the
hall, whilst there was a sighing and moaning at intervals, and in this
sighing and moaning there was expressed the deepest trouble, the most
hopeless grief, that a human being can know. "Ha! it must be some sick
animal locked up somewhere in the basement storey. Such acoustic
deceptions at night time, making distant sounds appear close at hand,
are well known to everybody. Who will suffer himself to be terrified at
such a thing as that?" Thus I calmed my fears again. But now there was
a scratching at the new portion of the wall, whilst louder and deeper
sighs were audible, as if gasped out by some one in the last throes of
mortal anguish. "Yes, yes; it is some poor animal locked up somewhere;
I will shout as loudly as I can, I will stamp violently on the floor,
then all will be still, or else the animal below will make itself heard
more distinctly, and in its natural cries," I thought. But the blood
ran cold in my veins; the cold sweat, too, stood upon my forehead, and
I remained sitting in my chair as if transfixed, quite unable to rise,
still less to cry out. At length the abominable scratching ceased, and
I again heard the footsteps. Life and motion seemed to be awakened in
me; I leapt to my feet, and went two or three steps forward. But then
there came an ice-cold draught of wind through the hall, whilst at the
same moment the moon cast her bright light upon the statue of a grave
if not almost terrible-looking man; and then, as though his warning
voice rang through the louder thunders of the waves and the shriller
piping of the wind, I heard distinctly, "No further, no further! or you
will sink beneath all the fearful horrors of the world of spectres."
Then the door was slammed too with the same violent bang as before, and
I plainly heard the footsteps in the anteroom, then going down the
stairs. The main door of the castle was opened with a creaking noise,
and afterwards closed again. Then it seemed as if a horse were brought
out of the stable, and after a while taken back again, and finally all
was still.

At that same moment my attention was attracted to my old uncle in the
adjoining room; he was groaning and moaning painfully. This brought me
fully to consciousness again; I seized the candles and hurried into the
room to him. He appeared to be struggling with an ugly, unpleasant
dream. "Wake up, wake up!" I cried loudly, taking him gently by the
hand, and letting the full glare of the light fall upon his fac