O’Donell promised that he would; and instantly he found himself at the door of the old castle, and in the land of his birth. He pursued his journey for three days, and on the third day he arrived at the mountain which overlooked the city. It was a beautiful evening in the month of September, and the full moon was shedding her tranquil light on all the face of nature. The city was lying in its splendour and magnificence surrounded by the broad stream of the Guadima. The palace was majestically towering in the midst of it, and all its pillars and battlements seemed in the calm light of the moon as if they were transformed into silver by the touch of a fairy’s wand. O’Donell stayed not long to contemplate this beautiful scene, but, descending the mountain, he soon crossed the fertile plain which led to the city, and, entering the gates, he quickly arrived at the palace. Without speaking to any one, he entered the inner court of the palace by a secret way with which he was acquainted, and then going up a flight of steps and crossing a long gallery he arrived at the King’s private apartments. The door was half open. He looked in and beheld two very handsome young men sitting together and reading. He instantly recognised them, and was going to step forward, when the door opened and the Great Duke entered. O’Donell could contain himself no longer, and, rushing in, he threw himself at the feet of His Grace. ‘O’Donell! is this you?’ exclaimed the Duke. ‘It is, my most noble master!’ answered O’Donell, almost choking with joy. The young princes instantly embraced him, while he almost smothered them with caresses. After awhile they became tranquil, and then O’Donell, at the request of the Duke, related all his adventures since he parted with them, not omitting the condition on which he was now in the palace. When he had ended a loud voice was heard saying that he was free from his promise and might spend the rest of his days in his native city. Some time after this, as O’Donell was walking in the streets, he met a gentleman whom he thought he had seen before, but could not recollect where or under what circumstances. After a little conversation he discovered that he was Alexander Delancy, that he was now a rich merchant in the city of Paris, and high in favour with the Emperor Napoleon. As may be supposed they both were equally delighted at the discovery. They ever after lived happily in their separate cities; and so ends my little tale. C. BRONTË, _August 17th_, 1829. THE ADVENTURES OF ERNEST ALEMBERT FIRST printed, from the original manuscript, in 1896, in an edition limited to thirty copies for private circulation only. Edited by Thomas J. Wise. This volume contains facsimiles of two pages of the manuscript. Reprinted in _Literary Anecdotes of the Nineteenth Century_, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll, M.A., and Thomas J. Wise, vol. ii., 1896, pp. 47-79.