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GIFT OF 
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THE EERIE 
 BOOR 
 
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 }, SHELLS & CO, 
 LONDON 
 
GIFT OF 
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 CONTENTS 
 
 The Masque of the Red Death ..... i 
 
 By EDGAR ALLEN POE. 
 
 The Iron Coffin ....... u 
 
 (From "Faust," A Romance. By GEORGE W. M. REYNOLDS.) 
 
 The Mother and the Dead Child ..... 27 
 
 From the Danish of HANS ANDERSEN. 
 
 Tregeagle . .... 37 
 
 (Extract from the Story of Tregeagle, as related in Robert 
 
 Hunt's " Popular Romances of the West of England.") 
 
 The Dutch Officer's Story .... 45 
 
 (From " Ghosts and Family Legends," by CATHERINE CROWE.) 
 
 e Cask of Amontillado . . . . . 57 
 
 By EDGAR ALLEN POE. 
 
 Earl Beardie's Game at Cards ..... 67 
 
 Frankenstein ........ 73 
 
 (Abridged from MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT SHELLEY'S Novel.) 
 
 The Garde Chasse ; ...... 109 
 
 (From " Ghosts and Family Legends," by CATHERINE CROWE.) 
 
 .A Dream of Death . x . . . . . .117 
 
 (From the Danish.) 
 
 The Mysterious Horseman . . . . . . 123 
 
 (From " Apparitions : A Narrative of Facts." By the Rev. 
 BOURCHIER WREY SAVILE.) 
 
 The Blind Beggar of Odessa ... ... 131 
 
 (From "Ghosts and Family Legends," by CATHERINE CROWE.) 
 
 The Story of Major Weir ...... 139 
 
 (From " Traditions of Edinburgh," by ROBERT CHAMBERS.) 
 
 Marshal Bliicher ....... 149 
 
 (From " Apparitions : A Narrative of Facts." By the Rev. 
 BOURCHIER WREY SAVILE.) 
 
 Sir Huldbrand's Wife 157 
 
 (A Translated Extract from " Undine," by the BARON DE LA 
 MOTTE FOUCVUE.) 
 
 The Masque . . . . . . . .167 
 
 (An Extract from DE QUINCEY'S Romance of " Klosterheim ; 
 or, The Masque.") 
 
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 
 
 The Iron Coffin. 
 
 By kind permission of JOHN DICKS, Esq. 
 
 The Story of a Mother. 
 
 By kind permission of Messrs GEORGE ROUTLEDGE SONS, Ltd. 
 
 Tregeagle. 
 
 By kind permission of Messrs CHATTO & WINDUS. 
 
 The Mysterious Horseman, and The Vision of Marshal Bliicher. 
 By kind permission of W. A. SAVILE, Esq. 
 
 The Story of Major Weir. 
 
 By kind permission of Messrs W. & R. CHAMBERS, Ltd. 
 
THE MASQUE 
 OF THE ^Mk 
 RED DEATH 
 
THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH. 
 
 | HE "Red Death" had long devastated the country. No 
 pestilence had ever been so fatal or so hideous. Blood 
 was its Avator and its seal the redness and the horror 
 of blood. There were sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, 
 and then profuse bleeding at the pores, with dissolution. 
 The scarlet stains upon the body, and especially upon the face of 
 the victim, were the pest ban which shut him out from the aid and 
 from the sympathy of his fellow-men ; and the whole seizure, pro- 
 gress, and termination of the disease, were the incidents of half-an- 
 hour. 
 
 But the Prince Prospero was happy and dauntless and sagacious. 
 When his dominions were half-depopulated, he summoned to his presence 
 a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from among the knights and 
 dames of his court, and with these retired to the deep seclusion of one 
 of his castellated abbeys. This was an extensive and magnificent 
 structure, the creation of the prince's own eccentric yet august taste. 
 A strong and lofty wall girdled it in. This wall had gates of iron. 
 The courtiers, having entered, brought furnaces and massy hammers 
 and welded the bolts. They resolved to leave means neither of ingress 
 nor egress to the sudden impulses of despair from without or of frenzy 
 from within. The abbey was amply provisioned. With such precautions 
 the courtiers might bid defiance to contagion. The external world could 
 take care of itself. In the meantime it was folly to grieve or to think. 
 The prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure. There were 
 buffoons, there were improvisator!, there were ballet-dancers, there were 
 musicians, there was beauty, there was wine. All these and security 
 were within. Without was the "Red Death." 
 
 It was toward the close of the fifth or sixth month of his seclusion, 
 and while the pestilence raged most furiously abroad, that the Prince 
 Prospero entertained his thousand friends at a masked ball of the most 
 unusual magnificence. 
 
 It was a voluptuous scene that masquerade. But first let me tell 
 of the rooms in which it was held. There were seven an imperial 
 suite. In many palaces, however, such suites form a long and straight 
 vista, while the folding doors slide back nearly to the walls on either 
 hand, so that the view of the whole extent is scarcely impeded. Here 
 the case was very different, as might have been expected from the 
 duke's love of the bizarre. The apartments were so irregularly 
 disposed that the vision embraced but little more than one at a time. 
 
 5 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 There was *. sharp turn at every twenty or thirty yards, and at each 
 , :tt?rji a novel effect. To the right and left, in the middle of each wall, 
 a tall and narrow Gothic window looked out upon a closed corridor 
 which pursued the windings of the suite. These windows were of 
 stained glass whose colour varied in accordance with the prevailing hue 
 of the decorations of the chamber into which it opened. That at the 
 eastern extremity was hung, for example, in blue, and vividly blue were 
 its windows. The second chamber was purple in its ornaments and 
 tapestries, and here the panes were purple. The third was green 
 throughout, and so were the casements. The fourth was furnished and 
 lighted with orange, the fifth with white, the sixth with violet The 
 seventh apartment was closely shrouded in black velvet tapestries that 
 hung all over the ceiling and down the walls, falling in heavy folds 
 upon a carpet of the same material and hue. But in this chamber only 
 the colour of the windows failed to correspond with the decorations. 
 The panes here were scarlet a deep blood-colour. Now in no one of 
 the seven apartments was there any lamp or candelabrum amid the pro- 
 fusion of golden ornaments that lay scattered to and fro or depended 
 from the roof. There was no light of any kind emanating from lamp 
 or candle within the suite of chambers; but in the corridors that 
 followed the suite there stood opposite to each window a heavy tripod 
 bearing a brazier of fire that projected its rays through the tinted glass 
 and so glaringly illumined the room. And thus were produced a multi- 
 tude of gaudy and fantastic appearances. But in the western or black 
 chamber the effect of the fire-light that streamed upon the dark hang- 
 ings, through the blood -tinted panes, was ghastly in the extreme, and 
 produced so wild a look upon the countenances of those who entered 
 that there were few of the company bold enough to set foot within its 
 precincts at all. 
 
 It was in this apartment also that there stood against the western 
 wall a gigantic clock of ebony. Its pendulum swung to and fro with 
 a dull, heavy, monotonous clang ; and when the minute-hand made the 
 circuit of the face, and the hour was to be stricken, there came from 
 the brazen lungs of the clock a sound which was clear and loud and 
 deep and exceedingly musical, but of so peculiar a note and emphasis 
 that, at each lapse of an hour, the musicians of the orchestra were 
 constrained to pause momentarily in their performance to hearken to the 
 sound ; and thus the waltzers perforce ceased their evolutions, and there 
 was a brief disconcert of the whole gay company, and while the chimes 
 of the clock yet rang it was observed that the giddiest grew pale, and 
 the more aged and sedate passed their hands over their brows as if in 
 confused reverie or meditation : but when the echoes had fully ceased, a 
 light laughter at once pervaded the assembly ; the musicians looked at 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 7 
 
 each other and smiled as if at their own nervousness and folly, and 
 made whispering vows each to the other that the next chiming of the 
 clock should produce in them no similar emotion, and then, after the 
 lapse of sixty minutes (which embrace three thousand and six hundred 
 seconds of the time that flies), there came yet another chiming of the 
 clock, and then were the same disconcert and tremulousness and medi- 
 tation as before. 
 
 But in spite of these things it was a gay and magnificent revel. 
 The tastes of the duke were peculiar. He had a fine eye for colours 
 and effects. He disregarded the decora of mere fashion. His plans 
 were bold and fiery, and his conceptions glowed with barbaric lustre. 
 There are some who would have thought him mad. His followers felt 
 that he was not It was necessary to hear, and see, and touch him to 
 be sure that he was not. 
 
 He had directed, in great part, the movable embellishments of the 
 seven chambers, upon occasion of this great fete ; and it was his own 
 guiding taste which had given character to the masqueraders. Be sure 
 they were grotesque. There were much glare and glitter and piquancy 
 and phantasm much of what has been since seen in "Hernani." There 
 were arabesque figures with unsuited limbs and appointments. There 
 were delirious fancies such as the madman fashions. There were much 
 of the beautiful, much of the wanton, much of the bizarre, something 
 of the terrible, and not a little of that which might have excited disgust 
 To and fro in the seven chambers there stalked, in fact, a multitude of 
 dreams. And these the dreams writhed in and about, taking hue from 
 the rooms, and causing the wild music of the orchestra to seem as the 
 echo of their steps. And, jdwaT there strikes the ebony clock which 
 stands in the hall of the velvet ; and then, for a moment, all is still, and 
 all is silent save the voice of the clock. The dreams are stiff-frozen as 
 they stand. But the echoes of the chime die away they have endured 
 but an instant and a light, half-subdued laughter floats after them as 
 they depart. And now again the music swells, and the dreams live, 
 and writhe to and fro more merrily than ever, taking hue from the many 
 tinted windows through which stream the rays from the tripods. But 
 to the chamber which lies most eastwardly of the seven, there are now 
 none of the maskers who venture ; for the night is waning away ; and 
 there flows a ruddier light through the blood-coloured panes ; and the 
 blackness of the sable drapery appals ; and to him whose foot falls upon 
 the sable carpet, there comes from the near clock of ebony a muffled 
 peal more solemnly emphatic than any which reaches their ears who 
 indulge in the more remote gaieties of the other apartments. 
 
 But these other apartments were densely crowded, and in them 
 beat feverishly the heart of life. And the revel went whirlingly on, 
 
8 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 until at length there commenced the sounding of midnight upon the 
 clock. And then the music ceased, as I have told; and the evolutions 
 of the waltzers were quieted ; and there was an uneasy cessation of all 
 things as before. But now there were twelve strokes to be sounded 
 by the bell of the clock ; and thus it happened, perhaps, that more of 
 thought crept, with more of time, into the meditations of the thoughtful 
 among those who revelled. And thus, two, it happened, perhaps, that 
 before the last echoes of the last chime had utterly sunk into silence, 
 there were many individuals in the crowd who had found leisure to 
 become aware of the presence of a masked figure which had arrested 
 the attention of no single individual before. And the rumour of this new 
 presence having spread- itself whisperingly around, there arose at length 
 from the whole company a buzz, or murmur, expressive of disappro- 
 bation and surprise then, finally, of terror, of horror, and of disgust. 
 
 In an assembly of phantasms such as I have painted, it may well 
 be supposed that no ordinary appearance could have excited such sen- 
 sation. In truth, the masquerade licence of the night was nearly un- 
 limited ; but the figure hi question had out-Heroded Herod, and gone 
 beyond the bounds of even the prince's indefinite decorum. There are 
 chords in the hearts of the most reckless which cannot be touched 
 without emotion. Even with the utterly lost, to whom life and death 
 are equally jests, there are matters of which no jest can be made. The 
 whole company indeed seemed now deeply to feel that in the costunn 
 and bearing of the stranger neither wit nor propriety existed. The 
 figure was tall and gaunt, and shrouded from head to foot in the 
 habiliments of the grave. The mask which concealed the visage was 
 made so nearly to resemble the countenance of a stiffened corpse that 
 the closest scrutiny must have had difficulty in detecting the cheat 
 And yet all this might have been endured, if not approved, by the mad 
 revellers around. But the mummer had gone so far as to assume the 
 type of the Red Death. His vesture was dabbled in blood and his 
 broad brow, with all the features of the face, was besprinkled with the 
 scarlet horror. 
 
 When the eyes of Prince Prospero fell upon this spectral image 
 (which, with a slow and solemn movement, as if more fully to sustain 
 its role, stalked to and fro among the waltzers), he was seen to be 
 convulsed in the first moment with a strong shudder either of terror or 
 distaste ; but in the next his brow reddened with rage. 
 
 "Who dares?" he demanded hoarsely of the courtiers who stood 
 near him "who dares insult us with this blasphemous mockery? Seize 
 him and unmask him, that we may know whom we have to hang at 
 sunrise from the battlements I " 
 
 It was in the eastern or blue chamber in which stood the Prince 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 9 
 
 Prospero as he uttered these words. They rang throughout the seven 
 rooms loudly and clearly for the prince was a bold and robust man, and 
 the music had become hushed at the waving of his hand. 
 
 It was in the blue room where stood the prince, with a group of 
 pale courtiers by his side. At first, as he spoke, there was a slight 
 rushing movement of this group in the direction of the intruder, who, at 
 the moment was also near at hand, and now, with deliberate and 
 stately step, made closer approach to the speaker. But, from a certain 
 nameless awe with which the mad assumptions of the mummer had 
 inspired the whole party, there were found none who put forth hand to 
 seize him ; so that unimpeded he passed within a yard of the prince's 
 person ; and while the vast assembly, as if with one impulse, shrank 
 from the centres of the rooms to the walls, he made his way uninter- 
 . ruptedly, but with the same solemn and measured step which had 
 distinguished him from the first, through the blue chamber to the purple 
 through the purple to the green through the green to the orange- 
 through this again to the white and even thence to the violet, ere a 
 decided movement had been made to arrest him. It was then, however, 
 that the Prince Prospero, maddening with rage and the shame of his 
 own momentary cowardice, rushed hurriedly through the six chambers, 
 while none followed him on account of a deadly terror that had seized 
 upon all. He bore aloft a drawn dagger, and had approached in rapid 
 impetuosity, to within three or four feet of the retreating figure, when 
 the latter, having attained the extremity of the velvet apartment, turned 
 suddenly and confronted his pursuer. There was a sharp cry and the 
 dagger dropped gleaming upon the sable carpet, upon which, instantly 
 afterwards, fell prostrate in death the Prince Prospero. Then, summon- 
 ing the wild courage of despair, a throng of the revellers at once threw 
 themselves into the black apartment, and, seizing the mummer, whose 
 tall figure stood erect and motionless within the shadow of the ebony 
 clock, gasped in unutterable horror at finding the grave cerements and 
 corpse -like mask which they handled with so violent a rudeness, un- 
 tenanted by any tangible form. 
 
 And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death. He 
 had come like a thief in the night ; and one by one dropped the revellers 
 in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing 
 posture of his fall ; and the life of the ebony clock went out with that 
 of the last of the gay; and the flames of the tripods expired; and 
 the darkness and decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion 
 over all. 
 
 \ 
 
THE IRON 
 COFFIN A 
 
THE IRON COFFIN. 
 
 (From "Faust," A Romance. By George W. M. Reynolds.) 
 
 TTO PIANALLA had strolled forth, shortly after sunset, 
 from the house in which the shipwrecked party had been 
 lodged by order of the Duke of Ferrara ; and he bent his 
 steps towards the shore to enjoy the refreshing breeze 
 which the wings of the evening wafted over the deep blue 
 waters of the Adriatic. 
 
 He was standing in a contemplative mood, upon a low reef which 
 jutted out into the sea, when the sounds of footsteps fell upon his ears. 
 He looked back, and beheld three men advancing towards him. 
 
 Not suspecting treachery, he again turned his eyes upon the broad 
 expanse which lay at his feet, and in whose bosom was now reflected 
 the gem-like lustre of a thousand stars. 
 
 But in a few moments he was seized rudely from behind : he 
 attempted to resist the effort was vain, for his arms were pinioned 
 with cords in an instant ; he demanded the cause of this outrage and 
 his question elicited no answer. 
 
 The three men performed their work in dogged silence. Having 
 securely bound Otto's arms, they led him away along the seashore for 
 a considerable distance, so as to avoid the outskirts of the town ; and 
 at length they turned abruptly into a narrow path which ran through 
 a thick grove situated upon a somewhat steep acclivity. 
 
 Otto endeavoured to learn the motive of his arrest : and he appealed 
 to the men to satisfy him upon that head. 
 
 But they uttered not a word in reply ! 
 
 When the uppermost verge of the grove was gained, the black and 
 gloomy towers of the Castle of Solitude were seen at a short distance, 
 standing out in dark relief against the star-lit horizon. 
 
 Otto sighed as he beheld that sombre fortress of which he had 
 already heard enough to arouse the worst fears in his mind ; and a 
 tear trembled upon his dark lash as he thought of his wife and 
 children. 
 
 Then he reproached himself for giving way to that temporary 
 depression, instead of putting his faith in the supreme power which 
 had so often led him safely through dangers of a menacing and even 
 an appalling nature. 
 
 The ominous silence in which his guards thus shrouded themselves 
 was calculated to inspire the prisoner with the most gloomy fore- 
 
 15 
 
16 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 bodings ; and he prayed inwardly, as he accompanied them along a 
 series of stone passages, lighted only by the lurid glare of the torch- 
 he prayed, to prepare himself for death ! 
 
 At the end of the last passage which they thus traversed Schur- 
 mann opened a low door, which was provided outside with massive 
 bolts, padlocks, and chains. 
 
 The cords were now removed from Otto's arms ; and he was thrust 
 into the dungeon to which that well-defended door gave admittance. 
 
 A moment afterwards, and the ominous clanking of the bolts and 
 chains fell upon his ears. 
 
 He sate down on the straw which littered the floor of the dungeon, 
 and, amidst the almost total darkness in which he was plunged, began 
 to meditate sorrowfully upon his condition. 
 
 What would his beloved wife and darling children think of his 
 sudden and unaccountable absence? Oh! the idea of their terrible 
 suspense was almost insupportable ; and even the virtuous the heaven- 
 confiding Otto was now reduced to the brink of despair. 
 
 And for what fate was he reserved ? For death, perhaps ! But by 
 what means was his end to be accomplished? Not by sudden violence 
 not by the bravo's knife ; or else wherefore should his enemies have 
 conveyed him thither? Alas! was famine was starvation to be his 
 doom ? He feared so ! 
 
 But who were his enemies ? Had he only one, or many ? He knew 
 that Lucrezia Borgia was the Duchess of Ferrara, and that she was 
 then at the palace of Lissa with the royal court ; but surely surely 
 she could not be his persecutress ? Had he not saved her brother from 
 a dungeon at the peril of finding one himself? No Lucrezia could 
 not be his enemy ! And yet and yet, who would dare to perpetrate 
 this outrage beneath the very eyes, as it were, of the Duke and 
 Duchess to whose rule the island, with its fortress, belonged! 
 Terrible uncertainty ! bewildering suspense ! 
 
 As Otto sate, thus ruminating, upon the straw of his cell, his eyes 
 gradually became more accustomed to the obscurity ; and a light 
 dawned upon him by very slow degrees, and so faintly that when its 
 presence first struck him he doubted whether it was not an optical 
 delusion. 
 
 But, as he gazed and gazed with straining eyes, he became con- 
 vinced that there were really windows along the top of that side or 
 wall of the dungeon towards which his face was turned. 
 
 Yes he could now count those windows, guarded with their 
 massive iron bars. 
 
 There were five; and they formed a range, separated only from 
 each other by very narrow divisions. 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 17 
 
 The door was in the side facing the windows. 
 
 Otto rose from his straw, and endeavoured to raise himself up to 
 the casements ; but they were too high to reach with a spring, and 
 there was not a single projection to break the surface of the wall. 
 
 And that wall and the other walls of the dungeon oh ! there was 
 no possibility of mistaking the nature of the material of which they 
 were made ; for as Otto passed his hand over them, the cold touch of 
 iron sent a chill to his very heart's core ! 
 
 In what kind of a place, then, was he? He examined it more 
 closely with his eyes and hands ; and he was speedily struck by the 
 extraordinary shape of that dungeon. 
 
 Very long and very narrow, it at first appeared to him a section 
 cut off from a passage by building two partition walls across it ; but, 
 no the side walls were not straight ! 
 
 More closely more attentively still did he examine the dungeon ; 
 and at last with his blood curdling in his veins was he forced to stop 
 at the horrible conviction that the dungeon was built in the shape of a 
 coffin ! 
 
 Yes : he was enclosed in an iron coffin at one end of which was 
 the door, and at the other the five windows 1 
 
 "Oh! my beloved wife my dearest children, am I separated from 
 you for ever?" exclaimed Otto Pianalla, falling upon his knees in the 
 midst of that dungeon of a shape so appallingly foreboding. " Great 
 Father of Mercy, wilt thou make her so soon a widow and them 
 fatherless so young ? But in thee I place my trust : thy will be done ! " 
 
 Then from his bosom he drew forth a small box of sandal-wood, 
 and piously kissed the relic which it contained. 
 
 That relic was the wood of the Ark 1 
 
 Then he lay down, and endeavoured to court slumber ; for he was 
 fearful of trusting himself alone with his thoughts. Sleep soon fell upon 
 him ; and his dreams were to some extent cheering. The nature of 
 those visions was pervaded by the idea of his confinement in that 
 horrible dungeon ; but amidst the gloom of this strange and mysterious 
 immurement, his imagination caught glimpses of hope and scintillations 
 of eventual fecility. 
 
 He was thus hovering, in his slumbers, between the sad reality of 
 the present and the brighter anticipations of the future, when the loud 
 crashing sound of a bell awoke him with a terrific start. 
 
 That bell appeared to ring upon the very roof of the iron dungeon, 
 the metallic echoes of which responded with a din as if the sides the 
 floor and the ceiling vibrated long and perceptibly to the sudden clang. 
 
 The bell, however, beat but once ; though the humming sound con- 
 tinued to ring for more than a minute in the artist's ear. 
 
18 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 It was morning ; and the interior of the dungeon was now plainly 
 visible in respect to all the ominous features of its shape. The light 
 that prevailed within was of that dim nature which precedes the sun- 
 rise by nearly half-an-hour. Yet the sun has already risen ; but then 
 the windows were so small, the horn of which the panes were made 
 was so dull in hue, and the iron bars were so thick, that even at mid- 
 day no better light could penetrate into that living tomb ! 
 
 When the first bewildering effects of the sudden clang of the bell 
 had passed away, Otto's eyes wandered round and round the dungeon- 
 as if he could scarcely believe that a portion of what had followed him 
 in his dreams was really true, as if the horrors of his position had 
 just burst upon him for the first time, in all their appalling forms and 
 colours ! 
 
 But when he had poured forth his matin-prayer he grew calmer, 
 and then surveyed the dungeon with more tranquil attention. 
 
 Glancing first towards the door, 'he beheld some light object project- 
 ing as it were from the middle : he approached that point, and, to his 
 surprise and joy, discovered a small loaf and a pitcher of water stand- 
 ing upon a sort of shelf attached to the door. On a closer examination, 
 he observed that there was a small trap, or wicket, in the door, opening 
 just above the shelf, and by means of which the food had been intro- 
 duced from outside. 
 
 " Heaven be thanked 1 " cried Otto : " then I am not doomed to die 
 of famine ! " 
 
 Returning, with the loaf and the jug, to his straw in the middle of 
 the dungeon, the artist sate down, and ate and drank sparingly for he 
 knew not how long a period might elapse ere the provision would be 
 renewed. 
 
 But as his eyes wandered round the horrible place from time to 
 time, he was suddenly startled by a circumstance which he had not 
 before noticed during the half hour that had now elapsed since he was 
 awakened by the bell. 
 
 This circumstance was connected with the range of windows. He 
 felt convinced that on the preceding night he had counted five counted 
 them over and over again, remarked them, in a word, most attentively! 
 
 And now there were but four ! 
 
 Was this possible ? Could he have been deceived on the previous 
 night? or was he deluded now? 
 
 He advanced nearer to the wall which contained the windows 
 nearer to what might be called the head of the coffin ; and, surely 
 enough, there were but four windows I 
 
 It was clear, then, that he had been deceived in his computation 
 the night before : at least he thought so 1 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 19 
 
 The four windows formed a range all across the top of the wall ; 
 and if there had been originally five, the removal or filling up of one 
 must have caused a blank space somewhere along that range. 
 
 But there was no such space the range was uniform, extending 
 from angle to angle along the head of the coffin ! 
 
 Oh 1 how shall we attempt to describe the gloom and weariness 
 the intervals of soul-crushing thoughts, succeeded by others of prayer 
 and hope which characterised the passage of that long, long day? 
 Not a sound from without broke upon the awful silence of the dungeon ; 
 not a human voice, nor a human footstep not even the notes of a bell 
 proclaiming the hour, no nor the chirrup of a bird on the ledge of the 
 casements, met the ear of the prisoner ! 
 
 Night came at last and he determined to watch at the door of the 
 dungeon, to appeal to the person who might bring him food. 
 
 There he took his station, keeping his hand fixed upon the panel of 
 the iron door, to ascertain the moment when the wicket was about to 
 be opened so fearful was he of losing the opportunity of addressing 
 himself to a human soul. 
 
 But hour after hour passed ; and no one came : the panel moved 
 not his food was not renewed. And yet but a morsel of the loaf and 
 but a drop of the water remained to him 1 
 
 Wearied with watching and reduced almost to despair by the 
 thought of his wife and children and now assailed by the horrible idea 
 that his provisions were to be supplied so scantily and at such distant 
 intervals, that a lingering death of slow famine must be his fate, Otto 
 Pianalla once more threw himself upon his knees, prayed fervently, and 
 shortly after sank into a deep slumber. 
 
 His dreams were again to some degree of a cheering nature ; and 
 again were they suddenly and cruelly interrupted by the iron clang of 
 the deafening bell. 
 
 But this time it beat twice 1 
 
 Otto started up, and glanced rapidly round the dungeon or rather 
 from end to end ; for it seemed to have grown narrower ! 
 
 Yes and, as he gazed, it also appeared to have become shorter; 
 for the straw in the middle struck him as being nearer to the walls 
 every way. 
 
 But food food I for he was hungry! And, behold upon the little 
 shelf projecting from the door were a loaf and another pitcher of water. 
 
 "Again do I thank Heaven that famine is not to be my fate!" 
 exclaimed Otto. " But for what purpose am I here ? is it to linger in 
 solitude, until the lonely captivity of long, long years shall hurl my 
 reason from its seat ? Oh ! death were preferable to that ! Ah ! what 
 do I see?" 
 
20 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 He uttered these last words with a species of agonising scream 
 for his eyes had wandered towards the windows, of which there 
 were but three! 
 
 Starting from the straw, he hastened to examine the wall in which 
 the windows were set. It was now so narrow that when he stretched 
 out his arms, his hands touched the angles where the sides of the 
 coffin joined the head. 
 
 But still the windows the three remaining windows were uniform 
 as a range: there was no blank space in any part. The sides, then, 
 had grown closer to each other : yes yes he could now doubt the fact 
 no longer! 
 
 And not only had the windows diminished in number ; they were 
 lower than when he first entered that dreadful place 1 Still, the top of 
 the range touched the ceiling touched the lid of the iron coffin ! 
 
 Could all this be a delusion? was he already turning mad? 
 
 No no ; he was sane too sane to be deceived any longer as to 
 the appearances which now struck terror to his inmost soul ! For on 
 the first night of his captivity, he was unable to reach the bottom of 
 the windows even with a leap ; but at present he could touch the 
 massive iron bars of the casements without so much as standing upon 
 tip-toe. 
 
 And the roof oh! that had become lower: it had descended with 
 the windows ! 
 
 Horrible ideas flashed to his mind : those walls would collapse 
 that roof would descend and his form was destined to be crushed to 
 atoms in that iron coffin! Or else the walls and the roof would only 
 approach each other at such a distance, as to form the cell into the 
 precise size, as it was already in the shape, of a coffin, and thus 
 would he be, as it were, buried alive ! 
 
 Merciful God ! was such to be his fate ? 
 
 Recovering from the first access of despair, Otto Pianalla knelt 
 down, and prayed fervently fervently more fervently, if possible, than 
 he had ever yet prayed ; and he rose in a state of mind considerably 
 calmed but, alas! calmed only with that resignation which nerves a 
 good man to meet approaching death. 
 
 Wearily, wearily, passed the second day; and the third night 
 arrived. 
 
 So overcome with the fatigue of intense meditation was he, that 
 abandoning the idea of again watching at the wicket he threw himself 
 upon the straw, and slept profoundly. 
 
 But, in his slumbers, a strange vision visited him. 
 
 He thought that some being, of undefined shape and mien, appeared 
 to him there, in that dungeon and offered him liberty long life 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 21 
 
 pleasure power happiness of all kinds, upon one condition, which this 
 mysterious, vague, and dream-like visitant hesitated to name. But Otto 
 pressed him to declare the terms on which these boons were offered ; 
 for the artist longed to embrace his wife and children again. Then it 
 seemed to him as if the being leant over him, and whispered in his ear 
 words of so terrible so appalling a nature, conditions of so fearful a 
 kind, that he started up wildly, and commanded the fiend to begone. 
 Yet the shade appeared to linger ; whereupon Otto instinctively drew 
 forth a holy relic of the Ark, and by that precious symbol of God's 
 mercy adjured the demon to depart. 
 
 At that instant the dreadful bell upon the roof sounded, once 
 twice thrice I 
 
 Otto's senses were so bewildered that for some minutes he knew 
 not where he was what that deafening clang, three times sent forth, 
 could mean. 
 
 But as his ideas gradually became more clear and collected, all the 
 horrors of his situation and all the details of his dream recurred to his 
 memory. 
 
 Had he really been the object of hell's temptation? Had it indeed 
 been proposed to him to barter his soul for liberty, power, and long life? 
 
 He entertained a horrible suspicion almost amounting to a convic- 
 tionthat such was the fact ; and he thanked Heaven for having 
 provided him with the means to repel the advances of the Tempter. 
 
 Then he glanced towards the windows, and averted his eyes with 
 a cold shudder averted his eyes from the two remaining windows ! 
 
 He rose from the straw but his head came in contact with the 
 ceiling, which had now sunk so low, that he could not stand upright in 
 the dungeon 1 
 
 There, however, upon the little shelf of the door, were the loaf and 
 the pitcher of water, which had been supplied to him while he slept. 
 
 "Two windows remaining!" mused Otto to himself, while his heart 
 seemed ready to burst as the images of his wife and children flitted 
 before him. "The bell struck once when the first disappeared twice 
 when two were gone and three times when the collapsing walls 
 covered the third ! To-morrow it will strike four and the morning 
 after, five; and then doubtless my doom will be sealed! By whose 
 command do I thus suffer? who is the enemy that has destined me 
 thus to die? Surely no human being possesses a heart so fiend-like 
 unless it be indeed the Borgia? Yes yes; Lucrezia, this is your work: 
 you seek to punish me for the firmness with which I refused to 
 become the slave of your passions at Rosenthal Castle long ago ! Oh ! 
 I comprehend it all ; for thou, Lucrezia, art the only living being cap- 
 
22 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 able of such atrocity as this ! But, if it be the will of Heaven that 
 I die thus, prayers, and not curses, shall mark my last agonising 
 moments ! " 
 
 It was not, however, without feelings of ineffable horror that Otto 
 surveyed the limited dimensions of that dungeon which now seemed 
 more coffin-like than ever. By whatever strange contrivance it were 
 that those walls were thus made to collapse, and that roof to fall lower, 
 it was impossible to deny that never had infernal cruelty designed a 
 more ingenious method of crushing the spirit by degrees, and the body 
 perhaps in an instant when the time should come. 
 
 In the widest part of the iron coffin Otto could now easily touch 
 each side with his extended arms ; and at the foot, or lower end, it was 
 so narrow that the door alone at present occupied that space. 
 
 The fourth night came ; and Otto feared to sleep, lest the tempta- 
 tions of hell should be renewed. But he could not walk about for his 
 head touched the ceiling when he stood upright. He therefore sate 
 upon the straw, and passed the weary, tedious hours in prayer. When, 
 according to the calculation which he made of the lapse of time, light 
 was approaching, he maintained his eyes steadily fixed upon the point 
 where the two remaining windows had stood on the previous day. 
 And soon by degrees a faint glimmer was perceptible at the head of 
 the iron coffin : then, when the dim ray had somewhat increased in 
 power, the bell suddenly beat sounding now as if it were just over the 
 hapless prisoner's head, while the iron walls and roof vibrated terri- 
 fically with the rebound. 
 
 One two three four ; and as the fourth clang fell on Otto's ear, 
 the side against which he was leaning moved noiselessly, but firmly 
 and steadily, inwards. He uttered a loud cry, and flung up his arms in 
 terror ; but his hands encountered the roof, which had now sunk to the 
 level of his head, even as he sate upon the straw. 
 
 Instinctively his eyes, a moment averted, were turned again towards 
 the head of the coffin ; and the dim light shone upon him through the 
 one remaining window 1 
 
 "To-morrow to-morrow!" he cried, clasping his hands together; 
 "and all will be over! Oh! my dear, dear wife my beloved sons!" 
 
 And he wept bitterly. 
 
 Those tears relieved him as much as a man in his awful situation 
 could be relieved ; and, perceiving that his food had not been forgotten, 
 he crept along the coffin to the door, now so narrow that a stout 
 person could not have passed through it. 
 
 The shelf was still precisely in the middle for so admirably 
 arranged seemed the fearful mechanism which produced those strange 
 collapses of the coffin's sides and lid, that the precise position of its 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 23 
 
 salient features remained unchanged in reference to each diminished 
 shape. 
 
 Firmly impressed with the idea that this was his last day, Otto 
 passed it in the way which the reader, who has studied his character, 
 may conceive ; and when night the fifth night came, he no longer 
 feared to lie down to rest ; for he felt himself nerved to resist all the 
 temptations of hell were they never so powerful I 
 
 Yes the fifth night had arrived ; and Otto Pianalla lay down upon 
 his straw, with the conviction that when the bell should ring in the 
 morning as a signal for the fifth window to disappear, the walls and 
 roof would grasp him in their arms of iron, and enclose him in that 
 coffin of diabolical contrivance. 
 
 It was not death that he feared ; but he sorrowed to think that his 
 family was destined to remain in a frightful state of ignorance as to his 
 real fate, perhaps supported for years and years upon the hope that he 
 might return to them, until, the heart becoming sick, the very duties 
 of life would seem poisoned, and the end of those whom he loved so 
 devotedly might become painful in the extreme. 
 
 In the midst of such reflections as these, he was suddenly startled 
 by a sound the first save that of the bell and of his own cries which 
 had yet met his ear in the dungeon emanating from the door. 
 
 He listened listened in the most acute suspense. 
 
 Yes ; it was indeed a sound as of a trap opening ; and immediately 
 afterwards a strong current of air dissipated the almost stifling heat of 
 the iron coffin. 
 
 4 'Otto Pianalla 1" said a melodious voice. 
 
 Years had passed since the artist had heard those tones ; but he 
 remembered them well for the voice of Lucrezia Borgia was one of 
 silvery softness. 
 
 "Am I indeed, then, the victim of your Highness?" asked Otto. 
 "Oh! is human nature capable of such black ingratitude? Hast thou 
 forgotten, false woman, all I did for thy brother Caesar?" 
 
 "Lucrezia Borgia forgets nothing," was the calm reply; "not even 
 how Otto Pianalla scorned her love in the Castle of Rosenthal. Proud 
 and obdurate man ! didst thou not then see me at thy feet and didst 
 thou not shrink from me as from a viper? Didst thou not even take 
 upon thyself to reproach me for my crimes ? But enough of that : I 
 am not come to reproach I am here to save thee, if thou wilt" 
 
 "Can you ask me if I wish to escape from this horrible prison?" 
 exclaimed Otto, joyfully. " Oh ! release me, madam restore me to my 
 wife and children let me embrace them once more and I will pray for 
 thee I will even speak of thee with gratitude ! " 
 
24 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 "It is not gratitude that I seek at the hands of Otto Pianalla," 
 answered Lucrezia ; " it is love 1 " 
 
 "Oh! would you impose conditions upon me as the price of my 
 release?" cried the artist "Then know, bad woman, that sooner 
 shall these walls crush me to a shapeless mass, sooner shall this roof 
 fall down this instant on the head which it already touches, even as I 
 speak to thee, yes sooner will I die the most horrible of deaths than 
 yield to thy desires 1" 
 
 "Think not, haughty man," returned Lucrezia, "that your death 
 there will be immediate 1 Oh no 1 that were a mercy too great for 
 those whom the state-vengeance of Ferrara or my own private hatred 
 sends to this living tomb ! No 1 shouldst thou scorn me now, as 
 thou didst sixteen years ago in the Castle of Rosenthal, prepare thy- 
 self for a fate the horrors of which no tongue can describe 1 For when 
 the fifth sound of to-morrow's bell falls on thine ears, the walls and the 
 roof will move so near each other that they will enclose thee in a space 
 neither a whit larger nor a tittle smaller than thy coffin would be were 
 it duly prepared to receive thy corpse. Therein wilt thou linger for 
 days and days a prey to starvation feeding on the flesh of thine 
 hands and arms and with all the terrific consciousness which can 
 aggravate the hellish torments of thy doom. Otto Pianalla, have I 
 moved thee now?" 
 
 " No no fiend, and not woman, as thou art 1 " was the agonising 
 reply. " A vaunt leave me ! I will not yield to thee go ! " 
 
 " Then perish in thine obstinacy ! " replied Lucrezia ; and the trap 
 was immediately closed in the door. 
 
 But almost at the same moment the trampling of many feet and the 
 sounds of angry voices fell upon Otto's ears : the bolts and bars of the 
 iron coffin were drawn back the chains fell with a heavy clank upon 
 the pavement outside the door was thrown open lights appeared in 
 the passage and a loud voice exclaimed, in a commanding tone, "Otto 
 Pianalla, come forth ! Thou art free 1 " 
 
 It is beyond the power of language to describe how joyously this 
 invitation was obeyed how the despair of Otto Pianalla was in a 
 moment changed into the most fervent heart-thrilling delight 1 
 
 Passing out from the iron coffin, the artist found himself in the 
 presence of an elderly man of noble and imposing aspect, and in whom, 
 by the star that he wore upon his breast, he had no difficulty in recog- 
 nising the Duke of Ferrara. 
 
 The Duchess Lucrezia was a prisoner between two of the ducal guards. 
 
 Lucrezia's countenance was ashy pale : but it was evident that she 
 endeavoured as much as possible to conceal her emotions beneath an 
 affectation of haughty indifference. 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 25 
 
 "Return at once to your family, excellent man," cried the Duke, 
 addressing himself to Pianalla; "but fear not that they have been in 
 sorrow at your absence. Scarcely were you the inmate of this castle, 
 when a message from me relieved them of all anxiety on your account ; 
 and an innocent falsehood conveyed to them a reasonable excuse for 
 your separation from them for a few days." 
 
 "A thousand thanks, my lord, for this kind consideration on your 
 part!" cried Otto, overjoyed at intelligence so welcome. 
 
 "And pardon me," continued the Duke, taking the artist's hand, 
 "if I have allowed you to languish thus long in such horrible suspense 
 as you must have endured. But I required confirmation of that pro- 
 fligacy which I had long suspected a profligacy on the part of a 
 woman whom, in spite of the ill report of her early life, I raised to be 
 a partner of my ducal throne. Yes, Lucrezia what have become of all 
 the pledges of fidelity which you made me, when dazzled by your 
 beauty, overlooking your former errors, and willing to believe your 
 representations that report had exaggerated your failings into enormous 
 crimes I led you to the altar? But know, vile woman, that you have 
 been betrayed by your own bad agent your own confidant; and that 
 those words which you ere now uttered to this high-minded man, who 
 nobly refused to purchase life with dishonour, have at length confirmed 
 my long-existing suspicions 1 " 
 
 " Messer Pianalla, I have naught more to say to you," observed 
 the Duke ; " unless it be that I have placed at your disposal a vessel 
 to convey yourself and family to any port whither it may suit your 
 purposes to repair. Farewell and forget what you have seen or 
 endured within these walls ! " 
 
 "Your Highness will pardon me," said Otto, glancing towards 
 Lucrezia, "if I venture to implore your mercy in favour of one who 
 wicked and depraved though she be " 
 
 "Messer Pianalla," interrupted the Duke, sternly, "seek not to 
 place thyself between me and the execution of my sovereign justice. 
 Again I bid thee farewell ! " 
 
 But Otto still lingered for, much as he had suffered at the hands 
 of Lucrezia Borgia, he revolted from the idea of the punishment which 
 he feared was in store for her. The Duke perceived his hesitation; 
 and, stamping his foot with rage, cried, "Dost hear? Begone!" 
 
