Doctors say it is not possible for the heart to stand still and a human
being live, and, as I am not a doctor, I do not like to contradict their
dogma, otherwise I could positively declare my heart did cease beating
as I listened, looking out into the night with the shadow of that
darkness projecting itself upon my mind, to the impatient tapping, which
was now distinctly audible even above the raging of the storm.
How I gathered sufficient courage to do it, I cannot tell; but I put my
face close to the glass, thus shutting out the gas and fire-light, and
saw that the dark object which alarmed me was a mass of ivy the wind had
detached from the wall, and that the invisible fingers were young
branches straying from the main body of the plant, which, tossed by the
air-king, kept striking the window incessantly, now one, now two, now
three, tap, tap, tap; tap, tap; tap, tap; and sometimes, after a long
silence, all together, tap-p-p, like the sound of clamming bells.
I stood for a minute or two, listening to the noise, so as to satisfy
myself as to its cause, then I laid down the revolver, took out my
pocket-knife, and opened the window. As I did so, a tremendous blast
swept into the room, extinguishing the gas, causing the glowing coals to
turn, for a moment, black on one side and to fiercest blaze on the
other, scattering the dust lying on the hearth over the carpet, and
dashing the ivy-sprays against my face with a force which caused my
cheeks to smart and tingle long afterwards.
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