des excited, the merry Stephen was compelled
to suspend his blowing for awhile, and the whole enclosure, when the
old and religious men had retired, appeared only a merry, nay,
extravagantly joyous company, which the bride, and even the grave
Castanet, by their loud applause encouraged to new and still more
extraordinary feats of skill.

As the grass was already tolerably beaten down, the dance might be
continued with greater safety; and now old Favart stepped upon the
level ground, and said: "As we are celebrating a festival to-day, pray
permit for once, that the brothers Mark Anthony and Cesar may perform
some of their exploits, they think, that they know some more refined
amusements, which would contrast very well with the high leaping and
peasant dances."

The two ci-devant noblemen after this short preface, exhibited in the
then customary dances of the more refined society, but these did not
excite that admiration among the spectators, with which Michael had
been encouraged; the wilder exertions therefore resumed their place,
and the noblemen found themselves compelled to conform to this taste,
if they wished to share in the festivity. Many other instruments struck
up, a flute resounded, a hautboy was raised, and between these and
Stephen's pipe a flageolet was heard, mingled at intervals with the
loud and merry song of the mountaineers; now the air of a dance, now
old national songs, and merriment and jesting resounded loudly through
the wood, so that the cliffs of the adjacent precipices repeated with
joyful echo the tones of wild gaiety.

The merry-making, that to-day, once in motion, would have lasted
longer, had it not been suddenly interrupted and broken up by a
terrible outcry. The fearful sound proceeded from the summit of a
pointed cliff, which rose almost perpendicularly over the green sward
to the scene of the joyous tumult. All eyes turned quickly thither, and
they beheld a demoniacal figure with upraised, extended arms, face,
head, and body coloured and besmeared with blood. Once again the
lunatic shouted, and then ran and precipitated himself down the steep
rock into the arms of the brethren. It was the wrathful Ravanel. "Curse
you! curse! ye apostates!" screamed he, "as if mad; that ye thus forget
the Lord! Lamenting, mourning, discoloured with the blood of our
brethren, of the enemy and with my own, shed in the holy cause, I
returned to summon ye to vengeance, and I find the idolators here in
th