black fattin flippers, and, on the dreffingtable, a pair of gloves and a long black veil, which, as Emily took it up to examine, fhe perceived was dropping to pieces with age.

"Ah!" faid Dorothée, obferving the veil," my lady's hand laid it there; it has never been moved fince!"

Emily, fhuddering, immediately laid it down again. "I well remember feeing her take it off," continued Dorothée," it was on the night before her death, when she had returned from a little walk I had perfuaded her, to take in the gardens, and the feemed refreshed by it. I told her how much better fhe looked, and I remember what a languid fimile fhe gave me; but, alas! fhe little thought, or I either, that he was to die, that night."

2

Dorothée wept again, and then, taking up the veil, threw it fuddenly over Emily, who fhuddered to find it wrapped round her, defcending even to her feet, and, as she endeavoured to throw it off, Dorothée entreated

6

treated that she would keep it on for one moment. "I thought," added fhe," how like you would look to my dear mistress in that veil ;-may your life, ma'amfelle, be a happier one than hers!"

Emily, having difengaged herself from the veil, laid it again on the dreffing-table, and furveyed the closet, where every object, on which her eye fixed, feemed to speak of the Marchionefs. In a large oriel window of painted glafs, ftood a table, with a filver crucifix, and a prayer-book open; and Emily remembered with emotion what Dorothée had mentioned concerning her cuftom of playing on her lute in this window, before the obferved the lute itself, lying on a corner of the table, as if it had been carelefsly placed there by the hand, that had fo often awakened it.

"This is a fad forlorn place!" faid Dorothée, "for, when my dear lady died, I had no heart to put it to rights, or the chamber either; and my lord never came into the rooms after, fo they remain juft as they

did

did when my lady was removed for interment."

While Dorothée fpoke, Emily was ftill looking on the lute, which was a Spanish one, and remarkably large; and then, with a hefitating hand, fhe took it up, and paffed her fingers over the chords. They were out of tune, but uttered a deep and full found. Dorothée ftarted at their wellknown tones, and, feeing the lute in Emily's hand, faid, "This is the lute my lady Marchionefs loved fo! I remember when laft the played upon it-it was on the night that he died. I came as usual to undrefs her, and, as I entered the bed-chamber, I heard the found of mufic from the oriel, and perceiving it was my lady's, who was fitting there, I ftepped foftly to the door, which stood a little open, to liften; for the mufic-though it was mournful-was fo fweet! There I faw her, with the lute in her hand, looking upwards, and the tears. fell upon her cheeks, while she fung a vefper hymn, fo foft, and fo folemn! and her voice

trem

t

trembled, as it were, and then she would. stop for a moment, and wipe away her: tears, and go on again, lower than before. O! I had often liftened to my lady, but ne-, ver heard any thing fo fweet as this; it made me cry, almost, to hear it. She had been at prayers, I fancy, for there was the, book open on the table befide her—aye, and there it lies open ftill! Pray, let us leave the oriel, ma'amfelle," added Dorothée, "this is a heart-breaking place !".

Her

Having returned into the chamber, she defired to look once more upon the bed, when, as they came oppofite to the open door, leading into the faloon, Emily, in the partial gleam, which the lamp threw into it, thought fhe faw fomething glide along into the obfcurer part of the room. spirits had been much affected by the furrounding scene, or it is probable this circumstance, whether real or imaginary, would, not have affected her in the degree it did; but the endeavoured to conceal her emotion from Dorothée, who, however, obferv

ing

T

ing her countenance change, enquired if she was ill.

"Let us go," faid Emily, faintly, "the air of these rooms is unwholefome;" but, when she attempted to do fo, confidering that the muft pafs through the apartment where the phantom of her terror had ap peared, this terror increased, and, too faint to support herself, fhe fat down on the fide of the bed.

Dorothée, believing that fhe was only affected by a confideration of the melancholy catastrophe, which had happened on this fpot, endeavoured to cheer her; and then, as they fat together on the bed, fhe began to relate other particulars concerning it, and this without reflecting, that it might increafe Emily's emotion, but because they were particularly interefting to herself. "A little before my lady's death," aid fhe, "when the pains were gone off, the calledme to her, an, ftretching out her hand to me, I fat down juft there-where the curtain falls upon the bed. How well I re

member