o puffed up with spiritual pride that I believe he
weens every one of his actions justified before God, and, instead of
having stings of conscience for these, he takes great merit to himself
in having effected them. Still my thoughts are less about him than the
extraordinary being who accompanies him. He does everything with so
much ease and indifference, so much velocity and effect, that all
bespeak him an adept in wickedness. The likeness to my late hapless
young master is so striking that I can hardly believe it to be a chance
model; and I think he imitates him in everything, for some purpose or
some effect on his sinful associate. Do you know that he is so like in
every lineament, look, and gesture, that, against the clearest light of
reason, I cannot in my mind separate the one from the other, and have a
certain indefinable expression on my mind that they are one and the
same being, or that the one was a prototype of the other."

"If there is an earthly crime," said Mrs. Calvert, "for the due
punishment of which the Almighty may be supposed to subvert the order
of nature, it is fratricide. But tell me, dear friend, did you remark
to what the subtile and hellish villain was endeavouring to prompt the
assassin?"

"No, I could not comprehend it. My senses were altogether so bewildered
that I thought they had combined to deceive me, and I gave them no
credit."

"Then bear me: I am almost certain he was using every persuasion to
induce him to make away with his mother; and I likewise conceive that I
heard the incendiary give his consent!"

"This is dreadful. Let us speak and think no more about it, till we see
the issue. In the meantime, let us do that which is our bounden
duty--go and divulge all that we know relating to this foul murder."

Accordingly the two women went to Sir Thomas Wallace of Craigie, the
Lord justice Clerk (who was, I think, either uncle or grandfather to
young Drummond, who was outlawed and obliged to fly his country on
account of Colwan's death), and to that gentleman they related every
circumstance of what they had seen and heard. He examined Calvert very
minutely, and seemed deeply interested in her evidence--said he knew
she was relating the truth, and, in testimony of it, brought a letter
of young Drummond's from his desk, wherein that young gentleman, after
protesting his innocence in the most forcible terms, confessed having
been with such a woman in such a house, after leaving the com