 The guards seized upon the artist, and conducted him through 
 the long passages and windings that led to the gate of the Castle 
 of Solitude. 
 
 A few minutes after he had thus been removed from the presence of 
 the Duke, the iron coffin received another victim ! 
 
26 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 Unmoved by her prayers and entreaties inexorable against her 
 tears and supplications for the haughty Lucrezia was humbled to the 
 dust when the fiat of her husband went forth the Duke remained upon 
 the spot while the guards thrust the screaming, wretched, despairing 
 woman into the horrible prison. 
 
 Yes and with the true malignity of the dark Italian vengeance of 
 that age, the Duke quitted not the entrance to the iron coffin through- 
 out the night ! And when the first beam of the sun appeared above the 
 eastern hills and grove-topped heights of Lissa, the fearful machinery 
 was set in motion. 
 
 Clang clang went the deafening bell upon the dungeon roof: five 
 times it struck while appalling shrieks came from within the living 
 tomb. 
 
 And while the echoes of the fifth stroke were yet reverberating 
 through the gloomy passages of the Castle of Solitude, the mysterious 
 engine of death began its dreadful work. 
 
 On on went the closing sides: down down came the ponderous 
 roof the fatal machinery no longer moving noiselessly, but collapsing 
 with a hideous crash yet not so loud as to stifle the agonising screams 
 and shrieks that echoed from the inmate of the iron coffin 1 
 
THE MOTHER 
 AND THE ^ggr 
 DEAD CHILD 
 
THE MOTHER AND THE DEAD CHILD. 
 
 MOTHER sat by her little child : she was very sorrowful, 
 and feared that it would die. Its little face was pale, and 
 its eyes were closed. The child drew its breath with 
 difficulty, and sometimes so deeply as if it were sighing ; 
 and then the mother looked more sorrowfully than before 
 on the little creature. 
 
 Then there was a knock at the door, and a poor old man came in, 
 wrapped up -m-seawthing' "thstrluukud ' like a great horse-cloth, -for that 
 keeps warm ; and he required it, for it was cold winter. Without, 
 everything was covered with ice and snow, and the wind blew so 
 sharply that it cut one's face. 
 
 And as the old man trembled with cold, and the child was quiet 
 for a moment, the mother went and put some beer on the stove in a 
 little pot, to warm it for him. The old man sat down and rocked the 
 cradle, and the mother seated herself on an old chair by him, 'looked at 
 her sick child that drew its breath so painfully, and seized the little 
 hand. 
 
 "You think I shall keep it, do you not?" she asked. "The good 
 God will not take it from me ! " 
 
 And the old man he was Death nodded in such a strange way, 
 that it might just as well mean yes as no. And the mother cast down 
 her eyes, and tears rolled down her cheeks. Her head became heavy: 
 for three days and three nights she had not closed her eyes ; and now 
 she slept, but only for a minute ; then she started up and shivered with 
 cold. 
 
 "What is that?" she asked, and looked round on all sides; but the 
 old man was gone, and her little child was gone ; he had taken it with 
 him. And there in the corner the old clock was humming and whirring; 
 the heavy leaden weight ran down to the floor plump ! and the clock 
 stopped. 
 
 "But the poor mother rushed out of the house crying for her child. 
 
 Out in the snow sat a woman in long black garments, and she 
 said, " Death has been with you in your room ; I saw him hasten away 
 with your child : he strides faster than the wind, and never brings back 
 what he has taken away." 
 
 "Only tell me which way he has gone," said the mother. "Tell 
 me the way, and I will find him." 
 
 "I know him," said the woman in the black garments; "but before 
 I tell you, you must sing me all the songs that you have sung to your 
 
32 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 child. I love those songs ; I have heard them before. I am Night, and 
 I saw your tears when you sang them." , 
 
 "I will sing them all, all 1 "-said" the -mother. "But do not detain 
 me, that I may overtake him, and find my child." 
 
 But Night sat dumb and still. Then the mother wrung her hands, 
 and sang and wept. And there were many songs, but yet more tears, 
 and then Night said, "Go to the right into the dark fir wood ; for I 
 saw Death take that path with your little child." 
 
 Deep in the forest there was a cross road, and she did not know 
 which way to take. There stood a blackthorn bush, with not a leaf nor 
 a blossom upon it ; for it was in the cold winter-time, and icicles hung 
 from the twigs. 
 
 "Have you not seen Death go by, with my little child?" 
 
 "Yes," replied the Bush; "but I shall not tell you which way he 
 went unless you warm me on your bosom. I 'm freezing to death here, 
 I'm turning to ice." 
 
 And she pressed the Blackthorn Bush to her bosom, quite close, 
 that it might be well warmed. And the thorns pierced into her flesh, 
 and her blood oozed out in great drops. But the Blackthorn shot out 
 fresh green leaves, and blossomed in the dark winter night : so warm is 
 the heart of a sorrowing mother ! And the Blackthorn Bush told her 
 the way that she should go. \ju4~s vU?Vi ?a"t<; 
 
 Then she came to a great Lake, on which there was- neither -ships 
 *or-boat. The Lake was not frozen enough to carry her, nor suffi- 
 ciently open to allow her to wade through, and yet she must cross it 
 if she was to find her child. Then she laid herself down to drink the 
 Lake ; and that was impossible for any one to do. But the sorrowing 
 mother thought that perhaps a miracle might be wrought. 
 
 " No, that can never succeed," said the Lake. " Let us rather see 
 how we can agree. I'm fond of collecting pearls, and your eyes are 
 the two clearest I have ever seen : if you will weep them out into me I 
 will carry you over into the great greenhouse, where Death lives arid 
 cultivates flowers and trees ; each of these is a human life." 
 
 "Oh, what would I not give to get my child I" said the afflicted 
 mother ; and she wept yet more, and her eyes fell into the depths of 
 the Lake, and became two costly pearls. But the Lake lifted her up, 
 as if she sat in a swing, and she was wafted to the opposite shore, 
 where stood a wonderful house, miles in length. One could not tell if 
 it was a mountain containing forests and caves, or a place that had 
 been built. But the poor mother could not see it, for she had wept her 
 eyes out. 
 
 "Where shall I find Death, who went away with my little child?" 
 she asked. 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 33 
 
 "He has not arrived here yet," said an old grey-haired woman, 
 who was going about and watching the hot-house of Death. " How 
 have you found your way here, and who helped you?" 
 
 "The good God has helped me," she replied. "He is merciful, 
 and you will be merciful too. Where where shall I find my little 
 child?" 
 
 "I do not know it," said the old woman, "and you cannot see. 
 Many flowers and trees have faded this night, and Death will soon 
 come and transplant them. You know very well that every human 
 being has his tree of life, or his flower of life, just as each is arranged. 
 They look like other plants, but their hearts beat. Children's hearts 
 can beat too. Think of this. Perhaps you may recognise the beating 
 of your child's heart. But what will you give me if I tell you what 
 more you must do ? " 
 
 " I have nothing more to give," said the- afflicted -mother. " But I 
 will go for you to the ends of the earth." 
 
 " I have nothing for you to do there," said tho old woman. " But 
 you can give me your long black hair. You must know yourself that 
 it is beautiful, and it pleases me. You can take my wnite hair for it, 
 and that is always something." 
 
 "Do you ask for nothing more?" aoked she. "I will give you 
 that gladly." And she gave her beautiful hair, and received in exchange 
 the old woman's white hair. 
 
 And then they went into the great hot-house of Death, where 
 flowers and trees were growing marvellously intertwined. There stood 
 the fine hyacinths under glass bells, some quite fresh, others somewhat 
 sickly ; water-snakes were twining about them, and black crabs clung 
 tightly to the stalks. There stood gallant palm trees, oaks, and 
 plantains, and parsley and blooming thyme. Each tree and flower had 
 its name ; each was a human life : the people were still alive, one in 
 China, another in Greenland, scattered about in the world. There were/ 
 great trees thrust inttr 1itt!e~pots, so that they stood quite crowded, and 
 were nearly bursting the pots ; there was also many a little weakly 
 flower in rich earth, with moss round about it, cared for and tended. 
 But the sorrowful mother bent down over all the smallest plants, and 
 heard the human heart beating in each, and out of millions she recognised 
 that of her child. 
 
 "That is it!" she cried, and stretched out her hands over a little 
 crocus flower, which hung down quite sick and pale. 
 
 "Do not touch the flower," said the old dame; "but place yourself 
 here ; and when Death comes I expect him every minute then don't 
 let him pull up the plant, but threaten him that you will do the same 
 to the other plants ; then he '11 be frightened. He has to account for 
 
34 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 them all ; not one may be pulled up till he receives commission from 
 Heaven." 
 
 And all at once there was an icy cold rush through the hall, and 
 the blind mother felt that Death was arriving. 
 
 "How did you find your way hither?" said he. "How have you 
 been able to come quicker than I?" 
 
 "I am a mother," she answered. 
 
 And Death stretched out his long hands towards the little delicate 
 flower ; but she kept her hands tight about it, and held it fast ; and yet 
 she was full of anxious care lest he should touch one of the leaves. 
 Then Death breathed upon her hands, and she felt that his breath was 
 colder than the icy wind ; and her hands sank down powerless. 
 
 "You can do nothing against me," said Death. 
 
 " But the merciful God can," she replied. 
 
 " I only do what He commands," said Death. " I am His gardener. 
 I take all His trees and flowers, and transplant them into the great 
 Paradise gardens, in the unknown land. But how they will flourish 
 there, and how it is there, I may not tell you." 
 
 " Give me back my child," said the mother ; and she implored and 
 wept. All at once she grasped two pretty flowers with her two hands, 
 and called to Death, " I '11 tear off all your flowers, for I am in despair." 
 
 " Do not touch them," said Death. " You say you are so unhappy, 
 and now you would make another mother just as unhappy I " 
 
 "Another mother?" said the poor woman; and she let the flowers go. 
 
 "There are your eyes for you," said Death. " I have fished them 
 out of the lake ; they gleamed up quite brightly. I did not know that 
 they were yours. Take them back they are clearer now than before 
 and then look down into the deep well close by. I will tell you the 
 names of the two flowers you wanted to pull up, and you will see what 
 you were about to frustrate and destroy." 
 
 And she looked down into the well, and it was a happiness to see 
 how one of them became a blessing to the world, how much joy and 
 gladness she diffused around her. And the woman looked at the life 
 of the other, and it was made up of care and poverty, misery and woe. 
 
 " Both are the will of God," said Death. 
 
 " Which of them is the flower of misfortune, and which the blessed 
 one?" she asked. 
 
 "That I may not tell you," answered Death, "but this much you 
 shall hear, that one of these two flowers is that of your child. It was 
 the fate of your child that you saw the future of your own child." 
 
 Then the mother screamed aloud for terror. 
 
 "Which of them belongs to my child? Tell me that! Release 
 the innocent child! Let my child free from all that misery! Rather 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 35 
 
 carry it away! Carry it into God's Kingdom! Forget my tears, 
 forget my entreaties, and all that I have done!" 
 
 "I do not understand you," said Death. "Will you have your 
 child back, or shall I carry it to that place that you know not?" 
 
 Then the mother wrung her hands, and fell on her knees, and 
 prayed to the good God. 
 
 " Hear me not when I pray against Thy will, which is at all times 
 the best I Hear me not ! hear me not ! " And she let her head sink 
 down on her bosom. 
 
 And Death went away with her child into the unknown land. 
 
TREGEAGLE 
 
TREGEAGLE. 
 
 (Extract from the Story of Tregeagle, as related in Robert Hunt's 
 " Popular Romances of the West of England.") 
 
 IREGEAGLE was wealthy beyond most men of his time, 
 and his wealth purchased for him that immunity which 
 the Church, in her degenerate days, too often accorded to 
 those who could aid, with their gold or power, the 
 sensual priesthood. As a magistrate, he was tyrannical 
 and unjust, and many an innocent man was wantonly sacrificed 
 by him for the purpose of hiding his own dark deeds. As a land- 
 lord, he was rapacious and unscrupulous, and frequently so involved 
 his tenants in his toils, that they could not escape his grasp. The stain 
 of secret murder clings to his memory, and he is said to have sacrificed 
 a sister whose goodness stood between him and his demon passions; 
 his wife and children perished victims to his cruelties. At length death 
 drew near to relieve the land of a monster whose name was a terror to 
 all who heard it. Devils waited to secure the soul they had won, and 
 Tregeagle in terror gave to the priesthood wealth, that they might 
 fight with them and save his soul from eternal fire. Desperate was the 
 struggle, but the powerful exorcisms of the banded brotherhood of a 
 neighbouring monastery, drove back the evil ones, and Tregeagle slept 
 with his fathers, safe in the custody of the churchmen, who buried him 
 with high honours in St Breock Church. They sang chants and read 
 prayers above his grave, to secure the soul which they thought they 
 had saved. But Tregeagle was not fated to rest. Satan desired still 
 to gain possession of such a gigantic sinner, and we can only refer 
 what ensued to the influence of the wicked spiriting^ of his ministers. 
 
 A dispute arose between two wealthy families respecting the owner- 
 ship of extensive lands around Bodmin. 
 
 [Tregeagle is produced as a witness, having been summoned back 
 from the grave by the defendant He gives evidence, but, after the trial, 
 cannot be removed. The powers of good and evil fight for him. The 
 churchmen save him from the evil spirits by imposing on him a task 
 that shall endure to eternity. Such a labour is difficult to find.] 
 
 One of the lawyers, remembering that Dosmery Pool was bottom- 
 less, and that a thorn-bush which had been flung into it, but a few 
 weeks before, had made its appearance in Falmouth Harbour, proposed 
 that Tregeagle might be employed to empty this profound lake. Then 
 
42 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 one of the churchmen, to make the task yet more enduring, proposed 
 that it should be performed by the aid of a limpet-shell having a hole 
 in it 
 
 His old enemy, the devil, kept a careful eye on the doomed one, 
 resolving, if possible, to secure so choice an example of evil. Often did 
 he raise tempests sufficiently wild, as he supposed, to drive Tregeagle 
 from his work, knowing that if he failed for a season to labour, he 
 could seize and secure him. These were long tried in vain; but at 
 length an auspicious hour presented itself. 
 
 The winds arose and raged with a fury which was irresistible, and 
 hail beat so mercilessly on all things, that it spread death around. 
 Long did Tregeagle stand the "pelting of the pitiless storm," but at 
 length he yielded to its force and fled. The demons in crowds were at 
 his heels. He doubled, however, on his pursuers, and returned to the 
 lake ; but so rapid were they, that he could not rest the required moment 
 to dip his shell in the now seething waters. 
 
 Three times he fled round the lake, and the evil ones pursued him. 
 Then, feeling that there was no safety for him near Dosmery Pool, he 
 sprang swifter than the wind across it, shrieking with agony, and thus 
 since the devils cannot cross water, and were obliged to go round 
 the lake he gained on them and fled over the moor. 
 
 Away, away went Tregeagle, faster and faster the dark spirits 
 pursuing, and they had nearly overtaken him, when he saw Roach 
 Rock and its chapel before him. He rushed up the rocks, with giant 
 power clambered to the eastern window, and dashed his head through 
 it, thus securing the shelter of its sanctity. The defeated demons 
 retired, and long and loud were their wild waitings in the air. The 
 inhabitants of the moors and of the neighbouring towns slept not a 
 wink that night 
 
 Tregeagle was safe, his head was within the holy church, though 
 his body was exposed on a bare rock to the storm. Earnest were the 
 prayers of the blessed hermit in his cell on the rock to be relieved from 
 his nocturnal and sinful visitor. 
 
 In vain were the recluse's prayers. Day after day, as he knelt at 
 the altar, the ghastly head of the doomed sinner grinned horridly down 
 upon him. Every holy ejaculation fell upon Tregeagle's ear like molten 
 iron. He writhed and shrieked under the torture ; but legions of devils 
 filled the air, ready to seize him, if for a moment he withdrew his 
 head from the sanctuary. Sabbath after Sabbath the little chapel on 
 the rock was rendered a scene of sad confusion by the interruptions 
 which Tregeagle caused. Men trembled with fear at his agonising 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 43 
 
 cries, and women swooned. At length the place was deserted, and 
 even the saint of the rock was wasting to death by the constant per- 
 turbation in which he was kept by the unholy spirit, and the demons 
 who, like carrion birds, swarmed around the holy cairn. Things could 
 not go on thus. 
 
 [Tregeagle is removed from one place to another, and finally fixed 
 at Land's End at the task of spinning ropes from the fine sand of the 
 shore.] 
 
 Even until to-day is Tregeagle labouring at his task. In calms his 
 wailing is heard ; and those sounds which some call the " soughing of 
 the wind," are known to be the moanings of Tregeagle; while the 
 coming storms are predicated by the fearful roarings of this condemned 
 mortal 
 
THE DUTCH 
 OFFICER'S 
 STORY 
 
THE DUTCH OFFICER'S STORY. 
 
 (From "Ghosts and Family Legends," by Catherine Crowe.) 
 
 JELL, I think nothing can be so cowardly as to be afraid 
 to own the truth," said the pretty Madame de B., an 
 English woman who had married a Dutch officer of 
 distinction. 
 
 "Are you really venturing to accuse the General of 
 cowardice?" said Madame L. 
 
 "Yes," said Madame de B. ; "I want him to tell Mrs Crowe a 
 ghost story a thing that he saw himself and he pooh, poohs it, 
 though he owned it to me before we were married, and since too, 
 saying that he never could have believed such a thing if he had not 
 seen it himself." 
 
 While the wife was making this little tirade, the husband looked as 
 if she was accusing him of picking somebody's pocket il perdait 
 contenance quite. "Now, look at him," she said, "don't you see guilt 
 in his face, Mrs Crowe I " 
 
 " Decidedly," I answered ; " so experienced a seeker of ghost stories 
 as myself cannot fail to recognise the symptoms. I always find that 
 when the circumstances are mere hearsay, and happened to nobody 
 knows who, people are very ready to tell it ; when it has happened to 
 one of their own family, they are considerably less communicative, and 
 will only tell it under protest : but when they are themselves the parties 
 concerned it is the most difficult thing imaginable to induce them to 
 relate the thing seriously, and with its details. They say they have 
 forgotten it, and don't believe it ; and as an evidence of their incredulity 
 they affect to laugh at the whole affair. If the General will tell me the 
 story I will think it quite as decisive a proof of courage as he ever 
 gave in the field." 
 
 Betwixt bantering and persuasion, we succeeded in our object, and 
 the General began as follows : 
 
 "You know the Belgian Rebellion" (he always called it so) "took 
 place in 1830. It broke out at Brussels on the 28th of August, and we 
 immediately advanced with a considerable force to attack that city ; but 
 as the Prince of Orange hoped to bring people to reason without blood- 
 shed, we encamped at Vilvorde, whilst he entered Brussels alone to hold 
 a conference with the armed people. I was a Lieutenant-Colonel then, 
 and commanded the 20th Foot, to which regiment I had been lately 
 appointed. 
 
 49 
 
50 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 "We had been three or four days in cantonment, when I heard two 
 of the men, who were digging a little drain at the back of my tent, 
 talking of Jokel Falck, a private in my regiment, who was noted for his 
 extraordinary disposition to somnolence. One of them remarked that he 
 would certainly have got into trouble for being asleep on his post the 
 previous night if it had not been for Mungo. ' I don't know how many 
 times he has saved him,' added he. 
 
 "To which the other answered that Mungo was a very valuable 
 friend, and had saved many a man from punishment. 
 
 "This was the first time I had ever heard of Mungo, and I rather 
 wondered who it was they alluded to ; but the conversation slipped from 
 my mind, and I never thought of asking anybody. 
 
 "Shortly after this I was going my rounds, being field-officer of the 
 day, when I saw, by the moonlight, the sentry at one of the outposts 
 stretched upon the ground. I was some way off when I first perceived 
 him ; and I only knew what the object was from the situation, and 
 because I saw the glitter of his accoutrements; but almost at the same 
 moment that I discovered him, I observed a large, black Newfoundland 
 dog trotting towards him. The man rose as the dog approached, and 
 had got upon his legs before I reached the spot This occupied the 
 space of about two minutes perhaps not so much. 
 
 " ' You were asleep at your post,' I said ; and turning to the mounted 
 orderly that attended me, I told him to go back and bring a file of the 
 guard to take him prisoner, and to send a sentry to relieve him. 
 
 " ' Non, mon Colonel,' said he ; and from the way he spoke, I per- 
 ceived he was intoxicated; 'it's all the fault of that damn 6 Mungo. 
 II m'a manque.' 
 
 "But I paid no attention to what he said, and rode on, concluding 
 Mungo was some slang term of the men for drink. 
 
 "Some evenings after this, I was riding back from my brother's 
 quarters he was in the i5th, and was stationed about a mile from 
 uswhen I remarked the same dog I had seen before trot up to a 
 sentry who, with his legs crossed, was leaning against a wall. The 
 man started, and began walking backwards and forwards on his beat 
 I recognised the dog by a large white streak on his side all the rest 
 of his coat being black. 
 
 "When I came up to the man, I saw it was Jokel Falck, and 
 although I could not have said he was asleep, I strongly suspected that 
 was the fact 
 
 " ' You had better take care of yourself, my man,' said I. 'I have 
 half a mind to have you relieved, and make a prisoner of you. I 
 believe I should have found you asleep on your post if that dog had not 
 roused you.' 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 51 
 
 "Instead of looking penitent, as was usual on these occasions, I 
 saw a half-smile on the man's face as he saluted me. 
 
 " 4 Whose dog is that ? ' I asked my servant, as I rode away. 
 <<( Je ne sais pas, mon Colonel,' he answered, smiling too. 
 "On the same evening at mess, I heard one of the subalterns say 
 to the officer who sat next him, ' It 's a fact, I assure you, and they 
 call him Mungo.' 
 
 "'That's a new name they've got for Schnapps, isn't it?' I 
 said. 
 
 "'No, sir; it's the name of a dog,' replied the young man, 
 laughing. 
 
 "'A black Newfoundland, with a large white streak on his flank?' 
 
 "'Yes, sir, I believe that is the description,' replied he, tittering 
 still. 
 
 " ' I have seen that dog two or three times,' said I. ' I saw him 
 this evening who does he belong to?' 
 
 '"Well, sir, that is a difficult question,' answered the lad; and I 
 heard his companion say 'To Old Nick, I should think.' 
 
 " ' Do you mean to say you 've really seen Mungo ? ' said somebody 
 at the table. 
 
 " ' If Mungo is a large Newfoundland black, with a white streak 
 on its side I saw him just now. Who does he belong to?' 
 
 " By this time the whole mess-table was in a titter, with the ex- 
 ception of one old captain, a man who had been years in the regiment. 
 He was of very humble extraction, and had risen by merit to his 
 present position. 
 
 '"I believe Captain T. is better acquainted with Mungo than 
 anybody present,' answered Major P., with a sneer. 'Perhaps he can 
 tell you who he belongs to.' 
 
 "The laughter increased, and I saw there was some joke; but not 
 understanding what it meant, I said to Captain T. 
 
 "'Does the dog belong to Jokel Falck?' 
 
 "'No, sir,' he replied; 'the dog belongs to nobody now. He once 
 belonged to an officer called Joseph Atveld.' 
 
 "'Belonging to this regiment?' 
 
 "'Yes, sir.' 
 
 " ' He is dead, I suppose ? ' 
 
 '"Yes, sir, he is.' 
 
 " ' And the dog has attached himself to the regiment?' 
 
 "'Yes, sir.' 
 
 "During this conversation, the suppressed laughter continued, and 
 every eye was fixed on Captain T., who answered me shortly, but with 
 the utmost gravity. 
 
52 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 " ' In short,' said the Major, contemptuously, ' according to Captain 
 T., Mungo is the ghost of a deceased dog.' 
 
 "This announcement was received with shouts of laughter, in 
 which, I confess, I joined, whilst Captain T. still maintained an un- 
 moved gravity. 
 
 " ' It is easier to laugh at such a thing than to believe it, sir,' said 
 he. ' I believe it, because I know it.' 
 
 " I smiled, and turned the conversation. 
 
 "If anybody at the table except Captain T. had made such an 
 assertion as this, I should have ridiculed them without mercy ; but he 
 was an old man, and from the circumstances I have mentioned regarding 
 his origin, we were careful not to offend him ; so no more was said 
 about Mungo, and in the hurry of events that followed, I never thought 
 of it again. We marched on to Brussels the next day ; and after that, 
 had enough to do till we went to Antwerp, where we were besieged by 
 the French the following year. 
 
 "During the siege, I sometimes heard the name of Mungo again; 
 and, one night, when I was visiting the guards and sentries as grand 
 rounds, I caught a glimpse of him, and I felt sure that the man he was 
 approaching when I observed him had been asleep ; but he was screened 
 by an angle of the bastion, and by the time I turned the corner, he was 
 moving about. 
 
 " This brought to my mind all I had heard about the dog ; and as 
 the circumstance was curious, in any point of view, I mentioned what I 
 had seen to Captain T. the next day, saying 
 
 " ' I saw your friend Mungo, last night 1 
 
 "'Did you, sir?' said he. 'It's a strange thing 1 No doubt, the 
 man was asleep !' 
 
 " ' But do you seriously mean to say that you believe this to be a 
 visionary dog, and not a dog of flesh and blood?' 
 
 " ' I do, sir. I have been quizzed enough about it ; and, once or 
 twice, have nearly got into a quarrel, because people will persist in 
 laughing at what they know nothing about ; but as sure as that is a 
 sword you hold in your hand, so sure is that dog a spectre, or ghost 
 if such a word is applicable to a four-footed beast 1 ' 
 
 " ' But, it 's impossible 1 ' I said. ' What reason have you for such 
 an extraordinary belief?' 
 
 " ' Why, you know, sir, man and boy, I have been in the regiment 
 all my life. I was born in it. My father was pay-sergeant of No. 3 
 Company when he died ; and I have seen Mungo myself, perhaps twenty 
 times, and known, positively, of others seeing him twice as many more.' 
 
 " ' Very possibly ; but that is no proof that it is not some dog that 
 has attached himself to the regiment.' 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 53 
 
 " ' But I have seen and heard of the dog for fifty years, sir ; and 
 my father before me had seen and heard of him as long ! ' 
 
 " ' Well, certainly, that is extraordinary if you are sure of it, and 
 that it's the same dog!' 
 
 "'It's a remarkable dog, sir. You won't see another like it with 
 that large white streak on his flank. He won't let one of our sentries 
 be found asleep if he can help it; unless, indeed, the fellow is drunk. 
 He seems to have less care of drunkards, but Mungo has saved many 
 a man from punishment. I was once not a little indebted to him myself. 
 My sister was married out of the regiment, and we had had a bit of a 
 festivity, and drank rather too freely at the wedding, so that when I 
 mounted guard that night I wasn't to say drunk, but my head was a 
 little gone, or so, and I should have been caught nodding, but Mungo, 
 knowing, I suppose, that I was not an habitual drunkard, woke me 
 just in time.' 
 
 " ' How did he wake you ? ' I asked. 
 
 " ' I was roused by a short, sharp bark, that sounded close to my 
 ears. I started, and had just time to catch a glimpse of Mungo before 
 he vanished 1 ' 
 
 " ' Is that the way he always wakes the men ? ' 
 
 "'So they say; and as they wake, he disappears.' 
 
 " I recollected now, that on each occasion when I had observed the 
 dog, I had, somehow, lost sight of him in an instant ; and, my curiosity 
 being awakened, I asked Captain T. if ours were the only men he took 
 charge of, or whether he showed the same attention to those of other 
 regiments. 
 
 '"Only the 20th, sir; the tradition is, that after the battle of 
 Fontenoy, a large black mastiff was found lying beside a dead officer. 
 Although he had a dreadful wound from a sabre-cut on his flank, and 
 was much exhausted from loss of blood, he would not leave the body ; 
 and even after we buried it, he could not be enticed from the spot. 
 The men, interested by the fidelity and attachment of the animal, bound 
 up his wounds, and fed and tended him ; and he became the dog of the 
 regiment. It is said that they had taught him to go his rounds before 
 the guards and sentries were visited, and to wake any men that slept. 
 How this may be, I cannot say ; but he remained with the regiment 
 till his death, and was buried with all the respect they could show him. 
 Since that he has shown his gratitude in the way I tell you, and of 
 which you have seen some instances.' 
 
 "'I suppose the white streak is the mark of the sabre -cut. I 
 wonder you never fired at him.' 
 
 "'God forbid, sir, I should do such a thing,' said Captain T., 
 looking sharp round at me. ' It 's said that a man did so once, and 
 
54 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 that he never had any luck afterwards ; that may be a superstition, but 
 I confess I wouldn't take a good deal to do it.' 
 
 " If, as you believe, it 's a spectre, it could not be hurt, you know ; 
 I imagine ghostly dogs are impervious to bullets.' 
 
 " ' No doubt, sir ; but I shouldn't like to try the experiment. Be- 
 sides, it would be useless, as I am convinced already.' 
 
 " I pondered a good deal upon this conversation with the old cap- 
 tain. I had never for a moment entertained the idea that such a thing 
 was possible. I should have as much expected to meet the Minotaur 
 or a flying dragon as a ghost of any sort, especially the ghost of a 
 dog; but the evidence here was certainly startling. I had never 
 observed anything like weakness and credulity about T. ; moreover, he 
 was a man of known courage, and very much respected in the regiment. 
 In short, so much had his earnestness on the subject staggered me, that 
 I resolved, whenever it was my turn to visit the guards and sentries, 
 that I would carry a pistol with me ready primed and loaded, in order 
 to settle the question. If T. was right there would be an interesting 
 fact established, and no harm done; if, as I could not help suspecting, 
 it was a cunning trick of the men, who had trained this dog to wake 
 them, while they kept up the farce of the spectre, the animal would be 
 well out of the way ; since their reliance on him no doubt led them to 
 give way to drowsiness when they would otherwise have struggled 
 against it ; indeed, though none of our men had been detected thanks, 
 perhaps, to Mungo there had been so much negligence lately in the 
 garrison that the General had issued very severe orders on the 
 subject 
 
 " However, I carried my pistol in vain ; I did not happen to fall in 
 with Mungo ; and some time afterwards, on hearing the thing alluded 
 to at the mess-table, I mentioned what I had done, adding, ' Mungo is 
 too knowing, I fancy, to run the risk of getting a bullet in him.' 
 
 "'Well,' said Major R., 'I should like to have a shot at him, I 
 confess. If I thought I had any chance of seeing him, I 'd certainly try 
 it ; but I 've never seen him at all.' 
 
 '"Your best chance,' said another, 'is when Jokel Falck is on duty. 
 He is such a sleepy scoundrel, that the men say if it was not for Mungo 
 he'd pass half his time in the guard house.' 
 
 " If I could catch him, I 'd put an ounce of lead into him ; that he 
 may rely on.' 
 
 " ' Into Jokel Falck, sir,' said one of the subs, laughing. 
 
 '"No, sir,' replied Major R. ; 'into Mungo and I'll do it too.' 
 
 " ' Better not, sir,' said Captain T., gravely, provoking thereby a 
 general titter round the table. 
 
 "Shortly after this, as I was one night going to my quarters, I saw 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 55 
 
 a mounted orderly ride in and call out a file of the guard to take a 
 prisoner. 
 
 "'What's the matter?' I asked. 
 
 '"One of the sentries asleep on his post, sir; I believe it's Jokel 
 Falck.' 
 
 " 4 It will be the last time, whoever it is,' I said ; 'for the General 
 is determined to shoot the next man that's caught.' 
 
 " ' I should have thought Mungo had stood Jokel Falck's friend so 
 often, that he'd never allow him to be caught,' said the adjutant. 
 ' Mungo has neglected his duty.' 
 
 " ' No, sir,' said the orderly, gravely. ' Mungo would have waked 
 him, but Major R. shot at him.' 
 
 '"And killed him?' I said. 
 
 "The man made no answer, but touched his cap and rode away. 
 
 " I heard no more of the affair that night ; but the next morning at 
 a very early hour, my servant woke me, saying that Major R. wished 
 to speak to me. I desired he should be admitted, and the moment he 
 entered the room, I saw by his countenance that something serious had 
 occurred ; of course I thought the enemy had gained some unexpected 
 advantage during the night, and sat up in bed, inquiring eagerly what 
 had happened. 
 
 "To my surprise, he pulled out his pocket-handkerchief and burst 
 into tears. He had married a native of Antwerp, and his wife was in 
 the city at this time. The first thing that occurred to me was that she 
 had met with some accident, and I mentioned her name. 
 
 "'No, no,' he said; 'my son, my boy, my poor Fritz!' 
 
 "You know that in our service every officer first enters his regiment 
 as a private soldier, and for a certain space of time does all the duties 
 of that position. The major's son, Fritz, was thus in his noviciate. I 
 concluded he had been killed by a stray shot, and for a minute or two 
 I remained in this persuasion, the Major's speech being choked by his 
 sobs. The first words he uttered were 
 
 "'Would to God I had taken Captain T.'s advice!' 
 
 "'About what?' I said. 'What has happened to Fritz?' 
 
 " 'You know,' said he, 'yesterday I was field officer of the day; and 
 when I was going my rounds last night, I happened to ask my orderly, 
 who was assisting to put on my sash, what men we had told off for the 
 guard. Amongst others, he named Jokel Falck, and remembering the 
 conversation the other day at the mess-table, I took one of my pistols 
 out of the holster, and, after loading it, put it in my pocket. I did not 
 expect to see the dog, for I had never seen him ; but as I had no doubt 
 the story of the spectre was some dodge of the men, I determined, if 
 ever I did, to have a shot at him. As I was going through the Place 
 
56 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 de Meyer, I fell in with the General, who joined me, and we rode on 
 together, talking of the siege. I had forgotten all about the dog, but 
 when we came to the rampart, above the Bastion du Matte, I suddenly 
 saw exactly such an animal as the one described trotting beneath us. 
 I knew there must be a sentry immediately below where we rode, 
 though I could not see him, and I had no doubt that the animal was 
 making towards him ; so, without saying a word, I drew out my pistol 
 and fired, at the same moment jumping off my horse, in order to look 
 over the bastion, and get a sight of the man. Without comprehending 
 what I was about, the General did the same, and there we saw the 
 sentry, lying on his face, fast asleep.' 
 
 " ' And the body of the dog ? ' said I. 
 
 '"Nowhere to be seen,' he answered; 'and yet I must have hit 
 him I fired bang into him. The General says it must have been a 
 delusion, for he was looking exactly in the same direction, and saw no 
 dog at all but I am certain I saw him, so did the orderly.' 
 
 " ' But Fritz ? ' I said. 
 
 " ' It was Fritz Fritz was the sentry,' said the Major, with a fresh 
 burst of grief. 'The court-martial sits this morning, and my boy will 
 be shot unless interest can be made with the General to grant him a 
 pardon.' 
 
 "I rose and dressed myself immediately, but with little hope of 
 success. Poor Fritz being the son of an officer was against him rather 
 than otherwise it would have been considered an act of favouritism to 
 spare him. He was shot ; his poor mother died of a broken heart, and 
 the Major left the service immediately after the surrender of the city." 
 
 "And have you ever seen Mungo again?" said I. 
 
 "No," he replied ; "but I have heard of others seeing him." 
 
 "And are you convinced that it was a spectre, and not a dog of 
 flesh and blood ? " 
 
 " I fancy I was then but, of course, one can't believe " 
 
 "Oh no," I rejoined; "oh no; never mind facts if they don't fit 
 into our theories." 
 
THE CASK OF 
 AMONTILLADO 
 
THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO. 
 
 [HE thousand injuries of Fortunate I had borne as I best 
 could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge. 
 You, who so well knew the nature of my soul, will not 
 suppose, however, that I gave utterance to a threat. At 
 length I would be avenged; this was a point definitively 
 settled but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved precluded 
 the idea of risk. I must not only punish, but punish with impunity. 
 A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It 
 is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as 
 such to him who has done the wrong. 
 
 It must be understood that neither by word nor deed had I given 
 Fortunato cause to doubt my good will. I continued, as was my wont, 
 to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that my smile now was at 
 the thought of his immolation. 
 
 He had a weak point this Fortunato although in other regards he 
 was a man to be respected and even feared. He prided himself on his 
 connoisseurship in wine. Few Italians have the true virtuoso spirit. 
 For the most part their enthusiasm is adopted to suit the time and 
 opportunity to practise imposture upon the British and Austrian 
 millionaires. In painting and gemmary, Fortunato, like his country- 
 men, was a quack, but in the matter of old wines he was sincere. In 
 this respect I did not differ from him materially ; I was skilful in the 
 Italian vintages myself, and bought largely whenever I could. 
 
 It was about dusk, one evening during the supreme madness of the 
 carnival season, that I encountered my friend. He accosted me with 
 excessive warmth, for he had been drinking much. The man wore 
 motley. He had on a tight-fitting parti-striped dress, and his head was 
 surmounted by the conical cap and bells. I was so pleased to see him 
 that I thought I should never have done wringing his hand. 
 
 I said to him "My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met. How 
 remarkably well you are looking to-day 1 But I have received a pipe 
 of what passes for Amontillado, and I have my doubts." 
 
 "How?" said he, "Amontillado? A pipe? Impossible? And in 
 the middle of the carnival ? " 
 
 "I have my doubts," I replied; "and I was silly enough to pay 
 the full Amontillado price without consulting you in the matter. You 
 were not to be found, and I was fearful of losing a bargain." 
 
 "Amontillado 1" 
 
 "I have my doubts." 
 
 61 
 
62 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 " Amontillado 1 " 
 
 "And I must satisfy them." 
 
 " Amontillado ! " 
 
 "As you are engaged, I am on my way to Luchesi. If any one 
 has a critical turn, it is he. He will tell me " 
 
 " Luchesi cannot tell Amontillado from Sherry." 
 
 "And yet some fools will have it that his taste is a match for your 
 own." 
 
 "Come, let us go." 
 
 "Whither?" 
 
 " To your vaults." 
 
 "My friend, no; I will not impose upon your good nature. I 
 perceive you have an engagement. Luchesi " 
 
 " I have no engagement ; come." 
 
 "My friend, no. It is not the engagement, but the severe cold with 
 which I perceive you are afflicted. The vaults are insufferably damp. 
 They are encrusted with nitre." 
 
 " Let us go, nevertheless. The cold is merely nothing. Amontillado 1 
 You have been imposed upon ; and as for Luchesi, he cannot distinguish 
 Sherry from Amontillado." 
 
 Thus speaking, Fortunate possessed himself of my arm. Putting 
 on a mask of black silk, and drawing a roquelaure closely about my 
 person, I suffered him to hurry me to my palazzo. 
 
 There were no attendants at home ; they had absconded to make 
 merry in honour of the time. I had told them that I should not return 
 until the morning, and had given them explicit orders not to stir from 
 the house. These orders were sufficient, I well knew, to insure their 
 immediate disappearance, one and all, as soon as my back was turned. 
 
 I took from their sconces two flambeaux, and giving one to 
 Fortunate, bowed him through several suites of rooms to the archway 
 that led into the vaults. I passed down a long and winding staircase, 
 requesting him to be cautious as he followed. We came at length to 
 the foot of the descent, and stood together on the damp ground of the 
 catacombs of the Montresors. 
 
 The gait of my friend was unsteady, and the bells upon his cap 
 jingled as he strode. 
 
 "The pipe," said he. 
 
 " It is farther on," said I ; "but observe the white web-work which 
 gleams from these cavern walls." 
 
 He turned towards me, and looked into my eyes with two filmy 
 orbs that distilled the rheum of intoxication. 
 
 " Nitre ? " he asked, at length. 
 
 "Nitre," I replied. " How long have you had that cough?" 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 63 
 
 "Ugh! ugh! ugh! ugh! ugh! ugh! ugh! ugh! ugh! ugh! 
 ugh ! ugh ! ugh ! ugh ! ugh ! " 
 
 My poor friend found it impossible to reply for many minutes. 
 
 " It is nothing," he said, at last. 
 
 "Come," I said, with decision, "we will go back; your health is 
 precious. You are rich, respected, admired, beloved ; you are happy, 
 as once I was. You are a man to be missed. For me it is no 
 matter. We will go back ; you will be ill, and I cannot be responsible. 
 Besides, there is Luchesi " 
 
 "Enough," he said; "the cough is a mere nothing; it will not 
 kill me. I shall not die of a cough." 
 
