Madame ceased to speak, and Emilia and Julia wept to the memory of the
mother, whose misfortunes this story recorded. The sufferings of
madame, together with her former friendship for the late marchioness,
endeared her to her pupils, who from this period endeavoured by every
kind and delicate attention to obliterate the traces of her sorrows.
Madame was sensible of this tenderness, and it was productive in some
degree of the effect desired. But a subject soon after occurred, which
drew off their minds from the consideration of their mother's fate to
a subject more wonderful and equally interesting.
One night that Emilia and Julia had been detained by company, in
ceremonial restraint, later than usual, they were induced, by the easy
conversation of madame, and by the pleasure which a return to liberty
naturally produces, to defer the hour of repose till the night was far
advanced. They were engaged in interesting discourse, when madame,
who was then speaking, was interrupted by a low hollow sound, which
arose from beneath the apartment, and seemed like the closing of a
door. Chilled into a silence, they listened and distinctly heard it
repeated.
Deadly ideas crowded upon their imaginations, and inspired a
terror which scarcely allowed them to breathe. The noise lasted only
for a moment, and a profound silence soon ensued. Their feelings at
length relaxed, and suffered them to move to Emilia's apartment, when
again they heard the same sounds. Almost distracted with fear, they
rushed into madame's apartment, where Emilia sunk upon the bed and
fainted. It was a considerable time ere the efforts of madame recalled
her to sensation. When they were again tranquil, she employed all her
endeavours to compose the spirits of the young ladies, and dissuade
them from alarming the castle. Involved in dark and fearful doubts,
she yet commanded her feelings, and endeavoured to assume an
appearance of composure. The late behaviour of the marquis had
convinced her that he was nearly connected with the mystery which hung
over this part of the edifice; and she dreaded to excite his
resentment by a further mention of alarms, which were perhaps only
ideal, and whose reality she had certainly no means of proving.
Influenced by these considerations, she endeavoured to prevail on
Emilia and Julia to await in silence some confirmation of their
surmises; but their terror made this a very difficult task. They
acquiesced, however, so far with her wishes, as to agree to conceal
the preceding circumstances from every person but their brother,
without whose protecting presence they declared it utterly impossible
to pass another night in the apartments. For the remainder of this
night they resolved to watch. To beguile the tediousness of the time
they endeavoured to converse, but the minds of Emilia and Julia were
too much affected by the late occurrence to wander from the subject.
They compared this with the foregoing circumstance of the figure and
the light which had appeared; their imaginations kindled wild
conjectures, and they submitted their opinions to madame, entreating
her to inform them sincerely, whether she believed that disembodied
spirits were ever permitted to visit this earth.