the stranger turning towards him, he recognised
the face of Peter Leroux staring at him, with that very look of
stupified astonishment with which for two hours the unlucky ploughman
had listened to his brilliant discourse in the criminal court of
Orleans.

Perhaps, on any other occasion, the deputy-prosecutor, on finding
himself a second time visited by this horrible vision, would have
suspected that he had been guilty of some wicked action, for which he
was doomed to this persecution: his conscience, if he had taken the
trouble to cross-examine it, would have very soon told him what was
his crime, in which case, being a good Catholic, he would perhaps have
gone out and locked the door of the haunted room until morning, when
he would have immediately ordered a mass for the repose of the soul of
Peter Leroux; by means of this, and of some contributions to the fund
for poor prisoners of justice, he might, perhaps, have regained his
tranquillity of mind, and escaped for ever from the annoyance to which
he had been subjected. At such a time, however, he felt more
irritation than remorse; and he accordingly endeavoured to seize the
intruder by the hair, and drag him from his resting-place. At the
first movement that he made, however, the head, understanding his
intentions, began to grind its teeth, and as he stretched out his
hand, the bridegroom felt himself severely bitten. The pain of his
wound increased his rage. He looked around for some weapon, went to
the fireplace and seized a bar of steel which served to support the
fire-irons, then returned, and striking several times upon the bed
with all his force, endeavoured to destroy his hideous visitor. But
the head, ducking and bobbing like the white gentleman with black
spots, whom Punch has never been able to touch, dexterously slipped
aside at every blow, which descended harmlessly upon the bed-clothes.
For several minutes the furious bridegroom continued to waste his
strength in this manner, when, springing with an extraordinary bound,
the head passed over the shoulder of its adversary, and disappeared
behind him before he could observe by what way it had escaped.

After a careful search, and considerable raking in corners with the
bar of steel, finding himself at length master of the field of battle,
the deputy-prosecutor returned to the bed. The bride was still
miraculously asleep; and, to his horror, he perceived, on lifting the
coverlet, that she was lying in a po