The Magician seemed to hear him not; with his eyes still bent on Miss Delassaux, he proceeded, as if he had not been interrupted,–

"Leave the flowery but deceitful road of plessure, Lady, if folly like thine can be called by such a name. Leave the road that leads thee to destruction. Seek, if thou can'st, though late, the rugged path of virtue and of wisdom; its thorns and rocks alone can now afford thee shelter. Sunshine will depart, and storms will come anon. -deeply think! and nerve thee for the adverse blast:-One sole protector yet remains, whom future reformation alone can secure. Then, once

again, resolve!"

Think!

Miss Delassaux was so much confounded by these portentous words, as well as with the solemnity of the appeal, that she was unable to reply. Her knight, too, felt either too much astonished, or too much alarmed to answer for her. Lady Deborah, however, who had been listening with very great attention, and who naturally enough imagined that this prophetic speech proceeded from some one who guessed at the perplexed state of her niece's affairs, and who wished to mortify her in the midst of her glory, now made an

attempt to turn the direction of the stranger's attack..

"Most renowned Magician, thy sage advices shall not be forgotten. Yea, unbeliever though thou art, thy stern but moral warning shall not be lost. Myself, the Lady Abbess, shall take our erring daughter within the holy precincts of our sanctuary, and there, by mild instruction, shall we wean her from the world. Thy Saracenic tongue gives chastisement too rough for such a gentle maid. Be mine the task to lay some softer penance on the tender girl,-yea, and to give her mild instruction; a duty, most delightful to Religion's voice."

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Religion's voice!!!" exclaimed the Magician, now, for the first time, starting from his fixed position as she spoke, and regarding her with a full and fiery eye, as he repeated her last words in a tone of thunder, that made even the proud and dauntless Lady Deborah quail before him, "Darest thou then talk of religion with hell itself in thy bosom? Speak not again, I tell thee, or I unfold the past horrors of thy guilty life-thy yet unexecuted crimes thy future fate!-Thou bearest not now that petrifying Egis on thy breast, which once as ill, disguised thy lack of virtue as those

holy weeds do now befit thy foully feigned religion!-Beware!-thy inmost thoughts are known -the blow threatened by thine uplifted arm has fallen innocuous; else had thy full cup of wickedness overflowed, and dreadful and ignominious would have been thy punishment. Shrink, then, at the thought; for, know, thy future fate hangs on thy future conduct, therefore Beware.”

Whilst the Magician was pouring forth this terrible threat, Lady Deborah sank down on her knees, and, with a look of bitter agony, that drew together her large eyebrows, and half hid her dark eyeballs, clenching her hands as he proceeded, she shrieked aloud, and, just as he had concluded, she fell backwards in a fit of strong convulsion. Meanwhile, Miss Delassaux and the Count had listened with astonishment to the vehemence of the stranger, whose words had become much too serious to be mistaken for those of mere sport. They were so much petrified by the result, that some moments elapsed before they ran to Lady Deborah. At length they raised her up, and chafed her hands and temples, and, by means of their exertions, her vital spirits were gradually recalled.”

"Where, where is he?" exclaimed she, her eyes rolling about with an air of frenzied anxiety and apprehension, as if desirous again to see, yet afraid to meet those of the Magician.—Where is he?" But he was gone!

The people on the float were all engaged within the artificial volcano; and the men in the boats, tired with towing the unwieldy mass after them, having rested on their oars for some moments, the floating island had been gradually drawn towards a grassy point, jutting into the lake from one side of the slope where the temple of Venus was situated. The Moor seizing this opportunity of escape, had sprung with one bound to the land. Now they could observe him clearing, with firm but solemn step, and folded arms, the gaping crowd, that gave way before him, as if the cold damp air of death had enveloped him, and carried pestilence along with it; and soon afterwards he was lost among the trees.

Lady Deborah, though somewhat recovered, remained in so faint and agitated a state, that she required the assistance of servants to enable her to reach the house, where she immediately sought her chamber, and was no more seen dur

ing the night. The company who witnessed the scene at a distance, had, naturally enough, considered his appearance as no other than some auxiliary part of the performance of the evening. Lady Deborah's illness disquieted them not, nor perhaps would her death, or even that of Miss Delassaux have made much impression on such holiday hearts.

The amusements in the gardens being over, the ball-room was soon filled, and the pompous minuet, and the lively cotillion, alternated with each other. A superb supper was then announced, where there appeared every thing that luxury could desire. To preside over this, Miss Delassaux led the way, handed by the Count, who whispered a thousand common-place compliments in her ear. But notwithstanding his attentions, she retired jaded and dissatisfied tobed, and the last dregs of the company dispersed, lighted home by the broad morning sun, and flouted by the song of the early lark.

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