The Haunted Chamber

lieve the terrible anxiety that is felt by all within the castle as to the fate of its missing

the third and the fourth, the fifth and

and who has been sitting in her room apart from the others, with her head bent down

ality she is, close on thirty-five. Her lips are pale and drooping, her cheeks colorless; her whole air is suggestive

ating her in silence. Dora, advancing, lays her hand upon the

m? I have tried to hide my terrible anxiety for the past two mi

. Florence, greatly alarmed, rises from her chair, and, running to her, places her arm arou

people, should be the last to come to my assistance! Besides, I am not

cousin, as though fearing, yet hoping to get an ans

ers sadly. "If I had should I not ac

though impressed by her companion's

ange that Florence p

ledge I might by accident or otherwise become possessed of to lay bare this mystery.

ow?" responds the

inced that Dora is keeping something hidden from her. "For the sake o

uspicion is of the barest character, and may be altogether wrong. Yet there are moments

nows but something may come of it! Dora, do not delay. Soon, soon-if not already-it may be too late. Alas," she cries, bursti

tly to her feet. "If too late to do any good, it may not be too la

" exclaims Florence, in a voice of

evening let me come to you here again, and tel

her. There is something else, too, in her thoughts that is puzzling and perplexing her; in all Dora's manner there was nothing that would lead her to think she

down-stairs, turns into the side hall, glancing into library and r

reading, as he sits in a large arm-chair, with his eyes fixed intently upon the book i

mptible trash the

ently, "when we are all so distressed in mind! But I forgo

ter all, even had things been different, I can

heed either to his words or his smile. Her whole soul seems w

toward him, as though to compel him to give her an answer

e is a forbidding gleam in his eyes t

es, her breath coming in little irrepressible gasps. "Dynecourt,

favorite of mine, and that I can not help being glad of this chance that has presented itself in his extraordinary disappearance of my

herself. "You have murdered him, to get him o

h in condemnation as she utters these

ing laugh, "if you conduct yourself like this. Where are yo

one. "But I shall make it the b

"Do you hear me? You must be mad to go on like this to me. I know nothing of Adrian, but I know a good deal of your designing conduct, and your wild jealousy of Florence Delmaine.

coiling from him. "You wo

onduct of to-day, and the wily manner in which you have sought to accuse me of being implicated in this unfortunate mystery connected with my unhappy cousin, have made me regret my forbearanc

he fear of publicity, of having her late intrigue brought into the glare of day, fills her with consternation. And then, what will she gain by it? Nothing; she has

her bowed and trembling figure. "I see plainly that this must be looked into.

im with horror and defiance. "You triumph now, because, as ye

tly. "Defy me while you can. To-day I shall set the blo

, ignoring his words, and treating them as thou

s speaking; but, though her words have been defiant th

that her mission has been a failure. He has openly scoffed at her threats, and she is aware that she has not a shred of actual evidence wherewith to support her suspicion; the