lad everything he wished, and allowed him to exercise the most unbounded influence at the court of Lahore. This vicious and shamefully depraved youth, had the presumption to endeavour to supplant his master with several of the ladies of the harem, and amongst others paid his fulsome addresses to Mélanie. She was perfectly aware of his character, treated his advances with the most sovereign contempt, and even imprudently threatened to expose them to Runjeet Singh. She thus made Heerah Singh her most implacable enemy; narrowly watching her movements, his suspicions of the intrigue with Albani became awakened, and he soon obtained undoubted proofs of the understanding that existed between Mélanie and the Italian adventurer. Fortunately for her lover and herself, Runjeet was at that time, absent at Peshawur, and still more fortunately for both, they received timely notice that their liaison had been discovered, and would shortly be divulged to the Maharajah. They therefore took instant measures to ensure their safety by immediate flight; which, i 1 disguised as native Souwars, they happily succeeded in accomplishing. Mounted on fleet horses, they managed, undetected, to leave Lahore; and by a circuitous route (in order for greater safety to get within the limits of the British territories), and after encountering hardships, adventures, and difficulties too numerous to be here detailed, they had at last progressed thus far towards their proposed destination (which was Bombay, and thence by the first ship to Europe, and "la belle France"), when the tragic event that has been narrated, so strangely and unexpectedly took place. When sorrows come, they come not single spies, 66 Suffolk, what remedy? I am a soldier; and unapt to weep, Or to exclaim on fortune's fickleness." King Henry VI. 66 WHEN Mélanie had concluded her strange eventful history" we consulted as to what course it were best for her now to pursue. She had managed, even in the hurry of a precipitate flight, to carry off property of her own, to a large amount: pearls, jewels, valuable ornaments and precious stones; the former gifts "de ce vilain vieux Cyclope," as she usually termed old Runjeet Singh. She had besides, at different periods, prudently invested, for the sake of greater security, 1 in the hands of a well-known and respectable native banker at Shikarpoor (beyond the boundary of Runjeet's sway) considerable sums of money, derived from the revenues of the several villages, which—as in the case of most of Runjeet's favourite ladies—had been assigned for her support. Mélanie might therefore, in point of worldly possessions, have been considered as tolerably well off; and in the gratitude of the moment, she offered to share those riches with her kind old friends and generous deliverers, as she was pleased to call both Staunton and myself. Mélanie had always been liberal and warmhearted: the child of passion and impulse,— with little education or religious and moral principle to regulate their course-it will not be matter of surprise, if the life she had of late years been leading in India, should not have been conducive to any greater refinement in those principles, based as they had been on a foundation so unstable and insecure. She appeared-in her own peculiar way— sincerely to lament the loss of Vincentio Albani, but philosophically remarked that lamentations would not restore him to life; observing that the greatest satisfaction she could now feel, would be-as she had before observed -to share between Staunton and myself whatever wealth she might happen to possess ; adding that she had already acquainted Staunton with her intentions as to the future. "Et vous savez bien, mon ami,” added she naïvely," qu'on revient toujours à ses premiers amours." This plan, however feasible it might appear to Mélanie, in no wise suited the other party concerned; who opposed it with as much delicacy and regard for her feelings as he could; urging such valid reasons for non-compliance with her wishes, that Mélanie at last-though reluctantly gave up the point, and it was finally resolved that Staunton (whose period of leave would admit of such an arrangement) should accompany her at once to Bombay; and having first settled all her pecuniary affairs, should next engage a passage for her either to Bourbon or the Mauritius, from whence she would be able easily to proceed to France. Pursuant to this determination, I placed my palankeen at the disposal of Mélanie; my friends left me that same evening for their intended destination, and I became once more the "monarch of all that I surveyed" in the |