nd hurried through my
toilet with breathless precipitation.

Hastening from the hated scene of my terrors, I escaped to the parlor,
whither I instantly summoned the proprietor of "the Bell" in _propria
persona_. I suppose I looked scared and haggard enough, for mine host
looked upon me with an expression of surprise and inquiry.

"Shut the door," said I.

It was done.

"I have had an uneasy night in the room you assigned me, sir; I may say
indeed, a _miserable_ night," I said.

"Pray," resumed I, interrupting his apologetic expressions of surprise,
"has any person but myself ever complained of--of being _disturbed_ in
that room?"

"Never," he assured me.

I had suspected the ghastly old practical joke, so often played off by
landlords in story-books, and fancied I might have been deliberately
exposed to the chances of a "haunted chamber." But there was no acting
in the frank look and honest denial of mine host.

"It is a very strange thing," said I hesitating; and "I do not see why I
should not tell you what has occurred. And as I could swear, if
necessary, to the perfect reality of the entire scene, it behoves you, I
think, to sift the matter carefully. For myself, I can not entertain a
doubt as to the nature of the truly terrible visitation to which I have
been subjected; and, were I in your position, I should transfer my
establishment at once to some other house as well suited to the purpose,
and free from the dreadful liabilities of this."

I proceeded to detail the particulars of the occurence of the past
night, to which he listened with nearly as much horror as I recited them
with.

"Mervyn's tomb!" he repeated after me; "why that's down there in L----r:
the churchyard you can see from the window of the room you slept in."

"Let us go there instantly," I exclaimed, with an almost feverish
anxiety to ascertain whether we should discover in the place indicated
any thing corroborative of the authenticity of my vision.

"Well, I shan't say no," said he, obviously bracing himself for an
effort of courage; "but we'll take Faukes, and James the helper, with
us; and please, sir, you'll not mention the circumstance as has occurred
to either on 'em."

I gave him the assurance he asked for, and in a few minutes our little
party were in full march upon the point of interest.

There had been an intense black frost, and the ground, reverberating to
our tread with the hollow sound of a vault, emitted the only n