Roanoke of Roanoke Hall: A Romance — page 82: what you’re looking at

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

76 Roanoke of Roanoke Hall, began very slowly to approach me—I not knowing whether to await her coming or to turn and flee. When she was close at hand she stopped and seemed about to speak, but at the same moment I heard a sharp metallic click, followed by a grating sound. Instantly her look changed into one of absolute terror, and seizing me by the arm she dragged me hurriedly, without word spoken, to the door, covering my eyes with her hand the while that I might not look back ; nor did she re- lease me until I stood without. Eager to find some reason for this abrupt ejection, I turned to the fast-closing portal, through which in peal on ringing peal came Stephen Ashland’s wild laughter of insanity, and saw for a moment a tall, dark figure standing in the place I had occupied, in whom I felt convinced I recognized John o’ Compton, the Man of the woods. comicbooks.com