The three sisters [Night watches, Part 6.] — John Shaqi
The three sisters [Night watches, Part 6.]Jacobs, W. W. (William Wymark)
General
The three sisters [Night watches, Part 6.]
Jacobs, W. W. (William Wymark)
Humorous stories; Short stories
Eunice was in bed, awake. A small nightlight in a saucer of oil shed a
sickly glare upon the worm-eaten old furniture, distorting the most
innocent articles into ghastly shapes. A wilder gust than usual almost
deprived her of the protection afforded by that poor light, and she lay
listening fearfully to the creakings and other noises on the stairs,
bitterly regretting that she had not asked Martha to sleep with her.
But it was not too late even now. She slipped hastily to the floor,
crossed to the huge wardrobe, and was in the very act of taking her
dressing-gown from its peg when an unmistakable footfall was heard on
the stairs. The robe dropped from her shaking fingers, and with a
quickly beating heart she regained her bed.
The sounds ceased and a deep silence followed, which she herself was
unable to break although she strove hard to do so. A wild gust of wind
shook the windows and nearly extinguished the light, and when its flame
had regained its accustomed steadiness she saw that the door was slowly
opening, while the huge shadow of a hand blotted the papered wall.
Still her tongue refused its office. The door flew open with a crash, a
cloaked figure entered and, throwing aside its coverings, she saw with a
horror past all expression the napkin-bound face of the dead Ursula
smiling terribly at her. In her last extremity she raised her faded
eyes above for succour, and then as the figure noiselessly advanced and
laid its cold hand upon her brow, the soul of Eunice Mallow left its
body with a wild shriek and made its way to the Eternal.
Martha, roused by the cry, and shivering with dread, rushed to the door
and gazed in terror at the figure which stood leaning over the bedside.
As she watched, it slowly removed the cowl and the napkin and exposed
the fell face of Tabitha, so strangely contorted between fear and
triumph that she hardly recognized it.
"Who's there?" cried Tabitha in a terrible voice as she saw the old
woman's shadow on the wall.
"I thought I heard a cry," said Martha, entering. "Did anybody call?"
"Yes, Eunice," said the other, regarding her closely. "I, too, heard
the cry, and hurried to her. What makes her so strange? Is she in a
trance?"
"Ay," said the old woman, falling on her knees by the bed and sobbing
bitterly, "the trance of death. Ah, my dear, my poor lonely girl, that
this should be the end of it! She has died of fright," said the old
woman, pointing to the eyes, which even yet retained their horror. "She
has seen something devilish."
Tabitha's gaze fell. "She has always suffered with her heart," she
muttered; "the night has frightened her; it frightened me."
She stood upright by the foot of the bed as Martha drew the sheet over
the face of the dead woman.
"First Ursula, then Eunice," said Tabitha, drawing a deep breath. "I
can't stay here. I'll dress and wait for the morning."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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