The morning times., 1896-07-05

| COON, but something stopped ME; was 1t
| that feeling again of some one standing
beside me- that froZe the words on my
| lips, ana left me standing looking at Lady
GleucoiDe, who was, I think, beginning
| to wonder at my silence?
"Ob no, thank you l said hurriedly.
LII really like that room, II IL s" pretty;
| and it would be quite wrong TO make II
i-ehaDge, think and laughed nervousiy.
| She looked at me for n moment and
lsseemed as if she were about 10 say some
thing more; but evidently changed her
mind. for taking me To my room, she said
| good night and left me, and l heard her
| stems growing fainter and fainter III the
I distance.
| hastily rang for my maid, and, to give
l-nyselr an excuse for OBTAINING her,
| Insisted upon having my hair Thoroughly
| washed and brushed. But, keep her as
t-Ioug, as / could, the time went slowly, ana
| II was not yet midnight when she LEFT me,
land knew now was alone Tor the night,
| to face, 1T as best l could.
I | noticed the blinds had been left up,
and the curtains Were not drawn-the
| housemaid, Z suppose, having thought 1
| liked this: and l left il SO. preferrlng
even the ghosuy moonlight TO the utter
| loneliness of darkness. l determined TO
f-keep awake, to listen and To watch, but
| lily venus ptu w u ihs tiiSu
| eyes and sleep stole over ne, and being,
| | suppose. exhausted by the events Of
| the night before, l fell into troubled,
| restless slumber. Again / was wakeDed,
| and / opened my eyes. i knew what
| they would fall oh. For a moment the
| room was in slight shadow, caused by a
| cloud passing over the moon; but as II
| cleared away, and left 1t in brilliant
| light again, it revealed tie figure OF
1 Gs. linz tapr
| with the same dress, Jewels anu express
| sion OF the night before, still with her
! finger upraised, beckoning, almost en-
| treating. There was no doubt III my
| mind as TO what should do; an irresistible
| force compelled me to follow her. Did
we open the door, or did we go through
| ii? / never knew, but i'll moment We
| were in the gallery. Here, even i'll spite
| of the terror which possessed me, could
| not help Noticing the strange beauty OF
| the scene.
| The gallery was flooded almost from one
| end TO the other with the moonlight. impart-
| ing to the pictures life-lke appearance.
! making them into u living audience watch
| ing US as we fitted by: with my strange
| guide always going on, sometimes passing
| into the light which lit upthe ra dant jewels
| she was wearing, and felt as If l were
| ina Greamt that had no awakening, or maybe
| and spirits.
| Quite at the far end she paused, and l
noticed her hand with the ring on 1t
| felt up and do wn the last Ianel but one, ana
| then she pushed back what seemed bolt,
| it looked so easy, and l felt sure l had
| seen how she did it; the panel opened, and
| she went through a small stone archway,
| still folio wing, into vauited passage, and
| then for a moment lest sight Of her, but
auI fnrnpl what
| seemed to be corner, came upon a room-
| a small vaulted chamber, and as looked
into il the certainty flashed across me That
| it was the room had seen in my crystal
! l held my breath; the lady was on her
knees, almost tearing off her jewels, and
| tbro wing them into what seemed to be an
| aperture in the floor. When she had done,
size took a stone which was lying by, and
covered them with it.; and then she stood
| for a moment ringing her hands over the
| spot, and l saw the ring, the only orna-
nient that she had not divested herself of,
/ slip off her finger on to the floor, ana tneh,
| without appearing to UotiCe it, she lett the
room. l stopped for one second, picked up
the ring, aud followed her.
I As we came, so we returned-alons tbe
! passage, through the still open panel, which
closed behind me-into the gallery. l saw
| her face for one moment after this, and then
| throwing up her arms she vanished-vaD-
| ished completely, as if she had never peeh
there. l went to the window; nothing,
| nothing to be seen but the moon looking
! down in full beauty on the terrace garden,
and no sound but the gentle moaningof the
| wind, which had risen during the night.
Trembling in every limb, stumbled back
into my room, but more cannot teh'
| suppose l tainted; but the next thing was
conscious of was finding myself lying OF
nv bed, the room in darkness. and stii
tightly grasped in my hand was the ring
III lit the candles, and kept them burning ps
me till the morning, when l fell into o
sleep, and did not open my eyes Till IN,
maid stood by my bedside, and told me Il
was nearly breakfast time; And ma am
you do look bad!' was her sympathe.i'
remark.
! 1 dismissed her. and, Jumping from ID!
he'd. ran to the looking glass. l real.
think / expected my hair was gray-pu
it was still it's own natural brown, wa
thankful to see; but there were great blacl