AN APPALLING SIGHT. 259 



horror which we shudder to describe. On entering the kitchen 

 we saw not a living tiling, not even Martha old Martha our 

 faithful factotum, upon whom we called, albeit in a trembling- 

 voice, fearful to attract the notice of some; hidden lurker 

 amongst our new and hideous enemies ; but no Martha replied, 

 as expected, from the scullery ; and, with a dread of we scarce 

 knew what, well nigh exhausted also by terror and exertion, we 

 sat us down in her arm chair. The sky was still partially 

 obscured by monstrous creatures on the wing, and evening was 

 now approaching, so that there was little light in the apart- 

 ment but what proceeded from the fire, which had burnt very 

 low. "We had not been seated long before we were startled by 

 a slight noise proceeding from one of the deep and dark 

 recesses on either side the chimney ; and, on looking into it, 

 we could just discern, indistinctly, some moving object. What 

 this might be we dreaded to ascertain ; but with a shaking 

 hand we lit a candle by the dying embers, and held it up 

 within the recess. Then, oh ! the spectacle that we beheld ! 

 Supported by her enormous web a tissue of mingled cable 

 sat an elephantine spider, to which our assailant at the house- 

 door was a mere pigmy, a spider of most hideous aspect, her 

 eight glassy eyes sparkling with greedy ecstasy as she gorged 

 upon a fresh-caught, fresh-killed victim, and that victim no 

 heedless, idle fly, but, alas ! that busy bee, Martha our 

 faithful Martha ! For a moment we stood horror-stricken ; 

 then, armed by rage and grief and the kitchen poker, we 



