UPON reaching the Castle, the porter informed me that Mr. Dalhas had not as yet arrived, and, anxious and dispirited, I retired to my chamber for the night.

Early in the course of the following day my most immediate apprehensions were allayed by my chancing to encounter Dalhas pacing alone a retired avenue of trees in the College park. From his appearance, however, truth to tell, I could derive but slender grounds for self-congratulation. Then, and subsequently, throughout the day, his late strange alteration of manner appeared to me to have returned with twofold strangeness and increase of violence. His previous despondency appeared to partake now more of the nature of actual madness; the wildness of eye, the compressed lip, and haggard countenance he exhibited, suggested-not one night-but weeks, of intense mental suffering. The entire college remarked, and wondered, at the change.

It appeared that, upon the evening previous, Dalhas had overheard, whilst standing near one of the open windows of Sir Edward's drawingroom, parts of a conversation in which unfortunate allusion happened to be made to his morning's misadventure upon the race course. Although the tone in which it was carried on was subdued, and the speakers themselves were hidden in partial obscurity, it required not the quick perceptions of Dalhas to recognise in them the persons of Emily A-, and his rival, Acton. Happy, no doubt, to have effected their escape from the crush and oppressive atmosphere of the dancing-room, they were strolling-conversing and laughing as they went-amid the tasteful parterres and pleasure grounds adjoining Sir Edward's mansion. The situation alone was sufficient to have aroused the jealousy of Dalhas; his fiery feelings scarce required the additional circumstances under which it was discovered, to inflame them, to an aggravated pitch of resentment.

After having described to me the occurrence of which he had been thus an unintentional observer, he added wildly, compressing my arm with painful violence as he did so, "And she laughed,-aye, that-clear laugh of her's-as she has laughed a hundred times at some college hoax of mine, and then turned to pity its poor victim. Bah!-she pitied me

Part ii. Vol. 2.

NO. 1.-VOL. III.

and he"-here he let fall his clenched hand rudely from my shoulder, almost pushing me from my position as he did so, and gave utterance to a muttered oath, I should shudder to recall. As he turned hurriedly away, I prayed heaven in my horror to avert the possible consequences of his ill-governed passion.

It seemed that Dalhas had only made his appearance in college some few hours previous to that in which the above-narrated conversation took place. The entire of the preceding night-from the moment in which he had so unceremoniously taken his departure from Appleton-had been passed by him in wandering about distractedly in the neighbourhood of Hertford, without any defined object, as far as can be conjectured, or the slightest regard to the inclemency of the weather. He informed me that he had walked many miles, and thus accounted for the disorder apparent in his person and habiliments; could I indeed have ascribed all that was disordered there, and in his mind as well, to any cause so momentary and trifling, an overwhelming weight of anticipation had been removed from off my mind. I felt absolutely terrified by the effects produced upon the proud and untutored spirit before me, by what, in ordinary cases, would have been viewed, at the worst, in the light of a temporary disappointment. As their ultimate consequences passed in review before me-in the then state of my feelings, painfully overwrought and excited as they were-a condition of confirmed idiotcy-as regarded his own case-seemed to me a consummation, by no means the worst or most improbable, to be anticipated.

I had been engaged upon the day in question, to a wine and evening party in Acton's rooms. My consternation may be imagined, upon discovering that Dalhas had received a similar invitation. Acton, either to preserve appearances, or in reality, in ignorance of the inflamed state of Dalhas's feelings against himself, had thought proper to include him in the number of his guests. I was one of the first to make my appearance in Acton's room that evening, and was not a little surprised to find that Dalhas had been still more punctual in his attendance. As I entered, Acton and a few of his college friends were standing in a conversational group near the well piled fire of wood (the season was towards the close of the summer months)—that from its antiquated resting place, cast a flickering, cheerful glare upon the otherwise obscure walls of the apartment. Dalhas had taken up his station apart in a window recess-and had become, or affected to become, lost in contemplation of some object in the darkening heavens without.

This strange demeanour was, doubtless, not lost upon Acton, and such of his guests as were already assembled; they forbore, however, noticing it in any perceptible degree, and continued their conversation as if unconscious of his presence. Dalhas, having moodily remained as I have described him for some moments-without deigning to address

any one in company-at length turned partially round and demanded of Acton if it were proposed to produce the dice in the course of the evening. Having been answered in the affirmative, he proceeded to gulp down a tumbler of wine of some that had been placed upon a side table, and without farther remark, resumed his former place and attitude. As the occupants of the room became more numerous, and the conversation more general, Dalhas' conduct passed comparatively unnoticed, although not, indeed, for one moment upon my part; his every glance and movement I ceased not to regard with feelings of intense and painful interest.

I regret that it falls to my lot to record-for from many circumstances, and above all, the very melancholy one, upon which hangs the present tale, the task is a most painful one-that at the time of which I write, a spirit of gaming prevailed to a very lamentable extent amongst the inmates of Hertford Castle. The ordinary excitement of drinking, in the case of evening réunions, was then held to be an attraction totally insufficient. A college wine party without the super-inducements of cards or dice was a thing almost unheard of; altogether I may say amongst that clique or community to which Dalhas and Acton more particularly belonged.

