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v lewis a. aaisT,proprietor,j An Jittyjenlreitt Jfaniilg gtetuspaper: .for tjje promotion of tjje political, Social, Agricultural anil (fouintercial Interests of tjje Sontj). |TEBMs-t3soatoaa^mabtahce YOLUME XII. YORKYILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY MORNING-, MAY 10, 1866. NUMBER 3. Jui jjftng. WRITT.'N fOR THE TORKVII.LE ENQCIRER. o&uk ! A -Romance of Love, Mystery and Retribution. BY "WILLIE LIGHTHEAKT." Author of "The Dark Mystery of the Deserted House "Fatal Gift;" "Old Heads and Young Heuts," Ac., Ac. CHAPTER V. Id &o almost fainting condition, Minnie was conveyed to ber chamber by the faithfal old negress. Seating ber gently upon a chair by the fire place, she stooped down and blew the embers into a cheerful flame; then, patting on a fresh supply of wood, she sat down upon the rug, at the feet of her much beloved mistress, and swayiDg ks\/3? frt nn/1 frA hnmmaj) n rlnlpfnl nip UC1 l/UUJ IV ?UV? Wj umwujvv* ? ?V(W> ? - ?... Minnie listened to her awhile in silence.? Strange forebodings of ooming evil, dark presentiments of fntnre sorrow, difficulty and unhappioess threw their sombre shadows over her heart, and poor Dinah's song struck a chord of sympathy in her bosom and filled her overwrought and feverish imagination with a strange interest 'What is to be done, Dinah?' she asked, aa the old woman concluded her song, and looked up in her mistresses sad faoe. 'There! ?merciful heavens!?a pistol shot, as I live!' 'Dere goes anudder one !' exclaimed the old woman, as a second loud report, followed by a dull, heavy fall, resounded throughout the old building, striking terror to the heart of Minnie, and arousing the entire household from their slumbers. 'Can't be Mass Edgar so foolish fuh fire pistol at sperrit!' said Dinah, trembling from bead to foot, and looking uneasily towards the door. ?Enty you yerry heap o' noise, missy?' 'The report of the pistol has alarmed Sir Richard and uncle, I presume,' satd ALio nie, hearing an UDUsual stir about the house, 'and they are no doubt arousing the servants to ascertain the cause .' 'Mass 'Edgar git in trouble 'bout die ting, less old DinaL kin manage to show him out de house 'fore Massa fine bim ? Wait yuh, missy. Maumma come back arter wile.' So saying, before Minnie could reply, DiD&h left the room. A few moments after the departure of the woman, old Mr. Harcourt tapped at the door. Sir Richard stood without with a lantern in his band, and awaited the old gentleman, whom Minnie admitted. 'You are up very late, my dear,' said the old man, looking anxiously into the pale face of Minnie. 'You heard the report of the gun or pistol, I presume ? Do you think it was in the bouse V ?I do not know, sir,' she replied in much confusion, 'though, I must say, that it sounded very much like it.' 'Very odd !' exclaimed Mr. Harcourt. 'Sir Richard and myself had just concluded a game of chess and were about to retire, when we were startled by the first report. He is of the opinion that a pistol or r,nn Vioa heon disehnrcred nn the nremises fe"" ?~ ? e r by some drunken soldier, but, at my request, has kindly consented to search the house from top to bottom, from cellar to garret. You have the keys to the upper rooms; so I thought I would jost stop as I was passing, aud get you to hand them to me at the door.' Minnie for reasons best known to herself, and which may be easily guessed by the reader, detained her uncle as long as possible, by pretending to have mislaid the keys. Finally, however, as if she bad suddenly remembered the fact, she informed him, that she had left them in the door of the Green Room, when last there With an exclamation of anger nod impatience, Mr. Haroourt hurried from the room, slam- i miog the door after him. 'If that shot was fired by Edgar, on the j supposition that the mysterious figure was ! Sir Richard in disguise, be is wofully mis- | taken,' said Minnie, resuming her seat and j looking thoughtfully into the fire. 'What j if it be indeed the spirit of my father! j 0 horror!' and she shuddered from bead j to foot and looked uneasily around the room, i But the sound of a heavy fall immediate- j I? ??V? ?k~ I ll'k.t I s] ?kof k*? ' ljr auti iuo icpuib tt uai wuiu tuab wv ? j A thousand pistol shots could have no such 1 effect upon a spirit; and yet, something or somebody evidently fell as a consequence of the shot. Could it be Edgar himself?' A cold, ioy chill ran through the heart, j and the perspiration gathered in thick j beads upon her forehead, as these terrible thoughts and surmises came thronging into ber mind. Starting up from her chair,! like one demented, she pressed her hands to ber temples and paced the room to and .fro, in the most acute and agonizing mental excitement. * * . * * * * * Great was the consternation and excitement in Harcourt Hall when the rays of the rising sun penetrated the dark recesses of j the old building and revealed the fresh tracks of