The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-11-08

| sleeping had my eyes made acquaintance with
it before. looked at once upon entering to see
| whether the relative position of door and fire.
| place were the same as those seen in my dream,
| and also whether there was clock on the chin
| ney-piece In both particulars my vision had
told me correctly. But after all there was moth
| ing very remarkable in this Most rooms boast
clock. and in many the door is on the left hand
| of the fireplace. But to me it seemed confrma
| ton strong as Holy Writ.
II told you that there was nothing to see here,
said my hostess noting my eye wandering round,
| and speaking in tone out of which she could
| not keep all the resentment she felt.
| But tit is very-very comfortabe!' re-
Joined /, hastily, fearing that this was the pre-
Jude to curt dismissal of me. Il should like to
| stay here a bit with you, if might"
She made some sort of murmured sound, which
might mean acquescence, and we sat down.
This time we did not even attempt any converse
| ton. She occupied herself with some work that
apparently required great deal of counting; and
II had no other occupation but my thoughts.
| could not well have had worse one. AS sat
| there In silence listening with ears continually
strained to catch some sound that was not swal-
| lowed up in the shutter shaking of the storm
wind, with eyes perpetually travelling to the
clock-face asked myself over and over again
what purpose hoped to serve by this apparently
SO insane procedure of mine9
Were the dream to prove fallacy I had made
| as great fool of myself, as the world-fertie
| in that product-had ever seen. If, on the other
| hand, the dream hitherto proved curiously true
IN some slight particulars were to be carried out
IN Its terrible main features, of what avail could
/ L suppose my presence to be in averting the
| catastrophe with which it concluded All had
| done was to involve myself in Mrs. Smiths fate,
which there could be no doubt about my shar
ing Again that cold shudder ran over me. l
| could not help breaking the silence to ask my
companion whether she never felt it little
eere sitting up here all alone so late at nightp
| She answered briefly, II am not nervous"
| DO you never even take the precaution of
locking the door2' asked !, glancing nervously
| towards it.
! She smiled rather contemptuously. Never;
and even if wished I should be unable, as
see what l never noticed before. that the lock is
| broken"
The clock struck eleven. One hour more! 1t
! passed, too, that last hour 1t was endless, an
eternity, yet it rushed. AS it drew towards its
last sands, hardly breathed If Mrs Smith
had once looked up from the stitching at which
she was SO TRANQUILITY pegging away. she must
have seen the agitation under which | was la
| boring; and would, of course, have at once as
| signed it to her old count of insanity. [ won
| dered that she did not hear the laundering of
| my heart, pusing so loudly to impede that in
| tensity OF listening into which all my powers
| seemed to have passed G.
How near it was growing! Five minutes four
| minutes three minutes two minutes, one min
| ute. held my breath. l clenched my hands
| till the nails dug into the palms. Twelve! The
| clock struck! With that ringing in my head,
| with that hammering heart, should / hear the
| knock, even if it came?" Mrs Smith made some
! slight movement, and | almost shrieked, but
| bit in the scream and listened again. One min
| ute past two minutes past; three; four; up to
| twelve! The clock said twelve minutes past
| twelve. AS each minute went by 1 drew a
! longer breath, and my tense nerves sackened.
At the twelve minutes past Mrs. Smith looked
up.
do you feel inclined to 90 to bed yetl" she in
quired.
| Il am afraid looking more attentively at me)
"that you are more tired than you will allow"
| II think will CO." said /, rising and drawing
| long breath, 1T is ten minutes past II.
| mot quite that rejoined she that clock is
ten minutes fast must have it regulated to-
| morrow"
II must have it regulated to morrow" Like
lightning it flashed upon me that that was the
speech Mrs Smith had made in my dream i'm
mediately before the knock came. The speech
had made such vain efforts to recall. And, as
panic struck, this dawned upon me, some one
knocked. A mist SWAN before my eyes. l tried
| to speak. but no words would come, and Mrs.
Smith apparently did not see the agonized hand
| | stretched out toward her.
Come in" she said. phlegmatically.
| The door opened, and in the aperture appeared
| the figure of the butler, with coal box in his
hand. My horrorstruck eyes were riveted on
him. but could not stir hand foot. To what
purpose if [ hads Were not we alone in the
house with him-we two wretched, defenseless
| womenl
Mrs. smith naQ, as In my cream, moved TO the
other side Of the room, to the piece of furniture
| with drawers at which had seen her standing.
Then she looked over her shoulder and said COM
posedly: THANK You, Harris; do not want
any more coal tonight" Then, as he seemed,
or seemed to me to hesitate, she added quietly,
II shall not require anything more to night you
may go to bed"
Gould I believe my eyes9 Was he really re-
treating, shutting the door after him9 Were
those his footsteps, whose lesseninc sound l
heard along the passage! For a moment every
thing grew dark before me. / clutched the arms
of my chair to assure myself that this was reali-
ty and no dream. Then staggered to NV feet
and toward Mrs. Smith
us he gomez asked T. in hoarse whisper.
Gone" repeated she in establishment, all her
old doubts as to my soundness OF mind rushing
back in food Yes, of course, he is gone
| Why notg'
"And he will not come backl" still in that
husky whisper
''Of course, not told him I needed nothing
more tonight 1 think7--eyeing me distress
seem little-a little-feverish!"
YES" said |, making effort to recover
some decent amount of composure, perhaps /
am; l will go to bed if you are Quite-quite
sure"
She looked so really alarmed at my manner
and words that I did not finish my sentence I
followed her. still shaking in every limb, to my
bedroom, when she left me, and into which, l am
almost certain, though she tried to do it noise
IeSSly aS pOSSioIe, Iudt SHo IOChSU me- OF hours
after she left me l remained sunk in the arm
chair by the fire, into which | had almost fallen
on entering. 1 still shook as if ague-struck and
every now and again | held my breath to listen
to listen for that steatny step, which even now
l felt must come, for the noise of that awful
thud which still sounded so loudly in the ears of
my imagination that could not even yet believe
that it neither had nor ever would have any
echo in real sound.
At length dropped into an uneasy doze, from
which was awoke by sensation of extreme
cold to find the fire black out and the tempera-
ture of the room at or below freezing point
rose and threw myself dressed, upon the bed
and. wrapping myself in fur cloak. fell into
heavy sleep, from which l was only reused by
the o'clock entry of the honsemaid.
On first opening my bewidered eyes I could
not recollect where 1 was, but stared round