Page:Sylvester Sound the Somnambulist (1844).djvu/127

 the poor fellow start convulsively, conceiving that the spirit itself had called him, "Jones: rise and put your trust in Him who can and will protect us."

Jones, with an aspect of horror, looked up, and in trembling accents cried, "O-o-o-o-o! is it you?"

"It is," replied the reverend gentleman. "Arise."

Jones did arise, and having rolled his eyes fearfully round the room, with the view of being sure that it was gone, sank into his chair exhausted.

Horror had chilled them both, and having nothing but soda-water within them, they were both still cold, and continued to tremble.

"Jones," said the reverend gentleman, after a pause, "reach the brandy; it is there, on the sideboard."

"Oh, sir!" replied Jones, "I dare not."

The reverend gentleman nerved himself; and, turning his eyes in every direction, walked with comparative firmness to the sideboard, and returned to his chair with the decanter and a glass, which he filled with all the steadiness at his command, and then at once drank it off.

"Now, Jones," said he, when the glass had been refilled, "take this!" And Jones, whose teeth at the time violently chattered, did take it, and swallowing the contents at one gulp, was very thankful.

They now began to feel somewhat better; and although the improvement as yet was but slight, they were able to look round the room—timidly, it is true—but without that wildness of vision by which their looks had just before been characterised.

"Pray, sir, give me a little more brandy," said Jones.

"Yes, Jones, yes!" replied the reverend gentleman, replenishing the glass. "Drink this."

"Bless you, sir!—bless you!" said Jones, with much fervour. "Oh! wasn't it horrid, sir—wasn't it?"

"It was an awful sight," returned the reverend gentleman, as he helped himself to a little more brandy. "But why," he added, "why should we fear?"

Jones shook his head and shuddered.

The door was still open, and as the cold air rushed in, the reverend gentleman deemed it expedient to close it, and suggested the propriety of doing so to Jones; but as Jones, even then, dared not cross the room alone, it was eventually agreed that they should both go together—and together they accordingly went. But the moment they had reached the door of the parlour, they saw the outer door open too, which they held to be very mysterious, seeing that they had heard no bolt withdrawn. Finding, however, that all was then still, they closed the outer door, but they had no sooner done so, than they heard distinctly footsteps behind them, and on turning round beheld the identical figure slowly ascending the stairs. Jones in an instant rushed into the room, but the reverend gentleman remained till it had vanished—not prompted by courage— nor indeed by any feeling of curiosity—but because he had not the power to leave the spot.

"Come in, sir!" cried Jones. "Pray, come in, sir—come in!"