blood all down the back staircase, and away up to the Green room in the gar- i ret, upon the floor of which had settled and i congealed a pool of gore, too horrible to look upon with any degree of complacency. The impenetrable, and inexplicable mystery connected with the whole affair added ! to the horror of the deed of blood, which evidently had been committed by some un-; known hand, upon some unfortunate and j equally unknown victim. Poor Minnie was half distracted with anxiety and alarm on Edgar's acoount j for Dinah, who had so | nobly rushed to his rescue aod relief, had j made the most diligent search of the preci- ] ises, and returned to her disconsolate mistress with the tidings of her vain and fruitless effort to find him anywhere. 'They have killed him !' Minnie exclaimed, wringing ber hands in the wildest agony of mind. 'Now, missy !' exolaimed Dioab, half reprovingly and half coaxingly, 'don't go on ! in dat way! Mass Edgar may be safe nuff for I blieve de pistol been shoot by heself, and dat somebody else stop de ballet.' 'Upon whom oould he have fired ?' asked Minnie. 'Certainly Dot upon my father's spirit, else why this long track of blood ?' Dinah looked thoughtfully down upon the carpet a few momenta; then, after helping herself to a pinch of snoff, she said iD a low undertone, 'Spose dat ting in de black coat amt no ghost at all, an dat Mass Edgar find urn out. What dep? Tink e' no shoot um ?' 'I fear that your thoughts upon that point are correct, and that a cruel deception has been practiced upon me,' said Minnie, after a thoughtful pause, 'but, dear maumma, who could have been guilty of suoh an unheard of artifice and sin, and what possible L- . .L. : 1: i.j i ODject COUIQ loe party liupiicaieu u??o uau in view, which may not have been accomplished otherwise?' Then, after another thoughtful pause, she added 'But, surely Edgar's character is uot of that peculiar shade, as to make an act so desperate, likely to ooour. God forbid that he should imbue his hands in blood for my sake, or be guilty of murder in a moment of ungovernable rage or jealousy! No, no !?I know him too well for that.' Berry well, den,' said Dinah, twisting the corner of her apron, "nervously, while an expression of miogled sadness and perplexity flitted over her sable countenance. I dunno what more fuh say I hope-in de bressed Lord dat no harm come poo Mass Edgar!' At that moment Mr Harcourt entered unceremoniously into the room, bis countenance pale as death and his eyes half starting from their sookets. Throwing himself into a ohair ; and.lifting both hands above his head, he exolaimed, 'Merciful heavens! what a sight!' What is the matter, uncle?' asked Min nie, taking his trembling hand and falling down upon her knees before him. 'What knnn TiAli flrtnn V uaio jrv/u dccu 'Get up, Minnie !?get up !' said the old man, helping her to rise. 'Sit down here and I will tell you what thus affects me.' He then, to her horror, but partial relief of mind, related that Sir Richard and himself had tracked the bloody footprints across the main walk in the garden, but, owing to the high grass had lost sight of them on the beds. Determined, if possible, to institute a thorough search, the baronet, at bis request, obtained a trained hound, which was no sooner put upon the scent at the foot of the old back staircase, than the animal bounded off towards the front part of the house, theo across the walk, over the beds, and, finally entered an old, aban UUUCU BU LLiiUl; I * LiUUOU UUttl LllC Wtill, WUCIC it yelped and howled, until the gentlemen came up. Here, to their utter surprise and horror, they discovered a oloaked figure lying at*full length upon the ground, which, upon examination, proved to be the dead body of Barney Flaunighan, an intelligent Irish servant, who had been for the last two days in Mr. Harcourt'se mploy. Lying at his feet was a pale, heavily whiskered mask, in which Mr. Harcourt recognized an exaot likeness to the supposed apparition which bad stalked into his library some moDths before, representing itself to be the spirit of his brother, and Minnie's father. This unfortunate fellow, upon application for employment, had been strontly recommended by Sir Richard Beverly, who, ever since, had manifested a noticeable degree of interest in him, amounting to something very much like friendship?possibly copartnership. That there was some connection between the parties, for some specific object, the reader cannot fail to discover, who recollects the impression which the pretended gbist endeavored to make both upon Mr. Haroourt and Minnie, in reference to Sir Richard. Miunie heard the old gentleman throughout in thoughtful sileuoe; then, with down cast eyes, and wildly beating heart, 6he asked 'Who did the deed, uncle? Is any one suspected V Mr. Harcourt could not imagine who was the guilty party, and so far as suspecting any particular person, there was no founda. r ... -11 110U ior any paruuuiar kuspiuiuu ai an. uu, at least, Miouie inferred from bis reply. 