 "True true," I replied; "and, indeed, I had no intention of 
 alarming you unnecessarily but you should use all proper caution. A 
 draught of this Medoc will defend us from the damps." 
 
 Here I knocked off the neck of a bottle which I drew from a long 
 row of its fellows that lay upon the mould. 
 
 " Drink," I said, presenting him the wine. 
 
 He raised it to his lips with a leer. He paused and nodded to me 
 familiarly while his bells jingled. 
 
 "I drink," he said, "to the buried that repose around us." 
 
 " And I to your long life." 
 
 He again took my arm, and we proceeded. 
 
 "These vaults," he said, "are extensive." 
 
 "The Montresors," I replied, "were a great and numerous family." 
 
 " I forget your arms." 
 
 "A huge human foot d'or, in a field azure ; the foot crushes a serpent 
 rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel." 
 
 " And the motto ? " 
 
 "Nemo me impune lacessit." 
 
 " Good 1 " he said. 
 
 The wine sparkled in his eyes and the bells jingled. My own fancy 
 grew warm with the Medoc. We had passed through walls of piled 
 bones, with casks and puncheons intermingling, into the inmost recesses 
 of the catacombs. I paused again, and this time I made bold to seize 
 Fortunate by an arm above the elbow. 
 
 "The nitre!" I said: "see, it increases. It hangs like moss upon 
 the vaults. We are below the river's bed. The drops of moisture 
 trickle among the bones. Come, we will go back ere it is too late. 
 Your cough " 
 
 "It is nothing," he said; "let us go on. But first, another draught 
 of the Medoc." 
 
 I broke and reached him a flacon of De Grave. He emptied it at a 
 breath. His eyes flashed with a fierce light. He laughed and threw 
 
64 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 the bottle upwards with a gesticulation I did not understand. I looked 
 at him in surprise. He repeated the movement a grotesque one. 
 
 "You do not comprehend?" he said. 
 
 "Not I," I replied. 
 
 11 Then you are not of the brotherhood." 
 
 "How?" 
 
 "You are not of the masons." 
 
 "Yes, yes," I said, "yes, yes." 
 
 "You? Impossible! A mason?" 
 
 "A mason," I replied. 
 
 "A sign," he said. 
 
 "It is this," I answered, producing a trowel from beneath the folds 
 of my roquelaure. 
 
 "You jest," he exclaimed, recoiling a few paces. "But let us 
 proceed to the Amontillado." 
 
 "Be it so," I said, replacing the tool beneath the cloak, and again 
 offering him my arm. He leaned upon it heavily. We continued our 
 route in search of the Amontillado. We passed through a range of low 
 arches, descended, passed on, and descending again, arrived at a deep 
 crypt, in which the foulness of the air caused our flambeaux rather to 
 glow than flame 
 
 At the most remote end of the crypt there appeared another less 
 spacious. Its walls had been lined with human remains piled to the 
 vault overhead, in the fashion of the great catacombs of Paris. Three 
 sides of this interior crypt were still ornamented in this manner. From 
 the fourth the bones had been thrown down, and lay promiscuously upon 
 the earth, forming at one point a mound of some size. Within the wall 
 thus exposed by the displacing of the bones, we perceived a still interior 
 recess, in depth about four feet, in width three, in height six or seven. 
 It seemed to have been constructed for no special use within itself, but 
 formed merely the interval between two of the colossal supports of the 
 roof of the catacombs, and was backed by one of their circumscribing 
 walls of solid granite. 
 
 It was in vain that Fortunate, uplifting his dull torch, endeavoured 
 to pry into the depths of the recess. Its termination the feeble light 
 did not enable us to see. 
 
 "Proceed," I said; "herein is the Amontillado. As for Luchesi " 
 
 " He is an ignoramus," interrupted my friend, as he stepped un- 
 steadily forward, while I followed immediately at his heels. In an 
 instant he had reached the extremity of the niche, and finding his 
 progress arrested by the rock, stood stupidly bewildered. A moment 
 more and I had fettered him to the granite. In its surface were two 
 iron staples, distant from each other about two feet, horizontally. From 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 65 
 
 one of these depended a short chain, from the other a padlock. Throw- 
 ing the links about his waist, it was but the work of a few seconds to 
 secure it He was too much astounded to resist. Withdrawing the key 
 I stepped back from the recess. 
 
 "Pass your hand," I said, "over the wall; you cannot help feeling 
 the nitre. Indeed it is very damp. Once more let me implore you 
 to return. No? Then I must positively leave you. But I must first 
 render you all the little attentions in my power." 
 
 "The Amontillado 1 " ejaculated my friend, not yet recovered from 
 his astonishment. 
 
 "True," I replied; "the Amontillado." 
 
 As I said these words I busied myself among the pile of bones of 
 which I have before spoken. Throwing them aside, I soon uncovered 
 a quantity of building stone and mortar. With these materials and 
 with the aid of my trowel, I began vigorously to wall up the entrance 
 of the niche. 
 
 I had scarcely laid the first tier of the masonry when I discovered 
 that the intoxication of Fortunato had in a great measure worn off. 
 The earliest indication I had of this was a low moaning cry from the 
 depth of the recess. It was not the cry of a drunken man. There 
 was then a long and obstinate silence. I laid the second tier, and the 
 third, and the fourth ; and then I heard the furious vibrations of the 
 chain. The noise lasted for several minutes, during which, that I 
 might hearken to it with the more satisfaction, I ceased my labours 
 and sat down upon the bones. When at last the clanking subsided, I 
 resumed the trowel, and finished without interruption the fifth, the sixth, 
 and the seventh tier. The wall was now nearly upon a level with my 
 breast. I again paused, and holding the flambeaux over the mason- 
 work, threw a few feeble rays upon the figure within. 
 
 A succession of loud and shrill screams, bursting suddenly from the 
 throat of the chained form, seemed to thrust me violently back. For a 
 brief moment I hesitated I trembled. Unsheathing my rapier, I began 
 to grope with it about the recess ; but the thought of an instant 
 reassured me. I placed my hand upon the solid fabric of the catacombs, 
 and felt satisfied. I re-approached the wall. I replied to the yells of 
 him who clamoured. I re-echoed I aided I surpassed them in volume 
 and in strength. I did this, and the clamourer grew still. 
 
 It was now midnight, and my task was drawing to a close. I 
 had completed the eighth, the ninth, and the tenth tier. I had finished 
 a portion of the last and the eleventh; there remained but a single 
 stone to be fitted and plastered in. I struggled with its weight; I 
 placed it partially in its destined position. But now there came from 
 out the niche a low laugh that erected the hairs upon my head. It 
 
66 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 was succeeded by a sad voice, which I had difficulty in recognising as 
 that of the noble Fortunate. The voice said 
 
 " Ha I ha 1 ha I he ! he ! a very good joke indeed an excellent 
 jest We will have many a rich laugh about it at the palazzo he ! 
 he 1 he ! over our wine he ! he ! he ! " 
 
 " The Amontillado 1 " I said. 
 
 " He ! he ! he 1 he I he 1 he ! yes, the Amontillado. But is it not 
 getting late? Will not they be awaiting us at the palazzo, the Lady 
 Fortunate and the rest? Let us be gone." 
 
 "Yes," I said, "let us be gone." 
 
 " For the love of God, Montresor ! " 
 
 "Yes," I said, "for the love of God!" 
 
 But to these words I hearkened in vain for a reply. I grew 
 impatient I called aloud 
 
 "Fortunate!" 
 
 No answer. I called again 
 
 "Fortunate!" 
 
 No answer still. I thrust a torch through the remaining aperture 
 and let it fall within. There came forth in return only a jingling 
 of the bells. My heart grew sick on account of the dampness 
 of the catacombs. I hastened to make an end of my labour. I 
 forced the last stone into its position ; I plastered it up. Against the 
 new masonry I re-erected the old rampart of bones. For the half of a 
 century no mortal has disturbed them. In pace requiescatl 
 
EARL BEARDIE'S 
 GAME OF CARDS 
 
EARL BEARDIE'S GAME AT CARDS. 
 
 CIENCE that has swept away, with its busy broom, so 
 many picturesque cobwebs, has not interfered much with 
 Glamis Castle. From that stronghold, legend and super- 
 stition grimly defy enlightenment, and fancy has only to 
 play round the spot for some weird scene or other to flash 
 forth. The mysterious room which everyone knows to exist, but of 
 which only the Earl, the heir, and the factor of each generation know 
 anything further, has, of course, been a treasure -trove of surmise, 
 not only with the peasantry of the place, but with all who love the 
 eerie. 
 
 Earl Beardie is the hero, and an ideal hero for the purpose. He 
 was fierce and wild and wicked, and feared neither God nor man. As 
 a consequence, everybody feared him, and opposition to his will was a 
 thing he had seldom to brook. But one memorable Sunday it met him. 
 His views on the Sabbath since largely adopted ! were rather too 
 liberal for his day. He lived before his time, and had to pay the price 
 of advancement. As a Scot among Scots, he could not but "remember 
 the Sabbath Day," but it was only to keep it unholy. Hunting was, 
 -pcnoiuc, suspended (for what Scotch hounds would run of a Sunday?), 
 but the more private desecration of a game at cards it grieved his 
 spirit to forego. 
 
 It was a stormy November night. The ladies were at prayers, an 
 exercise at which not even the wicked Earl cared to disturb them. 
 
 With the cards in his hand, his problem- was to find a partner. 
 
 ^-fc>Oi^*^ 4>* <- *tf 
 One after another the demesnes were summoned, but not even their 
 
 terrible master could bully them into the direct transaction with Satan 
 which handling "Deevil's bricks" on the Sabbath meant. Whereupon 
 the raging Earl mounted to his turret-room and slammed the door 
 behind him, vowing^he would play with the Prince of Darkness him- 
 self, rather than relinquish his game. 
 
 The evil Fates were kind. Even as he spoke a tap came to the 
 door, and a tall, dark stranger, cloaked and bonneted, presented himself 
 in silence. Little cared the Earl for name or address. He had 
 what he wanted, and asked no questions. The cards were shuffled and 
 dealt, and the game began. 
 
 Soon the trembling menials heard oaths and altercation, from which 
 their experience led them to conclude that their master was losing. 
 And losing indeed he was, so heavily, that soon he had nothing left to 
 stake. "Make out what bond you will," he cried recklessly, "and I 
 
72 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 will sign without regarding it ! " The stranger did so, the Earl signed, 
 and with oaths and curses the game proceeded. 
 
 At last the din inside grew so terrible, that the old family butler 
 felt impelled to peep through the keyhole. The action was courageous 
 but unwise. He fell back howling, and next instant the door was 
 flung open, and the Earl appeared with a drawn sword. 
 
 "Stop him! Slay him!" he gasped. But the mysterious stranger 
 was gone, and gone was the bond likewise. 
 
 All that the Earl could tell was that his partner had glanced up 
 suddenly, and exclaiming, "Smite that eye!" had disappeared in a 
 streak of lightning through the keyhole. The butler's eye, long bruised 
 and yellow-rimmed, bore out the tale. 
 
 It was five years before the bond was paid; and then, in the 
 storms and winds of another wild November night, the Devil came to 
 claim his own. 
 
 But though the body of Earl Beardie ceased from troubling, his 
 spirit was as busy as ever. Each Sunday, as it came round, was 
 made hideous by ghostly carousals in the turret When the noises 
 could be endured no longer, the room was stoutly walled up, and 
 inside sit Earl Beardie and his partner playing cards till the crack 
 of doom. 
 
.FRANKENSTEIN 
 
FRANKENSTEIN. 
 
 (Abridged from Mrs Shelley's Novel of that name.) 
 
 FRANKENSTEIN is a young Genevese of good parentage. 
 He is warmly attached to his family, which consists of a 
 father, two brothers, named William and Ernest, and an 
 adopted sister, Elizabeth Lavenza, to whom he is be- 
 trothed. He early displays a bent for natural science, to 
 which he devotes his student years. He tells his own story.] 
 
 One of the phenomena which had peculiarly attracted my attention 
 was the structure of the human frame, and, indeed, any animal endued 
 with life. Whence, I often asked myself, did the principle of life pro- 
 ceed? It was a bold question, and one which has ever been considered 
 as a mystery ; yet with how many things are we upon the brink of 
 becoming acquainted, if cowardice or carelessness did not restrain our 
 inquiries. I revolved these circumstances in my mind, and determined 
 thenceforth to apply myself more particularly to those branches of 
 natural philosophy which relate to physiology. Unless I had been 
 animated by an almost supernatural enthusiasm, my application to this 
 study would have been irksome, and almost intolerable. To examine 
 the causes of life, we must first have recourse to death. I became 
 acquainted with the science of anatomy : but this was not sufficient ; I 
 must also observe the natural decay and corruption of the human body. 
 In my education my father had taken the greatest precautions that my 
 mind should be impressed with no supernatural horrors. I do not ever 
 remember to have trembled at a tale of superstition, or to have feared 
 the apparition of a spirit Darkness had no effect upon my fancy ; and 
 a churchyard was to me merely the receptacle of bodies deprived of 
 life, which, from being the seat of beauty and strength, had become 
 food for the worm. Now I was led to examine the cause and progress 
 of this decay, and forced to spend days and nights in vaults and 
 charnel-houses. My attention was fixed upon every object the most 
 insupportable to the delicacy of the human feelings. I saw how the 
 fine form of man was degraded and wasted ; I beheld the corruption of 
 death succeed to the blooming cheek of life; I saw how the worm 
 inherited the wonders of the eye and brain. I paused, examining and 
 analysing all the minutiae of causation, as exemplified in the change 
 from life to death, and death to life, until from the midst of this dark- 
 ness a sudden light broke in upon me a light so brilliant and wondrous, 
 yet so simple, that while I became dizzy with the immensity of the 
 
 77 
 
78 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 prospect which it illustrated, I was surprised, that among so many 
 men of genius who had directed their inquiries towards the same 
 science, that I alone should be reserved to discover so astonishing 
 a secret 
 
 Remember, I am not recording the vision of a madman. The sun 
 does not more certainly shine in the heavens, than that which I now 
 affirm is true. Some miracle might have produced it, yet the stages of 
 the discovery were distinct and probable. After days and nights of 
 incredible labour and fatigue, I succeeded in discovering the cause of 
 generation and life; nay, more, I became myself capable of bestowing 
 animation upon lifeless matter. 
 
 The astonishment which I had at first experienced on this discovery 
 soon gave place to delight and rapture. After so much time spent in 
 painful labour, to arrive at once at the summit of my desires, was the 
 most gratifying consummation of my toils. But this discovery was so 
 great and overwhelming, that all the steps by which I had been pro- 
 gressively led to it were obliterated, and I beheld only the result. 
 What had been the study and desire of the wisest men since the 
 creation of the world was now within my grasp. Not that, like a 
 magic scene, it all opened upon me at once : the information I had 
 obtained was of a nature rather to direct my endeavours so soon as I 
 should point them towards the object of my search, than to exhibit that 
 object already accomplished. I was like the Arabian who had been 
 buried with the dead, and found a passage to life, aided only by one 
 glimmering, and seemingly ineffectual, light. 
 
 When I found so astonishing a power placed within my hands, I 
 hesitated a long time concerning the manner in which I should employ 
 it. Although I possessed the capacity of bestowing animation, yet to 
 prepare a frame for the reception of it, with all its intricacies of fibres, 
 muscles, and veins, still remained a work of inconceivable difficulty and 
 labour. I doubted at first whether I should attempt the creation of a 
 being like myself, or one of simpler organisation ; but my imagination 
 was too much exalted by my first success to permit me to doubt of my 
 ability to give life to an animal as complex and wonderful as man. 
 The materials at present within my command hardly appeared adequate 
 to so arduous an undertaking ; but I doubted not that I should ulti- 
 mately succeed. I prepared myself for a multitude of reverses: my 
 operations might be incessantly baffled, and at last my work be imper- 
 fect : yet, when I considered the improvement which every day takes 
 place in science and mechanics, I was encouraged to hope my present 
 attempts would at least lay the foundations of future success. Nor 
 could I consider the magnitude and complexity of my plan as any 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 79 
 
 argument of its impracticability. It was with these feelings that I 
 began the creation of a human being. As the minuteness of the parts 
 formed a great hindrance to my speed, I resolved, contrary to my first 
 intention, to make the being of a gigantic stature that is to say, about 
 eight feet in height, and proportionably large. After having formed 
 this determination, and having spent some months in successfully 
 collecting and arranging my materials, I began. 
 
 No one can conceive the variety of feelings which bore me onwards, 
 like a hurricane, in the first enthusiasm of success. Life and death 
 appeared to me ideal bounds, which I should first break through, and 
 pour a torrent of light into our dark world. A new species would 
 bless me as its creator and source ; many happy and excellent natures 
 would owe their being to me. No father could claim the gratitude of 
 his child so completely as I should deserve theirs. Pursuing these 
 reflections, I thought, that if I could bestow animation upon lifeless 
 matter, I might in process of time (although I now found it impossible) 
 renew life where death had apparently devoted the body to corruption. 
 
 It was on a dreary night of November that I beheld the accomplish- 
 ment of my toils. With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, 
 I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a 
 spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet. It was already 
 one in the morning ; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and 
 my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half- 
 extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open ; it 
 breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs. 
 
 How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate 
 the wretch whom, with such infinite pains and care, I had endeavoured 
 to form? His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features 
 as beautiful. Beautiful ! Great God 1 His yellow skin scarcely covered 
 the work of muscles and arteries beneath ; his hair was of a lustrous 
 black, and flowing ; his teeth of a pearly whiteness ; but these luxuri- 
 ances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that 
 seemed almost of the same colour as the dun white sockets in which 
 they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips. 
 
 The different accidents of life are not so changeable as the feelings 
 of human nature. I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole 
 purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For this I had deprived 
 myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardour that far 
 exceeded moderation ; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the 
 dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. Un- 
 able to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of 
 the room, and continued a long time traversing my bedchamber, unable 
 
8o THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 to compose my mind to sleep. At length lassitude succeeded to the 
 tumult I had before endured; and I threw myself on the bed in my 
 clothes, endeavouring to seek a few moments of forgetfulness. But it 
 was in vain : I slept, indeed, but I was disturbed by the wildest dreams. 
 I thought I saw Elizabeth, in the bloom of health, walking in the streets 
 of Ingolstadt. Delighted and surprised, I embraced her ; but as I im- 
 printed the first kiss on her lips, they became livid with the hue of death ; 
 her features appeared to change, and I thought that I held the corpse 
 of my dead mother in my arms ; a shroud enveloped her form, and I saw 
 the grave -worms crawling in the folds of the flannel. I started from 
 my sleep with horror ; a cold dew covered my forehead, my teeth 
 chattered, and every limb became convulsed : when, by the dim and 
 yellow light of the moon, as it forced its way through the window 
 shutters, I beheld the wretch the miserable monster whom I had 
 created. He held up the curtain of the bed ; and his eyes, if eyes they 
 may be called, were fixed on me. His jaws opened, and he muttered 
 some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkled his cheeks. He might 
 have spoken, but I did not hear ; one hand was stretched out, seemingly 
 to detain me, but I escaped, and rushed downstairs. I took refuge 
 in the courtyard belonging to the house which I inhabited, where I 
 remained during the rest of the night, walking up and down in the 
 greatest agitation, listening attentively, catching and fearing each sound 
 as if it were to announce the approach of the demoniacal corpse to 
 which I had so miserably given life. 
 
 Ohl no mortal could support the horror of that countenance. A 
 mummy again endued with animation could not be so hideous as that 
 wretch. I had gazed on him while unfinished ; he was ugly then ; but 
 when those muscles and joints were rendered capable of motion, it be- 
 came a thing such as even Dante could not have conceived. 
 
 I passed the night wretchedly. Sometimes my pulse beat so quickly 
 and hardly, that I felt the palpitation of every artery ; at others, I nearly 
 sank to the ground through languor and extreme weakness. Mingled 
 with this horror, I felt the bitterness of disappointment; dreams that 
 had been my food and pleasant rest for so long a space were now 
 become a hell to me ; and the change was so rapid, the overthrow so 
 complete 1 
 
 Morning, dismal and wet, at length dawned, and discovered to my 
 sleepless and aching eyes the church of Ingolstadt, its white steeple and 
 clock, which indicated the sixth hour. The porter opened the gates of 
 the court, which had that night been my asylum, and I issued into the 
 streets, pacing them with quick steps, as if I sought to avoid the wretch 
 whom I feared every turning of the street would present to my view. 
 I did not dare return to the apartment which I inhabited, but felt im- 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 81 
 
 pelled to hurry on, although drenched by the rain which poured from a 
 black and comfortless sky. 
 
 I continued walking in this manner for some time, endeavouring, by 
 bodily exercise, to ease the load that weighed upon my mind. I tra- 
 versed the streets, without any clear conception of where I was, or 
 what I was doing. My heart palpitated in the sickness of fear ; and I 
 hurried on with irregular steps, not daring to look about me. 
 
 [He meets his friend, Henry Clerval, who returns with him and 
 nurses him through an attack of brain-fever. Nothing is seen of the 
 monster. Some months after his recovery he receives the following 
 letter : ] 
 
 "My dear Victor, You have probably waited impatiently for a 
 letter to fix the date of your return to us ; and I was at first tempted 
 to write only a few lines, merely mentioning the day on which I should 
 expect you. But that would be a cruel kindness, and I dare not do it 
 What would be your surprise, my son, when you expected a happy and 
 glad welcome, to behold, on the contrary, tears and wretchedness? 
 And how, Victor, can I relate our misfortune? Absence cannot have 
 rendered you callous to our joys and griefs ; and how shall I inflict pain 
 on my long absent son? I wish to prepare you for the woeful news, 
 but I know it is impossible ; even now your eye skims over the page, 
 to seek the words which are to convey to you the horrible tidings. 
 
 " William is dead 1 that sweet child, whose smiles delighted and 
 warmed my heart, who was so gentle, yet so gay ! Victor, he is 
 murdered ! 
 
 "I will not attempt to console you; but will simply relate the 
 circumstances of the transaction. 
 
 "Last Thursday (May 7th), I, my niece, and your two brothers, 
 went to walk in Plainpalais. The evening was warm and serene, and 
 we prolonged our walk farther than usual. It was already dusk before 
 we thought of returning; and then we discovered that William and 
 Ernest, who had gone on before, were not to be found. We accord- 
 ingly rested on a seat until they should return. Presently Ernest came, 
 and inquired if we had seen his brother : he said, that he had been 
 playing with him, that William had run away to hide himself, and that 
 he vainly sought for him, and afterwards waited for him a long time, 
 but that he did not return. 
 
 "This account rather alarmed us, and we continued to search for 
 him until night fell, when Elizabeth conjectured that he might have 
 returned to the house. He was not there. We returned again, with 
 torches ; for I could not rest, when I thought that my sweet boy had 
 lost himself, and was exposed to all the damps and dews of night; 
 
82 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 Elizabeth also suffered extreme anguish. About five in the morning I 
 discovered my lovely boy, whom the night before I had seen blooming 
 and active in health, stretched on the grass livid and motionless : the 
 print of the murderer's finger was on his neck. 
 
 " He was conveyed home, and the anguish that was visible in my 
 countenance betrayed the secret to Elizabeth. She was very earnest to 
 see the corpse. At first I attempted to prevent her ; but she persisted, 
 and entering the room where it lay, hastily examined the neck of the 
 victim, and clasping her hands exclaimed, ' O God ! I have murdered 
 my darling child 1 ' 
 
 "She fainted, and was restored with extreme difficulty. When 
 she again lived, it was only to weep and sigh. She told me, that that 
 same evening William had teased her to let him wear a very valuable 
 miniature that she possessed of your mother. This picture is gone, 
 and was doubtless the temptation which urged the murderer to the 
 deed. We have no trace of him at present, although our exertions to 
 discover him are unremitted; but they will not restore my beloved 
 William! 
 
 "Come, dearest Victor; you alone can console Elizabeth. She 
 weeps continually, and accuses herself unjustly as the cause of his 
 death ; her words pierce my heart. We are all unhappy ; but will not 
 that be an additional motive for you, my son, to return and be our 
 comforter? Your dear mother! Alas, Victor! I now say, Thank 
 God she did not live to witness the cruel, miserable death of her 
 youngest darling ! 
 
 "Come, Victor; not brooding thoughts of vengeance against the 
 assassin, but with feelings of peace and gentleness, that will heal, 
 instead of festering, the wounds of our minds. Enter the house of 
 mourning, my friend, but with kindness and affection for those who 
 love you, and not with hatred for your enemies. Your affectionate and 
 afflicted father, "Alphonse Frankenstein." 
 
 "Geneva, May 12, 17." 
 
 It was completely dark when I arrived in the environs of Geneva ; 
 the gates of the town were already shut ; and I was obliged to pass 
 the night at Secheron, a village at the distance of half a league from 
 the city. The sky was serene ; and, as I was unable to rest, I resolved 
 to visit the spot where my poor William had been murdered. As I 
 could not pass through the town, I was obliged to cross the lake in a 
 boat to arrive at Plainpalais. During this short voyage I saw the 
 lightnings played on the summit of Mont Blanc in the most beautiful 
 figures. The storm appeared to approach rapidly; and, on landing, I 
 ascended a low hill, that I might observe its progress. It advanced ; 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 83 
 
 the heavens were clouded, and I soon felt the rain coming slowly in 
 large drops, but its violence quickly increased. 
 
 I quitted my seat, and walked on, although the darkness and 
 storm increased every minute, and the thunder burst with a terrific 
 crash over my head. It was echoed from Saleve, the Juras, and the 
 Alps of Savoy ; vivid flashes of lightning dazzled my eyes, illuminating 
 the lake, making it appear like a vast sheet of fire ; then for an instant 
 everything seemed of a pitchy darkness, until the eye recovered itself 
 from the preceding flash. The storm, as is often the case in Switzer- 
 land, appeared at once in various parts of the heavens. The most 
 violent storm hung exactly north of the town, over that part of the 
 lake which lies between the promontory of Belrive and the village of 
 Copet. Another storm enlightened Jura with faint flashes ; and another 
 darkened and sometimes disclosed the Mole, a peaked mountain to the 
 east of the lake. 
 
 While I watched the tempest, so beautiful yet terrific, I wandered 
 on with a hasty step. This noble war in the sky elevated my spirits ; 
 I clasped my hands, and exclaimed aloud, " William, dear angel ! this 
 is thy funeral, this thy dirge I " As I said these words, I perceived in 
 the gloom a figure which stole from behind a clump of trees near me ; 
 I stood fixed, gazing intently : I could not be mistaken. A flash of 
 lightning illuminated the object, and discovered its shape plainly to 
 me ; its gigantic stature, and the deformity of its aspect, more hideous 
 than belongs to humanity, instantly informed me that it was the wretch, 
 the filthy daemon, to whom I had given life. What did he there? 
 Could he be (I shuddered at the conception) the murderer of my 
 brother? No sooner did that idea cross my imagination, than I became 
 convinced of its truth ; my teeth chattered, and I was forced to lean 
 against a tree for support. The figure passed me quickly, and I lost it 
 in the gloom. Nothing in human shape could have destroyed that fair 
 child. He was the murderer 1 I could not doubt it. The mere presence 
 of the idea was an irresistible proof of the fact I thought of pursuing 
 the devil ; but it would have been in vain, for another flash discovered 
 him to me hanging among the rocks of the nearly perpendicular ascent 
 of Mont Saleve, a hill that bounds Plainpalais on the south. He soon 
 reached the summit, and disappeared. 
 
 I remained motionless. The thunder ceased ; but the rain still 
 continued, and the scene was enveloped in an impenetrable darkness. I 
 revolved in my mind the events which I had until now sought to 
 forget : the whole train of my progress towards the creation ; the 
 appearance of the work of my own hands alive at my bedside ; its 
 departure. Two years had now nearly elapsed since the night on 
 which he first received life ; and was this his first crime ? Alas 1 I had 
 
84 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 turned loose into the world a depraved wretch, whose delight was in 
 carnage and misery ; had he not murdered my brother ? 
 
 No one can conceive the anguish I suffered during the remainder of 
 the night, which I spent, cold and wet, in the open air. But I did not 
 feel the inconvenience of the weather ; my imagination was busy in 
 scenes of evil and despair. I considered the being whom I had cast 
 among mankind, and endowed with the will and power to effect pur- 
 poses of horror, such as the deed which he had now done, nearly in 
 the light of my own vampire, my own spirit let loose from the grave, 
 and forced to destroy all that was dear to me. 
 
 [Justine, an innocent individual, is charged with the murder, and 
 beheaded on circumstantial evidence. Frankenstein, wandering in agony 
 of mind among the mountains, is again encountered by the daemon, who 
 tells his story.] 
 
 "It is with considerable difficulty that I remember the original era 
 of my being : all the events of that period appear confused and 
 indistinct. A strange multiplicity of sensations seized me, and I saw, 
 felt, heard, and smelt, at the same time; and it was, indeed, a long 
 time before I learned to distinguish between the operations of my 
 various senses. By degrees, I remember, a stronger light pressed 
 upon my nerves, so that I was obliged to shut my eyes. Darkness 
 then came over me, and troubled me; but hardly had I felt this, when, 
 by opening my eyes, as I now suppose, the light poured in upon me 
 again. I walked, and I believe, descended; but I presently found a 
 great alteration in my sensations. Before, dark and opaque bodies had 
 surrounded me, impervious to my touch or sight ; but I now found that 
 I could wander on at liberty, with no obstacles which I could not 
 either surmount or avoid. The light became more and more oppressive 
 to me ; and, the heat wearying me as I walked, I sought a place 
 where I could receive shade. This was a forest near Ingolstadt ; and 
 here I lay by the side of a brook resting from my fatigue, until I felt 
 tormented by hunger and thirst. This roused me from my nearly 
 dormant state, and I ate some berries which I found hanging on the 
 trees, or lying on the ground. I slaked my thirst at the brook ; and 
 then lying down, was overcome by sleep. 
 
 "It was dark when I awoke; I felt cold also, and half-frightened, 
 as it were instinctively, finding myself so desolate. Before I had 
 quitted your apartment, on a sensation of cold, I had covered myself 
 with some clothes ; but these were insufficient to secure me from the 
 dews of night I was a poor, helpless, miserable wretch ; I knew, 
 and could distinguish, nothing; but feeling pain invade me on all 
 sides, I sat down and wept 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 85 
 
 "Soon a gentle light stole over the heavens, and gave me a sensa- 
 tion of pleasure. I started up, and beheld a radiant form rise from 
 among the trees.* I gazed with a kind of wonder. It moved slowly, but 
 it enlightened my path ; and I again went out in search of berries. I 
 was still cold, when under one of the trees I found a huge cloak, with 
 which I covered myself, and sat down upon the ground. No distinct 
 ideas occupied my mind ; all was confused. I felt light, and hunger, 
 and thirst, and darkness ; innumerable sounds rung in my ears, and on 
 all sides various scents saluted me ; the only object that I could distinguish 
 was the bright moon, and I fixed my eyes on that with pleasure. 
 
 "Several changes of day and night passed, and the orb of night 
 had greatly lessened, when I began to distinguish my sensations from 
 each other. I gradually saw plainly the clear stream that supplied me 
 with drink, and the trees that shaded me with their foliage. I was 
 delighted when I first discovered that a pleasant sound, which often 
 saluted my ears, proceeded from the throats of the little winged 
 animals who had often intercepted the light from my eyes. I began 
 also to observe, with greater accuracy, the forms that surrounded me, 
 and to perceive the boundaries of the radiant roof of light which 
 canopied me. Sometimes I tried to imitate the pleasant songs of the 
 birds, but was unable. Sometimes I wished to express my sensations 
 in my own mode, but the uncouth and inarticulate sounds which broke 
 from me frightened me into silence again. 
 
 "The moon had disappeared from the night, and again, with a 
 lessened form, showed itself, while I still remained in the forest. My 
 sensations had, by this time, become distinct, and my mind received 
 every day additional ideas. My eyes became accustomed to the light, 
 and to perceive objects in their right forms ; I distinguished the insect 
 from the herb, and, by degrees, one herb from another. I found that 
 the sparrow uttered none but harsh notes, whilst those of the blackbird 
 and thrush were sweet and enticing. 
 
 " One day, when I was oppressed by cold, I found a fire which had 
 been left by some wandering beggars, and was overcome with delight 
 at the warmth I experienced from it. In my joy I thrust my hand into 
 the live embers, but quickly drew it out again with a cry of pain. How 
 strange, I thought, that the same cause should produce such opposite 
 effects ! I examined the materials of the fire, and to my joy found it to 
 be composed of wood. I quickly collected some branches ; but they 
 were wet, and would not burn. I was pained at this, and sat still 
 watching the operation of the fire. The wet wood which I had placed 
 near the heat dried, and itself became inflamed. I reflected on this ; 
 
 * The moon. 
 
86 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 and, by touching the various branches, I discovered the cause, and 
 busied myself in collecting a great quantity of wood, that I might dry 
 it, and have a plentiful supply of fire. When night came on, and 
 brought sleep with it, I was in the greatest fear lest my fire should be 
 extinguished. I covered it carefully with dry wood and leaves, and 
 placed wet branches upon it ; and then, spreading my cloak, I lay on 
 the ground, and sunk into sleep. 
 
 " It was morning when I awoke, and my first care was to visit the 
 fire. I uncovered it, and a gentle breeze quickly fanned it into a flame. 
 I observed this also, and contrived a fan of branches, which roused the 
 embers when they were nearly extinguished. When night came again, 
 I found, with pleasure, that the fire gave light as well as heat; and 
 that the discovery of this element was useful to me in my food ; for I 
 found some of the offals that the travellers had left had been roasted, 
 and tasted much more savoury than the berries I gathered from the 
 trees. I tried, therefore, to dress my food in the same manner, placing 
 it on the live embers. I found that the berries were spoiled by this 
 operation, and the nuts and roots much improved. 
 
 " Food, however, became scarce ; and I often spent the whole day 
 searching in vain for a few acorns to assuage the pangs of hunger. 
 When I found this, I resolved to quit the place that I had hitherto 
 inhabited, to seek for one where the few wants I experienced would be 
 more easily satisfied. In this emigration, I exceedingly lamented the 
 loss of the fire which I had obtained through accident, and knew not 
 how to reproduce it. I gave several hours to the serious consideration 
 of this difficulty ; but I was obliged to relinquish all attempt to supply 
 it; and, wrapping myself up in my cloak, I struck across the wood 
 towards the setting sun. I passed three days in these rambles, and at 
 length discovered the open country. A great fall of snow had taken 
 place the night before, and the fields were of one uniform white ; the 
 appearance was disconsolate, and I found my feet chilled by the cold 
 damp substance that covered the ground. 
 
 " It was about seven in the morning, and I longed to obtain food 
 and shelter; at length I perceived a small hut, on a rising ground, 
 which had doubtless been built for the convenience of some shepherd. 
 This was a new sight to me ; and I examined the structure with great 
 curiosity. Finding the door open, I entered. An old man sat in it, near 
 a fire, over which he was preparing his breakfast He turned on hearing 
 a noise ; and, perceiving me, shrieked loudly, and, quitting the hut, ran 
 across the fields with a speed of which his debilitated form hardly 
 appeared capable. His appearance, different from any I had ever before 
 seen, and his flight, somewhat surprised me. But I was enchanted by 
 the appearance of the hut : here the snow and rain could not penetrate : 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 87 
 
 the ground was dry ; and it presented to me then as exquisite and 
 divine a retreat as Pandaemonium appeared to the daemons of hell after 
 their sufferings in the lake of fire. I greedily devoured the remnants 
 of the shepherd's breakfast, which consisted of bread, cheese, milk, and 
 wine; the latter, however, I did not like. Then, overcome by fatigue, 
 I lay down among some straw, and fell asleep. 
 
 " It was noon when I awoke ; and, allured by the warmth of the 
 sun, which shone brightly on the white ground, I determined to recom- 
 mence my travels ; and, depositing the remains of the peasant's breakfast 
 in a wallet I found, I proceeded across the fields for several hours, 
 until at sunset I arrived at a village. How miraculous did this appear! 
 the huts, the neater cottages, and stately houses, engaged my admiration 
 by turns. The vegetables in the gardens, the milk and cheese that I 
 saw placed at the windows of some of the cottages, allured my appetite. 
 One of the best of these I entered ; but I had hardly placed my foot 
 within the door, before the children shrieked, and one of the women 
 fainted. The whole village was roused ; some fled, some attacked me, 
 until, grievously bruised by stones and many other kinds of missile 
 weapons, I escaped to the open country, and fearfully took refuge in a 
 low hovel, quite bare, and making a wretched appearance after the 
 palaces I had beheld in the village. This hovel, however, joined a 
 cottage of a neat and pleasant appearance ; but, after my late dearly 
 bought experience, I dared not enter it. My place of refuge was 
 constructed of wood, but so low, that I could with difficulty sit upright 
 in it. No wood, however, was placed on the earth which formed the 
 floor, but it was dry ; and although the wind entered it by innumerable 
 chinks, I found it an agreeable asylum from the snow and rain. 
 
 " Here then I retreated, and lay down happy to have found a 
 shelter, however miserable, from the inclemency of the season, and still 
 more from the barbarity of man. 
 
 "As soon as morning dawned, I crept from my kennel, that I 
 might view the adjacent cottage, and discover if I could remain in the 
 habitation I had found. It was situated against the back of the 
 cottage, and surrounded on the sides which were exposed by a pig-sty 
 and a clear pool of water. One part was open, and by that I had 
 crept in ; but now I covered every crevice by which I might be per- 
 ceived with stones and wood, yet in such a manner that I might move 
 them on occasion to pass out : all the light I enjoyed came through the 
 sty, and that was sufficient for me. 
 
 " Having thus arranged my dwelling, and carpeted it with clean 
 straw, I retired ; for I saw the figure of a man at a distance, and I 
 remembered too well my treatment the night before, to trust myself in 
 his power. I had first, however, provided for my sustenance for that 
 
88 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 day, by a loaf of coarse bread, which I purloined, and a cup with 
 which I could drink, more conveniently than from my hand, of the pure 
 water which flowed by my retreat The floor was a little raised, so 
 that it was kept perfectly dry, and by its vicinity to the chimney of the 
 cottage it was tolerably warm. 
 
 " Being thus provided, I resolved to reside in this hovel, until 
 something should occur which might alter my determination. It was 
 indeed a paradise, compared to the bleak forest, my former residence, 
 the rain-dropping branches, and dank earth. I ate my breakfast with 
 pleasure, and was about to remove a plank to procure myself a little 
 water, when I heard a step, and looking through a small chink, I 
 beheld a young creature, with a pail on her head, passing before my 
 hovel. The girl was young, and of gentle demeanour, unlike what I 
 have since found cottagers and farm-house servants to be. Yet she was 
 meanly dressed, a coarse blue petticoat and a linen jacket being her 
 only garb ; her fair hair was plaited, but not adorned : she looked 
 patient, yet sad. I lost sight of her; and in about a quarter of an 
 hour she returned, bearing the pail, which was now partly filled with 
 milk. As she walked along, seemingly incommoded by the burden, a 
 young man met her, whose countenance expressed a deeper despond- 
 ence. Uttering a few sounds with an air of melancholy, he took the 
 pail from her head, and bore it to the cottage himself. She followed, 
 and they disappeared. Presently I saw the young man again, with 
 some tools in his hand, cross the field behind the cottage ; and the girl 
 was also busied, sometimes in the house, and sometimes in the yard. 
 
 " On examining my dwelling, I found that one of the windows of 
 the cottage had formerly occupied a part of it, but the panes had been 
 filled up with wood. In one of these was a small and almost imper- 
 ceptible chink, through which the eye could just penetrate. Through 
 this crevice a small room was visible, whitewashed and clean, but very 
 bare of furniture. In one corner, near a small fire, sat an old man, 
 leaning his head on his hands in a disconsolate attitude. The young 
 girl was occupied in arranging the cottage : but presently she took 
 something out of a drawer, which employed her hands, and she sat 
 down beside the old man, who, taking up an instrument, began to 
 play, and to produce sounds sweeter than the voice of the thrush or the 
 nightingale. It was a lovely sight, even to me, poor wretch I who had 
 never beheld aught beautiful before. The silver hair and benevolent 
 countenance of the aged cottager won my reverence, while the gentle 
 manners of the girl enticed my love. He played a sweet mournful air, 
 which I perceived drew tears from the eyes of his amiable companion, 
 of which the old man took no notice, until she sobbed audibly ; he then 
 pronounced a few sounds, and the fair creature, leaving her work, knelt 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 89 
 
 at his feet He raised her, and smiled with such kindness and affection, 
 that I felt sensations of a peculiar and overpowering nature : they were 
 a mixture of pain and pleasure, such as I had never before experienced, 
 either from hunger or cold, warmth or food; and I withdrew from the 
 window, unable to bear these emotions. 
 
