The morning times., 1896-12-27
A Strange Night On
the Southern Express

Midn ghtr and the rush and whirl of
the express flying south. Between me
and my destination 300 miles Three hun
dred miles passed over in this cddyinG
flight The events of that night l remen,-
her how vividy, Although | had doZcd
freuuo ntly on the Journey, | distinctly re
member calculating iii my mind there now
remained but one other station at which
stoprage would lie made before reach
ing London. This was Norton Heath No
one aghted and only one person entralncd.
The door of my own carriage was quickly
flung open. and a man somewhat younger
than myself Sprang in closing the door
behind him Never bcStow!ng upon me
even the most casual glance. the stranger
settled into a corner and yielded himself
up 10 the rh ythnic whirl OF the wheels.
which increased almost imperceptibly with
the yelucit ' Of the traIn as II sped over the
darkencd country.
After Il little while he took from one OF
his pockets. a flask of brandy which he
emptied at a dTaught and then reIightcd
his cigar which had gone out since he
entered the carriage. The monotonous
hum Of the wheels together with the
quantity OF spirits he must have con
sumed, heightened his drOwsiness To
letharey, and he gaZed vaCantlv through
the darkcned window into the unSearch-
able gloom of wrcathng smoke that wov.
into a thousand Chimeras past the ma
giCian's cunning.
We had journcyed thus for nearly half an
hour when, hy cha ancc turning my eyes in
the strangers direction l beheld the man
haggard and terrorstricken. The half
EmOk ked cigar lay on the floor near his foot
and he had Ia ken a grim hold on the door
handle. and, rigid with fear, ne
gaZed away into the darkness. 1t was no
ordinary sight which thus held his atten-
ton, | was certain.
Fearful Of intrudine on the privacy of
SO complete stranger, / for some time
refrained from speaking; but the strang
ers moyem entS now became SO many
Damclcss fears not TO he endured. Una
able longer to bear the horror of the
mans face, | at length passed over and
looked out.
The night was denSc-a deep plutonIan
darknesS-nOt n star visible The agony
OF the white face uron the pane caused
me shivcr. Now and then spaSm
convulsed his whole being, and for a
rare instant the fixed eyes were closed
How long this state continued | never
knew
AT last could endure the thing noloneer
l seized the MINIS hands each in one of
my own. Even as did so the dronng of
the wheels Increased. and against the
blackened pane vague, half formed con-
tours began dinly TO shape themselves
coming and going Enthusiastically, like sill
houcttes OF the dancers against the cur
tained window of a ballroom. The train
however. appeared to be travelling at a
much greater celebrity, and the peculiar
effect for some time excited my curiosity to
a high pitch.
Reused to a Eeencr sense of observation
| began to cast about for the cause of the
fantasy. An empty up train, hitherto un-
noticed had sided, and for some distance
Journeyed abreast OF US. And yet however
II seemed unreasonable to suppose that the
train had slowed down after coming up
with us. Indeed, SO rapid was our pasSag ge
that the carriages could be felt to OSciIlate
bodily as the train eddied around IL sharp
bend in the track
SO strange and weird seemed the fleet
ing shapes upon the pane that for a long
time i was utterly at a loss to account for
the curious freak. And yet plainly enough
1T was not the other train that had slack
ened speed, but we who had tas l could not
doubt now increased our own, and Were
consequently moving more or less collateral
with the dakeDed and empty carriage
had heard of these optical illusions be-
fore, and aScribed it to my overwrought
ina gination. Finally, satisfied with these
discoveries. l turned my attention to the
stranger. His gaze had become fixed and
intense. l was sure it was no sleeping
state IN which he was plunged some mys-
terious power held him charmed
Suddnely released my hold of the mans
hands, and in an instant the Illusion va
ished. / was durhbfounded, Again /
seized his hands and held them one in
each of my own Gradually, as dream
grows into life, was conscious of innum-
erable things passing swiftly before ne,
unintelligible, and with a sense of infinite
Woe.
BY the workings of the mans face |
was sure that, by some morbid sympathy.
the mirage was visible in both for | per
ceived that l might by the mere lifting
of his hands, conjure the scene or disperse
it by releasing them. 1t struck me like
aforcible recollection of DeQ uincey's opium
dreams, especially that laSt-related ter
rible vision.
| experienced Sickenug nausea and
was forced to again relax my hold The
empty train was still travelling alongside
us, thus forming a magic mirror where
furtive lights played ! crossed TO the
other window of the carriage and looked
out; all was blackneSs--impenetrab dark.
/ came back and once more seized the
mans hands.
Some terrible drama, felt conscious,
was about to he enacted Whence came
this strange presentiment? / saw a face
distinctly mirrored on the dark pane
Yet not one face alone others there were,
familiar and recognizable. l glanced in
stantly at the face of the stranger. The
face, that terrible first face was his own
Then, whether sleeping or waking. in act
or in fancy, or W neither in that mystic inter
space between the real and the unreal it
faded through the gloom and became sud
dpnl fra nSDortpd tn q room filled IN q Sides