IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 k 
 
 A 
 
 // 
 
 
 A 
 
 ^^^^'^'^^ 
 
 
 »<5 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 1.25 
 
 14^ 
 
 1^ ~ 
 
 t 1^ 12.0 
 
 11^ IIM 
 IIIIM 
 
 Uuu 
 
 U III 1.6 
 
 V] 
 
 <^ 
 
 /a 
 
 
 /^ 
 
 j>m/^°^/ . ' / M^ 
 
 
 PhotDgraphic 
 
 Sciences 
 Corporation 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, NY. 1458C 
 
 (716) 872-4503 
 
 4s >>, 
 
 '9»^ 
 
 ^V 
 
o 
 
 1 <r . « 
 
 
 s> 
 
 >. 
 
 CIHM/ICMH 
 
 Microfiche 
 
 Series. 
 
 CIHM/ICMH 
 ColSection de 
 microfiches. 
 
 Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques 
 
Technical and Bibliographic Notas/Notss techniques et bibliographiques 
 
 The Institute has attempted to obtain the best 
 original copy available for filming. Features of this 
 copy which may be bibliographically unique, 
 which may altar any of the images in the 
 reproduction, or which may significantly change 
 the usual method of filming, are checked below. 
 
 □ Coloured covers/ 
 Couverture de couleur 
 
 □ Covers damaged/ 
 Couverture endommagie 
 
 □ Covers restored and/or laminated/ 
 Couverture restaurde et/ou pellicul^e 
 
 □ Cover title missing/ 
 Le titre de couverture manque 
 
 I — I Coloured maps/ 
 
 Cartes giographiques en couleur 
 
 L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire 
 qu'il lui a it^ possible de se procurer. Les details 
 de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-Atre uniques du 
 point de vue bibliogrcphique, qui peuvent modifier 
 une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une 
 modification dans la methods normale de filmage 
 sont indiqute ci-dessous. 
 
 □ Coloured pages/ 
 Pages de couleur 
 
 □ Pages damaged/ 
 Pages endommagies 
 
 □ Pages restored and/or laminated/ 
 Pages restauries et/ou pelliculdes 
 
 Q Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ 
 Pages ddcolories, tacheties ou piqu^es 
 
 □ Pages detached/ 
 Pages d6tach6es 
 
 D 
 D 
 D 
 D 
 
 D 
 
 Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ 
 Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) 
 
 Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ 
 Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur 
 
 Bound with other material/ 
 Relii avec d'autres documents 
 
 fight binding may causa shadows or distortion 
 along interior margin/ 
 
 La re liure serrie peut causer de I'ombre ou de la 
 distortion le long de la riarge intdrieure 
 
 Blank leaves added during restoration may 
 appear within the text. Whenever possible, these 
 have been omitted from filming/ 
 II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajout6es 
 lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, 
 mais, lorsque cela itait possible, ces pages n'ont 
 pas iti film^es. 
 
 • 
 
 D 
 
 Showthrough/ 
 Transparence 
 
 rn Quality of print varies/ 
 
 Quality indgale de I'impression 
 
 Includes supplementary material/ 
 Comprend du matdriel suppldmentaire 
 
 □ Only edition available/ 
 Seule Edition disponible 
 
 Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata 
 slips, tissues, etc., have been retilmed to 
 ensure the best possible image/ 
 Les pages totalement ou partiellement 
 obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, 
 etc., ont 6t6 filmies 6 nouveau de fapon d 
 obtenir la meilleure image possible. 
 
 D 
 
 Additional comments:/ 
 Commentaires suppl^mentaires: 
 
 This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ 
 
 Ce document est fiimi au taux de reduction indiquA ci-dessous. 
 
 10X 
 
 
 
 
 14X 
 
 
 
 
 18X 
 
 
 
 
 22X 
 
 
 
 
 26X 
 
 
 
 
 30X 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 y 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 12X 
 
 16X 
 
 aox 
 
 24X 
 
 28X 
 
 32X 
 
The copy film«d h«r« has b—n raproducad thanks 
 to tha ganaK-osity of: 
 
 Seminary of Quebec 
 Library 
 
 Tha imagas appaaring hara ara tha bast quality 
 possibia considaring tha condition and lagibility 
 of tha original copy and in kaaping witti tha 
 filming contract spacificationa. 
 
 L'axamplaira film* fut raproduit grAca A la 
 ginirosit* da: 
 
 Siminaire de Quibec 
 Bibliothique 
 
 Laa imagaa suivantaa ont 4t* raproduitas avac la 
 plus grand soin. compta tanu da la condition at 
 da la nattati da l'axamplaira filmd, at an 
 conformity avac laa eonditiona du contrat da 
 filmaga. 
 
 Original copiaa in printad papar covars ara filmad 
 baginning with tha front covar and anding on 
 tha laat paga with a printad or iilustratad impraa- 
 sion, or tha back covar whan appropriata. All 
 othar original copiaa ara filmad baginning on tha 
 first paga with a printad or iilustratad impraa- 
 sion. and ending on tha last paga with a printad 
 or iilustratad impiassion. 
 
 Tha last racordad frama on aach microficha 
 shall contain tha symbol —^(moaning "CON- 
 TINUED"), or tha symbol y (moaning "END"), 
 whichavar appliaa. 
 
 Maps, piataa. charts, ate. may ba filmad at 
 diffarant reduction ratioa. Thoaa too larga to ba 
 antiraiy included in one expoaura ara filmad 
 baginning in tha upper left hand comer, left to 
 right and top to bottom, as many framea as 
 required. The following diagrama iliuatrata the 
 method: 
 
 Lee exemplairee originaux dont la couvarture en 
 papier eat imprim^e sont filmte en commenpant 
 par la premier plat at en terminant soit par la 
 darniAre page qui comporte une ampreinte 
 d'impreasion ou d'iilustration. soit par Ja second 
 plat, salon la cas. Tous lea autres axemplairas 
 originaux sont film^s en commenpant par ia 
 premiere paga qui comporte une empreinte 
 d'impreasion ou d'iilustration at en terminant par 
 la derniAre page qui comporte une telle 
 empreinte. 
 
 Un dee symboiee suivsnts apparaitra sur la 
 darniire image de cheque microficha, selon le 
 cas: le symbole «»• signifie 'A SUIVRE". le 
 symbols y signifie "FIN". 
 
 Les cartea, piinchas. tabiaeux. ate, pauvent Atre 
 fllmte d dee taux de rMuction diff^ents. 
 Lorsque le document est trop grend pour dtre 
 reproduit en un seul clichi. il est film* A partir 
 do Tangle sup^rieur gauche, de gauche i droite. 
 et de haut en bas. en prenant le nombre 
 d'images n^cessaira. Las diagrammes suivants 
 illuatrant la m^thoda. 
 
 32X 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
ifds 
 
 ^/v-tni 
 
 C^u^^ ^f /^ // ^, ^ 
 
 ill. I ii;pi*iiu 111 ■ 
 
 t 
 
\ 
 
 'i 
 
•Hijjr' 
 
 \ i 
 
 «f» 
 
 
 THE 
 
 MYSTERIES 
 
 F 
 
 MONTREAL. 
 
 i 
 
 A NOVEL FOUNDED ON FACTS 
 
 132 * * * . 
 
 MONTREAL, C. E. 
 PUBLISHED BY H. H. CUNNINGHAM, 
 
 Comte's Buildings^ Notre Dame Street. 
 
^'■"ip^p"" 
 
 9m^m 
 
 ■■■V 
 
 J. W. Harrison, Printer. 
 
PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS. 
 
 IGHT litenture is looked upon as being the mirror of Society's ex- 
 cellence and turpitude — as such, its moral is certainly good; because 
 it exposes to the uaiversal gaze the heart of man in all its organization, 
 dwelling much on the virtues of the indigent, and contrasting them strong- 
 ly with the vices of the wealthy. But, the means which the novelist has, 
 within a few years past, employed, — to say the least of them,— can only be 
 " justified by the end." For he has seized upon such extraordinary char- 
 acters to illustrate the lights and shadows of our nature, that it is impossible 
 to discover in them any thing mundane — they are either pure as angels, or 
 corrupt as demons ; and their exploits recall to mind the achievements of 
 the heathen deities. Then, these strange beings are unceremoniously ush- 
 ered into this world of matter, and pressed into the rehearsal of parts in 
 scenes enacted on boards familiar to us all : thus do we see a rival of Mars 
 dealing in Her Majesty's English, accoutred d la D'Orsay, and fighting 
 duels at twelve paces: or, the personification of the goddess of Cythera, par- 
 tial to rauget reading La Belle Assemblce, and dashing at routs, in church, 
 and public streets, and ultimately capturing the heart of some juvenile Sub, 
 who dreams not he has bargained for a cargo of whale-bone, cotton-wool, 
 and horse-hair ; and all in this, the nineteenth century of the Christian era! 
 There is, however, one slightly redeeming feature in this unnatural en- 
 listment of super-human agents : they are made to act in circles with which 
 we are acquainted. Yet this is but poor amends for the egregious error com- 
 mitted by securing the services of heroes who have never met with parallels 
 in the ordinary walks of life, nor will ever find followers. For, of what 
 avail is it to set those characters as examples to the reader ? Surely, it can- 
 not be to inspire him with horror at the commission of deeds unknown to the 
 criminal calendar of the world — on the contrary, it can only tend to lessen 
 in his eyes, the vices which reign in society, and consequently encourage 
 their pernicious growth. Although rather objectionable, it is quite another 
 thing when heavenly beings are held up as worthy of imitation ; because, 
 perceiving the insignificance of his worth, when compared to such perfec- 
 tion, he is naturally led to exert himself to follow in the same steps, and in- 
 sensibly refines his nature in the attempt to reach a similar slate of good- 
 ness, although it be impossible to reach the goal. 
 
