Page:The Necromancer, or, The Tale of the Black Forest Vol. 1.djvu/82

 hide the horror he was struggling against.—The watchman cried the hour, the crowing of the cocks told us midnight was set in, and still all around us was as silent as the grave. The Baron laid the book upon the table, and the Lieutenant was going to raise a loud laughter, asking us where the spirits might be, when suddenly the trampling of horses and the sound of horns was heard—we all were fixed to our seats, staring at each other with a ghastly look; now the noise seemed to be under our window; the Lieutenant ran towards it, with a cocked pistol in his hand, but he was too late."

"All was quiet again, and an awful stillness swayed around the castle; however a few seconds after we heard suddenly a most tremenduous noise in the court-yard, which was soon followed by a terrible trampling and a gingling of spurs on the stair-case, as if a great number of people in boots was coming up. The noise came nearer and nearer, my feet began to fail, my teeth to chatter in my