Page:Edgar Huntly, or The Sleep Walker.djvu/134

 below, who would be puzzled to guess who it was that had thought proper to amuse himself in this manner."

"Up stairs! I have not left my room this night: it is not ten minutes since I awoke, and my door has not since been opened."

"Indeed! that is strange—nay, it is impossible! It was your feet surely that I heard pacing so solemnly and indefatigably across the long-room for near an hour. I could not for my life conjecture for a time who it was, but finally concluded that it was you: there was still, however, some doubt, and I came hither to satisfy myself."

These tidings were adapted to raise all my emotions to a still higher pitch. I questioned him with eagerness as to the circumstance he had noticed. He said he had been roused by a sound, whose power of disturbing him arose not from its loudness but from its uncommonness. He distinctly heard some one pacing to and fro with bare feet in the long room: this sound continued, with little intermission, for an hour. He then noticed a cessation of the walking, and a sound as if some one were lifting the lid of the large cedar chest that stood in the corner of this room. The walking was not resumed, and all was silent. He listened for a quarter of an hour, and busied himself in conjecturing the cause of this disturbance. The most probable conclusion was, that the walker was his nephew, and his curiosity had led him to my chamber to ascertain the truth.

This dwelling has three stories: the two lower stories are divided into numerous apartments: the upper story constitutes a single room, whose sides are the four walls of the house, and whose ceiling is the roof. This room is unoccupied, except by lumber, and imperfectly lighted by a small casement at one end. In this room were footsteps heard by my uncle.

The staircase leading to it terminated in a passage near my door: I snatched the candle, and desiring him to follow me, added, that I would ascertain the truth in a moment: he followed, but observed that the walking had ceased long enough for the person to escape.

I ascended to the room, and looked behind and among the tables and chairs and casks, which were confusedly