"My darling, I will convince you out of your own mouth. She ran away,
you say, just as you woke up; therefore you did not see her after you
were awake, but only while you slept, in your dreams. Besides, dear, I
was here when you woke up, and I saw no one near you, or even in the
building," persisted Lyon Berners--though at that moment he did recall
to mind the shadow that he had seen slip past all the sunshine on the
floor, and disappear as if it had sunk under the slabs on the right side
of the altar.
"Lyon," said Sybil, solemnly, "I do not like to contradict you, but as I
hope to be saved, I saw that girl, not in a dream, but in reality; and
since you do not know anything about her, I begin to think the
apparition mysterious and alarming. Let me tell you all about it."
"Well, tell me, dear, if to do so will do you any good," said Mr.
Berners indulgently, but incredulously.
"Listen, then. I was in a dead sleep, oh, such a deep dead sleep,
that I seemed to be away down in the bottom of some deep cave, when I
felt a heavy breathing or panting over my face, and was conscious of
somebody leaning over me, and looking at me. I tried to wake, but could
not, I could not lift myself up out of that deep dark cave of sleep. But
at last I felt a hand near my throat, trying to unfasten this golden
locket that contains your miniature. Then I struggled, and succeeded in
throwing off the spell and waking up. As soon as I opened my eyes I saw
the wild eldritch face, with its keen bright black eyes and queer
eyebrows, and snake-like black locks, running down over the red cloak.
The instant I saw this, I cried out, and the girl fled, and you hurried
up. Now call that a dream if you can, for I tell you I saw that figure
start up and run away from me as plainly as I saw you come up. One event
was as real as the other," concluded Sybil.
Lyon Berners did not at once reply, for he thought again of the flitting
shadow he had seen cross the sunshine, and disappear as if it had sunk
into the flagstones on the right side of the altar. And he mentally
admitted the bare possibility that some intruder had entered the church
and looked upon Sybil in her sleep, and fled at her awakening. But fled
whither? The windows were very high, the wall was smooth beneath them;
no one could have climbed to them, for there was no foothold or handhold
to assist one in the ascent, and there was but the one door by which he
himself had entered, at the same moment the strange visitor was said to
have fled, and he was quite sure that no one had passed him. Besides,
the shadow that he had seen vanished beside the altar, at the upper end
of the church. Lyon Berners knew not what to think of all that he had
seen and heard within the last quarter of an hour. But one thing was
quite certain, that it was absolutely necessary to Sybil's safety to
ascertain whether any stranger had really entered the church, or even
come upon the premises.