Tales and Novels — Volume 01: Moral TalesEdgeworth, Maria
General
Tales and Novels — Volume 01: Moral Tales
Edgeworth, Maria
Fiction
Forester dressed himself as fast as he could, and followed Archibald
through a long passage, which led to a back staircase. "Do you hear the
noise?" said Archibald.
"Not I," said Forester.
"Well, you'll hear it plain enough presently," said Archibald: "follow
me down-stairs."
He followed, and was surprised, when he got into the hall, to find all
the family assembled. Lady Catherine had been awakened by a noise, which
she at first imagined to be the screaming of an infant. Her bedchamber
was on the ground floor, and adjoining to Dr. Campbell's laboratory,
from which the noise seemed to proceed. She awakened her son Archibald
and Mrs. Campbell; and, when she recovered her senses a little, she
listened to Dr. Campbell, who assured her, that what her ladyship
thought was the screaming of an infant was the noise of a cat: the
screams of this cat were terrible; and, when the light approached the
door of the laboratory, the animal flew at the door with so much fury,
that nobody could venture to open it. Every body looked at Forester, as
if they suspected that he had confined the cat, or that he was in some
way or other the cause of the disturbance. The cat, which, from his
having constantly fed and played with it, had grown extremely fond of
him, used to follow him often from room to room; and he now recollected,
that it followed him the preceding evening into the laboratory, when he
went to replace the skeleton. He had not observed whether it came out
of the room again, nor could he now conceive the cause of its yelling
in this horrible manner. The animal seemed to be mad with pain. Dr.
Campbell asked his son whether all the presses were locked. Henry said
he was sure they were all locked. It was his business to lock them every
evening; and he was so exact, that nobody doubted his accuracy.
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