 Then, do we maintain that, to fill mankind with a loatliiiig for wickedness, 
 the wicked man's heart alone should be dissected and laid oiieii, that all may 
 
»1 
 
 -ee they can plunge in the same excesse. ; and that, on the other hand, to 
 •xcue wab,D every bosom a love of virtue, it i, only required to picture he 
 good man as he really i,, without drawing upon the super-natural ; for the 
 certainty of being endowed with power, sufficient to acquire and ha/ he 
 moral blessmgs a fellow-creature has been enabled to call down ul hil 
 head, will urge us on to that " land of promise." 
 
 If light literature has degenerated in the above respect, it has. as we have 
 
 already stated, vastly gained in another. Formerly, it claimed "e soct^ 
 
 .n general, as ,ts province , its mo.al appertained of a character so diffuse 
 
 hat u often proved fruuless, for it soon became threadbare, and required 
 
 ir . ,"^"m" f ''"^'^ '^ '^' ^''' "''^ ^"g"^'^ ''"-■-t^. to render it 
 pala^^able. Now u has assumed a far superior tone by confining itself to 
 localmes. or md.vidual classes of people. Curiosity and vanityMll lead 
 man to enquire mto everything relaring to him. ever so indirectly, or tospots 
 he has visited, or transactions in which he has taken part. Hence, the as- 
 onishing success of such publications as have, of late years, deluged the 
 literary world. b « "*•» 
 
 It is after having maturely reflected on the above points, that this, a purely 
 local tale, has been wruten.-one that will present society as it exists in the 
 Canadian metropolis, a, well as in the whole United Province, because in- 
 habjtants. from its various parts, will be brought in to add interest to the 
 
 The principal events, forming the basis of this novel, are /ac/5 ; but the 
 actors are not those who from time to time, have appeared before the pub- 
 lie. What a number of individuals have really accomplished, and that, at 
 periods distant one from the other, will be assigned to a narrow circle of 
 purely fictitious characters. It will therefore baffle the ingenuity of the 
 curious who may attempt to fasten on particular members of society, any 
 act forming a link in the chain of this tale. 
 
 As the author of this work has had in view more than the satisfaction of 
 uniting together, dunng leisure hours, a string of circumstances, to many of 
 which he IS personally cognizant, he trusts credit will be given him for aim- 
 mg at some beneficial result, however much he may fall short of his desti- 
 nation. The field upon which he ventures affords rare opportunities of at- 
 tacking a host of defects in the various branches of our social system, which 
 have hitherto defied the stern critic's denunciation, and mocked the mild 
 remonstrance of the moralist. He will, therefore, make a judicious use of 
 these advantages, clothing the incidents he will narrate, with just sufficient fic- 
 tion to screen the real parties, that no one may suffer from their publication. 
 
 Montreal, August, 1846. * * * 
 
 
nd, to 
 re the 
 r, the 
 re the 
 n his 
 
 have 
 ciety 
 iff'use 
 Hired 
 ier it 
 ilf to 
 lead 
 spots 
 
 ) 38- 
 
 Ithe 
 
 rely 
 
 I the 
 
 5 in- 
 
 the 
 
 the 
 >ub- 
 t, at 
 e of 
 the 
 any 
 
 a of 
 
 ir of 
 
 ini- 
 
 sti- 
 
 at- 
 
 ich 
 
 likl 
 
 I of 
 
 ic- 
 
 m. 
 
P'^''f*^Ki'»KX*BSS!SKsssyif^'S3f^;xsai^.-A,'ji^-', 
 
,pUm$ of ^^<^niml 
 
 WAM-T Sa 
 
 M^^f^^^^k^^^t^^N^^^^^^'^ 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 THE MIDNIGHT RENDEZVOUS. 
 
 'last this wind and rain ! A body can be surprised and 
 despatched in this delightful spot, without being aware 
 ^^^^^ of his murderer's approach." 
 
 Such was the impatient exclamation of a tall and stout man, as 
 he tightly drew a large, loose cloak around his person, and stood 
 staring, in the dark, foolishly attempting to discover some lurking 
 assassin. 
 
 And well might this mysterious individual,— whom we shall call 
 Donald McDonald,— utter, with feigned assurance, words which 
 told how much he experienced those fears that flash only across a 
 guilty conscience, — rousing the worst passions which prey up- 
 on the human heart, and eradicating, from within it, every vestige 
 of moral superiority over the brute, as they either drive their vic- 
 tim to desperation, or reduce him to the degraded condition of 
 the wretch, who trembles before the monstrous creations of his 
 diseased fancy. 
 
 For it was in one of the long and stormy nights of a Canadian 
 fall he had sought the home of the wealthy dead — that retired 
 spot, at the foot of the Montreal Mountain, known as the McTa- 
 vish Monument ; and in the neighborhood of the mansion bearing 
 the name of the same individual, and which the spirits of the evil 
 kingdom are said, by credulous people, to have claimed as their 
 haunts, long before the completion of its magnificence. Then, a 
 furious wind swept in fearful gusts across the country, wildly re- 
 velling amidst the forests, and stripping them of their fast fading 
 
 (J 
 
8 
 
 TKS MYSTERIES OF MONTREAL. 
 
 'I 
 
 garment ; at times, it louv'lly hi'-.ded around the limbs it had left 
 to nakedness, and howled hoarsely among the rocks like a mad- 
 dened wild beast ; whilst at others, it moaned round the vault, and 
 seemed to claim admittance, by its shrill whistling, through the 
 holes in the rust-ealen iron door, which then almost threatened 
 to burst open. The trees swung their branches, like giants that 
 give way to grief, aiid wring their hands and beat their breasts in 
 great agony ; whilst the mocking winds derided their sorrows, and 
 flung around them the ruins of their by-gone splendor ; and, with 
 all tins, the r a fell heavily, dropping like shot on the leaves that 
 strewed the ground, and mournfully beating against the door of 
 the tomb. 
 
 The darkness was awful, — had a single star twinkled amidst 
 the leaden clouds, it would have cheered the heart of him who 
 had ventured to that drea:y spot. But nothing relieved his 
 straining eye, save the flash of lightning as it rent the shroud 
 that over-hung the ear*'^ and ushered dreadful detonations of thun- 
 der, whose terrible ' "-ots found too faithful an echo among the 
 surrounding rocks. Every dart of the electric fluid struck terror 
 to Donald's bosom ; it, lighted up the scene around, clothing the 
 rocks and decayed ren-nants of trees with mantles of fire ; and it 
 seemed that some mighty magician's wand enlivened nature, and 
 metamorphosed it into a world of unearthly beings. 
 
 The lone spectator of these horrors mentally suffered most ex- 
 cracialirg torments. For, after the lightning had swept by, the 
 spots which just now were peopled with monstrous formations 
 clad ui flames, seemed plunged in deeper gloom ; and creatures, 
 blacker than night, follcved on the scene, and paralysed the va- 
 cant stare of the bewildered Doniiid. 
 
 A man, at peace with his Maker, — he, who rapturously dwells 
 on nature writhing in the grasp of the storms, and who sees, in 
 those terrible convulsions of matter, but other and more striking 
 evidence of the might of his God, would have felt "he Poet's in- 
 describable leaping at the heart, on witnessing eo magnificent a 
 spectacle. But to the evil-minded and the remorse-stricken, 
 these were terrors that are unequalled in this world. For Donald 
 thought he listened lo the winds moaning his requiem, whilst the 
 
 ^v:/^ 
 
^ 
 
 TUB MYSTERIES OP MONTREAL. 
 
