spectral form of a half-emptied phial, and a chamber-candlestick, crested
by its extinguisher.

A light step approached the bedside, and opposite the dying man now stood
a girl, who might have seen her thirteenth year. But her features--of an
exceeding, and what may be termed a regal beauty--were as fully developed
as those of one who had told twice her years; and not a trace of the bloom
or the softness of girlhood could be marked on her countenance. Her
complexion was pale as the whitest marble, but clear, and lustrous; and
her raven hair, parted over her brow in a fashion then uncommon, increased
the statue-like and classic effect of her noble features. The expression
of her countenance seemed cold, sedate, and somewhat stern; but it might,
in some measure, have belied her heart; for, when turned to the moonlight,
you might see that her eyes were filled with tears, though she did not
weep; and you might tell by the quivering of her lip, that a little
hesitation in replying to any remark from the sufferer arose from her
difficulty in commanding her emotions.

"Constance," said the invalid, after a pause, in which he seemed to have
been gazing with a quiet heart on the soft skies, that, blue and eloquent
with stars, he beheld through the unclosed windows:--"Constance, the hour
is coming; I feel it by signs which I cannot mistake. I shall die this
night."

"Oh, God!--my father!--my dear, dear father!" broke from Constance's
lips; "do not speak thus--do not--I will go to Doctor ----"

"No, child, no!--I loathe--I detest the thought of help. They denied it
me while it was yet time. They left me to starve or to rot in gaol, or to
hang myself! They left me like a dog, and like a dog I will die! I would