seldom seen equalled; and her fine regular features, though marked with settled melancholy, responded with quiet intelligence to everything she deigned to notice in conversation. I entered into discourse with her for a few minutes, and found her a remarkable exception to most of our Oriental dames, who are generally brimming over with all manner of gossip about matters of precedency at balls, scandal at private parties, the debts and embarrassments of acquaintances, and all the other knickknackeries of their limited society. She either did not know, or did not speak of these matters; and I was thrown upon literary conversation, in order to say something. She answered here with intelligence; and I soon found that she lived in a secluded land of poetry and imagination, which is but little trod by Oriental ladies. Her sorrow and retirement had blunted her relish for society, but had not destroyed her mind. All her tastes, however, seemed of a serious character: Cowper, Beattie, Graham, and Montgomery, supplied her with the richest, and most beautiful allusions; but of the fierce, mistrustful, and irregular Byron, she did not seem to recognise a line. The readiness with which she appreciated my remarks, and the overflowing yet delicately selected stores of her own memory, made me no longer wonder at the deference with which she was regarded by the few friends to whom she allowed herself to be known.

As we were departing, Major Eastlake said to me: 'You will not now wonder at the interest we take in Mrs Bellarmine. Her situation is rendered more painful by the conflicting rumours which are continually brought concerning her husband, to whom she is sincerely and devotedly attached; for, notwithstanding his follies, he knew and respected her value. Her distress, I really believe, arises chiefly from the imputations which have been cast on his honour. For myself, I give no credit to them. I know that poor Henry was rash and imprudent; but he was a soldier-like spirit, and could never have turned renegade. My new situation will soon give me the power of making effectual inquiries concerning

his fate. If he is alive, I shall certainly find means to reach him; and if he has fallen honourably, it shall be ascertained. In the meantime, I beg again to repeat my charge, for I have heard and seen enough of Mr Malloch to fear that he is capable of causing uneasiness.' He took leave of me with these words, and I did not see him again before he embarked.

His precautions, however, rather accelerated what he feared. Malloch was piqued at the notice bestowed upon me; and he had not boasted in vain of his acquaintance with Mrs Eastlake, who by no means took the same interest in the fate of Lieutenant Bellarmine as did her husband the major; and firmly believing him to be dead, she had even great pleasure in the prospect of managing a new match for his widow. Malloch had even the art to render my visits somewhat less acceptable to this lady than they were wont, so that I had but few opportunities of learning what was going on. Once or twice when I called, Mrs Bellarmine spoke to me with feelings of the deepest regard concerning her husband, without seeming once to have had her confidence in him shaken; and she mentioned, that if Major Eastlake ascertained anything concerning him, he would write first to me on the subject. I alluded once to the circumstance which Malloch had mentioned that he had met her in England. Captain Malloch is Mrs Eastlake's guest here,' she said, 'and I can do nothing that is rude to him; but at no period, either in England or in India, have I seen reason to consider him a man of delicacy or honour.' She said no more, and the subject was not again alluded to.

One day, when I had called at the house, something led me into the garden, and I was assisting the malce (native gardener) to train up some Oriental jessamine on the end wall of a back veranda. Mrs Bellarmine had entered this part of the house in the meanwhile, and Captain Malloch, who had also arrived, joined her there. All this I gathered from conjecture; but being separated from them only by a slight partition, not in very good repair, I was apprised of their presence by the sound of

well-known voices. I could not escape from hearing the following fragments of their conversation :

:

'My dear Mrs Bellarmine, how often have I repeated, that your image has never once been absent from my mind since I first saw you at Greenside!'

'I was then a governess in the family of your relation, Mr Malloch; and your attentions were at that time neither more agreeable nor more honourable to me than they are now. I beg you may desist from language to which I dare not, and will not listen.'

'Dare not! How often have I told you that Bellarmine will never return? He was a man I never esteemed, were it for nothing but his conduct to you; but I must say that he died as a soldier should.'

How have you obtained this information, Mr Malloch?'

I know more about Bellarmine than you suppose. I was in the same district with him at the time of the skirmish where he fell; and it was a foolish joke of mine -though it was never known-that gave rise to the absurd rumour about his having joined the enemy?'

