"My Lord," replied Sir William, "I feel for you. But although the crime, from being committed in a foreign country, cannot affect her life,

it is my duty, as it is the duty of every one who would maintain the character of a British magistrate, to leave no stone unturned to get at the truth, be the culprit of whatever rank or sex. Your Lordship may, however, witness the investigation; and I shall be glad to listen to any suggestions of yours in conducting it."

Lord Eaglesholme thought for a moment,— and making up his mind to endure to the utmost, he accompanied Sir William to the room, where Antonio was still standing guarded.

The villain started at the sight of Lord Eaglesholme, but recovered himself immediately; and the chief magistrate being seated, and silence commanded, Antonio was ordered to proceed.

CHAPTER XVIII.

Pris'ners and witnesses were waiting by ;
These had been taught to swear, and those to die.
ROSCOMMON.

But in these cases

We still have judgment here; that we but teach
Bloody instructions, which, being taught, return
To plague th' inventor; this even handed justice
Commends the ingredients of her poisoned chalice
T' her own lips.

MACBETH.

"THE facts I am about to relate," said Antonio," are not only necessary for bringing the guilty to justice, but some of them are essential for removing a delusion from the eyes of those, who perhaps think themselves best informed. I need not tell you who I am; I come at once to my introduction to the Lady Deborah Delassaux. Her husband-quel minchione !-quel becco!

went to Greece, and left his wife at Naples, to bud and blossom in that hot-bed of the devil. She was not long in coming to maturity in wickedness, and lacking a proper instrument for her purposes, I was introduced to her by a certain Principessa whom I had served, and immediately taken into her service, and her confidence.

"It is not necessary to mention all the intrigues this gay lady plunged into. You know, Lord Eaglesholme, how she inveigled you. While the ardour of her amour with you was at the highest, and its fruit about to appear, she received a letter from her husband, begging her to send out a small vessel to meet him at Corfu to bring him home.

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Dismayed at the prospect of his return, Lady Deborah held a conference with me in an arbour, where his death was determined upon, and planned. In the ship, went an Italian sailor, charged with his assassination. It was Sir Godmansbury's intention to land at Paestum, to visit its ruined temples, and there the assassin intended to have dispatched him. But it so happened, as you know, Captain Cleaver, that he found the place occupied by a large party of British naval officers,

that rendered any attempt from his single arm utterly hopeless."

Antonio stopped, and having called on Captain Cleaver to support this part of his evidence, Sir William Percival requested that gentleman to tell what he knew.

"The fellow speaks truth," said Cleaver, "for a parcel of us were certainly engaged in jollification with our captain, in the Temple of Neptune, when Sir Godmansbury came in, attended by two servants, and an Italian sailor. We asked him to sit down with us; and he and the captain, who had a turn that way, had so much talk about temples, and amphitheatres, and baths, and all that sort of trash, that they became very intimate together in an hour's time. So happy, indeed, were they in each others society, that our captain agreed to stay for a couple of days there, partly to gratify his own taste, but chiefly for the sake of Sir Godmansbury, who wished to take some drawings, and measurements of the ruins.

"After they had fully satisfied themselves with these heathen remains, we struck our tent, and all set out together on our return to Naples. At Torre-del-Greco, where we arrived just as night

closed, we parted from Sir Godmansbury, after having dined jovially together. He was impatient to rejoin his lady at Naples, after so long an absence, and our captain's intention was to visit the summit of Vesuvius during the night. Guides and mules having been provided for our party, we followed, for some little way, the road Sir Godmansbury had taken, and at but a short distance behind him.

"The moon was not up, but our attendants had torches, and we were jogging on slowly, when we were alarmed by the report of several muskets, at some distance in our front, and then confused cries reached us from the direction we were riding towards; and immediately afterwards a hired mule, on which one of Sir Godmansbury's servants had left the inn, came galloping back to us with an empty saddle, followed by the animal that carried his baggage, its halter trailing on the ground. We pushed hastily forwards, but before we had ridden fifty yards, the mule that had carried Sir Godmansbury himself came sweeping past us, without its rider. Some fifty or a hundred yards further on, we found a dead mule, and the two servants lying lifeless on the road. Half choked