It was a dark, sour, gloomy morning, and bleak and cold, with a slanting veil of powdery snow driving along,Ⓐalteration in the MS and a clamorous hollow wind bellowing down the chimneys and rumbling around the battlements and towers—just the right weather for the occasion, 44 said, nothing could improve it but an eclipse. That gave him an idea, and he said he would do an eclipse; not a real one, but an artificial one that nobody but Simon Newcomb could tellⒺexplanatory note from the original Jacobs—so he started it at once, and it certainly did make those yawning old stone tunnels pretty dim and sepulchral, and also of course it furnished an additional uncanniness and muffledness to way-off footfalls, taking the harshness out of them and the edge off their echoes, because when you walk on that kind of eclipsy gloominess on a stone floor it squshes under the foot and makes that dull effect which is so shuddery and uncomfortable in these crumbly old castles where there has been such ages of cruelty and captivity and murder and mystery. And to-night would be Ghost-NightⒶalteration in the MS besides, and 44 did not forget to remember that, and said he wished eclipses weren't so much trouble after sundown, hanged if he wouldn't run this one all night, because it could be aⒶalteration in the MS great help, and a lot of ghastly effects could be gotten out of it, [begin page 389] because all the castleⒶalteration in the MS ghosts turn out then, on account of its coming only every ten years, which makes it kind of select and distinguished, and still more so every Hundredth YearⒶalteration in the MS—which this one was—because the best ghosts from many other castlesⒶalteration in the MS come by invitation, then, and take a hand at the great ball and banquet at midnight, a good spectacle and full of interest, insomuch that 44 had come more than once on the Hundredth NightⒶalteration in the MS to see it, heⒶalteration in the MS said, and it was very pathetic and interesting to meet up with shadowyⒶalteration in the MS friends that way that you haven't seen for one or two centuriesⒶalteration in the MS and hear them tell the same mouldyⒶalteration in the MS things over againⒶalteration in the MS that they've told you several times before; because they don't have anything fresh, the wayⒶalteration in the MS they are situated, poor things. And besides, he was going to make this the swellest Hundredth Night that had been celebrated in this castle in twelve centuries, and said he was inviting A 1 ghosts from everywhere in the world and from all the ages, past and future, and each could bring a friend if he liked—any friend, character no object, just so he is dead—and if I wanted to invite some I could, he hoped to accumulate a thousand or two, and make this the Hundredth Night of Hundredth Nights, and discourage competition for a thousand years.Ⓐalteration in the MS

We didn't seeⒶalteration in the MS a soul, all the murkyⒶalteration in the MS way from my door to the centralⒶalteration in the MS grand staircase and half way down it—then we began to see plenty of people, our own and men from the village—and they were armed, and stood in two ranks, waiting, a double fence across the spaciousⒶalteration in the MS hall—for the magicianⒶalteration in the MS to pass between, if it might please him to try it; and Katrina was there, between the fences, grim and towering and soldierly, and she was watching and waiting, with her knife. I glanced back, by chance, and there was alsoⒶalteration in the MS a living fence behind! dimⒶalteration in the MS forms, men who had been keeping watch in ambush, and had silently closed in upon the magician's tracks as he passed along. Mary G. had apparentlyⒶalteration in the MS had enough of this grisly journey—she was gone.

When the people below saw that their plans had succeeded, and that their quarry was in the trap they had set, they set up a loud cheer of exultation, but it didn't seem to me to ring true; there was a doubtful note in it, and I thought likely those folks were not as [begin page 390] glad they had caught their bird as they were letting on to be; and they kept crossing themselves industriously; I took that for a sign, too.

Forty-Four moved steadily down. When he was on the last step there was turmoil down the hall, and a volley ofⒶalteration in the MS shoutings, with cries ofⒶalteration in the MS “make way—Father Adolf is come!” then he burst panting through one of the ranks and threw himself in the way, just as Katrina was plunging for the disguised 44Ⓐemendation, and stormed out—

“Stop her, everybody! Donkeys, would you let her butcher him, and cheat the Church's fires!”

They jumped for Katrina, and in a moment she was struggling in the jumbleⒶalteration in the MS of swaying forms, with nothing visible above it but her head and her long arm with the knife in it; and her strong voice was pouring out her feelings with energy,Ⓐalteration in the MS and easily making itself heard above the general din and the priest's commands:Ⓐalteration in the MS

“LetⒶalteration in the MS me at him—he burnt my child, my darling!” . . . . “Keep her off, men, keep her off!” . . . . “He is not the Church's, his blood is mine by rights—out of my way! I will have it!” . . . . “Back! woman, back, I tell you—force her back, men, have you no strength? are you nothing but boys?” . . . . “A hundred of you shan't stay me, woman though I be!”Ⓐemendation.

