Page:The Necromancer, or, The Tale of the Black Forest Vol. 1.djvu/101

 staircase, and opened it likewise with his key; it flew suddenly open, 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 grisly 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