Undeterred, however, by this warning,
Rougemont placed the point of the lever between the interstices of the
broken stone, and, exerting all his strength, speedily raised the
fragments, and laid open the grave. Within it, in the garb he wore in life, with his white beard streaming
to his waist, lay the uncoffined body of his ancestor, Cyprian de
Rougemont. The corpse had evidently been carefully embalmed, and the
features were unchanged by decay. Upon the breast, with the hands placed
over it, lay a large book, bound in black vellum, and fastened with
brazen clasps. Instantly possessing himself of this mysterious-looking
volume, Rougemont knelt upon the nearest chest, and opened it. But he
was disappointed in his expectation. All the pages he examined were
filled with cabalistic characters, which he was totally unable to
decipher. At length, however, he chanced upon one page the import of which he
comprehended, and he remained for some time absorbed in its
contemplation, while an almost fiendish smile played upon his features. "Aha!" he exclaimed, closing the volume, "I see now the cause of my
extraordinary dream. My ancestor's wondrous power was of infernal
origin--the result, in fact, of a compact with the Prince of Darkness. But what care I for that? Give me wealth--no matter what source it comes
from!--ha! ha!" And seizing the lever, he broke open the chest beside him. It was filled
with bars of silver. The next he visited in the same way was full of
gold. The third was laden with pearls and precious stones; and the rest
contained treasure to an incalculable amount. Rougemont gazed at them in
transports of joy. "At length I have my wish," he cried. "Boundless wealth, and therefore
boundless power, is mine. I can riot in pleasure--riot in vengeance. As
to my soul, I will run the risk of its perdition; but it shall go hard
if I destroy not that of Auriol. His love of play and his passion for
Edith Talbot shall be the means by which I will work. But I must not
neglect another agent which is offered me. That bottle, I have learnt
from yon volume, contains an infernal potion, which, without destroying
life, shatters the brain, and creates maddening fancies. It will well
serve my purpose; and I thank thee, Satan, for the gift." CHAPTER II

THE COMPACT


About two months after this occurrence, and near midnight, a young man
was hurrying along Pall Mall, with a look of the wildest despair, when
his headlong course was suddenly arrested by a strong grasp, while a
familiar voice sounded in his ear. "It is useless to meditate self-destruction, Auriol Darcy," cried the
person who had checked him. "If you find life a burden, I can make it
tolerable to you." Turning round at the appeal, Auriol beheld a tall man, wrapped in a long
black cloak, whose sinister features were well known to him. "Leave me, Rougemont!" he cried fiercely. "I want no society--above all,
not yours. You know very well that you have ruined me, and that nothing
more is to be got from me. Leave me, I say, or I may do you a mischief." "Tut, tut, Auriol, I am your friend!" replied Rougemont. "I purpose to
relieve your distress." "Will you give me back the money you have won from me?" cried Auriol. "Will you pay my inexorable creditors? Will you save me from a prison?" "I will do all this, and more," replied Rougemont. "I will make you one
of the richest men in London." "Spare your insulting jests, sir," cried Auriol. "I am in no mood to
bear them." "I am not jesting," rejoined Rougemont. "Come with me, and you shall be
convinced of my sincerity." Auriol at length assented, and they turned into Saint James's Square,
and paused before a magnificent house. Rougemont ascended the steps. Auriol, who had accompanied him almost mechanically, gazed at him with
astonishment. "Do you live here?" he inquired. "Ask no questions," replied Rougemont, knocking at the door, which was
instantly opened by a hall porter, while other servants in rich liveries
appeared at a distance. Rougemont addressed a few words in an undertone
to them, and they instantly bowed respectfully to Auriol, while the
foremost of them led the way up a magnificent staircase. All this was a mystery to the young man, but he followed his conductor
without a word, and was presently ushered into a gorgeously-furnished
and brilliantly-illuminated apartment. The servant then left them; and as soon as he was gone Auriol exclaimed,
"Is it to mock me that you have brought me hither?" "To mock you--no," replied Rougemont. "I have told you that I mean to
make you rich. But you look greatly exhausted. A glass of wine will
revive you." And as he spoke, he stepped towards a small cabinet, and took from it a
curiously-shaped bottle and a goblet. "Taste this wine--it has been long in our family," he added, filling the
cup. "It is a strange, bewildering drink," cried Auriol, setting down the
empty goblet, and passing his hand before his eyes. "You have taken it upon an empty stomach--that is all," said Rougemont. "You will be better anon." "I feel as if I were going mad," cried Auriol. "It is some damnable
potion you have given me." "Ha! ha!" laughed Rougemont. "It reminds you of the elixir you once
quaffed--eh?" "A truce to this raillery!" cried Auriol angrily. "I have said I am in
no mood to bear it." "Pshaw! I mean no offence," rejoined the other, changing his manner. "What think you of this house?" "That it is magnificent," replied Auriol, gazing around. "I envy you its
possession." "It shall be yours, if you please," replied Rougemont. "Mine! you are mocking me again." "Not in the least. You shall buy it from me, if you please." "At what price?" asked Auriol bitterly. "At a price you can easily pay," replied the other. "Come this way, and
we will conclude the bargain." Proceeding towards the farther end of the room, they entered a small
exquisitely-furnished chamber, surrounded with sofas of the most
luxurious description. In the midst was a table, on which writing
materials were placed. "It were a fruitless boon to give you this house without the means of
living in it," said Rougemont, carefully closing the door. "This
pocket-book will furnish you with them." [Illustration: The Compact.] "Notes to an immense amount!" cried Auriol, opening the pocket-book, and
glancing at its contents. "They are yours, together with the house," cried Rougemont, "if you will
but sign a compact with me." "A compact!" cried Auriol, regarding him with a look of undefinable
terror. "Who and what are you?" "Some men would call me the devil!" replied Rougemont carelessly. "But
you know me too well to suppose that I merit such a designation. I offer
you wealth. What more could you require?" "But upon what terms?" demanded Auriol. "The easiest imaginable," replied the other. "You shall judge for
yourself." And as he spoke, he opened a writing-desk upon the table, and took from
it a parchment. "Sit down," he added, "and read this."