The
principal entrance was by folding-doors, half of which were glass;
and the house was sheltered on the north and east by a grove of
trees, whose branches, now but thinly covered with leaves, waved
mournfully to and fro in the night wind. 'The last proprietor of that
place,' continued the clergyman, 'was a vicious and depraved man,
whose very existence was a curse to the neighbourhood in which he
dwelt. At an early age he came into possession of a large property,
which he spent in the gratification of every base and lawless
passion. His life, as far as I can learn, was one unmixed course of
cruelty, lust, and impiety, unredeemed by one noble aspiration, one
generous, unselfish action. He died suddenly, in the prime of life,
in the midst of one of his riotous midnight orgies, and the house has
ever since been deserted. It is said, and believed by our good
towns-folks, that there he still holds his revels, with fiends for
his companions; and many affirm that they have heard the sound of
their unearthly merriment, mingled with shrieks and wailings, borne
upon the night-breeze; whilst the few who have ventured within its
walls, tell of shapes seen, and sounds heard, which would cause the
stoutest heart to quail.
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