difficulty, when he found himself emerging from the darkness, and in
a few moments standing in the light of the moon. He immediately looked
about him, but except the usual inanimate objects of nature, he could
see nothing. Whatever it is, thought he, or, rather, whoever it is, he
has thought proper to remain undiscovered in the darkness. I shall now
bid him good-night, and proceed on my way home. He accordingly moved
on once more, when, to his utter astonishment, he heard the footsteps
again, precisely within the same distance of him as before.

"Tut," said he, "I now perceive what the matter with me is. This is a
mere hallucination, occasioned by a disordered state of the nerves; and
as he spoke he returned his pistols into his breast pockets, where
he usually wore them, and once more resumed his journey. There
was, however, something in the sound of the footsteps--something so
hollow--so cold, as it were, and so unearthly, that he could not throw
off the unaccountable impression which it made upon him, infidel and
sceptic as he was upon all supernatural intimations and appearances. At
length, he proceeded, or rather they proceeded, onward until he arrived
within sight of what he supposed to be the haunted house. He paused
a few moments, and was not now so insensible to its lonely and dismal
aspect. It was a two-storied house, and nothing could surpass the
spectral appearance of the moon's light as it fell with its pale and
death-like lustre upon the windows. He stood contemplating it for
some time, when, all at once, he perceived, walking about ten yards in
advance of him, the shape of a man dressed in black from top to toe. It
was not within the scope of human fortitude to avoid being startled by
such a sudden and incomprehensible apparition. Woodward was startled;
but he soon recovered himself, and after the first shock felt rather
satisfied that he had some visible object with which he could make the
experiment he projected, viz., to ascertain the nature, whether mortal