he had
indulged more than common; so that, when he had discharged his sable
attendants, he fell heavily on a settle in the room, and was sound
asleep.

O! how dares the bad soul to enter the shadowy world of sleep?--that
land whose dim outlines lie so fearfully near to the mystic scene of
retribution! Legree dreamed. In his heavy and feverish sleep, a veiled
form stood beside him, and laid a cold, soft hand upon him. He thought
he knew who it was; and shuddered, with creeping horror, though the
face was veiled. Then he thought he felt _that hair_ twining round his
fingers; and then, that it slid smoothly round his neck, and tightened
and tightened, and he could not draw his breath; and then he thought
voices _whispered_ to him,--whispers that chilled him with horror. Then
it seemed to him he was on the edge of a frightful abyss, holding on
and struggling in mortal fear, while dark hands stretched up, and were
pulling him over; and Cassy came behind him laughing, and pushed him.
And then rose up that solemn veiled figure, and drew aside the veil. It
was his mother; and she turned away from him, and he fell down, down,
down, amid a confused noise of shrieks, and groans, and shouts of demon
laughter,--and Legree awoke.

Calmly the rosy hue of dawn was stealing into the room. The morning star
stood, with its solemn, holy eye of light, looking down on the man
of sin, from out the brightening sky. O, with what freshness, what
solemnity and beauty, is each new day born; as if to say to insensate
man, "Behold! thou hast one more chance! _Strive_ for immortal glory!"
There is no speech nor language where this voice is not heard; but the
bold, bad man heard it not. He woke with an oath and a curse. What to
him was the gold and purple, the daily miracle of morning! What to him
the sanctity of the star which the Son of God has hallowed as his own
emblem? Brute-like, he saw without perceiving; and, stumbling forward,
poured out a tumbler of brandy, and drank half of it.

"I've had a h--l of a night!" he said to Cassy, who just then entered
from an opposite door.

"You'll get plenty of the same sort, by and by," said she, dryly.

"What do you mean, you minx?"

"You'll find out, one of these days," returned Cassy, in the same tone.
"Now Simon, I've one piece of advice to give you."

"The devil, you have!"

"My advice is," said Cassy, steadily, as she began adjusting some things
about the room, "that you let Tom alone."

"W