his servant turn to the left, towards a brook, where we beheld an odd phænomenon. A reverend old man was sitting there, and reading in a large book bewildered in profound meditation, he seemed to take no notice of the howling storm, and not to be sensible of the rain rushing down in large torrents upon his uncovered head; the tempest was sporting with his reverend grey locks, and the rain beating in his face, yet he did not stir. His long brown robe seemed to denote a traveller from the East...a long staff and a black wallet were lying by his side. "I got out of the coach to view that strange being a little closer, and to speak to him, but before I could accost him, the Lieutenant exclaimed," Greybeard, what art thou reading?" "The old man appeared to take no notice of his question, and went on reading as if nobody had been there. "What are you reading?" exclaimed the Lieutenant once more, alighting and looking over his shoulder at the book. "The old man answered not a word, but still continued to read. · I also was now standing behind him, and looking at the book; its leaves were of yellow parchment, the characters large and of different colours." "The Baron was close to my heels and the Lieutenant being provoked by the old man's obstinate silence, shook him now violently by the shoulder, thundering in his ears, " Greybeard, what art thou reading?" "Now the old man lifted his reverend head slowly up, stared at us with angry looks, and then said with a solemn and awful voice. Wisdom." Lieut. "What language is it?" Old Man. (Reading again) "The language of Wisdom," Old M. "All what thou dost not comprehend?” Lieut." If thou knowest what other people cannot comprehend, then I should like to ask thee a question." "Old M. (Staring at him again) "What question?" Lieut." There is a castle not far from the next village, where every night a numerous troop of spirits make their entry; these two gentlemen and I have watched there these two nights. Old M. (Interrupting him) "And art not a bit wiser for't; for thou seemest not to be fit to converse with spirits." Lieut." But thou...?" Old M. "I understand the language of Wisdom." The Lieutenant bit his lips, shaking his head with a contemptuous 'smile. Now the Baron accosted the old man, who again was immersed in profound meditation. Lieut. "Well then, if thy book contains such a treasure of wisdom, then tell us why that castle is haunted by spirits, and for what reason they go their nightly rounds!" Old M." That the spirits must tell thee themselves." Baron. "What does then thy book contain !" Old M. "The ways and means of forcing them to a confession." Baron. "But why hast thou not forced them long ago to confess every thing?" Old M. "Because I never cared for it." Baron. (Laughing) "But if we should entreat thee to do it, and pull our purses, wouldst thou not do us that favor?” Old M. (Frowning) "Vile mortal! can Wisdom be bought with gold and silver.” Baron. “How can one then purchase it?" Old M." With nothing...hast thou courage?" Baron." Else we would not have watched in the dreadful castle.” Old M. "Then spend another night in it, I will be there a quarter before twelve o'clock...now leave me." "We gazed at each other with doubtful looks: the old man resumed his reading and seemed to take no farther notice of us who were still standing behind him lost in silent wonder. At length the Lieutenant mounted his horse, and we went back to our coach. "Well," said the officer, as we were getting into our carriage, "well gentlemen will you return with me?" "In vain did I make objections, the expectation of the two hotheaded young men was strained too much; it was impossible to subdue the eager curiosity of the young Baron, and the presence of the Lieutenant made me apprehend that all reasoning would not only be spent in vain, but at the same time make me contemptible: I therefore was forced to go back with them, and to embark in an enterprize, which, being not only useless, but also very dangerous, would plunge me in great distress. Our host was highly rejoiced and struck with astonishment, when he saw us come back with the intention (as he believed) to engage once more with the nightly sportsmen: our valiant companions of the preceding night, had given a wonderful account of our adventure, relating how horribly the ghosts had looked, how courageously they had encountered the infernal crew, and how the strange conjurors at last had banished the tremendous host from the castle for ever. "The whole village assembled, therefore, as soon as our return was known, gazing at us as supernatural beings, and consulting us about several matters. The Lieutenant had his fun with the simplicity of those honest people, and the day was spent merrily.. "It was already dark, and the villagers had not yet left the inn; they unanimously intreated us to take them along with us to the castle. We were obliged to disavow our design, to feign sleepiness, and to order a bed of straw to be got ready. "At ten o'clock we stole silently to the castle without a light; the Lieutenant's servant lighted our lamp in the court-yard, and we went to the hall, where we had spent the first night, waiting with impatience for the last