Poor Frank heard this awful doom p.r.o.nounced which he could not repress.
He could have borne any ordinary physical torture with fort.i.tude; but the thought of being shut up in that noisome dungeon with a being so fearful and loathsome as the Image, made him sick and faint; and when the Dead Man and the negro seized him in their powerful grasp, in order to convey him to the dungeon, he could make no resistance, even if resistance had been of any avail. Julia did not accompany them, but contented herself with a glance of malignant triumph at her husband.
They descended to the cellar, and entered the secret pa.s.sage, which they traversed in profound darkness. This pa.s.sage communicated directly with the cellar of the house in Anthony street; a walk of ten minutes brought them to it, and when they had entered it, the Dead Man ignited a match and lit a lamp.
The appearance of the cellar was precisely the same as when Frank had last seen it.--There was the same outlet and the moveable platform; there, in that dim and distant corner, lay the putrefying corpse; and there, too, was the iron door of the dungeon, secured on the outside by the ma.s.sive bolt.
At that moment the fearful inmate of that dungeon set up its strange, unnatural cry.
"Hark--my Image welcomes you, Sydney," whispered the Dead Man, and, a.s.sisted by the African, he hurried his victim towards the dungeon door.
"In G.o.d"s name," said Frank, imploringly--"I beseech you to kill me at once, rather than shut me up with that fearful creature--for death is preferable to that!"
But the two ruffians only laughed--and drawing back the bolt, they opened the iron door, and thrust their victim into the dungeon; then closing the door, they pushed the bolt into its place, and left him to an eternal night of darkness and horror.
He heard the sound of their department footsteps; groping his way to a corner of the dungeon, he sat down upon the cold stone floor. Had he been alone he could have reconciled himself to his situation; but the consciousness of being in such fearful company, froze his blood with horror.
Soon his eyes became accustomed to the darkness; and as a very faint glimmer of light stole in over the door of the dungeon, he was enabled to see objects around him, though very indistinctly. With a shudder, he glanced around him; and there, cowering in one corner, like some hideous reptile, its green eyes fixed upon him, sat the Image of the Dead Man--the terrible Dwarf!
Hour after hour did that mis-shapen thing gaze upon our hero, until a strange feeling of fascination came over him--his brain grew dizzy, and he felt as if under the influence of a horrible dream. Then it uttered its strange, unnatural cry, and with the crawling motion of a snake, stole to his side. He felt its breath, like the noisome breath of a charnel-house, upon his cheek; he felt its cold, clammy touch, and could not thrust it from him; it twined its distorted, fleshless arms around him, and repeated its awful yell. Then Sydney fell prostrate upon the floor, insensible.
When he recovered from his swoon, (in which he had lain for many hours) he felt numbed with cold, sick with the foetid atmosphere of the place, and faint with hunger. The dwarf was ferociously devouring some carrion which had been thrown into the dungeon; and the creature made uncouth signs to our hero, as if inviting him to eat. But on examining the food he found it to be so repulsive, that he turned from it in disgust, and resolved, sooner than partake of it, to let starvation put an end to his misery.
CHAPTER XXI
_Josephine and Mrs. Franklin receive two important Visits._
Josephine Franklin and her mother were languidly partaking of a late breakfast, and indolently discussing the merits of the Italian opera, to which they had both been on the preceding night.
It not being the hour for fashionable calls, both ladies were attired with an extreme negligence which indicated that they antic.i.p.ated seeing no company. And yet, to the eyes of a true connoisseur in beauty, there was something far more seductive in those voluptuous dishabilles, than there could have been in the most magnificent full dress. The conversation in which they were engaged, was characteristic of them both:--
"I think, mamma," said Josephine--"that the most captivating fellow on the stage last night, was the Signor Stopazzi, who played the peasant.
Ah, what superb legs! what a fine chest! what graceful motions! I am dying to get him for a lover!"
"What, tired of the handsome Sinclair already?" asked Mrs. Franklin with a smile.
"Indeed, to confess the truth, mamma," replied Josephine--"the Doctor is becoming somewhat _de trop_--and then, again, those Italians make such delightful lovers; so full of fire, and pa.s.sion, and poetry; and music, and charming romance--ah, I adore them!"
"Apropos of Italian lovers," said her mother. "I once had one; I was then in my sixteenth year, and superbly beautiful. My Angelo was a divine youth, and he loved me to distraction. Once, in a moment of intoxicating bliss, he swore to do whatever I commanded him, to test the sincerity of his life; and I playfully and thoughtlessly bade him go and kill himself for my sake. The words were forgotten by me, almost as soon as uttered. Angelo supped with me that night, and when he took his leave, he had never seemed gayer or happier. The next day, at noon, I received a beautiful bouquet of flowers, and a perfumed billet-doux; they were from Angelo. On opening the missive, I found that it contained the most eloquent a.s.surance of his sincere love--but, to my horror, in a postscript of two lines he expressed his intention of destroying himself ere his note could reach me, in obedience to my command. Almost distracted, I flew to his hotel; my worst fears were confirmed. Poor Angelo was found with his throat cut, and quite dead, with my miniature pressed to his heart."[4]
"Delightfully romantic!" exclaimed Josephine--"how I should like to have a lover kill himself for my sake!"
But the brilliant eyes of her mother were suffused with tears. Just then a servant in livery entered and announced--
"Dr. Sinclair is below, and craves an audience with Mrs. Franklin and Miss Josephine."
"Let him come up," said Josephine, with a gesture of some impatience; for, in truth, she was beginning to be tired of the rector, and longed for a new conquest.
