The next night, then, Dolph repeated his vigil. He now entered the
house with some trepidation. He was particular in examining the
fastenings of all the doors, and securing them well. He locked the
door of his chamber, and placed a chair against it; then, having
despatched his supper, he threw himself on his mattress and
endeavoured to sleep. It was all in vain--a thousand crowding fancies
kept him waking. The time slowly dragged on, as if minutes were
spinning out themselves into hours. As the night advanced, he grew
more and more nervous; and he almost started from his couch, when he
heard the mysterious footstep again on the staircase. Up it came, as
before, solemnly and slowly, tramp--tramp--tramp! It approached along
the passage; the door again swung open, as if there had been neither
lock nor impediment, and a strange-looking figure stalked into the
room. It was an elderly man, large and robust, clothed in the old
Flemish fashion. He had on a kind of short cloak, with a garment under
it, belted round the waist; trunk hose, with great bunches or bows at
the knees; and a pair of russet boots, very large at top, and standing
widely from his legs. His hat was broad and slouched, with a feather
trailing over one side. His iron-gray hair hung in thick masses on his
neck; and he had a short grizzled beard. He walked slowly round the
room, as if examining that all was safe; then, hanging his hat on a
peg beside the door, he sat down in the elbow-chair, and, leaning his
elbow on the table, he fixed his eyes on Dolph with an unmoving and
deadening stare.

Dolph was not naturally a coward; but he had been brought up in an
implicit belief in ghosts and goblins. A thousand stories came
swarming to his mind, that he had heard about this building; and as he
looked at this strange personage, with his uncouth garb, his pale
visage, his grizzly beard, and his fixed, staring, fish-like eye, his
teeth began to chatter, his hair to rise on his head, and a cold sweat
to break out all over his body. How long he remained in this situation
he could not tell, for he was like one fascinated. He could not take
his gaze off from the spectre; but lay staring at him with his whole
intellect absorbed in the contemplation. The old man remained seated
behind the table, without stirring or turning an eye, always keeping a
dead steady glare upon Dolph. At length the household cock from a
neighbouring farm clapped his wings, and gave a loud cheerful