Richard Forrest, Bachelor — page 41: what you’re looking at

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

32 “GOOD-BY, BEST AND KINDEST OF SISTERS.” until the village clock tolled one. Then she tossed it aside and got into bed. She fell into a doze almost immediately, but awoke pres- ently to find the tears rolling down her face and a lump in her throat. Such a wretched nightmare as she had had! She dreamed she had seen Florence dead and lying in her coffin, with her arms full of flowers. Her hair hanging round her like a golden shroud and her eyelids wide open. She herself was bending over her, endeavoring to close the lovely, staring eyes, when suddenly the cold lips parted and she spoke. ‘*Leave me alone,’’ she whispered, hoarsely, ‘‘I want to see where I am going, and if you shut my eyes how can I?”’ She drew back with a cry of terror and awoke. The fire had gone out, and a few pale moonbeams streamed across the carpet. Half dazed and trembling from head to foot, she sprang to the floor, struck a light, and looked at the clock. It was on the point of striking two. She was about to return to her bed again when a sudden thought entered her head. What if Florence were really ill? It was possible she might have called to her not quite loudly enough to awake her, but enough so to have caused the hideous vision she had just seen. She could not rest until she had found out. So, candle in hand, she started down the hall. Stopping at Florence’s door, she listened a moment, but hearing no sound within, she noiselessly turned the knob and entered. The chamber was in total darkness except for the light that struggled in through the half-closed shutters, and all was as still as death. Gomichbooksrcom