At midnight shrieks and loud wailings
were heard, but if they came from Amanda, they were her last signs.
I shall not, however, hide the proceedings of lord Herbert without
the hall any more than he did himself when he reached the oak
parlour with the members of his own family, in which Dorothy seemed
now included. He had taken Tom Fool both because he knew the castle
so well, and might therefore be useful in searching for Amanda, and
because he believed he might depend, if not on his discretion, yet
on his dread, for secrecy. They had scarcely left the hall before
they were joined by Caspar, who, while his master and the fool went
in one direction, set off in another, and after a long search in
vain, at length found her in an empty stall in the subterranean
stable, as if, in the agony of her terror at the awful noises and
the impending discovery, she had sought refuge in the companionship
of the innocent animals. She was crouching, the very image of fear,
under the manger, gave no cry when he entered, but seemed to gather
a little courage when she found that the approaching steps were
those of a human being.
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