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The phantom Hag. The other evening
in an old castle, the conversation turned

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to apparitions, each one of the
party telling a story. As the accounts

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grew more horrible, the young ladies
drew closer together. Have you ever had

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an adventure with a ghost? Said
they to me. Do you know a

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story to make us shiver? Come
tell us something. I am quite willing

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to do so, I replied,
I will tell you of an incident that

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happened to myself. Toward the close
of the autumn of eighteen fifty eight,

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I have visited one of my friends, sub Prefect of a little city in

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the center of France. Albert was
an old companion of my youth, and

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I had been present at his wedding. His charming wife was full of goodness

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and grace. My friend wished to
show me his happy home and to enter

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me to his two little daughters.
I was feted and taken great care of.

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Three days after my arrival, I
knew the entire city, curiosities,

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old castles, ruins, etc.
Every day, about five o'clock, Albert

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would order a phaeton and we would
take a long ride, returning home in

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the evening. One evening, my
friend said to me, tomorrow we will

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go further than usual. I want
to take you to Black Rocks. They

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are curious, old druid stones on
the wild and desolate plain. They will

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interest you. My wife has not
seen them yet, so we will take

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her The following day. We drove
out at the usual hour. Albert's wife

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sat by his side. I occupied
the back seat alone. The weather was

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gray and somber that afternoon, and
the journey was not very pleasant. When

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we arrived at the Black Rocks,
the sun was setting. We got out

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of the phaeton and Albert took care
of the horses. We walked some little

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distance through the fields before reaching the
giant remains of the old Druid religion.

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Albert's wife wished to climb to the
summit of the altar, and I assisted

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her. I can still see her
graceful figure as she stood draped in a

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red shawl, her veil floating around
her. How beautiful it is, but

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does it not make you feel a
little melancholy? Said she, extending her

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hand toward the dark horizon, which
was lighted a little by the last rays

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of the sun. The afternoon wind
blew violently and side through the stunted trees

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that grew around the stone carmelics.
Not a dwelling nor a human being was

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in sight. We hastened to get
down and silently retraced our steps to the

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carriage. We must hurry, said
Albert. The sky is threatening and we

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shall have scarcely time to reach home
before night. We carefully wrapped the robes

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around his wife. She tied the
veil around her face, and the horses

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started into a rapid trot. It
was growing dark. The scenery around us

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was bare and desolate. Clumps of
fir trees here and there, and furzy

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bushes formed the only vegetation. We
began to feel the cold, for the

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wind blew with fury. The only
sound we heard was a steady trot of

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the horses and the sharp, clear
tinkle of their bells. Suddenly I felt

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a heavy grasp of a hand upon
my shoulder. I turned my head quickly.

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A horrible apparition presented itself before my
eyes. In the empty place at

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my side sat a hideous woman.
I tried to cry out. The phantom

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place her fingers upon her lips to
impose silence upon me. I could not

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utter a sound. The woman was
clothed in white linen. Her head was

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cowled, her face overspread with a
corpse like pallor, and in place of

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eyes were ghastly black cavities. I
sat motionless, overcome by terror. The

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ghost suddenly stood up and leaned over
the young wife. She encircled her with

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her arms and lowered her hideous head
as if to kiss her forehead. What

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a wind, cried Madame Albert,
turning precipitately towards me. My veil is

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torn. As she turned, I
felt the same infernal pressure on my shoulder,

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and the place occupied by the phantom
was empty. I looked out to

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the right and left. The road
was deserted, not an object in sight.

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What a dreadful gale, said Madame
Albert. Did you feel it?

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I cannot explain the terror that seized
me. My veil was torn by the

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wind, as if by an invisible
hand. I am trembling still. Never

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mind, said Albert, smiling.
Wrap yourself up, my dear, we

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will soon be warming ourselves by the
good fire at home. I am starving.

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A cold perspiration covered my forehead.
A shiver ran through me. My

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tongue clove to the roof of my
mouth. I could not articulate a sound.

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A sharp pain in my shoulder was
the only sensible evidence that I was

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not the victim of an hallucination.
Putting a hand upon my aching shoulder,

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I felt a rent in the cloak
that was wrapped around me. I looked

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at it, five perfectly distinct holes, visible traces of the grip of the

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horrible phantom. I thought for a
moment that I should die, or that

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my reason should leave me. It
was, I think, the most dreadful

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moment of my life. Finally I
became more calm. This nameless agony had

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lasted for some minutes. I do
not think it is possible for a human

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being to suffer more than I did
during that time. As soon as I

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recovered my senses, I thought at
first I would tell my friends all that

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had passed, but hesitated and finally
did not, fearing that my story might

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frighten Madame Albert, and feeling sure
my friend would not believe me. The

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lights of the little city revived me, and gradually the oppression of terror that

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overwhelmed me became lighter. So soon
as we reached home, Madame Albert untied

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her veil. It was literally in
shreds. I hoped to find my clothes

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whole and prove to myself that it
was all imagination. But no, the

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cloth was torn in five places,
just where the fingers had seized my shoulder.

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There was no mark, however,
upon my flesh, only a dull

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pain. I returned to Paris the
next day, where I endeavored to forget

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the strange adventure, or at least, when I thought of it, I

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could force myself to think it an
hallucination. The day after my return I

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received a letter from my friend Albert. It was edged with black. I

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opened it with a vague fear.
His wife had died the day of my

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return. The end of the Phantom
Hag