the hall.
The prospect was not disagreeable. West, all was wilderness, from whicha brook wound along a little distance from the garden wall. North, werethe uneven grounds she had crossed when she came there, bounded bydistant groves and hills. East, beautiful meadows and fields, arrayed inflowery green, sloped to salt marshes or sandy banks of the Sound, orended in the long white beaches which extended far into the sea. South,was the Sound of Long Island.
Melissa passed much of her time in tracing the ruins of this antiquatedplace, in viewing the white sails as they passed up and down the Sound,and in listening to the songs of the thousand various birds whichfrequented the garden and the forest. She could have been contented hereto have buried her afflictions, and for ever to retire from the world,could Alonzo but have resided within those walls. "What will he thinkhas become of me," she would say, while the disconsolate tear glitteredin her eye. Her aunt had frequently urged her to yield to her father'sinjunctions, regain her liberty, and marry Beauman; and she every daybecame more solicitous and impertinent. A subject so hateful to Melissasometimes provoked her to tears; at other her keen resentment. Shetherefore, when the weather was fair, passed much of her time in thegarden and adjoining walks, wishing to be as much out of her aunt'scompany as possible.
One day John came there early in the morning, and Melissa's aunt wenthome with him. The day passed away, but she did not return. Melissa satup until a late hour of the night, expecting her; she went to the gate,and found it was fast locked, returned, locked and bolted the doors ofthe house, went to bed and slept as soundly as she had done since herresidence in the old mansion. "I have at least, she said, escaped thedisgusting curtain-lecture about marrying Beauman."
The next day her aunt returned. "I was quite concerned about you, child,said she; how did you sleep?" "Never better, she answered, since I havebeen here." "I had forgotten, said her aunt, that my rents become duethis week. I was detained until late by some of my tenants; John wasout, and I dare not return in the night alone. I must go back to-day. Itwill take me a week to settle my business. If I am obliged to stay outagain I will send one of John's daughters to sleep with you."----"Youneed not give yourself that trouble, replied Melissa; I am under noapprehension of staying here alone; nothing can get into or out of thesepremises."----"Well, thou hast wonderful courage, child, said her aunt;but I shall be as frequently here as possible, and as soon as mybusiness is settled, I shall be absent no more." So saying, she badeMelissa good morning, and set off for her residence at the dwelling ofJohn.
She did not return in two days. The second night of her absence, Melissawas sitting in her chamber reading, when she heard a noise as of severalpeople trampling in the yard below. She arose, cautiously raised thewindow, and looked out. It was extremely dark; she thought she mighthave been discovered.
Her aunt came the next day, and told her she was obliged to go into thecountry to collect some debts of those to whom she had rented lands: sheshould be gone a few days, and as soon as she returned should comethere. "The keys of the house, said she, I shall leave with you. Thegate I shall lock, and leave that key with John, who will come here asoften as necessary, to assist you, and see if you want any thing." Shethen went off, leaving Melissa not dissatisfied with the prospect of herabsence.
Melissa amused herself in evenings by reading in the few books her aunthad brought there, and in the day, in walking around the yard andgarden, or in traversing the rooms of the antique building. In some,were the remains of ancient furniture, others were entirely empty.Cobwebs and mouldering walls were the principal ornaments left.
One evening as she was about retiring to rest, she thought she heard thesame trampling noise in the yard, as on a former occasion. She steppedsoftly to the window, suddenly raised it, and held out the candle. Shelistened and gazed with anxious solicitude, but discovered nothing more.All was silent; she shut the window, and in a short time went to bed.
Some time in the night she was suddenly awakened by a sharp sound,apparently near her. She started in a trembling panic, but endeavouredto compose herself with the idea, that something had fallen from theshelves. As she lay musing upon the incident, she heard loud noises inthe rooms below, succeeded by an irregular and confused number ofvoices, and presently after, footsteps ascending the stairs which led toher chamber. She trembled; a cold chilly sweat run down her face.Directly the doors below opened and shut with a quick and violentmotion. And soon after she was convinced that she distinctly heard awhispering in her room. She raised herself up in the bed and castinquisitive eyes towards her chamber door. All was darkness--no newobject was visible--no sound was heard, and she again lay down.
