the stone
after him by the iron knob. Owing to his hurried violence the jamb
closed with a dull, dismal and singular noise. A shriek followed from
within the room. In a panic, Israel fled up the dark stairs, and near
the top, in his eagerness, stumbled and fell back to the last step with
a rolling din, which, reverberated by the arch overhead, smote through
and through the wall, dying away at last indistinctly, like low muffled
thunder among the clefts of deep hills. When raising himself instantly,
not seriously bruised by his fall, Israel instantly listened, the
echoing sounds of his descent were mingled with added shrieks from
within the room. They seemed some nervous female's, alarmed by what must
have appeared to her supernatural, or at least unaccountable, noises in
the wall. Directly he heard other voices of alarm undistinguishably
commingled, and then they retreated together, and all again was still.

Recovering from his first amazement, Israel revolved these occurrences.
"No creature now in the house knows of the cell," thought he. "Some
woman, the housekeeper, perhaps, first entered the room alone. Just as
she entered the jamb closed. The sudden report made her shriek; then,
afterwards, the noise of my fall prolonging itself, added to her fright,
while her repeated shrieks brought every soul in the house to her, who
aghast at seeing her lying in a pale faint, it may be, like a corpse, in
a room hung with crape for a man just dead, they also shrieked out, and
then with blended lamentations they bore the fainting person away. Now
this will follow; no doubt it _has_ followed ere now:--they believe that
the woman saw or heard the spirit of Squire Woodcock. Since I seem then
to understand how all these strange events have occurred, since I seem
to know that they have plain common causes, I begin to feel cool and
calm again. Let me see. Yes. I have it. By means of the idea of the
ghost prevailing among the frightened household, by that means I will
this very night make good my escape. If I can but lay hands on some of
the late Squire's clothing, if but a coat and hat of his, I shall be
certain to succeed. It is not too early to begin now. They will hardly
come back to the room in a hurry. I will return to it and see what I can
find to serve my purpose. It is the Squire's private closet, hence it is
not unlikely that here some at least of his clothing will be found."

With these, thoughts, he cautiously sprung the iro