An icy sweat of terror bathed Sybil's form. She tried to cry out, and did utter a low half-stifled scream. But the cold fingers of the ghastly creature closed tightly upon hers, and a thin, hollow voice murmured: "Hush; don't you make a noise; don't be frightened. I can't hurt you. I'm chilled almost to death. And you were so warm. I crept to your side to tell you something. You are in hiding here, and so--_Ah-h-h_!" The reed-like murmur ended in a terrific shriek. There was a silent movement, and Sybil felt the clammy form snatched up from her side and borne away in the darkness. And then the spell that had bound her faculties was unloosed, and she uttered scream after scream as she shook and awakened her husband. "In the name of Heaven, Sybil, what now?" he exclaimed, as he started up into a sitting posture. "Oh, Lyon! for the love of mercy, get up! Get a light! I shall go mad in this horrible place!" she cried in a perfect frenzy of terror. "Calm yourself, Sybil. There is nothing to fear. I am here with you. I will strike a light," answered Lyon Berners quietly, as he got up and groped about in the darkness for the tinder-box. Striking a light in those days was not the quick and easy matter that it is now. When the tinder-box was at length found, the flint and steel had to be struck together until a spark was elicited to set fire to the tinder. So it was full five minutes from the time Lyon was awakened, to the moment that he lit the candle and looked upon the pale and horror-stricken face of his wife. "Now then, Sybil, what is it?" he inquired. "Oh, what is it! This place is full of devils!" she cried, shaking as with an ague fit. "My dear wife!" he said, in surprise and concern to see her shudder so fearfully, to hear her speak so wildly. "It _is_, I tell you, full of devils, Lyon!" she repeated with chattering teeth. There chanced to be a little wine in their stores. He went and poured some into a glass and brought it to her, made her drink it. "Now then, tell me what has thrown you into this state? What has happened to terrify you so much? another dream, vision, apparition? what?" he inquired, as he took from her hand the empty glass. "Oh, no, no, no! no dream, no vision, nothing of that sort. It was too dark to see anything, you know; but oh! it was something so ghastly and horrible that I shall never, never get over it!" she exclaimed, while shudder after shudder shook her frame. "Tell me," he said soothingly. "Oh, it was a damp girl!" she cried. "A damp girl!" he echoed in amazement and alarm; for he almost feared his dear wife was going crazy. "Oh yes, a damp girl! A clay-cold, clammy, corpse-like form of a girl!" "Where? when? what about her?" "Oh, I woke up and felt her lying by my side! so close that she chilled and oppressed me! I put out my hand, and she caught it in her deathly fingers! I screamed, but she spoke to me! She was about to tell me something, when she was suddenly snatched up and torn away!"