angry lord, grinding the curse between his teeth.

"Waste not thy breath on useless prayer," said the female, with a dreadful smile; "Hell is at work to find room for us both."

"Accursed be thy destiny!" said the furious lord, "and doubly accursed the instruments. with which it hath enforced me to deal!"

"Accursed rather," retorted the female, "be thy evil passions; and tenfold accursed the need that compels the power that moves thee to assume the form of thine instrument!" "Instrument or power," exclaimed the name thyself, or be what thou wilt,

lord,

- mine

him, and

enemy

is within my walls, rid me of Oh that I knew what demon wafted him hither, that I might curse him!" "Curse me, then," said the female; "this hand pointed, this arm rowed, this eye fixed his path to thy towers."

"I am bewildered," said the unhappy man; there is a mystery about thee that nought can penetrate; thou hast promised me the destruction of mine enemy, - thou bringest him

beneath my roof, - -thou triumphest in my

ruin, - thou hast boasted thou wilt work hisWhat must I think, is this thy faith to me?" "Oh!" cried the female, exalting her lofty figure with her voice-"my faith to thee shall be truly kept. I am bound to thee by ties thou knowest not, or hast, perchance, forI swore gotten, by me remembered ever. that by my means should be wrought the destruction of thine enemy; - that oath I pledged to thee in thy vault of sorceryagain I pledge it to thee in this chamberthe portal of hell; and that I may redeem it, know that Vidal, the minstrel, is even now seeking the chamber of the stranger, and will reveal to him that which may give the 'fiery

,

arrow a fleeter wing and surer mark."

"Vidal here!" exclaimed the Lord of Courtenaye, "and seeking the chamber of that stranger knight, but whence and wherefore is it," he cried, pausing, "that thou thus ever seemest to deal doubtfully betwixt me and mine enemies, to evade, and yet fulfil my purpose?"

"For mine own," answered the female, sternly; "but if the deed thou wishest be wrought, ask not thou the means or instrument; they may be beyond thy thought to reach, or thy touch to finger, save to harm them

"Ho! Thibaud!" cried the Lord of Courtenaye.

Ay, summon him," repeated the female. "Now is Thibaud in his office. Alas! that vengeance should rest in men's hands, and only in women's hearts!"

Thibaud appeared at the door, and seemed to listen with eagerness to the whispered communications of his lord.

"Assassin-lord and murdering ruffian! ye are met again," said the female to herself;

but soon shall ye be parted, each to his destiny. Amid fires your bond of slaughter was begun amid fires it shall be consummated

At this moment the whispers of the lord and his attendant reached her, as she stood erect and motionless, her arms folded, appear

ing to listen only to her own dark mutterings; yet, from habit, involuntarily catching the slightest sound within the compass of hearing. Some of those sounds were terrific enough; but her ear was now cold as her heart was seared; and she listened, if not with pleasure, with a kind of fearful interest, as one who herself had interest in all fearful things. The whispers became louder, and Thibaud seemed urging some desperate measure.

"No noise -no tumult!" murmured the lord; "the castle is full of guests lightly aroused." The whispers sunk lower; then came the scarce audible sound,-"The passage that he must tread to that chamber - the trap-door he wots not of, but thou canst govern its springs-thou knowest how they play he falls through it. My countdom to the coin thou balancest in thine hand,—I will treble it-quadruple it-so thou doest thy work well; the drunken dreamer will fall into the snare, and awake in eternity."

Their slow and faltering steps were then

heard for a few moments, as they glided along the passage; the female listened till the sound had ceased, and then raising the trap-door, plunged into the vaults to pursue her unutterable occupation.

Far other scenes than those that occurred in the secret chambers of the Lord of Courtenaye, and the restless apartment of Paladour, were passing in the chamber of the Lady Isabelle ;-scenes of loveliness and light, of reposing beauty, and perfumes that gently prepared the senses for slumber; and music, that wound up the spell by its richest and softest tones; and all that high-born beauty might claim, or feudal power command ;all were displayed in the night-chamber of the Lady Isabelle.

The lady, her dark-brown locks (now untwined from the band of gems, coronal, and veil,) touching the ground, sat in a lofty chair; while her female attendants, of the lower class, were arranging her beautiful