on
the murderer, and strive to be murdered also. I am now at home with
violence; and no dark death surprises me.

"But, being as I was that night, the horror overcame me. The crash of
thunder overhead, the last despairing look, the death-piece framed with
blaze of lightning--my young heart was so affrighted that I could not
gasp. My breath went from me, and I knew not where I was, or who, or
what. Only that I lay, and cowered, under great trees full of thunder;
and could neither count, nor moan, nor have my feet to help me.

"Yet hearkening, as a coward does, through the brushing of the wind,
and echo of far noises, I heard a sharp sound as of iron, and a fall
of heavy wood. No unmanly shriek came with it, neither cry for mercy.
Carver Doone knows what it was; and so did Alan Brandir."

Here Lorna Doone could tell no more, being overcome with weeping. Only
through her tears she whispered, as a thing too bad to tell, that she
had seen that giant Carver, in a few days afterwards, smoking a little
round brown stick, like those of her poor cousin. I could not press her
any more with questions, or for clearness; although I longed very
much to know whether she had spoken of it to her grandfather or the
Counsellor. But she was now in such condition, both of mind and body,
from the force of her own fear multiplied by telling it, that I did
nothing more than coax her, at a distance humbly; and so that she could
see that some one was at least afraid of her. This (although I knew
not women in those days, as now I do, and never shall know much of it),
this, I say, so brought her round, that all her fear was now for me,
and how to get me safely off, without mischance to any one. And sooth to
say, in spite of longing just to see if Master Carver could have served
me such a trick--as it grew towards the dusk, I was not best pleased
to be there; for it seemed a lawless place, and some of Lorna's fright
stayed with me as I talked it away from her.

CHAPTER XXII

[Illustration: 178.jpg Glen Doone]

After hearing that tale from Lorna, I went home in sorry spirits, having
added fear for her, and misery about, to all my other ailments. And was
it not quite certain now that she, being owned full cousin to a peer and
lord of Scotland (although he was a dead one), must have nought to do
with me, a yeoman's son, and bound to be the father of more yeomen? I
had been very sorry when first I heard about that poor young popinjay,
and w