NISIDA."

Wagner placed the letter to his lips, exclaiming, "Oh, wherefore did an
evil influence ever prove its power on thee, thou loving, loved, and
beauteous being. Why was thy hand raised against the hapless Agnes?
wherefore did fate make thee a murderess--and why, oh, why didst thou
assail me with prayers, tears, reproaches, menaces, to induce me to
consign my soul to Satan? Nisida, may Heaven manifest its merciful
goodness unto thee, even as that same benign care has been extended to
me."

Fernand then placed the letter in his bosom, next to his heart, and
dashing away the tears from his long lashes, began to turn his attention
toward the preparation for his own departure from the island. As he
approached the pile of stores, he beheld the light drapery which Nisida
had lately worn, but which she had laid aside previous to leaving the
island; and he also observed that the rich dress, which he had often
seen her examine with care, was no longer there.

"How beautiful she must have appeared in the garb!" he murmured to
himself. "But, alas! she returns to the great world to resume her former
character of the deaf and dumb."

Nisida and himself had often employed themselves in gathering quantities
of those fruits which form an excellent aliment when dried in the sun;
and there was a large supply of these comestibles now at his disposal.
He accordingly transferred them to the boat; then he procured a quantity
of fresh fruits; and lastly he filled with pure water a cask which had
been saved by Nisida from the corsair-wreck. His preparations were
speedily completed; and he was about to depart, when it struck him that
he might never behold Nisida again, and that she might perform her
promise of returning to the island sooner or later. He accordingly
availed himself of the writing materials left amongst the stores, to pen
a brief but affectionate note, couched in the following terms:

"DEAREST NISIDA,--I have found, read, and wept over thy letter.
Thou hast my sincerest forgiveness, because I love thee more
than man ever before loved woman. Heaven has sent me the means
of escape from this island--and the doom at which my regenerated
existence was purchased, will shortly lose its spell. But
perhaps my life may be surrendered up at the same time; at all
events, everything is dark and mysterious in respect to means by
which that spell is to be broken. Should