The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1904-12-20
CHAPTER VIII.

n LOE MISS 94ldSGGlleS sake.
/ readily agreed to this, and for an
hour we walked on a part Of the lawn
from which could see Edith's win
dow. Then the rain which had been
drizzling for some time, fell heavily,
and forced us to 60 in.
4 We changed our boots for slippers,
and sat together in my room, with q
book. be with his chin in his hands,
his face hideous with the light OF the
Z lamp on his protruding eyes.
Heaven knows, was not wanting
IN love for Edith, or soIicitude for her
welfare, ana yet could not keep
awake. Tt must be remembered that
! 1 had had no sleep the preceding night.
md that did believe in Edith's haI
/ lucination, and therefore saw no ac-
tual danger menacing her. ] tried to
interest myself in the book, but my
4 thoughts grew confused, the type
SWAN before my eyes, and helped to
! bemuse my senses. At length put
down the book, and shaking my wits
\ together, said to Van Hoeck:
'Liet US talk
"Talkn' he muttered, scornfully;
why not ask me to sing you comic
song2 If the Kid were here suppose
/ you wouldn't want me to amuse you.
] You could keep awake until 3 or in
! the morning watching her, but as it's
only your future wife who is con-
! cerned, you are loggerheaded before
midnight"
The sarcasm did not prevent me doz-
ing again few minutes later I was
ashamed Of my drowsiness, and after
a minutes doze I would wake with q
guilty start, only to drop off again in
few moments. I know not how long
this had been going on, when Van
Hoeck shook me by the arm and woke
me thoroughly
ut is counting destruction to sit here
with the door OPEN" he said, zone Of
as blind ana the etner dead asleep.
cannot stand it any longer; it is intol-
cradle. Tell me If it rains
/ went to the window and found that
the rain had ceased. ] told him this.
II viii go out; take me down to the
door" he said.
led him downstairs and gave him
his umbrella and hat. Then took
mine, and opened the door quietly,
fearing to awake Edith. / would have
accompanied him, but he refused say
Ing night and day were alike to him,
and he knew his way along the paths
and about the lawn.
he ~ ~rs..7., wnns.. 90
yourself in" he said; lit is our only
security. Tap at the window to let
me know that all is fast. beg you to
do this he added earnestly; you can
not understand the feelings Of man
In my position-th the torture of con-
scious impotency as you feel the APP
preaching fate that you are powerless
to avert
His voice ratified in his throat, and
indistinctly ] heard him mutter, as
he CROPPED his way along the wall of
the terrace:
"Cramped in a coffin, and clods fall
ing, falling
/ closed the door and returned to my
room with shudder.
When / had fastened myself in !
tapped at the window, and Van Hoeck
replied by tapping on the wall below.
The fresh air had revived NEIL had
no longer to struggle with an irresis-
tible drowsiness-th the inclination to-
sleep was gone.
had my book to finish, but my mind
was not sufficiently composed to read.
AS walked about the room thought
Of Edith and Of Van Hoeck. wondering.
II there could be any connection be-
tween her strange hallucination and
the terrible presentiment which night
and day possessed him. 1t seemed as
If there must be something abnormal
In the conditions under which we lived
to produce an effect which, though
characterized by different peculiarities,
was in both eases attributable only to
a disordered imagination, and 1 won
dered If ], IN my turn, should come
under this occult influence.
might have been occupied with the
speculation for half an hour or more
when heard a scream Of terror that
| could not doubt came from the wing
in which Edith lay. In an instant /
opened the door and ran through the
corridor. The doors in the picture gal.
lery were open, AS drew aside the
curtain which closed in the staircase
corridor Of the left wing saw Sir Ed.
mund come from his room with lamp
The door of Edith's room exactly faced
his; 1t was wide open: all was dark