The warmth it communicated revived her a | and there a glittering lamp; the uncertain little. She recovered strength enough to get out of the coffin and throw herself on her knees to implore the mercy of God. She then attempted to get to the door and to move its rusty latch. But who can describe her joy when she found it open. She crept mechanically through the dark and narrow passage, and, feeling the influence of a better air as she advanced, she was thus enabled to drag herself up stairs. Here, however, she was so faint that a deadly coldness seized her, and would most likely have made her sink down for ever, had she not fortunately recollected that some wine might have been left from the last mass. She therefore made one more effort to reach the altar, and found just as much as was sufficient for her exhausted frame. "No true believer had set the cup to his lips with more sincere devotion and gratitude to the Creator than she did thus administer the cheering draught to herself. Her husband and her servants found her in that very act, and used such further means for her complete restoration that, a few weeks afterwards, she appeared again in the same place, to stand godmother for the sexton's child." The following is another instance of premature interment, of a still more romantic character, and is taken from the ancient chronicles of Venice. Gherardo was a brave officer of the republic, and joined in the crusade which ended in the conquest of Constantinople. His return was greeted with joyful shouts, as his ship, laden with booty, approached the shore. But Gherardo had been betrothed to a beautiful Venetian lady, whom he passionately loved, and to whom he was to be united upon his return. He hastily returned the embrace of his father, sisters, and brothers, who had come to meet him, and inquired for Elena. Why," asked he, "is she not with you?" They were silent, and he guessed the cause of her absence. His grief was intense and overwhelming, but he said nothing, and determined to see ber once more. As soon as he had an opportunity, he hurried to the church where her body had been deposited, almost in a state of frenzy, and succeeded by bribery in obtaining access to the sacred depository. "There gleamed," says the writer from whom I have taken this curious incident, "here rays of the moon entered across the colored pains of the Gothic windows. The stillness of the sepulchre, the obscure depth of the lonely chapel, the solitude of the hour, the profound silence of all around, filled Gherardo with religious awe. He approached the tomb with slower steps, and his hands trembled as he grasped the handle of massive iron. It seemed to him an impious deed thus to disturb the peace of the dead. But love and despair prevailed, and, lifting the ponderous lid of the tomb, he beheld the maiden wrapped in ample folds of linen, white as snow, extended on the bier; a veil was over her face. The rays of the moon fell for a moment over the figure. His delirium returned, and he seemed as one scarcely conscious of what he did, and ready to die as he touched the veil. He, however, raised it. Her face was as pale as a lily, and her long fair hair fell over her shoulders and mixed in tresses on her breast; her eyes were closed as in a placid sleep, and a smile still rested on her half-open lips. 'She sleeps!' cried Gherardo in his frenzy. 'Oh! waken, in pity!' and he laid his arm under her." He pressed his lips to her pale, cold cheek, and as he did so he fancied he felt her breathe, and that there was some warmth about her. Immediately he lifted her from the tomb, and, placing his hand on her breast, he was satisfied that the heart still beat. Imagine Gherardo, ready to sink under these unexpected emotions, supporting himself against the sepulchre, with the maiden enveloped in white in his arms! Immovable as stone, and as white, they seemed together a group of the statuary which adorned the sepulchre. The vital heat returned slowly into her breast; and the fortunate maiden, whom her ignorant physicians had believed to be dead, passed to the altar from the tomb. From "Bentley's Miscellany." THE EXECUTION OF FIESCHI, MOREY, AND PEPIN. ABOUT one o'clock on a cold winter night in 1835, a party of four persons were seated in the coffee-room of the Hotel Meurice at Paris. It was chilly, sloppy, miserable weather; half-melted snow mixed with the Paris mud, and a driving sleety rain hissed against the ill-fitting windows. Talk of the cold of London when we have our clubs, and our curtained windows, and carpeted floors, and sea-coal fires, and our well-closed doors and sashes. Why, we have more real comfort in our three-pair-backs than their most splendid saloons, with all the mirrors, and painted walls, and timber-fed stoves can offer. Englishmen carry their customs with them. Our four convives were drinkingnot the wines of sunny France, but something much more appropriate and homely a curiously fine sample of gin, artfully compounded into toddy, by Achille the waiter. When the clock struck one, three of the party made a show of retiring; but the fourth, a punchy gentleman from Wolverhampton, entreated that the rest would not all desert him while he discussed one glass more-nay, perhaps would join him! But here Achille was inexorable. The master was in bed and had taken the keys. "Call him up, then,-roust him out !” "Mais, Messieurs! you would not disturb Madame! ah, non! Madame so tired-so delicate so harassed with the noise all day -ah, non !”