Macmillan's Magazine, Vol. 48

Bücher

Angebote / Angebote:

Excerpt from Macmillan's Magazine, Vol. 48: May, 1883, to October, 1883Kinloch Houran, and demanded obedi ence from its proprietor? He was no creature of the imagination. Excited nerves and shaken health might in deed have prepared the mind of the visitor for the effect intended to be produced upon him but they could not have created the central figure the powerful personality from whom such in¿uence ¿owed. Who was he? The circumstances were all favourable for a successful imposture, or even a mystification. Suppose it to be some member of the family aggrieved by the promotion of a far-ofi branch, some dependent with so much know ledge of the secrets of the race as to be able to play upon the imagination of a novice, with mysterious threats and promises, perhaps, who could tell, a monomaniac, the leading idea of whose delusion was to take this character upon him? Walter's breast lightened a little as he made out one by one these links of explanation. It was characteristic of his time, and the lib'erality of mind with which modern thought abjures the idea of absolute imposture, that the sudden suggestion of a monomaniac gave a great relief and comfort to him. That might ex plain all - a man of superior powers crazed in this point, who might have convinced himself that he was the person he claimed to be, and that it was the interest of the family he had at heart. Such a being, acquainted with all the mysterious passages and hiding places that exist in such old houses, able gtc appear suddenly from a secret door or sliding panel, to choose moments when nature herself added to the sense of mystery, hours of twilight and darkness when the half-seen is more alarming than any thing fully revealed - this would ex plain so much that the young man for the moment drew a long breath of relief, and felt {half - consciously that he could afiord to ignore the rest.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.