 9 
 
 thunders broke upon his ear as a damning sentence, which the 
 lightning threatened to inflict upon his head. The earth itself, he 
 fancied, labored under his feet ; and he shook like an aspen-leaf, 
 and would have wished for wings to rise above it, lest it should 
 yawn and form some great chasm to bury him alive. In the 
 gloom, myriads of monsters obtruded their hideous forms on his 
 deluded vision ; and, as the darkness was momentarily dispelled, 
 crowds of burning demons surrounded him in all the attitudes of 
 anger and defiance. Then, if a poor affrighted bird, driven from 
 its shelter by the pitiless storm, 'lew past above him, instead of 
 welcoming it as a companion in solitude, the miserable Donald 
 heard its flutter with dread, as though it were that of some 
 evil spirit hastening to guide him to regions of eternal woe 
 and misery. The cold clammy sweat which deluged his tremb- 
 ling limbs, personified, to his alarmed senses, the icy clasping 
 to death's bosom; and if the wind heaved some hot and fetid 
 gust from the city, he felt it on his lips as the embrace of the 
 " Grim Tyrant" himself. 
 
 Overpowered by the frightful workings of his fancy, Donald 
 had staggered against the iron paling, which surrounds the base 
 of the large grey column, that rears itself above the sepulchre. 
 He sought to banish the idle fears which beset him on every side, 
 by turning his gaze upon the city, but the lamp-lights which, on 
 a cairn night, illumine the heavens, and give to Montreal, when 
 viewed from a distance at that hour, the appearance of a fairy 
 town, could not triumphantly struggle with the darkness which 
 then reigned over the whole country ; but only shed a dim glare 
 that casts in the gloom overhead, the mistiness that is seen ho- 
 vering above the smouldering of a great nocturnal conflagration. 
 
 As Donald's eye lay fastened on this distressing picture, like 
 all wicked and pusillanimous men, he believed himself the only 
 miserable and vicious being on earth, and envied the rest which 
 courts sov ^y few pillows, and tho#' dreams, heavenly strangers, 
 that make us forget we are of a corrupt world. 
 
 Whilst u:i3 musing, the storm abated, and he was awakened 
 from his revery by the town clock, as it slowly pealed forth, from 
 the spire of Christ church, the hour of midnight. Had the 
 
 B 
 
' ifi^-tsii- -i^vnani 
 
 10 
 
 THE MYSTERIES OF MONTREAL. 
 
 watchman's rattle likewise reached his ear, he would have remem- 
 bered that all do not taste the slumbers, for which he was 
 thirsting but a moment before, and that he was not the only 
 wicked man in the world. 
 
 " This is the appointed time ! — will she come ?" he exclaimed 
 half aloud, startled at the sound of his own voice. 
 
 Passing his hand over his eyes to impart them a keener sense 
 of perception, he almost strained them out of their sockets, in 
 striving to pierce the night, and discover the party he had come to 
 meet. Again phantoms assailed him ; the air seemed filled with 
 strange things that danced about in most disgusting and horrible 
 postures ; and winged serpents and flying imps swooped over his 
 head, and appeared to absorb one another, without decreasing 
 their numbers. He was convulsively closing his eyes, to shut out 
 the horrid sight, when footsteps were heard hastily ascending the 
 slope below him. They sounded too heavily for those of the per- 
 son he expected, — at least he thought so ; and under that impres- 
 sion, he surrendered to the mastery of his racked fancy, which 
 warned him of an approaching demon come to snatch him away. 
 Then sprung in Donald's bosom the suggestion of self-preserva- 
 tion. He grasped a pistol, concealed in the folds of his cloak, 
 and slowly produced it, as he steadied himself upon his failing 
 limbs by seizing the iron bars against which he had been reclin- 
 ing. 
 
 Nearer came the sounds, and when they were heard upon the 
 stone steps which lead to the sepulchre, the affrighted wretch, 
 leaning forward with distended neck, hoarsely groaned, his voice 
 struggling in his choking throat : 
 
 " Who comes ? ^Who comes ?" 
 
 ** Hush, sir ! do you not know me ?" answered a feeble and 
 trembling voice 
 
 " Who're you ? Speak, or your life ." 
 
 And before the miserable man could conclude to hiss the sen- 
 tence, he lost all control over his convulsed grasp, and the pistol 
 detonated with an awful explosion, which awakened the echoes 
 of the mountain, and was reverberated from rock to rock, as if the 
 shot had startled all nature from her slumbers. 
 
THE MYSTERIES OF MONTREAL. 
 
 11 
 
 
 Shrill female shrieks pierced the air, the fall of heavy bodies 
 was heard, and all again sunk in profound calm and silence. 
 
 Donald stood petrified ; the pistol dropped at his feet, and he 
 almost felt that the warm blood of some fellow-creature scalded 
 his hand. His arm was still extended, his eye fixed, his teeth 
 chattering together ; and as his hold of the bars gradually loosen- 
 ed, he slowly reached the ground on one knee, and thus stood, the 
 image of despair, awaiting the vengeance of heaven and a merit- 
 ed doom. 
 
 He might have expired, and been found as frozen in that atti- 
 tude, had not a certain supernatural agency roused him from his 
 lethargy, as it irresistably attracted him to the spot whence the 
 cries had proceeded. As he groped down the craggy declivity 
 against which the tomb is abutting, he tore his hands on the sharp 
 stones and thorny bushes ; and, dreading to meet with some 
 goary corpse, averted his eyes, and shuddered whenever he touch- 
 ed the cold, wet trunk of some prostrate tree. 
 
 On reaching the level below, he perceived a faint light which at 
 first threw him into fresh terror; for his confused faculties endow- 
 ed with more than earthly attributes, the pale flickermg of a dark 
 lantern which had opened of itself, on being allowed to fall to the 
 ground by one of the persons who had shrieked. 
 
 A moment's pause permitted him to collect his scattered senses, 
 and examine things around him. Before him lay the apparently 
 lifeless forms of two females : the one nearest to him had reached 
 the summer of womanhood, as was revealed by a stream of light 
 which shone full on her pale features ; her companion's delicate 
 and small stature pronounced her to be of very tender years, but 
 her face was concealed in the mantle she wore. On recognising 
 the former, Donald groaned heavily, his bosom was on the eve of 
 bursting, his heart plunged so madly within. At last, a gush of 
 burning tears came to his rescue, and relieved him from the great- 
 er weight of his torment ; and wringing his hands, he cried in 
 
 despair : — • i j 
 
 " My God ! it is her and her child!— Am I become so wicked 
 
 a wretch as to have murdered them ?" 
 
 Dreading their spirits might have departed, he stooped to feel 
 
■§;l| 
 
 k 
 
 12 
 
 THE MYSTERIES OP MONTREAL. 
 
 1 
 
 strangely lighted un ZtL7n7\^' ■"*""" ''''<''=» "«'« 
 took P.aoe:Lm f atXc/arolr aTrw.'*-?^"' ™^"! " 
 
 misery, and the dissipation of fa hionable liff H ^ """"' 
 east, thirty; and, notwithstanding .he n I „f 0!^: TZ'Y 
 leterious intrusion of conventional ,„,lr u ' ^"'' ""' ''«■ 
 that remarkable state of^resmlo;^^^^^^ charms were still i„ 
 England, in noint of P'"""'''*'""'' .^n'^h places the women of 
 
 othfr countries Ye. C^" "'''T'"' '"' ''^y""' "•« ^- "f 
 spires us wi.'h a fell g o eritlftV'''^ "'-T""^ "'''"'' '- 
 any of those tender em'oL K 'hrarwWrh d' '"^™"« 
 
 i. not hU and,%^;trhrwr:;trt:r^^^^ 
 r:rre:f;re:;:rrn;a"ir^^^^^^^ 
 
 whose furious ou.pL.Ws des" Zed al h . ™'?"" ^™P"™' 
 its stronger and harsher ft- ^ ""' '="'"'' »"'' "'■•ew 
 
 however,'diminth ng • t m^ "0^1"^"' "''■^' "'*""'' 
 this bold comparison, we raigh. Is'sim^a^e f '"^ r*'' "^P '» 
 to the earth, the Ede; „f dd^ whTcht i ' '"' ''"''''"'°" 
 
 a garden : although it possess dwi* T""'"' "="'' "-^^ "» 
 human frailly has sincf ranlirf ,' °'°'"' *' "«<="'= "-at 
 .ion,andwhLha echa gedthee I' ""'" ""'''""" - 
 -esprinkh„g,,,mtheirSS,r'XLtr^d 
 
THE MYSTERIES OP MONTREAL. 
 