—and seeing the favorable impression, added a climax of silent pantomime to his eloquence. Raising his shoulders to his ears, spreading his hands to the front, and wrinkling his face into a smile, which said, "I knew you were too galant for that"-he bowed himself out. Our four friends have taken their candles, and are moving from the room, when a cab drives rapidly to the door-there is a smart ring at the bell, and a gentleman in full evening dress, and enveloped in a Spanish cloak, hastily enters the room. most likely, let us try that to begin with, and there will be plenty of time to go on to the other afterwards: but we must be early to get a good place. We are not of those who make a practice of attending executions with a morbid appetite for such horrors. Under any circumstances, the deliberate cutting off a life is a melancholy spectacle. The mortal agony, unrelieved by excitement, is painful in the extreme to witness, but worse still is reckless bravado. Rarest of all is it to see the inevitable fate met with calm dignity. Here, however, was a miscreant, who, to gratify a political feeling-dignified, in his opinion, with the name of patriotismdeliberately fired the contents of a battery of gun-barrels into a mass of innocent persons, many of whom it was quite certain would be killed, for the chance of striking down one man, and probably some of his family. That this family, with their illustrious father, should have escaped altogether, is an instance of good fortune as remarkable as the attempt was flagitious. But the magnitude of the crime invested the perpetrators with a terrible interest, which overcame any lingering scruples, and the whole party decided upon setting out forthwith. We made for the nearest coach-stand, which was that upon the quay, near the Pont Neuf. What terrible recollections is this old city of Paris invested with! scarcely a street, or a place, or a public building, that has not some dreadful story. Neither is there any at least in Europe-where the midnight rambler is more apparently exposed to maltreatment. In London, even at the latest hour, there is a sense of security in the broad glare of gas, and the occasional policeman; but neither of these, except in a very few favored spots, were to be found in Paris, in 1835. When the shops close, your only reliance is upon the light of other days, dangling from ropes across the street. No policeman is to be seen, and the scowling vagabonds-call them chiffonniers, or what you will-are about the very last kind of Our informant could not tell. It was people which one would desire to meet by known only to the police-there was an ap-moonlight alone. prehension of some attempt at a rescue, If ever ghosts are permitted to return to "Who is inclined to see Fieschi's head chopped off?" said the stranger, unfolding himself from the cloak. "The execution is to take place at daylight-I had it from a peer of France, and the guillotine has been sent off an hour ago." "Where?" and ten thousand troops were to be on the ground. It will be either the Place St. Jaques, or the Barrière du Trône-the first scenes of violence and crime, you might surely expect to meet them in Paris. In the short space between the hotel and the revolting heap-naked and exposed-the corpses of the fifteen hundred gallant Swiss guards, gazed at as a show during a whole forenoon, by the male and female thousands of Paris. quay, we passed the spot where lay in one | ried, bore a remarkable resemblance to our great comedian, the late Mr. Liston. There was the same square form of the countenance, the small nose, the long upper lip, the mirth provoking gravity, and the same rich husky chuckle. This curious likeness was at once acknowledged by all present, and an Englishman took the liberty of interrupting the grave functionary with the information that he was the very image of le plus grand farceur que nous avons en Angleterre, a piece of information which the French scion of the House of Ketch received, after the manner of Frenchmen, as a high compliment, being moved to bow and chuckle much thereat. By this time the hammering had roused the dwellers in the place, and lights were seen rapidly moving about the windows. A café-keeper had opened his saloon, arranged his little tables, and was bustling about with his waiters attending to the wants of the guests already assembled. An execution is a godsend to the Place St. Ja Of all street conveyances, the Paris fiacre is about the worst-it beats the London "jarvy" by the longest chalk. Not only is it worse those who have never seen it may perhaps think this impossible-but it is more rickety, more jingling, more utterly foundered, more powerfully ill-flavored, more alarmingly nasty, than our own timehonored conveyance. Scarcely had we taken our seats than we began to repent of, at least, this part of the adventure. There was a flavor of death about the cushions, which convinced one that by this particular coach "subjects" had taken their last drive to the hospitals. And not only was it vaulty and cadaverous, but from the floor arose a worse odor, as if some previous fare had left behind it a bad leg in the straw. The stomach of the Wolverhampton manques at any time, but the execution of three was so powerfully affected that he was fain great state criminals