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CHAPTER 14
That Night Week
During the whole of the week Irene had been thinking every other
moment of her promise to the old lady, although even now she could
not feel quite sure that she had not been dreaming. Could it
really be that an old lady lived up in the top of the house, with
pigeons and a spinning-wheel, and a lamp that never went out? She
was, however, none the less determined, on the coming Friday, to
ascend the three stairs, walk through the passages with the many
doors, and try to find the tower in which she had either seen or
dreamed her grandmother.
Her nurse could not help wondering what had come to the child - she
would sit so thoughtfully silent, and even in the midst of a game
with her would so suddenly fall into a dreamy mood. But Irene took
care to betray nothing, whatever efforts Lootie might make to get
at her thoughts. And Lootie had to say to herself: 'What an odd
child she is!' and give it up.
At length the longed-for Friday arrived, and lest Lootie should be
moved to watch her, Irene endeavoured to keep herself as quiet as
possible. In the afternoon she asked for her doll's house, and
went on arranging and rearranging the various rooms and their
inhabitants for a whole hour. Then she gave a sigh and threw
herself back in her chair. One of the dolls would not sit, and
another would not stand, and they were all very tiresome. Indeed,
there was one would not even lie down, which was too bad. But it
was now getting dark, and the darker it got the more excited Irene
became, and the more she felt it necessary to be composed.
'I see you want your tea, princess,' said the nurse: 'I will go and
get it. The room feels close: I will open the window a little.
The evening is mild: it won't hurt you.'
'There's no fear of that, Lootie,' said Irene, wishing she had put
off going for the tea till it was darker, when she might have made
her attempt with every advantage.
I fancy Lootie was longer in returning than she had intended; for
when Irene, who had been lost in thought, looked up, she saw it was
nearly dark, and at the same moment caught sight of a pair of eyes,
bright with a green light, glowering at her through the open
window. The next instant something leaped into the room. It was
like a cat, with legs as long as a horse's, Irene said, but its
body no bigger and its legs no thicker than those of a cat. She
was too frightened to cry out, but not too frightened to jump from
her chair and run from the room.
It is plain enough to every one of my readers what she ought to
have done - and indeed,Irene thought of it herself; but when she
came to the foot of the old stair, just outside the nursery door,
she imagined the creature running up those long ascents after her,
and pursuing her through the dark passages - which, after all,
might lead to no tower! That thought was too much. Her heart
failed her, and, turning from the stair, she rushed along to the
hall, whence, finding the front door open, she darted into the
court pursued - at least she thought so - by the creature. No one
happening to see her, on she ran, unable to think for fear, and
ready to run anywhere to elude the awful creature with the
stilt-legs. Not daring to look behind her, she rushed straight out
of the gate and up the mountain. It was foolish indeed - thus to
run farther and farther from all who could help her, as if she had
been seeking a fit spot for the goblin creature to eat her in his
leisure; but that is the way fear serves us: it always sides with
the thing we are afraid of.
The princess was soon out of breath with running uphill; but she
ran on, for she fancied the horrible creature just behind her,
forgetting that, had it been after her such long legs as those must
have overtaken her long ago. At last she could run no longer, and
fell, unable even to scream, by the roadside, where she lay for
some time half dead with terror. But finding nothing lay hold of
her, and her breath beginning to come back, she ventured at length
to get half up and peer anxiously about her. It was now so dark
she could see nothing. Not a single star was out. She could not
even tell in what direction the house lay, and between her and home
she fancied the dreadful creature lying ready to pounce upon her.
She saw now that she ought to have run up the stairs at once. It
was well she did not scream; for, although very few of the goblins
had come out for weeks, a stray idler or two might have heard her.
She sat down upon a stone, and nobody but one who had done
something wrong could have been more miserable. She had quite
forgotten her promise to visit her grandmother. A raindrop fell on
her face. She looked up, and for a moment her terror was lost in
astonishment. At first she thought the rising moon had left her
place, and drawn nigh to see what could be the matter with the
little girl, sitting alone, without hat or cloak, on the dark bare
mountain; but she soon saw she was mistaken, for there was no light
on the ground at her feet, and no shadow anywhere. But a great
silver globe was hanging in the air; and as she gazed at the lovely
thing, her courage revived. If she were but indoors again, she
would fear nothing, not even the terrible creature with the long
legs! But how was she to find her way back? What could that light
be? Could it be -? No, it couldn't. But what if it should be -
yes - it must be - her great-great-grandmother's lamp, which guided
her pigeons home through the darkest night! She jumped up: she had
but to keep that light in view and she must find the house. Her
heart grew strong. Speedily, yet softly, she walked down the hill,
hoping to pass the watching creature unseen. Dark as it was, there
was little danger now of choosing the wrong road. And - which was
most strange - the light that filled her eyes from the lamp,
instead of blinding them for a moment to the object upon which they
next fell, enabled her for a moment to see it, despite the
darkness. By looking at the lamp and then dropping her eyes, she
could see the road for a yard or two in front of her, and this
saved her from several falls, for the road was very rough. But all
at once, to her dismay, it vanished, and the terror of the beast,
which had left her the moment she began to return, again laid hold
of her heart. The same instant, however, she caught the light of
the windows, and knew exactly where she was. It was too dark to
run, but she made what haste she could, and reached the gate in
safety. She found the house door still open, ran through the hall,
and, without even looking into the nursery, bounded straight up the
stair, and the next, and the next; then turning to the right, ran
through the long avenue of silent rooms, and found her way at once
to the door at the foot of the tower stair.
When first the nurse missed her, she fancied she was playing her a
trick, and for some time took no trouble about her; but at last,
getting frightened, she had begun to search; and when the princess
entered, the whole household was hither and thither over the house,
hunting for her. A few seconds after she reached the stair of the
tower they had even begun to search the neglected rooms, in which
they would never have thought of looking had they not already
searched every other place they could think of in vain. But by
this time she was knocking at the old lady's door.
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