The Wildfire Club - The Emma Hardinge Britten Archive

856 rHB WILD),IBB CLUB.
the previous night with missives to the club, made their
appearance. It was not the rule of the association for
the host to receive his guests, or even appear amongst
them until the hour of midnight. A. secret door, known
to all, and commanded by all, at every house of meeting,
led to their club room; and thus each member arrived
without question, and awaited in profound silence the
coming of the host to open the meeting.
It was at twelve o'clock to a second that Reuben Merlin,
with a hand colder and more tremulous than he had ever
before experienced, touched the secret spring of the door
which led to Wildfire Hall - as the apartments devoted
to their use ·were termed by the club. These rooJl18 were,
in general, spacious and handsome, and for the purposes of
tr.e profane ceremony with which they were wont to usher
in the new year, were generally fitted up as a 'chapel
This apartment in Merlin's house was splendid beyond
any other; and as he entered the UlOm, his eyes for a
moment became almost dazzled with the blaze of the
innumerable wax lights which shone upon and around the
mock altar.
At the grand banqueting table, twelve of his companions
were seated in profound silence. By the side of the altar,
at the end of the hall fitted up in imitation of the Catholic
cathedrals, stood Rufus Rushton; and stretched upon the
steps lay what appeared to be a human figure, but 80 enveloped
in a mass of white drapery that Merlin could not
distinguish whether the person thus concealed were living
or dead, male or female; he judged it, however, to be the
latter. The most remarkable part of the scene was the
effect which he found acting upon himself the moment he
entered the hall. Not one of the company moved or
spoke; they did not even turn their heads or stir at his