At the first peep of dawn Blanche started from her restless slumbers, dressed herself hastily, and creeping down the stairs with a cautious step, unbarred a postern door, darted out into the free air, without casting a glance behind her, and fled, with all the speed of mingled love and terror, down the green avenue toward the gay pavilion--scene of so many happy hours.
But again she was watched by an envious eye, and followed by a jealous foot.
For scarce ten minutes had elapsed from the time when she issued from the postern, before Agnes appeared on the threshold, with her dark face livid and convulsed with passion; and after pausing a moment, as if in hesitation, followed rapidly in the footsteps of her sister.
When Blanche reached the summer-house, it was closed and untenanted; but scarcely had she entered and cast open the blinds of one window toward the road, before a hard horse-tramp was heard coming up at full gallop, and in an instant George Delawarr pulled up his panting charger in the lane, leaped to the ground, swung himself up into the branches of the great oak-tree, and climbing rapidly along its gnarled limbs, sprang down on the other side, rushed into the building, and cast himself at his mistress' feet.
Agnes was entering the far end of the elm-tree walk as he sprang down into the little coplanade, but he was too dreadfully preoccupied with hope and anguish, and almost despair, to observe any thing around him.
But she saw him, and fearful that she should be too late to arrest what she supposed to be the lovers' flight, she ran like the wind.
She neared the doorway--loud voices reached her ears, but whether in anger, or in supplication, or in sorrow, she could not distinguish.
Then came a sound that rooted her to the ground on which her flying foot was planted, in mute terror.
The round ringing report of a pistol-shot! and ere its echo had begun to die away, another!
No shriek, no wail, no word succeeded--all was as silent as the grave.
Then terror gave her courage, and she rushed madly forward a few steps, then stood on the threshold horror-stricken.
Both those young souls, but a few days before so happy, so beloved, and so loving, had taken their flight--whither?