Roanoke of Roanoke Hall: A Romance — page 189: what you’re looking at

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

Roanoke of Roanoke Hail. | 183 through a veil of mist, and emerged into the lamplight. I turned, and there was nothing to be seen. I walked all round the room without espy- ing anything unwonted, until I returned to my chair, when I again beheld the black figure still motionless on the same spot. There was no longer any possibility of doubt- ing that the thing, whatever it was, was there. I moved my chair into the light, but the next instant the shadow again fell upon the book, blotting out the words; and, after several such unsuccessful attempts to elude it, I could only conclude that it had some settled purpose in preventing my reading, though what I could not conjecture. To find out, if possible, was my speedy decision. Giving up all attempts at reading, I turned my chair round, and sat down facing the ghostly figure. No sooner had I done so than it slowly raised an arm, and pointed to a portrait that was framed in the panelling above the mantelpiece, at some distance from the ground. : “What !” I exclaimed. ‘‘Am I to under- comichbooks.com