The Mysterious Sketch

occupation was gone; then came a visit to the count; after that breakfast, with Sperver's interminable speculations upon the Black Plague, the incessant gos

ed up to the tip of his red nose in old chronicles all the day long, careless of

. I knew by heart all the coarse pleasantries of the major-domo over his bottles and Marie Lagoutte's invariable replies. Sébalt's melancholy was in

All the particulars which Sperver had made me acquainted with appeared clearly before me; sometimes the count, waking up with a start

d the signal-tower, but neither right nor

the sufferer was insane. The strange influence that the old hag exercised over

lady who for thirty years past has regularly presented herself at the door of the asylum. At her own request they place her in confinement; then the unhappy woman every night passes through the terrible scenes of the French Revolution, of which she was a witness in her youth. She trembles

unknown chains unite his fate with that of the Black Plague. Who ca

thought. If I had opened out those conjectures to Sperver he would never have forgiven me for imagining that there could have

n the cruelty of ungrateful children. Sometimes even violent curses followed his daughter's visits. Things at last were so bad that I thought myself obliged to interfere. I therefore waited one evening on the countess in the antechamber and entreated h

, "and no arguments will shak

oo, has its duties, and an honourable man must fulfil them even

the sudden change in the ex

heart; her face became white as marble, and her large blue eyes, fixed st

ammered; "upon your honour, do

am, upon

silence, only broken at last

's will

ncast eyes s

e count's illness, of which I could not foretell the issue-and I was thinking too of my patients at Fribourg, whom I

me

e Lagoutte stood within,

nance caught my attention. She had thrown over her shoulders a red-and-green shawl; she was biting her lips, with her head

I thought; "what is the mean

s quite

ards me, "I beg your pardon for disturbing you so early in

me all abou

the c

dee

w that I sat up wi

Pray si

oticing the energetic character of her head, which on the even

ily frightened. I have seen so many dreadful things in the course of my life that I am astonished at noth

e of that

is; but it is to show you that I am not an escaped lunatic, and

ecoming in

ot mademoiselle going to sit up?' 'No, mademoiselle is poorly, and you will have to take her place.' Poor girl, she is ill; I knew that would be the end of it, I told her so a hundred times; but it is always so. Young people

pinch of snuff, and tried to arrange her thoughts.

to myself, 'He is sure to sleep till daylight.' About twelve the wind went down; the big windows had been rattling, but now they were quiet. I got up to see if anything was stirring outside. It was all as black as ink; so I came back to my arm-chair. I took another look at the patient; I saw that he had not stirred an inch, and I took up my knitting; but in a few minutes more I began nodding, nodding, and

cou

es

mpossible; he

standing with a torch in his hand; the night was so dark a

arie Anne with

his sleep; if I shout he will wake up, he will jump down, and then-' So I did not say a word, but I stared and stared till I saw him lift up his torch in the air over his head, then he lowered it, then up again and down again, an

you saw all

te s

it is s

s if nothing had happened, I said to myself, 'Marie Anne, you have had a bad dream; it cannot be true;' and so I went to the window, and there I saw

ed at me a few mome

arm-chair. I was not afraid-it was not that-but I was uneasy and restless. When morning came, very early I ran and woke Offenloch and sent him to the count. Pa

er her apron the end of a torch,

conf

? What was the meaning of that signal by night? I seemed to myself to witness this strange, mysterious scene, and my thoughts went off at

door, "to tell me of these things, and I am much oblige

are only to be told to t

are a very wise

wer. At this moment Sperver appeared at the end

ed, "I have got n

more news! This is a str

red, and the huntsman and h