Dr. Sinclair entered with a constrained and gloomy air.
"My dear Doc," cried Josephine, with affected cordiality--"how opportunely that you called! I was just now wishing that you would come."
"Ladies," said the Doctor, solemnly--"I have recently made a terrible, a most astonishing discovery."
"Indeed! and pray what is it?" cried both mother and daughter.
"It is that Mr. Edgar Franklin, whose death was so sudden and unaccountable, was basely murdered!"
The mother and daughter turned pale, and losing all power of utterance, gazed at each other with looks of wild alarm.
"Yes," resumed the Doctor--"I have in my possession evidence the most conclusive, that he met his death by the hands of a murderess, who was urged to commit the deed by two other devils in female shape."
"Doctor--explain--what mean you?" gasped Josephine, while her mother seemed as if about to go into hysterics.
"In the first place I will ask you if you ever knew a woman named Mary Welch?" said the Doctor; then after a pause, he added--"your looks convince me that you have known such a person; that woman recently died in this city, and on her death-bed she made the following confession."
The rector here produced and read a paper which he had drawn up embodying the statement and confession which the woman Welch had made to him, just before her death. As the reader is acquainted with the particulars of that confession it is unnecessary for us to repeat them.
Having finished the perusal of this doc.u.ment, the rector proceeded to relate an account of his visit to the tomb of Mr. Franklin, and concluded his fearfully interesting narrative by producing the lump of lead which had been taken from the skull of the murdered man.
It is impossible to describe the horror and dismay of the two wretched and guilty women, when they saw that their crime was discovered. Falling on their knees before the rector, they implored him to have mercy on them and not hand them over to justice.--They expressed their sincere repentance of the deed, and declared that sooner than suffer the ignominy of an arrest, they would die by their own hands. Josephine in particular did not fail to remind Dr. Sinclair of the many favors she had granted him and hinted that her exposure would result in his own ruin, as his former connection with her would be disclosed, if herself and mother were arrested and brought to trial.
"Were I inclined to bring you to justice, the dread of my own exposure would not prevent me; for no personal consideration should ever restrain me from doing an act of justice, provided the public good would be prompted thereby. But I do not see the necessity of bringing you to the horrors of a trial and execution; much rather would I see you allowed a chance of repentance. Therefore, you need apprehend no danger from me; the secret of your crime shall not be revealed by me. But I warn you that the secret is known to another, who will probably use his knowledge to his own advantage; the matter lies between you and him. I shall now leave this house, never again to cross its threshold; but ere I depart, let me urge you both before G.o.d to repent of your sins. Josephine, I have been very guilty in yielding to your temptations; but the Lord is merciful, and will not refuse forgiveness to the chief of sinners.
Farewell--we shall meet no more: for I design shortly to retire from a ministerial life, of which I have proved myself unworthy; and shall take up my abode in some other place, and lead a life of obscurity and humble usefulness."
With these words the Doctor took his departure, leaving the mother and daughter in a state of mind easier to be imagined than described.
Josephine was the first to break the silence which succeeded his exit from the house:--
"So our secret is discovered," said she.--"Perdition! who would have thought that our crime could ever be found out in that manner? Mother, what are we to do?"
"I know not what to say," replied Mrs. Franklin. "One thing, however, is certain; that whining parson will never betray us. He said that the dread of his own folly would not deter him from denouncing us, but he lies--that dread of being exposed will alone keep his mouth shut. Yet, good Heavens! he a.s.sures us that the secret is known to another person, who will not scruple to use the knowledge to his advantage. Who can that person be? And what reward will he require of us, to ensure his silence?"
"Mother," said Josephine, in a decided tone--"We must quit this city forever. We can dwell here no longer with safety. Let us go to Boston, and dwell there under an a.s.sumed name. I have heard that Boston is a great city, where licentiousness and hypocrisy abound, in secret; where the artful dissimulator can cloak himself with sanct.i.ty, and violate with impunity every command of G.o.d and man. Yes, Boston is the city for us."
"I agree with you, my dear," rejoined her mother--"it is the greatest l.u.s.t market of the Union. You will be surprised to learn that several of my old schoolmates are now keeping fashionable boarding houses for courtezans in that city and from the business derive a luxurious maintenance. There is my friend Louisa Atwill, whose history I have often narrated to you and there, too, is Lucy Bartlett, and Rachel Pierce, whose lover is the gay and celebrated Frank Hanc.o.c.k, whom I have often seen--nor must I omit to mention Julia Carr, whose establishment is noted for privacy, and is almost exclusively supported by married men. All these with whom I occasionally correspond testify to the voluptuous temperament of the Bostonians, among whom you will be sure to make many conquests."
We merely detail this conversation for the purpose of showing the recklessness and depravity of these two women. They had just acknowledged themselves guilty of the crime of murder; and could thus calmly converse on indifferent and sinful topics, immediately after the departure of their accuser, and as soon as their first excitement of fear had subsided.
While thus arranging their plans for the future, the servant in livery again entered, to announce another visitor.
"He is a strange looking man," said the servant, "and when I civilly told him that the ladies received no company before dinner, he gave me such a look as I shall never forget, and told me to hold my tongue and lead the way--good Lord, here he comes now!"
The terrified servant vanished from the room, as a tall figure stalked in, wrapped in a cloak. The ladies could scarce repress a shriek, when throwing aside his hat and cloak, the stranger exhibited a face of appalling hideousness; and a fearful misgiving took possession of their minds, that this was the other person who was in the secret of their crime.
"You are the two Franklin ladies I presume--mother and daughter--good!"