leasure on receiving this permission, the child ran up before the
candles; and, on kissing her, it seemed that lady Walladmor had asked
playfully what they would say at Kilgarran if they knew of her keeping
such late hours.

"Upon this the child had answered gaily that her little cousins were
not yet gone to bed; and that at least she must stay up till after
them.

"'Your cousins, my love, I am sorry to say, sleep less in the night
than the day. However, they have been in bed for hours.'

"'Oh, no! they were gone out into the park.'

"Lady Walladmor must have thought the child dreaming: she questioned
her; and no doubt heard the same account from her which she afterwards
repeated to us all;--how far she was impressed by it, cannot be known:
but possibly, at this moment, the silence of the adjoining room struck
her as remarkable; at any rate, as the ready means of putting an end to
all doubts, she went thither--called probably--receiving no answer,
felt about in the darkness for her children's cradles; found them; they
were empty--they were cold! And instantly, with feelings no doubt such
as could not have been remembered if she had ever had it in her power
to speak of that moment, lady Walladmor uttered a piercing shriek and
fell to the ground.

"Lady Charlotte ran to alarm the family: the servant, whom she met on
the stairs with the candles, sent her on to summon assistance, whilst
she herself pressed forwards: in half a minute all lady Walladmor's
women were about her: there was no need to make inquiries: the empty
cradles told the miserable tale: and circumstances of confirmation came
out at every moment.

"Just at this time Sir Morgan arrived from Dolgelly, where he had been
attending a public meeting. With the rapidity of a train of gunpowder
the whole course of the transaction, and its devilish purpose, came
out: lady Charlotte had met Griffiths in a passage which you have
perhaps observed to connect the green-house with what was then lady
Walladmor's suite of apartments; in this passage there was a private
door into the park, of which the key hung in the very room where the
poor mother was sleeping. As she passed, Griffiths said nothing: but,
as she came near, one of the children cried; and Griffiths endeavoured
to stifle the cry by drawing her cloak closer; in doing which, a sudden
motion of her arm caused the cloak to open; and lady Charlotte had
distinctly seen both her little cousins. By crossing one c