quarter before midnight. The Lieutenant did not believe the old man would be as good as his word; I joyfully seconded his opinion, and would have been glad if we had not waited for him; but the Baron, who, from his juvenile days, had been fond of every thing bearing the aspect of mysteriousness, was quite charmed with the reverend appearance of the old man, and maintained upon his honor, that he certainly would stick to his appointment. "The Lieutenant began to discourse with the Baron on apparitions and necromancers, maintaining, by experience and reasoning, that all was either deceit, or the effects of a delusive fancy; yet the Baron would not relinquish his opinion, adding, that one ought not to speak. lightly of those matters, and that the old man would certainly prove the truth of his assertion: we were still conjecturing who that strange wanderer might be, when we saw by our watches, that there were but sixteen minutes wanting to twelve; as soon as it was three quarters after eleven, we heard the sound of gentle steps in the passage." "Our greybeard," said the Lieutenant, "is a man of honor,” and took up the lamp to meet the old man. "Now he entered the hall, his black wallet on his back, and beckoned us in a solemn manner to follow him. We did so, and he led us through the apartments and the vaulted passage down stairs; we followed him through the court-yard to the iron gate of the cellar, without uttering a word; there he stopped, turning towards us, and eyeing us a while, with a ghastly look; after an awful pause of expectation, he said with a low trembling voice, " Don't utter a word as you value your lives." Then he went down the two first steps, taking from his bosom an enormous key, which had been suspended round his neck by an iron chain, and opened, without the least difficulty, the monstrous padlock; the door flew open, and the old man took the lamp from the Lieutenant, leading us down a large staircase of stone; we descended into a spacious cellar, vaulted with hewn stone, and beheld all around large iron doors, secured by strong padlocks; our hoary leader went slowly towards an iron folding door, opposite to the staircase, and opened it likewise with his key; it flew open suddenly, and we beheld with horror a black vault, which received a faint light from a lamp suspended to the ceiling by an iron chain. "The old man entered, uncovering his reverend head, and we did the same, standing by his side in trembling expectation, awed by the solemnity that reigned around us; a dreadful chillness seized us; we felt the grasp of the icy fangs of horror, being in a burying vault surrounded with rotten coffins: skulls and mouldered bones rattled beneath our feet; the squalid phantom of death stared in our faces from every side, with a grim ghastly aspect. In the centre of the vault we beheld a black marble coffin, supported by a pedestal of stone, over it was suspended to the ceiling a lamp spreading a dismal dying glimmering around. The air was heavy and of a musty smell, we hardly could respire; the objects around seemed to be wrapped in a bluish mist. The hollow sound of our footsteps re-echoed through the dreary abode of horror as we walked nigher. "The old man stopped at a small distance from the marble coffin, beckoning to us to come nigher; we moved slowly on, and he made a sign not to advance further than he could reach with extended arms. The Lieutenant placed himself at his right, I took my station at his left, and the Baron opposite to him. "Now he put the lamp on the ground before him, taking his book, an ebony wand, and a box of white plate out of his wallet:...out of the latter he strewed a reddish sand arcund him, drew a circle with his wand, and folded his hands across his breast, then he pronounced, amid terrible convulsions, some mysterious words, opened the book and began to read, whilst his face was distorted in a hideous manner; his convulsions grew more horrible as he went on reading; all his limbs seemed to be contracted by a convulsive fit. His eyebrows shrunk up; his forehead was covered with wrinkles, and large drops of sweat were running down his cheeks...at once he threw down his book, gazing with a staring look, and his hands lifted up at the marble coffin. "We soon perceived that midnight had set in; the trampling of horses and the sound of horns was heard; the Necromancer did not move a limb, still staring at the coffin with a haggard look. Now the noise was on the staircase of the cellar and still he was motionless, his eyes being immoveably directed towards the coffin: but now the noise was in the cellar; he brandished his wand, and all around was buried in awful silence. He pronounced again three times an unintelligible word with a horrible thundering voice. A flash of lightning suddenly hissed through the dreary vault, licking the damp walls, and a hollow clap of thunder roared through this subterraneous abode of horror. The light in the lamp was now extinguished, silence and darkness swayed all around; soon after we heard a gentle rustling just before us, and a faint glimmering was spreading through the gloomy vault. It grew lighter, and we soon perceived rays of dazzling light shooting