though the low sinking sun showed her that but little time yet remained for her to secure her flight, she found herself foiled wherever she turned. She hurried on, however, towards the other castle, gazing up to see if there too were any of those she had to fear, but it seemed, for the time, utterly deserted. No soldiers appeared gazing from the battlements at the distant fight; no head, protruded from the window, announced that any human being was within. Hesitating, trembling, listening, Gertrude entered through the open door, and found the hall vacant, though the remains of a half-finished meal showed that it had not long been so. She then, with better courage, searched round the courts and walls for some means of egress, but every gate was closed with heavy locks, and all the keys were gone. In disappointment, almost in despair, she paused and looked towards the other castle. The battlements were crowded, the roar of war was going on; but suddenly came louder shouts, and she saw some groups upon the very path she had just followed. Where could she fly for concealment? There was a flight of steps led down from one of the remote halls, apparently cut through the rock on which the castle stood, and, not without a hope that it might conduct her to some sally-port, Gertrude took her way down, lighted by an occasional loop-hole, though the sun, sinking fast behind the mountains, gave but scanty beams. It led but to a vault, from which there was a door indeed, but it too was locked, and Gertrude sat herself down and wrung her hands in the bitterness of despair. There was a window, but it was too small for human being to pass, and was grated besides with iron bars; and all that it enabled the unhappy girl to do, was to gaze out in the growing twilight, and watch the groups hurrying to and fro upon the walls of the other castle. Soon that twilight faded away, and all that she could see was the form of the tall towers, bursting forth every now and then as the eager flash of the artillery ran along the battlements; but, after a short time the windows seemed to shine forth with an unusual brightness, a glare was seen through the loop-hóles, a rolling pile of yellow smoke rose above the white clouds that

the artillery had caused below, and on it played a flickering light which was not like the flashing of the cannonade. Then came loud cries and shouts and execrations, borne upon the wind, and the tramp of hurrying crowds, and the sound of the trumpet. Nearer, more near, came the mingled roar along the causeway; and then she heard it in the halls above. All seemed confusion and disarray, till suddenly the roar of the cannon was again heard, and she found that the artillery on the walls above were now pointed along the causeway, to drive back a pursuing enemy. Trembling, almost fainting, she lay in one corner of the vault, when suddenly steps were heard descending, torches flashed around the walls, and, in a moment after, the voice of her persecutor struck upon her ear, exclaiming "Didst thou think thou hadst escaped me? No, no, fair maiden! you shall live or die with the Landschaden. Throw open the door, Heinrich!" and, catching her up in his arms, he was bearing her forward through the door, which one of those who were with him had unlocked, to a rocky path leading down to the river. The horror of his touch, however, drew a sudden scream from the lips of Gertrude, and, setting her down, he cried with a blasphemous exclamation, "She will draw them hither with her cries! By Heaven I will drive my dagger into her!-Stay," he continued; "let me look out!" and he took two or three steps forth down the hill," Fire and blood!" he cried again after a moment's pause, "here is Count Erlach's banner!"

Inspired with instant hope of making herself heard, Gertrude uttered scream on scream; but the fierce Landschaden bounded back towards her with his dagger in his hand, exclaiming "Slay her, slay her! we must fight to the last or die; but she shall not escape!"

A step more would have brought him to the vault; but, at that moment, there was a loud explosion above. The voices of the cannon were unheard in the roar,the Landschaden looked up towards the blazing walls; an immense mass of stone-work descended through the air, and, striking on his brow and chest, rolled, with his dead body, slowly down the rock. Gertrude darted for

ward towards a party of men advancing quickly up the steep. There was a knight leading them on, sword in hand, with the banner of her father's lord waving above his head. "Save me! save me! save me!" cried she, and as she reached his knees, and clasped them with her extended arms, sense and thought, terror, and joy, and hope, all passed away at once, and she fell prostrate before Count Erlach's feet.

