"Amen!" cried Gualtier and the retainers together. { "The strange sights we have witnessed have been more than the feebleness of his great age could bear, continued Edric; "carry him into the turret for tonight; in the morning his body must be conveyed to the village, but of the cause of his death let as little be said as may be." "These are strange and mysterious things we have this night witnessed," said Gualtier, "and tell us but too truly of the awful doings and wondrous powers of the Chevalier Leon's father. I wonder—” "Peace!" interrupted Edric, almost sternly; "our wonderings, our conjectures, will teach us nothing. It is, therefore, in vain to indulge in them-try and forget all you have this night seen; bear the old man's body away, and I will fill up the grave." "But what saw you in the grave?" asked Gualtier, earnestly. "A sight which might have turned the dark hair of youth to the whiteness of extreme age at a single glance." "What was it?" he questioned, eagerly. "That which no power on earth will induce me to disclose to mortal," returned Edric, decisively, and continued-" you to your work, and I to mine." "Why will you not disclose it?" demanded Gualtier, regarding him with a gaze of astonishment. "I have a motive, which is as strong as my determination, to conceal what I have seen," replied Edric. "I cannot see what motive you can have to hide from us that which we should have all seen had we been near enough," persisted Gualtier. "Besides, the death of the last of the race should remove any motive for concealment which you can have; therefore, why keep secret from us what we were as likely to have seen as you?" tr properly understood his value, or how much he was really attached to him, and when he saw him slain so treacherously, without being able to prevent it, a spirit of revenge, of deadly retaliation was roused within him, which nothing but Martin's heart's blood could allay; and though the mere destruction of Martin could bring him no actual good, there was no amount of gold, however great, would prevent him striving to accomplish it, and thus, although he felt in some degree the effects of the singular occurrences attending his master's interment upon him, rather tending to cow his courage than assist it, he shook it resolutely off, and determined to give no chance away that should place Martin du Bois within his grasp. He chose a different route to any he had hitherto taken, and suffered no recess or tree, likely to conceal a human being, to pass without undergoing a scrutiny which satisfied him that he whom he sought had obtained no shelter there. He several times puzzled himself respecting the stranger who followed Martin so closely, and with such a guttural cry of fierce and deadly hatred, and wondered with no little anxiety what was the result of the chase: the wood was exceedingly intricate, and the river Ex, which flowed through it, was in many parts very deep, wide, and completely impassable without the aid of boats, and of those there were none. The stranger had driven Martin to a part where the river was broad, very deep, and also rapid, and he had no chance of escaping but by distancing his pur suer, and doubling upon him in some of the labyrinths of the wood. And in this was Gualtier's principal dependence placed of encountering him after he had lost himself in the windings and mazy paths with which it abounded. He, therefore, took a zig-zag direction to the point upon which the stranger must have forced Martin du Bois, and trusted that he should meet with him hiding himself, worn out with fatigue, in some covert, or wandering about vainly seeking for a path to lead him clear of the wood, and beyond the reach of pursuers. "But you did not see it," replied Edric, unmoved; "that is enough, seek to know no more; were you to stand there questioning me until the day of judgment I would answer thee as now I do. What I have seen shall remain for ever locked in my breast, and you Gualtier had quitted the turret some two hours, will do well and wisely if you follow my example, and was stealing stealthily and cautiously along, lookand never speak more of what you have this nighting anxiously in every direction for the fugitive, as seen. Remove the body of the poor old man, and waste no more time in trying to obtain that which I will never part with." As he concluded, he turned from them, picked up his spade, and went on with his task of filling the grave, and Gualtier finding there was no chance, at least at present, of obtaining an answer to his queries, assisted the retainers in bearing the dead body of the priest into the building. well as keeping a sharp look-out to prevent the attack of any stray wolf that might have a desire to make s meal of him-and there were plenty in the wood who were that way inclined-when he arrived at a copse more dreary than any he had yet visited, and one that required an extra amount of vigilance in its inspection, and he accordingly stole through it with the most stealthy circumspection; but even though he imagined he was proceeding with such caution that nothing could elude him, he suddenly found himself in the strong grip of a man, a bright blade glittering before his eyes, and a voice muttering fiercely in his ear "Knave! whom seek'st thou ?" When it had been carefully deposited in one of the lower apartments, he left the retainers to watch by it, and, leaving word he would return by daylight, he again dived into the forest, in the hope that he might yet encounter Martin du Bois; he knew that he must be still somewhere yet in the vicinity, and trusted to He made no reply, but recovering hastily from the fall in with him and wipe out the debt which he had startled state into