tremble, for every sound seemed supernatural; she even feared to look around her, lest some terrifying phantom should appear; and she more than once imagined she heard the voice of the spectre, repeating the word sWEAR, to remind her of the vow she had taken, and enforce her observance of it. Morning at length dawned; its cheerful. beams served in part to dissipate her fears; she arose while it was yet early, and having heard that the Earl had already left the chamber, she sent a message of enquiry by Winifred, which was answered by a request from the Earl for permission to see her.

This was readily granted; and the Earl entering the room in which the Baroness was sitting, she eagerly but tremblingly demanded if he had seen or heard any

thing, or had met with any alarm or adventure?

The Earl replied, that he had not seen the spectre, or any one of the figure described, which had rendered him somewhat doubtful of its appearance; but that he had heard sounds, for which he was not yet fully able to account; and had therefore resolved to continue the watch till he should be able to discover whether the chamber was or not really haunted-a circumstance of which he declared himself very doubtful.

The Baroness finding the Earl had not hitherto been exposed to any extraordinary terrors or alarms, such as she had herself apprehended, made little or no objection to his proposal of revisiting the apartment on the ensuing night; and accordingly,

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cordingly, at the same hour as before, he repaired again to his station.

In the morning the Baroness renewed her enquiries, and received from the Earl, with whom she had another interview, nearly the same answer as on the preceding day. On her questioning him more particularly, she learned he had been surprised by the same noises which had been before mentioned as having been heard by some of the domestics, such as deep groans, loud and frequent knockings against the walls, intermingled at intervals with the clashing and ringing of armour; and sometimes a noise as of something heavy falling with great force to the ground.

These sounds were observed by the Earl to have been louder, and much more fre

quent, than on the preceding night, a circumstance

circumstance which led him, he said, to expect the appearance of the ghost, whose approach they seemed to portend, and whose presence he determined to await the next night in the chamber.

The Baroness, whose most terrifying apprehensions were again revived by the mention of these extraordinary and mysterious sounds, again remonstrated with the Earl upon his imprudence and temerity, in thus continuing to expose himself tothe power of supernatural horrors, painted anew the dangers he might incur, and earnestly entreated him to abandon hisdesign of pursuing the enterprize he had undertaken, on the following night.

The Earl, although he listened with a knightly courtesy to the Baroness's arguments, and was disposed to pay the utmost respect and deference to the opinions

of a woman he so greatly loved and admired, was nevertheless steady in his resolution of penetrating, if possible, the mystery that seemed to overhang that chamber; and again, at the appointed hour, though somewhat earlier than before, commenced his third night's watch.

The fire burned briskly as he entered, and a lamp placed over the chimney diffused a cheerful light throughout the chamber, exhibiting the figures upon the arras, as well as of the carvings of the old black wainscot, which covered one. part of the room. At some distance, by the side of the bed, stood a large old chair, covered, like the rest of the furniture, with dark blue cloth of gold. The night was cold, for it had been stormy; he drew it close to the fire, after having secured by its bolt the large folding doors

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