Her cellar was a regular strong room, ; with an iron door and patent lock,' the key t of which she nearly always kept in her own possession; she never!allowed it to leave; her own hands, except when, as 'i sometimes happened, she gave it to me : when she wished me to bottle some wine for her, which frequently took place, as she always bought her wine Jo casks, and ..I' being particularly good at this work, it was one of the various ways in which I made myself useful to her. One day, during the last visit I ever paid Aunt Julia, I had been bottling some wine for her, when something or other called me away just as I had finished, and I left without locking the door. I was away about ten minutes, during which time a violent thunderstorm, which bad been threatening, took it into its head to burst!

I stood at the window for a minute or two to look at the lightning, which was particularly vivid, and then, remembering the cellar was unlocked, I went downstairs, locked the door, and put the key in my pocket. I then ran up again hastily to lunch, which I took alone and earlier than usual, a« I had to 50 to London on busi ness which would detain me all night. As Aunt Julia's house was some dis tance from the station, and as I had but little time to catch the train, I had to start before the thunderstorm was quite over, and was driven hurriedly away, having forgotten to give the key of the cellar to the butler in order that, he might gjvo it, to his mistress. It was a fatal imV take. In due course, I reached London, and met the friend whom I. had to see on business ; we separated very late at night, so when I got home I went straight into my bedroom without lighting the lamp in my sitting room, or looking to see if there were any letters awaiting me. I was awakened about nine in the morning by the servant with a telegram. He told me two had come for me the previous night as well, and handed me all three. They were all from my aunt's butler. 