Thrice Caught: an underground adventure. Second edition

Chapter I

CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY.

ifaVJg HAVE passed through some curious £§j||j adventures lately, so curious that they hardly seem to be true. I do not speak much of them, for when a few weeks ago I began to tell a friend, he looked so pityingly and strangely at me. that I broke into another subject directly. On leaving Mincing Lane one evening, wishing my quarter's salary was due, a thought struck me — why not write an account of that night adventure never to be forgotten ? Perhaps some kind pub lisher will think it worth putting into print, and who knows what may come of it ? CA UGHT. Dreaming os myself — a city clerk, busy all day long amongst the spices and drugs — blossoming suddenly into a real live author, I walked mechanically to Broad Street Station, took the train to Highbury, wandered on to my lodgings, and so reached home.

Still full of my new notion, I sat down after tea in the old arm-chair, till, suddenly snatching up paper and pencil — for it is such a trouble to sit prim and proper at the table, it reminds one so much of the office desk — here I am. No chess to-night at the young men's rooms for me, no saunter over to Blair's ; but a description of the events of that February. Here let me introduce myself to you at once as Colin Dorman, of Mincing- Lane and Islington. This name is an assumed one, because you may not believe all that I have to tell, notwithstanding my sincere wish that you should.

Chapter II Lost

"What cannot be eschewed must be embraced." Merry Wives of Windsor, Act v., Scene 5. W^jT was an idle evening, such as this, a9.fj| with no particular engagements. I was tired out, for we had had an unusually lively time on the market, so growing drowsy over the book I was read ing, and almost unconsciously putting it aside, I fell asleep. Some time must have passed by, for when awaking, I looked at the clock, and found it half-past eleven. As the people were always very early to bed, the house must have been shut up some time, and so I concluded, after a futile attempt to con tinue my book, and a sleepy yawn or two, r> CA UGHT. 10 that the best plan for me would be to follow their example and be off. I put out the light in the room, intend ing to go straight upstairs. On opening the door, as usual, at such an hour, all was still and dark.

There was not a sound to be heard, not a ray of light to be seen. It did not make much difference to me. This was what I was accustomed to. A lonely life and a latch-key from the age of seventeen, had made me accustomed to groping my way up to bed at all times of the night or early morning. The house was a three-storied one. In stinctively I always made the turns the landings required. My feet seemed to know the number of steps for each ascent, though it would have been impossible for me to have made an approximate guess had it been necessary to do so. I was in a brown study, thinking about something which now has quite escaped me, except that it left a pleasant recollec tion behind, when, turning suddenly, I think I put out my hand to catch the banister. LOST. 1 1 It missed the support. Again I moved a little forward, and again failed to touch it ; the slight surprise which struck me invol untarily, was the first indication to me that I was really on some level place, groping my way up to bed.

Surely, I thought, the turn is here. The stairs are there, but neither by advancing my foot nor hand could I obtain any indications of the way so well known to me. I must be nearer the wall than I thought, so stretching my left hand out, I would have touched it had it been there to touch, but it was not. As before, I could feel nothing. Gradually surprise gave place to amazement ; and as for a moment or two I groped about, and the familiar way became in the darkness and space an z«zfamiliar way (let me con fess it), a creepy sensation stole over me, and the dread of the unknown, just as when one suddenly wakes from a nightmare to wonder where on earth he is — such pos sessed me. But after a moment reason began to assert itself. It was no dream. It was CA UGHT. 12 simply a stupid mistake, and I felt for a match in my waistcoat pocket ; but there was none, the box had been left on the mantelpiece.

Pinching myself, to be sure I was awake, I determined to run down stairs again, and get a candle, or at least a spill or two, and the lucifers. Which way up had I come ? Surely it would be easy to go back ! Yet a cold shiver shook me, as I moved carefully and groped with arms outstretched, and stepped in a timid kind of way. Had the place altered ? The first landing used to be only an ordinary narrow turn, with two doors opening into the now unoccupied drawing room flat. Yet I could feel no trace of the doors. It must be a nightmare! Yet it was no nightmare. It was not cowardly to catch one's breath. All was certainly uncanny. It was no case of a got -up ghost, a foolish trick of Blair's to frighten me. It was the nothingness where for years I had known walls, doors, and balustrades. Was it all a fancy of the brain ?

