“She is the defier of God. She is also the mother of lunacies, and thesuggestress of suicides. Deep lie the roots of her power; but narrowis the nation that she rules. For she can approach only those in whoma profound nature has been upheaved by central convulsions; in whomthe heart trembles, and the brain rocks under conspiracies of tempestfrom without and tempest from within. ... And her name is MaterTenebrarum--Our Lady of Darkness.”—De Quincey.
From two till four o’clock on any summer afternoon during thepenultimate decade of the last century, the Right Honourable GustavusHilary George, third Viscount Murk, Baron Brindle and Knight of theStews, with orders of demerit innumerable—and, over his quarterings,that bar-sinister which would appear to be designed for emphasis ofthe fact that the word rank has a do