A Sicilian Romance

'Here,' said he, offering it to Ferdinand, 'seal your

vows--swear by this sacred pledge of honor never to repeat what I

shall now reveal.' Ferdinand vowed upon the sword, and raising his

eyes to heaven, solemnly swore. The marquis then resumed his seat, and

proceeded. 'You are now to learn that, about a century ago, this castle was in

the possession of Vincent, third marquis of Mazzini, my grandfather.

At that time there existed an inveterate hatred between our family and

that of della Campo. I shall not now revert to the origin of the

animosity, or relate the particulars of the consequent feuds--suffice

it to observe, that by the power of our family, the della Campos were

unable to preserve their former consequence in Sicily, and they have

therefore quitted it for a foreign land to live in unmolested

security. To return to my subject.--My grandfather, believing his life

endangered by his enemy, planted spies upon him. He employed some of

the numerous banditti who sought protection in his service, and after

some weeks past in waiting for an opportunity, they seized Henry della

Campo, and brought him secretly to this castle. He was for some time

confined in a close chamber of the southern buildings, where he

expired; by what means I shall forbear to mention. The plan had been

so well conducted, and the secrecy so strictly preserved, that every

endeavour of his family to trace the means of his disappearance proved

ineffectual.

Their conjectures, if they fell upon our family, were

supported by no proof; and the della Campos are to this day ignorant

of the mode of his death. A rumour had prevailed long before the death

of my father, that the southern buildings of the castle were haunted.

I disbelieved the fact, and treated it accordingly. One night, when

every human being of the castle, except myself, was retired to rest, I

had such strong and dreadful proofs of the general assertion, that

even at this moment I cannot recollect them without horror. Let me, if

possible, forget them. From that moment I forsook those buildings;

they have ever since been shut up, and the circumstance I have

mentioned, is the true reason why I have resided so little at the

castle.' Ferdinand listened to this narrative in silent horror. He remembered

the temerity with which he had dared to penetrate those

apartments--the light, and figure he had seen--and, above all, his

situation in the stair-case of the tower. Every nerve thrilled at the

recollection; and the terrors of remembrance almost equalled those of

reality.

The marquis permitted his daughters to change their apartments, but he

commanded Ferdinand to tell them, that, in granting their request, he

consulted their ease only, and was himself by no means convinced of

its propriety. They were accordingly reinstated in their former

chambers, and the great room only of madame's apartments was reserved

for the marchioness, who expressed her discontent to the marquis in

terms of mingled censure and lamentation. The marquis privately

reproved his daughters, for what he termed the idle fancies of a weak

mind; and desired them no more to disturb the peace of the castle with

the subject of their late fears. They received this reproof with

silent submission--too much pleased with the success of their suit to

be susceptible of any emotion but joy.