l
sweetness of his countenance.

"His confession was a strange one," renewed Dr. Danvers, shaking his head
gravely. "He said that the first idea of the crime was suggested by Sir
Wynston's man accidentally mentioning, a few days after their arrival,
that his master slept with his bank-notes, to the amount of some hundreds
of pounds, in a pocketbook under his pillow. He declared that as the man
mentioned this circumstance, something muttered the infernal suggestion
in his ear, and from that moment he was the slave of that one idea; it
was ever present with him. He contended against it in vain; he dreaded
and abhorred it; but still it possessed him; he felt his power of
resistance yielding. This horrible stranger which had stolen into his
heart, waxed in power and importunity, and tormented him day and night.
He resolved to fly from the house. He gave notice to you and Mrs.
Marston of his intended departure; but accident protracted his stay until
that fatal night which sealed his doom. The influence which had mastered
him forced him to rise from his bed, and take the knife--the discovery of
which afterwards helped to convict him--and led him to Sir Wynston's
chamber; he entered; it was a moonlight night."

Here the clergyman, glancing round the room, lowered his voice, and
advanced his lips so near to Marston, that their heads nearly touched. In
this tone and attitude he continued his narrative for a few minutes. At
the end of this brief space, Marston rose up slowly, and with a movement
backward, every feature strung with horror, and saying, in a long
whisper, the one word, "yes," which seemed like the hiss of a snake
before he makes his last deadly spring. Both were silent for a time. At
last Marston broke out with hoarse vehemence.

"Dreadful--horrible--oh, God! God!--My God! How frightful!"

And throwing himself into a chair, he clasped his hands across his
eyes and forehead, while the sweat of agony literally poured down his
pale face.

"Truly it is so," said the clergyman, scarcely above his breath; and,
after a long interval--"horrible indeed!"

"Well," said Marston, rising suddenly to his feet, wiping the dews of
horror from his face, and looking wildly round, like one newly awoke from
a nightmare, "I must make the most of this momentous and startling
disclosure. I shall spare no pains to come at the truth," said he,
energetically. "Meanwhile, my dear sir, for the sake of justice and of
mercy, observe secre