mistook for some one else; whilst she, extremely terrified, and unable to stand but for the assistance of her companion, was tendering a letter in her outstretched hand, and uttering broken sentences, which her own agitation and the fury of Mr. Lisle’s invectives rendered totally incomprehensible.  At last the fierce old man struck the letter from her hand, and with frantic rage ordered both the strangers to leave the room.  Caleb urged them to comply, and accompanied them down stairs.  When they reached the street, he observed a woman on the other side of the way, dressed in mourning, and much older apparently, though he could not well see her face through the thick veil she wore, than she who had thrown Mr. Lisle into such an agony of rage, apparently waiting for them.  To her the young people immediately hastened, and after a brief conference the three turned away up the street, and Mr. Jennings saw no more of them.

A quarter of an hour afterwards the house-servant informed Caleb that Mr. Lisle had retired to bed, and although still in great agitation, and, as she feared, seriously indisposed, would not permit Dr. Clarke to be sent for.  So sudden and violent a hurricane in the usually dull and drowsy atmosphere in which Jennings lived, excited and disturbed him greatly; the hours, however, flew past without bringing any relief to his curiosity, and evening was falling, when a peculiar knocking on the floor over-head announced that Mr. Lisle desired his presence.  That gentleman was sitting up in bed, and in the growing darkness his face could not be very distinctly seen; but Caleb instantly observed a vivid and unusual light in the old man’s eyes.  The letter so strangely delivered was lying open before him; and unless the shoe-mender was greatly mistaken, there were stains of recent tears upon Mr. Lisie’s furrowed and hollow cheeks.  The voice, too, it struck Caleb, though eager, was gentle and wavering.  “It was a mistake, Jennings,” he said; “I was mad for the moment.  Are they gone?” he added in a yet more subdued and gentle tone.  Caleb informed him of what he had seen; and as he did so, the strange light in the old man’s eyes seemed to quiver and sparkle with a yet intenser emotion than before.  Presently he shaded them with his hand, and remained several minutes silent.  He then said with a firmer voice, “I shall be glad if you will step to Mr. Sowerby, and tell him I am too unwell to see him this evening.  But be sure to say nothing else,” he eagerly added, as Caleb turned away in compliance with his request; “and when you come back, let me see you again.”

When Jennings returned, he found to his great surprise Mr. Lisle up and nearly dressed; and his astonishment increased a hundred-fold upon hearing that gentleman say, in a quick but perfectly collected and decided manner, that he should set off for London by the mail-train.

“For London—­and by night!” exclaimed Caleb, scarcely sure that he heard aright.