The green wood is ringing with mocking-birds' notes, And melody springing from turtle-doves' throats, And wild flowers growing so beautiful there, Their fragrance are throwing all over the air. But see! in yon bower, that wild vines inclose, A lovelier flower than lily or rose; Your beauties have vanished, ye lilies so fair, To her cheeks are banished; go seek for them there! Your sweetness, ye roses, which butterflies sip, Hath gone--it reposes upon her soft lip; Thy music, sweet dove, now no more thou'lt prolong! Oh, list to my love now! she's stolen thy song. "Mr. Seddon, the young lady will be persuaded that you are a twin brother to the troubadour," said the Professor. "And now, Charley," said Toney, "we are waiting to hear you warble." The Professor sang: Come hasten with me, love, Come hasten away! Come haste to yon lea, love, Where flow'rets so gay Their beauties have blended, As richly as though 'Twere fragments all splendid Of yonder bright bow, By fairy hands riven In moments of mirth, And flung from yon heaven T' embellish the earth. Come haste to yon lea, love, Come hasten with me! And then thou shalt see, love, Naught fairer than thee. "How do you expect her to see in the dark?" said Toney. "Oh, she must have patience and wait until morning," said the Professor. The serenaders now arose from their seats, and, proceeding across the field, soon entered the forest, which was traversed in various directions by paths made by the cattle that were accustomed to browse on the bushes. The path pursued by the party soon led them to a spot where the foliage was dense, and, entirely excluding the starlight, enveloped them in gloomy darkness. Tom Seddon now exclaimed,---- "Toney, why did you select this road? Let us go back. This is the very spot where a man was found, not long ago, with his throat cut, and three bullet-holes through his head." "Horrible!" exclaimed Pate. "Let us go back!" cried Wiggins. "Numerous robberies and murders have been committed in this forest," said Tom. "In fact, it is infested by a gang of desperadoes. If we go on, none of us may ever return to Bella Vista alive." "Oh! oh!" groaned Pate. "Let us go back!" exclaimed Wiggins,--"I will not--ugh!" There was a sudden flash from the bushes, followed by a loud report, and poor Tom dropped dead at the feet of M. T. Pate. Before a word could be uttered, another shot was fired, and Toney staggered against a tree and then fell to the ground with a groan. "Run!--run!" exclaimed Pate. "Run!--run!--run!" cried Wiggins. "Run!--run!--run!--run!" said the Professor, when there was another report, and he exclaimed, falling to the earth, "Oh!--oh!--oh!--I am shot!--help!--help!--murder! murder!"