Who prevented me? What
haunting fear compressed my throat?
At least, I would blow out the candle. No, I could not do it. "Do
not move, or you are doomed," were the words he had written.
These auto-suggestions are frequently more imperious than the most
positive realities; but why should I struggle against them? I had
simply to close my eyes. I did so.
At that moment, I heard a slight noise, followed by crackling
sounds, proceeding from a large room used by me as a library. A
small room or antechamber was situated between the library and my
bedchamber.
The approach of an actual danger greatly excited me, and I felt a
desire to get up, seize my revolver, and rush into the library. I
did not rise; I saw one of the curtains of the left window move.
There was no doubt about it: the curtain had moved. It was still
moving. And I saw--oh! I saw quite distinctly--in the narrow space
between the curtains and the window, a human form; a bulky mass
that prevented the curtains from hanging straight. And it is
equally certain that the man saw me through the large meshes of the
curtain. Then, I understood the situation. His mission was to
guard me while the others carried away their booty.
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