“A pretty fix you have got into, Liftenant Grantham,” said the well known voice of Jackson, “and I little calculated, when I advised you to make love to the Kentucky gals to raise your spirits, that they would lead you into such a deuced scrape as this.”

“Captain Jackson,” said Gerald imploringly; “I am sufficiently aware of all the enormity of my crime, and am prepared to expiate it; but in mercy spare the bitterness of reproach.”

“Now as I’m a true Tennessee man, bred and born, I meant no reproach, and why should I, since you could’nt help her doing it, (and he pointed to Matilda), yet you know its sometimes dangerous to be found in bad company.  Every body might’nt believe you so innocent as we do.

“Innocent!  Captain Jackson,” exclaimed Gerald, losing sight of all other feelings in unfeigned surprise—­“I cannot say that I quite understand you.”

“Why, the meaning’s plain enough, I take it.  Others might be apt, I say, to think you had something to do with the thing as well as she, and therefore its just as well you should make yourself scarce.  The Colonel says he would’nt, on any account, you shall even be suspected.”

“The Colonel says—­not suspected,” again exclaimed Gerald with increasing astonishment—­then, suddenly recollecting the situation of the latter—­“tell me,” he continued, “is Colonel Forrester in danger—­is his life despaired of?”

“Worth a dozen dead men yet, or you would’nt see me taking the thing so coolly.  The dagger certainly let the day light into him, but though the wound was pretty considerably deep, the doctors say its not mortal.  He thinks it might have been worse if you had not come up, and partly stopped her arm when she struck at him.”

Gerald was deeply affected by what he had just heard.  It was evident that Colonel Forrester had, with a generosity to which no gratitude of his own could render adequate justice, sought to exonerate him from all suspicion of participation in the guilty design upon his life, and as he glanced his eye again for a moment upon the lifeless form of his companion, he was at once sensible that the only being who could defeat the benevolent object of his benefactor had now no longer the power to do so.

“She sleeps sound enough now,” said Jackson, again pointing to the ill-fated and motionless girl, “but she’ll sleep sounder still before long, I take it.”

“She will never sleep sounder than at this moment, Captain Jackson,” said Gerald, with solemn emphasis.

“Why, you don’t mean to say she has cheated the hangman, Liftenant.”

As he spoke, Jackson approached the sofa, and turning the light full upon the face, saw indeed that she was dead.  Gerald shuddered as the rays from the lamp revealed for the first time the appalling change which had been wrought upon that once beautiful countenance.  The open and finely formed brow was deeply knit, and the features distorted by the acute agony which had wrung the shriek from her heart at the very moment of dissolution, were set in a stern expression of despair.  The parted lips were drawn up at the corners in a manner to convey the idea of the severest internal pain, and there was already a general discoloration about the mouth, betraying the subtle influence of the poison which had effected her death.