I saw
the woman approach the sleeping figure, she laid the unoccupied hand
lightly along his clothes, and having thus ascertained his identity,
she, after a brief interval, turned back and again entered my chamber;
here she bent down again to listen. I had now not a doubt but that the
razor was intended for my throat; yet the terrific fascination which
had locked all my powers so long, still continued to bind me fast. I
felt that my life depended upon the slightest ordinary exertion, and
yet I could not stir one joint from the position in which I lay, nor
even make noise enough to waken Lord Glenfallen. The murderous woman
now, with long, silent steps, approached the bed; my very heart seemed
turning to ice; her left hand, that which was disengaged, was upon
the pillow; she gradually slid it forward towards my head, and in
an instant, with the speed of lightning, it was clutched in my hair,
while, with the other hand, she dashed the razor at my throat. A
slight inaccuracy saved me from instant death; the blow fell short,
the point of the razor grazing my throat; in a moment I know not how,
I found myself at the other side of the bed uttering shriek after
shriek; the wretch was, however, determined if possible to murder me;
scrambling along by the curtains, she rushed round the bed towards me;
I seized the handle of the door to make my escape; it was, however,
fastened; at all events I could not open it, from the mere instinct
of recoiling terror, I shrunk back into a corner--she was now within
a yard of me--her hand was upon my face--I closed my eyes fast,
expecting never to open them again, when a blow, inflicted from behind
by a strong arm, stretched the monster senseless at my feet; at the
same moment the door opened, and several domestics, alarmed by my
cries, entered the apartment.
Pages:
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54