It was not without much alarm that I observed Dalhas, upon this particular occasion, to play and drink deeper than usual. He seemed anxious to create a counter-excitement to that which had been preying upon his spirits for the past day. Hazard was the game proposed; Dalhas was at first successful, and worked upon by that circumstance, and somewhat, no doubt, by the quantity of wine he had been drinking, appeared to have succeeded partially in his object. I could not, however, but observe his dark eye settle at intervals upon the countenance of Acton. He seemed as if he would have read his every thought and impulse; it was a look when he imagined himself unobserved—of unrestrained jealousy and dislike. Worlds would I have given on that evening, as I contemplated the sickening scene that was enacting before me-that some restless, fiendish spirit of evil had never impelled him, at such a moment to seek the presence of the man, that of all others in his heart he abhorred.

At length Dalhas' good fortune began to fail, and with it his temporary exultation of spirits. His brow contracted, his head supported, and his blood-shot eyes, half shaded by his left hand, he played on in silence, unbroken but by the occasional callings of the game, or some savage murmur of disappointment. The spirits of all present appeared depressed, and in gloomy unison with the scene. No one, upon ordinary occasions, could render himself so thoroughly disagreeable in his fits of morbid anger as Dalhas-of that all were aware; but this far surpassed anything they had ever witnessed-even in him.

Acton was the largest winner, and as Dalhas-his hand trembling from eagerness and passion-staked his last piece of gold against him, and then looked on grasping the unused box and biting his lip half through in the excess of his perturbation-the attention of all present became painfully rivetted upon his movements. I dared hardly watch the chances of the game. I felt conscious that some sudden, passionate outbreak, must be the result of any ill fortune upon Dalhas' part, and such an ultimate issue-he had now lost so considerably-appeared almost inevitable. An indistinct mist overspread my eyes as breathlessly I awaited Acton's throw.

And lost it is, by G—, Dalhas exclaimed, as he tossed his hand that had held the dice-box, with violence, upon the table; "Ha! it's my last." He paused, struggling to check the conflicting emotions that almost appeared to choke him as they rose.

"You have been fortunate, Acton," interposed a young Scotch cousin of Dalhas', perceiving the cloud that was gathering upon the countenance of his kinsman, and imprudently selecting such a method of averting it; "and you, Charles," he added, looking towards his cousin.

"And if it be not the last," Dalhas resumed, unable longer to restrain himself, and heedless of the interruption, "that I stake here”—he scowled like a fiend upon Acton as he spoke; "fortunate, did you say" -turning fiercely upon the last speaker, "fortune! He's always for

tunate in his own room."

My heart fluttered to my throat, ere the damning sentence was well completed the room went round-I experienced a painful sense of suffocation, and would have uttered but I could not.

Acton rose from his seat-his countenance was deadly pale-but neither in his voice or manner did he evince any-the slightest, symptom of agitation; he spoke calmly and in a low tone of voice-saying that such an insinuation, and he would not affect to misunderstand it, coming from Dalhas, was indeed dastardly and dishonourable ;—that from himself, amongst his personal friends, it could require no refutal, but that from Dalhas it did require a most full and instant apology.

"Apology!-dishonourable! eternal curses-"He"-Dalhas looked round and pointed at Acton as he spoke-"He talk of honour,the cheat-the seducer-ha!!-the seducer," he shouted almost hysterically as he repeated the last words. The sentence he would have completed was drowned in one universal cry of shame, and several of those present rose and advanced towards the table, at which the parties stood. In the confusion that prevailed I retain but an indistinct recollection of what immediately ensued. The whole scene recurs to me now, but as the reminiscence of some horrid dream, and I am almost thankful that it is so. I can only call to mind the circumstance, that Dalhas in his

madness (for of the fact that he was wholly and hopelessly insane at that moment, I entertain not the slightest question) made an attempt to hurl the loaded handle of a hunting whip or some such weapon that happened to be lying within his reach in the direction of Acton's person. Being opposed in his savage object by those standing near him, he rose suddenly from his chair-he had hitherto been seated, his head supported upon one arm, which rested upon the table-and clearing the threshhold of the door, almost at a bound, made his disappearance from the apartment.

A short but painful silence ensued. Acton, who to all appearance, was the most collected of the party, was the first to break it. He declared his intention of following Dalhas to his room, and then and upon the spot, demanding a personal interview with him, urging that the affair could not be allowed to remain in the unsettled state in which it then was, and that it was better it should be arranged as soon and as quietly as possible.

This purpose I and several of his friends opposed, averring that, in the present state of mind of the parties, such an interview would be impracticable, and, at all events, worse than useless. Acton assured us, with a forced and sickly smile, that he was quite calm now, and pledged himself neither to exhibit any violence, or even resent any that might be shewn him upon the part of Dalhas. Upon his reiterated assurance to the same effect, and his evident pre-determination to carry his point, we at length gave way. An interview between the parties concerned, was after all, perhaps, the only hope we could reasonably entertain of a reconciliation. I would willingly have delayed their meeting, but that the attempt appeared hopeless. When once George Acton was resolved, no power on earth could turn him from his purpose. With reluctance I saw him depart, and proceeded to arrange myself in an arm chair, determined patiently to await his return.

Nearly half an hour had dragged anxiously along-the guests of the past evening, one by one, had dropped away-the few expiring remnants of the wood-fire flickered mournfully upon the hearth, ere Acton made his re-appearance. I was becoming alarmed as to the result of his meeting with Dalhas, when the sound of his welcome footsteps became distinguishable as he moved along the vaulted corridor leading to his apartment and my own. Though the room was but feebly lighted as he entered, I could not but observe how considerably his agitation had increased his face had assumed an ashy hue; he spoke as if his lips and throat were parched, and his hand trembled as he laid it on my shoulder.

"Stapleton" he almost whispered, "I have arranged everything." I started at the questionable intimation the words conveyed, and yet could scarce summon resolution to demand the particulars of his