George's Enemies, by Ascott R. Hope (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1872 Excerpt: ...perhaps have been to dream of weird hands, mysterious raps, tables dancing, chairs walking, and such like genteel evidences of drawing-room supernaturalism, which in a refined nineteenth century have supplanted the AN ALARM. 161 coarse skull and cross-bone horrors of "once upon a time." But before I passed into the land of dreams, I was startled by hearing close to me one or two raps of the kind I had imagined. I opened my eyes for a moment, then shut them again and listened. There could be no mistake about it; another couple of soul-appalling raps greeted my attentive ears. I knew it was foolish of me and did not like to confess my weakness to any one, but I could not help half sitting up in bed and looking in the direction from which the noise seemed to come. As I did so, a cold wind passed over my face, and a cold shudder ran through me. I shrank back on my pillow, and my heart beat fast and faster as I distinctly saw--oh, horror --a ghastly, gigantic hand moving in the darkness and coming towards me. My impulse was to bury myself under the blankets; but before I could do so, something white and soft and dreadful flopped up against my face. I could no longer contain myself, but sprang out of bed with a loud scream. Instantly all was in commotion. I ran towards the door, stumbling over a water jug which stood in my way, and dragging down a chair in a vain attempt to save myself from falling. Half the fellows jumped up, uttering exclamations of wrath or astonishment, and in various tones demanded the meaning of this howling and smashing. Abbing thought some one was coming to play him a trick, and flying to arms discharged both his slippers with deadly aim, so far as noise went, for one of them banged up against the door, and the other struck Bees...