 "Soon after this the young man returned, bearing on his shoulders 
 a load of wood. The girl met him at the door, helped to relieve him 
 of his burden, and, taking some of the fuel into the cottage, placed it 
 on the fire : then she and the youth went apart into a nook of the 
 cottage, and he showed her a large loaf and piece of cheese. She 
 seemed pleased, and went into the garden for some roots and plants, 
 which she placed in water, and then upon the fire. She afterwards 
 continued her work, whilst the young man went into the garden, and 
 appeared busily employed in digging and pulling up roots. After he 
 had been employed thus about an hour, the young woman joined him, 
 and they entered the cottage together. 
 
 " The old man had, in the meantime, been pensive ; but, on the 
 appearance of his companions, he assumed a more cheerful air, and they 
 sat down to eat. The meal was quickly despatched. The young 
 woman was again occupied in arranging the cottage ; the old man 
 walked before the cottage in the sun for a few minutes, leaning on the 
 arm of the youth. Nothing could exceed in beauty the contrast between 
 these two excellent creatures. One was old, with silver hairs and a 
 countenance beaming with benevolence and love; the younger was 
 slight and graceful in his figure, and his features were moulded with 
 the finest symmetry ; yet his eyes and attitude expressed the utmost 
 sadness and despondency. The old man returned to the cottage; and 
 the youth, with tools different from those he had used in the morning, 
 directed his steps across the fields. 
 
 41 Night quickly shut in ; but, to my extreme wonder, I found that 
 the cottagers had a means of prolonging light by the use of tapers, and 
 was delighted to find that the setting of the sun did not put an end to 
 the pleasure I experienced in watching my human neighbours. In the 
 evening the young girl and her companion were employed in various 
 occupations which I did not understand ; and the old man again took 
 up the instrument which produced the divine sounds that had enchanted 
 me in the morning. So soon as he had finished, the youth began, not 
 to play, but to utter sounds that were monotonous, and neither resem- 
 bling the harmony of the old man's instrument nor the songs of the 
 birds : I since found that he read aloud, but at that time I knew nothing 
 of the science of words or letters. 
 
 "The family, after having been thus occupied for a short time, 
 extinguished their lights, and retired, as I conjectured, to rest 
 
90 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 [When, after long secret observation, he has learnt to understand 
 and adore this family, he discovers himself to them and begs their 
 sympathy and protection. On being spurned with loathing excited by 
 his gruesome appearance, he conceives a wild hatred for the whole 
 human race. His one idea is, henceforth, revenge. The horror-stricken 
 family fly from the cottage, which he burns to the ground. He then 
 resumes his travels.] 
 
 " In two months from this time I reached the environs of Geneva. 
 
 " It was evening when I arrived, and I retired to a hiding-place 
 among the fields that surround it, to meditate in what manner I should 
 apply to you. I was oppressed by fatigue and hunger, and far too 
 unhappy to enjoy the gentle breezes of evening, or the prospect of the 
 sun setting behind the stupendous mountains of Jura. 
 
 "At this time a slight sleep relieved me from the pain of reflection, 
 which was disturbed by the approach of a beautiful child, who came 
 running into the recess I had chosen, with all the sportiveness of infancy. 
 Suddenly, as I gazed on him, an idea seized me, that this little creature 
 was unprejudiced, and had lived too short a time to have imbibed a 
 horror of deformity. If, therefore, I could seize him, and educate him 
 as my companion and friend, I should not be so desolate in this peopled 
 earth. 
 
 " Urged by this impulse, I seized on the boy as he passed, and drew 
 him towards me. As soon as he beheld my form, he placed his hands 
 before his eyes, and uttered a shrill scream: I drew his hand forcibly 
 from his face, and said, ' Child, what is the meaning of this ? I do not 
 intend to hurt you; listen to me.' 
 
 "He struggled violently. 'Let me go,' he cried; 'monster! ugly 
 wretch ! you wish to eat me, and tear me to pieces you are an ogre 
 let me go, or I will tell my papa.' 
 
 " ' Boy, you will never see your father again ; you must come 
 with me.' 
 
 "'Hideous monster! let me go. My papa is a Syndic he is M. 
 Frankenstein he will punish you. You dare not keep me.' 
 
 '"Frankenstein! you belong, then, to my enemy to him towards 
 whom I have sworn eternal revenge ; you shall be my first victim.' 
 
 "The child still struggled, and loaded me with epithets which 
 carried despair to my heart; I grasped his throat to silence him, and 
 in a moment he lay dead at my feet 
 
 " I gazed on my victim, and my heart swelled with exultation and 
 hellish triumph: clapping my hands, I exclaimed, 'I, too, can create 
 desolation ; my enemy is not invulnerable ; this death will carry despair 
 to him, and a thousand other miseries shall torment and destroy him.' 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 91 
 
 "As I fixed my eyes on the child, I saw something glittering on 
 his breast. I took it ; it was a portrait of a most lovely woman. In 
 spite of my malignity, it softened and attracted me. For a few moments 
 I gazed with delight on her dark eyes, fringed by deep lashes, and her 
 lovely lips ; but presently my rage returned : I remembered that I was 
 for ever deprived of the delights that such beautiful creatures could 
 bestow; and that she whose resemblance I contemplated would, in 
 regarding me, have changed that air of divine benignity to one expres- 
 sive of disgust and affright. 
 
 "Can you wonder that such thoughts transported me with rage? 
 I only wonder that at that moment, instead of venting my sensations 
 in exclamations and agony, I did not rush among mankind and perish 
 in the attempt to destroy them. 
 
 "While I was overcome by these feelings, I left the spot where I 
 had committed the murder, and seeking a more secluded hiding-place, 
 I entered a barn which had appeared to me to be empty. A woman 
 was sleeping on some straw ; she was young : not indeed so beautiful 
 as her whose portrait I held ; but of an agreeable aspect, and blooming 
 in the loveliness of youth and health. Here, I thought, is one of those 
 whose joy -imparting smiles are bestowed on all but me. And then I 
 bent over her, and whispered, 'Awake, fairest, thy lover is near he 
 who would give his life but to obtain one look of affection from thine 
 eyes : my beloved, awake ! ' 
 
 "The sleeper stirred; a thrill of terror ran through me. Should 
 she indeed awake, and see me, and curse me, and denounce the 
 murderer? Thus would she assuredly act, if her darkened eyes opened, 
 and she beheld me. The thought was madness ; it stirred the fiend 
 within me not I, but she shall suffer ; the murder I have committed 
 because I am for ever robbed of all that she could give me, she shall 
 atone. The crime had its source in her: be hers the punishment 1 
 Thanks to the lessons of Felix and the sanguinary laws of man, I had 
 learned now to work mischief. I bent over her, and placed the portrait 
 securely in one of the folds of her dress. She moved again, and I fled. 
 
 " For some days I haunted the spot where these scenes had taken 
 place ; sometimes wishing to see you, sometimes resolved to quit the 
 world and its miseries for ever. At length I wandered towards these 
 mountains, and have ranged through their immense recesses, consumed 
 by a burning passion which you alone can gratify. We may not part 
 until you have promised to comply with my requisition. I am alone, 
 and miserable ; man will not associate with me ; but one as deformed 
 and horrible as myself would not deny herself to me. My companion 
 must be of the same species, and have the same defects. This being 
 you must create." 
 
92 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 [This Frankenstein at length, much against his will, consents to 
 do; postponing his marriage with Elizabeth until it is accomplished. 
 He sets about his task in one of the remotest of the Orkneys.] 
 
 I sat one evening in my laboratory ; the sun had set, and the moon 
 was just rising from the sea ; I had not sufficient light for my employ- 
 ment, and I remained idle, in a pause of consideration of whether I 
 should leave my labour for the night, or hasten its conclusion by an 
 unremitting attention to it. As I sat, a train of reflection occurred to 
 me, which led me to consider the effects of what I was now doing. 
 Three years before I was engaged in the same manner, and had 
 created a fiend whose unparalleled barbarity had desolated my heart, 
 and filled it for ever with the bitterest remorse. I was now about to 
 form another being, of whose dispositions I was alike ignorant ; she 
 might become ten thousand times more malignant than her mate, and 
 delight, for its own sake, in murder and wretchedness. He had sworn 
 to quit the neighbourhood of man, and hide himself in deserts ; but she 
 had not ; and she, who in all probability was to become a thinking and 
 reasoning animal, might refuse to comply with a compact made before 
 her creation. They might even hate each other ; the creature who 
 already lived loathed his own deformity, and might he not conceive a 
 greater abhorrence for it when it came before his eyes in the female 
 form? She also might turn with disgust from him to the superior 
 beauty of man ; she might quit him, and he be again alone, ex- 
 asperated by the fresh provocation of being deserted by one of his own 
 species. 
 
 Even if they were to leave Europe, and inhabit the deserts of the 
 New World, yet one of the first results of those sympathies for which 
 the daemon thirsted would be children, and a race of devils would be 
 propagated upon the earth, who might make the very existence of the 
 species of man a condition precarious and full of terror. Had I right, 
 for my own benefit, to inflict this curse upon everlasting generations? 
 I had before been moved by the sophisms of the being I had created ; 
 I had been struck senseless by his fiendish threats ; but now, for the 
 first time, the wickedness of my promise burst upon me ; I shuddered 
 to think that future ages might curse me as their pest, whose selfish- 
 ness had not hesitated to buy its own peace at the price, perhaps, of 
 the existence of the whole human race. 
 
 I trembled, and my heart failed within me ; when, on looking up, I 
 saw, by the light of the moon, the daemon at the casement. A ghastly 
 grin wrinkled his lips as he gazed on me, where I sat fulfilling the 
 task which he had allotted to me. Yes, he had followed me in my 
 travels ; he had loitered in forests, hid himself in caves, or taken 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 93 
 
 refuge in wide and desert heaths ; and he now came to mark my 
 progress, and claim the fulfilment of my promise. 
 
 As I looked on him, his countenance expressed the utmost extent 
 of malice and treachery. I thought with a sensation of madness on my 
 promise of creating another like to him, and trembling with passion, 
 tore to pieces the thing on which I was engaged. The wretch saw 
 me destroy the creature on whose future existence he depended for 
 happiness, and, with a howl of devilish despair and revenge, with- 
 drew. 
 
 I left the room, and, locking the door, made a solemn vow in my 
 own heart never to resume my labours ; and then, with trembling steps, 
 I sought my own apartment I was alone; none were near me to 
 dissipate the gloom, and relieve me from the sickening oppression of 
 the most terrible reveries. 
 
 Several hours passed, and I remained near my window gazing on 
 the sea ; it was almost motionless, for the winds were hushed, and all 
 nature reposed under the eye of the quiet moon. A few fishing vessels 
 alone specked the water, and now and then the gentle breeze wafted 
 the sound of voices, as the fishermen called to one another. I felt the 
 silence, although I was hardly conscious of its extreme profundity, 
 until my ear was suddenly arrested by the paddling of oars near the 
 shore, and a person landed close to my house. 
 
 In a few minutes after, I heard the creaking of my door, as if 
 some one endeavoured to open it softly. I trembled from head to foot ; 
 I felt a presentiment of who it was, and wished to rouse one of the 
 peasants who dwelt in a cottage not far from mine ; but I was over- 
 come by the sensation of helplessness, so often felt in frightful dreams, 
 when you in vain endeavour to fly from an impending danger, and was 
 rooted to the spot. 
 
 Presently I heard the sound of footsteps along the passage ; the 
 door opened, and the wretch whom I dreaded appeared. Shutting the 
 door, he approached me, and said, in a smothered voice "You have 
 destroyed the work which you began ; what is it that you intend ? Do 
 you dare to break your promise ? I have endured toil and misery ; I 
 left Switzerland with you ; I crept along the shores of the Rhine, 
 among its willow islands, and over the summits of its hills. I have 
 dwelt many months in the heaths of England, and among the deserts of 
 Scotland. I have endured incalculable fatigue and cold and hunger; do 
 you dare destroy my hopes?" 
 
 " Begone ! I do break my promise ; never will I create another 
 like yourself, equal in deformity and wickedness." 
 
 "Slave, I before reasoned with you, but you have proved yourself 
 unworthy of my condescension. Remember that I have power ; you 
 
94 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 believe yourself miserable, but I can make you so wretched that the 
 light of day will be hateful to you. You are my creator, but I am 
 your master ; obey ! " 
 
 " The hour of my irresolution is past, and the period of your power 
 is arrived. Your threats cannot move me to do an act of wickedness ; 
 but they confirm me in a determination of not creating you a companion 
 in vice. Shall I, in cool blood, set loose upon the earth a daemon, 
 whose delight is in death and wretchedness ? Begone ! I am firm, and 
 your words will only exasperate my rage." 
 
 The monster saw my determination in my face, and gnashed his 
 teeth in the impotence of anger. " Shall each man," cried he, " find a 
 wife for his bosom, and each beast have his mate, and I be alone ? I 
 had feelings of affection, and they were requited by detestation and 
 scorn. Man ! you may hate ; but beware ! your hours will pass in 
 dread and misery, and soon the bolt will fall which must ravish from 
 you your happiness for ever. Are you to be happy, while I grovel in 
 the intensity of my wretchedness ? You can blast my other passions ; 
 but revenge remains revenge, henceforth dearer than light or food ! I 
 may die ; but first you, my tyrant and tormentor, shall curse the sun 
 that gazes on your misery. Beware ; for I am fearless, and therefore 
 powerful. I will watch with the wiliness of a snake, that I may 
 sting with its venom. Man, you shall repent of the injuries you 
 inflict" 
 
 " Devil, cease ; and do not poison the air with these sounds of 
 malice. I have declared my resolution to you, and I am no coward to 
 bend beneath words. Leave me ; I am inexorable." 
 
 "It is well. I go ; but remember, I shall be with you on your 
 wedding-night " 
 
 I started forward and exclaimed, " Villain 1 before you sign my 
 death-warrant, be sure that you are yourself safe." 
 
 I would have seized him ; but he eluded me, and quitted the house 
 with precipitation. In a few moments I saw him in his boat, which 
 shot across the waters with an arrowy swiftness, and was soon lost 
 amidst the waves. 
 
 All was again silent ; but his words rung in my ears. I burned 
 with rage to pursue the murderer of my peace, and precipitate him into 
 the ocean. I walked up and down my room hastily and perturbed, 
 while my imagination conjured up a thousand images to torment and 
 sting me. Why had I not followed him, and closed with him in mortal 
 strife? But I had suffered him to depart, and he had directed his 
 course towards the mainland. I shuddered to think who might be the 
 next victim sacrificed to his insatiate revenge. And then I thought 
 again of his words" I will be with you on your wedding-night" 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 95 
 
 That then was the period fixed for the fulfilment of my destiny. In 
 that hour I should die, and at once satisfy and extinguish his malice. 
 The prospect did not move me to fear ; yet when I thought of my 
 beloved Elizabeth, of her tears and endless sorrow, when she should 
 find her lover so barbarously snatched from her, tears, the first I had 
 shed for many months, streamed from my eyes, and I resolved not to 
 fall before my enemy without a bitter struggle. 
 
 [He goes out alone in a skiff to rid himself of the unfinished body, 
 and is driven by a storm to the Irish coast. There he is roughly 
 received and taken before a magistrate.] 
 
 I was soon introduced into the presence of the magistrate, an old 
 benevolent man, with calm and mild manners. He looked upon me, 
 however, with some degree of severity; and then, turning towards my 
 conductors, he asked who appeared as witnesses on this occasion. 
 
 About half-a-dozen men came forward ; and, one being selected by 
 the magistrate, he deposed, that he had been out fishing the night before 
 with his son and brother-in-law, Daniel Nugent, when, about ten o'clock, 
 they observed a strong northerly blast rising, and they accordingly put 
 in for port. It was a very dark night, as the moon had not yet risen; 
 they did not land at the harbour, but, as they had been accustomed, at 
 a creek about two miles below. He walked on first, carrying a part 
 of the fishing tackle, and his companions followed him at some distance. 
 As he was proceeding along the sands, he struck his foot against 
 something, and fell at his length on the ground. His companions came 
 up to assist him ; and, by the light of their lantern, they found that he 
 had fallen on the body of a man, who was to all appearance dead. 
 Their first supposition was, that it was the corpse of some person who 
 had been drowned, and was thrown on shore by the waves ; but, on 
 examination, they found that the clothes were not wet, and even that 
 the body was not then cold. They instantly carried it to the cottage 
 of an old woman near the spot, and endeavoured, but in vain, to restore 
 it to life. It appeared to be a handsome young man, about five-and- 
 twenty years of age. He had apparently been strangled ; for there was 
 no sign of any violence, except the black mark of fingers on his 
 neck. 
 
 The first part of this deposition did not in the least interest me; 
 but when the mark of the fingers was mentioned, I remembered the 
 murder of my brother, and felt myself extremely agitated ; my limbs 
 trembled, and a mist came over my eyes, which obliged me to lean on 
 a chair for support The magistrate observed me with a keen eye, and 
 of course drew an unfavourable augury from my manner. 
 
 The son confirmed his father's account ; but when Daniel Nugent 
 
96 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 was called, he swore positively that, just before the fall of his companion, 
 he saw a boat, with a single man in it, at a short distance from the 
 shore ; and, as far as he could judge by the light of a few stars, it 
 was the same boat in which I had just landed. 
 
 A woman deposed that she lived near the beach, and was standing 
 at the door of her cottage, waiting for the return of the fishermen, 
 about an hour before she heard of the discovery of the body, when she 
 saw a boat, with only one man in it, push off from that part of the 
 shore where the corpse was afterwards found. 
 
 Another woman confirmed the account of the fishermen having 
 brought the body into her house ; it was not cold. They put it into a 
 bed and rubbed it ; and Daniel went to the town for an apothecary, but 
 life was quite gone. 
 
 Several other men were examined concerning my landing ; and they 
 agreed that, with the strong north wind that had arisen during the 
 night, it was very probable that I had beaten about for many hours, 
 and had been obliged to return nearly to the same spot from which I 
 had departed. Besides, they observed that it appeared that I had 
 brought the body from another place, and it was likely, that as I did 
 not appear to know the shore, I might have put into the harbour ignor- 
 ant of the distance of the town of from the place where I had 
 
 deposited the corpse. 
 
 Mr Kirwin, on hearing this evidence, desired that I should be taken 
 into the room where the body lay for interment, that it might be 
 observed what effect the sight of it would produce upon me. This idea 
 was probably suggested by the extreme agitation I had exhibited when 
 the mode of the murder had been described. I was accordingly con- 
 ducted, by the magistrate and several other persons, to the inn. I could 
 not help being struck by the strange coincidences that had taken place 
 during this eventful night; but, knowing that I had been conversing 
 with several persons in the island I had inhabited about the time that 
 the body had been found, I was perfectly tranquil as to the consequences 
 of the affair. 
 
 I entered the room where the corpse lay, and was led up to the 
 coffin. How can I describe my sensations on beholding it? I feel yet 
 parched with horror, nor can I reflect on that terrible moment without 
 shuddering and agony. The examination, the presence of the magistrate 
 and witnesses, passed like a dream from my memory, when I saw the 
 lifeless form of Henry Clerval stretched before me. I gasped for breath ; 
 and, throwing myself on the body, I exclaimed, "Have my murderous 
 machinations deprived you also, my dearest Henry, of life ? Two I have 
 already destroyed ; other victims await their destiny : but you, Clerval, 
 my friend, my benefactor " 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 97 
 
 The human frame could no longer support the agonies that I en- 
 dured, and I was carried out of the room in strong convulsions. 
 
 A fever succeeded to this. I lay for two months on the point of 
 death ; my ravings, as I afterwards heard, were frightful ; I called 
 myself the murderer of William, of Justine, and of Clerval. Sometimes 
 I entreated my attendants to assist me in the destruction of the fiend by 
 whom I was tormented ; and at others, I felt the fingers of the monster 
 already grasping my neck, and screamed aloud with agony and terror. 
 Fortunately, as I spoke my native language, Mr Kirwin alone understood 
 me ; but my gestures and bitter cries were sufficient to affright the other 
 witnesses. 
 
 Why did I not die? More miserable than man ever was before, 
 why did I not sink into forgetfulness and rest ? Death snatches away 
 many blooming children, the only hopes of their doating parents : how 
 many brides and youthful lovers have been one day in the bloom of health 
 and hope, and the next a prey for worms and the decay of the tombl 
 Of what materials was I made, that I could thus resist so many shocks, 
 which, like the turning of the wheel, continually renewed the torture ? 
 
 [He is acquitted on proving an alibi, and returns home.] 
 
 In about a week after the arrival of Elizabeth's letter, we returned 
 to Geneva. The sweet girl welcomed me with warm affection ; yet 
 tears were in her eyes, as she beheld my emaciated frame and feverish 
 cheeks. I saw a change in her also. She was thinner, and had lost 
 much of that heavenly vivacity that had before charmed me; but her 
 gentleness, and soft looks of compassion, made her a more fit companion 
 for one blasted and miserable as I was. 
 
 The tranquillity which I now enjoyed did not endure. Memory 
 brought madness with it ; and when I thought of what had passed, a 
 real insanity possessed me ; sometimes I was furious, and burnt with 
 rage ; sometimes low and despondent. I neither spoke, nor looked at 
 any one, but sat motionless, bewildered by the multitude of miseries that 
 overcame me. 
 
 Elizabeth alone had the power to draw me from these fits ; her 
 gentle voice would soothe me when transported by passion, and inspire 
 me with human feelings when sunk in torpor. She wept with me, and 
 for me. When reason returned, she would remonstrate, and endeavour 
 to inspire me with resignation. Ah 1 it is well for the unfortunate to be 
 resigned, but for the guilty there is no peace. The agonies of remorse 
 poison the luxury there is otherwise sometimes found in indulging the 
 excess of grief. 
 
 Soon after my arrival, my father spoke of my immediate marriage 
 with Elizabeth. I remained silent. 
 
98 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 "Have you then some other attachment?" 
 
 "None on earth. I love Elizabeth, and look forward to our union 
 with delight. Let the day therefore be fixed ; and on it I will consecrate 
 myself, in life or death, to the happiness of my cousin." 
 
 " My dear Victor, do not speak thus. Heavy misfortunes have 
 befallen us ; but let us only cling closer to what remains, and transfer 
 our love for those whom we have lost to those who yet live. Our circle 
 will be small, but bound close by the ties of affection and mutual mis- 
 fortune. And when time shall have softened your despair, new and dear 
 objects of care will be born to replace those of whom we have been 
 so cruelly deprived." 
 
 Such were the lessons of my father. But to me the remembrance 
 of the threat returned : nor can you wonder, that, omnipotent as the 
 fiend had yet been in his deeds of blood, I should almost regard him 
 as invincible ; and that when he had pronounced the words, " I shall be 
 with you on your wedding-night," I should regard the threatened fate 
 as unavoidable. But death was no evil to me, if the loss of Elizabeth 
 were balanced with it; and I therefore, with a contented and even 
 cheerful countenance, agreed with my father, that if my cousin would 
 consent, the ceremony should take place in ten days, and thus put, as I 
 imagined, the seal to my fate. 
 
 Great God 1 if for one instant I had thought what might be the 
 hellish intention of my fiendish adversary, I would rather have banished 
 myself for ever from my native country, and wandered a friendless out- 
 cast over the earth, than have consented to this miserable marriage. 
 But, as if possessed of magic powers, the monster had blinded me to 
 his real intentions ; and when I thought that I had prepared only my 
 own death, I hastened that of a far dearer victim. 
 
 As the period fixed for our marriage drew nearer, whether from 
 cowardice or a prophetic feeling, I felt my heart sink within me. But 
 I concealed my feelings by an appearance of hilarity, that brought 
 smiles and joy to the countenance of my father, but hardly deceived 
 the ever-watchful and nicer eye of Elizabeth. She looked forward to 
 our union with placid contentment, not unmingled with a little fear, 
 which past misfortunes had impressed, that what now appeared certain 
 and tangible happiness, might soon dissipate into an airy dream, and 
 leave no trace but deep and everlasting regret 
 
 Preparations were made for the event; congratulatory visits were 
 received ; and all wore a smiling appearance. I shut up, as well as I 
 could, in my own heart the anxiety that preyed there, and entered with 
 seeming earnestness into the plans of my father, although they might 
 only serve as the decorations of my tragedy. Through my father's 
 exertions, a part of the inheritance of Elizabeth had been restored to 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 99 
 
 her by the Austrian Government. A small possession on the shores of 
 Como belonged to her. It was agreed that, immediately after our 
 union, we should proceed to Villa Lavenza, and spend our first days of 
 happiness beside the beautiful lake near which it stood. 
 
 In the meantime I took every precaution to defend my person, in 
 case the fiend should openly attack me. I carried pistols and a dagger 
 constantly about me, and was ever on the watch to prevent artifice ; 
 and by these means gained a greater degree of tranquillity. Indeed, as 
 the period approached, the threat appeared more as a delusion, not to be 
 regarded as worthy to disturb my peace, while the happiness I hoped 
 for in my marriage wore a greater appearance of certainty, as the day 
 fixed for its solemnisation drew nearer, and I heard it continually 
 spoken of as an occurrence which no accident could possibly prevent. 
 
 Elizabeth seemed happy ; my tranquil demeanour contributed greatly 
 to calm her mind. But on the day that was to fulfil my wishes and 
 my destiny, she was melancholy, and a presentiment of evil pervaded 
 her ; and perhaps also she thought of the dreadful secret which I had 
 promised to reveal to her on the following day. My father was in the 
 meantime overjoyed, and, in the bustle of preparation, only recognised 
 in the melancholy of his niece the diffidence of a bride. 
 
 After the ceremony was performed, a large party assembled at my 
 father's ; but it was agreed that Elizabeth and I should commence our 
 journey by water, sleeping that night at Evian, and continuing our 
 voyage on the following day. The day was fair, the wind favourable, 
 all smiled on our nuptial embarkation. 
 
 Those were the last moments of my life during which I enjoyed 
 the feeling of happiness. We passed rapidly along : the sun was hot, 
 but we were sheltered from its rays by a kind of canopy, while we 
 enjoyed the beauty of the scene, sometimes on one side of the lake, 
 where we saw Mont Saleve, the pleasant banks of Montalegre, and 
 at a distance, surmounting all, the beautiful Mont Blanc, and the 
 assemblage of snowy mountains that in vain endeavour to emulate her; 
 sometimes coasting the opposite banks, we saw the mighty Jura 
 opposing its dark side to the ambition that would quit its native 
 country, and an almost insurmountable barrier to the invader who 
 should wish to enslave it. 
 
 I took the hand of Elizabeth : " You are sorrowful, my love. Ah ! 
 if you knew what I have suffered, and what I may yet endure, you 
 would endeavour to let me taste the quiet and freedom from despair, 
 that this one day at least permits me to enjoy." 
 
 "Be happy, my dear Victor," replied Elizabeth; "there is, I hope, 
 nothing to distress you ; and be assumed that if a lively joy is not painted 
 in my face, my heart is contented. Something whispers to me not to 
 
ioo THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 depend too much on the prospect that is opened before us; but I will not 
 listen to such a sinister voice. Observe how fast we move along, and 
 how the clouds, which sometimes obscure and sometimes rise above the 
 dome of Mont Blanc, render this scene of beauty still more interesting 
 Look also at the innumerable fish that are swimming in the clear 
 waters, where we can distinguish every pebble that lies at the bottom 
 What a divine day ! how happy and serene all Nature appears ! " 
 
 Thus Elizabeth endeavoured to divert her thoughts and mine from 
 all reflection upon melancholy subjects. But her temper was fluctuating ; 
 joy for a few instants shone in her eyes, but it continually gave place 
 to distraction and reverie. 
 
 The sun sunk lower in the heavens ; we passed the river Drance, 
 and observed its path through the chasms of the higher, and the glens 
 of the lower, hills. The Alps here come closer to the lake, and we 
 approached the amphitheatre of mountains which forms its eastern 
 boundary. The spire of Evian shone under the woods that surrounded 
 it, and the range of mountain above mountain by which it was over- 
 hung. 
 
 The wind, which had hitherto carried us along with amazing rapidity, 
 sunk at sunset to a light breeze ; the soft air just ruffled the water, and 
 caused a pleasant motion among the trees as we approached the shore, 
 from which it wafted the most delightful scent of flowers and hay. 
 The sun sunk beneath the horizon as we landed ; and as I touched the 
 shore, I felt those cares and fears revive, which soon were to clasp me, 
 and cling to me for ever. 
 
 It was eight o'clock when we landed ; we walked for a short time 
 on the shore, enjoying the transitory light, and then retired to the inn, 
 and contemplated the lovely scene of waters, woods, and mountains, 
 obscured in darkness, yet still displaying their black outlines. 
 
 The wind, which had fallen in the south, now rose with great 
 violence in the west The moon had reached her summit in the heavens, 
 and was beginning to descend ; the clouds swept across it swifter than 
 the flight of the vulture, and dimmed her rays, while the lake reflected 
 the scene of the busy heavens, rendered still busier by the restless 
 waves that were beginning to rise. Suddenly a heavy storm of rain 
 descended. 
 
 I had been calm during the day ; but so soon as night obscured the 
 shapes of objects, a thousand fears arose in my mind. I was anxious 
 and watchful, while my right hand grasped a pistol which was hidden 
 in my bosom ; every sound terrified me ; but I resolved that I would sell 
 my life dearly, and not shrink from the conflict until my own life, or 
 that of my adversary, was extinguished. 
 
 Elizabeth observed my agitation for some time in timid and fearful 
 
THE EERIE BOOK ; *IOI 
 
 silence ; but there was something in my glance which communicated 
 terror to her, and trembling she asked, "What is H that' cgitatcs yoy, 
 my dear Victor? What is it you fear?" 
 
 "Oh! peace, peace, my love," replied I, "this night, and all will 
 be safe : but this night is dreadful, very dreadful." 
 
 I passed an hour in this state of mind, when suddenly I reflected 
 how fearful the combat which I momentarily expected would be to my 
 wife, and I earnestly entreated her to retire, resolving not to join her 
 until I had obtained some knowledge as to the situation of my enemy. 
 
 She left me, and I continued some time walking up and down the 
 passages of the house, and inspecting every corner that might afford a 
 retreat to my adversary. But I discovered no trace of him, and was 
 beginning to conjecture that some fortunate chance had intervened to 
 prevent the execution of his menaces ; when suddenly I heard a shrill 
 and dreadful scream. It came from the room into which Elizabeth had 
 retired. As I heard it, the whole truth rushed into my mind, my arms 
 dropped, the motion of every muscle and fibre was suspended ; I could 
 feel the blood trickling in my veins, and tingling in the extremities of 
 my limbs. This state lasted but for an instant ; the scream was re- 
 peated, and I rushed into the room. 
 
 Great God ! why did I not then expire ? Why am I here to re- 
 late the destruction of the best hope, and the purest creature of earth ? 
 She was there, lifeless and inanimate, thrown across the bed, her head 
 hanging down, and her pale and distorted features half covered by her 
 hair. Everywhere I turn I see the same figure her bloodless arms and 
 relaxed form flung by the murderer on its bridal bier. Could I behold 
 this, and live ? Alas ! life is obstinate, and clings closest where it is 
 most hated. For a moment only did I lose recollection ; I fell senseless 
 on the ground. 
 
 When I recovered, I found myself surrounded by the people of the 
 inn ; their countenances expressed a breathless terror ; but the horror 
 of others appeared only as a mockery, a shadow of the feelings that 
 oppressed me. I escaped from them to the room where lay the body of 
 Elizabeth, my love, my wife, so lately living, so dear, so worthy. She 
 had been moved from the posture in which I had first beheld her; and 
 now, as she lay, her head upon her arm, and a handkerchief thrown 
 across her face and neck, I might have supposed her asleep. I rushed 
 towards her, and embraced her with ardour ; but the deadly languor and 
 coldness of the limbs told me that what I now held in my arms had 
 ceased to be the Elizabeth whom I had loved and cherished. The 
 murderous mark of the fiend's grasp was on her neck, and the breath 
 had ceased to issue from her lips. 
 
 While I still hung over her in the agony of despair, I happened to 
 
102 -itct THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 lopk up.. The windows of the room had before been darkened, and I 
 "fjelt^a kind of <p^nicbn seeing the pale yellow light of the moon illumi- 
 'nate the chamber." The shutters had been thrown back; and with a 
 sensation of horror not to be described, I saw at the open window a 
 figure the most hideous and abhorred. A grin was on the face of the 
 monster ; he seemed to jeer, as with his fiendish finger he pointed to- 
 wards the corpse of my wife. I rushed towards the window, and 
 drawing a pistol from my bosom, fired ; but he eluded me, leaped from 
 his station, and, running with the swiftness of lightning, plunged into 
 the lake. 
 
 The report of the pistol brought a crowd into the room. I pointed 
 to the spot where he had disappeared, and we followed the track with 
 boats ; nets were cast, but in vain. After passing several hours, we 
 returned hopeless, most of my companions believing it to have been a 
 form conjured up by my fancy. After having landed, they proceeded to 
 search the country, parties going in different directions among the 
 woods and vines. 
 
 I attempted to accompany them, and proceeded a short distance 
 from the house ; but my head whirled round, my steps were like those 
 of a drunken man, I fell at last in a state of utter exhaustion ; a film 
 covered my eyes, and my skin was parched with the heat of fever. In 
 this state I was carried back, and placed on a bed, hardly conscious of 
 what had happened ; my eyes wandered round the room, as if to seek 
 something that I had lost 
 
 After an interval, I arose, as if by instinct, and crawled into the 
 room where the corpse of my beloved lay. There were women weep- 
 ing around I hung over it, and joined my sad tears to theirs. All 
 this time no distinct idea presented itself to my mind ; but my thoughts 
 rambled to various subjects, reflecting confusedly on my misfortunes, 
 and their cause. I was bewildered in a cloud of wonder and horror. 
 The death of William, the execution of Justine, the murder of Clerval, 
 and lastly of my wife ; even at that moment I knew not that my only 
 remaining friends were safe from the malignity of the fiend ; my father 
 even now might be writhing under his grasp, and Ernest might be 
 dead at his feet. This idea made me shudder, and recalled me to 
 action. I started up, and resolved to return to Geneva with all 
 possible speed. 
 
 There were no horses to be procured, and I must return by the 
 lake; but the wind was unfavourable, and the rain fell in torrents. 
 However, it was hardly morning, and I might reasonably hope to 
 arrive by night. I hired men to row, and took an oar myself; for I 
 had always experienced relief from mental torment in bodily exercise. 
 But the overflowing misery I now felt, and the excess of agitation that 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 103 
 
 I endured, rendered me incapable of any exertion. I threw down the 
 oar ; and leaning my head upon my hands, gave way to every gloomy 
 idea that arose. If I looked up, I saw the scenes which were 
 familiar to me in my happier time, and which I had contemplated but 
 the day before in the company of her who was now but a shadow and 
 a recollection. Tears streamed from my eyes. The rain had ceased 
 for a moment, and I saw the fish play in the waters as they had done 
 a few hours before; they had then been observed by Elizabeth. No- 
 thing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change. 
 The sun might shine, or the clouds might lower ; but nothing could 
 appear to me as it had done the day before. A fiend had snatched 
 from me every hope of future happiness : no creature had ever been so 
 miserable as I was ; so frightful an event is single in the history of 
 man. 
 
 But why should I dwell upon the incidents that followed this last 
 overwhelming event? Mine has been a tale of horrors; I have reached 
 their acme, and what I must now relate can but be tedious to you. 
 Know that, one by one, my friends were snatched away ; I was left 
 desolate. My own strength is exhausted ; and I must tell, in a few 
 words, what remains of my hideous narration. 
 
 I arrived at Geneva. My father and Ernest yet lived ; but the 
 former sunk under the tidings that I bore. I see him now, excellent 
 and venerable old man ! his eyes wandered in vacancy, for they had lost 
 their charm and their delight his Elizabeth, his more than daughter, 
 whom he doated on with all that affection which a man feels, who in 
 the decline of life, having few affections, clings more earnestly to those 
 that remain. Cursed, cursed be the fiend that brought misery on his 
 grey hairs, and doomed him to waste in wretchedness ! He could not 
 live under the horrors that were accumulated around him ; the springs 
 of existence suddenly gave way : he was unable to rise from his bed, 
 and in a few days he died in my arms. 
 
 [Frankenstein now devotes his life to the discovery and destruction 
 of the daemon. After a long pursuit, he almost tracks him down in 
 the Arctic Ocean, but succumbs to the cold. He is rescued by a vessel 
 en route for the North Pole, but which, finding it impossible to proceed, 
 puts back to England, there extinguishing his last hope. He dies, and 
 the man who is with him at the end, and to whom he has confided his 
 history, relates the final episode.] 
 
 I entered the cabin, where lay the remains of my ill-fated and 
 admirable friend. Over him hung a form which I cannot find words to 
 describe ; gigantic in stature, yet uncouth and distorted in its proportions. 
 As he hung over the coffin, his face was concealed by long locks of 
 
104 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 ragged hair ; but one vast hand was extended, in colour and apparent 
 texture like that of a mummy. When he heard the sound of my 
 approach, he ceased to utter exclamations of grief and horror, and 
 sprung towards the window. Never did I behold a vision so horrible 
 as his face, of such loathsome, yet appalling hideousness. I shut my 
 eyes involuntarily, and endeavoured to recollect what were my duties 
 with regard to this destroyer. I called on him to stay. 
 
 He paused, looking on me with wonder ; and, again turning towards 
 the lifeless form of his creator, he seemed to forget my presence, and 
 every feature and gesture seemed instigated by the wildest rage of some 
 uncontrollable passion. 
 
 "That is also my victim I" he exclaimed : "in his murder my crimes 
 are consummated ; the miserable series of my being is wound to its close I 
 
 Frankenstein 1 generous and self-devoted being ! what does it avail 
 that I now ask thee to pardon me ? I, who irretrievably destroyed thee 
 by destroying all thou lovedst Alas I he is cold, he cannot answer me." 
 
 His voice seemed suffocated ; and my first impulses, which had 
 suggested to me the duty of obeying the dying request of my friend, in 
 destroying his enemy, were now suspended by a mixture of curiosity 
 and compassion. I approached this tremendous being ; I dared not 
 again raise my eyes to his face, there was something so scaring and 
 unearthly in his ugliness. I attempted to speak, but the words died 
 away on my lips. The monster continued to utter wild and incoherent 
 self-reproaches. At length I gathered resolution to address him in a 
 pause of the tempest of his passion: "Your repentance," I said, "is 
 now superfluous. If you had listened to the voice of conscience, and 
 heeded the stings of remorse, before you had urged your diabolical 
 vengence to this extremity, Frankenstein would yet have lived." 
 
 "And do you dream," said the daemon, "do you think that I was 
 then dead to agony and remorse? He," he continued, pointing to the 
 corpse, " he suffered not in the consummation of the deed oh ! not the 
 ten-thousandth portion of the anguish that was mine during the lingering 
 detail of its execution. A frightful selfishness hurried me on, while my 
 heart was poisoned with remorse. Think you that the groans of 
 Clerval were music to my ears P My heart was fashioned to be suscept- 
 ible of love and sympathy ; and, when wrenched by misery to vice and 
 hatred, it did not endure the violence of the change, without torture 
 such as you cannot even imagine. 
 
 "After the murder of Clerval, I returned to Switzerland, heart- 
 broken and overcome. I pitied Frankenstein; my pity amounted to horror: 
 
 1 abhorred myself. But when I discovered that he, the author at once 
 of my existence and of its unspeakable torments, dared to hope for 
 happiness ; that while he accumulated wretchedness and despair upon 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 105 
 
 me, he sought his own enjoyment in feelings and passions from the 
 indulgence of which I was for ever barred, then impotent envy and bitter 
 indignation filled me with an insatiable thirst for vengeance. I re- 
 collected my threat, and resolved that it should be accomplished. I 
 knew that I was preparing for myself a deadly torture ; but I was 
 the slave, not the master, of an impulse which I detested, yet could not 
 disobey. Yet when she died ! nay, then I was not miserable. I had 
 cast off all feeling, subdued all anguish, to riot in the excess of my 
 despair. Evil thenceforth became my good. Urged thus far, I had no 
 choice but to adapt my nature to an element which I had willingly 
 chosen. The completion of my demoniacal design became an insatiable 
 passion. And now it is ended ; there is my last victim." 
 
