The Phantom Ship

he side of the bed with his eyes fixed upon the corpse, and his mind in a state of vacuity. Gradually he recovered himself; he rose, smoothed down the pillow, closed her eyelids,

pleted his task, "at length thou hast found re

e raised his hands to his temples, compressed them with force, and tried to collect his thoughts, that he might decide upon what

a paper on the table-could it be there now? Yes, it must be; his mother had not had the courage t

; the doors swung open, and drawer after drawer was examined, but Philip discovered not the object of his search; again and again did he open the drawers, but they were all empty. It occurred to Philip that there might be secret drawers, and he examined for some time in vain. At last he took out all the drawers, and laid them on the floor, and lifting the cabinet off its stand he shook it. A rattling sound in one corner told him that in all prob

footstep. He looked up and beheld the Father Seysen, the priest of the little parish, with his eyes sternly fixed upon him. The good ma

ot to disturb thy mother's rest? and wouldst thou p

blessed. Neither do I pilfer or purloin. It is not gold I seek, although if gold there were, that gold would now be min

nd dead without receiving the rites of our mos

ese arms, about two hours ago. I fear not for her sou

He sprinkled holy water on the bed, and for a short time his lips

tears and prayers for her repose. Yet are thine eyes dry, and thou art employed upon an indifferent search while

r lamentation. I have much to do and more to think of than tho

y thou seek

which has not been unlocked for year

at, my

t have said. Forgive me, Father; I m

ied. Nay, when, as in duty bound, I pressed the question, I found her reason was disordered by my importunity, and therefore I abandoned the attempt. Some

most hol

if thou didst confide to me,

that which has been told it is not yet manifest-whether it is as my poor mother says, or but the phantom of a heated brain. Should it indeed be true, fain would I share th

st tho

I grant; but I pray thee, ask no more; for, like my poor mother, I

well, my child; but I pray thee to discontinue thy unseemly labour, for I must send in the

re elsewhere; there was a vacancy and appearance of mental stu

up the cabinet, and placed it upon the stand. "A few hours more c

bed, and in a few minutes was in a sleep as sound as that pe

ho must wake up to sorrow. Among others, soon after the hour of noon arrived Mynheer Poots; he had been informed of the death of the widow, but having a spare hour, he thought he might as we

ting up, perceived the

d be so, and recollect you owe me now another guilder, and you promised faithfully to pay me; altog

confused, gradually recovered

half, and your phial to boot, Mr Poots,"

I never wish to be hard upon people who have no money, and I'll tell you what I'll do. There is a something on your mother's neck. It is of no value, none at al

c on his mother's neck-that very relic upon which his father swore the fatal oa

abruptly. "Leave it immediate

hat a large price had been paid for the relic itself, and as at that time such a relic was considered very valuable, he had no doubt but that it would again fetch a considerable

e, Mynheer Philip, and

se is suc

o," cried Phil

eer Vanderdecken-that is but fair. I must not lose my money. When you brin

zed Mynheer Poots by the collar, and threw him out

down half the steps of the staircase, and was limping away across the bridge. He almost wished that the relic had not

d the curtains-the corpse was laid out-he put forth his hand to untie the black ribbon. It was not there. "Gone!" exclaimed Philip. "They hardly would

had hurt his ankle. Apprehensive of what might possibly take place should his theft be discovered, he occasionally looked behind him; at length, to his horror, he beheld Philip Vanderdecken at a distance bounding on in pursuit of him. Frightened almost out of his senses, the wretched pilferer hardly knew how to act; to stop and s

of his pursuer, and Poots shrieked in his fear, like the hare in the jaws of the greyhound. Philip was not a yard from him; his arm was outstretched, when the miscreant dropped down paralysed with terror, and the impetus of Vanderdecken was so great that he passed over his body, tripped, and after trying in vain to recover his equilibrium, he fell and rolled over and over. This saved the little doctor; it was like the double of a hare. In a second he was again on his legs, and before Philip could rise and a

ase and death. What his establishment consisted of no one knew. When he first settled in the neighbourhood, an old decrepit woman occasionally answered the knocks given at the door by those who required the doctor's services; but she had been buried some time, and, ever since, all calls at the door had been answered by Mynheer Poots in person, if he were at home, and if

or a few minutes he paused to consider, and as he reflected, so did his anger cool down, and he decided that it

aken, and I will do you no hurt; but if you will not, you must take the c

is mind to surrender the relic without a struggle; so the doctor answered not, hoping that the patience of Philip would be exhausted, and that by some arrangemen

ndulged in strong invective, and then decided upon m

He brought several armfuls of fodder and laid them at the door of the house, and upon that he piled the fagots and logs of wood, until the door was quite concealed by them. He then procured a light from the steel, flint, and tinder, which every Dutchman carries in his

e," cried Philip, with a loud voice. "If you remain within, you perish in the flames; if

when the window of the upper floor furthe

midst of the danger by which she was threatened. Her long black hair was braided and twined round her beautifully-formed head; her eyes were large, intensely dark, yet soft; her forehead high and white, her chin dimpled, her ruby lips arched and delicately fine, her nose small and straight. A lovelier face could not be well imagined; i

e the inmates of this house to suffer death b

hich he had brought to feed the flame, he threw off and scattered in every direction the burning masses, until nothing was left which could hurt the building but the ignited door itself; and this, which as yet-for it was of thic

ve me that I should have risked a life so precious. I

have given for such dreadful ven

house-despoiled the dead-took from my

surely cannot-you must

relic-forgive me-but that relic I must h

eplied the maiden; "

Who could she be? While thus ruminating, he was accosted by the silver voice of the object of his reveries, who,

should have done a deed which well might justify your anger: but here it is," co

father?" said Philip, forgetting to t

om the window without rep

his house, I would not have done the deed, and much do I rejoice that no harm hath happened. But there is still danger, lady; the door must be unbarred, and the jambs, which still are glowing, be extinguished, or the house may yet be burnt. Fe

m," said Mynheer Poots,

me, and a still weaker father, do in this strait? Open the door, and let the house be made secure." The maiden then addr

aiden," replied Philip; "but let him be qu

h of what Philip had said was then apparent. Many were the buckets of water which he was obliged to fetch bef

at the window. The fair girl made her appearance, and Philip, w

you much. Your conduct, although hasty

my part hath ceased, and that in a few days I wil

ltogether different from those with which he had set out, looked