The Night-Side of Nature; Or, Ghosts and Ghost-SeersCrowe, Catherine
Religion
The Night-Side of Nature; Or, Ghosts and Ghost-Seers
Crowe, Catherine
Ghosts; Parapsychology
At length a light appeared, which soon increased to a blaze; but,
instead of the cries, and groans, and lamentings, which the terrified
traveller expected, nothing met his ear but sounds of music, mirth, and
jollity; and he found himself at the entrance of a superb building, far
exceeding any he had seen constructed by human hands. Within, too, what
a scene! No amusement, employment, or pursuit of man on earth, but was
here being carried on with a vehemence that excited his unutterable
amazement. “There the young and lovely still swam through the mazes of
the giddy dance! There the panting steed still bore his brutal rider
through the excitements of the goaded race! There, over the midnight
bowl, the intemperate still drawled out the wanton song or maudlin
blasphemy! The gambler plied for ever his endless game, and the slaves
of Mammon toiled through eternity their bitter task; while all the
magnificence of earth paled before that which now met his view!”
He soon perceived that he was among old acquaintances, whom he knew to
be dead, and each he observed was pursuing the object, whatever it was,
that had formerly engrossed him; when, finding himself relieved of the
presence of his unwelcome conductor, he ventured to address his former
friend Mrs. D——, whom he saw sitting, as had been her wont on earth,
absorbed at loo, requesting her to rest from the game, and introduce him
to the pleasures of the place, which appeared to him to be very unlike
what he had expected, and, indeed, an extremely agreeable one. But, with
a cry of agony, she answered that there was no rest in hell; that they
must ever toil on at those very pleasures: and innumerable voices echoed
through the interminable vaults, “There is no rest in hell!”—while,
throwing open their vests, each disclosed in his bosom an ever-burning
flame! These, they said, were the pleasures of hell: their choice on
earth was now their inevitable doom! In the midst of the horror this
scene inspired, his conductor returned, and at his earnest entreaty,
restored him again to earth; but, as he quitted him, he said,
“Remember!—in a year and a day we meet again!”
At this crisis of his dream, the sleeper awoke, feverish and ill; and,
whether from the effect of his dream, or of his preceding orgies, he was
so unwell as to be obliged to keep his bed for several days, during
which period he had time for many serious reflections, which terminated
in a resolution to abandon the club and his licentious companions
altogether.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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