such as these would go to keep a large portion of his person pro- far to pay the year's rent of the houses. As truded through the window, adding thereby cabs and fiacres began to arrive, we thought much to the close sufferings of the rest. it necessary to make arrangement for securThe history of this gentleman afforded a ing a room from whence to see the execution, melancholy instance of the misfortune of and chance conducted us to the corner house, becoming independent. While engaged in one side of which looked upon the square, business he had the bad luck to win largely directly opposite the guillotine, from which by speculation in the Birmingham Railway, it was scarcely fifty yards distance; and which induced him to retire and commence the other side fronted the road by which the a life of enjoyment. With this view he prisoners were to be conveyed from the brought his family to Paris, took five apart- prison to the scaffold. ments at the best hotel, frequented all public amusements, and drank so much brandy to correct the acidity of the light French wines, that in little more than a twelvemonth from the commencement of his career of pleasure, he found a resting-place in the cemetery of Père la Chaise. In something more than half an hour we jingled into the Place St. Jaques, and pausing at the corner, had the satisfaction to hear the sounds of hammers busily plied upon a dark mass rising in the centre of the square; it was the platform upon which to erect the guillotine. On all sides of this, workmen were busily engaged, their labor quickened by the exhortations of one who walked about, lantern in hand, upon the top. This was the executioner, who, seen by the light he car After the manner of Englishmen, who do abroad what they would never think of at home, our party walked up stairs on the door being opened, and commenced a search along the passages, knocking at the doors of such rooms as were thought would afford a good view of the scene. In this we met with other parties of English and other foreigners, wandering about in the most authoritative manner, urging the people to get dressed and give up their rooms, and in the case of unbolted doors, intruding into several little scenes of domestic privacy. One gentleman-the people said he was either Russian or English-was already ensconsed: he had taken a whole room to himself, paid for it, shut himself up in it, and fortified the door with such movable furniture as could be made available, in addition to the door | hibiting a rare instance of irresistible cufastenings. Though the proprietor of the riosity. The man had been guilty of an apartment had no doubt received an ample atrocious murder, either of a wife or some rent for the occupancy, yet he attempted, on near relative, and when his neck was placed the strength of a good offer, to introduce under the axe, he contrived to slew himself more tenants, palpably trying, by his own partly round to see its descent, and had a showing, to falsify the original contract; but part of his chin taken off in consequence. such attempts were without success. After About two hours before daylight a body several failures, through the bad faith and of mounted municipal guards arrived, and extortion of the different room-holders, who formed round the scaffold. The object of made little scruple of breaking through this appeared to be to hide the proceedings agreements and raising their price as fresh as much as possible from those on foot, who arrivals came, one of our party made a bar-could only hope for a very imperfect view gain, through the closed door, with an old gentleman and his young wife, Fanchon, to be received, at a Napoleon each, into their apartment as soon as they were dressed the whole of the money to be paid down at once, upon the distinct understanding that no more persons were to be admitted. The old man was soon ready to give up the premises, but Madame, a demure-looking grisette, had no notion of appearing in deshabille before so many strangers, and kept us waiting some time, notwithstanding the interior murmurs of " Allons, Fanchon, dépêche toi," and the "Now, old girl-hurry with the room-never mind your stays," of some of the expectants outside. between the bodies and the bear skins of Soon after daylight the hammering ceased, and the preparations appeared to be completed; and shortly afterwards strong bodies of cavalry began to take up their positions in all the streets leading into the Place. The first care of the officer com We found the situation well adapted for our purpose, though only one window looked into the square, the two others were easily made to command a view of the scaffold, which was nearly in a line with that side of the house. Fanchon had also with much propriety made the bed, set the furniture to rights, raked up the ashes of the wood-fire, and put on another block or two; and the fact of meeting with an open fire-manding these was to clear the square place instead of the eternal stove, made us feel at home at once. The Wolverhampton man declared that it was dangerous to British lungs to be out in these raw mornings in a foreign country without something warm to qualify the air; so a bottle of brandy was sent for to the neighboring café, and our hostess had busied herself in producing hot water and tumblers, as if, through the frequenters of executions, she had arrived at considerable knowledge of the national tastes. Our ancient host, being accommodated with a cigar, narrated the particulars of the many beheadings which had fallen under his observation since his occupancy of the house. One may be mentioned as exVOL. II.