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第22节

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with the rapacity of a vulture; and; seizing

it in her hands she tore off the flesh with

her teeth and swallowed it。



When the paroxysm of hunger had been

a little appeased; she appeared suddenly to

become aware how strange her conduct

had been; or it may have been that other

more agitating thoughts recurred to her

mind; for she began to weep bitterly and to

wring her hands。



'Oh! send for a minister of God;' said

she; 'I am not safe till he comes; send

for him speedily。'



Gerard Douw despatched a messenger

instantly; and prevailed on his niece to

allow him to surrender his bedchamber to

her use; he also persuaded her to retire

to it at once and to rest; her consent was

extorted upon the condition that they would

not leave her for a moment。



'Oh that the holy man were here!' she

said; 'he can deliver me。 The dead and

the living can never be oneGod has

forbidden it。'



With these mysterious words she

surrendered herself to their guidance; and

they proceeded to the chamber which

Gerard Douw had assigned to her use。



'Do notdo not leave me for a

moment;' said she。 'I am lost for ever if

you do。'



Gerard Douw's chamber was approached

through a spacious apartment; which they

were now about to enter。 Gerard Douw

and Schalken each carried a was candle;

so that a sufficient degree of light was cast

upon all surrounding objects。 They were

now entering the large chamber; which; as

I have said; communicated with Douw's

apartment; when Rose suddenly stopped;

and; in a whisper which seemed to thrill

with horror; she said:



'O God! he is herehe is here! See;

seethere he goes!'



She pointed towards the door of the

inner room; and Schalken thought he saw

a shadowy and ill…defined form gliding into

that apartment。 He drew his sword; and

raising the candle so as to throw its light

with increased distinctness upon the objects

in the room; he entered the chamber into

which the shadow had glided。 No figure

was therenothing but the furniture which

belonged to the room; and yet he could

not be deceived as to the fact that

something had moved before them into the

chamber。



A sickening dread came upon him; and

the cold perspiration broke out in heavy

drops upon his forehead; nor was he more

composed when he heard the increased

urgency; the agony of entreaty; with which

Rose implored them not to leave her for

a moment。



'I saw him;' said she。 'He's here! I

cannot be deceivedI know him。 He's

by mehe's with mehe's in the room。

Then; for God's sake; as you would save;

do not stir from beside me!'



They at length prevailed upon her to lie

down upon the bed; where she continued

to urge them to stay by her。 She

frequently uttered incoherent sentences;

repeating again and again; 'The dead

and the living cannot be oneGod has

forbidden it!' and then again; 'Rest

to the wakefulsleep to the sleep…walkers。'



These and such mysterious and broken

sentences she continued to utter until the

clergyman arrived。



Gerard Douw began to fear; naturally

enough; that the poor girl; owing to terror

or ill…treatment; had become deranged; and

he half suspected; by the suddenness of

her appearance; and the unseasonableness

of the hour; and; above all; from the

wildness and terror of her manner; that she

had made her escape from some place of

confinement for lunatics; and was in

immediate fear of pursuit。 He resolved to

summon medical advice as soon as the

mind of his niece had been in some

measure set at rest by the offices of the

clergyman whose attendance she had so

earnestly desired; and until this object had

been attained; he did not venture to put

any questions to her; which might

possibly; by reviving painful or horrible

recollections; increase her agitation。



The clergyman soon arriveda man of

ascetic countenance and venerable age

one whom Gerard Douw respected much;

forasmuch as he was a veteran polemic;

though one; perhaps; more dreaded as a

combatant than beloved as a Christianof

pure morality; subtle brain; and frozen

heart。 He entered the chamber which

communicated with that in which Rose

reclined; and immediately on his arrival she

requested him to pray for her; as for one who

lay in the hands of Satan; and who could

hope for deliveranceonly from heaven。



That our readers may distinctly understand

all the circumstances of the event

which we are about imperfectly to describe;

it is necessary to state the relative position

of the parties who were engaged in it。

The old clergyman and Schalken were in

the anteroom of which we have already

spoken; Rose lay in the inner chamber;

the door of which was open; and by the

side of the bed; at her urgent desire; stood

her guardian; a candle burned in the bed…

chamber; and three were lighted in the

outer apartment



The old man now cleared his voice; as if

about to commence; but before he had

time to begin; a sudden gust of air blew

out the candle which served to illuminate

the room in which the poor girl lay; and

she; with hurried alarm; exclaimed:



'Godfrey; bring in another candle; the

darkness is unsafe。'



Gerard Douw; forgetting for the moment

her repeated injunctions in the immediate

impulse; stepped from the bedchamber into

the other; in order to supply what she

desired。



'O God I do not go; dear uncle!'

shrieked the unhappy girl; and at the

same time she sprang from the bed and

darted after him; in order; by her grasp; to

detain him。



But the warning came too late; for

scarcely had he passed the threshold; and

hardly had his niece had time to utter the

startling exclamation; when the door which

divided the two rooms closed violently

after him; as if swung to by a strong blast

of wind。



Schalken and he both rushed to the

door; but their united and desperate efforts

could not avail so much as to shake it。



Shriek after shriek burst from the inner

chamber; with all the piercing loudness of

despairing terror。 Schalken and Douw

applied every energy and strained every

nerve to force open the door; but all in

vain。



There was no sound of struggling from

within; but the screams seemed to increase

in loudness; and at the same time they

heard the bolts of the latticed window

withdrawn; and the window itself grated

upon the sill as if thrown open。



One LAST shriek; so long and piercing

and agonised as to be scarcely human;

swelled from the room; and suddenly there

followed a death…like silence。



A light step was heard crossing the

floor; as if from the bed to the window;

and almost at the same instant the door

gave way; and; yielding to the pressure of

the external applicants; they were nearly

precipitated into the room。 It was empty。

The window was open; and Schalken

sprang to a chair and gazed out upon

the street and canal below。 He saw no

form; but he beheld; or thought he beheld;

the waters of the broad canal beneath

settling ring after ring in heavy circular

ripples; as if a moment before disturbed by

the immersion of some large and heavy mass。



No trace of Rose was ever after discovered;

nor was anything certain respecting

her mysterious wooer detected or even

suspected; no clue whereby to trace the

intricacies of the labyrinth and to arrive at

a distinct conclusion was to be found。 But

an incident occurred; which; though it will

not be received by our rational readers as

at all approaching to evidence upon the

matter; nevertheless produced a strong and

a lasting impression upon the mind of

Schalken。



Many years after the events which we

have detailed; Schalken; then remotely

situated; received an intimation of his

father's death; and of his intended burial

upon a fixed day in the church of Rotterdam。

It was necessary that a very considerable

journey should be performed by

the funeral procession; which; as it will

readily be believed; was not very numerously

attended。 Schalken with difficulty

arrived in Rotterdam late in the day upon

which the funeral was appointed to take

place。 The procession had not then arrived。

Evening closed in; and still it did not appear。



Schalken strolled down to the church

be found it opennotice of the arrival of

the funeral had been given; and the vault

in which the body was to be laid had been

opened。 The official who corresponds to

our sexton; on seeing a well…dressed

gentleman; whose object was to attend the

expected funeral; pacing the aisle of the

church; hospitably invited him to share

with him the comforts of a blazing wood

fire; which; as was his custom in winter

time upon such occasions; he had kindled

on the hearth of a chamber which commu…

nicated; by a flight of steps; with the vault

below。



In this chamber Schalken and his

entertainer seated themse

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