University of Virginia Library

THE MYSTERIE OF DEATH.

He stood in the court-yard of the ancient castle
yet again. A broad blaze of light poured from
the windows of the festal hall, while the peals of
strange and unknown music broke murmuringly
on the air. Adrian gazed around the court-yard,
with a feeling of awe, gathering heavy and dark
around his heart. There was the castle yard, the
same as in the olden time, yet not altogether the
same. Gleams of moonlight stole thro' the chinks
in the tottering walls of the court-yard, wild vines
threw their long branches from among the age-worn
stones, and the owl, like a thing of evil omen disturbed
the air with its sullen murmur. Gazing
along the court yard, Adrian beheld a strange and
ghastly spectacle. Beneath the shadow of the
dark grey walls, along the very space occupied
by the array of chariots, one hundred years before,
there extended a long line of death-cars, hearse
succeeding hearse, all draped in folds of black, with
four dark steeds, heavy with hangings of dark velvet,
attached to each chariot of the grave, while the
coachman's seat was tenanted by a grisly skeleton,
attired in the gay livery of the noble lord whom
he served in life.

With maddened steps, Adrain hastened along
the whole line of hearses, he beheld each death-car,
with its four black steeds, their heads decorated
with sable plumes, their bodies concealed by
folds of black velvet, he beheld the skeleton driver
seated on every hearse; he saw the parephenalia of
death and the grave, and as the horror grew darker
at his heart, he shouted aloud, asking in tones of
wild amazement, the cause of this fearful panorama
of woe and gloom. There came no answer to his
shout. All was silent, save the murmur of the
owl and the peals of strange music floating from
the windows of the Festal Hall.

“What means this fearful scene?” whispered
Adrian, as he seized the skeleton servitor of a
gloomy hearse by the arm—“What means the long
array of death cars?”

The skeleton extended his fleshless jaws, in a
hideous grin, and with his skeleton hand, brushed
the dust of the grave from his gay doublet
of blue and silver, and arranged the tasteful knot
of his silken sash. Still no voice came from his
unbared teeth, no answer came from his fleshless
visage.

“Fiend of hell,” shouted Adrain, “this sight will
drive me mad.”

“Nay, nay, good youth,” exclaimed a soft and
whispered voice at his very shoulder. “Be not
alarmed, 'tis but a festal scene. One hundred
years from this night we all thronged yonder dancing
hall, 'tis our pleasure, or mayhap our doom

to return to the scene of our former gaiety. I was
master of ceremonies an hundred years ago, I am
master of ceremonies ha, ha, yet once again. Will
it please ye to chose a partner?”

With a feeling of involuntary horror, Adrian
turned and beheld a Figure, clad in a gay robe of
purple, faced with snow-white ermine, holding the
rod of office in his hand, while a group of rainbow-hued
plumes, hung drooping over his brow. Adrian
dashed the plumes aside, he beheld, oh sight of
mockery, the fleshless skull, the hollow eye sockets,
the cavity of the nose, the grinning teeth, and the
hanging jaw, while the hand grasping the wand of
office, was a grisly skelton hand.

He turned from the bowing skeleton, and was
rushing away with horror, when a new wonder
fixed his attention. The master of ceremonies
waved his wand, and each skeleton driver leaped
from his hearse. Another signal and the long line
of skeletons, each attired in gay and contrasted
livery, extended their skeleton hands, and lifting
the pall on high disclosed the gloomy burden of
each death-car, the coffin draped in black, with the
heraldic plate of gold, affixed to each coffin lid. A
third wave of the wand from the master of ceremonies,
and the skeleton drivers, unscrewed each
coffin lid, and Adrian beheld the occupant of every
tenement of death, slowly rise from their last resting
place, gazing beneath the shadow of the uplifted
folds of the funeral pall, around upon the court-yard.
As they gazed, Adrain beheld each fleshless
skull, wearing the horrible grimace of death, looking
forth from beneath their gaudy head-gear, the
plumed cap, or the jewelled coronet, while their
skeleton hands, arranged the folds of their attire,
brushing the coffin dust from the gay robe, or fixing
the tarnished ruffle around the neck with a yet
more dainty grace, while the skeleton drivers, slowly
let down the steps of each hearse fashioned in
ts sable side. The last signal was given by the
master of ceremonies.

