n of his boisterous speech, and setting spurs to his horse, he
would have galloped off, when I detained him, to ask why he had not
informed his family of his present place of abode and situation. My
blood had boiled as he spoke, that such rude and scurrilous lips should
thus scornfully have spoken my sainted brother's name; passion rose
fierce within me, but I thought of him whose name he spoke, and was
calm. He swore that he had had quite enough of his father's severity,
that he never meant to see his face again. He was now, thank heaven, his
own master, and would take care to remain so; that he had been a fool to
address me, as he might be sure I should tell of his doings, and bring
the old fellow after him. Disgusted beyond measure, yet I could not
forbear asking him if he had heard of his mother's death. Without the
least change of countenance or of voice, he replied--

"'Heard of it, man, aye, and forgotten it by this; why it is some
centuries ago. It would have been a good thing for me had she died years
before she did.'

"'Cecil Grahame!' I exclaimed, in a tone that rung in my ears some
hours afterwards, and I believe made him start, daring even as he was,
'do you know it is your mother of whom you speak? a mother whose only
fault towards you was too much love, a mother whose too fond heart your
cruel conduct broke; are you so completely devoid of feeling that not
even this can move you?'

"'Pray add to your long list of my good mother's perfections a weakness
that ruined me, that made me the wretch I am,' he wildly exclaimed, and
he clenched his hand and bit his lip till the blood came, while his
cheek became livid with some feeling I could not fathom. He spurred his
horse violently, the spirited animal started forward, a kind of spell
seemed to rivet my eyes upon him. There was a loud report of cannon from
the Place de Greve, several balls whizzed close by me, evidently fired
to disperse the multitude, who were tumultuously assembling on the Pont
de la Cite, and ere I could recover from the startling effects of the
report, I heard a shrill scream of mortal agony, and Cecil Grahame fell
from his horse a shattered corpse.

* * * * *

For several minutes I was wholly unconscious of all that was passing
around me. I stood by the body of the unfortunate young man, quite
insensible to the danger I was incurring from the shot. I could only see
him before my eyes, as I had known him