I had had no convivial evening (as a matter of LOST. 13 fact I very seldom had). I had not reeled upstairs ; wine had nothing to do with this. Where shall I go ? Which is the way downstairs ? In moving about, all idea of position or direction had become utterly confused. As I wondered, undecided what to do, a slight breath of cool air seemed to play upon my face, blowing from the left. Thinking it must have somehow come from a draught downstairs, and at least knowing nothing better to do, I moved towards it, feeling thoroughly bewildered. An hour ago I should have utterly ridi culed the idea that that passage was more than six feet wide or long, yet now, gin gerly as I walked, it must have been more than a dozen paces before something in the utter darkness seemed to make me even more careful.

As it is said the totally blind can tell intuitively when they near a solid body, so when I cautiously waved my hands backwards and forwards, like a pair of feelers of some insect, it was no surprise and yet a shock when they touched some thing. As the horns of a snail recoil CAUGHT. 14 quickly upon meeting some unknown ob stacle, so quick as thought I drew in my hands, only, however, once more to grope about, and feel, not the staircase, as I fondly hoped, not the wall — but a soft and yielding substance, some sort of garment evidently. Thank goodness, it was without its tenant. Further examination revealed the fact that it was an old mouldy, damp cast-off coat. It was not mine. There had been no other male lodgers as long as I could re member. Where on earth could I be ? Just then, whether I leant a little forward, I am not sure, probably it was so, for I almost shrieked out.

Someone had touched my forehead. A cold perspiration broke out, and my knees knocked together and trem bled so violently that I was hardly able to stand. Wildly throwing up both my arms, for no particular reason than that they would go up, they both struck sharply, not as I afterwards found upon a ghostly arm, nor upon the body of a lurking intruder, but upon a long piece of wood, which LOST. 15 seemed to be fastened at just the height of my forehead across the way. On this the old coat was hanging. After a moment's reflection, I concluded that it was upon this that I must have stumbled. What was it? Where was it ? These were questions which I could not answer for some time. From its centre there seemed to hang down a rope. Soon I began to feel less alarmed, here was something substantial to hold.

Carefully pulling the rope towards me, I tried to find its end, but it seemed to go nearly straight down, and to be fastened or have a weight attached to it below. It reminded me of a chain suspended over a well. Holding on in the darkness to the support and rope, I next felt about with my feet, and found that just in front of me was a well-like opening. It was difficult to tell how large, but from the segment of the circle which my feet could feel, it was evidently not more than about a yard in diameter. It seemed at first to be really a well. I should have taken this for granted had it CA UGHT. not been that the rope slanted slightly, instead of being perpendicular. Feeling very carefully, I discovered that the edge on the left was not rounded but straight. In fact, after a while, it became clear to me that I had somehow stumbled upon a stone staircase leading downwards, but where to I had not the least idea.

Certainly not to my room, with its matches and candle. Should I venture down ? No, it is not everybody who cares for an adventure such as that seemed likely to be in the middle of the night. "No," I said to myself, "in whatever curious way I have got here, I will not go farther now." I had had enough, at least for one night ; so, following the direction the bar took over the opening, I stepped slowly to the side, and to my great satisfaction felt the wall. All the eery, uncanny dread now left me. Somehow I had blun dered. Could it be possible that I had not walked upstairs after all ? The servants' regions were a terra incog nita to me. I had never had occasion to LOST. 17 visit them. The house was very old fashioned and roomy; had I strayed into the kitchen or cellar regions ? Gradually I advanced along, carefully guarding myself from knocking against any obstacles which, for all I knew, might have been in the way.

Nothing, however, prevented me from moving on by the side of the wall for some distance. It soon became evident that I was not in the kitchen. It must be some passage. At about forty feet or so from the steps which led downwards, I came to a wall facing me, and feeling along, discovered this was the end of a passage, and that a wall, similar to the one I had come along, led back again in the same direction. Thinking it would be easier to find the way by which I must have entered, if I retraced my steps, and having quite re covered my presence of mind, I turned back, and soon felt the slimy old coat hanging on the beam over the stone steps. I next examined the other side, but without success. This was also, like the first, CA UGHT. somewhat damp and entirely destitute of paper. It was evidently some unused part of a house into which I had wandered.

