found the poor fellow prostrated on the floor, half frantic with terror. At length he also recovered a little from his fright, and after many persuasions, ventured down stairs, accompanied by me, to strike a light. Every body in the house was snoring, except our crest-fallen fellow adventurers, who exhibited a rueful ghastly group, being all as pale as ashes. Looking at our watches, we saw it was past two o'clock, sat an hour longer without perceiving any thing farther, and returned against morning to our respective lodgings."
Here he stopped, but as it seemed only to draw breath for a longer narrative, I omited giving my opinion, expecting that he was going to unfold the mystery, but his tale took such an unexpected turn, that I felt myself soon warmly interested.
"I would not," resumed he, "have troubled you with an account of this strange in-"cident,
