Roanoke of Roanoke Hall: A Romance — page 188: what you’re looking at

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

182 Roanoke of Roanoke Hall. formed me of the approach of this eerie visitant, that the thing was either speaking in words inaudible to human ears, or struggling to speak. . I remembered to have heard at some time of & person who, haunted by the apparition of a man seated in a chair near at hand, had so far summoned up his courage as to deliberate- ly cross the room and take his place in the same seat, thereby dispelling the illusion. Still but half-satisfied. of the reality of the spectre, I rose to perform a similar experi- ment, and asI did so made one discovery as to its weird character. It was only visible to me when it stood between me and the light. . If I moved either to the right or left, until I caught sight of this, it instantly and com- pletely disappeared. Though daunted in some measure by this ostensible proof of its actuality, I moved to- wards it, not without trepidation. It did not stir ; but when, had it been solid, I should have been in contact with it, it offered no bar to my further progress ; and, with another step, accompanied, [ fancied, by a slightly chilling sensation, I passed through it, as comichbooks.com