The Argosy — page 277: what you’re looking at

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

A Scerct of the Sea. 263 front of which he was standing, he was startled to see there the reflection of another face beside his own. It was peering over his shoulder, and its eyes met his in the glass. Black and full of menace, or it might be of warning, were those eyes ; and but for them, the face, with its thin line of black moustache, would have looked like that of a corpse, so death-like was its pallor. Involuntarily Van Duren wheeled quickly round ; but he was alone in the room. Involuntarily his eyes travelled back to the glass; but there was only the reflection of his own white face to be seen there now. He staggered back and sat down in the nearest chair. But he was a man of very powerful nerve, and it did not take him long to recover himself Presently he rose and trossed the room to a little cupboard. From this he drew a bottle of some cordial, out of which he poured a few drops into some water, and then drank the mixture. There was a writing-table near the fire: when he was restless of a night, and could not sleep, he would often get up and work for an hour or two. At this table he now sat down, and drawing from a secret drawer a book of private memoranda, he proceeded to make the following entry in it, having first written down the day, month, and year of the occurrence : ‘* At five minutes before twelve to-night I saw once again, and for the fourth time in my life, the Face in the Glass. It is some years since I saw it last, and I had begun to flatter myself that I should never see it again. Never have I seen it except as an omen of il] to follow. The first time it appeared to me was a few hours before I set foot on board the cursed A/datross. The second time was the night before Katrinka tried to poison me, and all but succeeded. The third time was just before I heard the news of the great smash at Amsterdam, by which I lost half my fortune. Always as a presage of quick-following misfortune has that face appeared to me. And always Ais face! I shall dream of this for a month to come, and wake up every night shivering with horror. But what is the misfortune that is about to overtake me now? Vain question! Never did the horizon look fairer to me than it does at the present moment. Not the faintest cloud or sign of tempest anywhere visible. And yet, that something is about to happen—that some great crisis of my life is near at hand—I feel but too well assured. If only I knew where to look—if only I knew what to expect! But I am like a man who is condemned to fight a phantom in the dark. ‘To-day I let my empty rooms to a deaf old gentleman and his daughter. What a bewitching creature the daughteris! Were I only twenty years younger, I know not into what folly I might be led by the sorcery of a ace like hers.” (Ti o be continued. ) ecomniclooolkks _ (CO) G