have seen strange
sights, and heard sounds whispered close to my ears, so full of spite,
and so dreadful, I dared not look round lest I should see some awful
face at mine. I've thought I felt it touch me sometimes."

"And what wicked thing have you done, that they should haunt you so?"

"Oh, sir, I was a foolhardy boy. Two years ago I was not afraid of
anything. Nobody dared go into the wood, or even so much as over the
rocks, to look at it, after what happened there."--"I've heard a foolish
story," said Paul.--"So once, sir, the thought took me that I would go
there a-bird's-nesting, and bring home the eggs and show to the men. And
it would never go out of my mind after, though I began to wish I hadn't
thought any such thing. Every night when I went to bed I would lie and
say to myself, 'To-morrow is the day for me to go;' and I did not like
to be alone in the dark, and wanted some one with me to touch me when I
had bad dreams. And when I waked in the morning, I felt as if something
dreadful was coming upon me before night. Well, every day,--I don't know
how it was,--I found myself near this ridge; and every time I went
farther and farther up it, though I grew more and more frightened. And
when I had gone as far as I dared, I was afraid to wait, but would turn
and make away so fast that many a time I fell down some of these places,
and got lamed and bruised. The boys began to think something, and would
whisper each other and look at me; and when they found I saw them, they
would turn away. It grew hard for me to be one at their games, though
once I used to be the first chosen in. I can't tell how it was, but all
this only made me go on; and as the boys kept out of the way, I began to
feel as if I must do what I had thought of, and as if there was
somebody, I couldn't think who, that was to have me and make me do what
he pleased. So it went on, sir, day after day," continued the lad, in a
weak, timid tone, but comforted at finding one to tell his story to;
"till at last I reached as far as the hollow where you just now frighted
me so, when I heard you near me. I didn't run off as I used to from the
other places, but sat down under the rock. Then I looked out and saw the
trees. I tried to get up and run home, but I couldn't; I dared not come
out and go round the corner of the rock. I tried to look another way,
but my eyes seemed fastened on the trees; I couldn't take 'em off. At
last I thought something told me it was ti