Groping my way onward, as well as the darkness permitted, I met with no better result than before. I passed into a small chamber, and felt every yard of the wall, but there was no other exit. Coming out from this room, I stumbled on, until at last, to my great surprise, I found myself back again at the stone stairs. Chance seemed to say, " This is the way." Having failed to find any outlet, even the one I had accidentally used in coming, 1 began to think of descending. If very careful, why should I be worse off down there than in my present position ? There was no trap-door to shut up suddenly, with a mysterious spring directly it had boxed its victim. There seemed to be no fear of being entombed. Besides this, as the dread of the supernatural vanished, curiosity took its place. It was only a moment or two before I decided to venture down.

LOST. 19 The rope had evidently been placed there for a support. It was securely fastened above, so, holding to it, I carefully de scended one step at a time. There may have been some sixteen or eighteen of these. It was very certain they had not been in common use for some long time, if ever. The lower ones especially were very damp and slippery. Where could they lead to? It was evidently an underground passage. Soon the stairs and rope stopped, and I found myself in a tunnel, along which it was necessary to walk in a stooping pos ture ; it was narrow and only about five feet high. I was cautiously moving along, when, suddenly in the utter stillness, a sound startled me — a loud roar around, above, on every side. So weird it became, that, turning, I wildly fled, and did not stop until, after having knocked my head twice against the ceiling, and having bruised and scraped my hands shockingly, I arrived back again above stairs.

It now began to look serious. My pride CA UGHT. 20 had hitherto prevented any attempts to alarm the household ; besides, their rooms were up in the attics. However, now I shouted out; shouted more than once. It was of no use. No one could have heard me. All that I could think of was to make another vigorous search to find out the way I had entered this place. Alas ! this seemed impossible. Care fully as I felt about, there appeared to be no exit, except down those steps again. I summoned up courage and ventured. This time not a sound did I hear. I passed as quickly as possible along the passage. It was probably not nearly so long as it seemed then ; but I must have felt along a good distance before the tunnel ended, with an opening and steps similar to the one I had descended by, only there was no rope suspended, and at the top there was a tightly-fitting wooden cover — a lid — which must, in a poor light, have appeared from the outside as part of the floor upon which it rested.

Chapter III The Seance

" Oh, most delicate fiend." Cymbeline. f?B?S P the stairs I went, after some little K\,^gfe trouble, unfastened the covering, and was delighted at once to find the air warmer and less vault-like. The place into which it opened was evidently used as a cellar, for there were some empty bottles lying about, against which I kicked, and some casks were arranged along one side. Now I thought I shall soon be free, if the people are not roused and mistake me for a common housebreaker. It was com paratively easy here to find the way ; but it was not at all pleasant to be groping CA UGHT. 22 about in some strange house in the middle of the night. There were no lights downstairs. Prob ably all the servants had long retired. After making one or two mistakes by turning into different rooms, I managed to find the way fairly well, and soon worked my way upstairs to the ground floor, as quietly as possible, devoutly hoping no one would hear me.

At length I stood in what seemed to be the hall, and waited for a moment to settle which way it would be best to go to get out. It might make least noise to undo some window, but then if it should happen to be in the front of the house, anyone passing would almost certainly give an alarm ; besides this, there would probably be an area to cross. A little consideration showed me that the best plan would be to find out the door, and risk the chance of being heard. It seemed the right thing to do, for if I should be so unfortunate as to meet a policeman on the threshold he would have less reason to be suspicious. Besides, I hoped to look more like a visitor leaving late than a thief. As I settled this, and sought the way to the door, let me confess it, some queer ideas flashed through my mind.

Why not, as I was placed in this position, without any desire on my part, why not be a burglar ? For once in my life I understood how one could be tempted to be a thief. " How oft the sight of means to do ill deeds make ill deeds done." Laughing at the idea, I came to a door, and tried it. It was locked, but the key was inside ; there were a chain and couple of bolts to be undone. The key was soon turned, and the chain unfastened ; but it was a more difficult matter to undo the bolts. They did not work easily, and every little creak they gave made me start and tremble. Was I guilty ? I felt so. One bolt was undone, I had just drawn the other back, when close by, evidently in the house, a soft, plaintive, unnatural sound arose. CA UGHT. 24 My nerves must have been unstrung, for instead of pushing out into the street, I stepped back two or three paces, only, however, to come nearer and nearer to the sounds.

