vile embraces of almost every ruffian in the
Vaults; and even after death, they had been placed in attitudes unseemly
and shameful. But the horror of Sydney, while beholding these things,
was soon absorbed in a discovery which to him was ten times more
horrible than all the rest; for written on the chair of a female figure,
was the name of his aunt Mrs. Stevens!

It will be remembered that this lady was murdered by the Dead Man, at
her residence in Grand Street; on the night of the masquerade ball, in
order to prevent her giving favorable testimony at the trial of Sydney.
Having been found, suspended by the neck, it was at first supposed that
she committed suicide; but that belief was removed from the public mind,
when it was found that a robbery had been committed in the house. It was
then apparent that she had been inhumanely murdered. Her servant
testified that a strange man had called on her mistress that evening
whom she would not be able to recognize, his face having been concealed
in the folds of his cloak. After admitting him into the house, and
calling Mrs. Stevens, the girl had gone out on a short errand, and on
her return, found her mistress in the situation described, and quite
dead. The old lady was buried; but her murderer broke open the tomb, and
carried the corpse to the dungeon of the Vaults, where he had placed her
with the other victims, in the position in which Sydney, her nephew, now
found her.

'It is as I suspected,' thought our hero, as he sadly viewed the remains
of his poor aunt--'that villain murdered her, and now it is forever out
of my power to avenge her blood. Ha! what's this?--_my name_, upon an
empty chair.'

And so it was; the name, Francis Sydney, was written out on the back of
an unoccupied chair; he comprehended that this was designated to be
_his_ seat when he should form one of that awful crew, in the chamber of
Death.

Suddenly, the damp, foul air of the place extinguished the light of his
lamp, and he found himself in total darkness.

CHAPTER XXIII

_Showing how Sydney was tortured in the Chamber of Death, and how he
made his escape through the City Sewers._

Groping his way to the extremity of the dungeon, Frank sat down upon the
stone steps, his mind a prey to feelings of keenest horror and despair.
His soul recoiled from the idea of suicide, as a heinous crime in the
sight of Heaven, or he would have dashed his brains out against the
walls of his prison, and t