kes up his mind with
incredible despatch), he concluded that there would be no danger in
leaving the guard-house just as he found it, for sundry reasons; in the
first place, the present circumstances had probably existed some hours;
secondly, as there was nothing there for the guard to watch over but
the empty bottles, &c. said guard might as well sleep as be awake;
thirdly--but by this time he was almost at his excellency's door, and it
was hardly worth while to follow any farther a line of reasons that
threatened to stretch out to the crack of day, if not of doom. After
abundance of vociferating and thumping, he succeeded in rousing the
governor from his slumbers, and bringing him to the window, night-capped
and night-gowned "proper," as the heralds say. His excellency was
thunderstruck at the intelligence, and in a few minutes his household
was in motion.

His two daughters had no sooner learned that the prisoners had escaped,
than they hastened to the chamber of their cousin, Isabella, to
communicate the joyful intelligence. To their surprise and consternation
no cousin Isabella was to be found; the chamber was in its usual state,
but it was immediately obvious that the bed had not been pressed that
night by its lovely occupant; one or two of the drawers of a bureau, in
which she had formerly kept sundry articles of clothing, were open and
empty; nor was this all; the doors of a little book-case, that stood
upon a table in one corner of the room, and that formerly contained
thirty or forty volumes, were also open, and every volume was gone.

This circumstance, which at once convinced the two young ladies that
their cousin was decidedly deranged in mind, should have been mentioned
and explained in its proper place. A fortnight previous to Morton's
capture, Isabella consented to put herself under his protection, and
having so done, retired to her chamber to deliberate upon the how and
the what she should take with her. Her jewels, that had been left her by
her mother, or given her by her uncle and other relatives, were
numerous, costly, and easily portable; but jewels, though they ornament
beauty, do not keep it warm. Her drawers were next opened, and sundry
indispensable articles of dress were selected and set aside; but while
she hesitated between certain elegant and valuable dresses and others
more ordinary, that her natural good sense told her were more
appropriate, her eyes rested upon a volume of Milton opened