THE SERPENT IN LITERATURE 209 



failings touching her only in a faint vague way, like 

 the memories of her childhood, of her lost kindred, 

 and of her passion. And after long years, during 

 which she has been a wonder and mystery to the 

 villagers, on one of her solitary rambles on the 

 mountain occurs the catastrophe which the author 

 has described — the fall of the huge overhanging 

 ledge of rock under which the serpent brood had 

 their shelter — burying her for ever with her ophidian 

 relations, and thus bringing to an end the strange 

 story of " Elsie Venner Infelix." 



