The author trusts that the Press, to whose masterly criticism and generous encouragement he and other humble labourers in the art owe so much, will insist upon the limitation of that degrading term to the peculiar type of fiction which it was originally intended to indicate, and prevent, as they may, its being made to include the legitimate school of tragic English romance, which has been ennobled, and in great measure founded, by the genius of Sir Walter Scott. CONTENTS CHAPTER I. AUSTIN RUTHYN, OF KNOWL, AND HIS DAUGHTER II. UNCLE SILAS III. A NEW FACE IV. MADAME DE LA ROUGIERRE V. SIGHTS AND NOISES VI. A WALK IN THE WOOD VII. CHURCH SCARSDALE VIII. THE SMOKER IX. MONICA KNOLLYS X. LADY KNOLLYS REMOVES A COVERLET XI. LADY KNOLLYS SEES THE FEATURES XII. A CURIOUS CONVERSATION XIII. BEFORE AND AFTER BREAKFAST XIV. ANGRY WORDS XV. A WARNING XVI. DOCTOR BRYERLY LOOKS IN XVII. AN ADVENTURE XVIII. A MIDNIGHT VISITOR XIX. AU REVOIR XX. AUSTIN RUTHYN SETS OUT ON HIS JOURNEY XXI. ARRIVALS XXII. SOMEBODY IN THE ROOM WITH THE COFFIN XXIII. I TALK WITH DOCTOR BRYERLY XXIV. THE OPENING OF THE WILL XXV. I HEAR FROM UNCLE SILAS XXVI. THE STORY OF UNCLE SILAS XXVII. MORE ABOUT TOM CHARKE'S SUICIDE XXVIII. I AM PERSUADED XXIX. HOW THE AMBASSADOR FARED XXX. ON THE ROAD XXXI. BARTRAM-HAUGH XXXII. UNCLE SILAS XXXIII. THE WINDMILL WOOD XXXIV. ZAMIEL XXXV. WE VISIT A ROOM IN THE SECOND STOREY XXXVI. AN ARRIVAL AT DEAD OF NIGHT XXXVII. DOCTOR BRYERLY EMERGES XXXVIII. A MIDNIGHT DEPARTURE XXXIX. COUSIN MONICA AND UNCLE SILAS MEET XL. IN WHICH I MAKE ANOTHER COUSIN'S ACQUAINTANCE XLI. MY COUSIN DUDLEY XLII. ELVERSTON AND ITS PEOPLE XLIII. NEWS AT BARTRAM GATE XLIV. A FRIEND ARISES XLV. A CHAPTER-FULL OF LOVERS XLVI. THE RIVALS XLVII. DOCTOR BRYERLY REAPPEARS XLVIII. QUESTION AND ANSWER XLIX. AN APPARITION L. MILLY'S FAREWELL LI. SARAH MATILDA COMES TO LIGHT LII. THE PICTURE OF A WOLF LIII. AN ODD PROPOSAL LIV. IN SEARCH OF MR. CHARKE'S SKELETON LV. THE FOOT OF HERCULES LVI. I CONSPIRE LVII. THE LETTER LVIII. LADY KNOLLYS' CARRIAGE LIX. A SUDDEN DEPARTURE LX. THE JOURNEY LXI. OUR BED-CHAMBER LXII. A WELL-KNOWN FACE LOOKS IN LXIII. SPICED CLARET LXIV. THE HOUR OF DEATH LXV. IN THE OAK PARLOUR CONCLUSION UNCLE SILAS A Tale of Bartram-Haugh CHAPTER I _AUSTIN RUTHYN, OF KNOWL, AND HIS DAUGHTER_