know the grandchild of Mary Thunder when you
find her, you shall behold her in a vision ——"

The last words grew dim before me; the
lights faded away, and all the place was in
darkness, except one spot on the opposite wall.
On this spot the light glimmered softly, and
against the brightness the outlines of a figure
appeared, faintly at first, but growing firm and
distinct, became filled in and rounded at last to
Ihe perfect semblance of life. The figure was
that of a young girl in a plain black dress, with
a bright, happy face, and pale gold hair softly
banded on her fair forehead. She might have
been the twin-sister of the pale-faced girl whom
I had seen bending over the cradle two nights
ago; but her healthier, gladder, and prettier
sister. When I had gazed on her some
moments, the vision faded away as it had come;
the last vestige of the brightness died out upon
the wall, and I found myself once more in total
darkness. Stunned for a time by the sudden
changes, I stood watching for the return of the
lights and figures; but in vain. By-and-by
my eyes grew accustomed to the obscurity, and
I saw the sky glimmering behind the little
window which I had left open. I could soon
discern the writing-table beside me, and
possessed myself of the slips of loose paper which
lay upon it. I then made my way to the
window. The first streaks of dawn were in the
sky as I descended my ladder, and I thanked
God that I breathed the fresh morning air once
more, and heard the cheering sound of the
cocks crowing.

All thought of acting immediately upon last
night's strange revelations, almost all memory
of them, was for the time banished from my
mind by the unexpected trouble of the next few
days. "That morning I found an alarming
change in Frank. Feeling sure that he was
going to be ill, I engaged a lodging in a cottage
in the neighbourhood, whither we removed
before nightfall, leaving the accursed Rath
behind us. Before midnight he was in the
delirium of a raging fever.

I thought it right to let his poor little fiancée
know his state, and wrote to her, trying to
alarm her no more than was necessary. On the
evening of the third day after my letter went I
was sitting by Frank's bedside, when an
unusual bustle outside aroused my curiosity, and
going into the cottage kitchen I saw a figure
standing in the firelight which seemed a third
appearance of that vision of the pale-faced golden-
haired girl which was now thoroughly imprinted
on my memory, a third, with all the woe of the
first; and all the beauty of the second. But
this was a living breathing apparition. She was
throwing off her bonnet and shawl, and stood
there at home in a moment in her plain black
dress. I drew my hand across my eyes to make
sure that they did not deceive me. I had beheld
so many supernatural visions lately that it
seemed as though I could scarcely believe in
he reality of anything till I had touched it.

"Oh, sir," said the visitor, " I am Mary
Leonard, and are you poor Frank's friend ?
Oh, sir, we are all the world to one another,
and I could not let him die without coming to
see him!"

And here the poor little traveller burst into
tears. I cheered her as well as I could, telling
her that Frank would soon, I trusted, be out of
all danger. She told me that she had thrown
up her situation in order to come and nurse him.
I said we had got a more experienced nurse than
she could be, and then I gave her to the care
of our landlady, a motherly country-woman.
After that I went back to Frank's bedside, nor
left it for long till he was convalescent. The
fever had swept away all that strangeness in his
manner which had afflicted me, and he was quite
himself again.

There was a joyful meeting of the lovers.
The more I saw of Mary Leonard's bright face
the more thoroughly was I convinced that she
was the living counterpart of the vision I had
seen in the burial chamber. I made inquiries as
to her birth, and her father's history, and found
that she was indeed the grandchild of that Mary
Thunder whose history had been so strangely
related to me, and the rightful heiress of all
those properties which for a few mouths only
had been mine. Under the tree in the orchard,
the thirteenth, and that by which I had seen
the lady digging, were found the buried deeds
which had been described to me. I made an
immediate transfer of property, whereupon some
others who thought they had a chance of being
my heirs disputed the matter with me, and went
to law. Thus the affair has gained publicity,
and become a nine days' wonder. Many things
have been in my favour, however: the proving
of Mary's birth and of Sir Luke's will, the
identification of Lady Thunder's handwriting on
the slips of paper which I had brought from
the burial chamber; also other matters which
a search in that chamber brought to light. I
triumphed, and I now go abroad leaving Frank
and his Mary made happy by the possession of
what could only have been a burden to me.

So the MS. ends. Major Thunder fell in
battle a few years after the adventure it relates.
Frank O'Brien's grandchildren hear of him
with gratitude and awe. The Rath has been
long since totally dismantled and left to go to
ruin.

MR. CHARLES DICKENS'S READINGS.

MR. CHARLES DICKENS will read at Glasgow
on Tuesday and Thursday evenings the 17th and
19th, and at Edinburgh on Wednesday and Friday
evenings the 18th and 20th and on Saturday afternoon
the 21st of April. MR DICKENS will also Read on Tuesday
the 24th at ST JAMES'S HALL, London, for the second
time, and at Manchester on Thursday the 26th of April.