On horror's head Horrors accumulate.--Thompson.
An icy sweat of terror bathed Sybil's form. She tried to cry out, and
did utter a low half-stifled scream. But the cold fingers of the ghastly
creature closed tightly upon hers, and a thin, hollow voice murmured: "Hush; don't you make a noise; don't be frightened. I can't hurt you.
I'm chilled almost to death. And you were so warm. I crept to your side
to tell you something. You are in hiding here, and so--Ah-h-h!"
The reed-like murmur ended in a terrific shriek. There was a silent
movement, and Sybil felt the clammy form snatched up from her side and
borne away in the darkness.
And then the spell that had bound her faculties was unloosed, and she
uttered scream after scream as she shook and awakened her husband.
"In the name of Heaven, Sybil, what now?" he exclaimed, as he started up
into a sitting posture.
"Oh, Lyon! for the love of mercy, get up! Get a light! I shall go mad in
this horrible place!" she cried in a perfect frenzy of terror.
"Calm yourself, Sybil. There is nothing to fear. I am here with you. I
will strike a light," answered Lyon Berners quietly, as he got up and
groped about in the darkness for the tinder-box.
Striking a light in those days was not the quick and easy matter that it
is now. When the tinder-box was at length found, the flint and steel had
to be struck together until a spark was elicited to set fire to the
tinder. So it was full five minutes from the time Lyon was awakened, to
the moment that he lit the candle and looked upon the pale and
horror-stricken face of his wife.
"Now then, Sybil, what is it?" he inquired.
"Oh, what is it! This place is full of devils!" she cried, shaking as
with an ague fit.
"My dear wife!" he said, in surprise and concern to see her shudder so
fearfully, to hear her speak so wildly.
"It is, I tell you, full of devils, Lyon!" she repeated with
chattering teeth.
There chanced to be a little wine in their stores. He went and poured
some into a glass and brought it to her, made her drink it.
"Now then, tell me what has thrown you into this state? What has
happened to terrify you so much? another dream, vision, apparition?
what?" he inquired, as he took from her hand the empty glass.
"Oh, no, no, no! no dream, no vision, nothing of that sort. It was too
dark to see anything, you know; but oh! it was something so ghastly and
horrible that I shall never, never get over it!" she exclaimed, while
shudder after shudder shook her frame.