 13 
 
 oasis, and altering its tamer, and sweeter nature into savage gran- 
 deur and awful magnificence. Such were the ideas which a 
 glance at Clara Sterling's proud countenance called up in one's 
 mind. 
 
 At fifteen she must have been a Houri, possessed with all the 
 attributes of maidenly loveliness, but unconsciously harboring 
 within her young, careless, and innocent heart, a dormant mine 
 of stormy passions, which, upon being unfortunately brought into 
 play by a ^succession of heart-rending catastrophes, preyed fear- 
 fully, both on her mind and body. 
 
 Of the little girl who accompanied Clara, we chose to say no- 
 thing at present : it were uncalled for to unfold the cloak under 
 which she lay concealed. 
 
 Donald McDonald, in fainting, had sunk against the door of the 
 sepulchre. His hat had fallen, and left a profusion of thick, curly 
 red hair, to be seen. Heavy whiskers, of corresponding color, 
 encircled a bloated and usually burning face, whose features told 
 more of the recklessly wicked man, than of the cool, calculating, 
 and hypocritical villain, and betrayed a moral organization of the 
 most despicable character. His person was bulky ; and, altoge- 
 ther, his appearance bespoke the libertine of mature years, ad- 
 dicted to the use of intoxicating draughts, and given to excessive 
 debauchery ot every description. 
 
 Then, do we find blended, in this extraordinary tableau, the 
 haughtiness of a beautiful and fallen woman, the repulsive vicious- 
 ness of a degraded man,— and the sweet innocence of a virgin, 
 contrasting strangely with the tarnished nature of tlie older indivi- 
 duals, and picturing the purity of the lily of the valley, growing 
 beside plants of rude and blighting character. 
 
l/f 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE GIRL AND THE PARCHMENTS. 
 
 ^LARA was ihe first to give signs of retun 
 
 U Qu„ , , ^" " "'S"° ""■ returning consciousness. 
 
 J She seemed ,„ have awakened from a long oppressive sleep 
 
 and lorgetfui f he eircumslances related in tlie foreeoins naires 
 
 ble dream. As she slowly rose to her feet, her mantle and veil fell 
 to the ground ; the nch tresses of h.r raven hair loosened and fl„;7 
 ed wantonly i„ the night breeze that whistled with del gh.hril" 
 thetr luxunant meshes ; the disorder in which her dress hidT 
 ftrown i ,„, f,„, ,„„„^, ,^^ bosom to bete notwUh" 
 
 andmg the prevailing darkness ; and as her eyes sta ;d X" 
 around, she presented the image of some stately elf, standing S^ 
 her favortto haunts, the home of the dead, wi.l/her vMms V. 
 ended mot.onless before her. B„. when the light of "h Tamet 
 
 " It is but a wicked dream ! Have I not wandered in mv slecD » 
 
 husbtd !t"";!,r'^~' '"^° ""' left my home, abandl'dmy 
 Husband, and fled from my children !" ^ 
 
 This partial attempt at reasoning, soon re-called her fully to the 
 uature of her s.tnafon ; she recollected the purpose of her m d- 
 ngh errand, her escape from her residence, and the pistol-sh , ■ 
 b . all was a blank to her after that circumstance. Still, she ea- 
 sily recognised Donald, as he lay senseless by the door of te e 
 pulchre, and after a moment's observation, exclaimed :_ 
 
 ae too seems to be visited with the sleep that pressed me 
 down.Mhanks to kind Providence it is so-I may, then, recover ' 
 
 wnubsrcttj^f ™* ''-' '- ^"- ^^■■'^^" ^-^ p— I 
 
 f 
 
THE MYSTERIES OF MONTREAL. 
 
 15 
 
 And she advanced towards him, having summoned up all her 
 resolution to effect her purpose. But on bending to search his 
 person, she perceived the blood on his hands and garments, and 
 starting back she cried, horror-stricken : — 
 
 •' My God ! he is dead ! — And how prepared to meet his Cre- 
 ator ! Such is the end of wickedness ! Yet, I take heaven to 
 witness, I never wished that evil should befall him, however 
 much he has injured me. I am degraded, still I can forgive my 
 enemy. Rest in peace then, Donald ; and may thy example deter 
 all men from following in the paths which have led thee hither, 
 and make me weep my fault the more. I forgive thee—may all 
 thou hast injured forgive thee likewise, and God be merciful to 
 
 thee !" 
 
 And she fell on her knees beside him, and wept, and prayed that 
 He, too, would forgive her foe. For such is woman, the creature 
 of impulse : she would expose her life for the man she would stab 
 with her own hand ! 
 
 Her short oration concluded, she sought for the mysterious pa- 
 pers. On partly removing Donald's coat, she perceived them 
 protruding from his bosom, and would have screamed with joy, 
 and changed her tears, so mournful a minute ago, to those of 
 joy, but her dehght knew no motion, no accent wherewith to be 
 expressed. Hastening to the lantern-light, she examined the seals 
 the parcel bore, and compared the impression of one of them 
 with the inscription on the stone of a large ring she wore— no- 
 thing had been disturbed, and all was in the same order as when 
 the documents were enclosed. She clasped them to her heart, 
 and kissed them, and rendered thanks to heaven. She was mad 
 with joy ! 
 
 " I am saved !" she at last cried ; " and so is this innocent girl ; 
 
 and thou, Donald McDonald " 
 
 But she was arrested by Donald's hard breathing, as he was on 
 the point of recovering his consciousness. 
 
 " He still hves, the wretch !" exclaimed Clara, anxiously listen- 
 ing, and trusting her ears deceived her, and that it was but the 
 wind ; for she forgot she had beseeched heaven on his behalf a 
 moment before. But then she thought him dead : her resentment 
 
16 
 
 THE MYSTERIES OP MONTREAL. 
 
 'ii 
 
 n 
 
 !;■'. 
 
 " Let him live, then !" she continueH • « T h^.r^ fi 
 
 his a.enio„s would „„. be cr^i':r:lj^:%i7n:;j! 
 
 .hou an thwarted in thy evety de.ign of infa.y , My ^sS 
 o„^% g.>ty head, and fo„ow thee to the g Je, an J Z:^!^ 
 
 She begun these words in a whisper, bul as s1,p „,„™.j j i 
 voice grew louder and louder, and when U had rlT. 1 ' ' 
 thema, it sounded inhumanly-lit waltho 1.1 , ff .,' "'" 
 ired combined with fiendish exuItaZ n "'■''''""^ •"■ 
 
 n>an bu.afury-herglanfeSlrr.etwIirrL^r- 
 ble form was erect as the forest sapling-and her wELd i 
 
 in the air, seemed to call down the curses of .h,ri >'"'"' 
 
 with her own, in coalitton againstXT^c fUt'S '° """' 
 "But I must leave before he wakes ".he res,m,.H *'i, 
 
 ing more calm ; " else the villain can fee the Zt b" IT" 
 the chdd, at^d pubhsh my secret to the world. Come mv ift.^ 
 f^f rpa^o^ "' ''"'"■' ''' ^'''- '-'"« -ardsr Ut 
 But the child moved not; her tender frame had undergone ton 
 many shocks within the l-t hour, to be thus easiCufed from 
 her state of msensibility. Clara bent down to revive her L" 
 posmg her face to the damp air, and bathing i, with a7n wLer sht 
 ound ,n .he crevices of the steps ; she called rrjme a„d 
 forced her eyehds apart, and poured the full glare of"„te™ 
 
 hghtm her glassy eyes ; but her efforts proved unavailing 
 
 ■ She cannot be dead !" ejacufated the horrified woman on ner 
 ce.v,ng no stgns of life in the child. " Surely," srcomZed' 
 
THE MYSTERIES OF MONTREAL. 
 
 17 
 
 clasping her hands, and interrogating the heavens by her uplifted 
 eyes ; " that man, that wicked man, cannot have escaped death, 
 and this sweet creature gone in his stead ? Yet, far better for you," 
 she added, looking pitifully on the child ; " to be a corpse, before 
 you have seared your lips on the lid of life's bitter cup. O," she 
 continued, hiding her face in her hands and shedding scalding 
 tears ; " that 1 had never reached beyond childhood's happy era ! 
 That my soul had shrunk from the earth, when its purity rivalled 
 that of angels ! — But," she said, bru?hing away the large tear- 
 drops ; " this is no time to grieve over my sad destiny — I must 
 away, or that man will again step between happiness and me. But 
 this tender being, shall I abandon her to him— for she may not 
 have expired ? No, thank God, I feel her little heart is beating. 
 He shall not have her !" 
 