'Do you know, my dear,' he said, after a protracted silence, 'that it strikes me forcibly, that the poor fellow came to his death by his own hands. There was nobody in the house at the time of the discharge of the pistol but yourself, Sir Richard and me.' Minnie changed color. 'Of course, I cannot te'l how the poor fellow shot himself, no more than I can fur nish a satisfactory reason or explanation for the singular conduct he has been guilty of, in representing himself to be the spirit of your poor father.' 'And what does Sir Richard say about the matter ?' asked Minnie, still looking down upon the floor. 'Sir Richard says but little on the subject,' replied Mr. Ilarcourt. 'In fact, my dear, I am of the opinion that the less he says the better for him. That ghost arrangement, now that the deception has been exposed, speaks very badly for the buronet, and looks very suspicious.' 'What do you mean, uncle Adam V asked Minnie, looking eagerly up into the old man's face. 'Well, my dear, it is but natural to suppose, that poor Baruey was induced by tbo baronet, to do exactly what he has done.' 'But, uncle, the first appearance, of the ghost, was long before we knew or saw, either the baronet or the unfortunate Irish man.' That, I must confess, puzzles me sorely,' replied Mr. Harcourt; 'but it is quite certain, that the mask found with poor Barney, is the exact likeness of the face of the suppQsed ghost, who came so near frightening me to death some months ago.' A tap at the door cut short tho conversation. <Come in!' 'Is Mr. Harcourt at leisure?' asked the well known voice of Sir Richard, without If so, he will please acoompany me to the library, a few momoDts. I shall not .detain him long/ ****** 'And now, my aged friend,' said Sir Richard, 'as Mr. Harcourt and himself sat toget&er io the library a few moments after, 'tb:? pressue of circun stanoes compel me, as a gentleman and man of honor, to attempt something like an explanation of the circumstances whicu have led to such a disastrous result as the death of an honest, though ignorant man.' 'I demand no explanation, Sir Richard,' I said Mr. Harcourt; ?nay ! I do not even | solicit it.' 1 ^11 ^ r?/\ri o'rriflrt# if 9 Bui/1 flrn Kti rnnof i^uv j v/u f i>uu uruii/u\svj 'and would think it very odd, to say the least of it, if I remained silent on the subject. In justice to all parties, especially to the memory of the viotim to my folly, I feel myself bound to enlighten you, as to the part I have taken and the extent of my guilt, in this seemingly inexplicable affair ' 'As I said before, I neither demand nor solicit the explanation,' said Mr. Garcourt. So far as expecting it is ooncerned, I can certainly reply in the negative, as such expectation was never entertained even for a moment Still, Sir Richard, ?if it is your wish, and if, under existing circumstances, you feel it to be your duty, I have no material or particular objections to listen to what you may have to say.' And, so saying, Mr. Harcourt threw himself back in his easy-chair, folded bis arms across his breast and prepared to receive, as politely as the attending circumstances could war rant, Sir Riohard Beverley's explanation, vindication, confession, cr whatever the reader may see proper to term the following remarks of the baronet : 'What I am about to remark cannot but surprise you,' said Sir Richard, 'and, to make the truth of this statement evident, allow me to inform you that, about five months ago 1 accidentally saw, and became desperately in love with your niece.' 'Five months ago I'exclaimed Mr. Harcourt, starting. 'I knew that the statement would surprise you,' said Sir Richard ; 'but you will oblige me by not interrupting me again. Five months ago, as I said, I saw und loved your niece, and, to ruy disappointment and vexation, soon became aware that her heart's affections were already enlisted-elsewhere. It matters not when or hoW, but I succeeded in entering upon these premises, became fully acquainted with the servants I and everv nook aod corner of this old building. I watched your uiece, and her accepted lover, who was spending his va cation here, with an intensity of interest which you cannot conceive of. From all that 1 could gather, from my own observations, as well as the information imparled by the servants, the conclusion forced itself upon my mind, and almost overwhelmed my heart, that Miss Harcourt and Edgar Houston were inseperably one in heart and soul; and that, unless a mere accident should dis. jlvc the tender relationship, the hopeof my life was naught but vanity. Shortly after this, young Houston was called away. I was present at their parting, aud so were you, sir; and therefore I need not attempt to recall certain very significant and affecting incidents which then occurred?incidents which brought tears to your eyes and a shadow, as dark as the night, over my heart, and damned that hour of my life, with a curse as bitter as the memory of a lost spirit.' 