Year: 1869

Drought candles and showed US tn'


way up a most rickety flight of stair


to our chambers. The Jew, who wa.
very much intoxicated, stumbled "


before me, and 1 saw him fling himsel


on his bed-which was in room near


ly opposite to mine-without undress


ing.


Ny bedroom, like every other part o


the house l had seen, was poorly ant


scantily furnished, and was of an old


fashioned. tumble down appearance


Across the whole length of the low


ceiling ran thick. heavy beam, from


the middle of which stood out conspic


uously small, strong hook. which al


once connected itself, in my mind, with


the idea of some anteeedent suicide


The floor, in many places, was rough


and uneven; the window small. and


barred with iron; the door was of old


black oak; and there was descent o.


two steps into the room.


had noticed all this on my entrance


and then, feeling drowsy. removed


my clothes slipped into bed, and soon
sank into dull, uneasy sleep. 1t was


sort of half-wakeful stupor-not the
calm, easy repose was accustomed to
enjoy after long days journey; and,
even while in that state, l seemed to
conceive notion that the coffee had
been drugged.


How long l lay there do not know.
l slept sometimes, for hideous dreams
disturbed me; but 1 suddenly found
myself sitting up in bed, trembling
with horror. and a wild cry of piercing
agony ringing shrilly through my
brain.


"Murder!"


The sharp. intense cry of one in dire
extremity. Whose voice it was that
gave utterance to it, and from what part
of the house it proceeded, l could not
tell. l only know that, without any
preliminary waking, as it seemed to
me, l found myself sitting up in bed,
staring, with wildly beating heart, into
the intense darkness around me, not
remembering for a moment where |
was, my brain still ringing with that
terrible cry. But had scarcely time
to gather my scattered wits together,
when, following quickly on the cry,
came the sound of pistol shot, evil
IDENTIFY close at hand, then heavy fall
on the floor, and all was still.


Then the recollection of where l was
came vividly back to my mind, and l
groped my way back to the door; in
the darkness l could see nothing; but
at last my hand had touched the key,
which had taken the precaution to
turn in the lock ere retiring to rest. 1t
grated in the rusty lock as it revolyed,
and the bolt shot back with cling
that echoed through the house, and
set my heart pulsing faster. l turned
the handle and pulled at the door, but
it yielded not, having been securely
fastened on the outside.


Instantly the dread conviction flashed
upon me that the peddler had been mur-
dered and my door barred in order to
prevent my going to his assistance while
the brutal act was in preparation. l
had no weapon save a pocket-knife.--
l opened the hack-blade, bound my
handkerchief tightly round the haft,
to give ME frmer hold, and COM
menced cutting at panel; but the oak
was hard as iron, and the blade snapped
short off. Great stiffness reigned
around. and my brain grew dizzy and
my spirits sank below the zero hope, as
1 reflected upon my awful position and
solitary captivity; then dripping noise
beneath the door attracted my atten-
ton. Great heavens! was it a stream
of blood trickling down the steps into
the room? l staggered to the bed, and
fell upon it in swoon.
WheRI recovered consciousness, the
faint grey light of breaking day was
glimmering through the narrow case
ment. A kind of magnetic fascination
drew my, eyes toward the door, and |
was thankful to perceive that what
had imagined blood was only water,
which had rippled down and formed a
small pool on the floor. My greatest
desire was escape; tried the chimney,
bat the fiue was far too narrow to give
me any hope of effecting my exit by
it, and the bars of the window were
as firm as rock. Next | noticed a
small trap, about ten inches square, in
the upper part of the door. I drew
two chairs towards it, mounted them,
pushed back the slide and peered forth.
The door of the peddler's room was half
open; l could. not see the bed, which
was behind it, but my eye fell upon
a large mirror on the opposite side OF
the apartment, and in it ] saw re-
Election which chilled my blood and
paralyzed me with terror. The Jew
lay stretched upon the bed, his CLASSY
eye fixed, as it seemed, full upon mine,
his jaw dropping, and his ghastly vis-
age wrinkled with lines of past agony,
while the blood welled up and trickled
down the coverlet from a crimson
cash in his throat. A torturing sense
of dread crept over me. l crouched
down in a corner, and here sat shud-
dering in terror till huge beads of
sweat stood ON my ice-cold brow
That my companion of the previous
day had been murdered, l could not
doubt; but why had been spared?-
The hours passed away, and still no
sound broke through the death-like
stiffness; then the terrible thought
came that7the murderers had fled, and
| had been left to starve; and, exhaust
ed by terror and hunger, | again re-
lapsed into state of insensibility.


A. dull, lowering evening, with rain
and heavy wind. Hark! what blast
was that! 1t seemed to shake the rick
ety old house to its foundations, max
ing the floors creak and the windows
rattle, and the whole tumble-down ed
ifce to shiver and groan in the grasp OF
its invisible arms. Suddenly | was
startled by. the. clashing of some dis
-. ILL y xI.,,. tLoro vac n faint ructla