he drawer in which it
was, and an angry exclamation" ...

These disjointed but significant fragments were all of any interest
that the flames had spared. From them, however, I acquired a moral
certainty that Manucci was my father's murderer. In order to obtain
possession of the diamonds, of which no trace had been found after my
father's death, the perfidious Italian had doubtless administered to
him some deadly poison. This must have been so skilfully prepared as
not to take effect till the murderer had left the house a sufficiently
long time to prevent any risk of suspicion attaching to him.

Burning to avenge my unfortunate parent, I now set to work with the
utmost energy to discover what had become of Manucci. I caused
enquiries to be made in every direction, and resorted to every means I
could devise to find out the assassin; but for a long time all was in
vain. It was not till several years after my mother's death that we
again met--a meeting which, like our first, was to me fraught with
bitter sorrow.

I had been for some time in the Russian service, and the regiment to
which I belonged was quartered at a village a few leagues from Warsaw.
At the period I speak of, a country house in the neighbourhood of the
village belonged to, and was occupied by, General Count Gutzkoff, a
nobleman of ancient descent and great wealth, and who had an only
daughter called Natalie, the perfection of feminine grace and beauty.
The villa had been christened Natalina, after his daughter, and no
expense had been spared to render it and the grounds attached to it
worthy of their lovely sponsor. Amongst other embellishments, a large
portion of the park had been laid out in miniature imitation of Swiss
scenery, with chalets, and waterfalls, and artificial mountains, that
must have taken a vast time and labour to construct. There was an
excellent house in this part of the grounds, inhabited by a sort of
intendant or steward, and in this house rooms were assigned to me, I
having been quartered upon General Gutzkoff. I had thus many
opportunities of seeing Natalie, whose charms soon inspired me with a
passion which, to my inexpressible joy, I after a time found to be
reciprocated by her. I am not writing a romance, but a plain
narrative of some of the strangest incidents in my life; I will,
therefore, pass over the rise and progress of our attachment, of the
existence of which the general at length became aware. He was a proud
an