heart.
At length, by a violent effort, he recovered a little, became once more
conscious, walked about for some time, then surveyed himself in the
glass, and what between the cadaverous hue of his face and the flakes
of red foam which we have described, when taken in connection with his
thick, midnight brows, it need not be wondered at that he felt alarmed
at the state to which he awakened.

After some time, however, he rang for Gibson, who, on seeing him,
started.

"Good God, sir!" said he, quite alarmed, "whit is the matter?"

"I did not ring for you, sir," he replied, "to ask impertinent
questions. Send Gillespie to me."

Gibson withdrew, and in the mean time his master went to his
dressing-room, where he washed himself free of the bloody evidences of
his awful passions. This being done, he returned to the library, where,
in a few minutes, Gillespie attended him."

"Gillespie," he exclaimed, "do you fear God?"

"I hope I do, Sir Thomas, as well as another, at any rate."

"Well, then, begone, for you are useless to me--begone, sirrah, and get
me some one that fears neither God nor devil."

"Why, Sir Thomas," replied the ruffian, who, having expected a job, felt
anxious to retrieve himself, "as to that matter, I can't say that I ever
was overburdened with much fear of either one or other of them. Indeed,
I believe, thank goodness, I have as little religion as most people."

"Are you sure, sirrah, that you have no conscience?"

"Why--hem--I have done things for your honor before, you know. As to
religion, however, I'll stand upon having as little of it as e'er a man
in the barony. I give up to no one in a want of that commodity."

"What proof can you afford me that you are free from it?"

"Why, blow me if I know the twelve commandments, and, besides, I was
only at church three times in my life, and I fell asleep under the
sermon each time; religion, sir, never agreed with me."

"To blazon my shame!--bad enough; but the ruin of my hopes, d--n you,
sir, how durst you publish my disgrace to the world?"

"I, your honor! I'll take my oath I never breathed a syllable of it;
and you know yourself, sir, the man was too drunk to be able to speak or
remember anything of what happened."

"Sir, you came to mock and jeer at me; and, besides, you are a liar, she
has not eloped."

"I don't understand you, Sir Thomas," said Gillespie, who saw at once by
his master's disturbed and wandering eye, that the language he u