 Clara attempted to take the girl in her arms, but her strength 
 was unequalled for the task. As she abandoned the idea of sav- 
 ing her attendant by that means, a terrible thought crossed her 
 brain, and she said, with a tone of stern resolution : — 
 
 " I must not fly, and leave this child a victim to purchase a si- 
 lence I can now myself impose, and which shall be forever unbro- 
 ken. Were my secret divulged, I should destroy myself, and 
 Donald is alone possessed of it — hence I must, and will, in self- 
 preservation, and for the sake of this poor girl, reduce him to an 
 eternal silence !" 
 
 As she spoke these words, Clara felt as if they were scalding 
 drops of lead oozing from her lips ; her eyes rolled as if cased 
 within burning sockets ; the air was hot and close in her nostrils ; 
 the marrow boiled within her^bones ; and her very skin experienc- 
 ed a shrinking up on her limbs ; whilst a cold sweat, struggHng 
 through every pore, clung to her body like slime. 
 
 No wonder she was thus tormented, for she not only medi- 
 tated murder, but was reasoning herself into the commission of 
 the dreadful deed ; and when she had thus hastily convinced her- 
 self of the necessity of accomplishing the crime, a feeling of the 
 most fiendish description flew through her whole system, and ani- 
 mated her with a thirst for human blood. She clenched her hand 
 as though it held a dagger, and knelt beside the prostrate Donald. 
 
18 
 
 THE MYSTERIES OP MONTREAL. 
 
 With her eyes riveted on his far*. o« ♦!,« u i 
 
 i« hfm info a deeper slel *».».*?''''' """''' """Sncl- 
 
 world, she groped for W, ho . ""«'" ""' "»"'''« i" 'W- 
 
 .ep.p.ed to bury her nail, in hTs Lh '"""'"'' "'"' ="" 
 
 - Donald , S.r.Uef and relict fro" Lfsr/fal^ "" 
 And you would have murdered me '" e JafmM I) n , 
 «tup,d air, for he had no, understood her wd h!f. T ' "!'"' 
 ally perceived things in a clearer iLhthr ' ^l^ «'''"'"• 
 rage, and his finger^s closed nvlmarivanT.r ',""', "'"' 
 
 pierced the skin of the palm ofTs hand' ""'' '''"°" 
 
 ma'J™l^.*°" V *'"f "'■'" *°" '^"""■^=< """Pt. O wo- 
 man . ijut, he vociferated, on discovering they were rone " t)l 
 papers arc missing, vou havp «f„i.„ .u , ^ • "'° 
 
 Speak, or, by heafln's — '' '" ">»"'— "'era are they ?_ 
 
 ed «:nferant '''"''"''^'''"' '"''^''"'^ "s"'^^ "P "i^ infunat- 
 
 diff^e'X^rtla^LVhtlr.^:; 1 1 tf f^"' ^'' ^"""'^-'-^ '"■ 
 some communicatfon harwill '.''"''''*'" ^°" ^ '^'"P^'' »'* 
 
 unpre^:^:: renTrr" aTt^^-oitr f 1^ 
 creature, ehcI in the act of ««..;« • ^ assassinate a fellow- 
 
 cruelty^f awreLhan^hL:™;:!;" *""°""' """^ '° "" 
 
 ' I have those papers, sir," she replied with alarm • « r 
 -etvc them in the state in whtchV're er„;.ed't:yo:: 
 
THE MVSTER1E3 OF MONTREAL. 
 
 19 
 
 when I should deliver my child in your power, and there lies that 
 child," pointing to the little girl who was still insensible. 
 
 " Is it so, Clara ?" ejaculated Donald, with brutal joy, and rush- 
 ing to seize the girl. 
 
 •'Is it so ?" slowly repealed the woman, in an indignant tone, 
 and placing herself between him and his intended victim. " Sir, 
 the manner in which you have pronounced those words, tell me 
 too plainly what will be your conduct towards my daughter. It 
 portends her fall, shame, and desertion. But beware, wicked 
 man, beware ! It is not enough to have assisted in the mother's 
 ruin, but you must effect that of her offspring ! You would heap 
 on her the misery which has borne me down for years, and which 
 shall cling to me until death !" 
 
 " Look at me !" she resumed, after a moment's pause, as if 
 emerging from the bitterest reflections, and raising the light near 
 her face—" Look well, and say has not wretchedness been my lot, 
 ever since I knew you and yours ? Before that day, on which the 
 star of my happiness forever set, I was beautiful, they tell me ; 
 I then tasted the bliss of innocence ; I knew the love of friends ; 
 and my hopes were bright as the living sun. Now, what am I ? 
 My charms— a curse on them! they have gone; my virtue is lost— 
 the friends 1 have, are mine as long as I can deceive them, and iny 
 prospects are blacker than this night, and forever blasted. Oh ! 
 that the earth would open and swallow me, to screen me from the 
 world's gaze, and put an end to my task of imposture ! I dread 
 every eye, lest my secret be read on my brow ; I shudder when 
 I meet innocence and virtue, because 1 feel it is profanity for the 
 bad to mingle with the good ! Yet, without you, I might have 
 tasted a Uttle happiness, here below ; for I trusted m all-merciful 
 God, and wept my sin, and hoped for pardon : indeed I thought 
 the stain was effaced, when Providence had wedded me to a kmd 
 husband, and blessed me with little angels. But who mtervened 
 between heavenly grace and me, and cast me back m the helll 
 was escaping, but my unfeeling persecutor, who exacts the fulfil- 
 ment of a promise extorted from me when stretched on a bed of 
 suflfering, shame and sorrow,— and thou art that persecutor ! 
 Donald was thunder-struck as he listened to her upbraidings, 
 
n 
 
 20 
 
 THE MVSTEHIBs OP MONTREAL. 
 
 and scarcely dared fo look nn tl,n f c i 
 
 by the ,i,fu'or the lantt" t :rter:,t'"T^'^^^^^^^- 
 teeth glistened, and her thinned o/n^M^ ^'^'' ''^'' ^^'^ 
 came blue with passion. ^ '^P'"'"'^^ ^'^•^^^' ^^ they be- 
 
 He thoiighi himself in the presenrP nfn f„ 
 every word she uttered ; and w "n !h! ?' '! '^' "'^^^^ ^''" «» 
 he sprung back, and se'arched tva f^fl ! '■' 'T l' ''' '^^^' 
 to madness by her attempt to murde him ^T ' ^"' ^^^^^'^ 
 documents, and her rep oachesT u I "^^^^^^^io" of the 
 the spot. ^^P'oaches, he would have despatched her on 
 
 Clara, thinking he wished m oo«.,„ 
 and continued w,^h inorltd l:::Zi:'^''' '"" '' ''" ""'■ 
 
 wL ;:„"::";/;:;':: ::r„„'t::, '^"r^' °^ -^ ■"■■-^• 
 
 -r brutalized you, , .ho,,>d "nT "b t^, I'lf ^''^^^ - 
 .lumber ,n peace in ,lmt security whici, on.fi , '^ ', "' "°"''^ 
 a man of honor. But vou JZ , "''' '" ''"= »'»'■') of a 
 
 despicable charac.ertw h ZlLTnT'''''''- ""' " '» V" 
 hour. Still, under otl.e cir umr" t".' '" "'"" y" >"«' 
 
 Piied wi.1, .„e condition:„r e'^: Zen .^t::?:' ""■= <=- 
 honor of children to "uard and ,1,!, r ', ' '""'^ "ow the 
 
 of mind I should die°ra,he'rTh ' " "'^ ''"'''»"''■ "''™'= Poace 
 oion of my fault. ktoMl T 'u'™"'!''' ''^ '=^°" ' '-P'" 
 faraway „i,h my dr.'h" ,2urer "°' '' ''"^ '"""'e'"' ''« 
 
 •0 weep my sin/and tea h m";", d „ ,rG d"t'^'"^ ^"'■""'°' 
 and despise man !" " *^°'' "'""o. and spurn 
 
 The vehemence with which ri^^.. i i 
 
 tence,, nearly overcame he D nTl ' """"' "''" """" »»"■ 
 
 and in need of support ofcd her h ' ^ T'"^ '^^ """ ""k 
 
 refused it, and leaT. a a" n le " "b T', ' ^'^ '"^^'"^""y 
 
 drops of sweat that .re"mhled ^Thrmn'rhttol"^^^ ''' '"'' 
 
 •^erJ:rthrc;;;:"'"S;r:tf--r"-y-."»^'' 
 
 Should you attempt to sullv h, i, ^°"'''' """ y""" '" 'rust, 
 
 her lips poison y^rtrtLrtir 7 "" '? T" "' ^™™ 
 of injuring her, lurks in youTrotten mind "™ b' ''"'' *""«'« 
 
 hera,uard.anwho.-.,f.on~tSX"a:;;r 
 
THE MYSTKRIES OF MONTREAL. 
 