And with a low bow, each skeleton servitor extended
hishand, to receive his fair lord or ladye, his
fair young mistress or his gallant young master,
as arising from their coffin, they placed their feet
on the steps of the hearse, and slowly descended
into the court yard of the ancient castle.

“Great God, they are thronging around me,”
shouted Adrian, “skeleton after skelton, clad in the
gay costume of life, descend from the funeral hearse
wending in one ghastly throng toward the hall
door, on their way to the festal scene. Oh, ghastly
mockery! here are the forms of those who died when
young, and the trembling skeletons of those whom
death summoned when bending with the weight
of years. Here are the skeletons of warrior and
courtier, knight and minstrel. All wear glittering
costumes, all mimic the actions of life. Cavalier
takes the hand of Damosel, and Lord supports
the form of Ladye, while the fleshless jaws, extend
and grimace but speak no word. They utter a
low moaning sound like the deaf mute when he
essays to speak. 'Tis horrible, most horrible, this
ghastly array of mockery, and hark—strange peals
of music, are floating from yon lofty windows of
the banquet hall!”

And as he spoke, the spectral train disappeared
within the shadow of the hall door, and he was
left alone with the long line of hearses and the
skeleton servitors.

“So please ye, gentle sir, wilt thou not trip a
measure in the joyous dance?” spoke a voice at his
shoulder, “Lo! the peals of merry music, lo! the
hum of the dancers feet, moving merrily over the
floor. Wilt please thee to take my arm?”

Adrian turned and beheld the bowing skeleton,
Master of Ceremonies.

“I'll e'en secure thee a fair partner!” whispered
the skeleton as he led Adrian thro' the hall door
and along the massive stairway. “Look, good youth,
the paintings are somewhat tarnished, very little
tarnished since we beheld them last and, ha, ha,
well, well, such things will come to pass, the marble
steps of the staircase are cracked by the footstep
of time. This way, this way, my good youth.
Lo! we are in the festal hall!”

With a gaze of horror, Adrian beheld the hall,
whose floor he had trodden some hundred years
agone, he beheld the lofty pillars, the magnificent
arch, the balcony for the minstrels, all illumined
by the glare of pendent lamps, all, all the same,
yet still all changed, sadly and fearfully changed.
The lofty columns were decorated with evergreens,
but flowers gathered by the hand of beauty from
the wild wood glade no more adorned capital and
frieze. The ivy, green companion of old time,
clomb round the towering pillars, and swept its
canopy of leaves along the arching ceiling, while
the night-wind rustling through the worm-eaten
tapestries agitated the long tendrils of the trailing
vine with a gentle yet solemn motion.

“Lo! the dancers—ha, ha, the dancers!”

Circling and whirling, grouping and clustering,
the skeleton-band went swaying over the
floor, their gay dresses fluttering in the light,
while the ruddy lamp-beams fell quivering over
each bared brow, tinting the hollow sockets with
a crimson glow, and giving a more ghastly grimace
to the array of whitened teeth.

“Lo! the minstrels—a skeleton-band, whose
fleshless skulls appear above the lattice-work of
yon balcony. Merry music they make—clank,
clank, clank! They beat the hollow skull with
the cross-bone—clank, clank, clank! Each skeleton
minstrel waves on high a human bone, striking
it on the bollow skull—clank, clank. Clank,
clank. Clank, clank, clank!”

And as the grinning skeleton, master of ceremonies,
pointed above to the spectral minstrels,
Adrian listened to the music that echoed round
the hall. A wild clanking sound assailed his
ears, with a hollow mockery of music, while a
deep, booming, rolling sound like the echo of a distant
battle-drum broke on the air, maddening the
skeleton-dancers with its weird melody, while the
revel swelled fiercer, and the mirth grew louder,
awaking the echoes of the ancient hall with one
deafening murmur.

“Lo! the dancers divide—behold the spectacle!
On yonder side extend the lords and cavaliers, on
this the dames and damozels. They prepare for
a merry dance—will it please thee chose a partner?”