which this unexpected situation incurred in thus basely slaying his master. To do had thrown him, he struggled hard, and with a Gualtier justice, although he possessed a nature not powerful exertion succeeded in extricating himself to be much moved by virtue or morality where his from his unknown assailant, and, placing himself in a interest was materially concerned, and would be bad posture of defence, awaited, with his drawn sword, a enough to slay a fellow creature for a good considera-renewal of the attack; it was not made, but the tion, as the reader has seen, yet he could be moved assailant advanced undauntedly to the point of his by the same feeling, which, under similar circum-weapon, brandishing a long knife, as though with that stances, would have influenced better men, to have hunted out Martin du Bois, and, without listening to any appeal for mercy, have inflicted upon him the the death to which he had remorselessly consigned Leon. It was not until his death transpired, that Gualtier weapon he could successfully compete with his better armed opponent, and repeated his question fiercely. Gualtier, at the first moment, had imagined he was assaulted by Martin du Bois in his own proper person, but a second glance, and a repetition of the voice, proved in an instant that he was mistaken; but who acting as one who possesses a faint heart-we shall see if you support your part as well throughout. What name does your suspicions give the person of whom I am in search ?" "Were you not one of the rascals who assisted in bearing off two maidens from London, and through the aid and counsel of a villain, bringing them down here ?" orders, which it would have been as much as our lives were worth to break, to see them in your possession again as unharmed as when they were taken." "I shall know better how to estimate what has been done when I have seen and conversed with the maidens. Now to our task; if you should meet the villain, Martin, and, in attacking, find him too powerful for thee, fail not to give thy tongue free exercise; I will not be long in reaching thy side, and giving him his due." Question for question-Are you not in search of him at whose instigation the maidens were carried off? I have my suspicion as well as you; and if you "He too powerful for me!" echoed Gualtier, scornare he who was on the heels of Martin du Bois fully! "not were he twice as skilful as he is. I immediately after he slew my master, know, too, that will take right good care that he treat me not to the I am on the search for him, and if he comes within same treachery which he did my poor master, who my reach, nothing shall save him from death by my would have suffered the dog, villain as he was, to have hand; if, on the contrary, you be a friend to Martin escaped, rather than have basely taken the slightest | du Bois, stand aside and interfere not with my pur-advantage of him; but may I be consigned to everpose, or if you do, stand prepared for the worst." lasting torment hereafter, if, when once I get him in my power, I spare him-not though he offered me the wealth of a kingdom." "Your enmity to Martin du Bois would make thee my friend, but that I know you to have been guilty of villanous deeds; but ere I parley with thee farther, or answer thy questions, tell me what has become of the maidens, and to what vile treatment have they been subjected ?" "They are safe, and as unharmed as before they were taken from London, which they will themselves avouch. And now tell me, are you not he whom men call Ethelbert, and the uncle of the maiden named Violet ?" "Your motive in asking that question ?" "Because Martin du Bois owes you a deadly spite; he offered three hundred merks to me to slay you, and has vowed to accomplish your death by breaking your heart by means of your niece, or by burying his skean in it." "I am aware of his villany, and have little to thank you for in not earning the sum he offered you for executing his murderous wish." "Let that pass; it is sufficient for you to know I did not earn it, and that I have sworn a bitter oath that were he to offer me thrice three thousand merks, I would not spare his life. You have been on his track since he gave my master that damnable, treacherous, cowardly death-blow-what has become of him ?" "He has secreted himself in some part of this copse not far from this, and did I but know the ground, ere this he should have perished." "He shall not survive long if he is near here; I know the wood well, I was bred in it; the path direct from here leads to the river, which is impassa ble but to a long and very strong swimmer-" "And not that is Martin du Bois," chuckled Ethelbert, for he it was; "I remember his being nearly drowned once in the Severn-three strokes as a swimmer would have saved his life." "That is well," said Gualtier; " then do you take that path; there is but one other which tends to the same point-it is circuitous, but it has but one outlet, and there are no others besides these; if he is near here, we must unkennel him.” "I have not much cause to place faith in thee, but in this instance I will trust thee; thou sayest this path leads to the borders of the river where it is deepest and broadest ?" "Aye, and where it runs swiftest." "I will take it; there shall not be a stem, a brake, a branch, or a cover, I will pass without being assured it affords him no secret place of safety, and if I but unkennel him, I fear not for the rest." "If he lies in your track you will reach the river before me; but should I be so fortunate as to turn him out, and he be swifter of foot than I, you will see him the moment he arrives at the point of the path that opens on the river-it is not fifty yards from where you