The times., 1897-03-31

| ing of sickening faintness. 1t was an i'm
| preston of overpowering wickedness- a
| wickedueSs suitler and more deadly than
! longed to the ordinary scope OF human
| nature, and which, in spite of the horror
| of repulsiOn it aroused in Tne, had also q
| strange attractive force, as if it claimed
relationship with all the latent or unac-
| knowledged evil in my own soul, and
| sought, by means of that sympathy to draw
me into partnership and completely with
the crime whatever it was-that was he
| ing or about to be perpetrated on the
| other side of that closed door.
Between the impulse to retreat and the
impulse to so forward, remained motion
less. Butt felt my will losingi Is mastery;
and as that sweet, low voice spoke again,
the words desperately formed themselves
in my mind whether or not | uttered
them l know not: ''Oh, Lord, deliver
me!''
In the same moment there was quick
rustic ard a start a confusion of sound,
and then a woman's scream, SO wild and
fearful that a horror and terror seemed
TO be gathered up and concentrated in
it. Following nay, joining in with it
was a burst of savage laughter: then the
hurried stamping of feet, mingled cries
and the crash ofan overturned table With
this din ringing in my ears, stepped for
ward and pushed violently against the
door. 1t started from its decayed hinges
and fell with a resoundng clang against
the floor, revealing every portion of the
room beyond to my sight.
Silence, emptiness and gloom! The room
was al a corner of the edifice; portion
Of the outer wall was missing, leaving a
great, ragged gap, through which the
moonlight quietly fell. bushes sprouted in
the creyices of the crumbling stones; the
fresh night air eddicd in and swept my
face. The rains and SHOWS of generations,
falling through the ruined wall, had grad
ually rotted away the timbers Of the floor,
and 1t some unknown past time it had
given way, leaving a black void in the
midst of the space. No human being could
have stood in that apartment for hun
dredS of years. What EamelesS tragedy
was it, then, whose hot atmosphere had
had breathed: whose frenzy l had felt
whose horror had frozen my senses but
moment since? | stared in vain into the
vacant dusk; there was nothing-nothing,
Nothing save ruin, the slow deca OF ages,
silence and night. But that scream! 1t
rang in my brain still / can hear it now
The solid earth may be a vision and a
shadow; but the agony of that scream
will be a reality forever.
/ returned to my own room, gathered up
my traps and descended to the courtyard.
had had enough ofthe hospitality of this
sinister dwelling. found my horse trem-
bling and dripping with, sweat, though
had carefully rubbed him down before
leaving him. He whinnied as l entered
and pressed up against me, being plainly
as eagerly anxious to get away as l was.
/ saddled and mounted him and rode forth.
nthe east was already faint brightness
of dawn
At the foot of the hill met peasant
going toward the lake. What place is
that?' asked him, pointing up to the
great pile l had just quilted.
Sure, tbs Sullane, yer Lonor!'' replied
he.
Docs any one live there?''
rs il live there? live at Sullane?'
The fellows face expressed sort Of