 I was at first touched by the expressions of his misery ; yet, when 
 I called to mind what Frankenstein had said of his powers of eloquence 
 and persuasion, and when I again cast my eyes on the lifeless form of 
 my friend, indignation was re-kindled within me. " Wretch 1" I said; 
 "it is well that you come here to whine over the desolation that you 
 have made. You throw a torch into a pile of buildings, and, when 
 they are consumed, you sit among the ruins and lament the fall. 
 Hypocritical fiend ! if he whom you mourn still lived, still would he be 
 the object, again would he become the prey, of your accursed vengeance. 
 It is not pity that you feel ; you lament only because the victim of your 
 malignity is withdrawn from your power." 
 
 "Oh, it is not thus not thus," interrupted the being; "yet such 
 must be the impression conveyed to you by what appears to be the 
 purport of my actions. Yet I seek not a fellow-feeling in my misery. 
 No sympathy may I ever find. When I first sought it, it was the love 
 of virtue, the feelings of happiness and affection with which my whole 
 being overflowed, that I wished to be participated. But now that virtue 
 has become to me a shadow, and that happiness and affection are turned 
 into bitter and loathing despair, in what should I seek for sympathy? 
 I am content to suffer alone, while my sufferings shall endure: when 
 I die, I am well satisfied that abhorrence and opprobrium should load 
 my memory. Once my fancy was soothed with dreams of virtue, of 
 fame, and of enjoyment. Once I falsely hoped to meet with beings, 
 who, pardoning my outward form, would love me for the excellent 
 qualities which I was capable of unfolding. I was nourished with high 
 thoughts of honour and devotion. But now crime has degraded me 
 beneath the meanest animal. No guilt, no mischief, no malignity, no 
 misery, can be found comparable to mine. When I run over the frightful 
 catalogue of my sins, I cannot believe that I am the same creature 
 whose thoughts were once filled with sublime and transcendent visions 
 of the beauty and the majesty of goodness. But it is even so ; the 
 
io6 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 fallen angel becomes a malignant devil. Yet even that enemy of God 
 and man had friends and associates in his desolation ; I am alone. 
 
 "You, who call Frankenstein your friend, seem to have a knowledge 
 of my crimes and his misfortunes. But in the detail which he gave you 
 of them, he could not sum up the hours and months of misery which 
 I endured, wasting in impotent passions. For while I destroyed his 
 hopes, I did not satisfy my own desires. They were for ever ardent 
 and craving ; still I desired love and fellowship, and I was still spurned. 
 Was there no injustice in this? Am I to be thought the only criminal, 
 when all human kind sinned against me? Why do you not hate Felix, 
 who drove his friend from his door with contumely? Why do you not 
 execrate the rustic who sought to destroy the saviour of his child? 
 Nay, these are virtuous and immaculate beings ! I, the miserable and 
 the abandoned, am an abortion, to be spurned at, and kicked, and 
 trampled on. Even now my blood boils at the recollection of this 
 injustice. 
 
 " But it is true that I am a wretch. I have murdered the lovely 
 and the helpless ; I have strangled the innocent as they slept, and 
 grasped to death his throat who never injured me or any other living 
 thing. I have devoted my creator, the select specimen of all that is 
 worthy of love and admiration among men, to misery ; I have pursued 
 him even to that irremediable ruin. There he lies, white and cold in 
 death. You hate me ; but your abhorrence cannot equal that with which 
 I regard myself. I look on the hands which executed the deed ; I think 
 on the heart in which the imagination of it was conceived, and long for 
 the moment when these hands will meet my eyes, when that imagination 
 will haunt my thoughts no more. 
 
 " Fear not that I shall be the instrument of future mischief. My work 
 is nearly complete. Neither yours nor any man's death is needed to 
 consummate the series of my being, and accomplish that which must be 
 done ; but it requires my own. Do not think I shall be slow to perform 
 this sacrifice. I shall quit your vessel on the ice-raft which brought me 
 thither, and shall seek the most northern extremity of the globe ; I shall 
 collect my funeral pile, and consume to ashes this miserable frame, that 
 its remains may afford no light to any curious and unhallowed wretch, 
 who would create such another as I have been. I shall die. I shall no 
 longer feel the agonies which now consume me, or be the prey of 
 feelings unsatisfied, yet unquenched. He is dead who called me into 
 being ; and when I shall be no more, the very remembrance of us will 
 speedily vanish. I shall no longer see the sun or stars, or feel the 
 winds play on my cheeks. Light, feeling, and sense will pass away ; 
 and in this condition must I find my happiness. Some years ago, when 
 the images which this world affords first opened upon me, when I felt 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 107 
 
 the cheering warmth of summer, and heard the rustling of the leaves 
 and the warbling of the birds, and these were all to me, I should have 
 wept to die ; now it is my only consolation. Polluted by crimes, and 
 torn by the bitterest remorse, where can I find rest but in death ? 
 
 " Farewell ! I leave you, and in you the last of human kind 
 whom these eyes will ever behold. Farewell, Frankenstein ! If thou 
 wert yet alive, and yet cherished a desire of revenge against me, 
 it would be better satiated in my life than in my destruction. But it 
 was not so ; thou didst seek my extinction, that I might not cause 
 greater wretchedness ; and if yet, in some mode unknown to me, thou 
 hadst not ceased to think and feel, thou wouldst not desire against me a 
 vengeance greater than that which I feel. Blasted as thou wert, my 
 agony was still superior to thine ; for the bitter sting of remorse will 
 not cease to rankle in my wounds until death shall close them for ever. 
 
 "But soon," he cried, with sad and solemn enthusiasm, "I shall 
 die, and what I now feel be no longer felt. Soon these burning 
 miseries will be extinct. I shall ascend my funeral pile triumphantly, 
 and exult in the agony of the torturing flames. The light of the con- 
 flagration will fade away : my ashes will be swept into the sea by the 
 winds. My spirit will sleep in peace ; or if it thinks, it will not surely 
 think thus. Farewell." 
 
 He sprung from the cabin window, as he said this, upon the ice-raft 
 which lay close to the vessel. He was soon borne away by the waves, 
 and lost in darkness and distance. 
 
THE GARDE 
 CHASSE * 
 
THE GARDE CHASSE. 
 
 (From "Ghosts and Family Legends," by Catherine Crowe.) 
 
 E resided a great deal on the Continent before I was married, 
 and my mother had a favourite maid, named Francoise, 
 who lived with her many years a most trustworthy, 
 excellent creature, in whom she had the greatest confidence ; 
 insomuch, that when I married, being very young and 
 inexperienced, as she was obliged to separate from me herself, she 
 transferred Francoise to my service, considering her better able to take 
 care of me than anybody else. 
 
 I was living in Paris then, where Franchise, who was a native of 
 Metz, had some relations settled in business, whom she often used to 
 visit. She was generally very chatty when she returned from these 
 people; for I knew all her affairs, and, through her, all their affairs; 
 and I took an interest in whatever concerned her or hers. 
 
 One Sunday evening, after she had been spending the afternoon 
 with this family, observing that she was unusually silent, I said to her 
 while she was undressing me, "Well, Franchise, haven't you anything 
 to tell me ? How are your friends ? Has Madame Pelletier got rid of 
 her grippe?" 
 
 Frangoise started as if I had awakened her out of a reverie, and 
 said, " Oh ! Oui, Madame ; oui, mercie ; elle se porte bien aujourd'hui." 
 
 "And Monsieur Pelletier and the children, are they well?" 
 
 " Oui, Madame, mercie ; ils se porte bien." 
 
 These curt answers were so unlike those she generally gave me, 
 that I was sure her mind was pre-occupied, and that something had 
 happened since we parted in the morning ; so I turned round to look 
 her in the face, saying, "Mais, qu'avez-vonc done, Francoise? Qu'est- 
 ce qu'il y a?" 
 
 Then I saw what I had not observed before, that she was very 
 pale, and that her cheeks had a glazed look, which showed that she 
 aad been crying. 
 
 " Mais, ma bonne Frangoise," I said ; " vous avez quelque chose 
 est-il arrive quelque malheur a Metz ? " 
 
 " C'est cela, Madame," answered Frangoise, who had a brother there 
 whom she had not seen for several years, but to whom she still 
 continued affectionately attached. His name was Benoit, and he was 
 in a good service as garde forestier to a nobleman, who possessed very 
 extensive estates, "pres de chez nous," as Frangoise said. He had a wife 
 and children ; and some time before the period I am referring to, 
 
 "3 
 
114 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 Frangoise had told me with great satisfaction, that in order to make him 
 
 more comfortable, the Prince de M had given Benoit the privilege 
 
 of gathering up all the dead wood in the forest to sell for firewood, 
 which, as the estate was very large, rendered his situation extremely 
 profitable. When she said, "C'est cela, Madame," Frangoise, who had 
 just encased me in my dressing-gown, sunk into a chair, and having 
 declared that she was "bete, tres bete," she gave way to a hearty good 
 cry, after which, being somewhat relieved, she told me the following 
 strange story. 
 
 "You remember," she said, "that the Prince was so good as to give 
 Benoit all the dead wood of the forest and a great thing it was for 
 him and his family, as you will think, when I tell you it was upwards 
 of two thousand francs a year to him. In short, he was growing rich, 
 and perhaps he was getting to think too much of his money and too 
 little of the "bon Dieu" at all events, this privilege which the Prince 
 gave him to make him comfortable, and which made him a great man 
 among the foresters, has been the cause of a dreadful calamity." 
 
 "How?" said I. 
 
 "We never heard anything of what had happened," said she, "till 
 yesterday, when Monsieur Pelletier received a letter from Benoit's wife, 
 and another from a cousin of ours, relating what I am going to tell 
 you, and saying that both he and his family had wished to keep it 
 secret, but that it was no longer possible." 
 
 "Well, and what has happened?" 
 
 " La chose la plus incroyable ! Eh, bien, Madame, it appears that 
 one day last autumn, Benoit went out in the forest to gather the dead 
 wood. He had his cart with him, and as he gathered it he bound it 
 into faggots and threw it in the cart 
 
 " He had extended his search this day to a remote part of the forest, 
 and found himself in a spot he did not remember to have visited before; 
 indeed, it was evident to him that he had not, or he could not have 
 escaped seeing an old wooden cross which was lying on the ground, 
 and had apparenly fallen into that recumbent position from old age. It 
 was such a cross as is usually set up where a life has been lost, 
 whether by murder or by suicide ; or sometimes when poor wanderers 
 are frozen to death or lost in the deep winter snows. He looked about 
 for the grave, but saw no indication of one ; and he tried to remember 
 if any catastrophe had happened there in his time, but could recall none. 
 He took up the cross and examined it. He saw that the wood was 
 decayed, and it bore such marks of antiquity, that he had no doubt the 
 person whose grave it had marked had died before he was born it 
 looked as if it might be a hundred years old. 
 
 " Eh, bien," said Frangoise, wiping her eyes, into which the tears 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 115 
 
 kept starting, " of course you will think that Benoit, or anybody in the 
 world who had the fear of God before his eyes, as he could not find 
 the grave to replace it as it should be, would have laid it reverently 
 down where he had found it, saying a prayer for the soul of the 
 deceased ; but alas ! the demon of avarice tempted him, and he had not 
 the heart to forego that poor cross, but bound it up into a faggot with 
 the rest of the dead wood he found there, and threw it into his cart ! " 
 
 "Well, Frangoise," said I, "you know I am not a Catholic, but 
 I respect the custom of erecting these crosses, and I do think your 
 brother was very wrong ; I suppose he has lost the Prince's favour by 
 such impious greediness." 
 
 " Pire que ga ! worse than that," she replied. " It appears that 
 while he was committing this wicked action, he felt an extraordinary 
 chill come over him, which made him think that, though it had been a 
 mild day, the evening must have suddenly turned very cold, and hastily 
 throwing the faggot into his cart, he directed his steps homeward. 
 But, walk as he would, he still felt this chill down his back, so that 
 he turned his head to look where the wind blew from, when he saw, 
 with some dismay, a mysterious-looking figure following close upon his 
 footsteps. It moved noiselessly on, and was covered with a sort of 
 black mantle that prevented his discerning the features. Not liking its 
 appearance, he jumped into the cart, and drove home as fast as he 
 could, without looking behind him ; and when he got into his own farm- 
 yard he felt quite relieved, particularly, as, when he alighted, he saw 
 no more of this unpleasant-looking stranger. So he began unloading 
 his cart, taking out the faggots, one by one, and throwing them upon 
 the ground ; but when he threw down the one that contained the cross, 
 he received a blow upon his face, so sharp that it made him stagger, 
 and involuntarily shout aloud. His wife and children were close by, 
 but there was no one else to be seen ; and they would have disbelieved 
 him and fancied he had accidentally hit himself with the faggot, but 
 that they saw the distinct mark on his cheek of a blow given with an 
 open hand. However, he went into supper, perplexed and uncomfortable ; 
 but when he went to bed this fearful phantom stood by his side, silent 
 and terrible, visible to him, but invisible to others. In short, Madame, 
 this awful figure haunted him, till, in spite of his shame, he resolved to 
 consult our cousin Jerome about it. 
 
 " But Jerome laughed, and said it was all fancy and superstition. 
 'You got frightened at having brought away this poor devil's cross, 
 and then you fancy he's haunting you,' said he. 
 
 " But Benoit declared that he had thought nothing about the cross, 
 except that it would make firewood, and that he had no more believed 
 in ghosts than Jerome. 'But now,' said he, 'something must be done. 
 
Ii6 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 I can get no sleep, and am losing my health ; if you can't help me, I 
 must go to the priest and consult him.' 
 
 " 'Why don't you take back the cross and put it where you found 
 it?' said Jerome. 
 
 " ' Because I am afraid to touch it, and dare not go to that part 
 of the forest' 
 
 "So Jerome, who did not believe a word about the ghost, offered 
 to go with him and replace the cross. Benoit gladly accepted, more 
 especially as he said he saw the apparition standing even then beside 
 him, apparently listening to the conversation. Jerome laughed at the 
 idea; however, Benoit lifted the cross reverently into the cart and away 
 they went into the forest. When they reached the spot, Benoit pointed 
 out the tree under which he had found it ; and as he was shaking and 
 trembling, Jerome took up the cross and laid it on the ground ; but as 
 he did so, he received a violent blow from an invisible hand, and at the 
 same moment saw Benoit fall to the ground. He thought he had been 
 struck too, but it afterwards appeared that he had fainted from having 
 seen the phantom with its upraised hand striking his cousin. However, 
 they left the cross and came away ; but there was an end to Jerome's 
 laughter, and he was afraid the apparition would now haunt him. 
 Nothing of the sort happened ; but poor Benoit's health had been so 
 shaken by this frightful occurrence that he cannot get the better of it ; 
 his friends have advised change of scene, and he is coming to Paris 
 next week." 
 
 This was the story Frangoise told me, and in a few days I heard 
 that he had arrived, and was staying with Monsieur Pelletier ; but the 
 shock had been too great for his nerves, and he died shortly after. 
 They assured me that, previous to that fatal expedition into the forest, 
 he had been a hale, hearty man, totally exempt from superstitious fancies 
 of any sort; and, in short, wholly devoted to advancing his worldly 
 prosperity and getting money. 
 
A DREAM 
 OF DEATH 
 
A DREAM OF DEATH. 
 
 (From the Danish.) 
 
 |ER eyes were smarting from long want of sleep. Her head 
 swam, and she felt a sudden faintness. Involuntarily she 
 groped for support. Faint and deadly sleepy, she let her 
 arms fall down on the table and her face on her clasped 
 hands. 
 
 There were strange sounds around her, heavy sighs and a mono- 
 tonous soughing mingling with the rustling of faded leaves. She 
 wanted to lift her head to see what it was, but could not raise it, 
 however much she tried. At last she succeeded. What is this? she 
 thought. Everything seemed to loom so large round her, and the ceiling 
 seemed so high up, and the light was pale grey, like that of a distant 
 and misty moon, and there, along the wall, stood rows of beds with 
 white sheets and blankets tucked in tightly, and beneath the blankets 
 lay human beings, stiffly stretched out, and groaning. Now and then 
 they raised their heads and prayed with heart-rending voices that their 
 tight coverings might be loosened. But no one answered. By the side 
 of the high narrow door opposite stood a figure with bound hands in a 
 long white shining robe, fastened to the wall by a thick dark rope 
 which was twisted round the waist. The eyes were wide open and had 
 no pupils, but the whites were large and protruding, and out of the 
 mouth hung a long tongue, black as pitch. Else wanted to rise, but she 
 could not move a limb. Stiff with fear, she stared at the door. In a 
 few bounds she would be able to reach it. But supposing it was locked 
 now and the key were gone. Yes, it was locked, and there was no 
 key : she saw that distinctly. She then felt herself become like a 
 paralysed mass, and she began to glide down from the chair. But just 
 at that moment the door opened noiselessly and four men entered quietly, 
 carrying with them a long light cof&n, curved into a semi-circle up at 
 the top. The opening of the upper half was covered in front with a 
 pane of glass, and through this Else saw a human head lying sideways 
 with an emaciated, lifeless face, the colour of which seemed black as 
 lead against the white pillow. In a moment she knew it was herself 
 and that she was dead. Struggling to make some sound, she gave a 
 shriek, fell face downwards on the floor, and woke up. 
 
 121 
 
THE 
 MYSTERIOUS 
 HORSEMAN 
 
THE MYSTERIOUS HORSEMAN. 
 
 (From "Apparitions: A Narrative of Facts." By the Rev. 
 Bourchier Wrey Savile.) 
 
 1 NE summer day, at the commencement of the present 
 century, I was travelling from Bala in Merionethshire to 
 Machyulleth, in the neighbouring county of Montgomery, 
 in order to attend a religious meeting. I left Bala about 
 2 p.m., and travelled on horseback, and alone. My journey 
 lay through a wild, desolate part of the country, and one which, at that 
 time, was almost uninhabited. When I had performed about half my 
 journey, as I was emerging from a wood situated at the commencement 
 of a long steep decline, I observed, coming towards me, a man on foot. 
 By his appearance, judging from the sickle which he carried sheathed in 
 straw over his shoulder, he was doubtless a reaper in search of employ- 
 ment. As he drew near, I recognised a man whom I had seen at the 
 door of the village inn of Llanwhellyn, where I had stopped to bait my 
 horse. On our meeting, he touched his hat and asked if I could tell him 
 the time of day. I pulled out my watch for the purpose, noticing at the 
 same time the peculiar look which the man cast at its heavy silver case. 
 Nothing else, however, occurred to excite any suspicion on my part, so, 
 wishing him a "good afternoon," I continued my journey. 
 
 When I had ridden about half-way down the hill I noticed some- 
 thing moving, and in the same direction as myself, on the other side of 
 a large hedge, which ran nearly parallel with the road, and ultimately 
 terminated at a gate through which I had to pass. At first I thought 
 it an animal of some kind or other, but soon discovered, by certain 
 depressions in the hedge, that it was a man running in a stooping 
 position. I continued for a short time to watch his progress with some 
 curiosity, but my curiosity soon changed to fear when I recognised the 
 reaper with whom I had conversed a few minutes before, engaged in 
 tearing off the straw-band which sheathed his sickle. 
 
 He hurried on until he reached the gate, and then concealed himself 
 behind the hedge within a few yards of the road. I did not then doubt 
 for a moment that he had resolved to attack perhaps murder me for 
 the sake of my watch and whatever money I might have about me. I 
 looked around in all directions, but not a single human being was to 
 be seen, so reining in my horse I asked myself in much alarm what I 
 could do. Should I turn back? no; my business was of the utmost 
 importance to the cause for which I was journeying, and as long as 
 
 127 
 
128 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 there existed the faintest possibility of getting there, I could not think 
 of returning. Should I trust to the speed of my horse, and endeavour 
 to dash by the man at full speed ? No ; for the gate through which I 
 had to pass was not open. Could I leave the road and make my way 
 through the fields? I could not, for I was hemmed in by rocky banks, 
 or high hedges on both sides. The idea of risking a personal encounter 
 could not be entertained for a moment, for what chance could I weak 
 and unarmed have against a powerful man with a dangerous weapon 
 in his hand ? What course, then, should I pursue ? I could not tell ; 
 and at length, in despair, rather than in a spirit of humble trust ?nd 
 confidence, I bowed my head and offered up a silent prayer. This had 
 a soothing effect upon my mind, so that, refreshed and invigorated, I 
 proceeded anew to consider the difficulties of my position. 
 
 At this juncture, my horse, growing impatient at the delay, started 
 off. I clutched the reins, which I had let fall on his neck, for the 
 purpose of checking him, when happening to turn my eyes, I saw to 
 my utter astonishment that I was no longer alone. There, by my 
 side, I beheld a horseman in a dark dress, mounted on a white steed. 
 In intense amazement I gazed upon him : where could he have come 
 from? He appeared as suddenly as if he had sprung from the earth. 
 He must have been riding behind and have overtaken me. And yet, I 
 had not heard the slightest sound ; it was mysterious, inexplicable. But 
 the joy of being released from my perilous position soon overcame my 
 feelings of wonder, and I began at once to address my companion. I 
 asked him if he had seen any one, and then described to him what had 
 taken place, and how relieved I felt by his sudden appearance, which 
 now removed all cause of fear. He made no reply, and on looking at 
 his face, he seemed paying but slight attention to my words, but 
 continued intently gazing in the direction of the gate, now about a 
 quarter of a mile ahead. I followed his gaze, and saw the reaper 
 emerge from his concealment and cut across a field to our left, re- 
 sheathing his sickle as he hurried along. He had evidently seen that 
 I was no longer alone, and had relinquished his intended attempt. 
 
 All cause for alarm being gone, I once more sought to enter into 
 conversation with my deliverer, but again without the slightest success. 
 Not a word did he deign to give me in reply. I continued talking, 
 however, as we rode on our way towards the gate, though I confess 
 feeling both surprised and hurt at my companion's mysterious silence. 
 Once, however, and only once, did I hear his voice. Having watched 
 the figure of the reaper disappear over the brow of a neighbouring hill, 
 I turned to my companion and said, " Can it for a moment be doubted 
 that my prayer was heard, and that you were sent for my deliverance 
 by the Lord?" Then it was that I thought I heard the horseman 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 129 
 
 speak, and that he uttered the single word, "Amen." Not another 
 word did he give utterance to, though I tried to elicit from him replies 
 to my questions, both in English and Welsh. 
 
 We were now approaching the gate, which I hastened to open, 
 and having done so with my stick, I waited at the side of the road 
 for him to pass through ; but he came not ; I turned my head to look 
 the mysterious horseman was gone 1 I was dumfounded ; I looked back 
 in the direction from which we had just been riding, but though I could 
 command a view of the road for a considerable distance, he was not to 
 be seen. He had disappeared as mysteriously as he had come. What 
 could have become of him ? He could not have gone through the gate, 
 nor have made his horse leap the high hedges which on both sides shut 
 in the road. Where was he? Had I been dreaming? Was it an 
 apparition, a spectre which had been riding by my side for the last ten 
 minutes? Could it be possible that I had seen no man or horse at all, 
 and that the vision was but a creature of my imagination ? I tried hard 
 to convince myself that this was the case, but in vain : for, unless some- 
 one had been with me, why had the reaper re-sheathed his murderous- 
 looking sickle and fled? Surely no; this mysterious horseman was no 
 creation of my brain. I had seen him. Who could he have been? 
 
 I asked myself this question again and again ; and then a feeling 
 of profound awe began to creep over my soul. I remembered the 
 singular way of his first appearance his long silence and then again 
 the single word to which he had given utterance ; I called to mind that 
 this reply had been elicited from him by my mentioning the name of the 
 Lord, and that this was the single occasion on which I had done so. 
 What could I then believe? But one thing, and that was, that my 
 prayer had indeed been heard, and that help had been given from on 
 high at a time of great danger. Full of this thought, I dismounted, 
 and throwing myself on my knees, I offered up a prayer of thankfulness 
 to Him who had heard my cry, and found help for me in time of need. 
 
 I then mounted my horse and continued my journey. But through 
 the long years that have elapsed since that memorable summer's day, 
 I have never for a moment wavered in my belief that, in the mysterious 
 horseman, I had a special interference of Providence, by which means I 
 was delivered from a position of extreme danger. 
 
& THE ** 
 BLIND BEGGAR 
 OF ODESSA m 
 
THE BLIND BEGGAR OF ODESSA. 
 
 (From "Ghosts and Family Legends," by Catherine Crowe.) 
 
 N old blind man of Odessa, named Michel, had, for many 
 years, been accustomed to get his living by seating him- 
 self every morning on a beam in one of the timber yards, 
 with a wooden bowl at his feet, into which the passengers 
 cast their alms. This long-continued practice had made 
 him well known to the inhabitants, and as he was believed to have been 
 formerly a soldier, his blindness was attributed to the numerous wounds 
 he had received in battle. For his own part he spoke little, and never 
 contradicted this opinion. 
 
 One night Michel, by some accident, fell in with a little girl of ten 
 years old, named Powleska, who was friendless and on the verge of 
 perishing with cold and hunger. The old man took her home, and 
 adopted her, and from that time, instead of sitting in the timber yards, 
 he went about the streets in her company, asking alms at the doors 
 of the houses. The child called him father, and they were extremely 
 happy together. But when they had pursued their mode of life for about 
 five years a misfortune befel them. A theft having been committed in a 
 house which they had visited in the morning, Powleska was suspected 
 and arrested, and the blind man was left once more alone. But, 
 instead of resuming his former habits, he now disappeared altogether, 
 and this circumstance causing the suspicion to extend to him, the girl 
 was brought before the magistrate to be interrogated with regard to 
 his probable place of concealment 
 
 "Do you know where Michel is?" inquired the magistrate. 
 
 " He is dead," replied she, shedding a torrent of tears. 
 
 As the girl had been shut up for three days, without any means 
 of obtaining information from without, this answer, together with her 
 unfeigned distress, naturally excited considerable surprise. 
 
 "Who told you he was dead?" they inquired. 
 
 " Nobody ! " 
 
 "Then how can you know it?" 
 
 "I saw him killed!" 
 
 " But you have not been out of the prison ? " 
 
 " But I saw it, nevertheless ! " 
 
 "But how was that possible? Explain what you mean!" 
 
 " I cannot. All I can say is that I saw him killed." 
 
 " When was he killed, and how ? " 
 
 " It was the night I was arrested." 
 
 135 
 
136 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 " That cannot be ; he was alive when you were seized." 
 
 " Yes, he was ; he was killed an hour after that They stabbed him 
 with a knife." 
 
 " Where were you then ? " 
 
 "I can't tell; but I saw it." 
 
 The confidence with which the girl asserted what seemed to her 
 hearers impossible and absurd, disposed them to imagine that she was 
 either really insane or pretending to be so ; so, leaving Michel aside, 
 they proceeded to interrogate her about the robbery, asking her if she 
 was guilty. 
 
 " Oh no ! " she answered. 
 
 " Then how came the property to be found about you ? " 
 
 " I don't know ; I saw nothing but the murder." 
 
 " But there are no grounds for supposing Michel is dead ; his body 
 has not been found." 
 
 "It is in the aqueduct" 
 
 " And do you know who slew him ? " 
 
 "Yes, it is a woman. Michel was walking very slowly after I 
 was taken from him. A woman came behind him with a large kitchen 
 knife ; but he heard her, and turned round ; and then the woman flung 
 a piece of grey stuff over his head, and struck him repeatedly with the 
 knife ; the grey stuff was much stained with the blood. Michel fell at 
 the eighth blow, and the woman dragged the body to the aqueduct and 
 let it fall in without ever lifting the stuff which stuck to his face." 
 
 As it was easy to verify these latter assertions, they despatched 
 people to the spot ; and there the body was found with the piece of 
 stuff over his head, exactly as she had described. But when they 
 asked her how she knew all this, she could only answer, "I don't 
 know." 
 
 " But you know who killed him ? " 
 
 " Not exactly ; it is the same woman that put out his eyes ; but, 
 perhaps, he will tell me her name to-night ; and if he does, I will tell 
 it to you." 
 
 " Who do you mean by he ? " 
 
 " Why, Michel, to be sure ! " 
 
 During the whole of the following night, without allowing her to 
 suspect their intention, they watched her ; and it was observed that she 
 never lay down, but sat upon the bed in a sort of lethargic slumber. 
 Her body was quite motionless, except at intervals, when this repose 
 was interrupted by violent nervous shocks, which pervaded her whole 
 frame. On the ensuing day, the moment she was brought before the 
 judge, she declared that she was now able to tell them the name of the 
 assassin. 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 137 
 
 "But stay," said the magistrate; "did Michel never tell you, when 
 he was alive, how he lost his sight?" 
 
 " No ; but the morning before I was arrested, he promised me to 
 do so ; and that was the cause of his death." 
 
 "How could that be?" 
 
 "Last night Michel came to me, and he pointed to the man 
 hidden behind the scaffolding on which he and I had been sitting. He 
 showed me the man listening to us, when he said, ' I '11 tell you all 
 about that to-night ' ; and then the man " 
 
 "Do you know the name of this man?" 
 
 "It is Luck. He went afterwards to a broad street that leads 
 down to the harbour, and he entered the third house on the right " 
 
 "What is the name of the street?" 
 
 " I don't know ; but the house is one storey lower than the 
 adjoining ones. Luck told Catherine what he had heard, and she 
 proposed to him to assassinate Michel ; but he refused, saying, ' It is 
 bad enough to have burnt out his eyes fifteen years before, whilst he 
 was asleep at your door, and to have kidnapped him into the country.' 
 Then I went in to ask charity, and Catherine put a piece of plate 
 into my pocket, that I might be arrested : then she hid herself 
 behind the aqueduct to wait for Michel, and she killed him." 
 
 "But, since you say all this, why did you keep the plate? why 
 didn't you give him information ? " 
 
 " But I didn't see it then. Michel showed it me last night." 
 
 "But what should induce Catherine to do this?" 
 
 " Michel was her husband, and she had forsaken him to come to 
 Odessa and marry again. One night, fifteen years ago, she saw 
 Michel, who had come to seek her. She slipped hastily into her 
 house, and Michel, who thought she had not seen him, lay down at her 
 door to watch; but he fell asleep, and then Luck burned out his eyes, 
 and carried him to a distance." 
 
 "And is it Michel who has told you this?" 
 
 " Yes : he came, very pale and covered with blood ; and he took 
 me by the hand and showed me all this with his fingers." 
 
 Upon this, Luck and Catherine were arrested ; and it was ascer- 
 tained that she had actually been married to Michel in the year 1819, 
 at Rherson. They at first denied the accusation, but Powleska in- 
 sisted, and they subsequently confessed the crime. When they com- 
 municated the circumstances of the confession to Powleska, she said, 
 "I was told it last night." 
 
THE STORY OF 
 MAJOR WEIR 
 
THE STORY OF MAJOR WEIR. 
 
 (From "Traditions of Edinburgh," by Robert Chambers.) 
 
 T must have been a sad scandal to this peculiar community 
 [the " Bowhead Saints "] when Major Weir, one of their 
 number, was found to have been so wretched an example 
 of human infirmity. The house occupied by this man still 
 exists, though in an altered shape, in a little court acces- 
 sible by a narrow passage near the first angle of the street. His history 
 is obscurely reported ; but it appears that he was of a good family in 
 Lanarkshire, and had been one of the ten thousand men sent by the 
 Scottish Covenanting Estates in 1641 to assist in suppressing the Irish 
 Papists. He became distinguished for a life of peculiar sanctity, even 
 in an age when that was the prevailing tone of the public mind. Ac- 
 cording to a contemporary account : " His garb was still a cloak, and 
 somewhat dark, and he never went without his staff. He was a tall 
 black man, and ordinarily looked down to the ground ; a grim coun- 
 tenance, and a big nose. At length he became so notoriously regarded 
 among the Presbyterian strict sect, that if four met together, be sure 
 Major Weir was one. At private meetings he prayed to admiration, 
 which made many of that stamp court his converse. He never married, 
 but lived in a private lodging with his sister, Grizel Weir. Many re- 
 sorted to his house, to join with him, and hear him pray; but it was 
 observed that he could not officiate in any holy duty without the black 
 staff, or rod, in his hand, and leaning upon it, which made those who 
 heard him pray admire his flood in prayer, his ready extemporary ex- 
 pression, his heavenly gesture ; so that he was thought more angel than 
 man, and was termed by some of the holy sisters ordinarily 'Angelical 
 Thomas.'" Plebeian imaginations have since fructified regarding the 
 staff, and crones will still seriously tell how it could run a message to 
 a shop for any article which its proprietor wanted ; how it could answer 
 the door when any one called upon its master; and that it used to be 
 often seen running before him, in the capacity of a link-boy, as he 
 walked down the Lawnmarket. 
 
 After a life characterised externally by all the graces of devotion, 
 but polluted in secret by crimes of the most revolting nature, and which 
 little needed the addition of wizardry to excite the horror of living men, 
 Major Weir fell into a severe sickness, which affected his mind so 
 much, that he made an open and voluntary confession of all his wicked- 
 ness. The tale was at first so incredible, that the provost, Sir Andrew 
 
 143 
 
144 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 Ramsay, refused for some time to take him into custody. At length 
 himself, his sister (partner of one of his crimes), and his staff, were 
 secured by the magistrates, together with certain sums of money, which 
 were found wrapped up in rags in different parts of the house. One of 
 these pieces of rag being thrown into the fire by a bailie who had 
 taken the whole in charge, flew up the chimney, and made an explosion 
 like a cannon. While the wretched man lay in prison, he made no 
 scruple to disclose the particulars of his guilt, but refused to address 
 himself to the Almighty for pardon. To every request that he would 
 pray, he answered in screams : " Torment me no more I am tormented 
 enough already ! " Even the offer of a Presbyterian clergyman, instead 
 of an established Episcopal minister of the city, had no effect upon him. 
 He was tried April 9, 1670, and being found guilty, was sentenced to 
 be strangled and burnt between Edinburgh and Leith. His sister, who 
 was tried at the same time, was sentenced to be hanged in the Grass- 
 market. The execution of the profligate Major took place, April 14, at 
 the place indicated by the judge. When the rope was about his neck, 
 to prepare him for the fire, he was bid to say : " Lord, be merciful 
 to me!" but he answered, as before: "Let me alone I will not I 
 have lived as a beast, and I must die as a beast!" After he had 
 dropped lifeless in the flames, his stick was also cast into the fire ; and, 
 "whatever incantation was in it," says the contemporary writer already 
 quoted,* "the persons present own that it gave rare turnings, and was 
 long a-burning, as also himself." 
 
 The conclusion to which the humanity of the present age would 
 come regarding Weir that he was mad is favoured by some circum- 
 stances ; for instance, his answering one who asked if he had ever seen 
 the devil, that " the only feeling he ever had of him was in the dark." 
 What chiefly countenances the idea, is the unequivocal lunacy of the 
 sister. This miserable woman confessed to witchcraft, and related, in a 
 serious manner, many things which could not be true. Many years 
 before, a fiery coach, she said, had come to her brother's door in broad 
 day, and a stranger invited them to enter, and they proceeded to 
 Dalkeith. On the way, another person came and whispered in her 
 brother's ear something which affected him ; it proved to be supernatural 
 intelligence of the defeat of the Scotch army at Worcester, which took 
 place that day. Her brother's power, she said, lay in his staff. She 
 also had a gift for spinning above other women, but the yarn broke to 
 pieces in the loom. Her mother, she declared, had been also a witch. 
 "The secretest thing that I, or any of the family could do, when once 
 
 * The Rev. Mr Frazer, Minister of Wardlaw, in his "Divine 
 Providences" (MS. Adv. Lib.), dated 1670. 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 145 
 
 a mark appeared upon her brow, she could tell it them, though done at 
 a great distance." This mark could also appear on her own forehead 
 when she pleased. At the request of the company present, "she put 
 back her head-dress, and seeming to frown, there was an exact horse- 
 shoe shaped for nails in her wrinkles, terrible enough, I assure you, to 
 the stoutest beholder."* At the place of execution she acted in a 
 furious manner, and with difficulty could be prevented from throwing 
 off her clothes, in order to die, as she said, "with all the shame she 
 could." 
 
 The treatise just quoted makes it plain that the case of Weir and 
 his sister had immediately become a fruitful theme for the imaginations 
 of the vulgar. We there receive the following story : " Some few 
 days before he discovered himself, a gentlewoman coming from the 
 Castle-hill, where her husband's niece was lying-in of a child, about 
 midnight perceived about the Bowhead three women in windows, 
 shouting, laughing, and clapping their hands. The gentlewoman went 
 forward, till, at Major Weir's door, there arose, as from the street, a 
 woman about the length of two ordinary females, and stepped forward. 
 The gentlewoman, not as yet excessively feared, bid her maid step on, 
 if by the lantern they could see what she was ; but haste what they 
 could, this long-legged spectre was still before them, moving her body 
 with a vehement cachinnation and great immeasurable laughter. At 
 this rate the two strove for place, till the giantess came to a narrow 
 lane in the Bow, commonly called the Stinking Close, into which she 
 turning, and the gentlewoman looking after her, perceived the close full 
 of flaming torches (she could give them no other name), and as if it 
 had been a great number of people stentoriously laughing, and gaping 
 with tahees of laughter. This sight, at so dead a time of night, no 
 people being in the windows belonging to the close, made her and her 
 servant haste home, declaring all that they saw to the rest of the 
 family." 
 
 For upwards of a century after Major Weir's death, he continued 
 to be the bugbear of the Bow, and his house remained uninhabited. 
 His apparition was frequently seen at night, flitting, like a black and 
 silent shadow, about the street. His house, though known to be 
 deserted by everything human, was sometimes observed at midnight to 
 be full of lights, and heard to emit strange sounds, as of dancing, 
 howling, and, what is strangest of all, spinning. Some people occa- 
 sionally saw the Major issue from the low close at midnight, mounted 
 on a black horse without a head, and gallop off in a whirlwind of 
 flame. Nay, sometimes the whole of the inhabitants of the Bow would 
 
 : Satan's Invisible World Discovered." 
 
146 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 be roused from their sleep at an early hour in the morning by the sound 
 as of a coach and six, first rattling up the Lawnmarket, and then 
 thundering down the Bow, stopping at the head of the terrible close for 
 a few minutes, and then rattling and thundering back again being 
 neither more nor less than Satan come in one of his best equipages to 
 take home the Major and his sister, after they had spent a night's leave 
 of absence in their terrestrial dwelling. 
 
 About fifty years ago, when the shades of superstition began 
 universally to give way in Scotland, Major Weir's house came to be 
 regarded with less terror by the neighbours, and an attempt was made 
 by the proprietor to find a person who should be bold enough to inhabit 
 it. Such a person was procured in William Patullo, a poor man of 
 dissipated habits, who, having been at one time a soldier and a 
 traveller, had come to disregard in a great measure the superstitions 
 of his native country, and was now glad to possess a house upon the 
 low terms offered by the landlord, at whatever risk. Upon its being 
 known that Major Weir's house was about to be re-inhabited, a great 
 deal of curiosity was felt by people of all ranks as to the result of the 
 experiment ; for there was scarcely a native of the city who had not 
 felt, since his boyhood, an intense interest in all that concerned that 
 awful fabric, and yet remembered the numerous terrible stories which 
 he had heard respecting it. Even before entering upon his hazardous 
 undertaking, William Patullo was looked upon with a flattering sort of 
 interest, similar to that which we feel respecting a regiment on the 
 march to active conflict. It was the hope of many that he would be 
 the means of retrieving a valuable possession from the dominion of 
 darkness. But Satan soon let them know that he does not tamely 
 relinquish any of the outposts of his kingdom. 
 
 On the very first night after Patullo and his spouse had taken up 
 their abode in the house, as the worthy couple were lying awake in 
 their bed, not unconscious of a certain degree of fear a dim uncertain 
 light proceeding from the gathered embers of their fire, and all being 
 silent around them they suddenly saw a form like that of a calf, which 
 came forward to the bed, and, setting its fore-feet upon the stock, 
 looked steadfastly at the unfortunate pair. When it had contemplated 
 them thus for a few minutes, to their great relief it at length took 
 itself away, and, slowly retiring, gradually vanished from their sight. 
 As might be expected, they deserted the house next morning; and for 
 another half-century no other attempt was made to embank this part of 
 the world of light from the aggressions of the world of darkness. 
 
