Page:Jeanie Deans and the lily of St. Leonard's.pdf/10

10 a week or two, assigning indisposition as the motive of her request. Effie was suffered to depart; and it was afterwards found that a period of a week intervened betwixt her leaving her master's house, and arriving at St. Leonard's.

She made her appearance before her sister in a state rather resembling the spectre than the living substance of the gay and beautiful girl, who had left her father's cottage for the first time not many months before. Jeanie, terrified to death at her sister's appearance, at first overwhelmed her with inquiries, to which the unfortunate young woman returned incoherent and rambling answers, and finally fell into hysterical fits. To all questions concerning the name or rank of her seducer, and the fate of the being to whom she had given birth, Effie remained mute as the grave, and her sister was about to repair to Mrs Saddletree's to obtain what light she could upon this unhappy affair, when she was saved that pains by a new stroke of fate which seemed to carry misfortune to the uttermost.

David Deans had been alarmed at the state of health in which his daughter had returned to her parental residence; but Jeanie had contrived to divert him from making any particular enquiry. It was therefore like a clap of thunder to the poor old man, when the officers of justice arrived at the cottage of St Leonard's with a warrant of justiciary to search for and apprehend Euphemia, or Effie Deans, accused of the crime of child murder. The stunning weight of a blow so totally unexpected bore down the old man, who fell extended and senseless on his own hearth; and the officers, happy to escape from the scene of his awakening, raised the object of