will stand-he cannot therefore escape." "And shall not. Let us waste no more time. Away!" "I am gone now bright eyes and staunch limbs befriend me!" As Gualtier finished, he glided away to the left, and Ethelbert kept straight on in the path which the former was pursuing when stayed by the latter. His eagle-eyed chase of Grif of the Bloody Hand was equalled in this search for Martin du Bois; he had not forgotten the facility with which he could worm himself through the most mazy and intricate places; and the burning desire he had to accomplish the destruction of Martin made him put in practice every power he possessed which would assist its realization: he crawled and wound through covert and thicket, never for an instant losing sight of the path, or suffering any place in the vicinity of his progress to pass uninspected. His movements were slow, and, as they had heretofore been, snake-like, keeping up to the full the name which he had given himself-one which he had assumed for the sake of working upon the superstitious minds of those with whom he should have to deal, and thus acquire, by the aid of a seeming mystery, a power with which nature had not really invested him. What is termed a stout heart-which means the pos "It was then he who occasioned Violet and her session of unflinching courage, backed by a strong friend to be torn from us." "It was-he planned it all." Enough; they are staying at yon dreary building I know, for I tracked them thither, though I did not arrive until I saw Martin du Bois and thy master quit it to decide their quarrel." "One which, as you will doubtless hear, was occasioned by my master's discovery of Martin's villany, and his own shame and regret for having carried off the maidens, who were to return under the charge of myself and a young woodman who had the care of the turret when my master was away, with and resolute determination-will give a single man the advantage over thrice his number, if they be not equally gifted, and this was a truism which Ethelbert had long since discovered. The stern, and to most minds, terrible duty to which he had devoted himself, had removed every vestige of fear, or rather weakness, his nature had originally possessed. His constant intimacy with danger and death had made him callous to all hazard, and where he once would have been merciful, to become inflexibly revenge-the sacrifice of those who came within implacable. Sworn to a bloody and exterminating the circle his oath embraced-he had looked upon, and still did so, with no more compunction then he would at slaughtering a wolf or any other vermin; rather, in fact, as the accomplishment of a worthy deed. Unlike the robber or cold-blooded ruffian, who slew without discrimination whoever came in his path, so that he gained by it, he followed only those who had done him great injury, or had been the cause or assistants of it; and pursued them with the same feeling that any man would hunt to its death a noxious animal that had destroyed his child or any beloved object. He had schooled himself to show no pity to those he had marked out for vengeance, and once in his power, there was no hope for them. Martin du Bois, from his repeated acts of villany to Violet, independent of his being the son of his bitterest foe, had raised in him a fierce and inextinguishable hatred; the last deed to her, of which he was cognizant, that of carrying her forcibly away, was quite sufficient to have ensured his direst vengeance; he placed it upon a level with the abstraction of his own beloved wife Editha, and knowing how unprincipled a villain was Martin du Bois, his heart was on fire, until he had known to what extent she had suffered, and he had made reprisal. Aware of her desolate situation, and too well acquainted with the base passions of him in whose power she was, he had worked himself to such a pitch of intense vindictiveness, that had his own perdition been involved in the accomplishment of Martin's death, he would not have turned back an inch; this torture of mind had kept him incessantly on their track, when after slaying Baldric he had secreted himself, deeming stratagem more available than a mad rush on his part to rescue his niece, with every prospect of being surrounded by numbers and slain, taking from her every chance of having a friend near her: he had been eluded for a time in their departure from the hostel, but an accidental encounter of part of the marauders who had pursued them, and the dropping of a few hasty expressions respecting them, had given him a clue of which he had not failed to take advantage. After a fatiguing ride, which would have completely knocked up ordinary men, he arrived in time to encounter Martin and Leon wending their way to the mound-had followed them-watched the combat in the hope of seeing Martin slain-had witnessed his base act, and had immediately dashed at him; but Martin, influenced by a horror he could not control, fled almost with the speed of wind, and Ethelbert, labouring under the effects of his long journey, was unable to rival his swiftness. But though distanced completely, he had kept so well upon his track that he knew he had not quitted the wood, and was, if he could have given up his watch of the path along which he had tracked him, hidden at no great distance from him. The sudden appearance of Gualtier had induced him to believe that he was prowling about to assist Martin, although he had no good reason for such a supposition, and he determined to prevent his interference by the shortest mode--that of slaying him if he refused to quit the spot. The result of their meeting has been shewn, and Ethelbert now moved on in the search of Martin with a strong impression that nothing