The fafcinating Victoria was now almoft the unrivalled fubject of Orlando's thoughts. To refide in the fame houfe with her, and not endea vour again to fee her, he found impoffible. Hugo had in the first inftance fo fuccefsfully managed for him, that he no longer forbote to apply to him for affiftance; and in numerable were the ftratagems the ingenious valet devifed for his mafter's obtaining views of Victoria without her being likely to discover him; for as Orlando was convinced his uncle and the ducheffa bad fome reafon for not choofing to make him known to Victoria, his pride and rectitude for bade his intruling conte di Urbino upon her knowledge or obfervation.

But while Orlando believed the manoeuvres of Hugo were carried on with impenetrable fecrecy, by a variety of ways they became known to fo many of the domeftics, that conte di Urbino's love for lady Victoria at length became a common topic of converfation among them, and in due time reached the ears of Polydore, who had long feemed, through prefentiment, to anticipate this event; and dreading Orlando as a moft formidable rival, he delayed not one inftant longer to put his villainous 1cheme against Victoria in execution. His arrangements had all been long made with Garcias, unfufpected by Elvira, to whom he fift made his dreadful communication, the very day upon which he had determined

The billet which called Elvira from Urfuline and Victoria, upon that memorable day, was from Vi cenza, demanding an immediate interview in a cave at the extremity of the grounds, where all their schemes of villainy were constantly difcuffed, to avoid the poffibility of auricular detection.

Conte Vicenza without much preface or extenuation unfolded to Elvira the full extent of his diabolical fchemes to gain poffeffion of Victoria and the eftates of Ariofio, and with the utmost coolness iffued his orders to her to perform the part in this iniquitous drama which he had affigned to her.

The horrid amazement of Elvira cannot be pourtrayed by our feeble pen. The violence of her paffions would have taught her to rebel; hut her former crimes obliged her, through fear of temporal punishment, to plunge yet deeper into the ftream of guilt. Her murder of her father was not unknown to Polydore; and he threatened her with inftant impeachment for that atrocious crime, if the did not fully enter into his projects, and immediately obey his commands. Thus nienaced, Elvira was compelled to acquiefce. Farinelli was difmiffed, under the appearance of myflerious refentment; Victoria fent from the château, as already flated; and every fly means taken to infinuate that fignora Farinelli had been trying to promote an union hetween her pupil and an indignent kinfiman of her own.'

To fave appearances, Octavia and Hero were lent with Victoria. Among the attendants were fome men belonging to the predacious fociety. Garcias with a chofen band was waiting their arrival in the foreft, where the drivers, fome of the banditti, conveyed the carriage. The innocent few among the attendants

were

were facrificed without mercy, and the females carried to the caftle; where, by Polydore's defire, Garcias was to have the chief management of terrifying Victoria into his vil lainous purpofe, while don Manuel had only a fubordinate part affigned to him in this diabolical drama.

When our poor heroine was borne by the ruffians into the kitchen of the Pyrenean caftle, Terefa was enployed in fcouring away the blood of Iago, which don Manuel in a paroxyfin of phrenfied paffion had inhumanly fhed. The ill-fated Iago had lived to that age when mental debility finks the adult to fecond childhood. The worn-out faculties of Iago had for fome weeks paft proclaimed his approach to that humiliating period of imbecility. A momentary fufpenfion had been obferved to fteal over his mentory fometimes, or his natural taciturnity give way to wild and unaccustomed garrulity. In one of thefe latter kinds of paroxyfms, the unfortunate creature accufed don Manuel of innumerable crimes which he never had committed; and concluded with telling him that he knew his villainous fchemes against Matilda, and would apprife Francifco of them. Don Manuel, not in the leaft aware of the derangement of the poor man's mind, was worked by this fuppofed infolence and alarming threat into a delirium of the most outrageous and ungovernable fury, in which he cruelly terminated this poor old faithful domeftic's exiftence.

