. The astrologer of the nineteenth century . motions of the wind. One only stood unchanged,and like a shadow near to the circle, and settled the sad light of its eyessteadfastly upon William. Sometimes it would raise its pale hands,and seem to sigh ; and, when it raised its hands, the fire would burnmore sullenly ; but a gray owl would then fan with his wings, andrekindle the decaying embers. William averted his eyes ; for thecountenance of his buried mother seemed to lookout from the cloudyfigure, with piteous expressions of unutterable anguish. Suddenlyit struck eleven, and then the shadow v
. The astrologer of the nineteenth century . motions of the wind. One only stood unchanged,and like a shadow near to the circle, and settled the sad light of its eyessteadfastly upon William. Sometimes it would raise its pale hands,and seem to sigh ; and, when it raised its hands, the fire would burnmore sullenly ; but a gray owl would then fan with his wings, andrekindle the decaying embers. William averted his eyes ; for thecountenance of his buried mother seemed to lookout from the cloudyfigure, with piteous expressions of unutterable anguish. Suddenlyit struck eleven, and then the shadow vanished, with the action ofone who prays and breathes up sighs to heaven. The owls and thenight-ravens flitted croaking about; and the skulls and bones rattledbeneath their wings. William kneeled down on his coaly hearth;and, with the last stroke of eleven, out fell the first bullet. In this way William proceeded to cast sixty-three bullets, thatbeing the number necessary to complete the charm. With each bullet THE SE V K >T LI B V L LET. DIEIEi IPaEISCffiTIJirZ . QF THE INCANTATION* Land on, William Charlton Wn^lit . 65. Pater NostervRow THE NECROMANCER. 69 the horror of the scene increased ; and, as the last was thrown out ofthe mould, the owls threw the skulls and bones confusedly together,and flew away; the fire went out; and William sank exhausted tothe ground. Now came up slowly a horseman upon a black horse. He stoppedat the effaced outline of the magic circle, and spoke thus : Thouhast stood thy trial well: what wouldst thou have of me ? Nothing of thee, nothing at all, said William : what I want,I have prepared for myself. Aye, but with my help: therefore, part belongs to me. By no means, by no means: I bargained for no help; I sum-moned thee not. The horseman laughed scornfully; Thou art boldeV, said he, than such as thou art wont to be. Take the balls which thou hastcast: sixty for thee, three for me ; the sixty go true, the three goaskew : all will be plain
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