son, on a sudden, became
thoughtful, reserved, and mysterious: his answers, when addressed, were
incoherent, his dress disordered, and his whole appearance indicative
of internal wretchedness. He avoided his mother and passed the greatest
part of his time in the apartment where his father died, and where, at
last, he totally secluded himself. Lady Corbet was grieved and alarmed
at this change, which the domestics openly imputed to a mental
derangement; and some papers they found, nearly induced Lady Corbet to
concur in their opinion. They contained unconnected sentences, which
showed a mind ill at ease, if not bereft of reason.

"The mild persuasions and entreaties of his mother, were ineffectual to
draw from him the cause of his dejection, which still increased; and one
night, about six months after the death of his father, he privately
left the hall! This circumstance was soon discovered, and the domestics
dispatched in pursuit of him; but the only intelligence they could gain
of him was from a peasant, who affirmed, that passing by the church
early in the morning, he had seen Sir Henry ascend from the vault where
the remains of the Corbet family were interred: that he was without his
hat, held his handkerchief to his face, and, on leaving the church, ran
with wildness across the fields toward the village. This account was
farther corroborated by the sexton, who attested that Sir Henry had
called him up after midnight, and demanded the keys of the church, which
he did not think himself authorised to refuse.

"This information but served to perplex and raise painful conjectures in
the breast of Lady Corbet: Sir Henry was not to be traced, and it was
not till some time after, she received a letter from Lady Dursley,
informing her of his having been seen in London. To London she
immediately came, where she had been nearly three weeks, when I met her
at Sir John's.

"Lady Corbet recounted these events during breakfast; and we were
endeavouring to give her consolation, in a case I believe we all thought
equally hopeless as mysterious, when the clerk (for my friend is in the
commission for the peace) entered the room, and informed Sir John, a
party of dissolute young men, who, the night before, had committed
several depredations, had been conveyed to the round-house, and were
then waiting at the office. Two of them, he said, who were accused as
the principal offenders, entreated to speak with Sir John previously to
thei