enance?"

"Most sinister. Never shall I forget his clear, piercing, green eye, and
his nose curved like the bill of an eagle."

"'Tis he,--'tis he himself!" exclaimed Rodolph. "And do you think,
madame, that the Doctor Polidori you were describing is still in Paris?"

"That I cannot tell you, my lord. He quitted Paris about a year after my
father's marriage. A lady of my acquaintance, who at this period also
employed the Italian as her medical adviser--this lady, Madame de
Lucenay--"

"The Duchess de Lucenay?" interrupted Rodolph.

"Yes, my lord. But why this surprise?"

"Permit me to be silent on that subject. But, at the time of which you
speak, what did Madame de Lucenay tell you of this man?"

"She said that he travelled much after quitting Paris, and that she
often received from him very clever and amusing letters, descriptive of
the various places he visited. Now I recollect that, about a month ago,
happening to ask Madame de Lucenay whether she had heard lately from M.
Polidori, she replied, with an embarrassed manner, 'that nothing had
been heard of or concerning him for some time; that no one knew what had
become of him; and that by many he was supposed to be dead.'"

"Strange, indeed," said Rodolph, recalling the recent visit of Madame de
Lucenay to the charlatan Bradamanti.

"You know this man, then, my lord?"

"Unfortunately for myself, I do; but let me beseech you to continue your
recital; hereafter I will give you an insight into the history of this
Polidori."

"Do you mean the doctor?"

"Say, rather, the wretch stained with the most atrocious crimes."

"Crimes!" cried Madame d'Harville, in alarm; "can it be possible, the
man whom Madame Roland so highly extolled, and into whose hands my poor
mother was delivered, was guilty of crimes? Alas, my dear parent
lingered but a very short time after she passed into his care! Ah, my
lord, my presentiments have not deceived me!"

"Your presentiments?"

"Oh, yes! I was telling you just now of the invincible antipathy I felt
for this man from the circumstance of his having been introduced among
us by Madame Roland; but I did not tell you all, my lord."

"How so?"

"I was fearful lest the bitterness of my own griefs should make me
guilty of injustice towards an innocent person; but now, my lord, you
shall know everything. My mother had lain dangerously ill about five
days; I had always watched beside her, night as well as day. One
evening, that I