Pressing towards the wall, instead of bricks and mortar, my back pushed against a thick curtain, which gave way under my weight. It was in place of a door. From within this room the sounds came. Soon it appeared plain to me that a number of people were within, singing a quaint song. What could they be about ? There were treble voices as well as bass, and there seemed to be a number of both. Even whilst I listened the song ended, and not a sound followed. Not so much as a "thank you." Not a word. They must have been wonderfully quiet a few minutes before when I had passed by. Now again there was hardly a movement, except an occasional rustle ; and what was stranger still, though the curtain did not seem to fit very closely, yet not so much as a ray of light was visible. Whilst I waited, the singers recom menced, not very harmoniously, but all of them together.

Pushing aside the curtain a little, I tried to get a view of what they were about ; but the darkness which had baffled me so long still prevented me from seeing. They were without a light — that much was certain ; but what they were doing, and why they were singing, it seemed im possible to guess. Again they stopped — not to burst into a merry conversation, but gradually the num ber of voices died away, until one or two, who seemed to have tried to keep up the monotonous drawl as long as possible, gave up, and all was still. This did not continue for long. One lady in an excited voice cried out, " I see them ! I see them ! There ! there ! " Getting very curious I looked in ; but what she saw was quite invisible to me, and apparently to most of the others, for half-a-dozen voices eagerly cried out, "What?"

"Where?" c CAUGHT. 26 "There!" she said ; " don't you see those little blue flashes ? There ! there ! " "Yes," I heard another eager, expectant voice say ; " why, I think I can see some little blue lights." The silence seemed to have been all at once broken. Every one was on the qui vive. The first speaker was eagerly questioned by some of the party who were most anxious to have an experience similar to hers. Two or three declared they had felt an influence pass along the circle, and a magnetic weight upon their hands. One or two others, besides the first two, now declared they had seen stars floating about the room. It was very clear I had stumbled upon a spiritualistic seance. Good people, I thought, if I only dare place my unknown self at your service, what an admirable evening you might have.

The fun and the fright attached to it were fast increasing. The mysterious flashes were the torches of the advance guard of a spirit army. An exclamation of surprise in a man's voice and a woman's shriek alike, led to the explanation that these persons had, according to their statement, been " touched." The party now were thoroughly excited. I gathered from their conversation that they had been sitting waiting for more than an hour. The evening had threatened to be a blank one. Just before this they had been on the point of giving up altogether. They were an amateur party who had en gaged the services of a professional medium for the evening. He had twice made them change their places, each time after waiting half an hour or so, but no phenomena had occurred. He had tried his best to keep up their spirits (and call forth his), and had persuaded them to sing in order to pass the time.

In spite of this, they had become very unbelieving and sleepy. No one any longer dozed. Eyes peered through the darkness to catch a glimpse of an unnatural light. Hands clasped friendly CA UGHT. neighbours' hands with a damp, trembling, frightened grasp. A hubbub of voices arose, which was hushed at intervals to hear new evidence, eagerly given by the fortunate narrators, and as eagerly listened to by their amazed companions. A bunch of violets had sweetly flown into a young lady's lap. A clothes-brush had tumbled on some one's shoulder, and as the recipient excitedly remarked, " He had got it ! " It was my first experience of the spirits, beyond a mild invocation to them in the shape of turning a hat — which hat had always seemed very easily moved — and one or two fruitless attempts to induce a heavy round table to career about the room on two legs.

Beyond this, I had never had the pleasure of meeting the invisible agents. Here the affair was getting much too in teresting to be lost. Slipping past the curtain, for there was no need now to fear lest they should hear me, I found myself in the room. Meanwhile the manifestations went steadily on. A ghostly finger gently caressed more than one forehead. Spirit hands floated about all kinds of unspiritual things. Suddenly a new departure occurred in the plan of campaign of the supernaturals. A musical box, which was lying in the centre of the table, flew open. Some two or three notes were sounded, and the medium, remarking that a musical spirit was present, asked it kindly to oblige those present by playing one single note. This it at once did. Next it was asked to play very slowly indeed, just four notes of "Auld Lang Syne."

After a little while these sounded correctly. Every one was naturally anxious to have the honour of intercourse with the mysterious it or him or her (the gender is unknown), so all began to beg the supernatural stranger to play any tunes which first occurred to them. This did not please my lord, for, turning lightly from all their entreaties, he made known his presence next in the corner most distant from the circle. CA UGHT. 30 Crash ! smash ! went something ; and a huge something it certainly was. It sounded in the small room as if one of the side walls had taken wings, and tearing itself from its bereaved supports, flown away. A shout came from the guests. " The table ! the table ! The corner table." This it was. In fact, a large piece of mahogany furniture, usually standing in one corner, covered with bric-a-brac, had been turned bodily upside down ; all the pretty things having been first scattered in difse rent and most amusing positions, to every one's surprise, this ponderous piece of furni ture began to move — thump, bump, thump.

