draperies? Or was it some affection of his own disordered
senses that had wrought out an apparition from his own fancy? It
reminded him of those weird and grisly scenes in the old romances
which he had read in his boyhood, such as the "Mysteries of Udolpho,"
the "Romance of the Forest," or the "Castle of Otranto." This castle
might well be the scene of such a mystery. Perhaps the late incident
was the revival of some dormant memory, arising out of that
half-forgotten reading in the old romances. It may have been a dream,
projecting itself forward into his waking hours.

In this way Harry puzzled his brain for some time, sitting on the
side of the bed, mystified, and quite at a loss what to do. But, as
he was essentially a man of action, he soon grew weary of idle
speculation, and determined to search more actively into the mystery,
and if possible sift it to the bottom. So he drew a match and lighted
his torch. The flame flared up brightly and flung a lurid glow all
around. Holding this high above his head, Harry walked about, peering
into the darkness, and scanning every nook and corner of the large
apartment. But he could see nothing. It was empty. The shuffling
noise of his own footsteps as he moved along was the only sound, and
no living thing met his eye. It was plain that he was alone, and that
no other could be there with him.

But that figure? Where was it? Whither had it gone? Going back again
to the bed, he marked the line of its motion, and perceived that it
had been directed toward the great fireplace: at that spot it had
faded away from his view. What had been the cause of this?

Back again he went to the great fireplace and examined it carefully.
The very reading of the old romances to which he had attributed this
apparition now served to give him a valuable suggestion; for,
according to those important writings, wherever there is a ghost
there is also a mysterious subterranean passage, or secret chamber,
or concealed door. It was for this that Harry now searched, to see if
any of the machinery of the castle of Udolpho might be found existing
in a castle in Spain.

He looked all over the floor, but found nothing. He examined the back
and the sides of the fireplace, but nothing was visible save the
stony surface, which everywhere had the same massive exterior. At
length his attention was arrested by those stones already mentioned
which projected one above the other from the side of the chimney. At
firs