ry, he gathered himself up under the sheltering porch of
a spacious mansion, unconscious that it was the very residence which
Darrell had once occupied, and that from that portico the Black Horses
had borne away the mother of his wife. In a few minutes he was fast
asleep--sleeping with such heavy deathlike soundness, that the policeman
passing him on his beat, after one or two vain attempts to rouse him,
was seized with a rare compassion, and suffered the weary outcast to
slumber on.

When Jasper woke at last in the grey dawn, he felt a strange numbness
in his limbs; it was even with difficulty that he could lift himself up.
This sensation gradually wearing off, was followed by a quick tingling
down the arms to the tips of the fingers. A gloomy noise rang in his
ears, like the boom of funeral church-bells; and the pavement seemed
to be sliding from under him. Little heeding these symptoms, which he
ascribed to cold and want of food, and rather agreeably surprised not
to feel the gnaw of his accustomed pains, Jasper now betook himself to
Podden Place. The house was still unclosed; and it was not till Jasper's
knock had been pretty often repeated, that the bolts were withdrawn from
the door, and Bridgett Greggs appeared. "Oh, it is you, Mr. Losely,"
she said, with much sullenness, but with no apparent surprise. "Mistress
thought you would come while she was away, and I'm to get you the
bedroom you had, over the stationer's, six years ago, if you like it.
You are to take your meals here, and have the best of everything; that's
mistress's orders."

"Oh, Mrs. Crane is out of town," said Jasper, much relieved; "where has
she gone?"

"I don't know."

"When will she be back?"

"In a few days; so she told me. Will you walk in, and have breakfast?
Mistress said there was to be always plenty in the house--you might come
any moment. Please scrape your feet."

Jasper heavily mounted into the drawing-room, and impatiently awaited
the substantial refreshments, which were soon placed before him. The
room looked unaltered, as if he had left it but the day before--the
prim book-shelves--the empty birdcage--the broken lute--the patent
easy-chair--the footstool--the sofa, which had been added to the
original furniture for his express comfort, in the days when he was
first adopted as a son-nay, on the hearth-rug the very slippers, on the
back of the chair the very dressing-gown, graciously worn by him while
yet the fairness of his f