The Wildfire Club - The Emma Hardinge Britten Archive

THB WILDJ'IU CLUB. 869
the full revelation made in the form of Rushton could not
have occupied above a few .econds, for it seemed almost,
·as his glance fell on him, that he became startled by a
ahrill, prolonged, and terrific .hriek.
CXAPTBR III.
ROUSED in an instant from his siDgular state of abstractiOD,
his first impulse was to rUsh from the room, in order
to ascertain the cause of the tearful outcry. It wa. 80
heart-rending, it seemed to combine .• o many TOices, and
to exprea. such a world of woe, that it would have compelled
a far less excitable temperament than Merlin' •. into
instant inquiry. 0. entering the gallery which led to the
apartment he had just quitted, he found all the dOJnestica
crowding on towardl the room of meeting, all .tartled by
the terrible cry, and all impreaaed with the belief that it
illued from the club room. A. Merlhl advanced towards
the terrified group, his steward preceded them, exclaiming,
in tonet of deep interest, -
" Good God, sir! what has happened? We feared you
were all murdered. Has any harm come to Mr. Rushton?
We heard his voice above the rest." .
"Mr. Rushton!" stammered Merlin; "I heard no
voice in particular, only I thought that all the flends in
torment must have been let loose, to give forth that hideous
cry. Go, lome of you, aDd aearch the Abbey through.
I will joiD you as lOon as I haTe spoken to my friends."
80 saying, he returned to the apartments devoted to the
club, to ascertain what efFect the disturbance had had upon
them. He retumed to flnd the Ughts extinguished, and,
by the broad glare of the flashing Ughtniug, to perceive
• Digitized by Google
•