The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1881-02-18

harsh outburst Of langhter--that saddest
false laughter which is true trouble in
disguise.
"Here's something TO amuse you,"
he cried. 81 believe old Garthwaite
thinks I am drunk--he won't leave me
up here by myself"
Letting this strange assertion remain
unanswered. the butler withdrew. Az
no passed me on his way t0 the ladder,
he whispered : Be careful Of the mas
ter tell you, sir, he has bee in his
bonnet this night" Although not Of
the North country myself, 1 knew the
meaning OF the phrase. Garthwaite
suspected that tho master WAS nothing
less than mad.
Romayno took my arm when we were
alone-wo walked slowly from end to
end OF tie Belvidere. The moon was,
by this time, low in the heavens; but
her mild mysterious light still streamed
over the roof OF the house and the high
healthy ground round it. looked at
tentively at Romayne. He was deadly
pale his hand shook as it rested on
my arm and that was all. Neitnos in
look nor manner did he betray the
iaintest sign of mental arrangement
lie had perhaps ncedlessly alarmed the
faithful old servant by something that
he had said or done. I determined
to clear ND that doubt immediately.
"You left the tablo very suddenly
said. "Did you feel I'LL"
"Not II, = be replied. II was fright
euet. Look nj me--Pm frightened
still"
"What do you mean?"
Instead of answering he repeated the
strange question which hc had put to
me downstairs.
"Do you call it quiet nightT'
Considering the time of year and the
exposed situation of tho house, the night
was almost preternarlrnlly quiet.
Throughout the vast open country all
around us not even o breath of air
could be heard. The night birds were
away. or were silent at the time. But
one sound was audible when wo stood
still and listened-the cool, quiet bubble
of little stream, lost to view in the
valley-ground to the south.
"I havo told you already" said
$50 still night never remember on
this Yorkshire moor"
BE laid one hand heavily on my
shoulder.
"What did the poor boy say OF me
whose brother I killed?" ho asked
What words did We hear through the
dripping darkness of the mist?"
"T won't encourage you to think o
them. 1 refuse to repeat the words"
He pointed over the northward para
pot
cept or refuse" he said. ~ hear tn,
boy at this moment-there ~
He repeated the horrid words, mark
ing the pauses in the utterance of then
with his finger, as if they were sound
that he heard.
Assassin assassin where are you !?
Good God !" 1 cried, "you don
mean that you really h6ar the voice? ?"
"Do you hear what I say? l hea
the boy Ms plainly as you hear me. Th
voice screams at me through the clea
moonlight as it screamed at me tbrougl
tho sea-fog. Again and again. It
all round tho house. That way now
where tho. light just touches on th
tops Of tho heather. Tell the servant
to have the horses ready the first thin
in the morning. We leave Wang
Abbey tomorrow"
| these were wild words. II he la
/ spoken them wildly, might hay
, shared the buffers conclusion that b
/ mind was deranged. There was no ur
p duo vchemence in his voice or his NAL
nor. He spoke with melancholy r.
signation--he seemed like q prison'
. submitting to sentence that he had d
served. Remembering the cases of me
. suffering from nervous disease who hs
- been haunted by apparitions, I asked
!, he saw any imaginary figure under Il
form OF boy.
"r see nothing" he said; Il on
- hear. Look yourself. 1t is in the la
a degroe improbable but let us ma
i sure that nobody has followed me fro
-, Borlogno, and is playing me tricl
We made the circuit OF the Belvidel
On its eastward side the house wall "
built against one of the towers OF t
old Abbey. On the westward side
~ ground sloped steeply down to n de
- pool or tarn. Northward and southwn
:: there was nothing to be seen |
" the open moor. Look where mig
with the moonlight to make the vi
plain to me, the solitude was as void
any living creature as il We had bt
surrounded by the awful dead world
the moon.
,o' "Was it the boys voice that ,
'o heard on the voyage across the channe
| asked.
ed "Yos heard it for the..frst tim
.ir down in the engine-room rising
falling, rising and falling, like the sol
he Of the engines themselves"
~ ~ "AuJ wleu did you hear it again
81 feared to hear it in London. 1t
an me. l should have told you when
~ stepped ashore out of the steamboat
nts was afraid that the noise of the trafil
the streets might bring it back to
're As you know, i passed quiet night
had the hope that my imagination
IN deceived me-that l was the victim