Rose Mortimer; Or, The Ballet-Girl's Revenge — page 35: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE BALLET-GIRL’S REVENGE. nnn nn nnn nn nn nner cr lS SSS From this light her excited imagination formed many gaunt and fanciful designs. Sometimes to her heated brain it appeared as if a trcop of ghosts came sweeping towards her. It was in vain she told herself it was but fancy. The illusion had taken such a deep hold of her mind that she could not bear to look in that direction. For relief she fixed her eyes upon the darkest corner of the room, steadfastly turning her gaze from the window. Was it still fancy ? _ Surely in the pitchy blackness, where no ray of moonlight penetrated, she saw something white flutter- ing to and fro. Sometimes if seemed nearer to her, sometimes farther off, but still always present. Intently she watched it. With a horrid dread she waited to see it take some definite form. With rivetted gaze, distended eyes, aud powerless limbs she saw the white something take the form of a tall woman. Yet not the form of a woman of flesh and blood, but a horrifying semi transparent luminous shadow, which noiselessly flitted hither and thither. ‘Rose uttered a faint cry of terror as this sight met her gaze. It was too dreadful. She shuddered and turned away her head, When next she ventured to look the apparition had drawn nearer to her. Nearer and nearer it came, with silent gliding motion. As it crossed the stream of moonlight which came in through the window Rose saw its face. A hollow cadaverous face, with eyes so deeply sunk as to be wholly in shade. Twice the figure threw its arms up wildly over its head, uttering a moaning cry. The second time it did so Rose saw that in one hand it brandished a long dagger. She had not strength to rise and fly from the ap- proach of the ghostly being. It drew nearer and nearer. Every minute brought it closer to the bed. Rose could not move. She felt as if paralysed in every limb. Her tongue clove to the roof of her mouth. Her heart almost ceased to beat. Yet she could not move her eyes from that which Was approaching her. On, still on, it glided, till it stood by the bedside! It stretched forth an arm, and laid an icy hand, a cold, clammy, deathlike hand, on Rose’s bare shoulder. With the other hand it raised on high the glittering dagger, and again uttered the moaning cry, It was more than Rose in her feeble state could brave. With a faint cry she fell back fainting upon the pillow. A stouter heart than hers might have quailed at such an apparition. No wonder that her poor feeble frame gave way beneath the shock. It was a swoon like unto death into which she fell. How !ong she remained unconscious she never knew, but after a time she opened her eyes. With fear and trembling she looked around, dreading that the dreadful thing might still be at her side. She saw it not. Gathering courage, she looked in every direction. It had gone! As far as the darkness would permit her to ascertain, she was alone in that haunted chamber. With faltering steps she walked across the room. Ca EnEEEEEEEEEEEEEEREEEREEnaREennn Then she saw a sight which filled her with as much joy as the other had with horror. The door, which she had seen shut, and had heard locked, now stood open. Without pausing to think concerning the strange- ness of the alteration, slie planned an idea of escape. Could she but find her way to the street door, and open it without noise, she might again be free. The thought of liberty—of escape from her dread- ful fate—gave her fresh courage and strength. She listened, but not a sound fell on her ear to tell that any one was in the house. Then, cautiously and timorously, she veutured out into the dark passage. Dreading the slightest sound, she crept along with fearful steps till she reached the staircase. Down, down she went, stopping every minute, scarcely daring to breathe, for fear that she might be discovered. At length she reached a long passage in which a lamp burnt feebly. In an instant she recognised it. It was the one through which she had run when attempting the escape which so nearly ended in the loss of her life. She followed the whole iength of the passage, and then to her joy reached the door, now securely bolted, which led into the street. Her fingers trembled so that she could hardly pull back the fastenings, but after some little time she succeeded in doing so without the least noise. In another moment she stood in the street—ouce again at liberty ! It seemed too good to be true. She could hardly believe fortune had so far favoured her as to let her escape a second time from the clutches of Count Lerno, Yet so it was. Undiscovered she had passed through the house, had let herself out, and now stood in the public tho- roughfare. Then for the first time she remembered that she still wore her theatrical costume, and that to walk as she was through the streets was an impossibility. Keeping as much as possible in the shade, aud shrinking away whenever she heard the sound of approaching footsteps, she reached at Jast a leading thoroughfare. Hailing the first cab she saw, she entered it with- out having attracted any attention by the singularity of her dress. | She told the driver to take her to the Babylonian Theatre. He stared hard at her, and then mounted his box and started for Hardress-street. When Rose told him to drive to the theatre she had not bestowed a thought upon the lateness of the hour. The theatres had been long closed, but it hap- pened that at the Royal Babylonian that night there had been an accident to one of the principal scenes, which made it necessary for men to work at it throughout the night, in order that it might be ready for the next representation of the pantomime. As it happened, Mr. F'lathers had stopped to super- intend the repairs, and he it was with whom Rose found herself face to face as she entered the stage door in Hardress-street. ‘ Hullo!” cried Mr. Flathers, who, as may readily be imagined, was not in the best of tempers, “ here’s a pretty time to turn up, confound you !” ‘‘ Indeed, sir, I couldn’t helpit. I have——” ‘There, there—none of your lies forme. Be oft with you. Don’t let me ever see your face again, that’s all.” ‘Oh, sir, you won’t deprive a poor girl of her 4 me ee + ee 2 res.