, 1896-08-10

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Lody writhed with the graceful, langu-
orous movements Of a great feline.
With every move she made. she seemed
to scintillate with the g!int of gold.
l was staring at her, ~spell-bound,
when of a sudden the ayes O: this
strange and beautiful woman fixed
themselves upon me-peculiar eyes of a
phosphorescent green that seemed to
burn with a lambient flame. I was sure
that / was invisible to her. being on
the dark side of the draped window,
nevertheless, l felt that she saw me.
A cry escaped her, and she drew the
garment about her and buried her face
in the pillows.
1 pushed open the window, and step
ped quickly across the room. Bending
over her hidden face. i poured out a
torrent of excus and accusations
against myself. l caller myself a boor
and a coward. l implored her to strike
me, to drive me away. but with a word
OF pardon. For a long time l continued
to plead thus without a sign from her.
At last she turned, AMI l saw a young
face, extraordinary and charming,
which smiled at me.
1T is you, it is your she murmured.
What she meant by that, l could not
comprehend, but |, too. felt that I had
seen her before-there was something
3, no., eana har r1anna hnr ornnafp1
movements, that awoke vague mem
cries.
| stood gazing at her speeches., for
a moment, and then a mad desire came
over me to take her in my arms. But
she read the thought in my eyes, and
evaded me with surprising agility. she
ran to the lamp and exbinguished it.
There was a hooking laugh, then ST.
lence. Hastily striking a match, l re-
lit the lamp and looked about me. The
woman was nowhere to be seen. l had
heard no door open or close, and yet
she was not in the oom Beside my
seY there was no living thing there. ex-
cept the golden cat, which came to
me and rubbed herself against my legs.
| had not noticed her before, but evil
IDENTIFY she had been asleep in some
ocrner and my entrance had aroused
her.
l could 10 very well search the
apartment, so l waited a few moments
and her returned by the balcony to my
room. The light in the neighboring
apartment streamed out from the win
dow, but there was no sound to indi-
cate a living presence.
AS l pondered on the affair, l began
to feel a vague fear of this woman,
with her strange beauty and her enig-
matte smile, who said to me 1T is your
AWAY the memory OF those green eyes
that had flashed at me from the dark
ness as she extinguished the lamp, nor
the electric shock that had thrilled me
once when I touched her hair with my
hand.
Scarcely was ] in bed again when l
felt a weight fall upon my legs. 1t wa
the golden cat. pushed her away but
she returned. Finally I gave up the
struggle and fell into a troubled sleep,
with this strange companion, as on the
other night. still on my bed.
The next night ] again entered my
strange neighbours apartment. She
seemed not surprised to see me now,
and we chatted together for half an
hour. at the end of which time she dis
missed me with a smile, but in a way
not ITO be denied, and l returned to my
room. She had told me that her lame
was Linda. but beyond that she would
give no information about herself.
And 50 it ran on for a week. What
had taken place on the second night
was repeated again and again. Scarce
had l left Linda, and returned to my
room. when the golden cat appeared.
teaped up on my bed, installed herself
there, and remained until morning. l
knew now to whom the animal belong
ed. Once. when l spoke OF It.. Linda
said: "Oh. yes. my cat. Is 1t not the
one which seems to be all Of gold?'
Nothing new took place. but neverthe-
less. little by little, an intangible terror
took possession Of me.
There were moments when these "
beings. with their great green eyes,
their supple movements. and their
glory of golden hair, became confused
In my mind, and seemed to me to be on
ly the dual form Of a single soul. In
spite Of my opportunities OF Linda and
my efforts to surprise her. I had never
been able to see them at the same time.
l tried ITO reason with myself. to con-
vince myself that, as a matter OF fact,
there was nothing absolutely inexpli-
cable in what had befallen me. l rallied
myself on being afraid Of a wo-
man and a pet cat. And then. as the
result OF all my reasoning, l found that
in reality / was afraid neither Of the
animal nor of the woman, but Of a sym
bolical duality which existed only in
my own mind.
I actually suffered from this obses-
sion. After the nights in their pres
ence, l had days OF secret torture such
as mndmen undergo. Little by little a
resolution was born, grew. and rtpened
in my mind: the woman held me by her
lbeauty: but I resolved that I should kIll