I fell asleep as soon as I had closed my diarySuddenly I became broad awake, and sat up, with a horrible sense of fear upon me, and of some feeling of emptiness around meThe room was dark, so I could not see Lucy's bedI stole across and felt for herI lit a match and found that she was not in the roomThe door was shut, but not locked, as I had left itI feared to wake her mother, who has been more than usually ill lately, so threw on some clothes and got ready to look for herAs I was leaving the room it struck me that the clothes she wore might give me some clue to her dreaming intentionDressing-gown would mean house, dress outsideDressing-gown and dress were both in their places"Thank God," I said to myself, "she cannot be far, as she is only in her nightdress I ran downstairs and looked in the sitting roomNot there! Then I looked in all the other rooms of the house, with an ever-growing fear chilling my heartFinally, I came to the hall door and found it openIt was not wide open, but the catch of the lock had not caughtThe people of the house are careful to lock the door every night, so I feared that Lucy must have gone out as she wasThere was no time to think of what might happenA vague over-mastering fear obscured all details I took a big, heavy shawl and ran outThe clock was striking one as I was in the Crescent, and there was not a soul in sightI ran along the North Terrace, but could see no sign of the white figure which I expectedAt the edge of the West Cliff above the pier I looked across the harbour to the East Cliff, in the hope or fear, I don't know which, of seeing Lucy in our favourite seat There was a bright full moon, with heavy black, driving clouds, which threw the whole scene into a fleeting diorama of light and shade as they sailed acrossFor a moment or two I could see nothing, as the shadow of a cloud obscured StMary's Church and all around itThen as the cloud passed I could see the ruins of the abbey coming into view, and as the edge of a narrow band of light as sharp as a sword-cut moved along, the church and churchyard became gradually visibleWhatever my expectation was, it was not disappointed, for there, on our favourite seat, the silver light of the moon struck a half-reclining figure, snowy whiteThe coming of the cloud was too quick for me to see much, for shadow shut down on light almost immediately, but it seemed to me as though something dark stood behind the seat where the white figure shone, and bent over itWhat it was, whether man or beast, I could not tell I did not wait to catch another glance, but flew down the steep steps to the pier and along by the fish-market to the bridge, which was the only way to reach the East CliffThe town seemed as dead, for not a soul did I seeI rejoiced that it was so, for I wanted no witness of poor Lucy's conditionThe time and distance seemed endless, and my knees trembled and my breath came laboured as I toiled up the endless steps to the abbeyI must have gone fast, and yet it seemed to me as if my feet were weighted with lead, and as though every joint in my body were rusty When I got almost to the top I could see the seat and the white figure, for I was now close enough to distinguish it even through the spells of shadowThere was undoubtedly something, long and black, bending over the half-reclining white figureI called in fright, "Lucy! Lucy!" and something raised a head, and from where I was I could see a white face and red, gleaming eyes Lucy did not answer, and I ran on to the entrance of the churchyardAs I entered, the church was between me and the seat, and for a minute or so I lost sight of herWhen I came in view again the cloud had passed, and the moonlight struck so brilliantly that I could see Lucy half reclining with her head lying over the back of the shop seat

Clare, as they were comfortably seated at the dinner-table, ?and what was the bill of fare at church today?? ?O, DrG??preached a splendid sermon,? said Marie?It was just such a sermon as you ought to hear; it expressed all my views exactly ?It must have been very improving,? said St?The subject must have been an extensive one ?Well, I mean all my views about society, and such things,? said Marie?The text was, ?He hath made everything beautiful in its season;? and he showed how all the orders and distinctions in society came from God; and that it was so appropriate, you know, and beautiful, that some should be high and some low, and that some were born to rule and some to serve, and all that, you know; and he applied it so well to all this ridiculous fuss that is made about slavery, and he proved distinctly that the Bible was on our side, and supported all our institutions so convincinglyI only wish you?d heard him ?O, I didn?t need