 21 
 
 avenge the insult you would offer her virtue. Take her and 
 
 away." 
 
 "But, madam, stay," said Donald, in a jesting tone, as Clara 
 was making a motion to depart ; " you, that deceive so well a too- 
 confiding husband," he continued, " may venture to practice your 
 deception on me. That cloak may contain anything but the child. 
 Wait then until I see that I am not duped." 
 
 And he knelt by thi child, and removed the mantle. On per- 
 ceiving her, he snalch^d the lantern from Clara's hand, and exa- 
 mined lier angel-like face. His eyes gleamed with a shameful 
 lustre; with covetous intensity they gloated on her tender beauty, 
 and lie bent to kiss her, but was arrested in the act by Clara's 
 
 hand. 
 
 " Hold, villain !" she cried ; " would you already pollute her lips 
 ,with your unhallowed embrace ! May the bitterest curses of a mo 
 ther fall on you if yo>i harm her child, and death stiffen you on 
 attempting to carry out your infamous design." 
 
 Donald rose, for he dreaded tiie curse would meet with its ef- 
 fect. 
 
 " Take her, then, and we part for ever," said Clara, turnmg to 
 
 descend the stone-steps. 
 
 " A moment more, madam, and then we do part forever," ex- 
 claimed Donald, retaining her by her cloak. " This may be, it is 
 the last time we meet; and it is the only opportunity left me to 
 
 give explanations to which you never would listen. Clara," 
 
 and his tone softened as he contimied,-" I loved you much and 
 long before your betrayer knew you. 1 had sought your alliance ; 
 but you spurned my suit, and I submitted to see him, my brother, 
 -though such, may he be cursed !-to see him the accepted 
 lover. °l followed you to the biink of the precipice mto which he 
 hurled you ; and for having thus given proof of my devotion, you 
 accuse me of being a party to your ruin ! And when the heart- 
 less man had abandoned you to a dismal faie-when you had m- 
 suited a true heart's love, and chosen that of a deceiver,-when 
 shame was your lot, and no man would call you wife, I sought you 
 still I again offered you my hand, foolish man that I was ; and you 
 
f 
 
 22 
 
 ril^ MYSTERIES OP MONTREAL. 
 
 cruel ; let me teach you that however much J harf.H J '° 
 still be generous. Take her, take her ^ '"' ^ '"" 
 
 "Impossible, Donald," interrupted Clara with iov "Th.n 
 Shalt neve, tennent me again I Donald, forgi^^^" ^'^" ^^" 
 
 msult upon her ;-toll her you will blalt har h • Z^ ^"^ '"'' 
 »d accou,p,.h the ,hroa.;l„ „e r ty y wll'f re"'"""''' 
 ■ng l,er, when you are but add.ng sarcTs m ^he rifTtm 
 I am ,0 blame for having ,oo readily believed y u werf capab e 
 of a generous act. I should have refleoled <!,,,, i ^ 
 
 would be hearties, enough to summon „ti "''""■" "'"° 
 
 If I fi.«d upon th,s spot for our meeting," interrupted Donald, 
 
THE MYSTERIES OF MONTREAL. 
 
 S3 
 
 lever known 
 an bereft of 
 mce burned, 
 m 1 brought 
 me the fruit 
 Thus did 
 rn you from 
 y affections 
 le wretch I 
 ;d my des- 
 s from your 
 ;ngc, sweet 
 ? the child 
 cars which 
 our daugh- 
 after a mo- 
 not be so 
 len, I can 
 
 Then 
 
 you 
 
 ice, as he 
 le fiendish 
 ick those 
 
 :iad knelt 
 retch ! is 
 njury and 
 )rospects, 
 persecut- 
 s. Still, 
 i capable 
 ture who 
 this hour 
 have the 
 
 Donald, 
 
 With increased bitterness of tone ; " it was merely to avoid a sur- 
 prise, for were we discovered in this interview, your fair name 
 
 might suffer." 
 
 And he laid a cruelly sarcastic stress on these words, to strike 
 
 Clara as with a venomed dagger. 
 
 " Or," he resumed with affected non-chalance ; " I might not 
 have met my " feeble victim" alone had this rendez-vous taken 
 place elsewhere : some bravo might have been at her command to 
 accomplish the crim% madam, which you, but a moment ago, at- 
 tempted to perpetrate at my expense, and when I was entirely 
 
 in your power." 
 
 An unnatural smile wrinkled around his livid lips, as he uttered 
 these bitter taunts. Yet, his shafts fell harmless at the proud wo- 
 man's feet ; she could not but despise the man who delighted m 
 insulting an unprotected female. 
 
 " Sir," replied she, as a scornful curl of the lip conveyed more 
 than she could express ; " I admire your prudence, and yet not- 
 withstanding this precaution to obviate the intrusion of an offen- 
 sive witness to the accomplishment of our mutual engagement, it 
 seems you were provided with arms to meet me ! However, what 
 else could be expected from the noble-minded, courageous Donald 
 McDonald ? Adieu ! brave knight, I must leave you." 
 
 She was turning to retire, when her relentless persecutor agam 
 
 recalled her ; — 
 
 " Why not kiss your child, madam ?" he jeeringly enquired. 
 « Surely a mother cannot part so coldly from her offspring ; and 
 a mother, too, of such delicacy of feeling as Clara Sterling, who 
 sacrifices one child for the happiness of the balance of her 
 
 family." 
 
 " Monster," returned the indignant woman; *' how could 1 be 
 so hypocritical as to pretend affeclion for her ? I do, indeed, sacri- 
 fice her to secure the welfare of others ! It is but another of your 
 taunts, and, mark my words, you shall soon repent these coward- 
 ly insults to my feelings. Meanwhile, I again charge you to the 
 peril of your body and soul, never to breathe a wicked word to 
 that innocent being's heart. Once more, farewell, and remember 
 my curse !" 
 
 ..jKui-ipmm^ ■ 
 
• — +'"~'^^ ■ V Hi l^*.- -^•fc I !•-*,-< 
 
 24 
 
 THE MYSTERIES OF MONTREAL. 
 
 ' I 
 
 Clara withdrew with haughty step, and as she slowly disappeared 
 she seemed like a Queen of Elfs nnarchingihrough her dominions. 
 When Donald had lost sight of the lurid glare of the dark-lantern, 
 he recovered from the effect of Clara's threats, and bent to take 
 the little girl m his arms, to bear her away ; and casting his eyes 
 around him, as the ruffian is wont to do when about to commit 
 some crime, he crouched over the seiiseless child like a tiger over 
 his fallen prey. As he raised her to his bosom, he felt her sweet 
 breath on his cheek, and it struck remorse to his bosom ; for its 
 purity instantly revealed to him all the degradation of his heart, 
 and made him regret the days when he was as innocent as his 
 tender victim. Bui these noble sentiments, which shone like 
 pearls in the mire, soon yielded before the onslaught of his pas- 
 sions. That breath, which was insensibly working a salutary- 
 moral reform within him, fanned his cheek too mildly : it awaken- 
 ned his worse inclinations, and he was already feasting, in imagi- 
 nation, over the charms of his innocent burthen. 
 
 Animated by his shameful propensities, he hastened from the 
 sepulchre, the sooner to accomplish the sacrifice of the poor thing. 
 The obstacles he met in the dark, called many an imprecation from 
 his burning lips ; and he cursed his want of speed, for he would 
 have wished to fly, like the vulture that soars away with its prey. 
 In his impatience, he lost all recollection of the path which 
 should have led him to the Old Race Ground, on the eastern 
 side of the Mountain ; and found himself much beyond his des- 
 tination in the vicinity of a farm house, beyond the Mile-End, 
 without, however, knowing he was in that locality. 
 
 We shall now leave Donald in his predicament, to follow Clara 
 to her home. 
 
 It was not without a pang that she abandoned the child to her 
 pitiless enemy ; yet, so completely rejoiced was she upon recov- 
 ering the documents from Donald's keeping, and her feelings were 
 so confused by the various incidents of the meeting, that she 
 scarcely knew what to say, and how to act. 
 
 Strange, indeed, was it in her, to lead the little one to almost 
 certain ruin ; but when, as she represented to the cruel man she 
 wished to silence, it is cor;sidered that the honor, peace of mind 
 
THE MVSTERIES OF MONTREAL. 
 