The apparently fupernatural voice which ftruck our heroine and Octavia with fuch trembling awe, was no other than Francifco's. The monk often availed himfelf of the knowledge of a fecret paffage which wound round the kitchen, and over its roof, through the molaïc work of which he often from auricular and ocular demonftration learned events which it was intended thould neve

be known to him. In fome of these invifible rounds, he heard Garcias and don Manuel talk upon the subject of Victoria's expected arrival: he was therefore upon the watch, and beheld her the moment fhe was brought into the kitchen. Her youth, beauty, and misfortunes forcibly interefted the good properties of his heart; and from the impulfe of the moment, when he faw the anguish of mind the apprehenfive delicacy of her feelings had awakened, upon hearing the caroufals of the banditti at fupper, in a kind of hall appropriate to the common men, almost contiguous to the kitchen, he spoke thofe words, which echo, and the ftrange agency of found through the wood-work, caufed to produce fo extraordinary an effect.

When don Manuel firft beheld. Victoria, he was waiting to receive her, in full expectation of figualiting himself in the character affigned to his performance: but the moment he faw her he repented having undertaken any thing that could diftrefs her; and when he heard her fpeak, fo forcibly did the plaintive fweetnefs of her voice, with the ftyle and manner of her converfation and deportment, remind him of Viola, that, had he followed the impulfe of his heart, he would have folded her with paternal tenderness in his arms, wept over her, and promifed to protect her. But the wary eye of Garcias was upon him, and he feared his ridicule and centure for inconfiftency. Unwillingly, therefore, he now proceeded in the plot; and, though fo famed for diffimulation, his real admiration of our heroine prevented his fuflaining the part of her lover with any degree of energy. Almost any other woman would have found his affiduities more alarming; but there was fomething fo facred in the innocence and purity of Victoria, that even the profligate Manuel would have perifhed fooner than have

allowed

allowed a word or look to escape him, which could have given her trembling delicacy a fingle wound; and, befides the refpect Victoria infpired don Manuel with, he looked upon her as the devoted property of conte Vicenza, and his own heart he fancied pre-occupied by the image of the more dazzlingly beautiful Matilda.

Francisco, from the moment he faw Victoria, and heard the few words of fympathy the uttered to her companions in diftrefs, like his fon, became fo interefted for her, that he at length refolved to difperfe the ruffians, to give himself time to learn what exactly was the villainous plot formed for her deftruction, that if poffible he might fubvert it. To the gong therefore he had recourfe; and don Manuel and his adherents, believing from its found the terrible approach of danger from the inquifition, betook themfelves to their hid ing-places, leaving the domeftics behind to take care of the captives, and to watch if the apprehended danger was really well founded-but, from the nature of the caftle, with means in their power to efcape, even were the forces of the holy office within the castle.

Diego and Juan, our reader may remember, conducted the three new female captives to the chamber prepared for them; Elfridii had been performing fome of his nocturnal in fictions, when the found of the gong proclaiming danger, he was hallening through that very chamber a fhort way back to his cell, to fecure his important depofit before he fhould attempt to efcape, when the above party reached the door. Believing them to be a troop of officis als, he faftened the door against them, to fhut them out while he thould effect his retreat. And, by ftriving to accumulate fastenings, he in his terror and confusion drew back the Jocks and bolts; by which means the

entrance of Victoria into the room was no longer impeded; when El fridii, as much alarmed as herfelf, precipitately funk through a trapdoor close to the fpot where the fell. In his defcent, a horn dark lantern which he carried was the fcorching heat and fmooth furface the felt glide along her arm; while the blood which flained it was fome of that flowing from the wounds Elfridïi had inflicted upon himself during his evening's penance.