'Good God!' exclaimed Mrs Bellarmine; and then, suddenly restraining herself, she said: 'perhaps your present story is a joke also?'

My dear Mrs Bellarmine, if you doubt my word, look at that letter which I have received from a sergeant who was on the field with him.'

There was silence for a few minutes, only that I heard a deep sigh from the female speaker, and, in a moment after, a shriek, and then a sound, as if some one had fallen down.

I hurried round to the front door, but before I could gain admission, there was a crowd of servants collected in the veranda, and Mrs Eastlake was busy chafing the temples of her friend, who lay in a swoon. Captain

Malloch was standing at the opposite end of the veranda, leaning against one of its pillars, and gazing with a strange and gloomy earnestness at the scene before him. I saluted him with a manner in which, I fancy, he must

have seen something of my present feelings, for his return was distant and haughty. It was now verging to night, and Mrs Bellarmine was removed into an inner room, where there were lights. Malloch and I were left together, but no conversation passed; and in a short time a message was brought to us, that the lady was better. I proceeded to the apartment where she was; Captain Malloch, as I observed, lingering behind, and not appearing resolved what to do.

Just as I was departing, one of my servants who had followed me thither came up, and put into my hand a letter which a peon (runner) had brought to my house. I took it, and went into the room where the two ladies were sitting. Mrs Bellarmine was pale, but collected, and said that she was quite recovered. Her attention seemed attracted by the unopened letter which I held in my hand; and on looking at it myself, I perceived that it was in the handwriting of Major Eastlake. It would not be easy to describe the anxiety which the whole party now felt as to its contents: to Mrs Bellarmine's agitated mind, they seemed to hold the cup of life or death. I broke the seal. The letter was short, but full of interest :

'MY DEAR SIR-I am glad to say that I have obtained sure intelligence concerning our poor friend Henry: his honour is as untainted as the snow. He was made prisoner by the Pindarees, and is now confined in one of their hill-forts, where I have found means of communicating with him. I cannot as yet attempt his release, but he shall be restored to us. You may have heard that Malloch had a command in this district at the time of the skirmish; and it now appears that it was owing to some treachery or cowardice on his part that Henry's party was entrapped and surrounded by the banditti. These things will now be brought to light, as well as some mean forgeries which have been attempted of late, and of which a sergeant here has given an account. I am,' &c.

I had read so far before perceiving that Malloch had by this time followed me into the room, and had heard

part of the letter: at the last words, I was alarmed by seeing him at once dart out of the apartment with a look of distraction. I heard his footsteps running across the garden, but remained in a kind of mute astonishment, both at the suddenness of his action, and at the contents of the letter. I had hardly stood a minute in this state, when Bappoo, one of the servants, came running into the apartment with a look of terror, and cried: 'Sahib ! Sahib! Mr Malloch has thrown himself into the sea!' The house where Mrs Eastlake lived-she had now removed into the town-was just within the ramparts, on that side where they run into the bay; and a leap from the parapet-wall at high-water was certain death, except to the best swimmers. If the dreadful announcement was correct, there was, in the present darkness, no chance of recovering Malloch.

I rushed, however, to the spot which the man had pointed out; and as soon as I got on the wall, I sprang to the top of the parapet to look down. The waters were tossing and weltering against the bottom of the fortifications, where I could distinguish nothing in the darkness but the indistinct heaving of a stormy sea, and the white foam which broke in white patches on the tops of its endless waves. To think that a fellow-creature was struggling in such an abyss, perhaps within reach of my aid-if his pride or remorse would allow him to call for it was dreadful. As we were standing gazing in this anxiety, I heard one of the natives present-for several had now assembled say to another, in his native tongue: I see the fool sitting on a stone!' My eye lighted at the moment on the object he had observed, which was certainly something white-the colour of the military undress worn by Malloch-and having the appearance of a human figure seated on a rock; but whether it was this, or merely an illusion caused by the foam which broke there, the darkness rendered it difficult to say. I called, however, for a ladder, with the intention of descending; and while the men were fetching it, I could not but picture to myself the extraordinary