from the marble coffin, the lid of which began to rise higher and higher...at once the whole vault was illuminated, and a frightful human figure rose slowly and awfully from the coffin. The phantom, which was wrapped in a shroud, bore a dying aspect; it trembled violently as it rose, and emitted an hollow groan, looking around with chilly horror. Now the spectre descended from the pedestal, and moved with trembling steps and haggard looks towards the circle where we were standing. "Who dares," groaned it, in a faltering hollow accent, "who dares to disturb the rest of the dead?" "And who art thou?" replied our leader, with a threatening frowning aspect, "who art thou that darest to disturb the stillness of the castle, and the nocturnal slumber of those that inhabit its environs ?" "The phantom shuddered back, groaning in a most lamentable accent," Not I, not I, my cursed husband disturbs the peace around and mine." Old M." For what reason?" Ghost." I have been assassinated, and he who judges men has thrown my sins upon the murderer.” Old M." I comprehend thee, unhappy spirit, betake thyself again to rest by my power which every spirit dreads, he shall disturb thee no more...be gone." "The phantom bowed respectfully, staggered towards the pedestal, climbed up, got into the coffin, and disappeared; the lid sunk slowly down, and the light which had illuminated the dismal mansion of mortality died away by degrees. A flash of lightning hissed again through the vault, licking the damp walls; the hollow sound of thunder roared through the subterraneous abode of horror; the lamp began again to burn, and awful silence of the grave swayed all around. "Now the old man took up his wallet, and his book, beckoning to us to follow him. We returned to the adjoining vault, through which we had entered that abode of awful dread; it was as lonesome as we had left it; our leader locked the iron-folding door carefully, then he took out of his wallet a large piece of parchment, on which a number of strange characters were written, a piece of black-sealing-wax, and a VOL. II. monstrous iron seal. Having made several crosses over those things with his ebony wand, he fixed the parchment above the lock, and sealed it hastily on the four corners. "This done he went into the middle of the cellar, assigning us our places; then he strewed sand upon the ground, drew a circle with his wand, and began again to read in his book, amid horrible convulsions. Now he brandished his wand, pronouncing three times with a most tremendous voice, the same words he had made use of in the burying vault. A flash of lightning hissed through the castle, a clap of thunder shook the subterraneous fabric, all the doors, save that which had been sealed up, were suddenly forced open, with a thundering noise, the lamp was extinguished, and a blue light reflected in a frightful manner, from the staircase against the damp wall; woful groans, lamentations, and the dismal clashing of chains, resounded through the spacious caverns. The noise seemed to come from the staircase, gentle steps were heard, a numerous troop seemed to be descending into the cellar; the lamentations and the woful groans advanced nearer, and louder resounded the clashing of chains. 66 Horrid to behold did now a second phantom appear before our gazing looks, staggering slowly towards us, and leaving a numerous retinue on the staircase; the garment of the spectre was stained with blood, the skull was fractured, the eyes like two portentous comets!" "Who art thou?" roared our leader, with a thundering voice, and the dreary cavern echoed to the sound. "The phantom answered with a holllow dismal voice, a damned soul!" Old Man. "What business hast thou in this castle ?" “ Ghost. I want to be redeemed from hell." Old M. "How canst thou be redeemed?" Ghost." By the forgiveness of my wife." Old M. "How darest thou claim it, reprobate villain! Return to thy damned companions in hell. Respect this seal, respect these characters." "Here the old man pointed at the door of the vault which had been sealed up the phantom staggered towards it but suddenly shuddered back, and sunk groaning on the ground; a flash of lightning illuminated the cellar, and a tremendous peal of thunder resounded through the lofty vault; all the doors were shut again with a terrible noise; a frightful howling filled our ears, and horrid phantoms hovered before our eyes; flashes of lightning hissed through the vault, and roaring claps of thunder threatened to overturn the whole fabric. "The lightning ceased by degrees, and the roaring of thunder died away; a blue flame was still glimmering on the staircase, but it soon died away, and we were surrounded with darkness; groans and dreadful lamentations resounded still through the winding caverns, but soon all was hushed in profound silence. After a short pause of horrid stillness, the trampling of horses and the sound of horns was heard again; yet that noise died also away before we recovered our recollection. "When our astonishment began to subside, we perceived that we were standing in a dark cellar, without knowing whether any of us were missing. A disagreeable sulphurous odour affected our smelling 7 |