it,? said St?I can learn what does me as much good as that from the Picayune, any time, and smoke a cigar besides; which I can?t do, you know, in a church ?Why,? said Miss Ophelia, ?don?t you believe in these views?? ?Who,?I? You know I?m such a graceless dog that these religious aspects of such subjects don?t edify me muchIf I was to say anything on this slavery matter, I would say out, fair and square, ?We?re in for it; we?ve got ?em, and mean to keep ?em,?it?s for our convenience and our interest;? for that?s the long and short of it,?that?s just the whole of what all this sanctified stuff amounts to, after all; and I think that it will be intelligible to everybody, everywhere ?I do think, Augustine, you are so irreverent!? said Marie?I think it?s shocking to hear you talk ?Shocking! it?s the truthThis religious talk on such matters,?why don?t they carry it a little further, and show the beauty, in its season, of a fellow?s taking a glass too much, and sitting a little too late over his cards, and various providential arrangements of that sort, which are pretty frequent among us young men;?we?d like to hear that those are right and godly, too ?Well,? said Miss Ophelia, ?do you think slavery right or wrong?? I?m not going to have any of your horrid New England directness, cousin,? said St?If I answer that question, I know you?ll be at me with half a dozen others, each one harder than the last; and I?m not a going to define my positionI am one of the sort that lives by throwing stones at other people?s glass houses, but I never mean to put up one for them to stone ?That?s just the way he?s always talking,? said Marie; ?you can?t get any satisfaction out of himI believe it?s just because he don?t like religion, that he?s always running out in this way he?s been doing ?Religion!? said StClare, in a tone that made both ladies look at him?Religion! Is what you hear at church, religion? Is that which can bend and turn, and descend and ascend, to fit every crooked phase of selfish, worldly society, religion? Is that religion which is less scrupulous, less generous, less just, less considerate for man, than even my own ungodly, worldly, blinded nature? No! When I look for a religion, I must look for something above me, and not something beneath ?Then you don?t believe that the Bible justifies slavery,? said Miss Ophelia ?The Bible was my mother?s book,? said St?By it she lived and died, and I would be very sorry to think it didI?d as soon desire to have it proved that my mother could drink brandy, chew tobacco, and swear, by way of satisfying me that I did right in doing the sameIt wouldn?t make me at all more satisfied with these things in myself, and it would take from me the comfort of respecting her; and it really is a comfort, in this world, to have anything one can respectIn short, you see,? said he, suddenly resuming his gay tone, ?all I want is that different things be kept in different boxesThe whole frame-work of society, both in Europe and America, is made up of various things which will not stand the scrutiny of any very ideal standard of moralityIt?s pretty generally understood that men don?t aspire after the absolute right, but only to do about as well as the rest of the worldNow, when any one speaks up, like a man, and says slavery is necessary to us, we can?t get along without it, we should be beggared if we give it up, and, of course, we mean to hold on to it,?this is strong, clear, well-defined language; it has the respectability of truth to it; and, if we may judge by their practice, the majority of the world will bear us out in itBut when he begins to put on a long face, and snuffle, and quote Scripture, I incline to think he isn?t much better than he should be ?You are very uncharitable,? said MarieClare, ?suppose that something should bring down the price of cotton once and forever, and make the whole slave property a drug in the market, don?t you think we should soon have another version of the Scripture doctrine? What a flood of light would pour into the church, all at once, and how immediately it would be discovered that everything in the Bible and reason went the other way!? ?Well, at any rate,? said Marie, as she reclined herself on a lounge, ?I?m thankful I?m born where slavery exists; and I believe it?s right,?indeed, I feel it must be; and, at any rate, I?m sure I couldn?t get along without it ?I say, what do you think, Pussy?? said her father to Eva, who came in at this moment, with a flower in her hand ?What about, papa?? ?Why, which do you like the best,?to live as they do at your uncle?s, up in Vermont, or to have a house-full of servants, as we do?? ?O, of course, our way is the pleasantest,? said EvaClare, stroking her head ?Why, it makes so many more round you to love, you know,? said Eva, looking up shop earnestly