And as the skeleton spoke, he pointed to the
form of a maiden, clad in snow-white robes, who
with her face turned from Adrian, seemed absorbed
in watching the motions of the dancers.
Adrian gazed upon this maidenly form with a
beating heart, and advanced to her side.

“Behold thy partner!” cried the master of ceremonies.

The maiden turned her face to Adrian, and he
stood spell-bound to the spot with sudden horror.
Looking from beneath a drooping plume, snow-white
in hue, a ghastly skull stared him in the
face, with the orbless sockets, the cavity of the
nose, and the grinning teeth turned to glowing red
by the light of the pendent lamps. Adrian stood
spell-bound but the form advanced, flinging her
skeleton hands on high—

“Adrian, Adrian,” whispered a soft woman's
voice issuing from the fleshless skull; “Joy to me
now, for I behold thee once again!”

“I know thee not” shrieked Adrian with a voice
of fear—“I know thee not, thou thing of death!
Wherefore whisper my name with the voice of
her whom this heart loved a hundred years ago,
and will love forever? Off—off—thou mockery,
nor clutch thy skeleton arms around my neck, nor
gather me in thy foul embrace!”

“And thou lovest me not!” spoke the sad and
complaining voice of the skeleton—“Adrian, Adrian,
gaze upon me, I am thine own, thine now
and thine forever!”

“And this,” whispered Adrian, as the fearful
consciousness gradually stole over his soul—“And
this is my love—my Annabel! Death, oh ghastly
and invisible Death, couldst thou not spare even
—her!”

“Advance dames and damosels!” rung out the
words of the master of ceremonies.

And at the word, the long line of skeleton-dames
and damosels, arrayed in rarest silks,
blazing with jewels and glittering with ornaments
of gold, came swaying quickly forward, extending
their skeleton hands to their partners, who half
advanced from the opposite side of the hall, and
then they all swept back to their places, with one
sudden movement rattling their skeleton fingers
with a gesture of boundless joy, as they stood beneath
the glare of the dazzling lights.

“Advance lords and cavaliers!”

Quickly and with lightsome steps the skeletons
arrayed in costly robe and glittering doublet advanced
to the sound of the unearthly music, and
gaining the centre of the hall, sprang nimbly in
the air, performing the evolutions of the dance
with the celerity of lightning, and having greeted
their fair partners again retired to the opposite
side of the hall, uttering a low and moaning sound
of laughter as they regained their places.

“Minstrels strike up a merrier peal! Clank,
clank. Clank, clank. Clank, clank—clank!—
Merrier, merrier—louder, louder—let the old roof
echo with your peals of melody! Now gentles
advance, seize your fair partners and whirl them
in the dance!”

With one wild bound the skeletons sprang forward
from opposite sides of the hall, pairing off,
two by two, lord and ladye, cavalier and damosel,
and in a moment the whole array of revellers

swept circling round the hall, moving forward to
a merry measure, clanking their skeleton hands
on high and uttering low peals of laughter as they
whirled around the bounding floor.

Adrian gazed upon the scene in wild amazement,
while the skeleton arms of her he loved
gathered closer round his neck, and as he gazed
he became inspired with the wild excitement of
the scene, he clapped his hands on high, he joined
in the low muttered laughter, he mingled in the
mad whirl of the spectral dance.

Faster and faster, whirling two by two, their
fleshless skulls turned to glowing red by the glare
of a thousand lights, their hands of bone clanking
wildly above their heads, while the low moaning
chorus of unreal laughter echoed around the hall,
faster and faster circled the skeleton dancers, gay
doublets glittering in the lamp-beams, robes of silk
flung wavingly to the breeze, on and on with the
speed of wind they swept, these merry denizens of
the grave, pacing their march of mockery, their
dance of woe, with a ghastly mimicry of life, reality
and joy.

And as Adrian flung his arms around the skeleton-form
of his bride, gathering her to his bosom,
while thier voices joined in the moaning chaunt
of unreal laughter, the voice which he had heard
an hundred years before, again came whispering
to his ear—

“Behold the Mysterie of Life and Death! To-day
the children of men live and love, hate and
destroy. Where are their lives, their loves, their
hatreds, and their wars, in an hundred years?
Behold—ha, ha, ha! Behold the Mysterie of
their life and their death!”