The Midnight Queen [24]
was gone, the young man kept his
eyes blankly fixed on the door, with a vague impression that he
was suffering from an attack of nightmare; for it seemed
impossible that anything so preposterously ugly as that dwarf
could exist out of one. A deep groan from the landlord, however,
convinced him that it was no disagreeable midnight vision, but a
brawny reality; and turning to that individual, he found him
gasping, in the last degree of terror, behind the counter.
"Now, who in the name of all the demons oat of Hades may that
ugly abortion be?" inquired Sir Norman.
"O Lord I be merciful! sir, it's Caliban; and the only wonder is,
he did not leave you a bleeding corpse at his feet!"
"I should like to see him try it. Perhaps he would have found
that is a game two can play at! Where does he come from and who
is he!"
The landlord leaned over the counter, and placed a very pale and
startled face close to Sir Norman's.
"That's just what I wanted to tell you, sir, but I was afraid to
speak before him. I think he lives up in that same old ruin you
were inquiring about - at least, he is often seen hanging around
there; but people are too much afraid of him to ask him any
questions. Ah, sir, it's a strange place, that ruin, and there
be strange stories afloat about it," said the man, with a
portentious shake of the head.
"What are they?" inquired Sir Norman. "I should particularly
like to know."
"Well, sir, for one thing, some folks say it is haunted, on
account of the queer lights and noises abort it, sometimes; but,
again, there be other folks, sir, that say the ghosts are alive,
and that he" - nodding toward the door - "is a sort of ringleader
among them."
"And who are they that out up such cantrips in the old place,
pray?"
"Lord only knows, sir. I'm sure I don't. I never go near it
myself; but there are others who have, and some of them tell of
the most beautiful lady, all in white, with long, black hair, who
walks on the battlements moonlight nights."
"A beautiful lady, all in white, with long, black hair! Why,
that description applies to Leoline exactly."
And Sir Norman gave a violent start, and arose to proceed to the
place directly.
"Don't you go near it, sir!" said the host, warningly. "Others
have gone, as he told you, and never come back; for these be
dreadful times, and men do as they please. Between the plague
and their wickedness, the Lord only known what will become of
us!"
"If I should return here for my horse in an hour or two, I
suppose I can get him?" sad Sir Norman, as he turned toward the
door.
"It's likely you can, sir, if I'm not dead by that time," said
the landlord, as he sank down again, groaning dismally, with his
chin between his hands.
The night was now profoundly dark; but Sir Norman knew the road
and ruin well, and, drawing his sword, walked resolutely on. The
distance between it and the ruin was trifling, and in less than
ten minutes it loomed up before him, a mass of deeper black in
the blackness. No white vision floated on the broken battlements
this night, as Sir Norman looked wistfully up at them; but
neither was there any ungainly dwarf, with two-edged sword,
guarding the ruined entrance; and Sir Norman passed unmolested
in. He sought the spiral staircase which La Masque had spoken
of, and, passing carefully from one ancient chamber to another,
stumbling over piles of rubbish and stones as he went, he reached
it at last. Descending gingerly its tortuous steepness, he found
himself in the mouldering vaults, and, as he trod them, his ear
was greeted by the sound of faint and far-off music. Proceeding
farther, he heard distinctly, mingled with it, a murmur of voices
and laughter, and, through the chinks in the broken flags, he
perceived a few faint rays of light. Remembering the directions
of La Masque, and feeling intensely
eyes blankly fixed on the door, with a vague impression that he
was suffering from an attack of nightmare; for it seemed
impossible that anything so preposterously ugly as that dwarf
could exist out of one. A deep groan from the landlord, however,
convinced him that it was no disagreeable midnight vision, but a
brawny reality; and turning to that individual, he found him
gasping, in the last degree of terror, behind the counter.
"Now, who in the name of all the demons oat of Hades may that
ugly abortion be?" inquired Sir Norman.
"O Lord I be merciful! sir, it's Caliban; and the only wonder is,
he did not leave you a bleeding corpse at his feet!"
"I should like to see him try it. Perhaps he would have found
that is a game two can play at! Where does he come from and who
is he!"
The landlord leaned over the counter, and placed a very pale and
startled face close to Sir Norman's.
"That's just what I wanted to tell you, sir, but I was afraid to
speak before him. I think he lives up in that same old ruin you
were inquiring about - at least, he is often seen hanging around
there; but people are too much afraid of him to ask him any
questions. Ah, sir, it's a strange place, that ruin, and there
be strange stories afloat about it," said the man, with a
portentious shake of the head.
"What are they?" inquired Sir Norman. "I should particularly
like to know."
"Well, sir, for one thing, some folks say it is haunted, on
account of the queer lights and noises abort it, sometimes; but,
again, there be other folks, sir, that say the ghosts are alive,
and that he" - nodding toward the door - "is a sort of ringleader
among them."
"And who are they that out up such cantrips in the old place,
pray?"
"Lord only knows, sir. I'm sure I don't. I never go near it
myself; but there are others who have, and some of them tell of
the most beautiful lady, all in white, with long, black hair, who
walks on the battlements moonlight nights."
"A beautiful lady, all in white, with long, black hair! Why,
that description applies to Leoline exactly."
And Sir Norman gave a violent start, and arose to proceed to the
place directly.
"Don't you go near it, sir!" said the host, warningly. "Others
have gone, as he told you, and never come back; for these be
dreadful times, and men do as they please. Between the plague
and their wickedness, the Lord only known what will become of
us!"
"If I should return here for my horse in an hour or two, I
suppose I can get him?" sad Sir Norman, as he turned toward the
door.
"It's likely you can, sir, if I'm not dead by that time," said
the landlord, as he sank down again, groaning dismally, with his
chin between his hands.
The night was now profoundly dark; but Sir Norman knew the road
and ruin well, and, drawing his sword, walked resolutely on. The
distance between it and the ruin was trifling, and in less than
ten minutes it loomed up before him, a mass of deeper black in
the blackness. No white vision floated on the broken battlements
this night, as Sir Norman looked wistfully up at them; but
neither was there any ungainly dwarf, with two-edged sword,
guarding the ruined entrance; and Sir Norman passed unmolested
in. He sought the spiral staircase which La Masque had spoken
of, and, passing carefully from one ancient chamber to another,
stumbling over piles of rubbish and stones as he went, he reached
it at last. Descending gingerly its tortuous steepness, he found
himself in the mouldering vaults, and, as he trod them, his ear
was greeted by the sound of faint and far-off music. Proceeding
farther, he heard distinctly, mingled with it, a murmur of voices
and laughter, and, through the chinks in the broken flags, he
perceived a few faint rays of light. Remembering the directions
of La Masque, and feeling intensely