“Hathbrand held the parchment in his hand; he spoke—My friends, peace be with you all; I here produce the will of the late Baron de la Braunch. Attend—“Know all men, that I the Baron de la Braunch, do give and bequeath to Nicholas le Blanc, of the forest of Dean, all the real and personal estate of which I now stand possessed, on condition that he visits the third chamber in the western turret alone, there to unlock the chest which contains the title-deeds, and that he never divulges the secrets they will unfold.” The third chamber in the western turret had not been used for many years, as the eastern part of the castle had been inhabited by the Baron.
“Nicholas ascended the western turret alone, and after some difficulty opened the door of the third chamber, when he entered, and discovered in a remote corner a large iron chest, the key of which was hanging near the entrance. Nicholas attempted to open it; at length by an effort he succeeded; he lifted up the lid, and took out a large scroll of parchment. Nicholas read—‘The title of the Baron de la Braunch to these demesnes is murder!’
“Nicholas let fall the scroll, but recovered it again; he run into the gallery, and then stood motionless.
“And now, my dear children,” said Mr. Willock, “let us find something like the face of honest Nicholas, when he was reading how bad a title he had to the riches bequeathed him. Here it is, expressive of his abhorrence of the crime, and of the object who left him his wealth. This is the face of
HORROR.
“An object despised, says Le Brun, sometimes causes Horror; and then the eyebrow knits, and sinks a great deal more; the eyeball placed at the bottom of the eye, is half covered by the lower eyelid; the mouth is half open, but closer in the middle than the sides, which being drawn back, make wrinkles in the cheeks; the face grows pale, and the eyes become livid; the muscles and the veins are marked.
“But to continue—While Nicholas was gone to the western turret, refreshment was prepared in the hall, and Gertrude and Henry waited anxiously for his return to partake of it with them. The honest old steward and Jonas the butler had not been sparing of expence on the occasion: so that the entertainment was as superb as if the Baron had been alive. They had begun to like their new master, who was a bold generous fellow, and they were determined to show him all the respect and homage they could, notwithstanding he had been a wood-cutter.
“They were waiting in suspense for Nicholas; presently his steps were heard descending the stairs quickly. He entered in great agitation—‘Gertrude,’ was all that he could say; his face was the face of