'But,' said Mr. Harcourt., moving uneasily about in his chair, while an expression of mingled wonder aud surprise was manifested in ever// feature of his venerable face, 'you don t mean to say that you were the 6oldier whom I entertained for a fortnight in this house, five or Bix months ago? Vaii nnrfainlo rln nnf mnnn fhnf 'I never was a soldier, i\lr. Harcourt.' But you are the individual, whom I sujiposed to be such, and who was entertained at this place at the time you speak of?' 'I again repeat the request,' said Sir Richard, 'that I be not interrupted in my narrative. I should never come to the end, if I attempt to reply to every question, which my remarks might accidentally 9Ug gest. Oblige me, sir, by the exercise and exhibition of, at least, a moderate degree of patience, until you shall have heard me through. Now, then !' 'Proceed !' said the old man, filling his pipe. 'You shall not be interrupted again, since such is your wish.' 'After the departure of the young man, before alluded to,' continued the baronet, 'I noticed that your neice was seldom or ever 6eon about the house or garden ; and, upon ioquiry, I ascertained that she often frequented the upper and abandoned por tion of this old house, which, the servants very gravely informed me, was supposed to be haunted That afternoon, sir, I bade you farewell and took, as you supposed, a final leave. Passing through the streets of Norfolk the next day, I was struck with the remarkable resemblance which a oertnin mnslr hnre tn a certain nieture T had seen among the rubbish in one of jour upper rooms, and which I had been informed was the portrait of your brother God knows how the thought obtained admission, or whence it derived its magic power ; but, , do sooner did my eyes fall upon that whiskered mask, than I determined to purchase it and eDlist it in my servioe9. Now, sir, I might have resorted to a number of means and devices to supplant my rival aod accomplish the dearest objjot of my life, but every other plan seemed to ae.oessitate a j m jast-re of harshness aod cruelty, which I j felt unwilling to employ I say every other | plan, because my mind had grasped and settled down upon one, which seemed most likely to succeed, from its very novelty and unnaturaloess alooe. The next night I en tered this bouse; and, secreting myself in what is known as the Green Room, awaited the coming of Miss Harcourt All night and almoBt all of the following day, I waited in vain; and, fearing that, after all, my efforts would terminate in failure, was just about to leave the house, when Miss Harcourt entered the room and seated herself at an old box or chest, and began rumaging among the papers and old letters. It is no use to multiply words, Mr. Harcourt, as, no doubt, your nieoe informed you, soon after, of the apparition of her father's spirit and the utterances of his lips. You know, too, what occurred in the library about twi light of the same day. Need I add that you now stand, or sit rat her, in the presence of that same ghost? You start, and seem overwhelmed with surprised with indignation, Mr. Harcourt; but my dear sir, I was driven to suoh an act bv a love whioh mad ft denod me and which deprived me of reason. After reflection brought with it its full share of merited remorse and shame for the questionable part which an ungovernable passion had induced me to perform, much against the promptings of my better nature and to tbe saorafice of my self respect. But I am digressing. Suffer me to continue my story.' Go on, Sir Richard,' said Mr. Harcourt. In spite of my disapprobation of the de ception you have practised upon us, I find myself wonderfully interested in yourstory.' 'My words must be brief,' continued the baronet, looking sadly down upon the carpet 'The day following that of the ghost's appearance^ I left your bouse, and, towards the close of the week, arrived at Richmond. While there?I have neither time nor inclination to enter into particulars?I accidentally became acquainted with poor Barney Flannigham. I did him a trifling service, for which he seemed overf I TV ^ 1 A. 3 gratetui. tie was out 01 employment, ana I advised him to take a trip into the country aud eDdeavor to obtain it there. So much for Barney then. At the allotted time?the period about which the gho6t said that I would appear--I returned to Harcourt Hall, no longer in disguise. My return was made to appear as the mere accidental visit of a benighted and weary traveller, and I was gratified by the manifestation of mingled wonder and interest which my adveDt elicited. I was perfectly satisfied that, both Miss Harcourt and yourself saw in my person the fulfilment of what had been foretold by the ghost. Suffer me, however, to remark, that I felt a measure of shame and regret, when the incident of the apparition was alluded to, some days after, in my presence, and I secretly deter mined, if possible, to do away with the impression, which the imagined ghost had evidently made upon your minds ' Yes, yea,' said Mr. Harcourt, impatiently; 'but what has all this to do with the death of poor Barney ? What put it in his bead to play the ghost too?' (I will come to that presently, Mr. Harcourt,' said Sir Richard. 