r Vanderhausen; the air, the
gait, the height were the same, but the features had never been seen by
any of the party before. The stranger stopped at the door of the room,
and displayed his form and face completely. He wore a dark-coloured
cloth cloak, which was short and full, not falling quite to his knees;
his legs were cased in dark purple silk stockings, and his shoes were
adorned with roses of the same colour. The opening of the cloak in front
showed the under-suit to consist of some very dark, perhaps sable
material, and his hands were enclosed in a pair of heavy leather gloves,
which ran up considerably above the wrist, in the manner of a gauntlet.
In one hand he carried his walking-stick and his hat, which he had
removed, and the other hung heavily by his side. A quantity of grizzled
hair descended in long tresses from his head, and rested upon the plaits
of a stiff ruff, which effectually concealed his neck. So far all was
well; but the face!--all the flesh of the face was coloured with the
bluish leaden hue, which is sometimes produced by metallic medicines,
administered in excessive quantities; the eyes showed an undue
proportion of muddy white, and had a certain indefinable character of
insanity; the hue of the lips bearing the usual relation to that of the
face, was, consequently, nearly black; and the entire character of the
face was sensual, malignant, and even satanic. It was remarkable that
the worshipful stranger suffered as little as possible of his flesh to
appear, and that during his visit he did not once remove his gloves.
Having stood for some moments at the door, Gerard Douw at length found
breath and collectedness to bid him welcome, and with a mute inclination
of the head, the stranger stepped forward into the room. There was
something indescribably odd, even horrible, about all his motions,
something undefinable, that was unnatural, unhuman; it was as if the
limbs were guided and directed by a spirit unused to the management of
bodily machinery. The stranger spoke hardly at all during his visit,
which did not exceed half an hour; and the host himself could scarcely
muster courage enough to utter the few necessary salutations and
courtesies; and, indeed, such was the nervous terror which the presence
of Vanderhausen inspired, that very little would have made all his
entertainers fly in downright panic from the room. They had not so far
lost all self-possession, however, as to fail to observe two