The Argosy — page 69: what you’re looking at

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

Ou the Supernatural. 39 pervading almost every part of it— which the bright and tasteful decorations and new furniture did not serve to dispel. ‘The chamber which I was to occupy—the only available one in this transition state of affairs—was that intended for the little daughter of the house, when things should have settled themselves. It was situated at the end of a very long corridor: and the corndor, as I went down it, struck upon me with more gloom than anything had yet done. Close to the door of this, my room, shut in by another door, was a staircase ; leading, I found, to other apartments above. The room was not yet fully furnished. The head of the bed, a small one, was near the window, the right side of it being against the wall which separated this room from what was to be the guest- chamber : a room which as yet was empty. I undressed quickly and got into bed. But scarcely had I lain down, before I was conscious of some un- seen presence—and of a heavy breathing, or panting, close to my ear. Not a little alarmed, I quickly turned my head in the direction of the sounds, in order to discover whence they proceeded—when they instantly appeared to be on the opposite side of me. Springing out of bed I lighted my candle and looked about. I examined the bed ; there was nothing in or about it. 1 examined the room, every corner of it; the cupboard ; underneath the bed, every where. ven the chimney, I looked up and searched. What I thought was that some domestic animal of the house, a cat or a dog, might have been shut into the room unseen. But no; there was no- thing. All this time the loud breathing had continued ; now in this part of the room, now in that ; and once or twice so close to me that it seemed as though I felt the breath upon my cheek. After another thorough search, with no result, I came to the lame conclusion that the sounds must proceed from outside the door, and that the room must possess some unusual and extraordinary properties for the reproduction of sound. Feeling completely chilled, I again got into bed—but not fo sleep. No sooner had I laid my head on the pillow, than there arose a Noise in the next room, the empty room intended for the future guest- chamber. It was as if a long whip were being flicked on the bare boards ; and then the most awful groans I ever heard appeared to proceed from the room over head, as from some one in mortal agony. This alarmed me more than I can express, and I knew not what to do, for I was unwilling to disturb my friends. How long the groans continued I cannot tell ; I only know that I lay in distress and terror, vainly trying to imagine some plausible cause for it. As they subsided, an idea struck me that possibly the room over head might be occupied by one or two of the maids, whose beds might be on the floor until bedsteads could be put up, that one of them had been taken ill and that the groans came from her. I fried to think this. And so I lay shivering until the day began to dawn, when I fell asleep. comniclooo ks