the next evening kate and philip went to a ball. as hope was passing through the hall late in the evening, she heard a sudden, sharp cry somewhere in the upper regions, that sounded, she thought, like a woman’s voice. she stopped to hear, but there was silence. it seemed to come from the direction of malbone’s room, which was in the third story. again came the cry, more gently, ending in a sort of sobbing monologue. gliding rapidly up stairs in the dark, she paused at philip’s deserted room, but the door was locked, and there was profound stillness. she then descended, and pausing at the great landing, heard other steps descending also. retreating to the end of the hall, she hastily lighted a candle, when the steps ceased. with her accustomed nerve, wishing to explore the thing thoroughly, she put out the light and kept still. as she expected, the footsteps presently recommenced, descending stealthily, but drawing no nearer, and seeming rather like sounds from an adjoining house, heard through a party-wall. this was impossible, as the house stood alone. flushed with excitement, she relighted the hall candles, and, taking one of them, searched the whole entry and stairway, going down even to the large, old-fashioned cellar.
looking about her in this unfamiliar region, her eye fell on a door that seemed to open into the wall; she had noticed a similar door on the story above,—one of the closet doors that had been nailed up by aunt jane’s order. as she looked, however, a chill breath blew in from another direction, extinguishing her lamp. this air came from the outer door of the cellar, and she had just time to withdraw into a corner before a man’s steps approached, passing close by her.
even hope’s strong nerves had begun to yield, and a cold shudder went through her. not daring to move, she pressed herself against the wall, and her heart seemed to stop as the unseen stranger passed. instead of his ascending where she had come down, as she had expected, she heard him grope his way toward the door she had seen in the wall.
there he seemed to find a stairway, and when his steps were thus turned from her, she was seized by a sudden impulse and followed him, groping her way as she could. she remembered that the girls had talked of secret stairways in that house, though she had no conception whither they could lead, unless to some of the shut-up closets.
she steadily followed, treading cautiously upon each creaking step. the stairway was very narrow, and formed a regular spiral as in a turret. the darkness and the curving motion confused her brain, and it was impossible to tell how high in the house she was, except when once she put her hand upon what was evidently a door, and moreover saw through its cracks the lamp she had left burning in the upper hall. this glimpse of reality reassured her. she had begun to discover where she was. the doors which aunt jane had closed gave access, not to mere closets, but to a spiral stairway, which evidently went from top to bottom of the house, and was known to some one else beside herself.
relieved of that slight shudder at the supernatural which sometimes affects the healthiest nerves, hope paused to consider. to alarm the neighborhood was her first thought. a slight murmuring from above dispelled it; she must first reconnoitre a few steps farther. as she ascended a little way, a gleam shone upon her, and down the damp stairway came a fragrant odor, as from some perfumed chamber. then a door was shut and reopened. eager beyond expression, she followed on. another step, and she stood at the door of malbone’s apartment.
the room was brilliant with light; the doors and windows were heavily draped. fruit and flowers and wine were on the table. on the sofa lay emilia in a gay ball-dress, sunk in one of her motionless trances, while malbone, pale with terror, was deluging her brows with the water he had just brought from the well below.
hope stopped a moment and leaned against the door, as her eyes met malbone’s. then she made her way to a chair, and leaning on the back of it, which she fingered convulsively, looked with bewildered eyes and compressed lips from the one to the other. malbone tried to speak, but failed; tried again, and brought forth only a whisper that broke into clearer speech as the words went on. “no use to explain,” he said. “lambert is in new york. mrs. meredith is expecting her—to-night after the ball. what can we do?”
hope covered her face as he spoke; she could bear anything better than to have him say “we,” as if no gulf had opened between them. she sank slowly on her knees behind her chair, keeping it as a sort of screen between herself and these two people,—the counterfeits, they seemed, of her lover and her sister. if the roof in falling to crush them had crushed her also, she could scarcely have seemed more rigid or more powerless. it passed, and the next moment she was on her feet again, capable of action.
“she must be taken,” she said very clearly, but in a lower tone than usual, “to my chamber.” then pointing to the candles, she said, more huskily, “we must not be seen. put them out.” every syllable seemed to exhaust her. but as philip obeyed her words, he saw her move suddenly and stand by emilia’s side.
she put out both arms as if to lift the young girl, and carry her away.
“you cannot,” said philip, putting her gently aside, while she shrank from his touch. then he took emilia in his arms and bore her to the door, hope preceding.
motioning him to pause a moment, she turned the lock softly, and looked out into the dark entry. all was still. she went out, and he followed with his motionless burden. they walked stealthily, like guilty things, yet every slight motion seemed to ring in their ears. it was chilly, and hope shivered. through the great open window on the stairway a white fog peered in at them, and the distant fog-whistle came faintly through; it seemed as if the very atmosphere were condensing about them, to isolate the house in which such deeds were done. the clock struck twelve, and it seemed as if it struck a thousand.
when they reached hope’s door, she turned and put out her arms for emilia, as for a child. every expression had now gone from hope’s face but a sort of stony calmness, which put her infinitely farther from malbone than had the momentary struggle. as he gave the girlish form into arms that shook and trembled beneath its weight, he caught a glimpse in the pier-glass of their two white faces, and then, looking down, saw the rose-tints yet lingering on emilia’s cheek. she, the source of all this woe, looked the only representative of innocence between two guilty things.
how white and pure and maidenly looked hope’s little room,—such a home of peace, he thought, till its door suddenly opened to admit all this passion and despair! there was a great sheaf of cardinal flowers on the table, and their petals were drooping, as if reluctant to look on him. scheffer’s christus consolator was upon the walls, and the benign figure seemed to spread wider its arms of mercy, to take in a few sad hearts more.
hope bore emilia into the light and purity and warmth, while malbone was shut out into the darkness and the chill. the only two things to which he clung on earth, the two women between whom his unsteady heart had vibrated, and both whose lives had been tortured by its vacillation, went away from his sight together, the one victim bearing the other victim in her arms. never any more while he lived would either of them be his again; and had dante known it for his last glimpse of things immortal when the two lovers floated away from him in their sad embrace, he would have had no such sense of utter banishment as had malbone then.
