he encountered, on entering the old country-house at Montmorency, was his eldest sister, and as she crossed him on the staircase, she held out her hand in passing, and let drop the single word "remember." Yes! he had remembered-he would still more effectually remember her to-morrow. To-morrow! how the syllables rang in his ear! To-morrow was to decide all-on to-morrow's dawn hung all his future views, hopes, wishes, prospects-on to-morrow, as on a hinge, moved the portals of his future fate. On entering his room, he took down his sword from its resting-place, and drawing its shining blade half out of the sheath, imprinted on it a kiss, in the same manner, though with far different feelings, as Jaffier does, before he yields himself up to the ministers of justice. He took out his pistols from their case, and looked at them, and caressed them, as if they were his friends; and at last, having partaken of a quiet meal with his sisters, and imprinted on the lips of each of them a kiss, he retired to his own room for the night, in joyous and yet anxious expectancy of the morrow. It was after he had closed his writing-case, and had begun to make preparations for his toilet on retiring to rest, that his attention was attracted to wards the window by a sound which seemed like the tap of a finger, three times distinctly repeated, on the glass. On turning his head towards the casement, he saw clearly, in the light of the moon, the same figure of his Jeannette Isabelle, which had twice already before paid him such mysterious visits in the night hours; but this time her face was glad and cheerful; she smiled a benignant and encouraging smile; she was no longer appareled in the trailed and draggled garments of her last appearance; she no longer wore her hair dishevelled, or looked with that inexpressibly melancholy gaze upon our hero, which had so pained him on the two prior occasions : but sunshine seemed to beam from her joyous features, so radiant did they appear with happiness. She raised her hand, and beckoned to our hero, and strange to say, the fascination which had fixed him to the ground on which he stood, on the previous interviews of the same kind, no longer existed. He was enabled to open the casement, and follow into the open. garden. The figure, however, continued to retreat as he advanced. The flowing ringlets of the form were adorned with a chaplet of bright flowers, and her apparel was white, and decorated with glittering gems, as for a bridal; and thrice, as our hero pursued her retreating steps through the garden, she stopped, and pointing to the moon, and then to the earth alternately, made three circles round her head, and then moved on again. When the figure stopped, our hero involuntarily stopped also he could not help it—and he dared not, or could not, speak to it. At length the strange vision appeared to have arrived at the boundary wall of the garden, which was so high as effectually to prevent the escape of any one from within; our hero sprung suddenly forward, as if to clasp the phantom in his arms, but he came in violent contact with the stone-work, and the image had disappeared. It was, then, beyond doubt, a supernatural appearance, which he had thus, the third time, seen distinctly face to face; and with circumstances at once so varied and so similar, as to leave no doubt upon his mind that there was a secret meaning in these warnings; and yet the face of his Jeannette Isabelle had looked so animated with pleasure and hope on this last occasion, that he felt encouraged and inspirited by the matter. He felt that he should go forth with double confidence into the field to-morrow. His Jeannette Isabelle had smiled on him—but she was gone Lacrimantem et plura volentem Dicere, deseruit, tenuesque recessit in auras. CHAPTER XXI. EVERYBODY knows the pretty little village of Charenton. Situated at the distance of about five English miles from Paris, it seems more in the country, and more secluded from the crowd and noise of the neighbouring metropolis, than, perhaps, any other place at an equally small number of leagues from that capital. Close by, on the right, stands the veterinary school of Alfort and further on, upon the other side of the village, is the celebrated Maison des Fous, which is one of the first and best conducted lunatic asylums in the world. It is this that is the principal feature, and which gives its chief notoriety to Charenton. The salubrity of the air, the beauty and extent of the pleasure grounds, in which the unfortunate inmates are allowed to walk, and encouraged to amuse them |