With her little, delicate hand,
Adrienne struck the door several times.

The dull, heavy sound which came from the door showed that it was very
thick. No answer was returned to the young girl. She ran to the other
door. There was the same appeal on her part, the same profound silence
without--only interrupted from time to time by the howling of the wind.

"I am not more timid than other people," said Adrienne, shuddering;
"I do not know if it is the excessive cold, but I tremble in spite of
myself. I endeavor to guard against all weakness; yet I think that any
one in my position would find all this very strange and frightful."

At this instant, loud cries, or rather savage and dreadful howls, burst
furiously from the room just above, and soon after a sort of stamping
of feet, like the noise of a violent struggle, shook the ceiling of the
apartment. Struck with consternation, Adrienne uttered a loud cry of
terror became deadly pale, stood for a moment motionless with affright,
and then rushed to one of the windows, and abruptly threw it open.

A violent gust of wind, mixed with melted snow, beat against Adrienne's
face, swept roughly into the room, and soon extinguished the flickering
and smoky light of the lamp. Thus, plunged in profound darkness, with
her hands clinging to the bars that were placed across the window,
Mdlle. de Cardoville yielded at length to the full influence of her
fears, so long restrained, and was about to call aloud for help, when an
unexpected apparition rendered her for some minutes absolutely mute with
terror.

Another wing of the building, opposite to that in which she was, stood
at no great distance. Through the midst of the black darkness, which
filled the space between, one large, lighted window was distinctly
visible. Through the curtainless panes, Adrienne perceived a white
figure, gaunt and ghastly, dragging after it a sort of shroud, and
passing and repassing continually before the window, with an abrupt and
restless motion. Her eyes fixed upon this window, shining through the
darkness, Adrienne remained as if fascinated by that fatal vision: and,
as the spectacle filled up the measure of her fears, she called for help
with all her might, without quitting the bars of the window to which
she clung. After a few seconds, whilst she was thus crying out, two tall
women entered the room in silence, unperceived by Mdlle. de Cardoville,
who was still clinging to the window.

These women,