Of course, the moment the doors were opened, the wind had drafted down, and extinguished the light This may serve as a specimen of the game that Cassy played with Legree, until he would sooner have put his head into a lion?s mouth than to have explored that garretMeanwhile, in the night, when everybody else was asleep, Cassy slowly and carefully accumulated there a stock of provisions sufficient to afford subsistence for some time; she transferred, article by article, a greater part of her own and Emmeline?s wardrobeAll things being arranged, they only waited a fitting opportunity to put their plan in execution By cajoling Legree, and taking advantage of a good-natured interval, Cassy had got him to take her with him to the neighboring town, which was situated directly on the Red riverWith a memory sharpened to almost preternatural clearness, she remarked every turn in the road, and formed a mental estimate of the time to be occupied in traversing it At the time when all was matured for action, our readers may, perhaps, like to look behind the scenes, and see the final coup d?etat It was now near evening, Legree had been absent, on a ride to a neighboring farmFor many days Cassy had been unusually gracious and accommodating in her humors; and Legree and she had been, apparently, on the best of termsAt present, we may behold her and Emmeline in the room of the latter, busy in sorting and arranging two small bundles ?There, these will be large enough,? said CassyNow put on your bonnet, and let?s start; it?s just about the right time ?Why, they can see us yet,? said Emmeline ?I mean they shall,? said Cassy, coolly?Don?t you know that they must have their chase after us, at any rate? The way of the thing is to be just this:?We will steal out of the back door, and run down by the quartersSambo or Quimbo will be sure to see usThey will give chase, and we will get into the swamp; then, they can?t follow us any further till they go up and give the alarm, and turn out the dogs, and so on; and, while they are blundering round, and tumbling over each other, as they always do, you and I will slip along to the creek, that runs back of the house, and wade along in it, till we get opposite the back doorThat will put the dogs all at fault; for scent won?t lie in the waterEvery one will run out of the house to look after us, and then we?ll whip in at the back door, and up into the garret, where I?ve got a nice bed made up in one of the great boxesWe must stay in that garret a good while, for, I tell you, he will raise heaven and earth after usHe?ll muster some of those old overseers on the other plantations, and have a great hunt; and they?ll go over every inch of ground in that swampHe makes it his boast that nobody ever got away from himSo let him hunt at his leisure ?Cassy, how well you have planned it!? said Emmeline?Who ever would have thought of it, but you?? There was neither pleasure nor exultation in Cassy?s eyes,?only a despairing firmness ?Come,? she said, reaching her hand to Emmeline The two fugitives glided noiselessly from the house, and flitted, through the gathering shadows of evening, along by the quartersThe crescent moon, set like a silver signet in the western sky, delayed a little the approach of nightAs Cassy expected, when quite near the verge of the swamps that encircled the plantation, they heard a voice calling to them to stopIt was not Sambo, however, but Legree, who was pursuing them with violent execrationsAt the sound, the feebler spirit of Emmeline gave way; and, laying hold of Cassy?s arm, she said, ?O, Cassy, I?m going to faint!? ?If you do, I?ll kill you!? said Cassy, drawing a small, glittering stiletto, and flashing it before the eyes of the girl The diversion accomplished the purposeEmmeline did not faint, and succeeded in plunging, with Cassy, into a part of the labyrinth of swamp, so deep and dark that it was perfectly hopeless for Legree to think of following them, without assistance ?Well,? said he, chuckling brutally; ?at any rate, they?ve got themselves into a trap now?the baggage! They?re safe enoughThey shall sweat for it!? ?Hulloa, there! Sambo! Quimbo! All hands!? called Legree, coming to the quarters, when the men and women were just returning from work?There?s two runaways in the swampsI?ll give five dollars to any nigger as catches ?emTurn out the dogs! Turn out Tiger, and Fury, and the rest!? The sensation produced by this news was immediateMany of the men sprang forward, officiously, to offer their services, either from the hope of the reward, or from that cringing subserviency which is one of the most baleful effects of slaverySome ran one way, and some shop another

