Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1898-12-15

$ THE PORTENT. S
CHAPTER NV.

NEW ISTRENCHMENT-.
But this way Of breaking into the
house every night did not afford me
the facility | wished. For l wanted
to see Lady Alice during the day. or
at least in the evening before she went
TO sleep. as otherwise l could not thor
oughly Judge of her condition. So
got Wood to pack up a small stock OF
provisions for me in his haverSack.
which l took with me. and when |
entered the house that night. | Dolted
the door of the court behind me. and
made all fast.
waited till the usual time for hci
appearance had passed; and. always
apprehensive now, as was very nat
ural l had begun TO grow uneasy.
when l heard a voice. as | had heard
ii once before, singing. Fearful Of
disturbing her, l listened for a mo
ment. Whether the song was her own
or not. | cannot be certain. When |
questioned her afterward. she knew
nothing about it. 1t was this:
Days of old,
Ye are not dead, though gone from me;
Ye are not cold,
But like the summer birds gone DER
the sea
The sun brings back the swallows
fast.
Ger the sea;
When thou comest at last,
The days of old come back to me-"
She ceased singing. Still she did
not enter | went into the closet. and
found that the door was bOlted. When
| opened it. she entered, as usual; and.
when she came to herself, seemed still
letter tAan before.
Duncan" she said, Il don't know
how it is but | believe I must have
forgotten everything / ever knew.
feel as if bad. l don't think / can
even read. VIII you teach me my
letterst'
She had a book in her hand. /
hailed this as another sign that her
waking and sleeping thoughts bor-
dcred on each other; for she must
have taken the book during her SOM
nambulic condition. I did as she de-
sired. She seemed to know nothing
till told her But the moment l told
her anything, she knew it perfectly.
Before she left me that night she was
reading tolerably, with many pauses
of laughter that sine should ever have
forgotten how. The moment she
shared the light of my mind all was
plain; where that had not shone. all
was dark. The fact was, she was liv-
ing still in the shadow of that shock
which her nervous constitution had
received from our discovery and my
rejection.
AS she was leaving me, / said:
Shall you be in the haunted room
at sunset tomorrow. Alice?'
"Of course | SHALL" she answered
You will find me there them | re-
Joined; that is, If you think there is
no danger of being seen"
Not the least" she answered. "No
one follows me there; not even Mrs
Blakesley, good soul! They are ali
afraid. as usual"
When she had gone, 1 followed into
the old hall. taking my sack with me-
But | found it very difficult to wait
for the evening. By the windows OF
one of the rooms looking westward I
sat watching the going-down of the
sun.
One moment longer, and a light
hand was laid on the door. 1t opened
gently. and Alice, entering, fitted
across the room straight to my arms.
How beautiful she was; her old-fash
ioned dress bringing her into harmony
with the room and It's old consecrated
twilight. For this room looked east.
ward. and there was only twilight
here. She brought me some water. at
my request; and then we read, and
laughed over our reading. Every mo-
ment she not only knew something
fresh, but knew that she had known IL
before. The dust OF the years had to
be swept away; but 1t was only dust,
and flew at breath. The light soon
failed us in that dusky chamber; and
we sat and whispered, till only when
we kissed could we see each others
eyes. At length Lady Alice said:
'"They are looking for me; had bet
ter go. Shall l come at night%
NO" | answered "Sleeb and do
not move"
every well, I WILL"
She went, and I returned to py den.
There l lay and thought. Had she
ever been insane at all7 I doubted it.
A kind of mental sleep or stupor had
come upon her-nothing more.
Next evening we met again, and the
next, and many evenings. Every time
j was more convinced than before that
she was thoroughly sane in every prac-
tical sense, and that she would recall
everything as soon as | reminded her.
But this L forebore to do, fearing
reaction.