'I was about to remark, when you interrupted me, that a month or more after this (agd when every thing seemed prosperiag for me) I had ocoasion to visit the section of country in which the oollege, at whioh young Houston was about to graduate, was located. There I remained for nearly two months.in partial disguise. Strange to say, upon en teriug a hacit, which 1 had .engaged to drive me to Norfolk, I discovered that a young gentleman was seated within, whom I afterwards, by mere aocident, ascertained to be Edgar Houston. Arriving at Norfolk, be manifested considerable uneasiness, when he disocered my iutentiou of continuing my journey four miles farther out into the oouotry, and.asked me if Harcourt Hall was my destination. I gave him quite an unsatisfactory reply; and, as the hack left the hotel door. I distinctly overheard him remark, triumphantly, that he would soon follow me. Now, sir, I knew very well that Miss Harcourt was warmly attached to this young man, and that everything was depending upon the manuer in which she would receive him at his return. I no sooner reached Harcourt Hall, than I sought, and obtained an interview with your niece, and ursred mv claims and Dressed mv ' ? ^ * # suit with an emphasis and warmth, which the Dature of the circumstances justified and demanded. I failed to elicit any satisfactory reply, however. She assured me that her love had loug since been giveD to another; but, this much, at least, was quite evident?she verily felt herself morf ally bound to acquiesce in thp wishes oher father, whose spirit, she imagined, had really appeared to her several months before. Now, I doubted very much, Mr. Harcourt, whether the presence una argumeuts of an accepted lover, whom I expeoted at the Hall every moment, would fail to overturn my entire ghost arraugement; in fact, I felt quite sure that Houston would win the day, unless eomething extraordinary could be devised and executed to prevent it. That very day Barney Flannigham applied to you for employment; and, thinking how invaluable bis services might be made to me. I prevailed upon you to employ him as porter. Poor fellow ! little did I think at what a teariui cost tie wouia serve me r Here the- baronet paused, and looked sadly down. 'Proceed, Sir Richard,' said Mr. Harcourt, deeply interested. 'Yesterday, while sauntering down the main avenue to the Kail, I met Barney, who asied me, quite innocently, if I had seen a handsome young gentleman, whom he had admitted into the garden some hours before. Of course I replied in the negative. He then informed me that Miss Harcourtand the gentleman, whom he had I admitted, had been seen together a few moI mcnts in a certain summer-house, which he pointed out to me, and that, he distinctly overheard them planning a future meeting, he did know when or where.' 'Sir Riohard Beverly !' exclaimed old Mr Harcourt, indignantly. 'Nay,' said the baronet, gently pressing the old man down into bis seat; do rot interrupt me jnst now. I am relating pimply what tbe poor fellow told me. I do not mean to say that there was anything wrong or oriminal about the interview of the lov. ers. At any rate I am not aware of it, nor did poor Barney even suspeot it, or he certainly would have told me.' 'Distraction 1' exclaimed Mr. Haroourt, moving about uneasily in his chair, 'who supposed that anything oriminal could grow out of an interview between my own darling Minnie and Edgar Houston ?' 'Edgar Houston it was, sure enough,' said Sir Richard, in a tone of voice, and with a certain manner, by no means oalcui - - i : :.J: 4:. laceu 10 appease cue growing inuiguuciuu ui the excitable old geotlemao, 'and can you possibly imagine the state of feeliog experienced, when the discovery was made. And, now, sir, I will inform you how it has come to pass that poor Barney now lies stretohed out upon the floor of that old summer-house. I loaned him the old cloak and mask, which I had used with so muoh success, and instructed him when, how and where to make a similar use of them. I took him up to the Qreen Boom; showed bim the private entrance, and, in short, endeavored to make him acquainted with every nook and corner of the two upper stories of the house. I paid him to haunt, in the guise of a ghost, every portion of these abandoned stories whenever he had reason to believe Miss Harcourt was up there, and, as the spirit of her father, to warn her against becoming the bride of any other man than Sir Richard Beverly. I paid him also to keep a strict watch over young Houston and to keep me well informed as to bis movements. And now, sir, there he lies out there, as a con'sequenoe of his faith fulness to me.' So saying, the baronet pointed out of the open window upon the dead body of poor Barney, which the servants were about to remove. 