The Cook County herald., 1905-05-20
The So'rcerer
of St. Giles
CHAPTER lx.-(Continued).
BY PROF. WILLIAM HI. PECK,

CHAPTER lx.-(Continued).
t'Then again, by that wonderful
trick of Sosia, as he appeared in the
closet! That was no phantom-no!
for the fellow had a wrist of iron, a
hand of steel, and skilled with the
sword, such as could belong only to
zeno Sosia! l wonder he had kept his
old strength of hand and cunning of
fence so we'll. l wonder more how he
contrived so perfectly to assume the
appearance of the young gentleman,
the first man I ever killed. That's
why the face has haunted me ever
since. used to speak to Sosia of how
I was haunted, and he said it would
pass off after time. 1t never has.
Sosia knew it, and so used the fact to
escape from the closet. Bah! he
sprang from the frying pan into the
fire, may say, for if there is any
truth in what the parsons say, his
soul is in fire now, though his body
died in water"
Here Bashfort chanced to cast his
eyes upward, exactly toward where
Clarence was concealed.
The young man was lying upon a
beam, and his body was wholly con-
cealed from Bashforts view; nor did
the light of Bashfort's torch shine
upon the young mans face; but the
rays of the rising moon did.
These rays, streaming broadly
through hole in the dismantler roof,
painted Clarence's pale face with a
ghastly, ghostly hue, as the eyes of
Bashfort fell suddenly upon it,
The hairs of the ruffian's head bris-
tied with an awful terror as this phan-
tom-like face glared down upon him.
Clarence, imagining that struggle
for life with the savage was at hand,
glared hate, rage and defiance down,
but moved not muscle of his face or
form.
Bashfort could see only the face;
aud that with the terrible glare of it's
motionless eyes, appalled, his soul with
that cowardly horror of which he had
just spoken.
*FThe phantom face again!" he gasp
ed, letting fall the bundle of faggots
he was at the moment holding under
his left arm. "The face of the man I
killed at York! 'Tis no trick of the
sorcerer now-for' the sorcerer is
dead! Away, phantom face! He who
made me murder you is dead-in the
we'll there-go haunt him! was
young. and he tempted me to do the
deed-nay, my life was in his power
he forced me to do the deed! did it
to save my own life from the hang
mani"
Thus gasped the burly rufian, his
teeth chattering with terror his joints
growing weak under his weight until
he sank SLOWLY down upon his knees;
his dilated eyes fixed upon the pallid
face which seemed to hang in air.
Away! Haunt me no more! know
not harm it! gave it to Zeno Sosia!
know not what the sorcerer did with
the boy-I fled from him not long
after gave the child to him! Away!
Haunt me no more! I am sorry for
the deed-aye it was a cruel one
"Bashfort! Neil Bashfort!' thun-
dered a voice far away, and from the
lower part Of the building.
1t was the voice of Lord Genlis, who
began to be impatient with the long
absence of his henchman; and at this
moment a dense and dark cloud shut
or1f
Clarence became instantly invisible to
Bashfort.
''Black darkness is where it was-it
is gone!" muttered the terrified man,
staring wildly for an instant into the
darkness of the mass of beams above;
and snatching up his torch, which had
fallen from his trembling hands, he
fed from the room in the corridor,
shouting, in reply to his master:
AYE, my lord, am coming!"
And growing to himself as he ran:
Courses se:"e the phantom face!
Will never be free from it,. Thrice
to-day have seen ton the cliff as
dreamed, in the sorcerer's trick of the
closet, and now amid the rafters!
would the accursed sorcerer had never
put that deed upon my soul!'
Clarence was greatly relieved by
Bashfort's sudden departure, though
he remained for several minutes as
1notionless in his concealment as he
had been while the affrighted gaze of
the ruff1an was upon him.
*'The fellow saw me-" he mused.
sand yet it was plain that he took me
for a-ghest-the ghost of some one
whom he murdered at York more than
twenty years ago-and by Zeno Sosias
command! Now, my face must be
wonderfully like the face of the muir
dered man to twice terrify and deceive
this scoundrel, whose visage generally
speaks only of reckless and merciless
daring-as harsh, stubborn, savage
and resolute visage as ever saw.
must know more of the fellow. Per-
haps may win from him some clue by
which in time may solve the mystery
of my parentage. Was the man whom
thio cool no,,r6oro1 INV fo<hono