-3 entirely of all the people who had collected in rear of the infantry, and to drive them out along the adjacent streets; an order was also given to dislodge the people out of the trees, and from the walls and lamp-posts, and this caused much grumbling and swearing of all concerned. Some merriment, however, was excited by the discovery of some women in the trees, and their descent, superintended by the dragoons below, gave occasion for the exercise of much not over decent wit amongst the troopers. It struck me that in their manner of dealing with the crowd there was much unnecessary harshness on the part of the troops, an irritability and fretfulness often exhibited by persons doubtful of their own authority, and very unlike the calm, good-humored superiority with which our own men are wont to handle the masses. Presently came two general officers with their staff, and each followed by a mounted "jockei," lads dressed as English grooms, of whom one, as well by his fair complexion and honest round face, the whiteness of his tops and leathers, and the general superiority of his turn-out, as by his firm and easy seat on horseback, was evidently a native of our own country. About an hour after sunrise three caleches came rapidly down the road, passing our windows, each carriage containing three persons, the condemned, and two police officers. The troops opened out, and the men were landed at the foot of the platform. It may be well to describe the general appearance of the scaffold. of his gun-barrels, He was plainly dressed, and appeared like a workman of the betterclass; his age about thirty-five. Morey was a man advanced in life, perhaps seventy; his bald head was partly covered with a black cap revealing the white hairs behind, and at the sides; he was a corpulent large figure, dressed completely in black, with a mild intelligent face, and altogether a very gentlemanly air and manner. Pepin was a small, thin-faced, insignificant man. Pepin was chosen first for execution. Having been deprived of his coat and neckhandkerchief, and the collar of his shirt turned down, he was led by the executioner up the steps of the platform. He ascended with an air of considerable bravado, shook himself, and looked round with much confidence, and spoke some words which we could not catch, and which the executioner appeared disposed to cut short. Having advanced with his breast against the truck, to which his body was rapidly strapped, he was then tilted down, truck and all, upon his face; and the truck moving upon small wheels or castors in grooves upon the chest, he was moved rapidly forwards, till his neck came directly under the chopper, when the rope being unhooked from the button, the axe fell with a loud and awful "chop!" the head rolling down upon the bare platform. After the separation of the head, the body moved with much convulsive energy, and had it not been made fast to what I have called the truck, and that also connect On a platform about twelve feet square, and seven feet above the ground, are erected the two upright posts, between which is suspended the axe. They somewhat resemble a narrow gallows, scarcely more than a foot between the posts. The axe, which is not unlike a hay-knife, though much heavier and broader, is drawn up to the top of the posts, between which it runs in grooves, and is held suspended by a loop in the halyards, passed over a button at the bottom. The edge of the axe, as it hangs suspended, is not horizontal, or at a right angle with the post, but diagonal, giving the instrument a fearful power, in conjunctioned with the raised platform, would probably with its weight and long fall, of shearing through a resisting substance of many times more opposing force than a human neck. On the centre of the platform stands a frame, or large box, much resembling a soldier's arm-chest, about six feet long by two and a half wide, and probably as much high. One end of this abuts upon the upright posts, at the other end is a small frame like a truck connected about its centre with the chest by hinges, and with a strap and buckle, to make it fast to the man's body. The prisoners having dismounted, were placed in a line on the ground facing the guillotine, their arms pinioned. They were very different in appearance. Fieschi had a most sinister and ferocious expression of face, rendered more so by the scars, scarcely healed apparently, inflicted by the bursting have rolled down on the lower stage. The executioner then held up the head to view for a moment, and I suspect, from some laughter among the troops, made a facetious remark. The lid of a large basket alongside the chest was then raised, and the body rolled into it. Morey was the next victim. He ascended the steps feebly, and requiring much assistance; he was also supported during the process of strapping him. His bald head and venerable appearance made a favorable impression upon the spectators, and elicited the only expressions of sympathy observablethroughout the executions. Fieschi came last, and was the most unnerved of the three. He appeared throughout in a fainting condition, and hung his head in a pitiable state of prostration. Very |