rustics; there might be some devilry of practical joking, for anything I
knew; or they might have some interest in getting up a bad reputation for
the Brentwood avenue. It was getting dark by the time I went out, and
nobody who knows the country will need to be told how black is the
darkness of a November night under high laurel-bushes and yew-trees. I
walked into the heart of the shrubberies two or three times, not seeing a
step before me, till I came out upon the broader carriage-road, where the
trees opened a little, and there was a faint gray glimmer of sky visible,
under which the great limes and elms stood darkling like ghosts; but it
grew black again as I approached the corner where the ruins lay. Both
eyes and ears were on the alert, as may be supposed; but I could see
nothing in the absolute gloom, and, so far as I can recollect, I heard
nothing. Nevertheless there came a strong impression upon me that
somebody was there. It is a sensation which most people have felt. I have
seen when it has been strong enough to awake me out of sleep, the sense
of some one looking at me. I suppose my imagination had been affected by
Roland's story; and the mystery of the darkness is always full of
suggestions. I stamped my feet violently on the gravel to rouse myself,
and called out sharply, "Who's there?" Nobody answered, nor did I expect
any one to answer, but the impression had been made. I was so foolish
that I did not like to look back, but went sideways, keeping an eye on
the gloom behind. It was with great relief that I spied the light in the
stables, making a sort of oasis in the darkness. I walked very quickly
into the midst of that lighted and cheerful place, and thought the clank
of the groom's pail one of the pleasantest sounds I had ever heard. The
coachman was the head of this little colony, and it was to his house I
went to pursue my investigations. He was a native of the district, and
had taken care of the place in the absence of the family for years; it
was impossible but that he must know everything that was going on, and
all the traditions of the place. The men, I could see, eyed me anxiously