San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-02-07

We changed eur boots for slippers, and
sat together in my room, with a book,
he with his chin in his hands, his face
hideous with the light of the lamp on his
protruding eyes.
Heaven knows, was not wanting in
love for Edith, or solicitude for her well
fare, and yet l could not keep awake. IL
must be remembered that had no sleep
the preceding night, and that / did be-
lieve in Edith's hallucination, and there
fore saw no actual danger menacing her.
l tried to interest myself in the book, but
nv thoughts grew confused, the type
swan before my eyes, and helped to be-
muse my senses. At length l put down
the book, and shaking my wits together,
/ said to Van Hoeck:
Let us talk"
Talk he muttered, scornfully; "why
not ask me TO sing you a comic song! II
the Kid were here Isuppose you wouldn't
want me TO amuse you. You could keep
awake until three or four in the morning
watching her, but as it's only your fu-
ture wife who is concerned, you are log
headed before midnight"
This sarcasm did not prevent me doz-
ing again few minutes later. / was
ashamed of my drowsiness, and after a
minutes doze would wake with guilty
Start, only to drop off again in a few
moments. | know not how long this
had been going on, when Van Hoeck
shook me by the arm, and woke me
thoroughly.
1T is counting destruction to sit here
with the door open," he said, lone of us
blind, and the other dead asleep. l can
not stand it any longer; it is intolerable.
Tell me if it rains"
went to the window, and found that
the rain had ceased. told him this.
Il will go out; take me down to the
door," he said.
/ led him down stairs, and gave him
his umbrella and hat. Then took mine
and opened the door quietly, fearing to
awake Edith. l would have accom-
panied him, but he refused, saying night
and day were alike to him, and he knew
his way along the paths and about the
lawn.
$50 back to your room and fasten
yourself in" he said, sit is our only Sc
curity. Tap at the window to let me
know that all is fast. l beg you to do
this" he added, earnestly; ''you cannot
understand the feelings of a man in my
posison-the torture of conscious impo-
tency, as you feel the approaching fate
that you are powerless to avert"
His voice ratified in his throat, and in
distinctly heard him mutter, as he
CROPPED his way along the wall of the
terrace:
"Cramped in coffin, and the clods
falling falling"
closed the door, and returned to my
room with shudder.
When had fastened myself in tap
ped at the window, and Van Hoeck re-
piled by tapping on the wall below.
The fresh air had revived me; | had
no longer to struggle with an irresistible
drowsiness-the inclination to sleep was
gone.
had my book to finish, but my mind
was not sufficiently composed to read.
AS walked about the room | thought
of Edith and of Van Hoeck, wondering
if there could Ire any connection between
her strange hallucination and the terrible
presentiHent which night and day pos
sessed him. 1t seemed as if there must
be something abnormal in the conditions
under which we lived, to produce an eff
feet which, though characterized by diff
ferent peCuliarities, was i'll both cases at
tributable only to disOrdered imagina-
ton, and | wondered if |, in my turn,
should come under this occult influence.
might have been occupied with the
speculation for half an hour or more
when | heard a scream of terror that |
could not doubt came from the wing in
which Edith lay. In an instant opened
the door and ran through the corridor
The doors in the picturegallery were
open. As | drew aside the curtains
which closed in the staircase corridor of
the left wing, | saw Sir Edmund come
from his room with lamp. The door
of Edith's room exactly faced his; it was
wide open; all was dark within.
"What is it, my dear, what is it? he
called, as he entered the room.
There was no answer.
/ followed to the door. Sir Edmund
was standing by the empty bed looking
around him in blank dismay.
"She is gone," he gasped. "The door
was wide open"
The bed stood away from the wall. |
babe Sir Edmund look on the further side.
There was scarcely room for him to
pass between the foot of the bed and the
wall, but as he lowered the light, he
said, in quick alarm:
"She is here-unConsCiouS- the
bell for the women"
/ ran to the bell and rang it violently;
then from the stairs in the cross-gallery
I called to the servants to come down.
In the meanwhile Sir Edmund had raised
Edith and placed her on the bed, where
she lay like one dead.
From his room got spirit-case, but
we knew not how to apply the remedies
at our hand, and it was an intense relief
70, hn ht1a lnl in,
followed by Edith's maid, for we were
as helpless as children in this emergency.
The housekeeper told me to leave the
there, trembling from head to foot.
l had taken Edith's hand, and the icy
GOODNESS of the lifeless fingers that | had
only known quick with warm blood
chilled my very heart with fear.
There was long period of terrible sus-
pense, and then l heard the dear voice
murmur, and my heart bounding with
joy, ventured forward that might see
the life once more in her beautiful face.
Sir Edmund stopped me on the threshold.
THANK GodI' he said, fervently, "she
has come back to us; but the women say
she must be kept quiet. Go back to your
room, my dear fellow, and we will talk
it all over at breakfast-time. Good
night, goodnight"
l returned reluctantly to my room. As
passed his chamber heard the Judge
snoring loud and long.
1t needed something more than such
trifies to wake him when he had a bed to
sleep in.
What already puzzled me was how
Edith's door came to be wide open when
she had tainted in a quite remote mart of
the room.
CHAPTER TX.