54 AN INCIDENT AT GIBRALTER. 



Captain L had not arrived. It was now nine o'clock half- 

 past nine ten o'clock came ; but the bridegroom was still absent. 

 The colonel's pique began to yield to uneasiness; Emily's uneasi- 

 ness was changed to agitation. I offered to go to Captain L ; 



and I learned at his hotel that he had not been seen since five o'clock 

 the day before. A message was then sent to Mr. Donovan, who 



returned for answer, that after dinner he and Captain L walked 



up the rock : but that having taken different paths, they had missed 

 each other, and he had not seen Captain L since. 



I need not describe the change which a few hours had wrought 

 upon Emily. I saw her sitting in her bridal dress, pale and tearU->s: 

 and the old colonel stood beside her one hand enclosed his daugh- 

 ter's, and with the other he brushed away the tear that now and then 



started to his own eye. At this moment, the governor, Sir (i 



D , was announced, and the colonel and myself received him. 



"The unaccountable disappearance of Captain L ," said he, 



"was made known to me some hours ago; I have used every 

 means to penetrate the mystery, but without success. The sentinels 

 on the eastern piquet saw him pass up in company with Mr. Dono- 

 van ; and under all the circumstances, I have thought it my duty to 

 order Mr. Donovan's am ->t." 



By a singular, and for Mr. Donovan, unfortunate fatality, the 

 court for the judgment of civil and criminal causes, commenced its 

 sittings at Gibralter on the day following; and from some farther 

 evidence which had been tendered, it was thought necessary to send 

 Mr. Donovan to trial. There was no direct evidence, but there were 



strong presumptions against him. His hatred of Captain L 



was proved by many witnesses ; the cause of it, the preference of 

 Miss Waring, was proved by her father; the circumstances attending 

 the two duels were inquired into; and the result of the inquiry 

 militated more strongly against the character of Mr. Donovan than 

 had even been expected. It was proved, moreover, that when Mr. 



Donovan left his house, in company with Captain L , he carried 



a concealed stiletto ; and it was proved that they were last seen 

 together, walking towards the eastern extremity of the rock more 

 than half a mile beyond the farthest piquet. The reader, perhaps, 

 requires to be informed, that the highest summit of the rock of 

 ( libralter is its eastern extremity, which terminates in a precipice of 

 fifteen hundred feet; and that about half a mile beyond the farthest 

 sentinel, the road to the summit branches into two one branch 

 gaining the height by an easy zig-zag path, the other skirting the angle 

 of the rock, and passing near the mouth of the excavation. 



It was of course irregular, upon the trial of Mr, Donovan, to 

 refer to his former trial; but this, no doubt, had its weight; and he 

 was adjudged guilty of murder, and sentenced to die. The sentence 

 was pronounced on Friday, and on Monday it was to be carried 

 into execution. 



To be continued. 



