Page:The Keepsake for 1838.djvu/235

 at last become, that I resolved only to defer it until, by a series of short excursions from the castle, I should have accustomed myself to live apart from the idol of my soul. That this project was chimerical, I do not doubt; but I had no opportunity of proving its futility; for, at this very period, a memorable event occurred, which changed for ever the whole current of affairs.

The morning before I intended to apply for permission to commence my first journey, I was giving the Baron a roll of papers and accounts, when a cry arose that the old tower had fallen! He hurried to the place, where old Hartmann met us, with a casket found in the ruins.

We all now hoped to obtain a key to the mystery of the tower. The Baron shut himself up in his room; but he soon sent for me, to examine with him the old writings, which he had discovered in the casket.

These papers contained the history of the lady whose renowned fate Hartmann had related to me. Her father had been the possessor of the castle and the lands belonging to it. His wish to have a male heir to his estate induced him, on the birth of his son, to make a vow to perform a crusade in the Holy Land. To provide for the security of his domains during the performance of this vow, he left them in charge of the brother of his wife, on whose integrity he placed the firmest reliance; with injunctions that if he never returned, he should restore his lands to his infant son. Documents to this effect were prepared in due form; so as to entail for ever the domain on his, and his son’s, male heirs. And still further to secure his object, he concealed duplicates of the original papers in the ball, on the top of the tower, which was built at that time, without revealing the mystery to any one. His daughter alone by chance discovered the circumstance; though without anticipating the importance of these writings.

The Knight was slain in a skirmish with the infidels; and