ith some very
alarming symptoms, and begged his immediate attendance. Having wakened
the woman and commissioned her to watch during his absence, Arthur
departed, surprised at the unexpected summons, as he had seen the
patient at twilight, who then appeared in a fair way of recovery. His
surprise was still greater, when arriving at the house he found that no
summons had been sent for him, no note written, but the whole household
were wrapped in peaceful slumbers. The note, which he carried in his
pocket, was pronounced a forgery, and must have been written with some
dark and evil design. But what could it be? Who could wish to draw him
away from that poor, lone cottage, that poor sick, dying woman? It was
strange, inexplicable.

Mr. Mason, the gentleman in whose name the note had been written, and
who fortunately happened to be the sheriff of the county, insisted upon
accompanying him back to the cottage, and aiding him to discover its
mysterious purpose. It might be a silly plot of some silly boy, but that
did not seem at all probable, as Arthur was so universally respected and
beloved--and such was the dignity and affability of his character, that
no one would think of playing upon him a foolish and insulting trick.

The distance was not great, and they walked with rapid footsteps over
the crisp and frozen ground. Around the cabin, the snow formed a thick
carpet, which, lying in shade, had not been glazed, like the general
surface of the landscape. Their steps did not resound on this white
covering, and instead of crossing the stile in front of the cabin, they
vaulted over the fence and approached the door by a side path. The
moment Arthur laid his hand upon the latch he knew some one had entered
the house during his absence, for he had closed the door, and now it was
ajar. With one bound he cleared the passage, and Mr. Mason, who was a
tall and strong man, was not left much in the rear. The inner door was
not latched, and opened at the touch. The current of air which rushed in
with their sudden entrance rolled into the chimney, and the fire flashed
up and roared, illuminating every object within. Near the centre of the
room stood a man, wrapped in a dark cloak that completely concealed his
figure, a dark mask covering his face, and a fur cap pulled deep over
his forehead. He stood by the side of Miss Thusa's wheel, which
presented the appearance of a ruin, with its brazen bands wrenched
asunder, and its fragments str