The Old Curiosity Shop


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Reasoning herself out of these fears, or losing sight of them for a little  
while, there came the anxiety to which the adventures of the night  
gave rise. Here was the old passion awakened again in her  
grandfather's breast, and to what further distraction it might tempt  
him Heaven only knew. What fears their absence might have  
occasioned already! Persons might be seeking for them even then.  
Would they be forgiven in the morning, or turned adrift again! Oh!  
why had they stopped in that strange place? It would have been  
better, under any circumstances, to have gone on!  
At last, sleep gradually stole upon her - a broken, fitful sleep, troubled  
by dreams of falling from high towers, and waking with a start and in  
great terror. A deeper slumber followed this - and then - What! That  
figure in the room.  
A figure was there. Yes, she had drawn up the blind to admit the light  
when it should be dawn, and there, between the foot of the bed and  
the dark casement, it crouched and slunk along, groping its way with  
noiseless hands, and stealing round the bed. She had no voice to cry  
for help, no power to move, but lay still, watching it.  
On it came - on, silently and stealthily, to the bed's head. The breath  
so near her pillow, that she shrunk back into it, lest those wandering  
hands should light upon her face. Back again it stole to the window -  
then turned its head towards her.  
The dark form was a mere blot upon the lighter darkness of the room,  
but she saw the turning of the head, and felt and knew how the eyes  
looked and the ears listened. There it remained, motionless as she. At  
length, still keeping the face towards her, it busied its hands in  
something, and she heard the chink of money.  
Then, on it came again, silent and stealthy as before, and replacing  
the garments it had taken from the bedside, dropped upon its hands  
and knees, and crawled away. How slowly it seemed to move, now that  
she could hear but not see it, creeping along the floor! It reached the  
door at last, and stood upon its feet. The steps creaked beneath its  
noiseless tread, and it was gone.  
The first impulse of the child was to fly from the terror of being by  
herself in that room - to have somebody by - not to be alone - and  
then her power of speech would be restored. With no consciousness of  
having moved, she gained the door.  
There was the dreadful shadow, pausing at the bottom of the steps.  
She could not pass it; she might have done so, perhaps, in the  
darkness without being seized, but her blood curdled at the thought.  


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213 214 215 216 217

Quick Jump
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