And sure enough, with one massyⒶalteration in the MS surge she wrenchedⒶalteration in the MS herself free, and flourished her knife, and bent her head and body forwardⒶalteration in the MS like a foot-racer and came charging down the living laneⒶalteration in the MS through the gathering darkness—

Then suddenly there was a great light! she lifted her head and caught it full in her swarthy face, which it transfigured with its whiteⒶalteration in the MS glory, as it did also all that placeⒶalteration in the MS, and its marble pillars, and the frightened people, and Katrina dropped her knife and fell to her knees, with her hands clasped, everybody doing the same; and so there they were, all kneeling, like that, with hands thrust forward or clasped, and they and the stately columns all awash in that unearthly splendor;Ⓐalteration in the MS and there where the magician had stood, stood 44 now, in his supernal beauty and his graciousⒶalteration in the MS youth; and it was from him that that flooding light came, for all his form was clothed in that immortal fire, and flashingⒶalteration in the MS like the sun; and Katrina crept [begin page 391] on her knees to him, and bent down her old head and kissed his feet, and he bent down and patted her softlyⒶalteration in the MS on the shoulder and touched his lips to the grayⒶemendation hair—and was gone!—and for two or three minutes you were so blinded you couldn't see your next neighbor in that submerging black darkness. Then after thatⒶalteration in the MS it was better, and you could make out the murky forms, some stillⒶalteration in the MS kneeling, some lying prone in a swoon, some staggering about, here and there, with their hands pressed overⒶalteration in the MS their eyes, as if that light had hurt them and they were in pain. Katrina was wandering off, on unsteady feet, and her knife was lying there in the midst.

It was good he thought of the eclipse, it helped out ever so much; the effects would have been fine and great in any case, but the eclipse made them grand and stunning—just letter-perfect, as it seemed to me; and he said himself it beat Barnum and Bailey hands down, and was by as much asⒶalteration in the MS several shades too good for the provinces—which was all Sanscrit to me, and hadn'tⒶalteration in the MS any meaning even in Sanscrit I reckon, but was invented for the occasion, because it had a learned sound, and he liked sound better than sense as a rule. There's been others like that, but he was the worst.

I judged it would take those people several hours to get over that, and accumulate their wits again and get their bearings, for it had knocked the whole bunch dizzy; meantime there wouldn't be anything doing. I must put in the time some way until they should be in a condition to resume business at the old stand. I went to my room and put on my fleshⒶalteration in the MS and stretched myself out on a lounge before the fire with a book,Ⓐalteration in the MS first setting the door ajar, so that the cat could fetch news if she got hold of any, which I wished she might; but in a little while I was asleep. I did not stir again until ten at night. I woke then,Ⓐalteration in the MS and found the cat finishing her supper, and my own ready on the table and hot; and veryⒶalteration in the MS welcome, for I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. Mary came and occupied a chair at my board, and washed herself and delivered her news while I ate. She had witnessed the great transformation scene, and had been so astonished by it and so interested in it that she did not wait to see the end, but went up a chimney and stayed there half an hour freezing, until somebody started a fire under her, and thenⒶalteration in the MS she was [begin page 392] thankful and very comfortable. But it got too comfortable, and she climbed out and came down a skylight stairway and went visiting around, and a little while ago she caught a rat, and did it as easy as nothing, and would teach me how, sometime, if I cared for such things; but she didn't eat it, it wasn't a fresh rat,Ⓐalteration in the MS or was out of season or something, but it reminded her that she was hungry, so she came home. Then she said—

“If you like to be astonished, I can astonish you. The magician isn't dead!”

I threw my hands up and did the astonishment-act like an oldⒶalteration in the MS expert, crying out—

“Mary Florence FortescueⒶemendation, what can you mean!”

She was delighted, and exclaimed—

“There, it's just as I said! I told him you wouldn't ever believe it; but I can lay my paw on my heart, just so, and I wish I may never stir if I haven't seen him!—seen him, you hear?—and he's just as alive as ever he was since the day he was born!”

“Oh, go 'long, you're deceiving me!”

She was almostⒶalteration in the MS beside herself with joy over the success of her astonisher, and said—

“Oh, it's lovely, it's too lovely, and just as I said it would be—I told him you wouldn't, and it's come out just so!”

