Chapter XXXIII

A terrible moment—’twas coming nigh;
’Twas nearer; ’twas nearer; ’twas on me!
Oh can I believe it!—it pass’d me by;
And off, in the distance, it seem’d to die,
With the creak of its wings:—but there came a cry,
And a hollow, unspeakable, fading sigh,
And a laugh in my ears to stun me.
Ha—ha! Ha—ha! What a wretch was I,
For I thought the devil had won me.