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.I sank back in my seat,having just had time to resume my book before the Count, holding stillanother letter in his hand, entered the room.He took up the letters on thetable and stamped them carefully, and then turning to me, said,"I trust you will forgive me, but I have much work to do in private thisevening.You will, I hope, find all things as you wish." At the door heturned, and after a moment's pause said, "Let me advise you, my dearyoung friend.Nay, let me warn you with all seriousness, that should youleave these rooms you will not by any chance go to sleep in any other partof the castle.It is old, and has many memories, and there are bad dreamsfor those who sleep unwisely.Be warned! Should sleep now or everovercome you, or be like to do, then haste to your own chamber or tothese rooms, for your rest will then be safe.But if you be not careful inthis respect, then," He finished his speech in a gruesome way, for hemotioned with his hands as if he were washing them.I quite understood.My only doubt was as to whether any dream could be more terrible thanthe unnatural, horrible net of gloom and mystery which seemed closingaround me.Later.--I endorse the last words written, but this time there is no doubt inquestion.I shall not fear to sleep in any place where he is not.I havePage 27CHAPTER 3placed the crucifix over the head of my bed, I imagine that my rest is thusfreer from dreams, and there it shall remain.When he left me I went to my room.After a little while, not hearing anysound, I came out and went up the stone stair to where I could look outtowards the South.There was some sense of freedom in the vast expanse,inaccessible though it was to me,as compared with the narrow darkness ofthe courtyard.Looking out on this, I felt that I was indeed in prison, and Iseemed to want a breath of fresh air, though it were of the night.I ambeginning to feel this nocturnal existence tell on me.It is destroying mynerve.I start at my own shadow, and am full of all sorts of horribleimaginings.God knows that there is ground for my terrible fear in thisaccursed place! I looked out over the beautiful expanse, bathed in softyellow moonlight till it was almost as light as day.In the soft light thedistant hills became melted, and the shadows in the valleys and gorges ofvelvety blackness.The mere beauty seemed to cheer me.There waspeace and comfort in every breath I drew.As I leaned from the windowmy eye was caught by something moving a storey below me, andsomewhat to my left, where I imagined, from the order of the rooms, thatthe windows of the Count's own room would look out.The window atwhich I stood was tall and deep, stone-mullioned, and thoughweatherworn, was still complete.But it was evidently many a day sincethe case had been there.I drew back behind the stonework, and lookedcarefully out.What I saw was the Count's head coming out from the window.I did notsee the face, but I knew the man by the neck and the movement of hisback and arms.In any case I could not mistake the hands which I had hadsome many opportunities of studying.I was at first interested andsomewhat amused, for it is wonderful how small a matter will interest andamuse a man when he is a prisoner.But my very feelings changed torepulsion and terror when I saw the whole man slowly emerge from thewindow and begin to crawl down the castle wall over the dreadful abyss,face down with his cloak spreading out around him like great wings.Atfirst I could not believe my eyes.I thought it was some trick of themoonlight, some weird effect of shadow, but I kept looking, and it couldbe no delusion.I saw the fingers and toes grasp the corners of the stones,worn clear of the mortar by the stress of years, and by thus using everyprojection and inequality move downwards with considerable speed, justas a lizard moves along a wall.What manner of man is this, or what manner of creature, is it in thesemblance of man? I feel the dread of this horrible place overpoweringme.I am in fear, in awful fear, and there is no escape for me.I amencompassed about with terrors that I dare not think of.15 May.--Once more I have seen the count go out in his lizard fashion.Hemoved downwards in a sidelong way, some hundred feet down, and agood deal to the left.He vanished into some hole or window.When hisPage 28CHAPTER 3head had disappeared, I leaned out to try and see more, but without avail.The distance was too great to allow a proper angle of sight.I knew he hadleft the castle now, and thought to use the opportunity to explore morethan I had dared to do as yet.I went back to the room, and taking a lamp,tried all the doors.They were all locked, as I had expected, and the lockswere comparatively new.But I went down the stone stairs to the hallwhere I had entered originally.I found I could pull back the bolts easilyenough and unhook the great chains.But the door was locked, and thekey was gone! That key must be in the Count's room.I must watch shouldhis door be unlocked, so that I may get it and escape.I went on to make athorough examination of the various stairs and passages, and to try thedoors that opened from them.One or two small rooms near the hall wereopen, but there was nothing to see in them except old furniture, dusty withage and moth-eaten.At last, however, I found one door at the top of thestairway which, though it seemed locked, gave a little under pressure.Itried it harder, and found that it was not really locked, but that theresistance came from the fact that the hinges had fallen somewhat,and theheavy door rested on the floor.Here was an opportunity which I might nothave again, so I exerted myself,and with many efforts forced it back sothat I could enter.I was now in a wing of the castle further to the rightthan the rooms I knew and a storey lower down.From the windows Icould see that the suite of rooms lay along to the south of the castle, thewindows of the end room looking out both west and south.On the latterside, as well as to the former, there was a great precipice.The castle wasbuilt on the corner of a great rock, so that on three sides it was quiteimpregnable, and great windows were placed here where sling, or bow, orculverin could not reach, and consequently light and comfort, impossibleto a position which had to be guarded, were secured.To the west was agreat valley, and then, rising far away, great jagged mountain fastnesses,rising peak on peak, the sheer rock studded with mountain ash and thorn,whose roots clung in cracks and crevices and crannies of the stone.Thiswas evidently the portion of the castle occupied by the ladies in bygonedays, for the furniture had more an air of comfort than any I had seen.The windows were curtainless, and the yellow moonlight, flooding inthrough the diamond panes, enabled one to see even colours, whilst itsoftened the wealth of dust which lay over all and disguised in somemeasure the ravages of time and moth [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]