The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-04-23

IN the haunted C1)GElJsl. 26 VIC Gssl "A
ness closes in upon hin, and he tndS
himself alone with what he hardly
dares to contemu:ate, his senses grow
confused, his !y:iM reels; S fearful
scream is5aas fTc.T his lips, snd he falls
10 the ilaGr t,>saEs.i!le.
CHATTER X.
Dora. sf.sr iieg ii:tcrvEw with Ar
thur Ornecv;.rE. = e,s indeed that all
Is lost. Nop> IS e:'a:i5cNc>i-nothing
remaina but 3orr-.t; ana n th1S IN
stance despair gains a colSHancS oy
the knowledge that she believes she
knows the man who would help them
to solution Of their troubles II he ever
would or dared. No, clearly he dare
not! Therefore, no assistance can be
looked for from him.
Dinner at the castle has been q pro-
niscuous sort of entertain ment for the
past three or four days, so Dora feels
no compunction in declining 20 go to it.
In her own room she sits brooii3g mis-
erably over her inability to be CT any
use in the present crisis, when she sud
denly remembers that she had prom
ised in the afternoon when with Flor
ence to give her, later on, an account
Of her effort to obtain the truth about
this mystery which IS narrowing them.
It is now eleven o'clock and Dora de-
cides that she must see Florence at once.
Rising, YEARLY, she is about 70 cross
the corridor to her cousin S room. when,
the door opening, she sees Florence,
with a pale face and agitated, coming
toward her. o.
sYou, FlorenceIs she exclaims. Il
was just going to you, to tell you tnas
nv hopes Of this afternoon are all"
LET me speak," Interrupts Florence
breathlessly. Il must, Or She sinks
into a chair. her eyes close. and invol-
UNFAIRLY she lays her hand upon her
heart as If to allay it's tumultuous beat
ing.
Dora, really alarmed, rushing to her
dressing-case, seizes upon flask Of
eau-de-Cologne and filings some Of its
contents freely over the fainting girl.
Florence, with 9 sigh, rouses herself,
and sits upright
There Is no time to lose,. she says
confusedly. *Oh, Dora." Here she
breaks down and bursts into tears.
"Try to compose yourself" entreat5
Dora, seeing the girl has some lmpor-
tant news to tmpart, but Is so nervous
and unstrung as to be almost incapable
Of speaking with any Conference. But
presently Florence grows calGner, and
then, her voice becoming clear and full,
she is able to unburden her heart.
"An this day I have been oppressed
by g curious restlessness," she says to
Dora; and, when you left me this af-
ternoon, your vague promises OF being
able to elucidate the terrible secret
that IS weighing US down made me even
more unsettled. I did not go down to
dinner"
Neither did l." puts in Mrs. Talbot
sympathetically.
wandereGIp>and down my room
for at-lsast two hours, thinking always,
and waiting fOr the moment when you
would return, according to promise,
and tell me the success Of your hidden
ENTERPRISE. You did not come, and at
half past nine, unable to stay any lon
ger In my own room with only my own
thoughts for company, I opened my
door. and, listening intently. found BY
the deep silence that relgned through
out the house that almost every one
was gone, If not to bed, at least to
their own rooms
Lady FitzAlmont and Gorlrude
passed to thei- ICONS about an hour
ago. saws Dora. *But some OF the men,
I think, are still in the smoking-room." !"
aI did not think Of them. I stot
from nv room, and roamed idly
through the halls. Suddenly great
I can not help thinking now q super
naturally strong-desire to so into the
servants corridof, took possession OF
me. Without allowing myself an in
slant hesitation, I turned in lts d1rec-
ton, and walked on until l reached it."
She pauses here, and draws her
breath rapidly.
go on" entreats Dora fmpatiently.
The lamp was burning dlmly. Ine
servants were all doWn-staiTs-at sher
supper, suppose-because there was
no trace of them anywhere. Not q
sound could be heard. The whole place
looked melancholy and deserted and
MED me Win sense OF awe l cou1d
not overcome. Still it attracted me. /
fingered there, walking up and down
until it's very monotony wearled me;
even then was loath to leave 1t, and,
turning into small sitting-1oom, l
stood staring idly around me. At last.
somewhere IN the distance I heard a
clock strike ten, and, turning, / decld-
ed on going back once more -" my
ROOM"
Again, smcsion overcoming her Flor
ence pauses, and leans back III her
chair.
well, but what Is there in all this to
terrify YOU so much?" demands her
cousin, somewhat bew1dered.
sAh, give me time! Now I am com
ing to it." replies Florence quickly:
sYou know the large screen shas
stands IN the corridor just outside the
sitting-room I have mentioned-pus
there, I imagine to break the draught;
Well, had come out Of the room and
was standing half-hidden by this
screen, when I saw something thas
paralyZed me with fear"
She rises to her feet and grows desd-
y pale as she says this, as though the
sensation Of fear she has been descE1D-
ing has come to her sgain:
sYou saw" prompts Dora, rising
300, and trembling violently, IS though
IN expectation Of some fatal tldings.
II saw the door Of the room that
leads to the haunted chamber slowly
move. It opened; the door that has
been locked for nearly fifty years, and
that has filed the breasts Of all the ser
wants here with terror and disnay, was
cautiously thrown open! a scream
rose to my lips, but was either too ter
rifed to give utterance to it, or else
some strong determination too know
what would foIow restrained me, and
I stood silent, like one turned into
stone. had instinctively moved back
a step or two, and was now completely
hidden from sight, though I could see
all that was passing in the corridor.
through a hole in the framework OF
the screen. At last figure came with
door into the fu} glare Of the flicker
ing lamp. ! could see him distinctly.
It was
arthur Dvnecourt.." cries the widow,
covering her ghastly face with her
hOnHC