 It may here be mentioned that, at no very remote time, there were 
 several houses in the Old Town which had the credit of being haunted. 
 It is said there is one at this day in the Lawnmarket (a flat), which 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 147 
 
 has been shut up from time immemorial. The story goes that one 
 night, as preparations were making for a supper - party, something 
 occurred which obliged the family, as well as all the assembled guests, 
 to retire with precipitation, and lock up the house. From that night it 
 has never once been opened, nor was any of the furniture withdrawn : 
 the very goose which was undergoing the process of being roasted at 
 the time of the occurrence, is still at the fire I No one knows to whom 
 the house belongs; no one ever inquires after it; no one living ever 
 saw the inside of it ; it is a condemned house ! There is something 
 peculiarly dreadful about a house under these circumstances. What 
 sights of horror might present themselves if it were entered ! Satan is 
 the ultimus haeres of all such unclaimed property! 
 
MARSHAL 
 BLUCHER 
 
MARSHAL BLUCHER. 
 
 (From " Apparitions : A Narrative of Facts," * by the Rev. Bourchier 
 
 Wrey Savile.) 
 
 N the autumn of the year in which Waterloo had been 
 fought, Marshal Bliicher quitted France for the last time. 
 Chagrined at finding himself reduced to a life of inaction, 
 he retired to his property, and fell into a state of melancholy, 
 increased by an attack of dropsy on the chest. From 
 this time a change came over his character ; the rough and ready 
 soldier became timid, and even nervous. He would not remain in the 
 dark ; solitude was agonising, and such was the uneasiness caused by 
 his failing health, that the King of Prussia (father of the present 
 Emperor of Germany) started for Krieblowitz as soon as he learned 
 that his old and favourite general had several times expressed a wish 
 to see him before dying. The king arrived in the evening at the castle, 
 and was instantly conducted to Bliicher, then in his seventy-fourth year. 
 On seeing the king, Marshal Bliicher tried to rise for the purpose 
 of receiving His Majesty, who kindly prevented him, and sat down by 
 his side ; when the old soldier, after dismissing his attendants, spoke 
 as follows : 
 
 " Sire, I entreated you to come here, as I heard you were in the 
 neighbourhood, yet had you been at the other extremity of Europe, 
 dying as I am now, I must have endeavoured to have reached you, 
 for I have a terrible secret to reveal. Sire, be pleased to look at me 
 well, and assure yourself that I am now in the full enjoyment of my 
 reason, and that I am not mad ; for at times I almost think I am 
 deluded into mistaking recollections of past events for visions of the 
 present war. But no, I cannot doubt ! It must be true. 
 
 "When, Sire, in 1876, the Seven Years' War broke out, my father 
 who lived on his estate of Gross Renson, sent me to one of our relations, 
 the Princess Krauswick, in the Isle of Rugen. I was then fourteen, 
 and after a time passed in the old fortress without news from my family, 
 I entered a regiment of hussars in the Swedish service, and being taken 
 prisoner at Suokow, the Prussian Government pressed me to take 
 service in its army. For a year I resisted, and only obtained my liberty 
 by accepting the rank of cornet in the regiment of Black Hussars. I 
 then obtained leave for some months, as I was very anxious concerning 
 
 "Apparitions" was published in 1880. 
 
154 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 my mother and sisters, and started at once for Gross Renson, which 
 had been the scene of war during my year's imprisonment. 
 
 "It is just fifty-nine years ago, this very day, the I2th August 
 (1816), and about the same hour I am speaking to your majesty, verging 
 toward midnight, when in the midst of a raging storm, and after long 
 wandering in the forest, I reached my father's house, drenched to the 
 skin and alone, for my servant, bewildered by the tempest, had lost me 
 in the darkness of the night. Without dismounting, I struck the nail- 
 studded oaken door with the butt end of my whip. No one replied, 
 though I hammered again and again at the door ; until, losing all 
 patience, I jumped off my horse, when the door appeared to open of 
 its own accord, as I could perceive no one, and I entered; and hurrying 
 up the steps, quickly penetrated the interior. 
 
 "There was no light to be seen or sound heard. I confess that 
 my heart sank within me, and a cold shudder ran through my veins. 
 ' What folly ! ' I exclaimed ; ' the house must be empty ; my family 
 must have left when I quitted it, and have not returned, still I must 
 remain for the night.' I reached my father's bedroom ; a faint and 
 fitful flame threw a dim light upon a group of persons seated, amongst 
 whom I recognised my father, mother, and four sisters, who rose on 
 seeing me enter. I was about to throw myself into my father's arms, 
 when he arrested me by a solemn gesture. I held out my arms to my 
 mother, but she retreated with a mournful air. I called out to my 
 sisters, who, taking each other by the hand, again seated themselves. 
 
 " ' Do you not know me ? ' I cried. 4 Is it thus you receive me 
 after so long a separation ? Do you not know that I am now serving 
 Prussia? I was compelled to make the sacrifice in order to regain my 
 liberty, and to see you. But no one responds to my affection. My 
 mother, you are silent ! My sisters, have you forgotten the love of our 
 childhood, and the games of which these walls have been the silent 
 witnesses ? ' 
 
 "At these last words my sisters seemed to be moved, and they 
 spoke to one another in a low voice : they rose up and signalled to me 
 to approach. One of them then knelt down before my mother, and hfd 
 her face in her lap, as if she wished to play at a game called 'Hot- 
 kok-hiry' (a childish game, where one has his eyes bound, and guesses 
 who strikes with the flat of the hand). Surprised at this strange freak 
 at such a solemn time, I nevertheless touched my sister's hand with the 
 whip that I still grasped, as a mysterious force seemed to impel me so 
 to do. Then came my turn to kneel before my mother, and to hide my 
 face in her lap. 
 
 " Oh, horror ! I felt through her silk dress a cold angular form ; 
 I heard a sound of rattling bones ; and when a hand was placed in 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 155 
 
 mine, the hand remained there ; and it was the hand of a skeleton ! I 
 arose with a cry of terror; all had disappeared, and there only remained 
 to me of this dreadful vision the human remains which I convulsively 
 grasped. 
 
 " Almost beside myself, I ran from the chamber, hurried downstairs, 
 jumped on my horse, and galloped wildly through the forest. At day- 
 break my horse sank beneath me and expired. I fell insensible at the 
 foot of a large tree, and was found there by my attendants with my 
 skull fractured. I almost died from the combined effects of horror of 
 mind and the injury in my head, and it was only after some weeks 
 of fever and delirium that I regained my senses, and gradually 
 recovered. 
 
 " It was then I learned that all my family had perished in the 
 terrible war which had desolated Mecklenburg, and that my father's 
 castle had been several times pillaged and sacked. Scarcely con- 
 valescent, I hastened to the castle to render the last rites to my 
 deceased parents and sisters ; but after a most rigorous search no 
 trace of their remains could be found, save one hand only a female 
 hand, surrounded by a golden bracelet, lay on the floor of the room in 
 which the fatal apparition had appeared to me. I took the golden 
 chain the same, your majesty, which I now hold in my hands and 
 deposited the hand, all that remained of my family, in the oratory 
 chapel. 
 
 "Many years have glided by since that awful scene which I 
 witnessed in my father's castle ; and it was only two months ago, 
 while lying in this arm-chair, a slight noise awoke me. I looked up. 
 There stood my father, mother, and four sisters around, just as they 
 appeared on that awful night at the castle of Gross Renson. My 
 sisters commenced playing at the same game, and signalled me to 
 advance. ' Never ! never ! ' I exclaimed ; and then the apparitions, 
 joining hands, passed slowly around my chair. ' Justice ! ' cried my 
 father, as he passed before me ; ' Penitence 1 ' exclaimed my mother, 
 leaning towards me ; ' Prayer ! ' murmured my youngest sister ; ' The 
 sword ! ' sighed another ; ' The i2th of August, at midnight 1 ' whispered 
 the eldest. Again the procession moved slowly around me thrice ; then, 
 with one terrible roar, they all cried out together, ' Adieu 1 adieu ! to 
 our next meeting 1 ' 
 
 " I felt then it was a warning of my approaching death, and that 
 I had only to look to God to receive my soul, and bid farewell to your 
 majesty and friends." 
 
 "My dear Marshall" said the king, "what you have related to me 
 is very strange ; still, do you not think the vision may have been caused 
 by delirium ? Take courage, strive against these hallucinations, and you 
 
156 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 will rally and live many years yet. Will you not try and believe what 
 I say? Give me your hand." 
 
 The king, receiving no answer, took the old man's hand. It was 
 icy cold. Just then the old clock on the mantelpiece struck the mid- 
 night hour. The spirit of Marshal Bliicher had quietly passed away. 
 
SIR 
 
 HULDBRAND'S 
 WIFE 
 
SIR HULDBRAND'S WIFE. 
 
 (Translated Extract from " Undine," by the Baron de la Motte Fouqu6.) 
 
 ;NDINE is a beautiful maiden whose parentage is wrapped 
 in mystery. She has been reared and cherished by a 
 kind old couple before whose door she was found lying, 
 a helpless waif, in her infancy. She dwells with these 
 on a small peninsula amid the streams of a lonely forest. 
 At length a knight, Sir Huldbrand, is driven by a storm to seek 
 refuge with Undine's foster-parents. He is hospitably entertained, and 
 falls in love with Undine. They are united by a holy father who has 
 also sought an asylum in the cottage. The day after the wedding, 
 Undine asks her husband to carry her across to an islet, and there 
 gives the following account of herself: ] 
 
 "You must know, my loved lord, that there are beings in the 
 elements that bear great resemblance to you, and yet but rarely appear 
 before you. Wondrous salamanders play and glitter in the flames ; 
 meagre malicious gnomes dwell in the recesses of the earth ; the sylphs 
 inhabit the air, and dwell in the hidden shades of the dark grove ; and 
 water-spirits an extensive race are dispersed in the rivers, brooks, 
 lakes, and oceans. Delightful is it to dwell in resounding arbours of 
 crystal, to which the sun, the moon, and the stars convey the glorious 
 light of heaven ; under the umbrage of lofty trees of coral, bearing fruit 
 of the most beautiful blue and red colour, which grow in those gardens ; 
 or to roam on the pure sand of the ocean, over beautiful shells, and 
 to contemplate things grand and beautiful, which the ancient world pos- 
 sessed, and which the present is no longer worthy to enjoy lofty and 
 stately monuments that the floods have covered with their veil of silver, 
 and bedewed with limpid waters, extracting from them moss-flowers and 
 tufted reeds. Those that dwell there are benign and fair, mostly fairer 
 than human beings. They that ply upon the water have frequently been 
 so fortunate as to surprise some beauteous inhabitant of those regions 
 when such a one rose above the wave and filled the air with the 
 charming sound of her voice ; and those men have been lavish in their 
 reports. The inhabitants of those fair regions are known by the name of 
 Undines, and you, my honoured lord, are now beholding a real Undine." 
 The knight would have persuaded himself his lovely wife was again 
 indulging in one of her frolicsome humours, and that she took pleasure 
 in bantering him with some singular and fanciful tale. Yet, strongly 
 as he endeavoured to believe this, he found his effort unsuccessful. A 
 
 161 
 
162 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 thrilling emotion pervaded him, and, unable to utter a word, he con- 
 tinued to gaze, full of wonder and with unaverted eye, on the fair 
 narrator. She, full of dejection, shook her head, heaved a deep sigh, 
 and continued as follows : 
 
 "We should be better off than you other human beings for human 
 beings we call ourselves, as indeed, in our outward appearance and 
 shape, we are; but one great evil is coupled with our lot. We, and 
 those of our kin in other elements, pass away and moulder into dust 
 the spirit as well as the body so that not a vestige of us remains ; 
 and when you awake to a purer life, we shall have passed away as the 
 waving flame, or the wind and the billow of the deep. This is because 
 we are not endowed with a soul. The element that moves us, and 
 frequently obeys us while we live always scatters our dust when we 
 die, and we are thoughtlessly gay, like the nightingale, the goldfish, 
 and other happy and beautiful creatures in Nature. 
 
 " But all strive to rise higher in their scale of being. Thus, my 
 father, who is a potent prince of the waters in the Mediterranean, 
 desired that his only daughter should imbibe a soul, even if it should 
 fall to her lot to have her share of the afflictions that are incident to 
 those so highly blessed. But a soul can be obtained by one of our race 
 only by means of being intimately connected by the bands of love with 
 a mortal. I have gained it, and to you, my most honoured and beloved 
 lord, I am indebted for the inestimable benefit; and I shall remain 
 indebted to you, even if you make me wretched for the rest of my life. 
 Alas 1 what would be my hapless condition, were you to shun and spurn 
 me? Yet, by duplicity, I do not wish to hold you. If, then, it be 
 your intention to reject me, do it now, and return alone to the other 
 bank. I shall plunge into this brook, who is my uncle, and who, like 
 an anchorite, delights in dwelling here in this forest, separated from his 
 other relatives. But he is powerful, and dear to many great streams ; 
 and as he conducted me, a young and smiling child, to yonder cottage, 
 so he will re-conduct me hence to my parents, an affectionate and 
 enduring wife, endowed with an immortal soul." 
 
 She would have said more, but Huldbrand embraced her with the 
 tenderest emotion, and bore her back to the other bank. Then, first, 
 amid tears and a thousand kisses, he swore that he would never 
 forsake her, and accounted himself happier in possessing her than 
 Pygmalion, the Grecian sculptor, when Venus, in pity, animated the 
 fair damsel that himself had cut out of the stone. In unbounded trust 
 Undine leaned on his arm, and wandered back to the cottage, feeling 
 how little occasion she had to regret the crystal palaces of her 
 father. 
 
 [At first Huldbrand and Undine live most happily together ; but ere 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 163 
 
 long they meet an old lady-love of Huldbrand's, who sows dispeace. 
 This maiden, Bertalda, has been brought up by a noble couple, but is, 
 in reality, the child of the old people who reared Undine. Undine 
 discovers this, and thinking to cause great joy, announces the fact. 
 Bertalda is furious at her lowly parentage being proclaimed, and 
 behaves so arrogantly that she disgusts her noble foster-parents by her 
 conduct, and is turned out of doors by them. Undine takes pity on 
 her, and invites her to stay at Ringstetten, Huldbrand's castle. There 
 Huldbrand falls in love with Bertalda, and neglects his wife more and 
 more. Undine's kindred are ever on the watch to avenge her wrongs ; 
 but their only mode of ingress is the castle well, and this Undine causes 
 to be built up. At last, on a sailing expedition, the knight, annoyed 
 at the molestation of Bertalda by the water-spirits, exclaims to Undine, 
 in a burst of passion, " Confine yourself to their company in the fiend's 
 name, and do not longer molest us human beings, juggling sorceress 
 that you are ! " Undine vanishes, entreating her husband to remain 
 faithful to her memory, that she may retain the power of protecting 
 him from injury. The knight, at first, feels remorse, but erelong is 
 consoled, and on the eve of marriage with Bertalda.] 
 
 Were I to offer a description of the nuptial festival at Castle 
 Ringstetten you would think you beheld a joyous show covered with a 
 pall of mourning less a merry-making than a satire on the nothingness 
 of human joy. It was not the fear of ghostly visitants, for they, as 
 we know, had been secured against by Undine's care. It was a 
 curious gloom, caused by the absence of the gracious lady who ought 
 really to have been presiding. Whenever a door opened, the eyes of 
 all involuntarily turned in that direction, and if it chanced to be only a 
 servant with a fresh supply of dainties, or the cup-bearer with a draught 
 of still more costly wine, all again would look dejectedly to the ground, 
 and the spark of mirth and jollity that would sometimes appear, were 
 quickly extinguished in the falling tears of mournful recollection. 
 The bride was, of all, the most thoughtless, and, consequently, the 
 most contented. Yet, even to her, it appeared sometimes singular that 
 she, with the wealth of myrtle and in richly embroidered attire, 
 occupied the first place at the board, while Undine, stiff and cold, was 
 lying on the ground of the Danube, or being borne by its current to the 
 ocean. 
 
 Night was scarcely set in when the company dispersed chased 
 away by joyless depression and a boding sense of some impending evil. 
 Bertalda retired with her maids, Huldbrand with his servants, to 
 undress. . . . 
 
 Bertalda was intent on rallying her spirits, and to this effect caused 
 a rich casket of jewels Huldbrand had given her, together with rich 
 
164 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 dresses and veils, to be spread before her, in order to choose from 
 them the gayest and most costly one to wear on the following day. 
 Her maids were glad of the opportunity to say pleasing things to their 
 young mistress, and more especially to praise her beauty in the brightest 
 colours imaginable. They became more and more animated in these 
 contemplations, till at last Bertalda, casting a look in the mirror, 
 sighed: "Ah, but do you see how the sun has injured my complexion 
 here at the side of my neck ! " They looked, and found it was as 
 their fair mistress had said, but they called it a beautiful mole that 
 tended to enhance the whiteness of her skin. Bertalda shook her 
 head, and was of opinion that it must still be considered a blemish. 
 "And this," she said, sighing, "I might get rid of were not the castle 
 well, from which I had such purifying water, unreasonably closed. If 
 I had but a flask of it to-night." 
 
 " Is that all ? " said one of her attendants, and disappeared from the 
 chamber. "Surely," said Bertalda, agreeably surprised, "she will not 
 take it into her head to have the stone removed this evening." But 
 the tread of men was already heard across the court, and from the 
 window she saw the complaisant waiting-maid leading them straight to 
 the well, the levers and other implements they carried on their shoulders 
 showing plainly enough what they were going to do. "It is indeed 
 my wish," said Bertalda, smiling, "if only it does not occupy them too 
 long." And pleased at the thought that the least hint from her was 
 now sufficient to obtain what formerly had been so sternly denied to 
 her, she observed from her window the progress of their labour in the 
 moonlit court 
 
 The men pulled at the huge block, and one of them sighed, reflect- 
 ing that they were destroying the work of their late mistress, who was 
 still so dear to their remembrance. 
 
 But the matter was not nearly so difficult as they had expected. 
 It was as though some power from within the well assisted them to 
 remove the ponderous weight. 
 
 "One would imagine," said the workmen, "that the water was 
 really mounting in the well." 
 
 The stone continued to rise, and with almost no exertion from the 
 labourers, rolled, with a sullen sound, upon the pavement. But from 
 the well a large column of water ascended with slow majestic motion, 
 which, while they gazed, acquired the form and properties of a female 
 figure clad in white, with a veil of the same colour depending from its 
 head. It sobbed aloud, and clasped its hands with the most piteous 
 action, and with lingering, unwilling steps, advanced towards the castle. 
 The workmen fled terrified from the well, while the bride remained in 
 horror at the window with her servants. When the figure came 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 165 
 
 beneath her chamber, it looked upwards with melancholy gesture, and 
 she seemed to recognise beneath the veil the features of Undine. Its 
 gaze was but momentary ; it passed on, yet slowly and reluctantly, as 
 if dreading the limit of its travel. Bertalda called out to her attendants 
 to wake Huldbrand, but not one dared to move from the spot, and even 
 the bride herself was silent alarmed by the very sound of her own 
 voice. 
 
 While all stood thus at the window, motionless as statues, the 
 strange wanderer had reached the castle gates. Onwards she went, 
 up the well-known steps, through the familiar halls, always silent and 
 always weeping. Alas ! how different was her wandering through the 
 castle once ! 
 
 The knight had dismissed his servants he stood half undressed 
 before a large glass, with sad recollections of the past, and sadder 
 forebodings of the future the tapers burnt red and dim there was a 
 light tapping without upon the door as with a finger. 
 
 "It was thus," he whispered to himself, "Undine once used play- 
 fully to announce her coming, but it is all phantasy ; I must to the 
 wedding chamber." 
 
 "You must indeed, but into a dark and cold one," said a soft, 
 thrilling voice. 
 
 As he looked in the glass he saw the door gently open the figure 
 in white entered and the bolts of the lock shot back again into their 
 fastenings. 
 
 "They have opened the well," it murmured; "and now I am here 
 and now you must die ! " 
 
 His heart beat high, his breath came thick and short, he felt that 
 it could not but be so ; and covering his eyes, he exclaimed, " Make 
 me not mad with terror in my dying hour if you hide a countenance 
 of terror beneath that veil, let me not see it judge me without my 
 looking on your face." 
 
 "Alas!" replied Undine, "will you not look on me yet 
 once again? I am now as when you first saw me in the 
 cottage." 
 
 "Oh, if it were so," sighed Huldbrand, "and I could die upon 
 your bosom in your kisses." 
 
 " It shall be so, my beloved," she replied, and her veil fell back, 
 and she smiled in all her beauty. Trembling with love and the fear of 
 approaching death, he bent towards her. She kissed him with a 
 heavenly kiss ; but she loosed him no more from her embrace. She 
 wept as she would weep away her soul. He dropped from her arms a 
 lifeless corse. 
 
166 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 [Undine, clad in white, and closely veiled, mingles with the funeral 
 procession.] 
 
 The last prayer was prayed, the last handful of earth was heaped 
 upon the grave. They arose, and the stranger was no longer there, 
 but where she had knelt a silver spring burst from the sward, that 
 gently flowed and flowed till it surrounded the tomb. 
 
THE MASQUE 
 
THE MASQUE. 
 
 (An Extract from De Quincey's Romance of " Klosterheim ; 
 or, The Masque.") 
 
 HEN the Thirty Years' War was ravaging Germany, Kloster- 
 heim was ruled by a Landgrave ostensibly on the side of 
 the Imperialists, but secretly inclined to the Swedes. He 
 was a harsh and gloomy tyrant, suspected of dark crimes. 
 The town was packed with fugitives. Among these was 
 the Lady Paulina, a relative of the Emperor, and affianced, with his 
 consent, to his protege, the young Maximilian. This was a youth of 
 brilliant qualities and mysterious parentage, who was pursuing his 
 studies at Klosterheim University. Plots and counter-plots were rife. 
 The students were openly disaffected, and, by the Landgrave's orders, 
 were imprisoned in large numbers. After some time an order came for 
 their release. They were marched to the castle, headed by one of 
 their ringleaders, the Count St Aldenheim, and conducted before the 
 Prince and his minister.] 
 
 This Prince was now on the verge of fifty, strikingly handsome in 
 his features, and of imposing presence, from the union of a fine person 
 with manners unusually dignified. No man understood better the art of 
 restraining his least governable impulses of anger or malignity within the 
 decorums of his rank. And even his worst passions, throwing a gloomy 
 rather than terrific air upon his features, served less to alarm and 
 revolt than to impress the sense of secret distrust. Of late indeed, 
 from the too evident indications of the public hatred, his sallies of 
 passion had become wilder and more ferocious, and his self-command 
 less habitually conspicuous. But in general a gravity of insidious 
 courtesy disguised from all but penetrating eyes the treacherous purpose 
 of his heart. 
 
 The Landgrave bowed to the Count St Aldenheim ; and, pointing to 
 a chair, begged him to understand that he wished to do nothing incon- 
 sistent with his regard for the Palsgrave his brother, and would be 
 content with his parole of honour to pursue no further any conspiracy 
 against himself, in which he might too thoughtlessly have engaged, and 
 with his retirement from the city of Klosterheim. 
 
 The Count St Aldenheim replied that he and all the other cavaliers 
 present, according to his belief, stood upon the same footing : that they 
 had harboured no thought of conspiracy, unless that name could attach 
 to a purpose of open expostulation with his Highness on the outraged 
 
 171 
 
172 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 privileges of their corporation as a university : that he wished not for 
 any distinction of treatment in a case when all were equal offenders, or 
 none at all : and, finally, that he believed the sentence of exile from 
 Klosterheim would be cheerfully accepted by all, or most, of those present. 
 
 Adorni, the minister, shook his head, and glanced significantly at 
 the Landgrave during this answer. The Landgrave coldly replied that, 
 if he could suppose the Count to speak sincerely, it was evident that he 
 was little aware to what length his companions, or some of them, had 
 pushed their plots. "Here are the proofs I" and he pointed to the 
 papers. 
 
 "And now, gentlemen," said he, turning to the students, "I marvel 
 that you, being cavaliers of family, and doubtless holding yourselves men 
 of honour, should beguile these poor knaves into certain ruin, whilst 
 yourselves could reap nothing but a brief mockery of the authority which 
 you could not hope to evade." 
 
 Thus called upon, the students and the city-guard told their tale ; in 
 which no contradictions could be detected. The city prison was not 
 particularly well secured against attacks from without To prevent, 
 therefore, any sudden attempt at a rescue, the guard kept watch by 
 turns. One man watched two hours, traversing the different passages 
 of the prison ; and was then relieved. At three o'clock on the 
 preceding night, pacing a winding lobby, brightly illuminated, the man 
 who kept that watch was suddenly met by a person wearing a masque, 
 and armed at all points. His surprise and consternation were great, 
 and the more so as the steps of The Masque were soundless, though 
 the floor was a stone one. The guard, but slightly prepared to meet 
 an attack, would, however, have resisted or raised an alarm ; but The 
 Masque, instantly levelling a pistol at his head with one hand, with the 
 other had thrown open the door of an empty cell, indicating to the man 
 by signs that he must enter it With this intimation he had necessarily 
 complied ; and The Masque had immediately turned the key upon him. 
 Of what followed he knew nothing, until aroused by his comrades 
 setting him at liberty, after some time had been wasted in searching 
 for him. 
 
 The students had a pretty uniform tale to report A Masque, 
 armed cap-a-pie as described by the guard, had visited each of their 
 cells in succession ; had instructed them by signs to dress ; and then, 
 pointing to the door, by a series of directions all communicated in the 
 same dumb show, had assembled them together, thrown open the prison 
 door, and, pointing to their college, had motioned them thither. This 
 motion they had seen no cause to disobey, presuming their dismissal to 
 be according to the mode which best pleased his Highness, and not ill- 
 pleased at finding so peaceful a termination to a summons which at 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 173 
 
 first, from its mysterious shape and the solemn hour of night, they had 
 understood as tending to some more formidable issue. 
 
 It was observed that neither the Landgrave nor his minister treated 
 this report of so strange a transaction with the scorn which had been 
 anticipated. Both listened attentively, and made minute inquiries as to 
 every circumstance of the dress and appointments of the mysterious 
 Masque. What was his height? By what road, or in what direction, 
 had he disappeared? These questions answered, his Highness and his 
 minister consulted a few minutes together, and then, turning to Von 
 Aremberg, bade him for the present dismiss the prisoners to their 
 homes, an act of grace which seemed likely to do him service at the 
 present crisis, but at the same time to take sufficient security for their 
 re-appearance. This done, the whole body were liberated. 
 
 All Klosterheim was confounded by the story of the mysterious 
 Masque. For the story had been rapidly dispersed : and on the same 
 day it was made known in another shape. A notice was affixed to the 
 walls of several public places in these words : 
 
 " Landgrave, beware ! henceforth not you, but I, govern in Kloster- 
 heim. (Signed) "The Masque." 
 
 And this was no empty threat. Very soon it became apparent that 
 some mysterious agency was really at work to counteract the Land- 
 grave's designs. Sentinels were carried off from solitary posts. Guards 
 even of a dozen men were silently trepanned from their stations. By 
 and by, other attacks were made, even more alarming, upon domestic 
 security. Was there a burgomaster amongst the citizens who had 
 made himself conspicuously a tool of the Landgrave, or had opposed 
 the Imperial interest ? He was carried off in the night-time from his 
 house, and probably from the city. At first this was an easy task. 
 Nobody apprehending any special danger to himself, no special prepar- 
 ations were made to meet it. But, as it soon became apparent in what 
 cause The Masque was moving, every person who knew himself 
 obnoxious to attack took means to face it Guards were multiplied ; 
 arms were repaired in every house ; alarm bells were hung. For a 
 time the danger seemed to diminish. The attacks were no longer so 
 frequent. Still, wherever they were attempted, they succeeded just as 
 before. It seemed, in fact, that all the precautions taken had no other 
 effect than to warn The Masque of his own danger, and to place him 
 more vigilantly on his guard. Aware of new defences rising, it seemed 
 that he waited to see the course they would take ; once master of that, 
 he was ready (as it appeared) to contend with them as successfully as 
 before. 
 
 Nothing could exceed the consternation of the city. Those even 
 
174 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 who did not fall within the apparent rule which governed the attacks of 
 The Masque felt a sense of indefinite terror hanging over them. Sleep 
 was no longer safe ; the seclusion of a man's private hearth, the 
 secrecy of bedrooms, was no longer a protection. Locks gave way, 
 bars fell, doors flew open, as if by magic, before him. Arms seemed 
 useless. In some instances a party of as many as ten or a dozen 
 persons had been removed without rousing disturbance in the neighbour- 
 hood. Nor was this the only circumstance of mystery. Whither he 
 could remove his victims was even more incomprehensible than the 
 means by which he succeeded. All was darkness and fear ; and the 
 whole city was agitated with panic. 
 
 It began now to be suggested that a nightly guard should be 
 established, having fixed stations or points of rendezvous, and at 
 intervals parading the streets. This was cheerfully assented to ; for, 
 after the first week of the mysterious attacks, it began to be observed 
 that the Imperial party were attacked indiscriminately with the Swedish. 
 Many students publicly declared that they had been dogged through 
 a street or two by an armed Masque ; others had been suddenly con- 
 fronted by him in unfrequented parts of the city in the dead of night, 
 and were on the point of being attacked when some alarm, or the 
 approach of distant footsteps, had caused him to disappear. The 
 students, indeed, more particularly, seemed objects of attack ; and, as 
 they were pretty generally attached to the Imperial interest, the motives 
 of The Masque were no longer judged to be political. Hence it 
 happened that the students came forward in a body, and volunteered as 
 members of the nightly guard. Being young, military for the most 
 part in their habits, and trained to support the hardships of night- 
 watching, they seemed peculiarly fitted for the service ; and, as the 
 case was no longer of a nature to awaken the suspicions of the Land- 
 grave, they were generally accepted and enrolled, and with the more 
 readiness as the known friends of the Prince came forward at the same 
 time. 
 
 A night-watch was thus established, which promised security to the 
 city, and a respite from their mysterious alarms. It was distributed 
 into eight or ten divisions, posted at different points, whilst a central 
 one traversed the whole city at stated periods, and overlooked the local 
 stations. Such an arrangement was wholly unknown at that time in 
 every part of Germany, and was hailed with general applause. 
 
 To the astonishment, however, of everybody, it proved wholly 
 ineffectual. Houses were entered as before ; the college chambers 
 proved no sanctuary ; indeed, they were attacked with a peculiar 
 obstinacy, which was understood to express a spirit of retaliation for 
 the alacrity of the students in combining for the public protection. 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 175 
 
 People were carried off as before. And continual notices affixed to the 
 gates of the college, the convents, or the schloss, with the signature of 
 The Masque, announced to the public his determination to persist, and 
 his contempt of the measures organised against him. 
 
 The alarm of the citizens now became greater than ever. The 
 danger was one which courage could not face, nor prudence make 
 provision for, nor wiliness evade. All alike, who had once been 
 marked out for attack, sooner or later fell victims to the obstinacy of 
 this mysterious foe. To have received even an individual warning 
 availed them not at all. Sometimes it happened that, having received 
 notice of suspicious circumstances indicating that The Masque had 
 turned his attention upon themselves, they would assemble round their 
 dwellings, or in their very chambers, a band of armed men sufficient 
 to set the danger at defiance. But no sooner had they relaxed in these 
 costly and troublesome arrangements, no sooner was the sense of peril 
 lulled, and an opening made for their unrelenting enemy, than he glided 
 in with his customary success ; and in a morning or two after it was 
 announced to the city that they also were numbered with his victims. 
 
 Even yet it seemed that something remained in reserve to augment 
 the terrors of the citizens, and push them to excess. Hitherto there 
 had been no reason to think that any murderous violence had 
 occurred in the mysterious rencontres between The Masque and his 
 victims. But of late, in those houses or college chambers from which 
 the occupiers had disappeared, traces of bloodshed were apparent in 
 some instances, and of ferocious conflict in others. Sometimes a 
 profusion of hair was scattered on the ground ; sometimes fragments 
 of dress or splinters of weapons. Everything marked that on both 
 sides, as this mysterious agency advanced, the passions increased in 
 intensity; determination and murderous malignity on the one side, and 
 the fury of resistance on the other. 
 
 At length the last consummation was given to the public panic ; for, 
 as if expressly to put an end to all doubts upon the spirit in which he 
 conducted his warfare, in one house where the bloodshed had been so 
 great as to argue some considerable loss of life, a notice was left 
 behind in the following terms: "Thus it is that I punish resistance; 
 mercy to a cheerful submission ; but henceforth death to the obstinate 1 
 The Masque." 
 
 What was to be done? Some counselled a public deprecation of 
 his wrath, addressed to The Masque. But this, had it even offered 
 any chance of succeeding, seemed too abject an act of abasement to 
 become a large city. Under any circumstances, it was too humiliating 
 a confession that, in a struggle with one man (for no more had 
 avowedly appeared upon the scene), they were left defeated and at his 
 
176 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 mercy. A second party counselled a treaty. Would it not be possible 
 to learn the ultimate objects of The Masque ; and, if such as seemed 
 capable of being entertained with honour, to concede to him his 
 demands, in exchange for security to the city, and immunity from 
 future molestation? It was true that no man knew where to seek 
 him : personally he was hidden from their reach ; but everybody knew 
 how to find him : he was amongst them ; in their very centre ; and 
 whatever they might address to him in a public notice would be sure of 
 speedily reaching his eye. 
 
 After some deliberation, a summons was addressed to The Masque, 
 and exposed on the college gates, and demanding of him a declaration 
 of his purposes, and the price which he expected for suspending them. 
 The next day an answer appeared in the same situation, avowing the 
 intention of The Masque to come forward with ample explanation of 
 his motives at a proper crisis, till which "more blood must flow in 
 Klosterheim." 
 
 Meantime the Landgrave was himself perplexed and alarmed. 
 Hitherto he had believed himself possessed of all the intrigues, plots, 
 or conspiracies which threatened his influence in the city. Among the 
 students and among the citizens he had many spies, who communicated 
 to him whatsoever they could learn, which was sometimes more than 
 the truth, and sometimes a good deal less. But now he was met by 
 a terrific antagonist, who moved in darkness, careless of his power, 
 inaccessible to his threats, and apparently as reckless as himself of the 
 quality of his means. 
 
 Adorni, with all his Venetian subtlety, was now as much at fault as 
 everybody else. In vain had they deliberated together, day after day, 
 upon his probable purposes ; in vain had they schemed to intercept his 
 person, or offered high rewards for tracing his retreats. Snares had 
 been laid for him in vain ; every wile had proved abortive, every plot 
 had been counterplotted. And both involuntarily confessed that they 
 had now met with their master. 
 
 Vexed and confounded, fears for the future struggling with 
 mortification for the past, the Landgrave was sitting, late at night, in 
 the long gallery where he usually held his councils. He was reflecting 
 with anxiety on the peculiarly unpropitious moment at which his new 
 enemy had come upon the stage the very crisis of the struggle 
 between the Swedish and Imperial interests at Klosterheim, which 
 would ultimately determine his own place and value in the estimate of 
 his new allies. He was not of a character to be easily duped by 
 mystery. Yet he could not but acknowledge to himself that there was 
 something calculated to impress awe, and the sort of fear which is con- 
 nected with the supernatural, in the sudden appearances, and vanishings 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 177 
 
 as sudden, of the Masque. He came no one could guess whence, 
 retreated no one could guess whither ; was intercepted, and yet eluded 
 arrest ; and, if half the stories in circulation could be credited, seemed 
 inaudible in his steps, at pleasure to make himself invisible and 
 impalpable to the very hands stretched out to detain him. Much of 
 this, no doubt, was wilful exaggeration, or the fictions of fears self- 
 deluded. But enough remained, after every allowance, to justify an 
 extraordinary interest in so singular a being ; and the Landgrave could 
 not avoid wishing that chance might offer an opportunity to himself of 
 observing him. 
 
 Profound silence had for some time reigned throughout the castle. 
 A clock which stood in the room broke it for a moment by striking the 
 quarters; and, raising his eyes, the Landgrave perceived that it was 
 past two. He rose to retire for the night, and stood for a moment 
 musing with one hand resting upon the table. A momentary feeling of 
 awe came across him, as his eyes travelled through the gloom at the 
 lower end of the room, on the sudden thought that a being so 
 mysterious, and capable of piercing through so many impediments to 
 the interior of every mansion in Klosterheim, was doubtless likely 
 enough to visit the castle ; nay, it would be no ways improbable that 
 he should penetrate to this very room. What bars had yet been found 
 sufficient to repel him ? And who could pretend to calculate the hour 
 of his visit ? This night even might be the time which he would select. 
 Thinking thus, the Landgrave was suddenly aware of a dusky figure 
 entering the room by a door at the lower end. The room had the 
 length and general proportions of a gallery, and the farther end was so 
 remote from the candles which stood on the Landgrave's table that the 
 deep gloom was but slightly penetrated by their rays. Light, however, 
 there was, sufficient to display the outline of a figure slowly and 
 inaudibly advancing up the room. It could not be said that the figure 
 advanced stealthily ; on the contrary, its motion, carriage, and bearing 
 were in the highest degree dignified and solemn. But the feeling of 
 a stealthy purpose was suggested by the perfect silence of its tread. 
 The motion of a shadow could not be more noiseless. And this circum- 
 stance confirmed the Landgrave's first impression, that now he was on 
 the point of accomplishing his recent wish, and meeting that mysterious 
 being who was the object of so much awe, and the author of so far- 
 spread a panic. 
 
 He was right ; it was indeed The Masque, armed cap-a-pie as 
 usual. He advanced with an equable and determined step in the direc- 
 tion of the Landgrave. Whether he saw His Highness, who stood a 
 little in the shade of a large cabinet, could not be known ; the Land- 
 grave doubted not that he did. He was a prince of firm nerves by 
 
i?8 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 constitution, and of great intrepidity, yet, as one who shared in the 
 superstitions of his age, he could not be expected entirely to suppress 
 an emotion of indefinite apprehension as he now beheld the solemn 
 approach of a being who, by some unaccountable means, had trepanned 
 so many different individuals from so many different houses, most of 
 them prepared for self-defence, and fenced in by the protection of stone 
 walls, locks, and bars. 
 
 The Landgrave, however, lost none of his presence of mind ; and in 
 the midst of his discomposure, as his eye fell upon the habiliments of 
 this mysterious person, and the arms and military accoutrements which 
 he bore, naturally his thoughts settled upon the more earthly means of 
 annoyance which this martial apparition carried about him. The Land- 
 grave was himself unarmed, he had no arms even within reach, nor 
 was it possible for him in his present situation very speedily to summon 
 assistance. With these thoughts passing rapidly through his mind, and 
 sensible that, in any view of his nature and powers, the being now in 
 his presence was a very formidable antagonist, the Landgrave could not 
 but feel relieved from a burden of anxious tremors when he saw The 
 Masque suddenly turn towards a door which opened about half-way up 
 the room, and led into a picture-gallery at right angles with the room 
 in which they both were. 
 
 Into the picture-gallery The Masque passed at the same solemn 
 pace, without apparently looking at the Landgrave. This movement 
 seemed to argue either that he purposely declined an interview with the 
 Prince, and that might argue fear, or that he had not been aware of 
 his presence; either supposition, as implying something of human 
 infirmity, seemed incompatible with supernatural faculties. Partly upon 
 this consideration, and partly perhaps because he suddenly recollected 
 that the road taken by The Masque would lead him directly past the 
 apartments of the old seneschal, where assistance might be summoned, 
 the Landgrave found his spirits at this moment revive. The conscious- 
 ness of rank and birth also came to his aid, and that sort of disdain of 
 the aggressor which possesses every man brave or cowardly alike 
 within the walls of his own dwelling : unarmed as he was, he deter- 
 mined to pursue, and perhaps to speak. 
 
 The restraints of high breeding, and the ceremonious decorum of 
 his rank, involuntarily checked the Landgrave from pursuing with a 
 hurried pace. He advanced with his habitual gravity of step, so that 
 The Masque was half-way down the gallery before the Prince entered 
 it. This gallery, furnished on each side with pictures, of which some 
 were portraits, was of great length. The Masque and the Prince con- 
 tinued to advance, preserving a pretty equal distance. It did not appear 
 by any sign or gesture that The Masque was aware of the Landgrave's 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 179 
 
 pursuit. Suddenly, however, he paused drew his sword halted ; the 
 Landgrave also halted; then turning half round, and waving with his 
 hand to the Prince so as to solicit his attention, slowly The Masque 
 elevated the point of his sword to the level of a picture it was the 
 portrait of a young cavalier in a hunting dress, blooming with youth 
 and youthful energy. The Landgrave turned pale, trembled, and 
 was ruefully agitated. The Masque kept his sword in its position for 
 half a minute; then dropping it, shook his head, and raised his hand 
 with a peculiar solemnity of expression. The Landgrave recovered 
 himself his features swelled with passion he quickened his step, and 
 again followed in pursuit. 
 
