The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 102: what you’re looking at

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upon their mistress; and Honor had tended her ladyship in the morning. A glance at Rachel’s countenance showed Zoe that the girl was labour- ing under a eense of terror which she vainly endeavoured to conceal. At first Lady Octavian thought of leaving the circumstance unnoticed, in order to avoid a discourse upon superstitious matters: but she.perceived that Rachel was trem- bling to such a degree that she felt it would only be an act of kindness to encourage and re-assure her. “ Rachel,” her ladyship accordingly said, “ that foolish girl Honor has been infecting you with her terrors. I sincerely hope you will not give way to such childish delusions " “Pardon me, my lady, if I seem frightened,” interrupted Rachel: “but one cannot always con- trol one’s thoughts. I was sitting here all alone, waiting for your ladyship; and all kinds of dis- le sensations began to creep over me. I looked towards the window, and thought I saw a ghastly pale face gazing in at mo: so I went and closed the draperies. Then, as I leoked towards the bed, I fancied that I saw that same face look- ing out from behind the curtains; and it was ever so long before I could muster up the courage to go and peep behind them and satisfy my mind there was no one there. Scarcely had I recovered from this alarm, when the door opened; and such a cold chill swept through me! for I thought I saw some one Jooking in at me! But again 1 mustered up my courage: I peeped out into the passage—and there wasno one. That nasty door has got sucha wretehed lock, it opens of its own accord!” “You have been giving way, my poor girl,” said Zoe, “to the hallucinations of your frightened fancy. You must be more courageous. I can dispense with your services this evening: I intend to read a little before retiring to rest; and as you are nervous and uneasy, I will accompany you as far as the door of your own chamber. But you must not tell Honor that I did this—as it is for the first and last time, and henceforth I shall expect both of you to exhibit more courage.” Zoe did not really intend to sit up reading be- fore sho sought her couch: but wrth the kindest consideration she made this a pretext for seeing the terrified Rachel as far as her own chamber. The girl was exceedingly grateful to her mistress ; for she was indeed labouring under a nervous tre- pidation and a eense of superstitious terror which she could not possibly shake off. “We must tread lightly,” said Zoe: “for I would not have it supposed by the other inmates of the Chateau that I possess maids so foolish as to be afraid to go to their own rooms by them- selves.” It was with a tone and look of benignant remonstrance that Lady Octavian thus spoke. Taking a taper in her hand, she accompanied Rachel to the storey above, where the young woman and Honor jointly occupied the same chamber. Zoe then retraced her way down the staircase towards her own apartment,—on enter: ing which she recollected that she had left her watch in the drawing-room, on account of having accidentally broken the particular chain she had worn that day. it was not altogether without a certain feeling of apprehension that Lady Octavian Crossed the passage and re-entered the drawing- a a a ee aed THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. 91 room. The circumstance of the preceding night, and the legend she had heard in the morning, had been vividly recalled to her memory by the spectacle of Rachel’s fears. But Zoo did her bost to throw off the feeling that was upon her—which was indeed repugnant to her own good sense— and of which she was all the more ashamed after the sort of remonstrating lesson she had a few minutes back been reading to Rachel. Entering the drawing-room, Lady Octavian Meredith took the watch from the table where she had left it; and she then issued forth again. But scarcely had she crossed the threshold— scarcely had her foot touched the floor of the pas- sage—when she nearly dropped the taper from her hand; and she could with difficulty oxpress an ejaculation of terror on beholding a dimly defined shape gliding onward in tho distance. She was suddenly transfixed to the spot with a cold terror: if she could have seen her countenance in the mirror at that instant, she would have been hor- rified at it, for it was pale as death. Her eyes followed the form with the natural keenness of her vision sharpened to the intensest degree. Whether it were fancy, or whether it were reality, she could not subsequently determine in her own mind: but it certainly seemed to her that the shape was that of a tall slender young man, dressed in dark garments, and that he was gliding onward with footsteps completely noiseless, raising not the faintest echo in that long passage where even the slightest sound was wont to rever- berate! The apparition—or whatever it were—was lost in the obscurity prevailing at the end of the pas- sage. Zoe staggered across to her own chamber ; and sinking into a large easy chair, felt as if con- sciousness were about to abandon her. But by one of those sudden and almost preternatural efforts which the human mind sometimes makes, she summoned up all her courage to her sid—and said to herself, “ How foolish—how childish of me! It could have been nothing but fancy!” And yet she could not persuade herself that it was so: the conviction was strong in her mind that she had seen something—but whether a spirtt from the dead, or a living intruder, she could not tell. The superstitious fear which was astill upon her, prevented her from altogether repudi- ating tho former belief, on account of the gliding noiselessness with which the form had hurried onward. For an instant she was half inclined to seek Clarine’s chamber and acquaint her with what had happened: but the next moment she felt ashamed of even allowing such an idea to enter her head. She retired to rest: but it was long before sleep visited her eyes;—and when slumber at length stole upon her, the whole dismal tragedy associated with the Chateau was re-enacted before her mental vision. When Lady Octavian Meredith awoke in the morning she hastened to draw aside the window. draperies; and the bright September sun poured in so golden a flood of lustre that all her super stitious apprehensions were instantaneously dis- pelled—and she smiled at what she considered tc have been her folly of the preceding evening. How glad she was now that she had not sought Made. moiselle Volney’s chamber with the history of he: idle fears ! . CONIC OOO <S