illion wrinkles were
carved upon the deep-seamed brow and corrugated cheeks. Over that
hideous face the gray hair wandered. Bob's blood seemed to freeze
within his veins. The old fable tells of the Gorgon, whose face
inspired such horror that the beholder stiffened into stone. So
here. Bob beheld a Gorgon face. He felt petrified with utter horror!

As the face came up it was turned towards him. It emerged higher
and higher, and at length stopped about a foot above the opening.
Here it fixed its gaze upon Bob, bending itself forward, and holding
forth the light as far as possible, so that it might light up the
room, and peering through the gloom so as to see where Bob was.

There seemed something indescribably evil, malignant, and cruel,
in those bleary eyes which thus sought Bob out, fastened themselves
upon him, and seemed to devour him with their gaze. There was a
hideous eagerness in her look. There was a horrible fascination
about it,--such as the serpent exerts over the bird. And as the
bird, while under the spell of the serpent's eye, seems to lose
all power of flight, and falls a victim to the destroyer, so
here, at this time, Bob felt paralyzed at that basilisk glance,
and lost all power of motion. He could not speak. He tried to
scream. No cry came. He was dumb with horror. He was like one in
a nightmare; but this was a waking night-mare, and not the fanciful
terrors of dreamland.

But the horror was too great to be endured. He closed his eyes
tight, and thus shut out the sight.

But though he shut out the sight, he could not shut oat sound; and
soon he became aware of something which brought a fresh terror over
his soul.

It was a stealthy step.

It was advancing towards, him.

Slow, cautious, cunning, yet steady, and nearer and still nearer,
came the awful step! Bob opened his eyes, to assure himself once
more of the worst. He opened them by a resistless impulse.

The figure was now half way between the opening and the bed. The
old hag stood now fully revealed. Her bleary eyes were fixed on
Bob. One hand upheld the flickering lamp, and in the other was a
sharp weapon.

Bob closed his eyes in an anguish of horror. He was dumb. He could
utter no cry. He could not move. The blow was coming. The destroyer
was here, yet he could not make one motion to ward off that blow.
His brain whirled, his heart seemed to stop beating.

There was a terrible moment of dumb, motionless, breathless
expectancy.

T