tread of our footsteps; yet nowhere could we
discover any trace of our strange visitor. You
may imagine whether we searched the chapel
through and through. Seeing nothing that gave
the faintest clue to the mystery, we sent for
doors walled up. The windows were all
barred and bolted, and we hoped that we
had most effectually shut out, or shut in, the
ghost.

"The day passed much as usual, except that
we awaited the evening with much anxiety,
which increased as the time for taking up our
watch approached. This time, all the officers
remained up, to keep watch together. Slowly
the hours passed over, until the great clock
struck twelve. Then we stood ready and intent,
awaiting the next stroke. Half-past twelve, a
quarter to one, and we were beginning to
congratulate ourselves on having effectually walled
up the ghost, when the pale green light of the
previous night again became visible. It shone
through the same window as before, and
presently, bars and bolts giving way, the window
flew open, and the spectral figure, with the lamp
in its hand, stepped out into the air. It
followed the same course as it had taken previously,
and in the same manner; with only this
difference, that it paused for a moment in its
progress over the beds of five or six of the men,
and breathed a sort of internal hiss into each of
their faces. Again it came close to us, and then
vanished. We were petrified; all our precautions
had availed us nothing, and this time the
dread apparition had emitted sounds sufficiently
audible to be heard by us, who were some
distance.

"What was to be done next?

"'Whatever this is,' said Harrison, while his
lips curled slightly with contempt, 'I am determined
to drive it from this place. We must
not allow ourselves to be frightened. Since
I was a child I have been taught to reject
ghosts, and I have no belief in ghosts. To-
morrow night, if this thing appears, we must
give chase. You will help me?' he added,
turning to me.

"Of course I promised to stand by him,
though more than doubtful of our doing any
good. It was agreed that on the following
night we, the officers, should divide into two
parties, one standing at the right wing, the
other at the left; and that we should both
rush on this mysterious appearance at the same
time, and by closing in upon it render escape
impossible. In this plan the men joined most
heartily.

"We were not cowards, yet, I confess it,
the sight of this strangely mysterious
apparition, with its unearthly light, had made my
blood run cold, while the looks of my
companions had proved that they liked it as little
as I did.

"Again night arrived, and again we took post
in the court-yard, waiting for the accustomed
hour. Our hearts beat faster when we saw the
now well-known green light appearing at the
chapel window, Slowly the white figure passed
over the men's beds, holding up its pale lamp;
and I remarked, with something like a shudder,
that it uttered the same diabolical hiss to the
same six men as on the previous night. At a
masons from the village, and had the chapel
signal, we rushed forward from both sides and
closed in. The spectre seemed to understand
our attempt, gave us one of its fearful hisses into
Harrison's very face, and then we saw it walking
(so it seemed) above our heads; and it vanished
over the monastery.

"Without a word from any one—for we were
all too much horrified to speak—we re-entered
the house, and sought our rooms. Harrison
and I occupied a room together, and, as we
went into it, I remarked that his face and lips
were ashy pale.

" 'For Heaven's sake,' he said, in a voice so
hollow that it made me start, 'never speak of
this thing again, and let us leave this place as
soon as possible.'

"We went to bed, but did not sleep. The
apparition was constantly before my eyes, while
his hiss seemed still ringing in my ears. I could
hear, by the restless tossing of my companion,
that he, too, shared my vigils. At length,
after some weary hours, I fell asleep, and
when I awoke, late in the morning, I was
pleased and relieved to see Harrison sleeping
soundly.

"We all met at breakfast; but, as if by one
consent, seemed to avoid the subject of the
apparition. I had serious thoughts of leaving
the village, and seeking for billets elsewhere,
only it was difficult, now that all our arrangements
were made, to leave the place; not to
speak of the embarrassment of explaining such
an unusual proceeding. We agreed to
remain where we were for a few days longer, in
the hope that the order to march for Lisbon
would soon arrive. I do not know that an
immediate removal from the monastery would
have effected any change in the catastrophe of
the story, except, perhaps, in some of its
details; but I greatly regretted at the time, and
cannot but regret to this day, that we did not
devise some pretext to escape from that terrible
place.

"We kept no more watches, for the ghost,
and three nights passed by without any
report being made from the men of its
reappearance.

"One sunny afternoon—it was either the
fourth or the fifth day after the last appearance
of the apparition—Harrison, and two other
officers, set out on horseback for a neighbouring
point of interest . It was a glorious day, and we
were all in capital spirits, which seemed to be
shared by our horses, fur they carried us lightly

and swiftly along. Harrison had a beautiful
horse—a noble animal—a light chestnut, and as
quiet and gentle a horse as ever man rode. It
was the pride of its master, and the admiration
of the regiment. We had ridden about a mile
or more trom the abbey, and were pausing to
look at the view, which was very fine, when we
perceived an orderly coming towards us. He