Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1907-08-22
CHAPTER v.

When met Sir Edmund in the
morning told him that my partners
had agreed with me to alter the clause
in the agreement. though we had not
vet decided in what manner.
II am glad to hear it," he said; ANY
thing will be better than that agree.
nent as 1t stands"
Edith came down late to breakfast.
She looked pale. and said she had
oversight herself.
For the first time in your life. be.
lieve," said Sir Edmund. "You did
not fall asleep quite SO readily as usual
-hey?" he asked. smiling.
II could not Sleep" she answered.
but SO gravely that saw 1t was not
from the cause the baronet implied
the love that had kept me awake; and
then she added: II have been terribly
frightened"
We looked at her in astonishment
and anxiety.
81 will tell you all about it, she con-
tinued, because you may be able to
explain what perplexes me, and that
will be great relief"
She paused as if to collect her
thoughts. and then said:
II was nearly asleep when I noticed
q sound coming from the window. 1t
was as If some one were rdpping upon
the glass-not loudly or quickly. but
softly, as though with the tip Of the
finger, and at intervals. I might have
counted twenty or tlirty between one
tap and the next. took little notice
of 1t at first. thinking Is had left
the window partly open. 1t might be
the wind moving the Venetian blind;
but. after a while, the persistent tap
tap-tap irritated me. I rose and lit
a candle, then l went to tf, window.
The lattice was just as 1 had left it.
The blind hung perfectly motionless.
I drew it up and looked out. There
was a gray mist everywhere. Not a
breath of air stirred; the flame Of the
candle burned as steadily as though
the window had been clo: I'd. I let
down the blind and listened; there was
not the sign. ST SOunu.
"A moth OH the ceiling" said Sir Ed
mund; "they have worried me In the
same manner. Then you get light
and the thing stops"
Hold on, we amt heered the last
on it, l kin see," sad the Judge, look
ing at Miss Lascelles intently, his
shaggy hrowG bent over his quick
eyes.
II explained it as you do. papa.
put out the light and tried to sleep. l
heard no sound for quite ten minutes,
l think, and then again that soft, slow
tap-tap-tap came from the window
the same sound, with the same long
interval between them.
at was not like the beat Of moths
wing. 1t was like nothing but the
touch of a human finger. But tried
to think it was an insect in the wall
the insect that is called the death
watch And l did my best to take no
notice Of it, but could not help hear
ing it; and after time grew fright
ened, and the sound grew dreadful to
my ears. 1t became unedurable; l
could not lie there listening pensively.
got up again and struck match.
The wick Of the candle was slow to
light, and during those moments I no.
ticed the sound had ceased. AS l say,
l was frightened-very frightened.
And the unbroken silence seemed
more terrible than the sound. There
was something ghostly and supernat.
ural about it that brought the old ter
ror used to feel as child In passing
the room that is said to be haunted at
night. And just then the clock in the
belfry struck. dared not 60 to the
window. My hand trembled 80 that
l could not take up the candle, but
looked toward the window. The first
thing that struck me was that the
laths of the blind, instead of lying fat,
as they generally do. when down, and
as l had left them. were opened and
turned edgeway-do you know how
Nean?'
She held her hands, that trembled
with the recollection Of her terror. one
above the other horizontally.
"But the next thing" she continued,
and then stopped, with a little shud-
der, while we who listened held our
breath-"the next thing I saw was
two great black eyes that caught the
light from my candle as they glared
n between the lower laths of the
blind"
II think l fainted-I must have done
30, for l was conscious of nothing af-
ter that, until found myself upon the
ToOr. The light was still burning upon
lhe table. AS recollection returned to
me, looked toward the window. The
laths were no longer open, but turned
fat. Then 1t occurred to me that all
had seen was merely imaginative
that 1t was merely a realistic dream
that had gone through these expert
ences in my sleep. My great terror
was gone. went without fear to the
window to ascertain IL the night was
as had seen 1t. There was the gray
mist; the fame of the candle did not
flicker. Nevertheless, when looked
down and saw how impossible 1t was
for any one to have stood outside the
window, felt convinced that At least
the vision Of the two eyes was imag-
inary-an outcome of the fear I felt