FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136  
137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   >>   >|  
curred to her to open the door of her chamber; but as she was about to do so, an appalling thought flashed thro' her mind. 'What if some terrible being is now standing at the outside of that door?' and she shrank from opening it. She deeply regretted that she had not requested her maid Susan to sleep with her, as she crept into bed, leaving a candle burning on the table. For about a quarter of an hour she listened intensely, but the sound which had alarmed her was not repeated; and she began to reason with herself upon the absurdity of her fears. Finally she succeeded in persuading herself that she had in reality heard nothing, but had been deceived by her own imagination. Still, she could not entirely dissipate her fears; she recollected that the house had the reputation of being 'haunted'--and, though she was naturally neither timid nor superstitious, a vague and undefinable dread oppressed her, as she lay in that solitary chamber, where reigned a heavy gloom and profound stillness. It was an hour after midnight when she awoke from an uneasy slumber into which she had fallen; and the first object which met her gaze, was a human figure, enveloped from head to toe in white drapery, standing near her bed! Yes, there it stood, with the upper part of a ghastly face alone visible, pointing at her with its finger, and freezing her soul with the steady glare of its eyes. Long, long stood that dreadful apparition; its attitude seemed to be either menacing or warning. The terrified woman, under the influence of a painful fascination, could not avert her gaze from it; and the spectre stood until the candle was entirely consumed, and the room was wrapped in profound darkness. Then the Form glided to the bedside, and laid its cold hand upon her brow. '_Thou shalt see me again!_' it whispered, and then passed noiselessly from the room. Mrs. Belmont gave one loud and piercing scream, and then sank into a state of insensibility. CHAPTER XIV _A Glimpse of the Crimes and Miseries of a Great City._ After his narrow escape from an ignominious death, Frank Sydney resumed his nocturnal wanderings thro' the city, in disguise, in order to do deeds of charity and benevolence to those who needed his aid. One night, dressed in the garb of a sailor, and wearing an immense pair of false whiskers, he strolled towards the Five Points, and entered the 'crib' of Bloody Mike. That respectable establishment was filled as usu
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136  
137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
candle
 

profound

 

chamber

 
standing
 
whispered
 
scream
 

piercing

 

passed

 

Belmont

 

noiselessly


menacing
 
warning
 

terrified

 

dreadful

 

apparition

 

attitude

 

darkness

 

wrapped

 

glided

 

consumed


painful
 

influence

 

fascination

 
spectre
 

bedside

 
immense
 
wearing
 

whiskers

 

sailor

 

needed


dressed

 

strolled

 
respectable
 
establishment
 

filled

 
Bloody
 

Points

 

entered

 

narrow

 

escape


Miseries

 

Crimes

 
CHAPTER
 

insensibility

 
Glimpse
 
ignominious
 

disguise

 

charity

 
benevolence
 

wanderings