THE 1 MYSTERIOUS FREE BOOTER. CHAP. I. Is it come to this? JULIUS CESAR. FOR the first time in her life, Rosalind felt a sensation approaching to a belief in the existence of supernatural forms; why she now felt it, it was difficult, nay, indeed impossible, for her to account, even to her own heart. She was, however, too conscious that she did feel it, and almost joined Dame Edith in her apprehensions of some fatal event awaiting on one of the inhabitants VOL. III. B inhabitants of the castle-which one she did not doubt to be herself; and her eyes were turned slowly and fearfully around the apartment, in united expectation and dread of encountering the vision pictured on her fancy. The shrill blast of a horn caused her to spring from her seat. Dame Edith jumped up hastily from her's, and exclaiming― "Thank Heaven, my Lord is home-now we shall hear what is to be done," rushed out of the room. The sound, indeed, as she imagined, announced the return of De Madginecourt to his castle, and the intelligence of his arrival gave a fresh turn to the thoughts of Rosalind, who momentarily expected to see him enter her apartment, with the reply of Allanrod to her request. An interval of some length elapsed, and still he came not. Some of the attendants appeared with her evening repast, and, judging that Dame Edith's conjecture, concerning his arrival, might have been a mistaken a mistaken one, she enquired of them whether it was so or not? One of the domestics replied, that Lord Rufus was returned to his castle, and had retired to his chamber. The information appeared strange to her; she knew not whether to believe that it augured good or evil: she feared the latter, and she endeavoured to combat the disquietude of her mind, by traversing, with hasty steps, the floor of her apartment. But, alas! the mind cannot fly from itself, nor are momentary oblivions. of care an actual relief to an overburdened soul; memory, chased by art from its seat, resumes its empire with a more powerful and painful claim. In about half-an-hour, Alwin, the page, entered her apartment, for the first time since she had become an inhabitant of the castle-" Lord Rufus requests me to inform you, Lady Rosalind," he said, "that he is returned to his castle tonight, B 2 night, much fatigued with the journey of the day; he therefore trusts, that you will receive this message as an apology for his not visiting you to-night, and will allow him to see you after the hour of breakfast in the morning." Rosalind made a slight answer, and Alwin retired. Every delay towards a knowledge of her fate increased the anxiety of Rosalind; and, desirous of passing the interval between the present hour and the morning, in that state of forgetfulness which she hoped sleep might grant her, she retired to her chamber. Dame Edith followed her to it immediately. The dame was, by no means, in a pleasant humour. Lord Rufus had instantly retired to his chamber on entering his castle, without paying the slightest attention to the tale of terror she had made an attempt of communicating to him; and the old lady seemed in actual fear of a summons to the other world, |