1 804-24 
A FREEZING HORROR 
19 
^ ove me a figure, at first indistinct, then in clear 
outline, tall and thin, leaning against or clasping 
the central stone pillar of the staircase. My first 
alarm grew into a creeping and freezing horror, 
3 -S, staring intently upwards, I thought I dis- 
tinguished the pale collapsed features, and those 
alf-opened glassy eyes that had haunted me 
through the day, and now looked coldly down 
and met my own. I would have called for help, 
ut I knew that would be in vain ; and I began 
^ precipitate descent, but had hardly made one 
turn down and passed the closed door of the dead- 
ohamber, when a second figure in white appeared 
elow me, as if to intercept my passage ; that 
gure, too, appeared to lean against or clasp the 
column, and surely it bore the features of 
t e other corpse ! For an instant I grasped the 
pillar for support, and gazed upon the spectre in 
speechless terror (I was but young). I had gone 
y the very spot but a few moments before, and 
uo human being could possibly have stood and 
passed unconsciously by me, where now the 
apparition, thin, pale, and motionless, glared so 
^ ear and bright. An unusually articulate howl 
ove, and a clattering like some one in chains 
'"upidly rushing down the staircase below me, 
ruade me start off in desperation. As I passed 
^ e lower ghost, feeling more dead than alive, I 
0 t something move — and found I had dragged 
a sheet after me ! This evidence of materiality 
c 3 
