Towards morning she sank into a somewhat calmer state of rest, but still
with occasional and flitting glimpses of the same horrors.
So far the master-spirit had set, at least, a portion of his machinery
in motion, in order to work out his purposes; but we shall find that his
designs became deeper and blacker as he proceeded in his course.
In a few days Alice became somewhat relieved from the influence of these
tumultuous and spectral phantasms which had run riot in her terrified
fancy; and this was principally owing to the circumstance of her having
prevailed upon one of the maid-servants, a girl named Bessy Mangan,
Barney Casey's sweetheart, to sleep privately in her room. The attack
had reduced and enfeebled her very much, but still she was slightly
improved and somewhat relieved in her spirits. The shock, and the
nervous paroxysm that accompanied it, had nearly passed away, and she
was now anxious, for the sake of her health, to take as much exercise
as she could. Still--still--the two leading thoughts would recur
to her--that of Charles's treachery, and the terrible gift of curse
possessed by his brother Henry; and once more her heart would sink to
the uttermost depths of distress and terror.
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