brought myself to speak of with frank courage, and certainly nothing in
Margrave's manner had betrayed consciousness of my suspicions; on the
contrary, the open frankness with which he evinced his predilection for
mystic speculation, or uttered his more unamiable sentiments, rather
tended to disarm than encourage belief in gloomy secrets or sinister
powers. And as he was about to quit the neighbourhood, he would not again
see Lilian, not even enter the town of L----. Was I to ascribe this
relief from his presence to the promise of the Shadow; or was I not
rather right in battling firmly against any grotesque illusion, and
accepting his departure as a simple proof that my jealous fears had been
amongst my other chimeras, and that as he had really only visited Lilian
out of friendship to me, in my peril, so he might, with his characteristic
acuteness, have guessed my jealousy, and ceased his visits from a kindly
motive delicately concealed? And might not the same motive now have
dictated the words which were intended to assure me that L---- contained
no attractions to tempt him to return to it? Thus, gradually soothed and
cheered by the course to which my reflections led me, I continued to muse
for hours. At length, looking at my watch, I was surprised to find it was
the second hour after midnight. I was just about to rise from my chair
to undress, and secure some hours of sleep, when the well-remembered cold
wind passed through the room, stirring the roots of my hair; and before me
stood, against the wall, the Luminous Shadow.

"Rise and follow me," said the voice, sounding much nearer than it had
ever done before.

And at those words I rose mechanically, and like a sleepwalker.

"Take up the light."