The Arm Chair Library No. 79: The Haunted Homestead — page 46: what you’re looking at

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

152 a 22a nl Mga? 2 EX | ROSSITOR HOUSE, to hisown whim, when a lady abbess came | horse standing in the rain, pawing the sauntering past, with a scarlet rosary at her fiercel , his girdle, and her arm in that of a tall, curled | could Se Nea eeteenen eo a ridle held by a pal oing abroad on such a 4 : : VS Bi ; ) t * A moment after, and the monk’s | Rossitor House? A sound from the wings 5 down saben SS coaaae I turned to find his seat at | room aroused me-—little ripples of laughter, g 3 a 4 the piano occupied by a flower girl, and he | excla:mations of triumph or surpris nm - “H : gone, Iknew not where. ) a quick, portentions Huss. at's Halmieaine ame eae hs A sprig of heliotrope fell down into my Jap | a te a Y Tl 0 a s one | balfeead of Hees, : A 7 from the hand of the cavalier, I recognized | in the hail, 00 P, y down | } 5 him with a little thrill. the stair-case saw the tigure of the Te | darko F ‘“ Dieuvous garde!” T heard like a sizh. mask in his hand, his black robe sl down f Glo 4 “ Holy mother,” mur vured a gypsy, at the| behind him, and his face—the face of Judge - ad i lady abba side; ‘‘ wilt thou that I unfold to | Rossitor—set, white, terrible advancing to a fort i thee the mysteries of thy future ¢” ward me like a spectre's, t | gs The letter shouk ter hear, _ the cavalier’s < eg Poti ! 7 aan inst i hand was thrust forth instead. oS Bo "* Mine, then,” lightly, * and see that thou a rose u 2 ae heart gave a great bound, | ont ij pratest only of what is brightest,’ en s ae : ne bach | - sy crossed herself over the jewelled He came in, closing the door behind bim. e " in ee j One hand fallen at his side, crushed : ; “ s forefend ! what is here (— white, like paper. i } ) AE ee “T think fan trust you,” he said, advan § the # There lurks with thee, inz close to me, and the other band gra ie 4 By shore and by sea, my arm like a vice. ‘ You will not faint or : A deep and darksome treachery. ” The hand dropped. **Come !” said the lady abbess. ** Many nodding as he stalked away; “wise sybil, there’s a grave monk out yonder watching rk eae) ened on the same subject,” But the monk was like a will-o’-the-wisp in | ; a bog, appearing and disappearing with like a eke tis Lie Saw 9 3h . thanks” muttered the cavalier, | table ten you. Mayhap he would like his mind enlight- | smoothed the crushed ae s shriek ¢ Weshall have enough of that when the news is told in the next room, ‘This note was fount Lyla on Mrs. Rogsitor’s dressing: nutes ago~ rea‘ it, ” , The great drops of agony stood on his fore- ead, his eyes were like ——_ coals, but he with a hand that never trembled, a by to read. e note ran thus: * M¥ HusBAND—I may eall you that for t rou tood see me 3 ease. y heliotrope fell to the floor. [ went last time—farewell ! r years I bave y to recover it, faintly intaling its deadly sweet- | Grant Wyvil; we wake to hted long ago, If! q ness. Fans flirted, satins and embroideries | was then false to him and tc my owe heart | brushed against me—it lay crushed underfoot | this houris my punishment, [ go with b apn ina breath. When I looked again, cavalier rome your sy el to hy cg es ‘ and lady abbess were no longer to be seen. rani seems 0s ae our iannie eid only too well. [ played on. Somehow the music sounded do not ask you A forgive me for wrecking 4 so strangely to me—so solemn and mourn- | ful and deep !|—the same undertone running through everything. I opened piece after \ piece, plunged into gay os 4" waltzes. Oh for that monk’s magic fingers ! a Still the same dirge-like echo clung to all. | ‘‘Go and rest,” whispered a voice behind me. A circle of dancers were whirling by. I wait- f ed until the dance was over. Then the he : perfume of the room began to tell u 5 & symptom of dizzy faintness, and gliding through the masked and glittering figures, found refuge in a room adjoinin: through whose half-open door I could still : watch the maskers, still sit in the dazzle and laughter and sweet sounds of the masquerade, Good heaven ! what a night it was outside! The wind groaned dearily in the shatters; the heavy blinding rain beat against them, and the long, wild roar of the lashed and rose up uninterruptedly, Restless, knew not why, an halt-shuddering sound of the storm, I paced back and forth across the floor, listening. A shutter had blown loose—I paused at the window be driven back the blue. blinding flash of light that cast its lurid glare throughall the room, I sank against the wall wondering and half-stunued. “ Wondering becaus t bel m ment)that pale hash 1 se just below the case a ln cma 6 i rem r — *. ji : 4 a 4) ‘44 iv 1 9 ad shown me a saddled ‘ came your bappin for bringing disgrace on your a eGd aatne aan ou: etd it We id be too xreat & boon; but I ot to follow n kas and gayer | me. When you Fs, ee —— = reach. God blese ‘ou. Ask Ruth D pray for me. AGNES, ” Fied—gone topether | No, I did not shriek or faite We ode up there and looked in stand | each other’s eyes one moment, each seeing in on Me in| the other the desolation of a terrible ee tak [ left my seat, | I thrust the letter back into his hand, cluteb- ing blindly at the black, pitiless wall, od knows what next. To me it was alllike the dim, uncertain things seen dark) ia a dream, e galloping away of that hali- frenzied man in a fu pitch black storm, the quie : gay maskers, in the breath of evil ’ chaff is scattered in the wind, ttl om son) agonizel sea | of the old famil uneasy, I | doors, the di at every | settled down in the long caience ad dfx th u ence a | Sp eae perfumes, flowers, still breathing left where the feet of the revelers herself to sleep again for one who Ww no more, Prone upon the floor, with my face inthedust, — | I lay til coe first gray gleam of morning; the: drenened hh ardandghastl c back, mu tile paris reirheny <4 1 had been, and the chil next moment by rs y to| that awakened in the lonely nursery hd cried BB eceorale “x 4 . Es :