bominable, a foul spirit, a black imp of hell.
Amanda, art thou found?--Do not tremble, girl, do not weep; my
daughter, child, for, without a figure, thou art my daughter; art,
to the very letter, love, my child. Oh, we have much to tell each
other; see what I have done--but hear me, then condemn me. Oh,
Amanda, it is bliss to see, to feel thee here;--but here, here in
this breast is sadness. I have been a rash and hasty fool, a madman,
if you will, but no, no murderer; we kill mere vermin, we exterminate
rats, roaches; and what worse than that is this which I have done.
Pshaw, he was a reptile, a black beetle that came flying against
me. He, my son! Oh, slander, where wilt thou not cast thy slime?
the thing that the deceitful, wily woman palmed upon me, he my son,
thy brother? preposterous conception. Yet sad has been the creature's
end; and sad, sad, sad, I felt this morning when I left my home,
with a presentiment which seemed to say, that I should never enter
it again; and that presentiment is now fulfilled. Fate urged me
on. Unnatural hate has pushed me to the ledge, and now I sink to
lose myself in the abyss. Oh, foul fate! this deed foul, foul!
Fair, fair Amanda, close thine eyes on this enormity; or be content
to see it, yet not understand it, for knowledge here would surely
drive thee mad."

"Oh, sir, am I not mad, delirious?" enquired Amanda: "Oh, my kind
guardian, my good angel, more than father, friend. What have you
done? you have done nothing evil!" and she sobbed upon his bosom,
and Claude stood transfixed and silent, until his eyes meeting
those of the advocate, he demanded passionately:

"Sir, what may this mean; what horrible allusions drop like venom
from your tongue; whence comes this change; tell me, I charge you,
sir, why are you now so shaken, so wandering in your noble intellect,
even mad; you whom I left this morning, sad indeed, yet sane?"

"I do not know whether I was sane or not when I did what I have
done, or whether I am so just now; but for this scene, which must
appear most strange to you, see there what shall explain it all,"
replied the advocate; and the gown was partially withdrawn from
the corpse by one of the spectators, and Claude with his male
companions gazed upon it aghast, whilst Amanda turning away in
terror and uttering a feeble moan, hid her face in the old man's
breast.

"How has this happened?" Claude demanded at last with a voice hoarse
and guttural with abhorrence;