He touched me on the arm with his forefinger twice or thrice, giving a ghastly nod
each time: 'That very day, as a train came out of the tunnel, I noticed, at a
carriage window on my side, what looked like a confusion of hands and heads,
and something waved. I saw it, just in time to signal the driver, Stop! He shut off,
and put his brake on, but the train drifted past here a hundred and fifty yards or
more. I ran after it, and, as I went along, heard terrible screams and cries. A
beautiful young lady had died instantaneously in one of the compartments, and
was brought in here, and laid down on this floor between us.'
Involuntarily, I pushed my chair back, as I looked from the boards at which he
pointed, to himself.
'True, sir. True. Precisely as it happened, so I tell it you.'
I could think of nothing to say, to any purpose, and my mouth was very dry. The
wind and the wires took up the story with a long lamenting wail.
He resumed. 'Now, sir, mark this, and judge how my mind is troubled. The
spectre came back, a week ago. Ever since, it has been there, now and again, by
fits and starts.'
'At the light?'
'At the Danger-light.'
'What does it seem to do?'
He repeated, if possible with increased passion and vehemence, that former
gesticulation of 'For God's sake clear the way!'
Then, he went on. 'I have no peace or rest for it. It calls to me, for many minutes
together, in an agonised manner, "Below there! Look out! Look out!" It stands
waving to me. It rings my little bell----'
I caught at that. 'Did it ring your bell yesterday evening when I was here, and you
went to the door?'
'Twice.'
'Why, see,' said I, 'how your imagination misleads you. My eyes were on the bell,
and my ears were open to the bell, and if I am a living man, it did NOT ring at
those times. No, nor at any other time, except when it was rung in the natural
course of physical things by the station communicating with you.'
He shook his head. 'I have never made a mistake as to that, yet, sir. I have never
confused the spectre's ring with the man's. The ghost's ring is a strange vibration
in the bell that it derives from nothing else, and I have not asserted that the bell
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