THE LIVING AND THE DEAD. 635 



knowledge and consent. The destiny, however, which had so un- 

 accountably brought them together, accelerated the denouement. 



The sittings of the legislative assembly being at hand, Colonel 

 Ashe, finding that the ill state of health of his wife would not allow 

 of her present removal from the plantation, was compelled to take his 

 departure alone, to resume his duties in the senate, leaving Clinton, 

 in whom he placed the most implicit confidence, in charge of his 

 family, and empowering him to superintend the management of the 

 estate. 



About a month after his departure, he received an anonymous 

 communication, advising him to an immediate return to his domestic 

 duties, unless he was disposed calmly to submit to an usurpation of 

 his rights by one in whom he had placed too unlimited a confidence ; 

 and concluding with a hint, that probably a change of air might be 

 found as beneficial to his wife's soul as to her body. 



It has been already stated that the Colonel had a fiery and ungo- 

 vernable temper ; in fact, he was continually subject to the most 

 violent orgasms of passion, which were as frightful as they were pi- 

 tiable. The effect, then, of such a communication, unauthenticated 

 and anonymous as it was, may be easily conceived. The moment he 

 had run it over, he threw his shooting apparatus over his shoulders, 

 and loading a favourite double-barrelled gun, his inseparable com- 

 panion, with a double charge of buck-shot, mounted his horse, with- 

 out saying a word to any one, and galloped off in the direction of 

 the estate, to which his return was thus unexpectedly hastened by at 

 least two months. After foundering two horses and riding one to 

 death, he was entering the borders of the plantation, which was the 

 goal of his fury, when, meeting one of his negroes, his wife's favourite 

 groom, he threatened instantly to shoot him through the head, unless 

 he disclosed every thing he knew relative to the intimacy between Mrs. 

 Ashe and Mr. Clinton. The poor fellow, frightened out of his wits, 

 threw himself on his knees, and made the most solemn asseverations of 

 his total ignorance of any thing that could possibly lead him to suspect 

 the infidelity of his mistress. On being further questioned, he readily 

 acknowledged, that early that morning, for the first time in his life, 

 he had been dispatched by his mistress with a note to Mr. Clinton, 

 who had returned an immediate answer, and almost immediately 

 followed him to the mansion, where he then was. 



Disappointed in his inquiries, the unhappy man dashed on into a 

 bridle-path through the woods leading to the back of the house, on 

 arriving near to which he dismounted, and securing the horse where 

 it could not be seen, proceeded at a rapid pace, concealing his ap- 

 proach by keeping the out-houses between him and the mansion. 

 Finding no one about likely to announce his unexpected arrival, he 



Eassed on with the intention of at once entering the dwelling, when, 

 eing about to turn the corner of the front piazza, he saw in it his 

 wife and Clinton, with their backs towards him, the former sitting on 

 a chair, with her head bent back upon the breast of the latter, who 

 was leaning over her, with his arms around her neck, and his face 

 close to hers. The unfortunate husband stood for a moment per- 

 fectly stupified ; but, recovering himself, levelled his gun with the 



