and fired upon his opponent. One groan, succeeded by a heavy fall, told what effect the shot had taken; and, at the same moment, various domestics, appearing with flambeaux at the top of the rock, and descending the pathway rapidly with loud shouts, terrified any other of these desperadoes who might have been engaged in the villainous transaction, while the sound of the quick stroke of oars made known that they had already eluded pursuit. The same person who saved Lord Mowbray's life darted forwards and fired at the boat; the fire was returned, but fortunately the retreating tide which bore the guilty beyond reach of danger, saved the innocent on shore.

Colonel Pennington and the General by this time arrived at the spot where this sudden but awful transaction had taken place; and their exclamations of alarm, mingled with inquiries, produced a scene of confusion which rendered it perfectly impossible, for a considerable time, to ascertain what had happened. The apparently lifeless body of Lady Emily; the speechless agony of Lord Mowbray, who had never

resigned his precious burthen; the clamorous demands of Colonel Pennington to be informed of the cause of all this dismay, and the touching despair of General Montgomery, combined to complete the painful interest of the hour. Lady Emily, however, began to recover from her swoon, and she was the first person to be sufficiently collected to narrate what had befallen her.

"To Lord Mowbray," she said, indebted

"I am

for my rescue. Oh! my dear nncle, how shall we be ever able to repay him ?"

"I am more than repaid at this moment," he answered; "now that I see you safe, now that I hear your voice."

"But yourself, my dear Lord," cried General Montgomery," how fares it with you? are you hurt? you speak very faintly.”

"I received a blow in my right arm, which pains me for the moment, but it will not be a matter of any consequence, only it might have disabled me from rescuing Lady Emily, had not fortunately some brave fellow come to my

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assistance. Where is he, that I may reward and thank him, as I am bound in gratitud to do ?"

“Who saved Lord Mowbray ? who saved my Lord ?" cried many voices.

"It was I who had the luck to save his honour," cried one, who was modestly standing at some distance from the group, but now came forward. "Does not your Lordship remember Ben Hardy, whom you were so good as to get into the excise? and a blessing on you for that same-and I hopes as how your Lordship has not been badly hurt, though it was such a deadly blow, I thought it must have broken your arm.

"Broken! is Lord Mowbray's arm broken?" cried Lady Emily, and she burst into tears.

"Not so, not so," whispered Lord Mowbray in her ear; and tenderly pressing her to his heart, for he had not yet relinquished supporting her with his one uninjured arm—“ I feel no pain, I cannot be materially hurt; I am completely blessed."

"Why do we all stand talking here?" said

Colonel Pennington, "when the only thing to do, in order to ascertain the extent of Lord Mowbray's hurt, is to convey him quickly to the Castle, and then to save ourselves from catching our death of cold too; come, let us be gone. Ben Hardy also must come and tell us all he knows of this mysterious business.”

Lady Emily declared herself quite well and able to walk; but when Lord Mowbray attempted to move, extreme agony prevented him. He was obliged to consent to be carried by his attendants. He was immediately conveyed to his chamber, a surgeon was sent for, and while the proper remedies were applied to his arm, the rest of the party were talking over the

event.

Ben Hardy recounted that it was by mere accident he found himself on the spot, at the precise moment when his services were of such consequence.

"Ah!" said General Montgomery," rather say by the blessing of Providence. These accidents, as they are thoughtlessly called, have a high commission; but proceed."

"Why, General, you see, I frequently skulk about the shore at odd hours, to know if all's right, and I had lately some suspicion that a party of smugglers were at their old trade thereabouts; a vessel plying to and fro, much of the cut of one of their luggers, and a few signals, with an odd gun heard now and then o' nights, kept me on the alert, and I always takes care to be well armed, and so I need to be. Well, I was going my rounds here along shore, as luck would have it, when I hears one of them there guns fired: thinks I, my lads, there's more as know your ways than you thinks for. You been't popping in that there fashion for nothing; you have a boat's crew, I guess, here, or hereabouts; and with that, I lays to under the shade of the rocks just by, where Lady Emily came running along like a hunted deer, when my Lord sprang to her assistance, and then my pistols served me in good stead; and my eyes being used to see in the dark, I fired over Lord Mowbray's head, just as the fellow was about to take a second aim. I winged him, and for the matter o' that, I thank God I did; for I not