olonel Dumont
felt himself much weaker in body, and was fully impressed with the
conviction that his final sickness had laid its hand upon him. To Emily
he had not communicated these gloomy forebodings, and she had discovered
no alarming symptoms in his illness. She had no suspicion of the nature
of her father's business with Maxwell, and had borne his message to the
attorney, as she had often done before, in her frequent visits to New
Orleans, though on this occasion, as may be supposed, she felt much
delicacy in doing so.

In her absence Colonel Dumont had become more and more impressed with
the omens of a speedy dissolution, and in his uneasiness had despatched
Jaspar with a draft of his intentions, wishing the attorney to write the
will in his office (where he could have his authorities at hand), and
return with his brother.

Maxwell considered the will and his own position, while Jaspar lit
another cigar. Each was striving to penetrate the thoughts of the other,
but neither had the boldness to enter upon the subject which occupied
his mind. The lawyer wanted the lady and the fortune, and he had an
undefined purpose of obtaining them through the agency of Jaspar, who
wanted only the fortune, and had a decided anticipation of being able to
retain the attorney in his service. Neither knew the purposes of the
other; but each wanted the assistance of the other.

Maxwell, with an absent mind, perused and reperused the first page of
Colonel Dumont's instructions. Without a purpose he turned the leaf, and
his attention was attracted by the name of his formidable rival, Henry
Carroll. He read, with astonishment, a bequest to him of fifty thousand
dollars. If it needed anything to complete his discomfiture, this was
sufficient. He began to think Colonel Dumont was in his dotage. He had
scarcely heard of Captain Carroll until his return from Mexico, and now
he was a legatee in the will of a millionaire. With much anxiety he
completed the reading of the instructions, fearful that he should find
the young officer's name in connection with Emily's. To his great relief
he found no such allusion, and again he applied himself to the task of
writing out the will.

Jaspar smoked his cigar, glanced occasionally at the newspaper, and
stared out of the window. He was evidently lost to all around him, in
the workings of his own mind. Now his thoughts seemed to excite him, for
his eye glared with an unusual lustre, and his thin lips m