In her triumph and delight she tried to clap her hands, but it was a failure, they wouldn't clap any more than mushrooms.Ⓐalteration in the MS Then she said—

“Duplicate, would you believe he is alive if I should prove it?”

“Sho,” I said, “come off!—what are you giving me?—as he used to say. You're talking nonsense, Mary. When a person is dead, known to be dead, permanently dead, demonstrablyⒶemendation dead, you can't prove him alive, there isn't any way. Come, don't you know that?”

Well, she was just beaming, by now, and she could hardly hold her system together, she was thatⒶalteration in the MS near to bursting with the victory she was going to spring on me. She skipped to the floor and flirted something to my foot with her paw; I picked it up, and she jumpedⒶalteration in the MS into her chair again and said—

“There, now, he said you would know what that is; what is it?”

[begin page 393]

“It's a thing he calls a paper—Boston paper.”

“That's right, that's what he said. And he said it is futureⒶalteration in the MS English and you know presentⒶalteration in the MS English and can read it. DidⒶalteration in the MS he say right?”

“The fact is right, but he didn't say it, because he's dead.”

“You wait—that's all. He said look at the date.”

“Very well. He didn't say it, because he's dead, and of course wouldn't think of it; but here it is, all the same—June 28, 1905.”

“That's right, it's what he said. Then he said askⒶalteration in the MS you what was the Founder's message to her disciples, that was in the other Boston paper. What was it?”

“Well, he told me there was an immense war going on, and she got tired having her peopleⒶalteration in the MS pray for peace and never takeⒶalteration in the MS a trickⒶalteration in the MS for seventeen months, so she ordered them to quitⒶalteration in the MS, and put their batteryⒶalteration in the MS out of commission. And he said nobody could understand the rest of the message, and like enough that veryⒶalteration in the MS ignorance would bring on an immense disaster.”

“Aha! well, it did!Ⓐalteration in the MS He says the very minute she was stopping the praying, the two fleets were meetingⒺexplanatory note, and the uncivilized one utterlyⒶalteration in the MS annihilated the civilized one,Ⓐalteration in the MS and it wouldn't have happened if she had let the praying go on.Ⓐalteration in the MS Now then, you didn't know that, did you!”

“No, and I don't know it yet.”

“Well, you soon will. The message was June 27, wasn't it?”

“Yes.”Ⓐalteration in the MS

“Well, the disaster was that very day—right after the praying was stopped—and you'll find the news of it in the very next day's paper, whichⒶalteration in the MS you've got in your hand—date, June 28.”

I took a glance at the big headings, and said—

“M-y word! why it's absolutely so! Baker G., don't youⒶemendation know this is the most astounding thing that ever happened? It proves he is alive—nobody else could bringⒶalteration in the MS this paper.Ⓐalteration in the MS He certainly is alive, and back with us, after that tremendous abolishment and extinction which we witnessed; yes, he's alive, Mary, alive, and glad am I, oh, grateful beyond words!”Ⓐalteration in the MS

“Oh!Ⓐalteration in the MS” she cried, in a rapture, “it's just splendid,Ⓐalteration in the MS oh, just too lovely! I knewⒶalteration in the MS I could prove it; I knew it just as well! I thought he [begin page 394] was gone, when he blazed up and went out, that way, and I was so scared and grieved—and isn't he a wonder! Duplicate, there isn't another necromancer in the business thatⒶemendation can begin with him, now is there?”

“You can stake your tale and your ears on it, Mary, and don't you forget it—as he used to say.Ⓐalteration in the MS In my opinion he can give the whole trade ninety-nine in the hundred and go out every time, cross-eyed and left-handed.”

“But he isn't, Duplicate.”

“Isn't what?”

“Cross-eyed and left-handed.”

“Who said he was, you little fool?”Ⓐalteration in the MS

“Why, you did.”

“I never said anything of the kind; I said he could if he was. That isn't saying he was; it was a supposititiousⒶalteration in the MS case, and literary; it was a figure, a metaphor, and its function was to augment the force of the—”

“Well, he isn't, anyway; because I've noticed, and—”

“OhⒶalteration in the MS, shut up! don't I tell youⒶemendation it was only a figure, and I never meant—”

“I don't care, you'll never make me believe he's cross-eyed and left-handed, because the time he—”

“Baker G.Ⓐemendation, if you open your mouth again I'll jam the boot-jack down it! you're as random and irrelevantⒶalteration in the MS and incoherent and mentally impenetrable as the afflicted Founder herself.”

But she was under the bed by that time; and reflecting, probably, if she had the machinery for it.Ⓐalteration in the MS