 25 
 
 disappeared 
 dominions, 
 ark-lantern, 
 'ent to take 
 iig his eyes 
 
 to commit 
 a tiger over 
 
 her sweet 
 3m ; for its 
 F his heart, 
 •cent as his 
 shone like 
 of his pas- 
 a salutary 
 it awaken- 
 [, in imagi- 
 
 l from the 
 poor thing. 
 :aiion from 
 r he would 
 h its prey, 
 ath which 
 he eastern 
 id his des- 
 Mile-End, 
 
 How Clara 
 
 lild to her 
 )on recov- 
 lings were 
 , that she 
 
 to almost 
 1 man she 
 J of mind 
 
 and domestic happiness of a whole family circle depended on the 
 issue, Clara's step may be viewed with some leniency ; and so she 
 thought herself; and when she had reached her bed-chamber, 
 that reflection seemed to pour balm on the dreadful wound the 
 separation had inflicted on her breaking heart ; she almo.st felt 
 proud at having had courage enough to hush some of the fiercest 
 sentiments and sympathies of the human heart, to ensure the wel- 
 fare of unsuspecting friends. Without being desirous of pleading 
 her case, and seeking her acquittal on the strength of an extenua- 
 ting circumstance, we cannot help observing that, no alternative 
 wa.s left her — of two evils she choose the least, as the cant phrase 
 goes ; and consequently, sacrificed one being for the sake of 
 many. 
 
 For the remainder of that night she was sleepless ; nor can it be 
 told on what her mind was intent, for her brain reeled continually ; 
 and as every incident of the midnight rendez-vous pictured itself 
 back to her imagination, she hoped it would prove some horrid 
 dream, and dreaded the approach of day, as its light would dash 
 her idle illusions to the ground. Amidst these scenes, which flit- 
 ted across her mind in rapid and confused succession, acquiring 
 some worse feature at every turn, she would pause, and closing 
 her eyes, as if to shut out the tantalizing spectacle, listen to a 
 voice like that from the tomb, as it solemnly spoke to her sotal 
 these awful words : — 
 
 " Woman, hadst thou not committed one first fault, thou 
 shouldsl not now be guilty of deception towards thy husband and 
 friends ; and thou shouldst not have sacrificed an innocent fellow- 
 creature to render thy deception the more eff"ective !" 
 
 And these were the accents of a remorse-stricken conscience, 
 which broke, in upbraiding terms, upon her heart, as she loved to 
 excuse her fault, and attempted to excite a feeling of pride within 
 her bosom, at having accomplished so trying an act. 
 
 Whenever that voice made itself heard, a cold sweat spread 
 over her fevered Umbs ; she would have torn her hair and groan- 
 ed, but her every organ was paralized, as the little girl she had 
 abandoned appeared to her as a phantom, and cursed her, for hav- 
 ing cast her away. 
 
26 
 
 THE MYSTERIES OP MONTREAL. 
 
 These shocks could not be endured long ; — delirium seized up- 
 on the unfortunate Clara, and threw a gloom among the inmates 
 of Blue-Bell Cottage as they rose, on that fated morning, to find 
 her the wreck of what she had been on the yesterday. 
 
 m 
 
:ed up- 
 Qmates 
 to find 
 
 
 ' CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE BAD MAN AND HIS VICTIM. 
 
 JONALD'S wanderings would have led him to a greater 
 distance, had not the grey dawn of morning allowed him to 
 ^^^^ perceive he had strayed far from his intended course. 
 In the dim twilight, he could snatch the faint outlines of a farm- 
 house and its appurtenances, as they gradually emerged, in all their 
 dazzling whiteness, from the receding gloom, like some fairy habi- 
 tations rising by magic from the morning mistiness. The trees 
 and shrubbery seemed hung with drapery, as a slight fog gently 
 closed around them, and concealed the rude work of the autumn 
 winds ; hillocks rolled up, one after the other, in the distance, as the 
 light grew stronger ; and where, but a moment before, all appeared 
 a sea teaming with hazy clouds, there sprung beautiful cottages, 
 undulating valleys, old darkened rocks, and picturesque groves, 
 with sufficient shade above them to deceive the eye, and wake 
 any thoughts but those of the " sear and yellow leaf." The ram 
 which had fallen in the course of the night, had formed like dew- 
 drops that strewed the sickly grass with pearls mnumerable, and 
 mournfully trickled down the limbs of the trees like large tears, 
 as they met not with the soft bosom of the verdant leaf, on which 
 they loved to gUtter in milder months. After the night-storm the 
 sun was soon bursting in the East, retaining still a remnant of the 
 .low it was wont to shed in the Indian Summer, then just elapsed. 
 A few birds, which the blasts of the Fall had not yet driven to 
 more genial climates, lingered above the rustic buildings, to wake 
 the inmates of the dwelling with their little songs ; whilst that con- 
 ceited king of the barn-yard, consigned to immortal fame by he 
 fabulist, Chanticlear bid welcome to returning day, and exulted 
 
 over the departure of night. , • , r •. n 
 
 Over this scene dwelt that most solemn calm, which, if it could 
 
 «mm' 
 
88 
 
 THE MrSTERlES OP MONTREAL. 
 
 be .acnlegious .„ defile, by erne i^. i, ?7' "'"'='' " -^""W 
 hours .he Crea.o, ha, se apal, fo™? " ""'^'""7. during those 
 » word, i, i. ,ha. calm, wh Ih f ' K ?"u ' ""' '"''-"''''">• I" 
 
 fc'njsolf from hi, delemm D„"l'"' """^' ^"^'"V '» «.ricafe 
 
 W"!. .he peacef„J„ess of e ervU, It 7 "? """^ ''''"8 «'™<=k 
 la.d down the hule girl and sh 1 ?' ""= f^^-house. He 
 -Pe away .he perfp';, „' ^'.^f -f '- .ook offh. ha. ,: 
 aLhough his garments were T, i te.f u** '"' ''"'^''^ ' f« 
 s.orm of the nigh,, and ahhough L 1 °™ """' "?<»"■•'= 'o .he 
 «n unnatural sweat poured ovTr 1,7 '?f ^ ''■"'P '"-i ^l-'Uy. 
 - ~athe aWst dreadld^ttnreot;^--:^ 
 
 i^ ^^^^ZZ:^:, f -^ -ghWing eot. 
 
 '[hey slept weil and soundly for the [ ''""*"« ""^ ''"ri-""- 
 •he bread 'hey consumedt^s I^ntl™ '" J? '""'"" "-^ 
 .he,r hands ; their fortunes hungno on I™ > ""= ''''°'" "f 
 wave and wind, „or on the flue uaZsT , "'"" "'' "'' °'^«« 
 •hey depended on their own eter >!" ^' 'iomn.ercial worJd- 
 and which yielded ple„tif„I,;i~^J"'' .""^ '=""' 'hey tilled, 
 domesfc strife, that follows ,n h Lat r"/"''- <^'""''«ed 
 "ust never have entered that huLt ^ ° d.sappointed hopes 
 
 •emptations of pride and an,bti„™tht;'«' ""' ""^ '"*« 
 ary men's eyes ; nor the folhe of 'f! "?'' "''P f""" "^ion! 
 
 -"dustry ,„ satisfy vitiated a^peri es 'T' """^'' '"^ 'he fruits „f 
 and qu,e, consciences, generous ., '"""' ex,ravagance,_ 
 
 and true love, bro,,g,u\trD ffl'^/'-^ f-"' -d -c re 
 domes„c felicities, which it were hetv. .'' n """ °'' ""'^ ''°« »f 
 'U"«e cts, ,0 taste but Cor aliL ""'^ ""' '"' "'' P"" u-for- 
 
THE MYSTERIES OP MONTUEAL. 
 
 S9 
 
 " Where shall I go ?» exclaimed Donald on rising adruptly, like 
 ditTon" ' ^°'' ^'' ^^^' '' ^' '"^^'"^^ ''^'''''^ °" ^»« ^°»- 
 
 ^^ "If these people discover me with this child," he continued, 
 they will naturally suspect foul play; and I have little time left 
 to dev.se some means of escaping detection, for they will soon be 
 out,^and then who knows what may happen me for my night's 
 
 And he mused awhile, his arms crossed over his chest, and his 
 gaze mchned towards the ground, attempting to fix upon some 
 plan to prevent bemg interfered with. 
 
 But he was not long allowed to reflect on the course he should 
 adopt ; for the mastiff of the place, on returning from his rounds in 
 ^e barn-yard, perceived a stranger's presence, and gave the alarm 
 With a loud and generous bark, that sounded to Donald's ears, as 
 It It issued from a score of canine throats. 
 
 Fearing the people would awake, Donald seized the little girl 
 in his arms, and hurrying over a slight hill, soon disappeared in 
 the woods, which cover the gradual slope formed by the Moun- 
 tain, at its western eitemity. 
 
 "This is a quandary!" he exclaimed, on reaching a retired 
 
 r^'nl 'T^^'^^u^" ^"' '"^ '' ^''^ '^'' ^'-^Sgage where I in- 
 tend placing her. The country people will soon be in the fields : 
 the highway will be frequented , and to see me issuing from this 
 place, at this hour, will cause some one to interfere,— I shall be 
 arrested, and what will come next, but an inquiry, a conviction, 
 and then a punishment !" 
 