'Unfortunate wretch!' exclaimed Mr. Harcourt, turning, with a shudder from the window. 'Would to God that we could have found him sooner. There is no telling but what something may have been done to save his life.' 'Better as it is,' said the baronet, in a tone of voice, and with an expression of countenance, which manifested the existence of deep internal emotion. Better ?much better!?that those lips should be sealed and that tongue para.yzed forever, than he should have lived to stand up here, in your presence and mine, and told a tale of all be saw and heard that midnight hour in those abandoned rooms.' 'In the name of heaven ! what mean you, Sir Richard ?' said the old man start ing up from his chair, and trembling from head to foot. 'Beyond all question,' said the baronet, 'poor Barney was murdered because Edgar Houston did Dot wish it made public tbat bimself and Miss Harcourt were discovered together, and alooe, at midnight.' 'Sir Richard Beverly!' said the old maD, growing pale as death, 'you are treading upon dangerous ground ! Beware 1 beware !' 'Do you not feel assured that youDg Houston discharged the pistol that caused the death of Barney?' asked the baronet. 'Feel assurredl' said Mr. Harcourt, 'how do I knojv who may have flred? You forget, that I did Dot know even of the arrival of Edgar, and you only speculate and surmise about the matter altogether; for, according to your own story, you have not seen the youDg man, sinoe you left Norfolk.' 'Well, Mr. Harcourt,' said the baronet, takiog a small pearl box from his pocket, 'here is a very fancy little mutch case which I found up stairs near the pool of blood ? Will you do me the favor to read the name on the slide?' <Edgar Houston ! exclaimed tbe old man in a tremor. That goes some way, at least, to prove the fact of his presence,' said the baronet. You will uotice that the side of the case is bloody, too; and has the appearance of having been held between bloody fingers.' Mr. Harcourt groaned 'Perhaps you remember the hour when we went up to Miss Harcourt's room for the keys. Tt was after midnight, I think, and about ten minates after the report of the two pistol shots. Am I right ?' 'Quite right,' replied tbe old man, with an abstracted air. 'You found your niece up and dressed, and her bed apparently unused, did you not? In fact, she told yon she had not retired ' Very true, Sir Kichard,' said Mr Har i court. 'Zouuds! you have a most excelJ lent memory for trifles 1' Is your niece in the habit of keeping such late hours ?' asked the baronet. 'She almost always retires early,' replied the old mao. 'And does it not look a little strange, that the shot should have been fired and this little case of Houston's foaud upon the same night that Miss Harcourt ook it into her head to sit up 6olate? Or in plain words: don't you believe it at least possi ble, if not probable, that Houston and your niece were together at that midnight hour, (mind ! I do not say for what purpose) and that, beiDg interrupted by Barney, Edgar shot him ?' lIt does look so!' said Mi H^cou", looking thoughtfully down upou tne carpet, while an expression of painful anxiety passed over his features; 'but it is quite unaccountable to me that Edgar should thus stealthily invade the sanctity of these premises at dead of night, when my doors have ever been open to him. That he should come here, is natural enough ; that be should avail himself of ao-opportunity of a private interview with Minnie, is but what we might expect; but this entering my house at miduight aod having ao interview with m) niece in some portion of those 1 desolate and abandoned rooms, is something ; whioh I cannot understand?in short, I do 1 not believe it.' 'Did you net prohibit further intimacy ; between the lovers ?' asked the baroUet. j 'Did you not even take measures to prevent'Houston from continuing his visits. Of course, you did; and the young fellow : knew it, too, and therefore resorted to a midnight meeting among the rats and spi| ders, never imagining for a moment that he | would be disturbed or interrupted in bis courtship.' Here Sir Richard laughed ; heartily and long. You may laugh, Sir Richard!' said the I old man, the blood mounting to his foreKoait oriri lomnloa Ma mhnlp frnmA f rom. : bling with the intensity of passion and in! dignation. 'You may laugh, sir, if the occurrences of the night and the tragedy of the morning furnish materia! for mirth ; but'?here the old man raised bis arm and brought his fist down upon the table with | an emphasis quite unusual to him?'do not, j dare not, breathe a word against the honor i and purity of my poor dead brother's spott less child, or, old and infirm as I am, I i swear I will send you after your duped ac! complice and victim 1' | 'Mr. Harcourt!' exclaimed the baronet, | reprovingly, gazing with astonishment upon | the excited old gentleman. 'For heaven ! sake, sir, sit down and listen to me.' 