 The Masque, however, had by this time turned out of the gallery 
 into a passage which, after a single curve, terminated in the private 
 room of the seneschal. Believing that his ignorance of the localities 
 was thus leading him on to certain capture, the Landgrave pursued 
 more leisurely. The passage was dimly lighted ; every image floated in 
 a cloudy obscurity; and, upon reaching the curve, it seemed to the 
 Landgrave that The Masque was just on the point of entering the 
 seneschal's room. No other door was heard to open; and he felt 
 assured that he had seen the lofty figure of The Masque gliding into 
 that apartment. He again quickened his steps ; a light burned within, 
 the door stood ajar; quietly the Prince pushed it open, and entered 
 with the fullest assurance that he should here at length overtake the 
 object of his pursuit. 
 
 Great was his consternation upon finding in a room which presented 
 no outlet not a living creature except the elderly seneschal, who lay quietly 
 sleeping in his arm-chair. The first impulse of the Prince was to 
 awaken him roughly, that he might summon aid and co-operate in the 
 search. One glance at a paper upon the table arrested his hand. He 
 saw a name written there, interesting to his fears beyond all others in 
 the world. His eye was rivetted as by fascination to the paper. He 
 read one instant That satisfied him that the old seneschal must be 
 overcome by no counterfeit slumbers, when he could thus surrender a 
 secret of capital importance to the gaze of that eye from which above 
 all others he must desire to screen it One moment he deliberated 
 with himself ; the old man stirred, and muttered in his dreams ; the 
 Landgrave seized the paper, and stood irresolute for an instant whether 
 to await his wakening, and authoritatively to claim what so nearly 
 concerned his own interest, or to retreat with it from the room before 
 the old man should be aware of the Prince's visit, or his own loss. 
 
 But the seneschal, wearied perhaps with some unusual exertion, 
 had but moved in his chair ; again he composed himself to deep slumber, 
 made deeper by the warmth of a hot fire. The raving of the wind, as 
 
i8o THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 it whistled round this angle of the schloss, drowned all sounds that 
 could have disturbed him. The Landgrave secreted the paper ; nor did 
 any sense of his rank and character interpose to check him in an act so 
 unworthy of an honourable cavalier. Whatever crimes he had hitherto 
 committed or authorised, this was perhaps the first instance in which 
 he had offended by an instance of petty knavery. He retired with the 
 stealthy pace of a robber anxious to evade detection ; and stole back 
 to his own apartments with an overpowering interest in the discovery 
 he had made so accidentally, and with an anxiety to investigate it 
 further, which absorbed for the time all other cares, and banished from 
 his thoughts even The Masque himself, whose sudden appearance and 
 retreat had in fact thrown into his hands the secret which now so 
 exclusively desturbed him. 
 
 Meantime The Masque continued to harass the Landgrave, to 
 baffle many of his wiles, and to neutralise his most politic schemes. 
 In one of the many placards which he affixed to the castle gates, he 
 described the Landgrave as ruling in Klosterheim by day, and himself 
 by night. Sarcasms such as these, together with the practical insults 
 which The Masque continually offered to the Landgrave by foiling his 
 avowed designs, embittered the Prince's existence. The injury done to 
 his political schemes of ambition at this particular crisis was irreparable. 
 One after one, all the agents and tools by whom he could hope to work 
 upon the counsels of the Klosterheim authorities, had been removed. 
 Losing their influence, he had lost every prop of his own. Nor was 
 this all : he was reproached by the general voice of the city as the 
 original cause of a calamity which he had since shown himself impotent 
 to redress. He it was, and his cause, which had drawn upon the 
 people, so fatally trepanned, the hostility of the mysterious Masque. 
 But for His Highness, all the burgomasters, captains, city officers, etc., 
 would now be sleeping in their beds ; whereas the best fate which 
 could be surmised for the most of them was that they were sleeping in 
 dungeons ; some perhaps in their graves. And thus the Landgrave's 
 cause not merely lost its most efficient partisans, but through their loss 
 determined the wavering against him, alienated the few who remained 
 of his own faction, and gave strength and encouragement to the general 
 disaffection which had so long prevailed. 
 
 Thus it happened that the conspirators, or suspected conspirators, 
 could not be brought to trial, or to punishment without a trial. Any 
 spark of fresh irritation falling upon the present combustible temper of 
 the populace would not fail to produce an explosion. Fresh conspir- 
 ators, and real ones, were thus encouraged to arise. The university, 
 the city, teemed with plots. The government of the Prince was 
 exhausted with the growing labour of tracing and counteracting them. 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 181 
 
 And, by little and little, matters came into such a condition that the 
 control of the city, though still continuing in the Landgrave's hands, 
 was maintained by mere martial force, and at the very point of the 
 sword. And in no long time it was feared that with so general a 
 principle of hatred to combine the populace, and so large a body of 
 military students to head them, the balance of power, already approaching 
 to an equipoise, would be turned against the Landgrave's government. 
 And, in the best event, His Highness could now look for nothing from 
 their love. All might be reckoned for lost that could not be extorted 
 by force. 
 
 This state of things had been brought about by the dreadful Masque, 
 seconded, no doubt, by those whom he had emboldened and aroused 
 within ; and, as the climax and crowning injury of the whole, every day 
 unfolded more and more the vast importance which Klosterheim would 
 soon possess as the centre and key of the movements to be anticipated 
 in the coming campaign. An electoral cap would perhaps reward the 
 services of the Landgrave in the general pacification, if he could present 
 himself at the German Diet as the possessor de facto of Klosterheim 
 and her territorial dependencies, and with some imperfect possession de 
 jure ; still more, if he could plead the merit of having brought over this 
 state, so important from local situation, as a willing ally to the Swedish 
 interest. But to this a free vote of the city was an essential prelimin- 
 ary ; and from that, through the machinations of The Masque, he was 
 now farther than ever. 
 
 The temper of the Prince began to give way under these accumu- 
 lated provocations. An enemy for ever aiming his blows with the 
 deadliest effect ; for ever stabbing in the dark ; yet charmed and conse- 
 crated from all retaliation ; always met with, never to be found ! 
 The Landgrave ground his teeth, clenched his fists, with spasms of 
 fury. He quarrelled with his ministers ; swore at the officers ; cursed 
 the sentinels ; and the story went through Klosterheim that he had 
 kicked Adorni. 
 
 Certain it was, under whatever stimulus, that Adorni put forth 
 much more zeal at last for the apprehension of The Masque. Come 
 what would, he publicly avowed that six days more should not elapse 
 without the arrest of this " ruler of Klosterheim by night." He had a 
 scheme for the purpose, a plot baited for snaring him ; and he pledged 
 his reputation as a minister and an intriguer upon its entire success. 
 
 On the following day, invitations were issued by Adorni, in His 
 Highness's name, to a masqued ball on that day week. The fashion 
 of masqued entertainments had been recently introduced from Italy into 
 this sequestered nook of Germany ; and here, as there, it had been 
 abused to purposes of criminal intrigue. 
 
182 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 Spite of the extreme unpopularity of the Landgrave with the low 
 and middle classes of the city, among the highest his little court still 
 continued to furnish a central resort to the rank and high blood, con- 
 verged in such unusual proportion within the walls of Klosterheim. 
 The schloss was still looked to as the standard and final court of 
 appeal in all matters of taste, elegance, and high breeding. Hence it 
 naturally happened that everybody with any claims to such an honour 
 was anxious to receive a ticket of admission ; it became the test for 
 ascertaining a person's pretensions to mix in the first circles of society ; 
 and, with this extraordinary zeal for obtaining an admission, naturally 
 increased the minister's rigour and fastidiousness in pressing the usual 
 investigation of the claimant's qualifications. Much offence was given 
 on both sides, and many sneers hazarded at the minister himself, whose 
 pretensions were supposed to be of the lowest description. But the 
 result was that exactly twelve hundred cards were issued ; these were 
 regularly numbered, and below the device engraved upon the card was 
 impressed a seal bearing the arms and motto of the Landgraves of 
 X . 
 
 Every precaution was taken for carrying into effect the scheme, 
 with all its details, as concerted by Adorni ; and the third day of the 
 following week was announced as the day of the expected fete. 
 
 The morning of the important day at length arrived, and all 
 Klosterheim was filled with expectation. Even those who were not 
 amongst the invited shared in the anxiety ; for a great scene was 
 looked for, and perhaps some tragical explosion. The undertaking of 
 Adorni was known ; it had been published abroad that he was solemnly 
 pledged to effect the arrest of The Masque ; and by many it was 
 believed that he would so far succeed, at the least, as to bring on a 
 public collision with that extraordinary personage. As to the issue, 
 most people were doubtful, The Masque having hitherto so uniformly 
 defeated the best-laid schemes for his apprehension. But it was hardly 
 questioned that the public challenge offered to him by Adorni would 
 succeed in bringing him before the public eye. This challenge had 
 taken the shape of a public notice, posted up in the places where The 
 Masque had usually affixed his own ; and it was to the following 
 effect : " That the noble strangers now in Klosterheim, and others 
 invited to the Landgrave's fete, who might otherwise feel anxiety in 
 presenting themselves at the schloss, from an apprehension of meeting 
 with the criminal disturber of the public peace, known by the appellation 
 of The Masque, were requested by authority to lay aside all apprehen- 
 sions of that nature, as the most energetic measures had been adopted 
 to prevent or chastise upon the spot any such insufferable intrusion ; and, 
 for The Masque himself, if he presumed to disturb the company by his 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 183 
 
 presence, he would be seized where he stood, and without further 
 inquiry committed to the Provost-Marshal for instant execution ; on 
 which account, all persons were warned carefully to forbear from 
 intrusions of simple curiosity, since in the hurry of the moment it might 
 be difficult to make the requisite distinctions." 
 
 It was anticipated that this insulting notice would not long go 
 without an answer from The Masque. Accordingly, on the following 
 morning, a placard, equally conspicuous, was posted up in the same 
 public places, side by side with that to which it replied. It was 
 couched in the following terms: "That he who ruled by night in 
 Klosterheim could not suppose himself to be excluded from a nocturnal 
 fete given by any person in that city. That he must be allowed to 
 believe himself invited by the Prince, and would certainly have the 
 .honour to accept His Highness's obliging summons. With regard to 
 the low personalities addressed to himself, that he could not descend to 
 notice anything of that nature coming from a man so abject as Adorni, 
 until he should first have cleared himself from the imputation of having 
 been a tailor in Venice at the time of the Spanish conspiracy in 1618, 
 and banished from that city, not for any suspicions that could have 
 settled upon him and his eight journeymen as making up one conspir- 
 ator, but on account of some professional tricks in making a doublet 
 for the Doge. For the rest, he repeated that he would not fail to 
 meet the Landgrave and his honourable company." 
 
 All Klosterheim laughed at this public mortification offered to Adorni's 
 pride ; for that minister had incurred the public dislike as a foreigner, 
 and their hatred on the score of private character. Adorni himself 
 foamed at the mouth with rage, impotent for the present, but which he 
 prepared to give deadly effect to at the proper time. But, whilst it 
 laughed, Klosterheim also trembled. Some persons indeed were of 
 opinion that the answer of The Masque was a mere sportive effusion 
 of malice or pleasantry from the students, who had suffered so much 
 by his annoyances. But the majority, amongst whom was Adorni him- 
 self, thought otherwise. Apart even from the reply, or the insult which 
 had provoked it, the general impression was that The Masque would 
 not have failed in attending a festival which, by the very costume 
 which it imposed, offered so favourable a cloak to his own mysterious 
 purposes. In this persuasion, Adorni took all the precautions which 
 personal vengeance and Venetian subtlety could suggest, for availing 
 himself of the single opportunity that would perhaps ever be allowed 
 him for entrapping this public enemy, who had now become a private 
 one to himself. 
 
 These various incidents had furnished abundant matter for conver- 
 sation in Klosterheim, and had carried the public expectation to the 
 
184 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 highest pitch of anxiety, some time before the great evening arrived. 
 Leisure had been allowed for fear, and every possible anticipation of the 
 wildest character, to unfold themselves. Hope, even, amongst many, 
 was a predominant sensation. Ladies were preparing for hysterics. 
 Cavaliers, besides the swords which they wore as regular articles of 
 dress, were providing themselves with stilettoes against any sudden 
 rencontre hand to hand, or any unexpected surprise. Armourers and 
 furbishers of weapons were as much in request as the more appropriate 
 artists who minister to such festal occasions. These again were 
 summoned to give their professional aid and attendance to an extent so 
 much out of proportion to their numbers and their natural power of 
 exertion that they were harassed beyond all physical capacity of endur- 
 ance, and found their ingenuity more heavily taxed to find personal 
 substitutes amongst the trades most closely connected with their own 
 than in any of the contrivances which more properly fell within the 
 business of their own art. Tailors, horse-milliners, shoemakers, friseurs, 
 drapers, mercers, tradesmen of every description, and servants of every 
 class and denomination, were summoned to a sleepless activity each in 
 his several vocation, or in some which he undertook by proxy. Artificers 
 who had escaped on political motives from Nuremburg and other Imperial 
 cities, or from the sack of Magdeburg, now showed their ingenuity, 
 and their readiness to earn the bread of industry ; and, if Klosterheim 
 resembled a hive in the close-packed condition of its inhabitants, it was 
 now seen that the resemblance held good hardly less in the industry 
 which, upon a sufficient excitement, it was able to develop. But in the 
 midst of all this stir, din, and unprecedented activity, whatever occupa- 
 tion each man found for his thoughts or for his hands in his separate 
 employments, all hearts were mastered by one domineering interest the 
 approaching collision of the Landgrave, before his assembled court, with 
 the mysterious agent who had so long troubled his repose. 
 
 The day at length arrived ; the guards were posted in unusual 
 strength : the pages of honour, and servants in their state-dresses, were 
 drawn up in long and gorgeous files along the sides of the vast gothic 
 halls, which ran in continued succession from the front of the schloss 
 to the more modern saloons in the rear ; bands of military music, 
 collected from amongst the foreign prisoners of various nations at 
 Vienna, were stationed in their national costume Italian, Hungarian, 
 Turkish, or Croatian in the lofty galleries or corridors which ran 
 round the halls ; and the deep thunders of the kettle-drums, relieved by 
 cymbals and wind-instruments, began to fill the mazes of the palace as 
 early as seven o'clock in the evening ; for at that hour, according to 
 the custom then established in Germany, such entertainments commenced. 
 Repeated volleys from long lines of musketeers, drawn up in the square, 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 185 
 
 and at the other entrances of the palace, with the deep roar of artillery, 
 announced the arrival of the more distinguished visitors ; amongst whom 
 it was rumoured that several officers in supreme command from the 
 Swedish camp, already collected in the neighbourhood, were this night 
 coming incognito availing themselves of their masques to visit the 
 Landgrave and improve the terms of their alliance, whilst they declined 
 the risk which they might have brought on themselves by too open a 
 visit in their own avowed characters and persons to a town so unsettled 
 in its state of feeling, and so friendly to the Emperor, as Klosterheim 
 had notoriously become. 
 
 From seven to nine o'clock, in one unbroken line of succession, 
 gorgeous parties streamed along through the halls, a distance of full 
 half a quarter of a mile, until they were checked by the barriers erected 
 at the entrance to the first of the entertaining rooms, as the station for 
 examining the tickets of admission. This duty was fulfilled in a way 
 which, though really rigorous in the extreme, gave no inhospitable 
 annoyance to the visitors : the barriers themselves concealed their jealous 
 purpose of hostility, and in a manner disavowed the secret awe and 
 mysterious terror which brooded over the evening, by the beauty of 
 their external appearance. They presented a triple line of gilt lattice- 
 work, rising to a great altitude, and connected with a fretted roof by 
 pendent draperies of the most magnificent velvet, intermingled with 
 banners and heraldic trophies suspended from the ceiling, and at intervals 
 slowly agitated in the currents which now and then swept these aerial 
 heights. In the centre of the lattice opened a single gate, on each side 
 of which were stationed a couple of sentinels armed to the teeth; and 
 this arrangement was repeated three times, so rigorous was the vigil- 
 ance employed. At the second of the gates, where the bearer of a 
 forged ticket would have found himself in a sort of trap, with absolutely 
 no possibility of escape, every individual of each successive party pre- 
 sented his card of admission, and, fortunately for the convenience of the 
 company, in consequence of the particular precaution used, one moment's 
 inspection sufficed. The cards had been issued to the parties invited 
 not very long before the time of assembling ; consequently as each was 
 sealed with a private seal of the Landgrave's, sculptured elaborately 
 with his armorial bearings, forgery would have been next to impossible. 
 These arrangements, however, were made rather to relieve the 
 company from the too powerful terrors which haunted them, and to 
 possess them from the first with a sense of security, than for the satis- 
 faction of the Landgrave or his minister. They were sensible that The 
 Masque had it in his power to command an access from the interior 
 and this it seemed next to impossible altogether to prevent ; nor was 
 that indeed the wish of Adorni, but rather to facilitate his admission, 
 
186 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 and afterwards, when satisfied of his actual presence, to bar up all 
 possibility of retreat. Accordingly, the interior arrangements, though 
 perfectly prepared, and ready to close up at the word of command, were 
 for the present but negligently enforced. 
 
 Thus stood matters at nine o'clock, by which time upwards of a 
 thousand persons had assembled ; and in ten minutes more an officer 
 reported that the whole twelve hundred were present without one 
 defaulter. 
 
 The Landgrave had not yet appeared, his minister having received 
 the company ; nor was he expected to appear for an hour in reality, 
 he was occupied in political discussion with some of the illustrious 
 incognitos. But this did not interfere with the progress of the 
 festival ; and at this moment nothing could be more impressive than the 
 far-stretching splendours of the spectacle. 
 
 In one immense saloon, twelve hundred cavaliers and ladies, attired 
 in the unrivalled pomp of that age, were arranging themselves for one 
 of the magnificent Hungarian dances which the Emperor's court at 
 Vienna had transplanted to the camp of Wallenstein, and thence to all 
 the great houses of Germany. Bevies of noble women, in every variety 
 of fanciful costume, but in each considerable group presenting deep 
 masses of black or purple velvet, on which, with the most striking 
 advantage of radiant relief, lay the costly pearl ornaments, or the 
 sumptuous jewels, so generally significant in those times of high 
 ancestral pretensions, intermingled with the drooping plumes of martial 
 cavaliers, who presented almost universally the soldierly air of frankness 
 which belongs to active service, mixed with the Castilian grandezza 
 that still breathed through the camps of Germany, emanating originally 
 from the magnificent courts of Brussels, of Madrid, and of Vienna, and 
 propagated to this age by the links of Tilly, the Bavarian commander, 
 and Wallenstein, the more than princely commander for the Emperor. 
 Figures and habiliments so commanding were of themselves enough to 
 fill the eye and occupy the imagination ; but beyond all this, feelings of 
 awe and mystery, under more shapes than one, brooded over the whole 
 scene, and diffused a tone of suspense and intense excitement through- 
 out the vast assembly. It was known that illustrious strangers were 
 present incognito. There now began to be some reason for antici- 
 pating a great battle in the neighbourhood. The men were now present, 
 perhaps the very hands were now visibly displayed for the coming 
 dance which in a few days or even hours (so rapid were the move- 
 ments at this period) were to wield the truncheon that might lay the 
 Catholic empire prostrate, or might mould the destiny of Europe for 
 centuries. Even this feeling gave way to one still more enveloped in 
 shades The Masque 1 Would he keep his promise and appear ? might 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 187 
 
 he not be there already? might he not even now be moving amongst 
 them? may he not, even at this very moment, thought each person, 
 secretly be near me or even touching myself or haunting my own 
 steps ? 
 
 Yet again, thought most people (for at that time hardly anybody 
 affected to be incredulous in matters allied to the supernatural), was this 
 mysterious being liable to touch? Was he not of some impassive 
 nature, inaudible, invisible, impalpable? Many of his escapes, if truly 
 reported, seemed to argue as much. If, then, connected with the 
 spiritual world, was it with the good or the evil in that inscrutable 
 region ? But then the bloodshed, the torn dresses, the marks of deadly 
 struggle, which remained behind in some of those cases where mysterious 
 disappearances had occurred, these seemed undeniable arguments of 
 murder, foul and treacherous murder. Every attempt, in short, to 
 penetrate the mystery of this being's nature proved as abortive as the 
 attempts to intercept his person ; and all efforts at applying a solution 
 to the difficulties of the case made the mystery even more mysterious. 
 
 These thoughts, however, generally as they pervaded the company, 
 would have given way for a time at least to the excitement of the 
 scene ; for a sudden clapping of hands from some officers of the house- 
 hold, to enforce attention, and as a signal to the orchestra in one of 
 the galleries, at this moment proclaimed that the dances were on the 
 point of commencing in another half minute, when suddenly a shriek 
 from a female, and then a loud tumultuous cry from a multitude of voices, 
 announced some fearful catastrophe ; and in the next moment a shout 
 of "Murder!" froze the blood of the timid amongst the company. 
 
 So vast was the saloon that it had been impossible through the 
 maze of figures, the confusion of colours, and the mingling of a thou- 
 sand voices, that anything should be perceived distinctly at the lower 
 end of all that was now passing at the upper. Still, so awful is the 
 mystery of life, and so hideous and accursed in man's imagination is 
 every secret extinction of that consecrated lamp, that no news thrills so 
 deeply, or travels so rapidly. Hardly could it be seen in what direction, 
 or through whose communication, yet in less than a minute a move- 
 ment of sympathising horror, and uplifted hands, announced that the 
 dreadful news had reached them. A murder, it was said, had been 
 committed in the palace. Ladies began to faint; others hastened 
 away in search of friends ; others to learn the news more accurately ; 
 and some of the gentlemen, who thought themselves sufficiently privi- 
 leged by rank, hurried off with a stream of agitated inquiries to the 
 interior of the castle, in search of the scene itself. A few only passed 
 the guard in the first moments of confusion, and penetrated with the 
 agitated Adorni through the long and winding passages, into the very 
 
188 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 scene of the murder. A rumour had prevailed for a moment that the 
 Landgrave was himself the victim: and, as the road by which the 
 agitated household conducted them took a direction towards his High- 
 ness's suite of rooms, at first Adorni had feared that result Recovering 
 his self-possession, however, at length he learned that it was the poor 
 old seneschal upon whom the blow had fallen. And he pressed on 
 with more coolness to the dreadful spectacle. 
 
 The poor old man was stretched at his length on the floor. It did 
 not seem that he had struggled with the murderer. Indeed, from some 
 appearances, it seemed probable that he had been attacked whilst sleep- 
 ing ; and, though he had received three wounds, it was pronounced by 
 a surgeon that one of them (and that, from circumstances, the first) had 
 been sufficient to extinguish life. He was discovered by his daughter, 
 a woman who held some respectable place amongst the servants of the 
 castle ; and every presumption concurred in fixing the time of the dreadful 
 scene to about one hour before. 
 
 "Such, gentlemen, are the acts of this atrocious monster, this 
 Masque, who has so long been the scourge of Klosterheim," said 
 Adorni to the strangers who had accompanied him, as they turned 
 away on their return to the company ; " but this very night, I trust, 
 will put a bridle in his mouth." 
 
 " God grant it may be so ! " said some. But others thought the 
 whole case too mysterious for conjectures, and too solemn to be decided 
 by presumptions. And in the midst of agitated discussions on the 
 scene they had just witnessed, as well as the whole history of The 
 Masque, the party returned to the saloon. 
 
 Under ordinary circumstances, this dreadful event would have damped 
 the spirits of the company ; as it was, it did but deepen the gloomy 
 excitement which already had possession of all present, and raise a more 
 intense expectation of the visit so publicly announced by The Masque. 
 It seemed as though he had perpetrated this recent murder merely by 
 way of reviving the impression of his own dreadful character in Kloster- 
 heim, which might have decayed a little of late, in all its original 
 strength and freshness of novelty ; or, as though he wished to send 
 immediately before him an act of atrocity that should form an appro- 
 priate herald or harbinger of his own entrance upon the scene. 
 
 Dreadful, however, as this deed of darkness was, it seemed of too 
 domestic a nature to exercise any continued influence upon so distin- 
 guished an assembly, so numerous, so splendid, and brought together 
 at so distinguished a summons. Again, therefore, the masques 
 prepared to mingle in the dance ; again the signal was given ; again 
 the obedient orchestra preluded to the coming strains. In a moment 
 more, the full tide of harmony swept along. The vast saloon, and its 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 189 
 
 echoing roof, rang with the storm of music. The masques, with their 
 floating plumes and jewelled caps, glided through the fine mazes of the 
 Hungarian dances. All was one magnificent and tempestuous confusion 
 overflowing with the luxury of sound and sight, when suddenly, about 
 midnight, a trumpet sounded, the Landgrave entered, and all was 
 hushed. The glittering crowd arranged themselves in a half circle at 
 the upper end of the room ; his Highness went rapidly round, saluting 
 the company, and receiving their homage in return. A signal was 
 again made ; the music and the dancing were resumed ; and such was 
 the animation and the turbulent delight amongst the gayer part of the 
 company, from the commingling of youthful blood with wine, lights, 
 music, and festal conversation, that, with many, all thoughts of the 
 dreadful Masque who "reigned by night in Klosterheim" had faded 
 before the exhilaration of the moment. Midnight had come ; the dread- 
 ful apparition had not yet entered : young ladies began timidly to jest 
 upon the subject, though as yet but faintly, and in a tone somewhat 
 serious for a jest ; and young cavaliers, who, to do them justice, had 
 derived most part of their terrors from the superstitious view of the 
 case, protested to their partners that if The Masque, on making his 
 appearance, should conduct himself in a manner unbecoming a cavalier, 
 or offensive to the ladies present, they should feel it their duty to 
 chastise him; "though," said they, "with respect to old Adorni, should 
 The Masque think proper to teach him better manners, or even to cane 
 him, we shall not find it necessary to interfere." 
 
 Several of the very young ladies protested that, of all things, they 
 should like to see a battle between old Adorni and The Masque, "such 
 a love of a quiz that old Adorni is ! " whilst others debated whether 
 The Masque would turn out a young man or an old one ; and a few 
 elderly maidens mooted the point whether he were likely to be a 
 "single" gentleman, or burdened with a "wife and family." These 
 and similar discussions were increasing in vivacity, and kindling more 
 and more gaiety of repartee, when suddenly, with the effect of a funeral 
 knell upon their mirth, a whisper began to circulate, that there was one 
 masque too many in company. Persons had been stationed by Adorni 
 in different galleries, with instructions to note accurately the dress of 
 every person in the company ; to watch the motions of every one who 
 gave the slightest cause for suspicion, by standing aloof from the rest 
 of the assembly, or by any other peculiarity of manner ; but, above all, 
 to count the numbers of the total assembly. This last injunction was 
 more easily obeyed than at first sight seemed possible. At this time, 
 the Hungarian dances, which required a certain number of partners to 
 execute the movements of the figure, were of themselves a sufficient 
 register of the precise amount of persons engaged in them. And, as 
 
190 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 these dances continued for a long time undisturbed, this calculation, 
 once made, left no further computation necessary than simply to take 
 the account of all who stood otherwise engaged. This list, being much 
 the smaller one, was soon made ; and the reports of several different 
 observers, stationed in different galleries, and checked by each other, all 
 tallied in reporting a total of just twelve hundred and one persons, after 
 every allowance was made for the known members of the Landgrave's 
 suite, who were all unmasked. 
 
 This report was announced, with considerable trepidation, in a very 
 audible whisper to Adorni and the Landgrave. The buzz of agitation 
 attracted instant attention ; the whisper was loud enough to catch the 
 ears of several ; the news went rapidly kindling through the room that 
 the company was too many by one : all the ladies trembled, their knees 
 shook, their voices failed, they stopped in the very middle of questions, 
 answers halted for their conclusion and were never more remembered by 
 either party ; the very music began to falter, the lights seemed to wane 
 and sicken ; for the fact was now too evident that The Masque had 
 kept his appointment, and was at this moment in the room, "to meet 
 the Landgrave and his honourable company." 
 
 Adorni and the Landgrave now walked apart from the rest of the 
 household, and were obviously consulting together on the next step to 
 be taken, or on the proper moment for executing one which had already 
 been decided on. Some crisis seemed approaching, and the knees of 
 many ladies knocked together, as they anticipated some cruel or bloody 
 act of vengeance. " Oh, poor Masque 1 " sighed a young lady in her 
 tender-hearted concern for one who seemed now at the mercy of his 
 enemies: "Do you think, sir," addressing her partner, "they will cut 
 him to pieces ? " " Oh, that wicked old Adorni ! " exclaimed another ; 
 " I know he will stick the poor Masque on one side, and somebody else 
 will stick him on the other ; I know he will, because The Masque called 
 him a tailor : do you think he was a tailor, sir?" "Why, really, madam, 
 he walks like a tailor ; but then he must be a very bad one, considering 
 how ill his own clothes are made ; and that, you know, is next door to 
 being none at all. But see, his Highness is going to stop the music." 
 
 In fact, at that moment the Landgrave made a signal to the 
 orchestra ; the music ceased abruptly ; and his Highness, advancing to 
 the company, who stood eagerly awaiting his words, said " Illustrious 
 and noble friends ! for a very urgent and special cause I will request of 
 you all to take your seats." 
 
 The company obeyed : every one sought the chair next to him, or, 
 if a lady, accepted that which was offered by the cavalier at her side. 
 The standers continually diminished. Two hundred were left, one hun- 
 dred and fifty, eighty, sixty, twenty, till at last they were reduced to 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 191 
 
 two, both gentlemen, who had been attending upon ladies. They were 
 suddenly aware of their own situation. One chair only remained out of 
 twelve hundred. Eager to exonerate himself from suspicion, each 
 sprang furiously to this seat ; each attained it at the same moment, and 
 each possessed himself of part at the same instant. As they happened 
 to be two elderly corpulent men, the younger cavaliers, under all the 
 restraints of the moment, the panic of the company, and the Landgrave's 
 presence, could not forbear laughing ; and the more spirited amongst 
 the young ladies caught the infection. 
 
 His Highness was little in a temper to brook this levity; and 
 hastened to relieve the joint occupants of the chair from the ridicule 
 of their situation. "Enough!" he exclaimed, "enough! all my 
 friends are requested to resume the situation most agreeable to them ; 
 my purpose is answered." The Prince was himself standing with all 
 his household, and, as a point of respect, all the company rose. 
 ("As you were," whispered the young soldiers to their fair companions.) 
 
 Adorni now came forward. "It is known," said he, "by trials 
 more than sufficient, that some intruder, with the worst intentions, has 
 crept into this honourable company. The ladies present will therefore 
 have the goodness to retire apart to the lower end of the saloon, whilst 
 the noble cavaliers will present themselves in succession to six officers 
 of his Highness's household, to whom they will privately communicate 
 their names and quality." 
 
 This arrangement was complied with, not, however, without the 
 exchange of a few flying jests on the part of the young cavaliers and 
 their fair partners, as they separated for the purpose. The cavaliers, 
 who were rather more than five hundred in number, went up as they 
 were summoned by the number marked upon their cards of admission, 
 and, privately communicating with some one of the officers appointed, 
 were soon told off, and filed away to the right of the Landgrave, 
 waiting for the signal which should give them permission to rejoin 
 their parties. 
 
 All had been now told off, within a score. These were clustered 
 together in a group ; and in that group undoubtedly was The Masque. 
 Every eye was converged upon this small knot of cavaliers ; each of the 
 spectators, according to his fancy, selected the one who came nearest in 
 dress, or in personal appearance, to his preconceptions of that mysterious 
 agent. Not a word was uttered, not a whisper; hardly a robe was 
 heard to rustle, or a feather to wave. 
 
 The twenty were rapidly reduced to twelve, these to six, the six to 
 four three two ; the tale of the invited was complete, and one man 
 remained behind. That was, past doubting, The Masque. 
 
 "There stands he that governs Klosterheim by night!" thought 
 
192 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 every cavalier, as he endeavoured to pierce the gloomy being's conceal- 
 ment, with penetrating eyes, or by scrutiny ten times repeated, to 
 unmasque the dismal secrets which lurked beneath his disguise. "There 
 stands the gloomy murderer!" thought another. "There stands the 
 poor detected criminal," thought the pitying young ladies, "who in the 
 next moment must lay bare his breast to the Landgrave's musketeers." 
 
 The figure meantime stood tranquil and collected, apparently not in 
 the least disturbed by the consciousness of his situation, or the breathless 
 suspense of more than a thousand spectators of rank and eminent 
 station, all bending their looks upon himself. He had been leaning 
 against a marble column, as if wrapt up in reverie, and careless of 
 everything about him. But, when the dead silence announced that the 
 ceremony was closed, that he only remained to answer for himself, and 
 upon palpable proof evidence not to be gainsaid incapable of answer- 
 ing satisfactorily ; when, in fact, it was beyond dispute that here was at 
 length revealed, in bodily presence, before the eyes of those whom he 
 had so long haunted with terrors, The Masque of Klosterheim, it was 
 naturally expected that now at least he would show alarm and trepid- 
 ation ; that he would prepare for defence, or address himself to instant 
 flight 
 
 Far otherwise ! cooler than any one person beside in the saloon, he 
 stood, like the marble column against which he had been reclining, 
 upright massy and imperturbable. He was enveloped in a voluminous 
 mantle, which at this moment, with a leisurely motion, he suffered to 
 fall at his feet, and displayed a figure in which the grace of an 
 Antinous met with the columnar strength of a Grecian Hercules, 
 presenting, in its tout ensemble, the majestic proportions of a Jupiter. 
 He stood a breathing statue of gladiatorial beauty, towering above all 
 who were near him, and eclipsing the noblest specimens of the human 
 form which the martial assembly presented. A buzz of admiration 
 arose, which in the following moment was suspended by the dubious 
 recollections investing his past appearances, and the terror which waited 
 even on his present movements. He was armed to the teeth ; and he 
 was obviously preparing to move. 
 
 Not a word had yet been spoken ; so tumultuous was the succession 
 of surprises, so mixed and conflicting the feelings, so intense the anxiety. 
 The arrangement of the groups was this : At the lower half of the 
 room, but starting forward in attitudes of admiration or suspense, were 
 the ladies of Klosterheim. At the upper end, in the centre, one hand 
 raised to bespeak attention, was The Masque of Klosterheim. To his 
 left, and a little behind him, with a subtle Venetian countenance, one 
 hand waving back a half file of musketeers, and the other raised as if 
 to arrest the arm of The Masque, was the wily minister Adorni 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 193 
 
 creeping nearer and nearer with a stealthy stride. To his right was 
 the great body of Klosterheim cavaliers, a score of students and young 
 officers pressing forward to the front ; but in advance of the whole, the 
 
 Landgrave of X , haughty, lowering, and throwing out looks of 
 
 defiance. These were the positions and attitudes in which the first 
 discovery of The Masque had surprised them ; and these they still retained. 
 Less dignified spectators were looking downwards from the galleries. 
 
 "Surrender!" was the first word by which silence was broken; it 
 came from the Landgrave. 
 
 "Or die!" exclaimed Adorni. 
 
 " He dies in any case," rejoined the Prince. 
 
 The Masque still raised his hand with the action of one who be- 
 speaks attention. Adorni he deigned not to notice. Slightly inclining 
 his head to the Landgrave, in a tone to which it might be the head- 
 dress of elaborate steel- work that gave a sepulchral tone, he replied, 
 
 "The Masque, who rules in Klosterheim by night, surrenders not. 
 He can die. But first he will complete the ceremony of the night, he 
 will reveal himself." 
 
 "That is superfluous," exclaimed Adorni; "we need no further 
 revelations. Seize him, and lead him out to death I " 
 
 " Dog of an Italian !" replied The Masque, drawing a dag from his 
 belt, "die first yourself!" And so saying, he slowly turned and levelled 
 the barrel at Adorni, who fled with two bounds to the soldiers in the 
 rear. Then, withdrawing the weapon hastily, he added in a tone of 
 cool contempt, " Or bridle that coward's tongue." 
 
 But this was not the minister's intention. "Seize him!" he cried 
 again impetuously to the soldiers, laying his hand on the arm of the 
 foremost, and pointing them forward to their prey. 
 
 " No ! " said the Landgrave, with a commanding voice ; " Halt ! I 
 bid you." Something there was in the tone, or it might be that there 
 was something in his private recollections, or something in the general 
 mystery, which promised a discovery that he feared to lose by the too 
 precipitate vengeance of the Italian. "What is it, mysterious being, 
 that you would reveal ? Or who is it that you now believe interested 
 in your revelations ? " 
 
 "Yourself. Prince, it would seem that you have me at your mercy: 
 wherefore then the coward haste of this Venetian hound ! I am one ; 
 you are many. Lead me then out ; shoot me. But no : Freely I entered 
 this hall; freely I will leave it. If I must die, I will die as a soldier. 
 Such I am ; and neither runagate from a foreign land ; nor " turning to 
 Adorni "a base mechanic." 
 
 "But a murderer!" shrieked Adorni: "but a murderer; and with 
 hands yet reeking from innocent blood!" 
 
194 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 " Blood, Adorni, that I will yet avenge. Prince, you demand the 
 nature of my revelations. I will reveal my name, my quality, and my 
 mission." 
 
 "And to whom?" 
 
 "To yourself, and none beside. And, as a pledge for the sincerity 
 of my discoveries, I will first of all communicate a dreadful secret, 
 known, as you fondly believe, to none but your Highness. Prince, dare 
 you receive my revelations?" 
 
 Speaking thus, The Masque took one step to the rear, turning his 
 back upon the room, and by a gesture signified his wish that the Land- 
 grave should accompany him. But at this motion ten or a dozen of the 
 foremost among the young cavaliers started forward in advance of the 
 Landgrave, in part forming a half circle about his person, and in part 
 commanding the open doorway. 
 
 " He is armed ! " they exclaimed ; " and trebly armed : will your 
 Highness approach him too nearly ? " 
 
 " I fear him not," said the Landgrave, with something of a con- 
 temptuous tone. 
 
 "Wherefore should you fear me?" retorted The Masque, with a 
 manner so tranquil and serene as involuntarily to disarm suspicion. 
 " Were it possible that I should seek the life of any man here in partic- 
 ular, in that case (pointing to the firearms in his belt), why should I 
 need to come nearer? Were it possible that any should find in my 
 conduct here a motive to a personal vengeance upon myself, which of 
 you is not near enough? Has your Highness the courage to trample 
 on such terrors?" 
 
 Thus challenged as it were to a trial of his courage before the 
 assembled rank of Klosterheim, the Landgrave waved off all who would 
 have stepped forward officiously to his support. If he felt any tremors, 
 he was now sensible that pride and princely honour called upon him to 
 dissemble them. And, probably, that sort of tremors which he felt in 
 reality did not point in the direction to which physical support, such as 
 was now tendered, could have been available. He hesitated no longer, 
 but strode forward to meet The Masque. His Highness and The Masque 
 met near the archway of the door, in the very centre of the groups. 
 
 With a thrilling tone, deep piercing full of alarm, The Masque 
 began thus : 
 
 "To win your confidence, for ever to establish credit with your 
 Highness, I will first of all reveal the name of that murderer who this 
 night dared to pollute your palace with an old man's blood. Prince, 
 bend your ear a little this way." 
 
 With a shudder, and a visible effort of self-command, the Landgrave 
 inclined his ear to The Masque, who added 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 195 
 
 "Your Highness will be shocked to hear it" : then in a lower tone, 
 
 "Who could have believed it ? It was ." All was pronounced 
 
 clearly and strongly, except the last word the name of the murderer : 
 that was made audible only to the Landgrave's ear. 
 
