Carmilla

Stran

not take any, she seemed quite herself again, and Madame, and Mademoiselle De Lafontaine, joined us,

on the sofa, and asked her, a little anxiously, whe

swered

e knew where a letter wo

hospitable and too kind to me. I have given you an infinity of trouble, and I should wish to take a carriage to

should herself return. I should be quite happy if I knew that you heard from her: but this evening the accounts of the progress of the mysterious disease that has invaded our neighborhood, grow even more alarming; and my beautiful guest, I do feel the respons

. "You have all been too kind to me; I have seldom been so happy in all my life before,

oned way, kissed her hand, smilin

her room, and sat and chatted with

length, "that you will e

but made no answer, only

. "You can't answer pleasantly;

You do not know how dear you are to me, or you co

think me cruel, very selfish, but love is always selfish; the more ardent the more selfish. How jealous I am you cannot know. You must come with me, loving

ing to talk your wild nons

l of whims and fancies; for your sake I'll

. What is it like? How

orget, it i

aug

our first ball can har

edium, dense, rippling, but transparent. There occurred that night what has confused the picture, and made its colour

ou near

Love will have its sacrifices. No sacrifice without blood. Let us go to

cheek, her little head upon the pillow, and her glittering eyes followed

crept from the room with a

upon her knees. In the morning she never came down until long after our family prayers were ov

should have doubted her being a Christian. Religion was a subject on which I had never heard her speak a wor

Carmilla's habit of locking her bedroom door, having taken into my head all her whimsical alarms about midnight invaders and prowling assassins. I

light was burning in my room. This was an old habit, of very ear

e walls, light up dark rooms, or darken light ones, and their persons mak

that was the beginning

mare, for I was quite co

it; and it continued to-ing and fro-ing with the lithe, sinister restlessness of a beast in a cage. I could not cry out, although as you may suppose, I was terrified. Its pace was growing faster, and the room rapidly darker and darker, and at length so dark that I could no longer see anything of it but its eyes. I felt it spring lightly on the bed. The two broad eyes approached my face, and suddenly I felt a stinging pain as if two large needles darted, an inch or two apart, deep into my breast. I wak

had forgotten to secure my door. I hastened to it, and found it locked as usual on the inside. I was afraid to open it--I w