“‘Oh Lord, sir!’ cried the guard, as if a desperate idea had at that moment rushed into his mind; ‘the trunk was on the top. Has nobody seen it lying about any where?’ “‘If it be a trunk ye’re looking after,’ cried a rustic, very coolly, ‘I saw it sink into that well-ee[9] a quarter of an hour syne.’ “‘Good God!’ exclaimed the distracted owner, ‘my trunk is gone for ever. Oh, my poor dear trunk!—where is the place—show me where it disappeared!’ “The place being pointed out, he rushed madly up to it, and seemed as if he would have plunged into the watery profound to search for his lost property, or die in the attempt. Being informed that the bogs in this part of the country were perfectly bottomless, he soon saw how vain every endeavour of that kind would be; and so he was with difficulty induced to resume his place in the coach, loudly threatening, however, to make the proprietors of the vehicle pay sweetly for his loss. “What was in the trunk, I have not been able to learn. Perhaps the title-deeds of an estate were among the contents; perhaps it was only filled with bricks and rags, in order to impose upon the innkeepers. In all likelihood, the mysterious object is still descending and descending, like the angel’s hatchet in Rabbinical story, down the groundless abyss: in which case its contents will not probably be revealed till a great many things of more importance and equal mystery are made plain.” END OF THE VOLUME. Printed by W. and R. CHAMBERS, 19, Waterloo Place, Edinburgh. FOOTNOTES: [8] Not innocent—a phrase applied by the common people in Scotland to any thing which they suppose invested with supernatural powers of a noxious kind. [9] The orifice of a deep pool in a morass is so called in Scotland. Transcriber’s Notes pg 44 Changed: their course acccording to the general to: their course according to the general pg 78 Changed: dressed a dood deal above Filch to: dressed a good deal above Filch pg 79 Changed: solicit his former friends for sudsidies to: solicit his former friends for subsidies pg 138 Changed: It was farther remarked to: It was further remarked pg 207 Changed: covered up in a similar maner to: covered up in a similar manner pg 272 Changed: without being painsfully and gradually won to: without being painfully and gradually won