“Wentworth stared, feeling suddenly rather chilly.  Then he remembered the men, and looked ’round at them.  Several had ceased their talk, and were staring in a frightened way at the big door; but the great number had never noticed, and were talking and yarning.  He reached for his gun, and the following instant the great bullmastiff set up a tremendous barking, which drew the attention of the whole company.

“The hall I should tell you is oblong.  The south wall is all windows; but the north and east have rows of doors, leading into the house, whilst the west wall is occupied by the great entrance.  The rows of doors leading into the house were all closed, and it was toward one of these in the north wall that the big dog ran; yet he would not go very close; and suddenly the door began to move slowly open, until the blackness of the passage beyond was shown.  The dog came back among the men, whimpering, and for a minute there was an absolute silence.

“Then Wentworth went out from the men a little, and aimed his gun at the doorway.

“‘Whoever is there, come out, or I shall fire,’ he shouted; but nothing came, and he blazed forth both barrels into the dark.  As though the report had been a signal, all the doors along the north and east walls moved slowly open, and Wentworth and his men were staring, frightened into the black shapes of the empty doorways.

“Wentworth loaded his gun quickly, and called to the dog; but the brute was burrowing away in among the men; and this fear on the dog’s part frightened Wentworth more, he told me, than anything.  Then something else happened.  Three of the candles over in the corner of the hall went out; and immediately about half a dozen in different parts of the place.  More candles were put out, and the hall had become quite dark in the corners.

“The men were all standing now, holding their clubs, and crowded together.  And no one said a word.  Wentworth told me he felt positively ill with fright.  I know the feeling.  Then, suddenly, something splashed on to the back of his left hand.  He lifted it, and looked.  It was covered with a great splash of red that dripped from his fingers.  An old Irishman near to him, saw it, and croaked out in a quavering voice:—­’The bhlood-dhrip!’ When the old man called out, they all looked, and in the same instant others felt it upon them.  There were frightened cries of:—­’The bhlood-dhrip!  The bhlood-dhrip!’ And then, about a dozen candles went out simultaneously, and the hall was suddenly dark.  The dog let out a great, mournful howl, and there was a horrible little silence, with everyone standing rigid.  Then the tension broke, and there was a mad rush for the main door.  They wrenched it open, and tumbled out into the dark; but something slammed it with a crash after them, and shut the dog in; for Wentworth heard it howling as they raced down the drive.  Yet no one had the pluck to go back to let it out, which does not surprise me.