could prevent his discovery of the wretch, or save him from the punishment so deservedly his due. He had proceeded some distance slowly but surely, when his quick ears detected the sound of rustling leaves not very far before him; he paused instantly -there was no wind stirring, and the trees and shrubs were as motionless as though they were carved in stone; it was, therefore, quite conclusive to him that he was approaching Martin's place of concealment, unless he was disturbing some wolf from his lair; he had been too often in contact with the latter, to fear appoaching closer to satisfy himself, and, therefore, be it wolf or Martin which had caused the rustling, he was resolved to unkennel him. He took a firmer grasp of his knife, and dashed forward to the spot from whence the sound had proceeded, and as he gained it the dark form of a man rose up swiftly-it was Martin du Bois, and he leaped upon him, but he was met with a firm grasp, and before he could recover from the impetus he had given himself, and be able to stand firm, he was seized and hurled to the ground with great force, his head striking the stem of a tree in his descent with such violence as to nearly render him insensible; but under the influence of strong excitement the frame is capable of enduring far more injury than when it is unaffected by any strong matter, and had Ethelbert been cool and unexcited, the probabilities are, that he would have been completely stunned; but although the blow was tremendous he shook it off, and by a powerful exertion he regained his feet, and roared after Martin as he perceived him dashing madly through the brakes and underwood "Dog, thou'rt mine! escape is hopeless!" He rushed after him, making his wearied limbs subservient to his mind, and forcing them to a speed which nothing but his maddened state of mind would have impelled, Had Martin possessed no fear of Ethelbert beyond what he would to have encountered any man divested of any supernatural attribute, he would have stood his ground, and trusted to his strength and capabilities in a combat, for an escape; but the circumstances under which he had always been thrown in contact with him, possessing a strange and mysterious character, acted upon his superstitious mind, and in spite of his endeavours to the contrary, awed him, and made him dread him as much as though he really were a spirit of darkness pursuing him to his destruction; if he had not been cowed by that feeling it would have been an easy matter for him to have sprung upon him when he fell, and burying his sword in his body, have rid himself of a foe, who, if it were in the power of mortal, would accomplish his death. When he saw him fall he felt as though he had cast away some noxious reptile, at which human nature loathingly shudders, and fled from it to avoid its again fastening itself upon him; he had in his covert had a long rest, and though he felt faint for want of proper nourishment, yet berries and wild fruits on which he had fed had prevented him suffering the horrors and the weakness of starvation; he therefore was still able to make good way, and hoped, that having hitherto distanced his implacable foe, and succeeded in secreting himself almost securely, he should yet be able to escape him altogether. Urged on by that hope, he did his best to make the distance between them great enough to be a guarantee for his safety, in a short a time as possible; and ever and anon looked behind him as he flew, to see how much he was gaining upon his pursuer. He soon discovered that he was leaving him behind him fast; re-assured by this agreeable fact, he made a still greater exertion to increase his speed, and when failing breath reminded him that he must either slacken his speed, or again for a time secrete himself, he emerged unexpectedly from the path upon the river. A hasty glance left and right soon convinced him that he would have to run a long distance, and that at a pace impossible for him to attain, to avoid his pursuer's discovering which route he had chosen; he therefore, on the impulse of the moment, returned to the path he had just quitted, and rushed into a thicket close at hand. way death stared him in the face: if he reached the shore in safety, there stood Ethelbert to encounter him, assisted in all probability by the wolf, and if he As he forced himself among the thickly clustering tried to remain where he was, or to gain the other bushes, congratulating himself on his good fortune inside, he must drown; for he could not swim. He was hitting upon a spot which appeared so well calculated agonizedly conscious of the horrors of his position, for concealment, he was alarmed by a low growl, and had he suffered no more for his numerous sins which sounded as if it proceeded from a spot close to than he did in the few minutes he was thus surhim. He looked eagerly and anxiously around him, rounded, his punishment would have been almost and was not long in perceiving the large bright eyes adequate to his crimes. of a huge wolf glaring fiercely on him! he uttered a His frantic screams and appeals for help and mercy cry of horror, and tore himself from the spot-though, to Ethelbert were awful, but they gained nothing for entangled in the straggling bushes, he accomplished it him but a loud taunting exulting laugh of triumph. with difficulty. He had barely upraised himself, when The worst, however, had not yet arrived-he had still the wolf sprang after him and made a leap upon him; he another foe to encounter, one no less relentless or however, threw him off, at the same moment dropping vindictive than either of those by whom he had been his sword, and with a shriek fled. The wolf, who was already attacked; while