“To the butler himself I gave directions not to undress and to give the same order to two of the footmen.  If I rang he was to come instantly, with the footmen, carrying lanterns and the lanterns were to be kept ready lit all night.  If for any reason the bell did not ring and I blew my whistle, he was to take that as a signal in the place of the bell.

“After I had arranged all these minor details I drew a pentacle about Beaumont and warned him very particularly to stay within it, whatever happened.  And when this was done, there was nothing to do but wait and pray that the night would go as quietly as the night before.

“We scarcely talked at all and by about one a.m. we were all very tense and nervous so that at last Parsket got up and began to walk up and down the corridor to steady himself a bit.  Presently I slipped off my pumps and joined him and we walked up and down, whispering occasionally for something over an hour, until in turning I caught my foot in the bell cord and went down on my face; but without hurting myself or making a noise.

“When I got up Parsket nudged me.

“‘Did you notice that the bell never rang?’ he whispered.

“‘Jove!’ I said, ‘you’re right.’

“‘Wait a minute,’ he answered.  ’I’ll bet it’s only a kink somewhere in the cord.’  He left his gun and slipped along the passage and taking the top lamp, tiptoed away into the house, carrying Beaumont’s revolver ready in his right hand.  He was a plucky chap, I remember thinking then, and again, later.

“Just then Beaumont motioned to me for absolute quiet.  Directly afterward I heard the thing for which he listened—­the sound of a horse galloping, out in the night.  I think that I may say I fairly shivered.  The sound died away and left a horrible, desolate, eerie feeling in the air, you know.  I put my hand out to the bell cord, hoping Parsket had got it clear.  Then I waited, glancing before and behind.

“Perhaps two minutes passed, full of what seemed like an almost unearthly quiet.  And then, suddenly, down the corridor at the lighted end there sounded the clumping of a great hoof and instantly the lamp was thrown with a tremendous crash and we were in the dark.  I tugged hard on the cord and blew the whistle; then I raised my snapshot and fired the flashlight.  The corridor blazed into brilliant light, but there was nothing, and then the darkness fell like thunder.  I heard the Captain at the bedroom door and shouted to him to bring out a lamp, quick; but instead something started to kick the door and I heard the Captain shouting within the bedroom and then the screaming of the women.  I had a sudden horrible fear that the monster had got into the bedroom, but in the same instant from up the corridor there came abruptly the vile, gobbling neighing that we had heard in the park and the cellar.  I blew the whistle again and groped blindly for the bell cord, shouting to Beaumont to stay in the Pentacle, whatever happened.  I yelled again to the Captain to bring out a lamp and there came a smashing sound against the bedroom door.  Then I had my matches in my hand, to get some light before that incredible, unseen Monster was upon us.