'No, sir!' replied Mr. Harcourt, folding his arms across bis breast and erecting hi9 tall form to its full height <1 Lave beard enough! Not satisfied with practising a cruel and sinful deception upon an old man, and working upon the fears and credulity of an unsophisticated and simple girl, you indirectly cause the loss of a poor mao's lite, and then striKe at the honor ana onas tity of an innocent maiden and endeavor to rob a deserving young man of the inestimable treasure of an unblemished and nntarnished character For what??aye I?for what? The mere gratification of self. Out upon such a man !' Before Sir Rich ard could reply, Mr. Harcourt arose hastily from his obair, ami left the room. ("TO BE CONTINUED.] Internal Revenue. A Washington dispatch to the New York Tribune, states that the' Committee on Ways and Means have agreed to rerort to the House the following changes in the Internal Revenue Law. The tax on gross receipts of Express Companies increased from three to five per cent. The tax on candles reduced to three per cent. On clothing of all kinds reduced, except thut of woven and felting material, to one per cent, un Doots ana snoes iroui six to twa per cent On cotton the duty is increased from two to five cents per pound. On general manufactures the tax is redu ced froui six to five per cent On salt the tax will hereafter be three cents per 100 pounds. Ou incomes, instead of the presect tax, there will hereafter be a uniform rate of five per cent, on all over $1,000, not deducting rents. Ou brokers'sale of merchandize, proriuoe, or other goods, a tax is proposed of one-twentieth of one per cent, instead of the present tax of one-eighth ot one per ceot On brokers' sales and contracts for sales of stocks and bonds on par value thereof, the tax proposed is one-hundredth of one per cent., instead of the present tax of one-eighth of one per ceot. On brokers' sales and contracts for sales of stocks and bonds on par value thereof, the tax proposed one-hundredth of one per cent., instead of the present tax of one-twentieth of one per cent. Oo brokers' sales or contracts for ' " ? ? i !t I III J the sale ot goia ana suver Dumon auu cuiu, the tax proposed is one-hundredth of one percdnt., instead of the present tax'of onetenth of one per cent. the y^ee list.. Books, &c.f beeswax, all kinds of building stone and bricks, bullion used by silversmiths, mill-stooes, rod and sheet oopper aod brass, coffins, copper, lead, tin, iron castings for bridges, all kinds of mineral and medicinal waters, coal, paper, photographs, engravings, lithographs, paints, putty, crude oils, pig iron, plows, and all such implements, repairs of machinery or other manufactured articles, railroad materials, cement, liuie, soda, stoves, steel, tar, viuegar, has kets, crates, willow-ware, yarn, warp, slaughtered animals, and numerous other articles. Exciting Scene in Alexandria? j The Alexandria Gazette says that a scene occurred in that city Tuesday afternoon, I which threatened at one time to prove a : second Norfolk affair: Three oegroes were arrested for some oause ; one, a stout, athletic fellow, resisted with great violence, but he, together with j the others, was takeu to the Mayor's office, and then commenced the most unheard of cooduot; the resisting negro, formerly a slave of Mr. William N. Brown, belching forth in most profane language a torrent of I abuse, declariog his right to enter every ! aod any place he chose; drink io any resi taurant he thought proper. He boasted j that the Civil Rights Bill gave him the | largest liberty, and "be be d d if he j wonld'ot use it;" he exulted over the faot that it had been passed over the President's ! head?"d tn him " The Mayor in vain endeavored to quiet him, aud sent for Maj. j Hambrick, who came as soon as be received the en ware. When tie Major entered, 'twere wis a slight calm, but enough was ! peipetrated afterwards to show very plainly j the violence of the negro's conduct. The j I Mayor very promptly committed the most violent one to jail, but previous to sending him forth, he informed Major Hambrick that the fellow's life was in his own bands; that if he manifested the least violence, he ! j and his officers would enforce the law, even ' to his death. When the officers left with the prisoner the Mayor followed down on Royal Street, opposite the Engine House, sod, aloae, kept baok the crowd whioh followed. The more orderly be appealed to; others be positively refused to permit to p&88. A narrow escape was made from a scene of riot and bloodshed. Had tbe Mayor yielded for an instant, and suffered his oatraged feelings to have scope, there is no knowing what woald have been tbe resalt. Some of oar oitizens were insulted in the most gross and violent manner, bat the Mayor appealed to them to be qaiet and sabmit for the sake of peace. Crops in the Carolinas, Georgia, Mississippi and Alabama.?A gentleman who has reoently traveled through .these States for tbe purpose of