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Page 53
"Well," asked George, "see anything?"
"I don't want to talk," said his father. "I've stood just about
enough."
"We've got to sell out and go back to Townsend Centre," cried his
wife in a wild voice. "Oh, David, say you'll go back."
"I won't go back for any such nonsense as this, and sell a twenty-
five thousand dollar house for five thousand," said he firmly.
But that very night his resolution was shaken. The whole family
watched together in the dining-room. They were all afraid to go to
bed--that is, all except possibly Mr. Townsend. Mrs. Townsend
declared firmly that she for one would leave that awful house and
go back to Townsend Centre whether he came or not, unless they all
stayed together and watched, and Mr. Townsend yielded. They chose
the dining-room for the reason that it was nearer the street should
they wish to make their egress hurriedly, and they took up their
station around the dining-table on which Cordelia had placed a
luncheon.
"It looks exactly as if we were watching with a corpse," she said
in a horror-stricken whisper.
"Hold your tongue if you can't talk sense," said Mr. Townsend.
The dining-room was very large, finished in oak, with a dark blue
paper above the wainscotting. The old sign of the tavern, the Blue
Leopard, hung over the mantel-shelf. Mr. Townsend had insisted on
hanging it there. He had a curious pride in it. The family sat
together until after midnight and nothing unusual happened. Mrs.
Townsend began to nod; Mr. Townsend read the paper ostentatiously.
Adrianna and Cordelia stared with roving eyes about the room, then
at each other as if comparing notes on terror. George had a book
which he studied furtively. All at once Adrianna gave a startled
exclamation and Cordelia echoed her. George whistled faintly.
Mrs. Townsend awoke with a start and Mr. Townsend's paper rattled
to the floor.
"Look!" gasped Adrianna.
The sign of the Blue Leopard over the shelf glowed as if a lantern
hung over it. The radiance was thrown from above. It grew
brighter and brighter as they watched. The Blue Leopard seemed to
crouch and spring with life. Then the door into the front hall
opened--the outer door, which had been carefully locked. It
squeaked and they all recognized it. They sat staring. Mr.
Townsend was as transfixed as the rest. They heard the outer door
shut, then the door into the room swung open and slowly that awful
black group of people which they had seen in the afternoon entered.
The Townsends with one accord rose and huddled together in a far
corner; they all held to each other and stared. The people, their
faces gleaming with a whiteness of death, their black robes waving
and folding, crossed the room. They were a trifle above mortal
height, or seemed so to the terrified eyes which saw them. They
reached the mantel-shelf where the sign-board hung, then a black-
draped long arm was seen to rise and make a motion, as if plying a
knocker. Then the whole company passed out of sight, as if through
the wall, and the room was as before. Mrs. Townsend was shaking in
a nervous chill, Adrianna was almost fainting, Cordelia was in
hysterics. David Townsend stood glaring in a curious way at the
sign of the Blue Leopard. George stared at him with a look of
horror. There was something in his father's face which made him
forget everything else. At last he touched his arm timidly.
"Father," he whispered.
David turned and regarded him with a look of rage and fury, then
his face cleared; he passed his hand over his forehead.
"Good Lord! What DID come to me?" he muttered.
"You looked like that awful picture of old Tom Townsend in the
garret in Townsend Centre, father," whimpered the boy, shuddering.
"Should think I might look like 'most any old cuss after such
darned work as this," growled David, but his face was white. "Go
and pour out some hot tea for your mother," he ordered the boy
sharply. He himself shook Cordelia violently. "Stop such
actions!" he shouted in her ears, and shook her again. "Ain't you
a church member?" he demanded; "what be you afraid of? You ain't
done nothin' wrong, have ye?"
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