It made noise enough to wake the neighbours. Gradually it made its way from the corner to the centre of the room, and finally rested somewhere near the enchanted yet affrighted circle. This supreme effort seemed to tire the unknown visitors, for the phenomena ceased. After a short in terval, the medium spoke. " Listen," he said, " the spirits are rap ping." There the mysterious noise was clearly audible in the intense stillness ; somewhat like the single tick of a loud clock now and again repeated. The sound appeared to come from the floor. " Listen," he said, "let us see what their message is." All the audience apparently understood the method of interpreting these raps. The professional slowly repeated the letters of the alphabet ; as the right letter was sounded, the spirits tapped quite clearly and audibly.

In this way, to my regret, and to the great regret of the party, these words were rapped or spelt out- — " Power exhausted." It was evidently time for me to be off. In another minute I should have been letting myself out by the now unfastened outer door, had not one of the party very earnestly begged for the appearance of a spirit. This request was taken up at once by all. Oh ! if they could only see one of the agents of the late work, just get a CA UGHT. glimpse of one face. If they could only get a shadow of one spiritual outline, it would be worth all the rest put together. The professional appeared to think it was time to go home. He maintained that he was very exhausted, and no doubt was really so ; but the company were not to be denied. Notwithstanding the lateness of the hour, and it must have been nearly one o'clock, they unanimously begged for just one face, or one real live ghost, as a little lady called it.

The host spoke to the medium, and asked him to do his best to oblige them, and so pressed him that at length, with many expressions of doubt as to the success of the attempt, and a warning to them that it was hardly fair to expect further from him, he consented to try. He explained to them that they would have to exercise all their patience ; that nothing could be done in a hurry. He would have to yield himself up completely, that he might, in such a state, be employed by the agents of the unseen world. He explained that they could not possibly become visible, except by and through himself. Instead of holding his hands, as they to this moment had been doing, the medium required that they should release him from the circle, and allow him to sit alone in such a position that he might fall asleep.

It was essential for a successful manifes tation that all this should be done. They made no difficulty, so, after further explaining to them that a very faint, phosphores cent light would after a time become visible, and that this would gradually assume the form of a spirit face, he consented to try. I was again consumed with curiosity. Was the fellow an arrant impostor ? or could he do it ? How I should like to see a spirit. I now got outside the curtain into the hall, for it appeared probable that they would turn on the light during the change in the arrangements, and I must of course not be seen. The precaution was unneces sary. None moved from their places but CA UGHT. 34 the professor, and as he joined together the persons' hands who had previously been holding his, the magnetic chain remained unbroken.

For some little time all remained per fectly quiet, then one proposed a song to help to pass the time — -a slow, quiet mu sical something was started, and kept up for a while, and then there was silence again. Would anything happen? I think, though outside, I was as curious as those within. Are there spirits? And can they show themselves ? Will one show himself to night ? Such questions kept crowding into my mind. Common sense said no. There are spirits, but not such as are ready to become visible in the middle of the night, to gratify the curiosity of a party of idle people. And yet common sense did not have the argument all its own way, or I should have made my escape at once. This much I was resolved upon, I would wait. "See! see!" someone shouted, and I fancied I could recognize the. voice of the lady who had first noticed the commence ment of the former escapade.

" Look ! there is a light. Yes, there certainly is a light." In less time than it takes to write, several others saw it. " Yes, there it is. Look ! " I heard them say. The prospect was too tempting to let me remain in the hall, so slipping well within the room, I thought to watch events as before. Soon I became conscious that there certainly was a curious pale blue luminous appearance about the room — a flickering cloud-like attempt at light, rather than light itself. It seemed at one moment to dis solve itself in space, the next to consolidate itself into one mass. Suddenly, at an instant, when this phosphorescent cloud seemed to be close by me, several of the circle were very startled. A hurried, awe struck whisper passed along. "The spirit! The spirit! There it is ! there ! " CA UGHT. You may be sure I looked, but could see nothing.