The Dickinson press., 1892-05-21
herself from under that s%utfocating
pressure, flung herself iron the bed.
and, as respiration returned, cried
with all her force for help.
p X.

f-ultn s room before her 1Or nelp, ]
paced my room, thinking how terrible
the fright must have been that made
her faint n second time, and despite
her belief in theunreality ofthese mys,
FERROUS appearances.
"Your turn will come" Van lIoeck
had said to me, and, these words COM
ing back tony mind, | asked myself il
the repeated attacks upon Edith
might rot be part OF a complicated
scheme to obtain the diamond.
Such q plot was the more possible
because it seemed impossible. An act
OF leserdermain succeeds or not, &C
cording to the skill with which the
conjurerfiNes our attention on aialse,
tram OF operations while he works
out the actual feat. AS | made these
reflections, | took the Great lIesper
from the pouch on my waist strap,
and buciSied it in it's case upon my
lett wrist; then | doubly locked the
lamp, put Il box O fwax matches beside
it on the table, and finally opened the
long-bladed knife Van lIoeck had
given me, and stuck it between the
mattress and the side OF the bed
stead.
The room was thickly carpeted and
oak-paneled. Thefurniture--with the
exception OF the toilet arrangements,
and u low sadule-back chair-was
antique, and OF oak. The bedstead
was particularly wide, with four
carved pillars carrying a baldaquin,
and heavy curtains OF some thick
brocaded stuff, looped ut the foot,
but hanging loose AT the head: it faced
the oriel.
Between the right side OF the bed
and the wall was IL square table,-on
which stood the lamp,-with the saddle
back chair beside it. On the Ell -hand
side OF the bed was atali, carved black
press. a large chimney, with a sculp-
tured mantel and an open hearth,
faced the door. A screen shut off the
washstand, which stood to the left OF
the oriel. A broad settle, with'a val
ance, and covered with Il stuff simil-
ar to the hangings OF the bed, ran
round the three-sided recess formed by
the window,-curtains OF the same
kind shut Off this recess. A corner
cabinet, with folding doors in the
lower part, fitted the angle OF the
walls to the right; between this and
the door was a deep, wide, and long
chest, and above it u large mirrow.
An escritoire, some high-backed chairs,
and Il second table, completed the fur
..ture. There was no door but
the one opening upon the corridor,
and no windows save the oriel.
In the early part OF the night, l had
described these particulars to Van
Hoeck, at his request, and he had
made me examine the press, the old
chest, the hangings OF the bed and
settles; everything, in fact, which
might afford a hiding-place to Lola
or another.
| had even gone down upon my
knees, and looked under the bed, to
appease his anxiety. And yet, now,
a vague uneasiness possessed me as l
raised the lamp shade, and looked
around the room. The dark oak
%wainscot, the sombre hanginss, the
painted ceiling overhead, absorbed
the light; there was a black void on
the opposite side OF the bed, where
the light from the lamp was inter-
cepted by the curtains; | could not
see even the outline OF the great press.
| readjusted the shade, turned the
wick higher, and, half-undressed, threw
myself upon the bed. l was not
afraid,-in strength | was q match for
any natural Toe, and l did not believe
in the existence OF any other,-yet |
felt myself infected with Van Hoeck's
prescntiment OF impending calamity.
Van lloeck's theory OF Lola's COM
plicity i'll ii plot to sreal ii diamond,
had been upset by the fact that l was
watching her asleepat my door at the
worry time Edith believed she slw the
girl looking through her blinds; but
this had in no wise shaken his con-
viction that the mysterious appear
ance was connected with u SCHEME to
rob us.
"Are a mans convictions to be linn
tied by his senses?" he asked. "You
are convinced that u cloud is rising in
the horizon because you seeit; but am
l to deny its existence because | have
10 sight? Are you justified, then, in
declaring that we are not menaced by
this disaster which is to overwhelm
us because you have not my faculty
of provision? You who can not deny
prescience to a bee, the presentiment
OF coming storm tocattle, tell methat
my conviction is nothing. 1t is only
by conviction that we live. What
slves us from destruction but the
conviction that, by stepping into an
abyss, w must fall? | tell you to
look about you; We are on the edge OF
an abyss. There are signs to strike
the dullest intelligence. Your turn will
GOMEZ"
had hung my watch i'll the pocket
upon the hanging at the head OF the
bed; its lively ticking sounded strange
ly out OF keeping with the gloom and
stiffness OF the surroundings. The
shaded light gave a funeral aspect to
the bed hangings; the baldaquin over
my head might have been catalal-
que for the dead. l wondered how
many men had ended their days in
this bed since these hangings had been
put up. Would Van Hoeck's presen-
timent be fulfilled? Should | be found
there in the morning dead?
TWAS we'll suited for a murder, that
bed, with its pall-like hangings to con-
ceal the lurking murderer.
Tic-tac, t%ic-tac, tic-tac, t%ic-tac, tic
tao.
My ear had become so familiar to
the brisk movement of my watch that
the slightest sound was audible above
it. And a sound slight indeed l heard.
TO my mind, dwelling then upon as
sassins, it sounded like the drawing Of
a dagger from its sheath.
Turning my head toward the side
from which the sound seemed to pro-
coed, l fancied | saw the heavy cur
tain move; it a between me and the
lump. The movement was as slight
as the sound. Ii it was a fact that 1
heard one, it was a fact that l suw
the other.
Idrew. myself up gradually AMI
leaning forward, 1 suddenly flung back
the curtain with my left hand. There
was no resistance to my hand;
nothing could be seen beyond but the
lamp burning steadily onthetable. the
saddle:back chnir, and thedim outline