The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-07-13

myself for the night, merely yielding
enough to my fears to pull the bed In
front OF the door; then lay down, and
with the light still burning fell fast
asleep.
1t must have been after midnight that
awoke In violent tremble, and with
the perspiration streaming from every
pore. Someone or something was at my
door. i heard the stealthy step, the
swishing dress, which proved the intruder
to be woman, and then the quiet, almost
noiseless insertion OF key into the lock,
followed by quick turn which made me
a prisoner. Bounding to the door,
gasped out Miss Knollys' name, but no
answer came In reply to my smothered ap-
peal, and next moment i heard the step
gliding softly away, filling me with so
much alarm that should certainly have
shrieked aloud II at that moment there
had not risen from somewhere IN the
house cry so much more wild aud un-
earthly than any could have uttered that
my own tongue became paraly5ed ana 4
sank to the ground In terror. A murmur
OF voices quickly suppressed followed,
but no second cry, and presently all was
as still as II no sound had arsen to dis
turb the midnight Icowered, however,
for many minutes against the floor, and
then, stiff with the cold and blinded by
the darkness, for my candle had long ago
burned out, / groped my way. to the
chair where had laid my clothes and
began with trembling fingers to dress
myself.
AS did so paused every now and then
to listen, but beyond the faint fall OF Q
distant footstep, or the smothered sound
of whispering voices, heard nothing,
though every fibre In my body told me
that some dreadful thing had happened,
been q premeditated one, or why had my
door been locked.
Alive TO my helplessness and recalling
for my comfort the parting assurance OF
Miss Knollys that nothing which might
occur would have any reference TO myself,
sat down in my clothes and waited with
mingled hope and dread for daybreak.
But had miscalculated my amount of
nerve. i could not sit thus passively for
hours, and Jumping up at last, pushed
my bed aside aud laid my hand on the
knob of my door to see if the latter was
really fastened. / found that 1t was, and
not knowing what TO do with myself
/ leaned against the Intel and listened,
counting my OWL. heart beats and vaguely
hoping that somewhere in the house a
clock would soon strike, telling me the
hour.
But no such relief came; on the con-
trary, the leaden moments went by with
out sound to relieve them, and was
beginning to query whether II would not
be better for me to avail myself OF the
warmth of my bed than TO stand any
longer shivering on the bare floor, when
faint noise, the first had heard in some
time, came from without, and the etealthy
football returned to my door, paused
moment, during which held my breath
and almost stopped my hearts beating;
then the key was again inserted, turned
and drawn out, leaving me again In COM
munication with the family.
My first instinct vas TO open the door,
call out to the person who was gliding
off, and asked what had happened. But
natural timidity restrained me, and not
till the step had quite disappeared did /
venture to open the door and give one
quick look down the tunnel-like hall
Darkness and darkness only met my
eyes,. and halting between the fear OF
what that darkness inclosed and the
phantoms of dread and horror with which
my room was peopled, stood haltlng on
the threshold, when sound Of distant
sobbing reached my ear, sounding so
pitifully In the dismal silence that, for
getting my own fears forgetting the cause
had to dread that stretch of shut-up
rooms before me, dashed lightly into
the darkness and sped, without thought
or reason, in the direction from which
these tokens Of grief had seemed TO come.
But this stra 1ge house is anything but
simple in its construction, and before
had gone many steps realized that / had
left the main hall and was lost in another
and a smaller one, from which l did not
know how to emerge In the profound
dHrkness. The sobs had ceased, SO i had
nothing to guide me, and prey once more
to the horrors Of my situation, ! turned
and fed hack as fast as a complete ignor-
ance OF my whereabouts allowed. With
one hand on the wall at my side, hast
ened on till came to turn, and taking
it for the one j had inadvertently made
few minutes before / whirled TO the right
and grouped on, breathless and painting,
till came to an open door.
As this was located just where had
expected to find my room, rushed in and
shut it behind me; and, still cropping,
found the bed, which seemed long way
from the door Qonger than it had when
i sought it before), and was in the act of
feeling for the pillow, when my hand
came in contact with something so dread
full, so blood-curdling and unexpected,
that my lips opened with a Mortified
shrek, which terror nevertheless stifed
In my throat.
had touched the clay-cold face Of a
corpse.
Ito be continued