 Sudden and tremendous was the effect upon the Prince: he reeled a 
 few paces off; put his hand to the hilt of his sword; smote his fore- 
 head ; threw frenzied looks upon The Masque, now half imploring, now 
 dark with vindictive wrath. Then succeeded a pause of profoundest 
 silence, during which all the twelve hundred visitors, whom he had himself 
 assembled, as if expressly to make them witnesses of this extraordinary 
 scene, and of the power with which a stranger could shake him to and 
 fro in tempestuous strife of passions, were looking and hearkening with 
 senses on the stretch to pierce the veil of silence and of distance. At 
 last the Landgrave mastered his emotions sufficiently to say, "Well, sir, 
 what next ? " 
 
 " Next comes a revelation of another kind ; and I warn you, sir, 
 that it will not be less trying to the nerves. For this first I needed 
 your ear ; now I shall need your eyes. Think again, Prince, whether 
 you will stand the trial." 
 
 " Pshaw ! sir, you trifle with me ; again I tell you " But here 
 
 the Landgrave spoke with an affectation of composure and with an effort 
 that did not escape notice; "again I tell you that I fear you not Go 
 on." 
 
 "Then come forward a little, please your Highness, to the light of 
 this lamp." So saying, with a step or two in advance, he drew the 
 Prince under the powerful glare of a lamp suspended near the great 
 archway of entrance from the interior of the palace. Both were now 
 standing with their faces entirely averted from the spectators. Still 
 more effectually, however, to screen himself from any of those groups on 
 the left whose advanced position gave them somewhat more the advan- 
 tage of an oblique aspect, The Masque, at this moment, suddenly drew 
 up, with his left hand, a short Spanish mantle which depended from his 
 shoulders, and now gave him the benefit of a lateral screen. Then, so 
 far as the company behind them could guess at his act, unlocking 
 with his right hand and raising the masque which shrouded his myster- 
 ious features, he shouted aloud in a voice that rang clear through every 
 corner of the vast saloon, "Landgrave, for crimes yet unrevealed, I 
 summon you in twenty days, before a tribunal where there is no shield 
 but innocence 1" and at that moment turned his countenance full upon 
 the Prince. 
 
 With a yell, rather than a human expression of terror, the Land- 
 grave fell as if shot by a thunderbolt, stretched at his full length upon 
 the ground, lifeless apparently, and bereft of consciousness or sensation. 
 
196 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 A sympathetic cry of horror arose from the spectators. All rushed to- 
 wards The Masque. The young cavaliers who had first stepped forward 
 as volunteers in the Landgrave's defence were foremost, and interposed 
 between The Masque and the outstretched arms of Adorni, as if eager 
 to seize him first. In an instant a sudden and dense cloud of smoke 
 arose, nobody knew whence. Repeated discharges of firearms were 
 heard resounding from the doorway and the passages ; these increased 
 the smoke and the confusion. Trumpets sounded through the corridors. 
 The whole archway under which The Masque and the Landgrave had 
 been standing became choked up with soldiery, summoned by the 
 furious alarms that echoed through the palace. All was one uproar and 
 chaos of masques, plumes, helmets, halberds, trumpets, gleaming sabres, 
 and the fierce faces of soldiery forcing themselves through the floating 
 drapery of smoke that now filled the whole upper end of the saloon. 
 Adorni was seen in the midst, raving fruitlessly. Nobody heard : no- 
 body listened. Universal panic had seized the household, the soldiery, 
 and the company. Nobody understood exactly for what purpose the 
 tumult had commenced in what direction it tended. Some tragic catas- 
 trophe was reported from mouth to mouth : nobody knew what. Some 
 said the Landgrave had been assassinated ; some The Masque ; some 
 asserted that both had perished under reciprocal assaults. More believed 
 that The Masque had proved to be of that supernatural order of beings 
 with which the prevailing opinions of Klosterheim had long classed him ; 
 and that, upon raising his disguise, he had revealed to the Landgrave 
 the fleshless skull of some forgotten tenant of the grave. This indeed 
 seemed to many the only solution that, whilst it fell in with the pre- 
 judices and superstitions of the age, was of a nature to account for 
 that tremendous effect which the discovery had produced upon the 
 Landgrave. But it was one that naturally could be little calculated to 
 calm the agitations of the public prevailing at this moment This spread 
 contagiously. The succession of alarming events, the murder, the 
 appearance of The Masque, his subsequent extraordinary behaviour, the 
 overwhelming impression upon the Landgrave, which had formed the 
 catastrophe of this scenical exhibition, the consternation of the great 
 Swedish officers, who were spending the night in Klosterheim, and 
 reasonably suspected that the tumult might be owing to the sudden 
 detection of their own incognito, and that, in consequence, the popu- 
 lace of this Imperial city were suddenly rising to arms; the endless 
 distraction and counteraction of so many thousand persons visitors, 
 servants, soldiery, household all hurrying to the same point, and bring- 
 ing assistance to a danger of which nobody knew the origin, nobody 
 the nature, nobody the issue ; multitudes commanding where all obedience 
 was forgotten, all subordination had gone to wreck ; these circumstances of 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 19? 
 
 distraction united to sustain a scene of absolute frenzy in the castle, 
 which, for more than half-an-hour, the dense columns of smoke aggra- 
 vated alarmingly, by raising, in many quarters, additional terrors of fire. 
 And when at last, after infinite exertions, the soldiery had deployed 
 into the ball-room and the adjacent apartments of state, and had 
 succeeded, at the point of the pike, in establishing a safe egress for the 
 twelve hundred visitors, it was then first ascertained that all traces of 
 The Masque had been lost in the smoke and subsequent confusion, and 
 that, with his usual good fortune, he had succeeded in baffling his 
 pursuers. 
 
 [Paulina was, meanwhile, by means of forged letters, entrapped and 
 carried off to a lonely castle, the residence of the Landgrave's innocent 
 young daughter, who knew nothing of her father's crimes. Paulina was 
 about to be tortured on account of her supposed connection with a con- 
 spiracy against the Landgrave, when she escaped from her gaolers and 
 was succoured by her young hostess. The two maidens leave the castle 
 together. The Landgrave, ignorant of his daughter's flight, issued orders 
 for the female refugee to be shot without question when taken. Within 
 the walls of Klosterheim, all is gloom and fear. The Landgrave relying 
 on the growing power of the Swedes, becomes daily more tyrannous. 
 To show his defiance of The Masque, and also as a cloak to his dark 
 designs, he gives another great ball.] 
 
 In twenty days the mysterious Masque had summoned the Land- 
 grave "to answer, for crimes unatoned, before a tribunal where no 
 power but that of innocence could avail him." These days were nearly 
 expired. The morning of the Twentieth had arrived. 
 
 There were two interpretations of this summons. By many it was 
 believed that the tribunal contemplated was that of the Emperor ; and 
 that, by some mysterious plot, which could not be more difficult of 
 execution than others which had actually been accomplished by The 
 Masque, on this day the Landgrave would be carried off to Vienna. 
 Others, again, understanding by the tribunal, in the same sense, the 
 Imperial chamber of criminal justice, believed it possible to fulfil the 
 summons in some way less liable to delay or uncertainty than by a long 
 journey to Vienna through a country beset with enemies. But a third 
 party, differing from both the others, understood by the tribunal where 
 innocence was the only shield the judgment seat of heaven ; and 
 believed that on this day justice would be executed on the Landgrave, 
 for crimes known and unknown, by a public and memorable death. 
 Under any interpretation, however, nobody amongst the citizens could 
 venture peremptorily to deny, after the issue of the masqued ball, and 
 of so many other public denunciations, that The Masque would keep his 
 word to the letter. 
 
198 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 It followed of necessity that everybody was on the tip-toe of sus- 
 pense, and that the interest hanging upon the issue of this night's events 
 swallowed up all other anxieties, of whatsoever nature. Even the 
 battle which was now daily expected between the Imperial and Swedish 
 armies ceased to occupy the hearts and conversation of the citizens. 
 Domestic and public concerns alike gave way to the coming catastrophe 
 so solemnly denounced by The Masque. 
 
 The Landgrave alone maintained a gloomy reserve and the ex- 
 pression of a haughty disdain. He had resolved to meet the summons 
 with the liveliest expression of defiance, by fixing this evening for a 
 second masqued ball, upon a greater scale than the first. In doing this 
 he acted advisedly, and with the counsel of his Swedish allies. They 
 represented to him that the issue of the approaching battle might be 
 relied upon as pretty nearly certain; all the indications were indeed 
 generally thought to promise a decisive turn in their favour; but, in the 
 worst case, no defeat of the Swedish army in this war had ever been 
 complete ; that the bulk of the retreating army, if the Swedes should be 
 obliged to retreat, would take the road to Klosterheim, and would fur- 
 nish to himself a garrison capable of holding the city for many months to 
 come (and that would not fail to bring many fresh chances to all of them), 
 whilst to his new and cordial allies this course would offer a secure re- 
 treat from pursuing enemies, and a satisfactory proof of his own fidelity. 
 This even in the worst case ; whereas, in the better and more probable 
 one of a victory to the Swedes, to maintain the city but for a day or 
 two longer against internal conspirators, and the secret co-operators 
 outside, would be in effect to ratify any victory which the Swedes 
 might gain by putting into their hands at a critical moment one of its 
 most splendid trophies and guarantees. 
 
 These counsels fell too much into the Landgrave's own way of 
 thinking to meet with any demurs from him. It was agreed, therefore, 
 that as many Swedish troops as could at this important moment be 
 spared should be introduced into the halls and saloons of the castle on 
 the eventful evening, disguised as masquers. These were about four 
 hundred ; and other arrangements were made, equally mysterious, and 
 some of them known only to the Landgrave. 
 
 At seven o'clock, as on the former occasion, the company began to 
 assemble. The same rooms were thrown open ; but, as the party was 
 now far more numerous, and was made more comprehensive in point of 
 rank, in order to include all who were involved in the conspiracy which 
 had been for some time maturing in Klosterheim, fresh suites of rooms 
 were judged necessary, on the pretext of giving fuller effect to the 
 princely hospitalities of the Landgrave. And, on this occasion, according 
 to an old privilege conceded in the case of coronations or galas of mag- 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 199 
 
 nificence by the Lady Abbess of St Agnes, the partition walls were 
 removed between the great hall of the schloss and the refectory of that 
 immense convent; so that the two vast establishments, which on one 
 side were contiguous to each other, were thus laid into one. 
 
 The company had now continued to pour in for two hours. The 
 palace and the refectory of the convent were now overflowing with 
 lights and splendid masques ; the avenues and corridors rang with music ; 
 and, though every heart was throbbing with fear and suspense, no out- 
 ward expression was wanting of joy and festal pleasure. For the 
 present, all was calm around the slumbering volcano. 
 
 Suddenly the Count St Aldenheim, who was standing with arms 
 folded, and surveying the brilliant scene, felt someone touch his hand, 
 in the way concerted amongst the conspirators as a private signal of 
 recognition. He turned, and recognised his friend, the Baron Adelort, 
 who saluted him with three emphatic words" We are betrayed ! " 
 Then, after a pause, " Follow me." 
 
 St Aldenheim made his way through the glittering crowds, and 
 pressed after his conductor into one of the most private corridors. 
 
 " Fear not," said the other, " that we shall be watched. Vigilance 
 is no Jonger necessary to our crafty enemy. He has already triumphed. 
 Every avenue of escape is barred and secured against us : every outlet 
 of the palace is occupied by the Landgrave's troops. Not a man of us 
 will return alive." 
 
 " Heaven forbid we should prove ourselves such gulls 1 You are 
 but jesting, my friend." 
 
 " Would to God I were ! my information is but too certain. Some- 
 thing I have overheard by accident ; something has been told me ; and 
 something I have seen. Come you also, Count, and see what I will 
 show you : then judge for yourself." 
 
 So saying, he led St Aldenheim by a little circuit of passages to a 
 doorway, through which they passed into a hall of vast proportions : to 
 judge by the catafalques and mural monuments, scattered at intervals 
 along the vast expanse of its walls, this seemed to be the ante-chapel 
 of St Agnes. In fact it was so ; a few faint lights glimmered through 
 the gloomy extent of this immense chamber, placed (according to the 
 Catholic rite) at the shrine of the saint. Feeble as it was, however, 
 the light was powerful enough to display in the centre a pile of scaffold- 
 ing covered with black drapery. Standing at the foot, they could trace 
 the outlines of a stage at the summit, fenced in with a railing, a block, 
 and the other apparatus for the solemnity of a public execution, whilst 
 the sawdust below their feet ascertained the spot in which the heads 
 were to fall. 
 
 " Shall we ascend and rehearse our parts ? " asked the Count: " for 
 
200 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 methinks everything is prepared, except the headsman and the spectators. 
 A plague on the inhospitable knave ! " 
 
 "Yes, St Aldenheim, all is prepared even to the sufferers. On 
 that list, you stand foremost. Believe me, I speak with knowledge ; no 
 matter where gained. It is certain." 
 
 "Well, necessitas non habet legem ; and he that dies on 
 Tuesday will never catch cold on Wednesday. But still, that comfort 
 is something of the coldest. Think you that none better could 
 be had?" 
 
 " As how ? " 
 
 " Revenge, par exemple ; a little revenge. Might one not screw 
 the neck of this base Prince, who abuses the confidence of cavaliers so 
 perfidiously ? To die I care not ; but to be caught in a trap, and die 
 like a rat lured by a bait of toasted cheese Faugh ! my countly blood 
 rebels against it 1 " 
 
 " Something might surely be done, if we could muster in any 
 strength. That is, we might die sword in hand ; but " 
 
 " Enough ! I ask no more. Now, let us go. We will separately 
 pace the rooms, draw together as many of our party as we can single 
 out, and then proclaim ourselves. Let each answer for one victim. 
 I'll take his Highness for my share." 
 
 With this purpose, and thus forewarned of the dreadful fate at 
 hand, they left the gloomy ante-chapel, traversed the long suite of 
 entertaining rooms, and collected as many as could easily be detached 
 from the dances without too much pointing out their own motions to 
 the attention of all present. The Count St Aldenheim was seen rapidly 
 explaining to them the circumstances of their dreadful situation ; whilst 
 hands uplifted, or suddenly applied to the hilt of the sword, with other 
 gestures of sudden emotion, expressed the different impressions of rage 
 or fear which, under each variety of character, impressed the several 
 hearers. Some of them, however, were too unguarded in their motions; 
 and the energy of their gesticulations had now begun to attract the 
 attention of the company. 
 
 The Landgrave himself had his eye upon him. But at this moment 
 his attention was drawn off by an uproar of confusion in an antechamber, 
 which argued some tragical importance in the cause that could prompt 
 so sudden a disregard for the restraints of time and place. 
 
 His Highness issued from the room in consternation, followed by 
 many of the company. In the very centre of the anteroom, booted and 
 spurred, bearing all the marks of extreme haste, panic, and confusion, 
 stood a Swedish officer, dealing forth hasty fragments of some heart- 
 shaking intelligence. "All is lost!" said he; "not a regiment has 
 escaped 1" "And the place?" exclaimed a press of inquirers. "Nord- 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 201 
 
 lingen." "And which way has the Swedish army retreated?" demanded 
 a masque behind him. 
 
 "Retreat!" retorted the officer; "I tell you there is no retreat. All 
 have perished. The army is no more. Horse, foot, artillery all is 
 wrecked, crushed, annihilated. Whatever yet lives is in the power of 
 the Imperialists." 
 
 At this moment the Landgrave came up, and in every way strove to 
 check these too liberal communications. He frowned ; the officer saw 
 him not. He laid his hand on the officer's arm, but all in vain. He 
 spoke, but the officer knew not, or forgot his rank. Panic and 
 immeasurable sorrow had crushed his heart; he cared not for restraints; 
 decorum and ceremony were become idle words. The Swedish army had 
 perished. The greatest disaster of the whole Thirty Years' War had 
 fallen upon his countrymen. His own eyes had witnessed the tragedy, 
 and he had no power to check or restrain that which made his heart 
 overflow. 
 
 The Landgrave retired. But in half-an-hour the banquet was an- 
 nounced ; and his Highness had so much command over his own feelings 
 that he took his seat at the table. He seemed tranquil in the midst of 
 general agitation; for the company were distracted by various passions. 
 Some exulted in the great victory of the Imperialists, and the approach- 
 ing liberation of Klosterheim. Some who were in the secret anticipated 
 with horror the coming tragedy of vengeance upon his enemies which 
 the Landgrave had prepared for this night. Some were filled with sus- 
 pense and awe on the fulfilment in some way or other, doubtful as to 
 the mode, but tragic (it was not doubted) for the result, of The 
 Masque's mysterious denunciation. 
 
 Under such circumstances of universal agitation and suspense, for 
 on one side or other it seemed inevitable that this night must produce a 
 tragical catastrophe, it was not extraordinary that silence and embar- 
 rassment should at one moment take possession of the company, and at 
 another that kind of forced and intermitting gaiety which still more 
 forcibly proclaimed the trepidation which really mastered the spirits of 
 the assemblage. The banquet was magnificent: but it moved heavily 
 and in sadness. The music, which broke the silence at intervals, was 
 animating and triumphant ; but it had no power to disperse the gloom 
 which hung over the evening, and which was gathering strength con- 
 spicuously as the hours advanced to midnight 
 
 As the clock struck eleven, the orchestra had suddenly become 
 silent ; and, as no buzz of conversation succeeded, the anxiety of expect- 
 ation became more painfully irritating. The whole vast assemblage was 
 hushed, gazing at the doors at each other or watching, stealthily, the 
 Landgrave's countenance. Suddenly a sound was heard in an anteroom : 
 
202 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 a page entered with a step hurried and discomposed, advanced to the 
 Landgrave's seat, and bending downwards, whispered some news or 
 message to that Prince, of which not a syllable could be caught by the 
 company. Whatever was its import, it could not be collected, from 
 any very marked change on the features of him to whom it was 
 addressed, that he participated in the emotions of the messenger, which 
 were obviously those of grief or panic perhaps of both united. Some 
 even fancied that a transient expression of malignant exultation crossed 
 the Landgrave's countenance at this moment But, if that were so, it 
 was banished as suddenly ; and, in the next instant the Prince arose 
 with a leisurely motion ; and, with a very successful affectation (if such 
 it were) of extreme tranquillity, he moved forwards to one of the ante- 
 rooms, in which, as it now appeared, some person was awaiting his 
 presence. 
 
 Who, and on what errand ? These were the questions which now 
 racked the curiosity of those among the company who had least concern 
 in the final event, and more painfully interested others whose fate was 
 consciously dependent upon the accidents which the next hour might 
 happen to bring up. Silence still continuing to prevail, and, if possible 
 deeper silence than before, it was inevitable that all the company those 
 even whose honourable temper would least have brooked any settled 
 purpose of surprising the Landgrave's secrets should, in some measure, 
 become a party to what was now passing in the anteroom. 
 
 The voice of the Landgrave was heard at times briefly and some- 
 what sternly in reply but apparently in the tone of one who is thrown 
 upon the necessity of self-defence. On the other side, the speaker was 
 earnest, solemn, and (as it seemed) upon an office of menace or up- 
 braiding. For a time, however, the tones were low and subdued; but, 
 as the passion of the scene advanced, less restraint was observed on 
 both sides ; and at length many believed that in the stranger's voice they 
 recognised that of the Lady Abbess ; and it was some corroboration of 
 this conjecture that the name of Paulina began now frequently to be 
 caught, and in connection with ominous words, indicating some dreadful 
 fate supposed to have befallen her. 
 
 A few moments dispersed all doubts. The tones of bitter and angry 
 reproach rose louder than before; they were without doubt those of the 
 Abbess. She charged the blood of Paulina upon the Landgrave's head; 
 denounced the instant vengeance of the Emperor for so great an atrocity; 
 and, if that could be evaded, bade him expect certain retribution from 
 Heaven for so wanton and useless an effusion of innocent blood. 
 
 The Landgrave replied in a lower key ; and his words were few 
 and rapid. That they were words of fierce recrimination was easily col- 
 lected from the tone; and in the next minute the parties separated, with 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 203 
 
 little ceremony (as was sufficiently evident) on either side, and with 
 mutual wrath. The Landgrave re-entered the banqueting-room his 
 features discomposed and inflated with passion ; but such was his 
 self-command, and so habitual his dissimulation, that, by the time he 
 reached his seat, all traces of agitation had disappeared ; his counten- 
 ance had resumed its usual expression of stern serenity, and his 
 manners their usual air of perfect self-possession. 
 
 The clock of St Agnes struck twelve. At that sound the Landgrave 
 rose. "Friends and illustrious strangers!" said he, "I have caused one 
 seat to be left empty for that blood-stained Masque who summoned me 
 to answer on this night for a crime which he could not name, at a bar 
 which no man knows. His summons you heard. Its fulfilment is yet to 
 come. But I suppose few of us are weak enough to expect " 
 
 "That The Masque of Klosterheim will ever break his engagements," 
 said a deep voice, suddenly interrupting the Landgrave. All eyes were 
 directed to the sound; and behold! there stood The Masque, and seated 
 himself quietly in the chair which had been left vacant for his reception. 
 
 "It is well!" said the Landgrave; but the air of vexation and panic 
 with which he sank back into his seat belied his words. Rising again, 
 after a pause, with some agitation he said, "Audacious criminal 1 since 
 last we met, I have learned to know you, and to appreciate your purposes. 
 It is now fit they should be known to Klosterheim. A scene of justice 
 awaits you at present, which will teach this city to understand the delusions 
 which could build any part of her hopes upon yourself. Citizens and 
 friends, not I, but these dark criminals and interlopers whom you will 
 presently see revealed in their true colours, are answerable for that in- 
 terruption to the course of our peaceful festivities which will presently be 
 brought before you. Not I, but they are responsible." 
 
 So saying, the Landgrave arose, and the whole of the immense 
 audience, who now resumed their masques, and prepared to follow 
 whither his Highness should lead. With the haste of one who fears he 
 may be anticipated in his purpose, and the fury of some bird of prey 
 apprehending that his struggling victim may be yet torn from his talons, 
 the Prince hurried onwards to the ante-chapel. Innumerable torches now 
 illuminated its darkness; in other respects it remained as St Aldenheim 
 had left it. 
 
 The Swedish masques had many of them withdrawn from the gala 
 on hearing the dreadful day of Nordlingen. But enough remained, 
 when strengthened by the bodyguard of the Landgrave, to make up a 
 corps of nearly five hundred men. Under the command of Colonel Von 
 Aremberg, part of them now enclosed the scaffold, and part prepared 
 to seize the persons who were pointed out to them as conspirators. 
 Amongst these stood foremost The Masque. 
 
204 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 Shaking off those who attempted to lay hands upon him, he strode 
 disdainfully within the ring ; and then turning to the Landgrave he 
 said 
 
 " Prince, for once be generous ; accept me as a ransom for the 
 rest" 
 
 The Landgrave smiled sarcastically. " That were an unequal 
 bargain, methinks, to take a part in exchange for the whole." 
 
 " The whole ? And where is then your assurance of the whole ? " 
 
 "Who should now make it doubtful? There is the block; the 
 headsman is at hand. What hand can deliver from this extremity even 
 you, Sir Masque ? " 
 
 "That which has many times delivered me from a greater. It 
 seems, Prince, that you forget the last days in the history of Kloster- 
 heim. He that rules by night in Klosterheim may well expect a 
 greater favour than this when he descends to sue for it." 
 
 The Landgrave smiled contemptuously. " But again I ask you, sir, 
 will you on any terms grant immunity to these young men ? " 
 
 "You sue as vainly for others as you would do for yourself." 
 
 "Then all grace is hopeless?" The Landgrave vouchsafed no 
 answer, but made signals to Von Aremberg. 
 
 "Gentlemen, cavaliers, citizens of Klosterheim, you that are not 
 involved in the Landgrave's suspicions," said The Masque appealingly, 
 " will you not join me in the intercession I offer for these young friends, 
 who are else to perish unjudged, by blank edict of martial law?." 
 
 The citizens of Klosterheim interceded with ineffectual supplication. 
 
 "Gentlemen, you waste your breath; they die without reprieve," 
 replied the Landgrave. 
 
 "Will your Highness spare none?" 
 
 " Not one," he exclaimed angrily, "not the youngest amongst them." 
 
 " Nor grant a day's respite to him who may appear on examination 
 the least criminal of the whole ? " 
 
 "A day's respite? No, nor half-an-hour's. Headsman, be ready.- 
 Soldiers, lay the heads of the prisoners ready for the axe." 
 
 " Detested Prince, now look to your own ! " 
 
 With a succession of passions flying over his face, rage, disdain, 
 suspicion, the Landgrave looked round upon The Masque as he uttered 
 these words, and with pallid, ghastly consternation, beheld him raise to 
 his lips a hunting horn which depended from his neck. He blew a blast, 
 which was immediately answered from within. Silence as of the grave 
 ensued. All eyes were turned in the direction of the answer. Expect- 
 ation was at its summit ; and in less than a minute solemnly uprose the 
 curtain which divided the chapel from the ante-chapel, revealing a scene 
 that smote many hearts with awe, and the consciences of some with as 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 205 
 
 much horror as if it had really been that final tribunal which numbers 
 believed The Masque to have denounced. 
 
 The great chapel of St Agnes, the immemorial hall of coronation 
 
 for the Landgraves of X , was capable of containing with ease 
 
 from seven to eight thousand spectators. Nearly that number was now 
 collected in the galleries, which, on the recurrence of that great occasion, 
 or of a royal marriage, were usually assigned to the spectators. These 
 were all equipped in burnished arms, the very elite of the Imperial 
 army. Resistance was hopeless; in a single moment the Landgrave 
 saw himself dispossessed of all his hopes by an overwhelming force, the 
 advanced guard in fact of the victorious Imperialists, now fresh from 
 Nordlingen. 
 
 On the marble area of the chapel, level with their own position, 
 were arranged a brilliant staff of officers ; and a little in advance of 
 them, so as almost to reach the ante-chapel, stood the Imperial Legate 
 or Ambassador. This nobleman advanced to the crowd of Kloster- 
 heimers, and spoke thus : 
 
 "Citizens of Klosterheim, I bring you from the Emperor your true and 
 lawful Landgrave, Maximilian, son of your last beloved Prince." 
 
 Both chapels resounded with acclamations; and the troops presented 
 arms. 
 
 "Show us our Prince! let us pay him our homage!" echoed from 
 every mouth. 
 
 "This is mere treason!" exclaimed the Usurper. "The Emperor 
 invites treason against his own throne who undermines that of other 
 Princes. The late Landgrave had no son; so much is known to you 
 all." 
 
 "None that was known to his murderer," replied The Masque; 
 "else had he met no better fate than his unhappy father." 
 
 "Murderer! And what art thou, blood-polluted Masque, with hands 
 yet reeking from the blood of all who refused to join the conspiracy 
 against your lawful Prince?" 
 
 " Citizens of Klosterheim," said the Legate, " first let the Emperor's 
 friend be assoiled from all injurious thoughts. Those whom ye believe 
 to have been removed by murder are here to speak for themselves." 
 
 Upon this the whole line of those who had mysteriously disappeared 
 from Klosterheim presented themselves to the welcome of their as- 
 tonished friends. 
 
 "These," said the Legate, "quitted Klosterheim, even by the 
 same secret passages which enabled us to enter it, and for the self-same 
 purpose, to prepare the path for the restoration of the true heir, Maxi- 
 milian the Fourth, whom in this noble Prince you behold, and whom 
 may God long preserve ! " 
 
206 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 Saying this, to the wonder of the whole assembly he led forward 
 The Masque, whom nobody had yet suspected for more than an agent of 
 the true heir. 
 
 The Landgrave meantime, thus suddenly denounced as a tyrant 
 usurper murderer, had stood aloof, and had given but a slight attention 
 to the latter words of the Legate. A race of passions had traversed his 
 countenance, chasing each other in flying succession. But by a pro- 
 digious effort he recalled himself to the scene before him ; and striding 
 up to the crowd, of which the Legate was the central figure, he raised 
 his arm with a gesture of indignation, and protested vehemently that 
 the assassination of Maximilian's father had been iniquitously charged 
 upon himself: "And yet," said he, "upon that one gratuitous assump- 
 tion have been built all the other foul suspicions directed against my 
 person." 
 
 "Pardon me, sir," replied the Legate, "the evidences were such as 
 satisfied the Emperor and his Council ; and he showed it by the vigil- 
 ance with which he watched over the Prince Maximilian, and the 
 anxiety with which he kept him from approaching your Highness until 
 his pretensions could be established by arms. But, if more direct 
 evidence were wanting, since yesterday we have had it in the dying 
 confession of the very agent employed to strike the fatal blow. That 
 man died last night penitent and contrite, having fully unburdened his 
 conscience, at Waldenhausen. With evidence so overwhelming, the 
 Emperor exacts no further sacrifice from your Highness than that of 
 retirement from public life, to any one of your own castles in your 
 patrimonial principality of Oberhornstein. But now for a more pleasing 
 duty. Citizens of Klosterheim welcome your young Landgrave in the 
 Emperor's name: and to-morrow you shall welcome also your future 
 Landgravine, the lovely Countess Paulina, cousin to the Emperor, my 
 master, and cousin also to your noble young Landgrave." 
 
 "No!" exclaimed the malignant usurper, "her you shall never see 
 alive: for that, be well assured, I have taken care." 
 
 "Vile, unworthy Prince!" replied Maximilian, his eyes kindling 
 with passion, " know that your intentions, so worthy of a fiend, towards 
 that most innocent of ladies, have been confounded and brought to 
 nothing by your own gentle daughter, worthy of a far nobler father." 
 
 "If you speak of my directions for administering the torture, a 
 matter in which I presume that I exercised no unusual privilege amongst 
 German sovereigns, you are right But it was not that of which I 
 spoke." 
 
 "Of what else then? The Lady Paulina has escaped." 
 
 " True, to Falkenberg. But, doubtless, young Landgrave, you have 
 heard of such a thing as the intercepting of a fugitive prisoner; in such 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 207 
 
 a case you know the punishment which martial law awards. The 
 governor at Falkenberg had his orders." These last significant words 
 he uttered in a tone of peculiar meaning. His eyes sparkled with 
 bright gleams of malice and of savage vengeance, rioting in its com- 
 pletion. 
 
 "Oh, heart heart!" exclaimed Maximilian, "can this be possible?" 
 
 The Imperial Legate and all present crowded around him to suggest 
 such consolation as they could. Some offered to ride off express to 
 Falkenberg; some argued that the Lady Paulina had been seen within 
 the last hour. But the hellish exulter in ruined happiness destroyed that 
 hope as soon as it dawned: 
 
 "Children!" he said, "foolish children! cherish not such chimeras. 
 Me you have destroyed, Landgrave, and the prospects of my house. 
 Now perish yourself. Look there : is that the form of one who lives 
 and breathes?" 
 
 All present turned to the scaffold, in which direction he pointed, and 
 now first remarked, covered with a black pall, and brought hither 
 doubtless to aggravate the pangs of death to Maximilian, what seemed 
 but too certainly a female corpse. The stature, the fine swell of the 
 bust, the rich outline of the form, all pointed to the same conclusion; 
 and in this recumbent attitude, it seemed but too clearly to present the 
 magnificent proportions of Paulina. 
 
 There was a dead silence. Who could endure to break it? Who 
 make the effort which was for ever to fix the fate of Maximilian? 
 
 He himself could not. At last the deposed usurper, craving for 
 the consummation of his vengeance, himself strode forward ; with one 
 savage grasp he tore away the pall, and below it lay the innocent 
 features, sleeping in her last tranquil slumber, of his own gentle-minded 
 daughter ! 
 
 No heart was found savage enough to exult the sorrow even of 
 such a father was sacred. Death, and through his own orders, had 
 struck the only being whom he had ever loved ; and the petrific mace 
 of the fell destroyer seemed to have smitten his own heart and withered 
 its hopes for ever. 
 
 Everybody comprehended the mistake in a moment. Paulina had 
 lingered at Waldenhausen under the protection of an Imperial corps, 
 which she had met in her flight. The tyrant, who had heard of her 
 escape, but apprehended no necessity for such a step on the part of his 
 daughter, had issued sudden orders to the officer commanding the 
 military post at Falkenberg, to seize and shoot the female prisoner 
 escaping from confinement, without allowing any explanations whatso- 
 ever, on her arrival at Falkenberg. This precaution he had adopted in 
 part to intercept any denunciation of the Emperor's vengeance which 
 
208 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 Paulina might address to the officer. As a rude soldier, accustomed to 
 obey the letter of his orders, this commandant had executed his com- 
 mission ; and the gentle Adeline, who had naturally hastened to the 
 protection of her father's chateau, surrendered her breath meekly and 
 with resignation to what she believed a simple act of military violence ; 
 and this she did before she could know a syllable of her father's guilt 
 or his fall, and without any the least reason for supposing him connected 
 with the occasion of her early death. 
 
 At this moment Paulina made her appearance unexpectedly, to 
 re-assure the young Landgrave by her presence, and to weep over her 
 young friend, whom she had lost almost before she had come to know 
 her. The scaffold, the corpse, and the other images of sorrow, were 
 then withdrawn ; seven thousand Imperial troops presented arms to the 
 youthful Landgrave and the future Landgravine, the brilliant favourites 
 of the Emperor ; the immense area of St Agnes resounded with the 
 congratulations of Klosterheim ; and as the magnificent cortege moved 
 off to the interior of the schloss, the swell of the Coronation anthem 
 rising in peals upon the ear from the choir of St Agnes, and from the 
 military bands of the Imperial troops, awoke the promise of happier 
 days, and of more equitable government, to the long-harassed inhabitants 
 of Klosterheim. 
 
 The Klosterheimers knew enough already, personally or by questions 
 easily answered in every quarter, to supply any links which were want- 
 ing in the rapid explanations of the Legate. Nevertheless, that nothing 
 might remain liable to misapprehension or cavil, a short manifesto was 
 this night circulated by the new government, from which the following 
 facts are abstracted : 
 
 The last rightful Landgrave, whilst yet a young man, had been 
 assassinated in the forest when hunting. A year or two before this 
 catastrophe he had contracted what, from the circumstances, was pre- 
 sumed at the time to be morganatic, or left-handed, marriage with a 
 lady of high birth, nearly connected with the Imperial House. The effect 
 of such a marriage went to incapacitate the children who might be born 
 under it, male or female, from succeeding. On that account, as well as 
 because current report had represented her as childless, the widow lady 
 escaped all attempts from the assassin. Meantime this lady, who was no 
 other than Sister Madeline, had been thus indebted for her safety to two 
 rumours which were in fact equally false. She soon found means of 
 convincing the Emperor, who had been the bosom friend of her princely 
 husband, that her marriage was a perfect one, and conferred the fullest 
 rights of succession upon her infant son Maximilian, whom at the 
 earliest age, and with the utmost secrecy, she had committed to the 
 care of his Imperial Majesty. This powerful guardian had in every way 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 209 
 
 watched over the interests of the young prince. But the Thirty Years' 
 War had thrown all Germany into distractions, which for a time 
 thwarted the Emperor, and favoured the views of the usurper. Latterly also 
 another question had arisen on the city and dependencies of Klosterheim 
 as distinct from the Landgraviate. These, it was now affirmed, were a 
 
 female appanage, and could only pass back to the Landgraves of X 
 
 through a marriage with the female inheritrix. To reconcile all claims, 
 therefore, on finding this bar in the way, the Emperor had resolved to 
 promote a marriage for Maximilian with Paulina, who stood equally 
 related to the Imperial house and to that of her lover. In this view he 
 had despatched Paulina to Klosterheim, with proper documents to sup- 
 port the claims of both parties. Of these documents she had been 
 robbed at Waldenhausen ; and the very letter which was designed to 
 introduce Maximilian as "the child and sole representative of the late 
 murdered Landgrave," falling in this surreptitious way into the usurper's 
 hand, had naturally misdirected his attacks to the person of Paulina. 
 
 For the rest, as regarded the mysterious movements of The Masque, 
 these were easily explained. Fear, and the exaggerations of fear, had 
 done one half the work to his hands by preparing people to fall easy 
 dupes to the plans laid, and by increasing the romantic wonders of his 
 achievements. Co-operation also on the part of the very students 
 and others who stood forward as the night watch for detecting him, 
 had served The Masque no less powerfully. The appearances of deadly 
 struggles had been arranged artificially to countenance the plot and to 
 aid the terror. Finally, the secret passages which communicated be- 
 tween the forest and the chapel of St Agnes (passages of which many 
 were actually applied to that very use in the Thirty Years' War) had 
 been unreservedly placed at their disposal by the Lady Abbess, an early 
 friend of the unhappy Landgravine, who sympathised deeply with that 
 lady's unmerited sufferings. 
 
 One other explanation followed, communicated in a letter from 
 Maximilian to the Legate ; this related to the murder of the old sene- 
 schal, a matter in which the young Prince took some blame to himself 
 as having unintentionally drawn upon that excellent servant his un- 
 happy fate. "The seneschal," said the writer, "was the faithful friend 
 of my family, and knew the whole course of its misfortunes. He con- 
 tinued his abode at the schloss to serve my interest ; and in some 
 measure I may fear that I drew upon him his fate. Traversing late 
 one evening a suite of rooms, which his assistance and my own myster- 
 ious disguise laid open to my passage at all hours, I came suddenly 
 upon the Prince's retirement He pursued me, but with hesitation. 
 Some check I gave to his motions by halting before a portrait of my 
 unhappy father, and emphatically pointing his attention to it. Conscience, 
 
 M 
 
210 THE EERIE BOOK 
 
 I well knew, would supply a commentary to my act. I produced the 
 impression which I had anticipated, but not so strongly as to stop his 
 pursuit My course necessarily drew him into the seneschal's room. 
 The old man was sleeping ; and this accident threw into the Prince's 
 hands a paper, which, I have reason to think, shed some considerable 
 light upon my own pretensions, and, in fact, first made my enemy 
 acquainted with my existence and my claims. Meantime, the seneschal 
 had secured the Prince's vengeance upon himself. He was now known 
 as a faithful agent in my service. That fact signed his death-warrant. 
 There is a window in a gallery which commands the interior of the 
 seneschal's room. On the evening of the last fete, waiting there for 
 an opportunity of speaking securely with this faithful servant, I heard a 
 deep groan, and then another, and another ; I raised myself, and with 
 an ejaculation of horror, looked down upon the murderer then surveying 
 his victim with hellish triumph. My loud exclamation drew the 
 murderer's eye upwards : under the pangs of an agitated conscience, I 
 have reason to think that he took me for my unhappy father, who 
 perished at my age, and is said to have resembled me closely. Who 
 that murderer was, I need not say more directly. He fled with the 
 terror of one who flies from an apparition. Taking a lesson from this 
 incident, on that same night, by the very same sudden revelation of 
 what passed, no doubt, for my father's countenance, aided by my mys- 
 terious character, and the proof I had announced to him immediately 
 before of my acquaintance with the secret of the seneschal's murder in 
 this and no other way it was that I produced that powerful impression 
 upon the Prince which terminated the festivities of that evening, and 
 which all Klosterheim witnessed. If not, it is for the Prince to explain 
 in what other way I did or could affect him so powerfully." 
 
 This explanation of the else unaccountable horror manifested by the 
 ex-Landgrave on the sudden exposure of The Masque's features, 
 received a remarkable confirmation from the confession of the miserable 
 assassin at Waldenhausen. This man's illness had been first brought on 
 by the sudden shock of a situation pretty nearly the same, acting on a 
 conscience more disturbed and a more superstitious mind. In the very 
 act of attempting to assassinate or rob Maximilian, he had been 
 suddenly dragged by that Prince into a dazzling light; and this, settling 
 full upon the features which too vividly recalled to the murderer's recol- 
 lection that the last unhappy Landgrave at the very same period of 
 blooming manhood, and in his own favourite hunting palace, not far 
 from which the murder had been perpetrated, naturally enough had for 
 a time unsettled the guilty man's understanding, and, terminating in a 
 nervous fever, had at length produced his penitential death. 
 
 A death, happily of the same character, soon overtook the deposed 
 
THE EERIE BOOK 211 
 
 Landgrave. He was laid by the side of his daughter, whose memory, 
 as much even as his own penitence, availed to gather round his final 
 resting-place the forgiving thoughts even of those who had suffered 
 most from his crimes. Klosterheim in the next age flourished greatly, 
 being one of those cities which benefited by the Peace of Westphalia. 
 Many changes took place in consequence, greatly affecting the architec- 
 tural character of the town and its picturesque antiquities ; but, amidst 
 all revolutions of this nature, the secret passages still survive, and to 
 this day are shown occasionally to strangers of rank and consideration, 
 by which, more than by any other of the advantages at his disposal, 
 The Masque of Klosterheim was enabled to replace himself in his 
 patrimonial rights, and at the same time to liberate from a growing 
 oppression his own compatriots and subjects. 
 
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