With the terrible sensation of one waking from a long swoon, Gertrude unclosed her eyes, and gazed around her as some castle clock was striking eleven. There was the light of many tapers in the room, and rich tapestry waved on every side, while hangings of white, and crimson, and gold, surrounded the splendid bed on which she lay. The arms of the Counts of Erlach, emblazoned with rich colouring, ornamented the ceilings, and the furniture, and all around her, was a dream of magnificence, such as she had never seen before. Round a table, in the middle of the room, stood three persons, while several girls, in the garb of waiting-women, appeared at the other side of the room. The first of the nearer three was an old man, in the garb of a physician, pouring some fluid from a phial into a Venice-glass, and his face was turned directly towards Gertrude. On one side of the table, stood an old man, of powerful frame, clad partly in armour; and Gertrude knew her father. Those two were bareheaded; but on the side nearest to her, with his back towards her, stood one, who wore his crimson bonnet and high plume; beside him lay a pile of armour, cast hastily down, and from his shoulders fell an easy cloak, lined with rich furs, and tied with tassels of gold.

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This, my lord count, will bring her to herself, I will insure," said the leech, as he poured out the medicine; "she does but faint, though the fit is long and terrible !"

"Where can Wilhelm be?" thought Gertrude; but she hastened to relieve her father's fears, exclaiming, in a voice still faint, "My father!"

All started, and turned towards her, at the sound; but it was not old Karl Müller reached her first. That gay and glittering cavalier dropped at once the glass he was

taking from the physician, darted forward, caught her in his arms, and pressed her again and again unto his heart. Trembling, fearful, uncertain; yet hoping, thrilling with fancies it seemed madness to believe, she pushed him gently back, and gazed upon his face. "It is! it is!" she cried, casting her arms round his neck, "Wilhelm ! dear Wilhelm !" Then, sinking back again, she pointed to the glittering coat of arms that hung above that bridal bed.

"True!" he said, "dear Gertrude, it is all quite true."

"Then I know you, Wilhelm," she said, almost mournfully; "but who am I?"

"Gertrude, Gräfin of Erlach, my own dear wife!" replied the count; "noble both by your father's and your mother's side, and with a dower of beauty and of goodness worth a prince's hand;-you are mine, Gertrude, mine for ever! To-morrow I will tell you more. Now rest, sweet girl,-rest, and recover from all you have suffered. Your lover, your husband, will watch by your side; and, safe in his castle, and guarded by his care, no more such sad scenes shall happen, as those which have chequered Gertrude's bridal-day."

THE MISLETOE BOUGH.

BY T. CROFTON CROKER.

BALLY WALTERBEG HOUSE was the seat of Mr. Edmund Fitzgibbon. He was a widower with two daughters, and two as fine bouncing Irish girls they were as need to be. They had fine hair and fine teeth; fine eyes and fine figures. They could, each of them, play a country dance or jig, with admirable spirit, on the piano; and they sung like angels. For these and other feminine accomplishments, they were indebted to Miss Wheeler, their governess; and a nice smart girl she was, likewise, though by some four or five years their senior. The Misses Fitzgibbon, moreover, could dash after the hounds, on horseback, in first-rate style; and went out fox-hunting nearly as regularly as their father, who, indeed, never missed a day of the season, except when he was laid up with a fit of the gout.

There were all kinds of sports for ever going on at Bally walterbeg; for no man in the barony kept what was called a more "rattling house," than did Ned Fitzgibbon. At the Christmas-eve of which I am about particularly to speak, there were assembled at Mr. Fitzgib bon's a smaller party than usual, consisting only of four guests, one of whom I happened to be. We were

nearly entire strangers to each other; but the easy and convivial manners of our host made us feel like old acquaintances before the dinner-cloth was removed: and the frankness and good humour of the Misses Fitzgibbon admirably supported their father's hospitality; while Miss Wheeler was so much at her ease, that no one would ever have suspected her of being that piece of icy propriety called a governess. She was full of whim and fun, a laughter-loving wench.