the chamber door, through the key- | 
hele of which a voice exclaimed— 
* Kor God’s sake! my lord, let 
me in.” His lordship, knowing 
this to proceed from his servant, 
vanced armed, and admitted him. 
low stairs and above,” ‘said the 
man; ‘* for I have not heard so 
much as a mouse Stirring till this 
dismal barking : for heaven’s sake! 
what can be the matter with the 
oo 2? 
*¢ That I am now resolved to 
know,” answered his lordship, furi- 
ously pushing the closet door. 
- No sooner was it burst open, than 
the dog, with inconceivable rapidity, 
rushed in, and was followed both by 
the master and the man. 
The candle had gone out, and the 
xtreme darkness of the night pre- 
ted them from seeing any object 
hatever. But a hustling sort of 
oise was heard at the farther end 
of the closet. 
Lord C. fired one of his pistols at 
random by way of alarm. A pierc- 
ing cry, ending in a loud groan, im- 
mediately came from the dog. 
. Great God !” exclaimed his 
ordship, ‘‘ I have surely destroyed 
my defender!” He ran out for a 
ight, and snatched a candle from 
he innholder, who came in appa- 
ent consternation, as to enquire into 
the alarm of the family: Others of 
e house now entered the room. 
t, without paying any attention to 
heir questions, his lordship ran 
ack towards the closet, to look 
fter his dog. “* ‘The door is open, 
he door is open,” ejaculated the 
blican; “ then all’s over.” 
As lord C. was re-entering’ the 
loset, he was met by his servant, 
ho, with every mark of almost 
peechiless consternation in his voice 
MISCELLANEOUS ESSSAYS. 
«¢ All seems quiet, my lord, be-. 
895 
and countenance exclaimed—‘ O, 
my lord, my lord—I have seen such 
sHocliae sights ;”. and, without be- 
ing able to finish his sentence, he 
sank on the floor. 
Before his master could explore 
the cause of this, or succeed in raising 
up the fallen domestic, the poor dog 
came limping from the closet, while 
a blood-track marked his path. He 
gained, with great difficulty, the 
place where his lordship stood aghast, 
and fell at his master’s feet. 
Every demonstration of grief en- 
sued, but the dog, unmindful of -his 
wounds, kept his eyes still intent 
upon the closet door ; and denoted 
that the whole of the misery was not 
yet developed. 
Seizing the other pistol from the 
servant who had fallen into a swoon, 
his lordship now re-entered the 
closet. 
The wounded dog crawled after 
him. Lord C. examining every part, 
perceived in one corner an opening 
into the inn-yard, by a kind of trap- 
door, to which some broken stone 
steps descended. 
The dog seated himself on the 
steps; but there was nothing to be 
seen but a common sack. & 
Nor was any thing visible on the 
floor, except some drops of blood, 
/part of which were evidently those 
which had issued from the wound 
of the dog himself, and part must 
have been of Jong, standing, as. they 
were dried into the boards. 
His lordship went back into the 
bed-chamber, but the dog remained 
in the closet. Going again in search, 
lord C. met him breathing hard, as 
if from violent exercise, and he fol. 
lowed his master into the chamber. » 
The state of the man-servant, 
upon whom fear had operated so as 
to continue him in a succession of 
swoons, 
