As he felt his way along the wall, sweeping its great endless circle
round and round in spiral ascent, all at once his hand seemed to go
through it; he started and stopped. It was the door of the room
into which he had been shown to meet the earl! It stood wide open.
A faint glimmer came through the window from the star-filled sky.
He stepped just within the doorway. Was not that another glimmer
on the floor--from the back of the room--through a door he did not
remember having seen yesterday? There again was the groan, and nigh
at hand! Someone must be in sore need! He approached the door and
looked through. A lamp, nearly spent, hung from the ceiling of a
small room which might be an office or study, or a place where
papers were kept. It had the look of an antechamber, but that it
could not be, for there was but the one door!--In the dim light he
descried a vague form leaning up against one of the walls, as if
listening to something through it! As he gazed it grew plainer to
him, and he saw a face, its eyes staring wide, which yet seemed not
to see him. It was the face of the earl. Donal felt as if in the
presence of the disembodied; he stood fascinated, nor made attempt
to retire or conceal himself. The figure turned its face to the
wall, put the palms of its hands against it, and moved them up and
down, and this way and that; then looked at them, and began to rub
them against each other.
Pages:
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110