420 Paul de Walberg. 



Having extinguished my lamp, I cautiously unclosed the door, lock- 

 ing it again on the outside, that no pursuer from my bed-room 

 which would be, of course, their first object might be able to follow. 

 I did not then doubt that there must be come secret means of obtain- 

 ing access to it. What these means might be, not even the very rigor- 

 ous examination I had made enabled me to discover; and I had no 

 reason to suppose I had missed any thing in the natural hurry and 

 unavoidable disturbance of my spirits. At any rate,4 was quite clear 

 that I should have remained undisturbed for two or three hours, in 

 which time, had no suspicion been awakened, I should have been 

 both a-bed and fast asleep. My blood ran cold even at the bare 

 idea of being thus murdered in my slumbers ! As matters stood, 

 there was one great advantage in this politic delay ; thinking me 

 equally quiet and unsuspicious, I had the chance of turning this in- 

 terval to the very best account. Certain that I had not given the 

 slightest reason for any misgiving of my intentions, I was, compara 

 lively speaking easy on the subject of there being any immediate 

 stir against me. The old mansion, too, was so bewildering and ex- 

 tensive in its dispositions, that although, in one particular, it militated 

 against my chances of escape, any slight noise could not be heard 

 below, or would be attributed by any one, not apprehensive of an 

 immediate escape, to the many strange echoes and whisperings 

 which are invariably to be met with in places of the description. In 

 their confidence of my total want of suspicion, indeed, rested my 

 security. 



With these conclusions, my shoes having been put off before I left 

 the room, I groped my way forwards, in almost total darkness. I 

 pursued, as nearly as I was able to guess, the contrary way to that by 

 which I had arrived at my apartment, and at the end of the passage 

 had the satisfaction of finding a narrow, winding staircase, that led 

 me to the lower story. The place was so dark, and I made so little 

 noise, that I was pretty certain my descent would not be detected. 

 If my escape would not be discovered till midnight, I had strong 

 hopes of being able to getaway altogether. I felt as one in a dream 

 endeavouring to made an escape, as in fact I literally was, from 

 some imminent and fearful danger, and experienced that terrible 

 shrinking of the heart and mind, which seems actually to deny that 

 power to our will and limbs necessary to carrying ourselves beyond 

 its reach, as I descended with the utmost possible caution every suc- 

 ceeding step. At length my heart was cheered by seeing a watery 

 glimpse of moon-light, streaming from an old sash-window, which, 

 to my great joy, entered upon the extremity of the before mentioned 

 terrace. 



I paused a moment, in the most intense and painful anxiety, to 

 listen if I could hear any footstep or noise behind me. How the 

 shutting or opening of a distant door would, in that terrible moment, 

 have alarmed me ! All was, however, still, except a rush of the 

 wind, that I could distinguish sweeping through the ancient galleries 

 of the mansion. I turned quickly to the terrace-window. The fast- 

 enings were sufficiently unserviceable to yield to a moderate degree 

 pf force, only ; and it was with a beating heart that I succeeded in 



