The Ghost-Seer; or the Apparitionist | Page 7

this generosity,
but I yield to your request. Your wishes shall be gratified." At the same
time he rang the bell. "As for this money," continued he, "to which I
have no right myself, permit me to send it to the next monastery to be
applied to pious uses. I shall only keep this ring as a precious memorial
of the worthiest of princes."
Here the landlord entered; and the Sicilian handed him over the money.
"He is a rascal notwithstanding," whispered the Englishman to me. "He
refuses the money because at present his designs are chiefly on the
prince."
"Whom do you wish to see?" asked the sorcerer.
The prince considered for a moment. "We may as well have a great
man at once," said the Englishman. "Ask for Pope Ganganelli. It can
make no difference to this gentleman."
The Sicilian bit his lips. "I dare not call one of the Lord's anointed."

"That is a pity!" replied the English lord; "perhaps we might have heard
from him what disorder he died of."
"The Marquis de Lanoy," began the prince, "was a French brigadier in
the late war, and my most intimate friend. Having received a mortal
wound in the battle of Hastinbeck, he was carried to my tent, where he
soon after died in my arms. In his last agony he made a sign for me to
approach. 'Prince,' said he to me, 'I shall never again behold my native
land. I must, therefore, acquaint you with a secret known to none but
myself. In a convent on the frontiers of Flanders lives a --------' He
expired. Death cut short the thread of his discourse. I wish to see my
friend to hear the remainder."
"You ask much," exclaimed the Englishman, with an oath. "I proclaim
you the greatest sorcerer on earth if you can solve this problem,"
continued he, turning to the Sicilian. We admired the wise choice of the
prince, and unanimously gave our approval to the proposition. In the
meantime the sorcerer paced up and down the room with hasty steps,
apparently struggling with himself.
"This was all that the dying marquis communicated to you?"
"It is all."
"Did you make no further inquiries about the matter in his native
country?"
"I did, but they all proved fruitless."
"Had the Marquis de Lanoy led an irreproachable life? I dare not call
up every shade indiscriminately."
"He died, repenting the excesses of his youth."
"Do you carry with you any token of his!"
"I do." (The prince had really a snuff-box with the marquis' portrait
enamelled in miniature on the lid, which he had placed upon the table

near his plate during the time of supper.)
"I do not want to know what it is. If you will leave me you shall see the
deceased."
He requested us to wait in the other pavilion until he should call us. At
the same time he caused all the furniture to be removed from the room,
the windows to be taken out, and the shutters to be bolted. He ordered
the innkeeper, with whom he appeared to be intimately connected, to
bring a vessel with burning coals, and carefully to extinguish every fire
in the house. Previous to our leaving the room he obliged us separately
to pledge our honor that we would maintain an everlasting silence
respecting everything we should see and hear. All the doors of the
pavilion we were in were bolted behind us when we left it.
It was past eleven, and a dead silence reigned throughout the whole
house. As we were retiring from the saloon the Russian officer asked
me whether we had loaded pistols. "For what purpose?" asked I. "They
may possibly be of some use," replied he. "Wait a moment. I will
provide some." He went away. The Baron F------ and I opened a
window opposite the pavilion we had left. We fancied we heard two
persons whispering to each other, and a noise like that of a ladder
applied to one of the windows. This was, however, a mere conjecture,
and I did not dare affirm it as a fact. The Russian officer came back
with a brace of pistols, after having been absent about half an hour. We
saw him load them with powder and ball. It was almost two o'clock in
the morning when the sorcerer came and announced that all was
prepared. Before we entered the room he desired us to take off our
shoes, and to appear in our shirts, stockings, and under-garments. He
bolted the doors after us as before.
We found in the middle of the room a large, black circle, drawn with
charcoal, the space within which was capable of containing us all very
easily. The planks of the chamber floor next to the