obtaining | aoourate information for the ase of the Ag ricultnral Department, baa furnished for pablioation (he following notes made by the way : "Every planter that cap get labor is patting in all the cotton possible, in bopes to sell at high rates, and many of them are Degleoting corn, preferring to depend apon the Northwest for their sapplies. The freedmen have contraoted freely with their old masters, as a general thing. The higher rates of wages in Alabama and Mississipi are inducing some of them to discard their contracts in Georgia and migrate Westward. I find matters looking more cheerful than I had reason to anticipate when I left the North in January, and I have been most agreeably disappointed iu finding such good order prevailing in all seotionsof the South. Charleston is the only oity that appears to be slow in repairing damages, yet considerable is being done there. . There are some among the people who have but little hope of seeing prosperous days again; they are a small minority, "however. The aotive, intelligent men of the Sooth are sanguine, and now that slavery is abolished, have no desire to' see it reinstated. The great aim among the people is to induce white labor tocomeinto the South, as the necessity of intelligent labor is being duly appreciated. There is a scarcity of freedmen, owing principally to ths | severe ravages of the small pox, and sever al instances have been mentioned where over half of the old hands have been buried from this disease. Several planters I have met have pat in as much cotton as formerly, bot there will be much land idle. I am sanguine in expressing the opinion that the eutire cotton crop of the Sonth can be worked without the hand hoe, by introducing improved implements. Prom what I could learn regarding rioe, I am inclined to believe there will be about one third of a crop?yet these estimates depend altogether upon the freedmen?if they hold out true to their contracts until after harvest all will be well, but if they baok down in the heat of summer it will make a material difference, which will result in their migrating elsewhere for employment next summer. We had thoagbt if there was anything which we could peculiarly call oar own? which weooald say was emphatically ours?was the "rebellion," so-called. Yet there are papers published North, and among them the New York Herald, which seem to be disposed to dispute our possessory title as "rebels." Tht Herald, ho a recent editorial, speaks of the war as "our great rebellion," and prides itself on the grand military lessons whioh it taught, on the vastness of the armies, on the magnitude of the battles. It most be admitted that the "rebellion,, was a big thing, and many people living near to the Herald made much money and some reputation thereby But it strikes us as unequivocally cool that they should be terming our rebellion their'a, abd thus manifesting a disposition to share with us the "odium" whieh they would hare us believe is involved in this great affair. We think that without any vanity or arrogance, we may claim that the "rebellion" was ours; and whatever fame of odium is aitaohed to the nndertakiog, we are un#il ling to divide the former, or to shirk the latter. We wish it to he diswictly adderstood that we recognize the claim of do one to the "rebellion" except that of those who inaugurated and carried it on. And the Herald, in speaking of it as "o?r great rebellion," appropriates property to wbioh it has no shadow of right. Bat it has this much interest in the concern?that in common with many other journals, it did much of the work in its columns which erected the war. If this is what the Herald means, then wo frankly admit the propriety of its claiu), and are willing to advance it to a very high seat in the "rebellions", synagogue?that used to be?Richmond Times. The Last Amendment to thk Civil Rights Bill.?In the copies of the Civil Rights bill that have been published since its passage over the veto, there has generalI 1- _ ?L . 1 _ J . ly oeen warning toe laieac ana moat important amendment That amendment provides that nothing in the kill shall be eonstructed to interfere with the regulation of suffrage in any State by the Legislature thereof. Tbis is something, and shows that all respect for the reserved rights of States has not died oat in Congrees completely. The bill leaves negro suffrage still a question to be dealt with by the Statet, and that it was so left is a good indication that even the Northern sovereigns are not ready to share political power with the blaoks. Keep in Good Humob?It is not great calamities that embitter existeooa; it is the petty vexations, the small jealousies, the little disappointments, the minor miseries, that make the heart heavy and the temper soar. Don't let them. Anger is a pure waste of vitality; it is always disgraceful, except in some very rare cases, when it is kindled by seeing wrong done to another; and even then noble rage seldom mends the matter.