Ellen Walton / Or, The Villain and His Victims

Fleming; and it will now be perceived how false were his statements in relation to the character of the expected guest. Though unseen himself, he had taken ever

ce, passed by the more elegant houses, which, but for defaming reports, he would have prefe

struggle in her mind, but at length her determination was fixed. To procure the ruin of the innocent guest, (for she had thoroughly satisfied herself that Miss Walton was innocent and virtuous,) whom ever

is proximity until such time as he chose to reveal himself. Miss Fleming knew where to find him; and,

nds in this affair. I fear I shall not be a

d a by-word among men! I thought the matter was definitely settled, and

his my on

it is. I will forsake you forever unless

s, to which I shall demand the s

e th

our hours. I will so arrange it, that these hours shall be from eleven to three o'clock, and what is done must be accomplished between those periods of time. You shall, therefore, not enter number seventeen until

pose I

urs; I shall know if my injunctions are disr

your plan better than my own, as th

. Good

ning on the door between the rooms

you know no one, unless well acquainted with

had forgotte

et a ray of light into seventeen. It might render al

. I will b

se, no noise, even as loud as a whisp

am glad you have come to the rescue; I f

that you are never

at while I have such

an ally; as an enemy, she

s she left the room,

cue!' Yes, I am t

y tread might have been heard along the partition dividing the two rooms already named. Soon a door slowly opened on its rusty hinges, and in the rayless darkness Durant entered t

triumph, and the proud one's disgrace! I'll make her feel what it is to insult a nobleman by blood! Gods, how the memory burns my brain

y presence we turn away! Villain

with the company they expected to join at Pittsburg on the succeeding day, not knowing that Durant had slept under the same roof with them. No, not so fast. One of the

eered by the assurance that there was no serious cause of alarm; and that Ellen wa

eared desirous of avoiding a private interview. She was not slow to perceive this, and it filled her mind with misgiving

for our approaching marriage? It

he replied. "There

and have the ceremony performed! But it strikes me this is not all. Howev

rticular; in fact, the subject had so far escaped

I to think of such unmerited co

understand each oth

s! Is t

rs, t

and wife,

ly; as we

ou will not fulfill your written pr

e farther fr

rifice? Oh, God, who shall measure the depths of wickedn

re not

y n

lf, and your father's business by

but what if I

can

c

hat p

wn written

no such

deny giv

d

hand-writing wi

f that before

have such

you ha

will p

carefully placed it away. But no paper was to be

ument,' as you term it," he

e means, but I will find it i

rha

such a paper, and what

Then after a pause, he continued: "We mig

le you speak of. I see it is in my hand-writing, and lest by any

itted girl sat dumb with astonishment, surprise and dismay, and, for

son, did you get that pa

you putting it away, and the

ignal service you demanded as th

love will be

e, in the overwhelming light of this hour. Thank God, I am even with you!-Yes, thank Him from the bottom of my heart! You have deceived me, but in this instance I am not behind you. Ellen Walton left this house as pure as she entered it! Think you I had no object in all my res

and fu

, am

devil t

e old fellow yourself;

wear that I did stay the night wi

that she passed the whole time with her, the two together, that the door to their room w

conceal in her dress, she made it ready, and, with her f

u! Vile, tr

ster! or, by the heavens above us

d, with her finger on the trigger, aimed it at his heart. Like all villains of his caste, he was a c

l is now torn from my eyes, and I behold you as you are, a corrupted, debased, unfeeling demon, in the human form; and I would not even touch you with my finger's end, so deep is my detestation and abhorrence of your depravity! Aye, sir, even for me your very touch is defiling! But if ever you w

collect her energies for a l

life, every cherished hope be blasted; every plot of villainy thwarted, and you become a reproach among men, an outcast and a vagabond on the face of the earth! And when, at last, your sinful race is run, and your guilty soul has been ushered into that dreaded eternity you have plucked upon it, may your polluted carcass become the prey of the carrion-crow and the buzzard, and the wild beasts o

se ever burning as a flaming fi

nted the characters ourself, it would not have been so. In this particular, we had no choice, as the actors were furnished to our hand in the