Madame ceased to speak, and Emilia and Julia wept to the memory of the

mother, whose misfortunes this story recorded. The sufferings of

madame, together with her former friendship for the late marchioness,

endeared her to her pupils, who from this period endeavoured by every

kind and delicate attention to obliterate the traces of her sorrows.

Madame was sensible of this tenderness, and it was productive in some

degree of the effect desired. But a subject soon after occurred, which

drew off their minds from the consideration of their mother's fate to

a subject more wonderful and equally interesting.

One night that Emilia and Julia had been detained by company, in

ceremonial restraint, later than usual, they were induced, by the easy

conversation of madame, and by the pleasure which a return to liberty

naturally produces, to defer the hour of repose till the night was far

advanced. They were engaged in interesting discourse, when madame,

who was then speaking, was interrupted by a low hollow sound, which

arose from beneath the apartment, and seemed like the closing of a

door. Chilled into a silence, they listened and distinctly heard it

repeated.

Deadly ideas crowded upon their imaginations, and inspired a

terror which scarcely allowed them to breathe. The noise lasted only

for a moment, and a profound silence soon ensued. Their feelings at

length relaxed, and suffered them to move to Emilia's apartment, when

again they heard the same sounds. Almost distracted with fear, they

rushed into madame's apartment, where Emilia sunk upon the bed and

fainted. It was a considerable time ere the efforts of madame recalled

her to sensation. When they were again tranquil, she employed all her

endeavours to compose the spirits of the young ladies, and dissuade

them from alarming the castle. Involved in dark and fearful doubts,

she yet commanded her feelings, and endeavoured to assume an

appearance of composure. The late behaviour of the marquis had

convinced her that he was nearly connected with the mystery which hung

over this part of the edifice; and she dreaded to excite his

resentment by a further mention of alarms, which were perhaps only

ideal, and whose reality she had certainly no means of proving.

Influenced by these considerations, she endeavoured to prevail on

Emilia and Julia to await in silence some confirmation of their

surmises; but their terror made this a very difficult task. They

acquiesced, however, so far with her wishes, as to agree to conceal

the preceding circumstances from every person but their brother,

without whose protecting presence they declared it utterly impossible

to pass another night in the apartments. For the remainder of this

night they resolved to watch. To beguile the tediousness of the time

they endeavoured to converse, but the minds of Emilia and Julia were

too much affected by the late occurrence to wander from the subject.

They compared this with the foregoing circumstance of the figure and

the light which had appeared; their imaginations kindled wild

conjectures, and they submitted their opinions to madame, entreating

her to inform them sincerely, whether she believed that disembodied

spirits were ever permitted to visit this earth.




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