ave ever been pursued. The bullet whistled harmlessly by
me,--levelled by an eye that never before failed, and with so small an
interval between us. I escaped, but my blind and random shot took place
in his heart.

"There is the fruit of this disastrous meeting. The catalogue of death
is thus completed. Thou sleepest, Watson! Thy sister is at rest, and so
art thou. Thy vows of vengeance are at an end. It was not reserved for
thee to be thy own and thy sister's avenger. Welbeck's measure of
transgressions is now full, and his own hand must execute the justice
that is due to him."

CHAPTER XII.

Such was Welbeck's tale, listened to by me with an eagerness in which
every faculty was absorbed. How adverse to my dreams were the incidents
that had just been related! The curtain was lifted, and a scene of guilt
and ignominy disclosed where my rash and inexperienced youth had
suspected nothing but loftiness and magnanimity.

For a while the wondrousness of this tale kept me from contemplating the
consequences that awaited us. My unfledged fancy had not hitherto soared
to this pitch. All was astounding by its novelty, or terrific by its
horror. The very scene of these offences partook, to my rustic
apprehension, of fairy splendour and magical abruptness. My
understanding was bemazed, and my senses were taught to distrust their
own testimony.

From this musing state I was recalled by my companion, who said to me,
in solemn accents, "Mervyn! I have but two requests to make. Assist me
to bury these remains, and then accompany me across the river. I have no
power to compel your silence on the acts that you have witnessed. I have
meditated to benefit as well as to injure you; but I do not desire that
your demeanour should conform to any other standard than justice. You
have promised, and to that promise I trust.

"If you choose to fly from this scene, to withdraw yourself from what
you may conceive to be a theatre of guilt or peril, the avenues are
open; retire unmolested and in silence. If you have a manlike spirit, if
you are grateful for the benefits bestowed upon you, if your discernment
enables you to see that compliance with my request will entangle you in
no guilt and betray you into no danger, stay, and aid me in hiding these
remains from human scrutiny.

"Watson is beyond the reach of further injury. I never intended him
harm, though I have torn from him his sister and friend, and have
brought his life to an