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Laugh, jest, and dance ruled the fleeting hours in the halls of the

old country-house that night, and the presiding genius of the revel

was still the beautiful hostess--neverbefore No one noticed that, by her orders, or her

husband's, thethrough which she had beheld the goblin visage

was closely curtained Or, this may have been an accidental

disposition of the drapery, since no trace of her momentary alarm

remained in her countenance or demeanor

In the kitchen a double allowance of toddy was served out, by their

master's orders, to the men who had taken part in the interment on

the hill-top And, in their noisy talk over their potations the

vagrant was scarcely h, by reason of the falling

snow that clogged their boughs, chanted a requieh

hillock at their feet

"Man cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name

is covered with darkness!"