he was shrieking for mercy starving, was more nimble than he, and ere he had flown as he drew nearer to shore, and the crisis of his fate far, again leaped upon him: they had now a fierce was fast approaching, Gualtier arrived, out of breath by struggle, Martin striving desperately to hurl him off, but his exertion; he had heard from a distance Martin's in vain; he was only able to keep him from fastening his shrill cries for help, and concluded that he had been teeth in his throat by getting a firm hold of his jowl, discovered and attacked by Ethelbert, and as he so which he grasped with all the strength he was master strongly desired to at least have a hand in consummatof, and then he strove to disengage himself by attempt-ing his death, he ran at the top of his speed in the ing to force the ferocious beast to the ground, but direction from which the sound appeared to issue, wanted the necessary power to accomplish it. and reached the spot as Martin was struggling to They both struggled, and twisted, and turned round keep himself above water by clinging desperately to until they reached the banks of the river-Martin} the wolf. A glance sufficed to show what had tranhoped he should be able to get to the brink, and flingspired; he breathed a shout of fierce joy, and ere the wolf in. With tremendous exertions he made to- Ethelbert, who was earnestly watching the result of wards it; the brute reared upon his hind legs, keep- Martin's effort to gain the shore, could perceive his ing to him with a tenacity nothing could shake off. purpose, he divested himself hastily of his cotehardie, When they gained it, Martin endeavoured to swing his capuchon, and his boots, and placing his long skean round, placed the wolf on the verge, and then thrust-between his teeth, leaped into the water and swam ing him back, quit his hold of his jaw, and fling him into the river. The banks were above the level of the water about two feet, and he expected, while the beast was struggling to get out he should be able to seek another place of concealment, one which was not so disagreeably tenanted. As he strove to put his project into execution his eye suddenly caught sight of Ethelbert advancing, and he frantically redoubled his efforts to rid himself of his bloody-thirsty assailant, ere his no less vindictive foe arrived; but the wolf, which was extraordinarily large and powerful, and raging with famine, was too eager for his prey to be with even desperate exertion shaken off; and at this critical juncture, Martin placed his foot upon a stone, which giving way with a sudden jerk, caused him to sprain his ankle and fall upon one knee. swiftly towards Martin, who with, if possible, increased horror, saw him approach; he yelled, he prayed, entreated in the most abject, pitiful, and frenzied manner for mercy. "Spare me!" he shrieked, “have mercy! I will give up all my wealth to ye-spare me! I will be your slave, your dog-do not slay me. You seek my father's life; I'll give him up to ye, I swear, if you will not murder me. Spare me!-spare me!" The only answer from Gaultier was a chuckle-a grin, forced through his clenched teeth-of delight at having him in his power; he heeded no appeal, nor did the passionate cries instinct with bitter agony of the despairing wretch have more effect towards softening him than would the blows of a feather upon a mass of solid steel. He soon reached and seized him by the hair; Martin at the same moment quitted his hold of the wolf, which made for the shore, and caught Gaultier by the throat, using his little remaining strength with the most desperate energy. The wolf, finding him sink down thus, gave a sudden roar, accompanied by a fresh bound, and as Martin happened to be in the very position in which he had endeavoured to place the rapacious brute, his accident Gaultier like lightning took his knife from his mouth proved fatal to him. He knew the danger of his and plunged the deadly weapon ferociously into his situation, and shrieked horribly with terror and de-neck, drew it out and repeated it with frightful force spair. It was but for a moment that he hung upon the brink-the next instant he was hurled headlong into the stream, carrying the wolf with him; they both sunk, and as Ethelbert reached the spot from which they had fallen, they both rose to the surface-the wolf swimming, and Martin clinging to him, as tenaciously now as he had before tried to get away from him; they had been carried, by the force with which they had fallen in, nearly to the middle of the stream; and the wolf, cowed by his situation, made direct for the shore without continuing his attack more than his progress being impeded and rendered slow by Martin's weight, he turned his head several times and bit fiercely at him, but without succeeding in fastening his long fangs in him. Martin's situation was now a terrible one-in every as they both sunk together struggling; the water around was speedily dyed with Martin's blood, which poured from him profusely; they appeared again on the surface, still struggling, the latter retaining his hold, and the former still striking madly at him, again they sunk, to again appear, and still in the same situation; Martin's fingers were compressed around his slayer's throat with all the iron rigidity of a death grip. Unable to get himself free, and feeling nearly suffocated, Gualtier tried to swim for the shore, but with a sensation of terrible apprehension found himself so clogged, so entangled, by the body of the dyingnay, all but dead man's weight-that every effort he made to strike out was checked, and the ability to keep himself from sinking prevented; the water began to pour into his mouth and ears, to get also into his |