anion suffered most. Lord
Glenfallen soon recovered his self command; he returned to the table,
again sat down and said--

"What you have told me has so astonished me, has unfolded such a
tissue of motiveless guilt, and in a quarter from which I had
so little reason to look for ingratitude or treachery, that your
announcement almost deprived me of speech; the person in question,
however, has one excuse, her mind is, as I told you before, unsettled.
You should have remembered that, and hesitated to receive as
unexceptionable evidence against the honour of your husband, the
ravings of a lunatic. I now tell you that this is the last time I
shall speak to you upon this subject, and, in the presence of the God
who is to judge me, and as I hope for mercy in the day of judgment,
I swear that the charge thus brought against me, is utterly false,
unfounded, and ridiculous; I defy the world in any point to taint my
honour; and, as I have never taken the opinion of madmen touching
your character or morals, I think it but fair to require that you will
evince a like tenderness for me; and now, once for all, never again
dare to repeat to me your insulting suspicions, or the clumsy and
infamous calumnies of fools. I shall instantly let the worthy lady who
contrived this somewhat original device, understand fully my opinion
upon the matter--good morning"; and with these words he left me again
in doubt, and involved in all horrors of the most agonizing suspense.
I had reason to think that Lord Glenfallen wreaked his vengeance upon
the author of the strange story which I had heard, with a violence
which was not satisfied with mere words, for old Martha, with whom I
was a great favourite, while attending me in my room, told me that she
feared her master had ill used the poor, blind, Dutch woman, for that
she had heard her scream as if the very life were leaving her, but
added a request that I should not speak of what she had told me to any
one, particularly to the master.

"How do you know that she is a Dutch woman?" inquired I, anxious to
learn anything whatever that might throw a light upon the history
of this person, who seemed to have resolved to mix herself up in my
fortunes.

"Why, my lady," answered Martha, "the master often calls her the Dutch
hag, and other names you would not like to hear, and I am sure she
is neither English nor Irish; for, whenever they talk together, they
speak some queer foreign lingo, and fast enough, I