till the last of our
laggards had come in. I saw Loris lift Anne from her horse and support
her up the short flight of wide stone steps that led up to the house.

An elderly peasant woman hurried out to meet them, and behind her
appeared a weird unearthly figure; a tall woman, wearing a kind of loose
white dressing-gown. Her gray hair was flying dishevelled about her
shoulders; and her face, even seen from a distance as I saw it now,
appeared like some horrible travesty of humanity. The wide open eyes
were sightless, covered with a white film; the nose was flattened and
distorted, the lips contracted, while the other features, forehead and
cheeks and chin, were like a livid lined mask, grotesquely seamed and
scarred.

The "Thing"--I could not think of it as a human being at that
moment--flung out its hands, and shrieked in French, and in a voice
that, though shrill with anguish, was piercingly sweet and powerful.

"They have come,--but they shall never take me again; at least they
shall not take me alive. Anthony--Anthony! Where are you, my husband?
Save me! do not let them take me!"

Anne hurried towards her, but with a scream she turned and sped back
into the house, and some one pushed the door to, so I saw no more; but
for some minutes those dreadful screams continued. They sounded almost
like the shrieks of Yossof's horse when the wolves were on him.

The men had all ridden in and were muttering to each other, crossing
themselves in superstitious fear. They seemed scared to approach the
house; and I believe they'd have stampeded back into the forest if I
hadn't slammed the gates and barred them again.

"It is not good to be here, Excellency," stammered one. "This place is
haunted with ghosts and devils."

"Nonsense," I answered roughly. "Brave men you are indeed to be
frightened of a poor mad lady who has suffered so cruelly!"

By judicious bullying I got them calmed down a bit; a Russian peasant is
a difficult person to manage when he's in a superstitious funk. Mishka
joined me presently, and we marched our men round to the back of the
house, and set them foraging for breakfast. Fortunately there was plenty
of food; the place seemed provisioned for a siege. I stood about,
watching and directing them. I didn't feel in the least hungry myself,
only rather dazed.

A hand fell on my shoulder, and I found Loris beside me.

"Come and eat and sleep, my friend; we have done well so far. Mishka
will take charge