But the door would not moveI pulled and pulled at the door, and shook it till, massive as it was, it rattled in its casementI could see the bolt shotIt had been locked after I left the Count Then a wild desire took me to obtain the key at any risk, and I determined then and there to scale the wall again, and gain the Count's roomHe might kill me, but death now seemed the happier choice of evilsWithout a pause I rushed up to the east window, and scrambled down the wall, as before, into the Count's roomIt was empty, but that was as I expectedI could not see a key anywhere, but the heap of gold remainedI went through the door in the corner and down the winding stair and along the dark passage to the old chapelI knew now well enough where to find the monster I sought The great box was in the same place, close against the wall, but the lid was laid on it, not fastened down, but with the nails ready in their places to be hammered home I knew I must reach the body for the key, so I raised the lid, and laid it back against the wallAnd then I saw something which filled my very soul with horrorThere lay the Count, but looking as if his youth had been half restoredFor the white hair and moustache were changed to dark iron-greyThe cheeks were fuller, and the white skin seemed ruby-red underneathThe mouth was redder than ever, for on the lips were gouts of fresh blood, which trickled from the corners of the mouth and ran down over the chin and neckEven the deep, burning eyes seemed set amongst swollen flesh, for the lids and pouches underneath were bloatedIt seemed as if the whole awful creature were simply gorged with bloodHe lay like a filthy leech, exhausted with his repletion I shuddered as I bent over to touch him, and every sense in me revolted at the contact, but I had to search, or I was lostThe coming night might see my own body a banquet in a similar war to those horrid threeI felt all over the body, but no sign could I find of the keyThen I stopped and looked at the CountThere was a mocking smile on the bloated face which seemed to drive me madThis was the being I was helping to transfer to London, where, perhaps, for centuries to come he might, amongst its teeming millions, satiate his lust for blood, and create a new and ever-widening circle of semi-demons to batten on the helpless The very thought drove me madA terrible desire came upon me to rid the world of such a monsterThere was no lethal weapon at hand, but I seized a shovel which the workmen had been using to fill the cases, and lifting it high, struck, with the edge downward, at the hateful faceBut as I did so the head turned, and the eyes fell upon me, with all their blaze of basilisk horrorThe sight seemed to paralyze me, and the shovel turned in my hand and glanced from the face, merely making a deep gash above the foreheadThe shovel fell from my hand across the box, and as I pulled it away the flange of the blade caught the edge of the lid which fell over again, and hid the horrid thing from my sightThe last glimpse I had was of the bloated face, blood-stained and fixed with a grin of malice which would have held its own in the nethermost hell I thought and thought what should be my next move, but my brain seemed on fire, and I waited with a despairing feeling growing over meAs I waited I heard in the distance a gipsy song sung by merry voices coming closer, and through their song the rolling of heavy wheels and the cracking of whipsThe Szgany and the Slovaks of whom the Count had spoken were comingWith a last look around and at the box which contained the vile body, I ran from the place and gained the Count's room, determined to rush out at the moment the door should be openedWith strained ears, I listened, and heard downstairs the grinding of the key in the great lock and the falling back of the heavy doorThere must have been some other means of entry, or some one had a key for one of the locked shop doors

?That must be Michael,? he said; ?I think I know the sound of his gallop;? and he rose up and stretched his head anxiously back over the road A man riding in hot haste was now dimly descried at the top of a distant hill ?There he is, I do believe!? said PhineasGeorge and Jim both sprang out of the wagon before they knew what they were doingAll stood intensely silent, with their faces turned towards the expected messengerNow he went down into a valley, where they could not see him; but they heard the sharp, hasty tramp, rising nearer and nearer; at last they saw him emerge on the top of an eminence, within hail ?Yes, that?s Michael!? said Phineas; and, raising his voice, ?Halloa, there, Michael!? ?Phineas! is that thee?? ?Yes; what news?they coming?? ?Right on behind, eight or ten of them, hot with