o the most frightful dangers, felt a wild, unreasoning,
inconceivable fear of my brother. It was this dread that had decided
him to burden himself with me. He feared that if he left me, lying
unconscious beside my brother's lifeless form, I might on recovering my
senses reveal the truth, and unconsciously act as his accuser. You were
born in Richmond, Wilkie, where we remained nearly a month, during which
time I saw but little of your father. He had formed the acquaintance
of several rich planters, and spent his time hunting and gambling with
them. Unfortunately, fifty thousand dollars could not last long at this
rate; and, in spite of his skill as a gambler, he returned home one
morning ruined. A fortnight later when he had sold our effects, and
borrowed all the money he could, we embarked again for France. It
was not until we reached Paris that I discovered the reasons that had
influenced him in returning to Europe. He had heard of my father and
mother's death, and intended to compel me to claim my share of the
property. He dared not appear in person on account of my brother. At
last the hour of my vengeance had arrived; for I had taken a solemn oath
that this scoundrel who had ruined me should never enjoy the fortune
which had been his only object in seducing me. I had sworn to die inch
by inch and by the most frightful tortures rather than give him one
penny of the Chalusse millions. And I kept my word.

"When I told him that I was resolved not to assert my rights, he seemed
utterly confounded. He could not understand how the down-trodden slave
dared to revolt against him. And when he found that my decision was
irrevocable, I thought he would have an attack of apoplexy. It made him
wild with rage to think that he was only separated from this immense
fortune--the dream of his life--by a single word of mine, and to find
that he had not the power to extort that word from me. Then began a
struggle between us, which became more and more frightful as the
money he possessed gradually dwindled away. But it was in vain that he
resorted to brutal treatment; in vain that he struck me, tortured me,
and dragged me about the floor by the hair of my head! The thought that
I was avenged, that his sufferings equalled mine, increased my courage
a hundredfold, and made me almost insensible to physical pain. He
would certainly have been the first to grow weary of the struggle, if
a fiendish plan had not occurred to him. He said to himse