he hand of his niece in
his name, with a view of bringing the matter to an issue with as
little delay as might be. His brother, who had relapsed, was in a very
precarious condition, but still slightly on the recovery, a circumstance
which filled him with alarm. He only went out at night occasionally, but
still he went out, and, as before, did not return until about twelve,
but much more frequently one, two, and sometimes three o'clock. Nobody
in the house could understand the mystery of these midnight excursions,
and the servants of the family, who were well aware of them, began to
look on him with a certain undefined terror as a man whose unaccountable
movements were associated with something that was evil and supernatural.
They felt occasionally that the power of his eye was dreadful; and as
it began to be whispered about that it was by its evil influence he had
brought Alice Goodwin to the very verge of the grave for the purpose of
getting at the property, which was to revert to him in case she should
die without issue, there was not one of them who, on meeting him, either
in or about the house, would run the risk of looking him in the face. In
fact, they experienced that kind of fear of him which a person might
be supposed to feel in the case of a spirit; and this is not surprising
when we consider the period in which they lived.

Be this as it may, his mother got up the old carriage once more and
set out on her journey to Cockle Hall--her head filled with many an
iniquitous design, and her heart with fraud and deceit. On reaching
Cockle Hall she was ushered to the withdrawing-room, where she found his
lordship in the self-same costume which we have already described. Miss
Eiddle was in her own room, so that she had the coast clear--which was
precisely what she wanted.

"Well, Mrs. Lindsay, I'm glad to see you. How do you do, madam? Is your
son with you?" he added, shaking hands with her.

"No, my lord."

"O! an embassadress, then?"

"Something in that capacity, my lord."

"Then I must be on my sharps, for I am told you are a keen one. But tell
me--do you sleep with one eye open, as I do?"

"Indeed, my lord," she replied, laughing, "I sleep as other people do,
with both eyes shut."

"Well, then, what's your proposal?--and, mark me, I'm wide awake."

"By all accounts, my lord, you have seldom been otherwise. How could you
have played your cards so well and so succassfully if you had not?"

"Come, that's n