242 Shadowings 



Nevertheless the mere sight of those night- 

 mare-faces was not the worst of the experiences 

 in the Child's Room. The dreams always be- 

 gan with a suspicion, or sensation of something 

 heavy in the air, slowly quenching will, 

 slowly numbing my power to move. At such 

 times 1 usually found myself alone in a large 

 unlighted apartment ; and, almost simultaneously 

 with the first sensation of fear, the atmosphere 

 of the room would become suffused, half-way to 

 the ceiling, with a sombre-yellowish glow, mak- 

 ing objects dimly visible, though the ceiling 

 itself remained pitch-black. This was not a true 

 appearance of light: rather it seemed as if the 

 black air were changing color from beneath. . . . 

 Certain terrible aspects of sunset, on the eve of 

 storm, offer like effects of sinister color. . . . 

 Forthwith I would try to escape, (feeling at 

 every step a sensation as of wading) , and 

 would sometimes succeed in struggling half-way 

 across the room ; but there 1 would always find 

 myself brought to a standstill, paralyzed by 

 some innominable opposition. Happy voices I 

 could hear in the next room ; I could see light 

 through the transom over the door that I had 

 vainly endeavored to reach; 1 knew that one 



