The Amateur Gentleman

It was a dark night, the moon obscured as yet by a wrack of flying

cloud, for a wind was abroad, a rising wind that blew in fitful gusts;

a boisterous, blustering, bullying wind that met the traveller at

sudden corners to choke and buffet him and so was gone, roaring away

among roofs and chimneys, rattling windows and lattices,

extinguishing flickering lamps, and filling the dark with stir and

tumult.

But Barnabas strode on heedless and deaf to it all. Headlong he went,

his cloak fluttering, his head stooped low, hearing nothing, seeing

nothing, taking no thought of time or direction, or of his ruined

career, since none of these were in his mind, but only the words of

Cleone's letter.

And slowly a great anger came upon him with a cold and bitter scorn

of her that cast out sorrow; thus, as he went, he laughed suddenly,

--a shrill laugh that rose above the howl of the wind, that grew

even wilder and louder until he was forced to stop and lean against

an iron railing close by.

"An Amateur Gentleman!" he gasped, "An Amateur Gentleman! Oh, fool!

fool!" And once again the fierce laughter shook him in its grip and,

passing, left him weak and breathless.

Through some rift in the clouds, the moon cast a fugitive beam and

thus he found himself looking down into a deep and narrow area where

a flight of damp, stone steps led down to a gloomy door; and beside

the door was a window, and the window was open.

Now as he gazed, the area, and the damp steps, and the gloomy door

all seemed familiar; therefore he stepped back, and gazing up, saw a

high, flat-fronted house, surely that same unlovely house at whose

brass-knockered front door Captain Slingsby of the Guards had once

stood and rapped with trembling hand.

The place was very silent, and very dark, save for one window where

burned a dim light, and, moved by sudden impulse, Barnabas strode

forward and, mounting the two steps, seized the knocker; but, even

as he did so the door moved. Slowly, slowly it opened, swinging back

on noiseless hinges, wider and wider until Barnabas could look into

the dimness of the unlighted hall beyond. Then, while he yet stood

hesitating, he heard a sound, very faint and sweet, like the chime

of fairy bells, and from the dark a face peered forth, a face drawn,

and lined, and ghastly pale, whose staring eyes were wide with horror.

"You!" said a voice, speaking in a harsh whisper, "is it you? Alas,

Barnaby Bright! what would you--here? Go away! Go away! Here is an

evil place, a place of sin, and horror, and blood--go away! go away!"

"But," said Barnabas, "I wish to see--"