pparition,
where the spirit of a murdered pedlar had never been known to permit
a solitary traveler to pass without appearing to him, and walking
cheek-by-jowl along with him to the next house on the way, at which spot
he usually vanished. The influence of my feelings, or, I should rather
say, the physical excitement of my nerves, was by no means slight, as
these old traditions recurred to me; although, at the same time, my
moral courage was perfectly unimpaired, so that, notwithstanding this
involuntary apprehension, I felt a degree of novelty and curiosity in
descending the valley: "If it appear," said I, "I shall at least satisfy
myself as to the truth of apparitions." My dress consisted of a long,
dark surtout, the collar of which, as the night was keen, I had turned
up about my ears, and the corners of it met round my face. In addition
to this I had a black silk handkerchief tied across my mouth to keep out
the night air, so that, as my dark fur traveling cap came down over
my face, there was very little of my countenance visible. I now had
advanced half way into the valley, and all about me was dark and still:
the moonlight was not nearer than the top of the hill which I was
descending; and I often turned round to look upon it, so silvery and
beautiful it appeared in the distance. Sometimes I stopped for a few
moments, admiring' its effect, and, contemplating the dark mountains
as they stood out against the firmament, then kindled into magnificent
grandeur by the myriads of stars that glowed in its expanse. There was
perfect silence and solitude around me; and, as I stood alone in
the dark chamber of the mountains, I felt the impressiveness of the
situation gradually supersede my terrors. A sublime sense of religious
awe descended on me; my soul kindled into a glow of solemn and elevated
devotion, which gave me a more intense perception of the presence of God
than I had ever before experienced. "How sacred--how awful," thought I,
"is this place!--how impressive is this hour!--surely I feel myself
at the footstool of God! The voice of worship is in this deep,
soul-thrilling silence, and the tongue of praise speaks, as it were,
from the very solitude of the mountains!" I then thought of Him who
went up into the mountain-top to pray, and felt the majesty of those
admirable descriptions of the Almighty, given in the Old Testament,
blend in delightful harmony with the beauty and fitness of the Christian
dispensation, th