cattle of the truculent wretch died fast, and the infernal hag gave
him the pleasurable tidings that her arts were useless, and that the
destructive visitation upon his cattle exceeded her skill and cure.

On the eighth night after the seal had been devoted to the Atlantic, it
blew tremendously. In the pauses of the storm a wailing noise at times
was faintly heard at the door; the servants, who slept in the kitchen,
concluded that the _Banshee_ came to forewarn them of an approaching
death, and buried their heads in the bed-coverings. When morning broke
the door was opened--the seal was there lying dead upon the threshold!"

"Stop, Julius!" I exclaimed, "give me a moment's time to curse all
concerned in this barbarism."

"Be patient, Frank," said my cousin, "the _finale_ will probably
save you that trouble. The skeleton of the once plump animal--for, poor
beast, it perished from hunger, being incapacitated from blindness to
procure its customary food--was buried in a sand-hill, and from that
moment misfortunes followed the abettors and perpetrators of this
inhuman deed. The detestable hag, who had denounced the inoffensive
seal, was, within a twelvemonth, hanged for murdering the illegitimate
offspring of her own daughter. Every thing about this devoted house
melted away--sheep rotted, cattle died, 'and blighted was the corn.'
Of several children none reached maturity, and the savage proprietor
survived every thing he loved or cared for. He died _blind_ and
miserable.

"There is not a stone of that accursed building standing upon another.
The property has passed to a family of a different name, and the series
of incessant calamity which pursued all concerned in this cruel deed is