Page:Gothic Stories.djvu/12

 time were trongly marked on every thing about it. The roof in various places was fallen in, the battlements were half demolihed, and the windows broken and dimantled. A draw-bridge, with a ruinous gateway at each end, led to the court before the building. He entered; and intantly the light, which proceeded from a window in one of the turrets, glided along, and vanihed: at the ame moment the moon unk beneath a black cloud, and the night was darker than ever. All was ilent. Sir Bertrand fatened his teed under a hed; and, approaching the houe, travered its whole front with light and low foot-teps.–All was till as death!–He looked in at the lower windows, but could not ditinguish a ingle object through the impenetrable gloom. After a hort parley with himelf, he entered the porch; and, eizing a may iron knocker at the gate, lifted it up, and, heitating, at length truck a loud troke. The noie reounded through the whole manion with hollow echoes. All was till again! He repeated the trokes more boldly, and louder. Another interval of ilence enued!–A third time he knocked; and a third time all was till! He then fell back to ome ditance, that he might dicern whether any light could be een in the whole front. It again appeared in the ame place, and quickly glided away as before!–at the ame intant, a deep, ullen toll ounded from the turret. Sir Bertrand’s heart made a fearful top!–He was a while motionles; then terror impelled him to make ome haty teps toward his teed–but hame topped his flight; and, urged by honour, and a reitles deire of finihing the adventure, he returned to the porch; and working up his oul to a full teadines of reolution, he drew forth his word with one hand, and with the other lifted up the latch of the gate. The heavy door, creaking upon its hinges, reluctantly yielded to his hand:–he applied his houlder to it, and forced it open. He quitted it, and tept forward–the door intantly hut with a thundering clap. Sir Bertrand’s blood was chilled! He turned back to find the door, and it was long ere his trembling hands could eize