brandy, swearing and foaming like so many wolves And, just as he spoke, a breeze brought the faint sound of galloping horsemen towards them ?In with you,?quick, boys, in!? said Phineas?If you must fight, wait till I get you a piece ahead And, with the word, both jumped in, and Phineas lashed the horses to a run, the horseman keeping close beside themThe wagon rattled, jumped, almost flew, over the frozen ground; but plainer, and still plainer, came the noise of pursuing horsemen behindThe women heard it, and, looking anxiously out, saw, far in the rear, on the brow of a distant hill, a party of men looming up against the red-streaked sky of early dawnAnother hill, and their pursuers had evidently caught sight of their wagon, whose white cloth-covered top made it conspicuous at some distance, and a loud yell of brutal triumph came forward on the windEliza sickened, and strained her child closer to her bosom; the old woman prayed and groaned, and George and Jim clenched their pistols with the grasp of despairThe pursuers gained on them fast; the carriage made a sudden turn, and brought them near a ledge of a steep overhanging rock, that rose in an isolated ridge or clump in a large lot, which was, all around it, quite clear and smoothThis isolated pile, or range of rocks, rose up black and heavy against the brightening sky, and seemed to promise shelter and concealmentIt was a place well known to Phineas, who had been familiar with the spot in his hunting days; and it was to gain this point he had been racing his horses ?Now for it!? said he, suddenly checking his horses, and springing from his seat to the ground?Out with you, in a twinkling, every one, and up into these rocks with meMichael, thee tie thy horse to the wagon, and drive ahead to Amariah?s and get him and his boys to come back and talk to these fellows In a twinkling they were all out of the carriage ?There,? said Phineas, catching up Harry, ?you, each of you, see to the women; and run, now if you ever did run!? They needed no exhortationQuicker than we can say it, the whole party were over the fence, making with all speed for the rocks, while Michael, throwing himself from his horse, and fastening the bridle to the wagon, began driving it rapidly away ?Come ahead,? said Phineas, as they reached the rocks, and saw in the mingled starlight and dawn, the traces of a rude but plainly marked foot-path leading up among them; ?this is one of our old hunting-densCome up!? Phineas went before, springing up the rocks like a goat, with the boy in his armsJim came second, bearing his trembling old mother over his shoulder, and George and Eliza brought up the rearThe party of horsemen came up to the fence, and, with mingled shouts and oaths, were dismounting, to prepare to follow themA few moments? scrambling brought them to the top of the ledge; the path then passed between a narrow defile, where only one could walk at a time, till suddenly they came to a rift or chasm more than a yard in breadth, and beyond which lay a pile of rocks, separate from the rest of the ledge, standing full thirty feet high, with its sides steep and perpendicular as those of a castlePhineas easily leaped the chasm, and sat down the boy on a smooth, flat platform of crisp white moss, that covered the top of the rock ?Over with you!? he called; ?spring, now, once, for your lives!? said he, as one after another sprang acrossSeveral fragments of loose stone formed a kind of breast-work, which sheltered their position from the observation of those below ?Well, here we all are,? said Phineas, peeping over the stone breast-work to watch the assailants, who were coming tumultuously up under the rocks?Let ?em get us, if they canWhoever comes here has to walk single file between those two rocks, in fair range of your pistols, boys, d?ye see?? ?I do see,? said George! ?and now, as this matter is ours, let us take all the risk, and do all the fighting ?Thee?s quite welcome to do the fighting, George,? said Phineas, chewing some checkerberry-leaves as he spoke; ?but I may have the fun of looking on, I supposeBut see, these fellows are kinder debating down there, and looking up, like hens when they are going to fly up on to the roostHadn?t thee better give ?em a word of advice, before they come up, just to tell ?em handsomely they?ll be shot if they do?? The party beneath, now more apparent in the light of the dawn, consisted of our old acquaintances, Tom Loker and Marks, with two constables, and a posse consisting of such rowdies at the last tavern as could be engaged by a little brandy to go and help the fun of trapping a set of niggers ?Well, Tom, yer coons are farly treed,? said one ?Yes, I see ?em go up right here,? said Tom; ?and here?s a shop path