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MERRY-MOUNT.

CHAPTER I.

THE FAREWELL.

WHEN Henry Maudsley arose from a brief and feverish slumber, upon the morning following the May-day revels, he was for some time at a loss to determine whether the strange events of the preceding evening had not all been a delusion and a dream. The wild accents of the mysterious youth who had been his companion during the concluding hours of the day were still haunting his imagination, but who the stranger was, whence he derived such singular knowledge of his own history and most secret thoughts, and for what reason he had conceived so lively an interest in his welfare, it was beyond his power to imagine.

"She shall yet be thine, Harry Maudsley," the promise uttered by that melodious voice still rang in his ear. As he repeated the words mechanically to himself, lifting his hands as he did so towards his head, he suddenly felt something unusual about his throat. What was his surprise, as he sprang forward to the light, to find suspended from his neck the very golden chain which he had seen Esther present to Gardiner at the conclusion of that fatal interview which had so lately destroyed his dearest hopes!

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He gazed at the glittering relic, emblem of the perfidy of one for whom he could have found it in his heart to forfeit both earth and heaven, in speechless bewilderment. He clasped it to

his heart for one moment, at the next he tore it from his neck and dashed it to the ground with the fury of a madman. Suddenly he recollected more of the mysterious words of his late companion. He remembered the bold prophecies with which the stranger had flattered his heart; he remembered the promise that a proof of his power should be displayed to him upon the dawn of this very morning, and behold already the glittering pledge was there. The mystery now was more perplexing than ever. It was almost impossible for him to resist the conviction that he was the victim of some magic spell. Witchcraft could alone account for the mysteries which were spread over him like a net. And to what end had these subtle sorceries been woven? What was to be the issue of the strange and twilight companionship which had suddenly sprang up between himself, and, as it seemed to him, this shadowy wanderer from some unknown world? Were his purposes good or evil? Was he abusing the mystic power which he possessed over his mind, to lead him to destruction, or was he a beneficent genius, suddenly appearing to him as he stood upon a fearful precipice, to warn him of his danger, and to lead him back into the paths of happiness whence he had wandered so far? Was Esther likewise subject to the influence of this mocking spirit? 'Twas mystery all. Again he lifted the chain from the ground, and gazed long and anxiously upon it, as if he would examine every slender link till he learned wherein lay concealed the heart of its mystery. But the chain revealed not the secrets of the magician, although it indeed seemed endowed with a magic of its own.

For an instant, as he dwelt upon the pure image of Esther, he felt that he could have prostrated himself before her as at the feet of an enshrined saint, and have expiated his unworthy and

degrading thoughts with repentant tears. Had he worshipped her so long as if she really dwelt in a purer sphere than his own stormy world, and was he now to disown all the past? Was not this an invention of the great tempter? Was it not all devised as a fiery ordeal to test the truth of his devotion? 'Twas impossible that there could be one spark of sympathy between two such characters as those of Esther and Sir Christopher Gardiner. More delicate and sensitive than the Venetian goblet, the crystal purity of her character would instinctively reject the subtle poison of that artful mind. He would seek her presence once more; once more he would pour out his heart to her, and, what his pride had hitherto forbidden, he would lay his destiny in her hands and swear that his future life should be guided by her own wishes. Thus struggling against his convictions, hoping against his hopes, the heart of Maudsley was tossed to and fro upon a stormy sea of passion and of doubt. Then his eyes again fell upon the fatal chain. The snake-like smile of Gardiner, as he stood in the twilight of that eventful evening, again flashed upon his memory. Again the words of the mysterious unknown recurred to him, and he did indeed acknowledge that both their destinies seemed bound together by a chain. 'T was strange indeed, he thought, as he gazed upon that fragile plaything, that the fate of so many beings should be entangled in those slight and golden meshes.

It so happened that the earnest enthusiasm of Esther's character had just began to awaken a corresponding emotion in his own breast, even at the moment when all his hopes had been dashed to the earth. He had made his way originally to New England with but one object. He was determined, if possible, to tear Esther from the life of gloomy solitude to which she had so fanatically devoted herself. He had been baffled. His stormy nature vainly dashed itself against the placid but unyielding enthusiasm of her character, as the wild surge dissolves in foam against the marble cliff.

The estrangement which had resulted from the ill success of his violent entreaties and reproaches, would have proved but temporary. The love inspired by such a woman could not be uprooted like a worthless weed. On the contrary, the natural and necessary effect was to increase Maudsley's passion a thousand fold, for enthusiasm is apt to inspire respect, even where it fails to elicit sympathy. The wild scenes into which he had plunged, to bury, if possible, the recollection of his love the profligate and fantastic creatures who had surrounded him like a horde of unholy spirits, had produced a strange and sudden effect upon his mind. His nature, although not fickle, was impressionable. All that surrounded him in the wilderness was odious, and his heart panted after the serene image of Esther with a renewed and redoubled devotion, as if her presence alone could give light to this dreary and desolate land- could exorcise the evil demons who seemed ravening for him as their prey. His mind was indeed beginning to awaken to a deeper appreciation of her lofty character. The contrast between the purity of her life and the unhallowed ribaldry in the midst of which he had lately dwelt, had spoken to him in trumpet tones. His heart was softened, his pride humbled, his resolution weakened. His whole nature was ready to receive a durable impression, perhaps at their very next interview. Deep was already calling unto deep, and from the profoundest recesses of his heart, there had arisen at last an answering murmur to her

own.

It was at this very point that the great misfortune befell him. A few hours before his presence at the fatal interview between Gardiner and Esther, and he knew not what sacrifices he was not prepared to make. He was ready to lay himself at her feet, to implore her guidance along his benighted path. And now he would indeed see her once more. He was impelled towards her irresistibly; but alas! who should say in what such an interview might result?

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