beauty of a
moonlit midnigh