Her mind was too much agitated and alarmed to sleep. She had evidentlyheard sounds, footsteps and voices in the house, and whisperings whichappeared to be in her room. The yard gate was locked, of which John hadthe key. She was confident that no person could ascend or get over thewall of the enclosure. But if that were practicable, how was it possiblethat any human being could enter the house? She had the key of everydoor, and they were all fast locked, and yet she had heard themfuriously open and shut. A thought darted into her mind,--was it not aplan which her aunt had contrived in order to frighten her to acompliance with her wishes? But then how could she enter the housewithout keys? This might be done with the use of a false key. But fromwhence did the whisperings proceed, which appeared close to her bedside?Possibly it might be conveyed through the key-hole of her chamber door.These thoughts tended in some degree, to allay her fears;--they werepossibilities, at least, however improbable.
As she lay thus musing, a hand, cold as the icy fingers of death,grasped her arm, which lay on the outside of the bed clothes. Shescreamed convulsively, and sprang up in the bed. Nothing was to beseen--no noise was heard. She had not time to reflect. She flew out ofthe bed, ran to the fire, and lighted a candle. Her heart beat rapidly.She cast timid glances around the room, cautiously searching everycorner, and examining the door. All things were in the same state shehad left them when she went to bed. Her door was locked in the samemanner; no visible being was in the room except herself. She sat down,pondering on these strange events. Was it not probable that she wasright in her first conjectures respecting their being the works of heraunt, and effected by her agents and instrumentality? All were possible,except the cold hand which had grasped her arm. Might not this be theeffect of a terrified and heated imagination? Or if false keys had beenmade use of to enter the rooms below, might they not also be used toenter her chamber? But could her room be unlocked, persons enter,approach her bed, depart and re-lock the door, while she was awake,without her hearing them?
She knew she could not go to sleep, and she determined not to go to bedagain that night. She took up a book, but her spirits had been too muchdisordered by the past scenes to permit her to read. She looked out ofthe window. The moon had arisen and cast a pale lustre over thelandscape. She recollected the opening and shutting of the door--perhapsthey were still open. The thought was alarming--She opened her chamberdoor, and with the candle in her hand, cautiously descended the stairs,casting an inquisitive eye in every direction, and stopping frequentlyto listen.--She advanced to the door; it was locked. She examined theothers; they were in the same situation. She turned to go up stairs,when a loud whisper echoed through the hall expressing "_away! away!_"She flew like lightning to her chamber, relocked the door and flungherself, almost breathless, into a chair.
As soon as her scattered senses collected, she concluded that whateverhad been in the house was there still. She resolved to go out no moreuntil day, which soon began to discolour the east with a fainter blue,then purple streaks, intermingled with a dusky whiteness, ascended inpyramidical columns to the zenith; these fading slowly away, the easternhorizon became fringed with the golden spangles of early morn. A spot ofineffable brightness succeeded, and immediately the sun burst over theverge of creation, deluging the world in a flood of unbounded light andglory.
As soon as the morning had a little advance
d, Melissa ventured out. Sheproceeded with hesitating steps, carefully scrutinizing every objectwhich met her sight. She examined every door; they were all fast. Shecritically searched every room, closet, &c. above and below. She thentook a light and descended into the cellar--here her inquisition was thesame. Thus did she thoroughly and strictly examine and search every partof the house from the garret to the cellar, but could find nothingaltered, changed, or removed; no outlet, no signs of there having beenany being in the house the evening before, except herself.
She then unlocked the outer door and proceeded to the gate, which shefound locked as usual. She next examined the yard, the garden, and allthe out houses.
Nothing could be discovered of any person having been recently there.She next walked around by the wall, the whole circle of the enclosure.She was convinced that the unusual height of the wall rendered itimpossible for
Alonzo and Melissa; Or, The Unfeeling Father: An American Tale Page 12