From the moment of Orlando's feifure by Garcias until Francifco's return from Madrid, Lorenzo fuffered the moft dreadful mental anguish. But although the monk's friendship for the fuppofed Sebaftian induced him to break his faith with his associates, and affure the wretched preceptor of the fafety of his beloved pupil, Lorenzo ftill was miferable, Deprived, as he believed, for ever of him who had reconciled him to exiftence, life loft every charm. Hav ing now no longer employment to beguile his woe, the misfortunes of his life preffed heavily upon his me mory. Sadness and he became again infeparable companions; a fettled melancholy ftole over his whole af pect; and a prey to the most corroding grief Victoria firft beheld him. Don Manuel really efteemed this ftill to him unknown captive; and wishing to fteal from his forrows as much as poffible, had preffed him to come to his table as often as inclination thould lead him there. Our reader may fuppofe that was but feldom, until Victoria allured him thither. From Terefa he learned the arrival of new captives; and the account fhe gave him of our heroine induced him through pity to appear at breakfaft. Charmed by her exterior, he felt the most lively intereft awakened in his breaft; but when the found of her voice ftruck on his ear, fo faithfully did every tone refound Viola's, that his heart's deepest

wounds

wounds were rent open at once, and the emotions of his bofom were ftrongly pourtrayed by his intelligent countenance; and it was with infinite ftruggle he could command his fortitude to calm his mental anguifh. But in the courfe of that interview fo forcibly did her manners and expreffion of countenance, as well as her voice, pourtray Viola, that all his firmness was at length fubdued, and he was compelled to fly to give his anguish utterance.

As the night had paffed without the threatened danger being realifed, Garcias ventured forth from his fortrefs to watch and torture the child of Clementina. Don Manuel, glad of an excufe to be fpared the difagreeable task of increafing the affiction of his lovely interefting captive, affected still to apprehend danger, and remained in ambufh; and Thortly after the purfuit of Matilda called him and his thoughts entirely

from the caftle.

During the first day of their meeting, the admiration of Lorenzo for Victoria rapidly augmented; but when in the courfe of that day's conversation she announced to him her name and family, with the most painful exertions only could he reprefs his emotions and conceal himfelf. From that moment he looked upon her as his child; he watched over her with a father's agonifed folicitude, and his heart bled, whilft it trembled at the dangers which furrounded her. On the first evening of his introduction to our heroine, the tinkling of a bell (our reader perhaps remembers the circumftance) called him from the parlour. It was the fummons of Francifco, to give the fuppofed Sebaftian the tranfport of again beholding his beloved young pupil.

(To be continued.}

A Biographical Sketch of Thomas Goodall, Ef Commandant of the Haytian Flotilla.. (Continued from page 324.)

BEING as well prepared as cir cumftances would allow, they made up their minds to fet off the next day, being the 1st of October,* having firft taken care to provide themfelves with a French guide. The time appointed for the rendezvous was two o'clock in the morning. The guide took them thro' bye-ways during the day-time, and at night purfued the main road till fun-rife; when they found themselves at a distance of 35 miles from Efpinal, and on the mountain des Vofges, which is fur rounded by a beautiful foreft. Here they took up their abode for the day. Not having dared to purchase any provifions on the road, the only refrefhment they took throughout the day was a draught of water. night they ventured out again, and fent their guide in queft of refrethments, which made them profecute their journey in better fpirits. They paffed through feveral towns and villages without meeting the leaft interruption. Early on the morning of the third, they arrived on the borders of the Rhine, within a short diftance of Bafle. Here the guide executed his laft kind office for them, which was to fhew them the moft convenient part to fwim across. The place he fixed on appeared extremely narrow, and the adventurers expected to find the paffage much less diffi

N O T E.

It may be proper to flate, that on captain Goodall's return to England, it was word parole, or perhaps, in plainer terms, debated by the public, what conftituted the what obligation a prifoner's parole impofed on the enemy in whole power he was: and it was, by the best authorities, determined that the parole of a prifoner in an enemy's country obliged that enemy to allow him liberty and fulfylente.