 The expression of passive despair gradually over-cast his coun- 
 tenance, and he buried his face in his hands, wishing, but for a 
 moment, that death would relieve him from his predicament For 
 such It IS with weak and wicked men : the instant they are' per- 
 plexed and thwarted in the execution of their shameful plans to 
 die seems a boon to them; but were the remedy applied, and their 
 wishes fulfilled, how different their disposition, and how promi 
 nemly, and in what disgusting shape, their more ignoble nature, and 
 cowardly character, would picture themselves ! 
 A sigh from the sleeping child roused Donald from the stupor 
 
30 
 
 THE MYSTERIES OF MONTREAL. 
 
 into which the exaggerated sense of his misery had plunged him, 
 and once more his evil passions found their sway. 
 
 '« She will awake soon, and how am I to protect myself from 
 her cries ?" he said, dreading that the voice of innocence might 
 call for retribution on his guilty head. '' Shall I abandon her ?" 
 he ejaculated, after a moment's pause ; " Shall I place my hand 
 on her mouth ? But this would be murder ! And why should I 
 destroy this poor thing ? She has never harmed me ; besides, is 
 she not my kin, the daughter of my brother Roderick ? Nature s 
 voice forbids me committing the crime. Yet she may doom me 
 to degrading punishment— and I should deserve it, for why wreak 
 my vengeance on the offspring, when it was the mother who m- 
 jured me ! No, I have held Clara to the conditions of our agree- 
 ment, that she might experience the misery I would never heap 
 upon her little girl. Then, rest in peace, poor child, I shall not 
 raise a murderer's hand on you.— Shall I leave her ? God forbid ! 
 Donald's wrongs are not to be so tamely satisfied ! A fine result 
 of my night's labor ;— nay, of twelve year's incessant watching 
 and wretchedness ! I shall not trust so valuable a treasure to the 
 man who would find her alive in this place ; nor confide her to the 
 mournful mercies of some compassionate Robin, should she ex- 
 pire in these woods." 
 
 " Then, she is so sweet— she will grow to be such a fine wo- 
 man !" he continued, removing the cloak, and gazing rapturously 
 on her delicate features, as he softly kissed her over the eyes ; 
 for there was something angel-like as they lay closed, and cast 
 their long silky lash around them. His mind seemed to acquire 
 momentary quiet, from the holy influence the youthful creature's 
 repose exercised on his rude heart ; and his conversion would 
 have dated from that minute, so sanctifying is the contact of 
 female purity, had not the thirst for vengeance and retaliation been 
 so strong in his bosom. 
 
 «' And is it possible," he exclaimed afresh, his eye reddening 
 with passion, and his heart brimful with jealousy ; " that so beau- 
 tiful a child should belong to another than I ? I, who cherished 
 the cruel woman so madly ! A curse on my destiny ! Yet, by 
 that beauty I may see myself avenged, and this is another reason 
 
 ''^f 
 
 V 
 
!5T 
 
 ■P 
 
 W9 
 
 THE MYSTERIES OF MONTREAL. 
 
 31 
 
 '^ 
 
 f 
 
 o 
 
 why I should retain possession of her. Relinquish her when safe 
 in my grasp — when Clara has the proofs of her shame, and I am 
 without proofs to substantiate it — No, no, I part not with her so ; 
 besides, how ridiculous should I appear in that woman's eyes, upon 
 allowing so favorable an opportunity to escape me, of inflicting 
 a deep wound in her heart ! Clara Stirling, know that my rage is 
 not so impotent ; it is not a child's whim ; and may you live to 
 see the fruits of your love felled to the ground by adversity's 
 blast ! Yes, may you never die till you have known that Donald 
 can hate as much as he loved !" 
 
 Thus, step by step, did McDonald work his passionate temper 
 into a fearful state of excitement. The fear of losing his prey and 
 an opportunity of avenging himself, at first enraged him ; then, 
 the many dangers, to his personal safety, attendant upon a discov- 
 ery of his villanous acts and purposes, inspired him with still 
 greater passion. He, therefore, felt that a two-fold object was to 
 be achieved, by securing against an exposure that threatened to 
 mar his plot ; and what tantalized him most, was the feeling that 
 his mental energies could not devise a means of preventing detec- 
 tion, however much he taxed their ingenuity. He felt within his 
 soul, that Providence opposed him ; and, with too much pusillani- 
 mity, in his corrupt heart, to dare rebel against a power he feared, 
 as much as he hated it, he repressed those sacrilegious and horrid 
 imprecations, to which a bolder man would have given vent, in his 
 idle fury. 
 
 Moreover, he trembled at the thought of appearing ridiculous 
 in Clara's eyes. That mistaken notion of self regard, therefore, 
 prevailed upon him to turn a deaf hear to all noble sugges- 
 tions ; and it is not surprising, for one would rather suffer death 
 than appear ridiculous before the woman he has loved ; because, in 
 exciting her derision, it is arming her with a galling plea, she may 
 urge for not returning our passion ; it lowers us in our own estima- 
 tion ; and who knows but this feeling is the cause of many a sui- 
 cide, when the party experiencing it has no confidence in 
 himself ! 
 
 The vehemence of his incoherent soliloquy, made Donald heed- 
 less of the risk he ran by tarrying longer in that place ; and it 
 
"TT^^H 
 
 f 
 
 82 
 
 THE MYSTEHIES OF MONTREAL. 
 
 was not for some minutes after, he attained sufficient self-com- 
 mand to perceive his dangerous situation. , ,. , • , 
 He would have sought for another retreat, but the little girl 
 seemed to sk ep less soundly. Her breathing became short, hur- 
 ried. and hard ; some painful dream must have seized upon her 
 for she groaned, stifled sobs issued from her convulsed bosom, and 
 her little hands were up-raised as if to repel an «s«ai ant-at last, 
 she could find voice, and a sharp, shrill shriek thrilled Donald » 
 whole frame willi horror. 
 
 Before he could start to his feet, the child had sprung away, and 
 was speeding through the forest like a deer. Her cloak had drop- 
 red • her hair waved in the wind as she ran ; and, thus flying over 
 rock and fallen tree, she personified some fair wood-nymph, dis- 
 turbed in her recess, and seeking to hide herself from a stranger s 
 intrusive glance, in the deeper solitudes of the forest. 
 
 On recovering from the extreme astonishment, into which the 
 young fugitive's sudden motion had thrown him, Donald rose to 
 pursue her; but she had disappeared in the dense brush-wood 
 abounding i^ that vicinity. He gnashed his teeth w.th rage, for 
 he dreaded she might reach some habitation before he could over- 
 take her. His fury imparted speed to his pace ; and boundmg 
 Ue aw Id beast iter its prey, he dashed through the thtcke, 
 ^Med by the noise the child made in breaking down the dried 
 
 '' Aft«?few mtal-s chase, he shouted with joy, like the hunts- 
 man that sees the object of his sport, as he perceived her emerg- 
 ™ from the wood into a cleared spot; and he chuckled with de- 
 hght at the expectation of soon regaining possession of the litUe 
 'frl. But his fiendish exultation was of short duration, for she 
 darted down a hill, and turned towards a small hut that lay below, 
 Idling that direction more through the influence of Providence, 
 thin wlrti the intention of finding a refuge at the cofs humble 
 door her senses were so confused ! 
 
 There yet remained a short distance between her and hbera- 
 tion from her pursuer-a few yards more, and the villain would be 
 :::pelled to Ibandon the chase, lest the inmates of the hove m^ 
 apprehend him. He, therefore, saw the necessity of a desperate 
 
 \ 
 
 It-- i 
 
 I 
 
 ill! 
 
t 
 
 
 "V- ^ 
 
 I 
 
 • • 
 
 I 
 
.jf -y" 
 
 ^;^f^ ' '"> 
 
 ( 
 
 •» 
 
 • V 
 
 I I 
 
 •i 
 
 A 
 
 ^- i 
 
 TO THE PUBLIC. 
 
 The "Mysteries" will be completed in about Fifteen 
 Parts, at 7|d. each. 
 
 As a limited issue is contemplated, parties in town, as well 
 as at a distance, desirous of receiving the wovli as it comes 
 out, should leave their address, and at least Five .Shillings, 
 in advance, with the Publisher. 
 
 {jQ^ Part II, will be issued on the first of October, and 
 the succeeding Parts on the First and Fifteenth of each 
 month* 
 
 Montreal, September^ 1846. 
 
 ) 
 
 ••. 
 
 v/