spite of his politics and religion: but so it
was; and it was by means of the free
intercourse to which our intimacy gave
rise that I became possessed of the curious
tale which you are about to hear.

I had often been struck, while visiting
Vandael, by a remarkable picture, in
which, though no connoisseur myself, I
could not fail to discern some very strong
peculiarities, particularly in the distribu-
tion of light and shade, as also a certain
oddity in the design itself, which interested
my curiosity. It represented the interior
of what might be a chamber in some
antique religious building--the foreground
was occupied by a female figure, arrayed
in a species of white robe, part of which is
arranged so as to form a veil. The dress,
however, is not strictly that of any religious
order. In its hand the figure bears
a lamp, by whose light alone the form and
face are illuminated; the features are
marked by an arch smile, such as pretty
women wear when engaged in successfully
practising some roguish trick; in the
background, and, excepting where the dim red
light of an expiring fire serves to define
the form, totally in the shade, stands the
figure of a man equipped in the old fashion,