[87898] in Discussion of MIT-community interests
Best Flashlight Around
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Tactical Flashlight)
Thu Sep 1 12:34:13 2016
Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2016 12:27:21 -0400
From: "Tactical Flashlight" <tactical-flashlight@morty.stream>
To: <mit-talk-mtg@charon.mit.edu>
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<p>Best Flashlight Around<br /> toil. After this I call to mind flatness=
and dampness; and then all is madness -- the madness of a memory which bus=
ies itself among forbidden things. Very suddenly there came back to my soul=
motion and sound -- the tumultuous motion of the heart, and, in my ears, t=
he sound of its beating. Then a pause in which all is blank. Then again sou=
nd, and motion, and touch -- a tingling sensation pervading my frame. Then =
the mere consciousness of existence, without thought -- a condition which l=
asted long. Then, very suddenly, thought, and shuddering terror, and earnes=
t endeavor to comprehend my true state. Then a strong desire to lapse into =
insensibility. Then a rushing revival of soul and a successful effort to mo=
ve. And now a full memory of the trial, of the judges, of the sable draperi=
es, of the sentence, of the sickness, of the swoon. Then entire forgetfulne=
ss of all that followed; of all that a later day and much earnestness of en=
deavor have enabled me vaguely to recall. So far, I had not opened my eyes.=
I felt that I lay upon my back, unbound. I reached out my hand, and it fel=
l heavily upon something damp and hard. There I suffered it to remain for m=
any minutes, while I strove to imagine where and what I could be. I longed,=
yet dared not to employ my vision. I dreaded the first glance at objects a=
round me. It was not that I feared to look upon things horrible, but that I=
grew aghast lest there should be nothing to see. At length, with a wild de=
speration at heart, I quickly unclosed my eyes. My worst thoughts, then, we=
re confirmed. The blackness of eternal night encompassed me. I struggled fo=
r breath. The intensity of the darkness seemed to oppress and stifle me. Th=
e atmosphere was intolerably close. I still lay quietly, and made effort to=
exercise my reason. I brought to mind the inquisitorial proceedings, and a=
ttempted from that point to deduce my real condition. The sentence had pass=
ed; and it appeared to me that a very long interval of time had since elaps=
ed. Yet not for a moment did I suppose myself actually dead. Such a supposi=
tion, notwithstanding what we read in fiction, is altogether inconsistent w=
ith real existence; -- but where and in what state was I? The condemned to =
death, I knew, perished usually at the autos-da-fe, and one of these had be=
en held on the very night of the day of my trial. Had I been remanded to my=
dungeon, to await the next sacrifice, which would not take place for many =
months? This I at once saw could not be. Victims had been in immediate dema=
nd. Moreover, my dungeon, as well as all the condemned cells at Toledo, had=
stone floors, and light was not altogether excluded. A fearful idea now su=
ddenly drove the blood in torrents upon my heart, and for a brief period, I=
once more relapsed into insensibility. Upon recovering, I at once started =
to my feet, trembling convulsively in every fibre. I thrust my arms wildly =
above and around me in all directions. I felt nothing; yet dreaded to move =
a step, lest I should be impeded by the walls of a tomb. Perspiration burst=
from every pore, and stood in cold big beads upon my forehead. The agony o=
f suspense grew at length intolerable, and I cautiously moved forward, with=
my arms extended, and my eyes straining from their sockets, in the hope of=
catching some faint ray of light. I proceeded for many paces; but still al=
l was blackness and vacancy. I breathed more freely. It seemed evident that=
mine was not, at least, the most hideous of fates. And now, as I still con=
tinued to step cautiously onward, there came thronging upon my recollection=
a thousand vague rumors of the horrors of Toledo. Of the dungeons there ha=
d been strange things narrated -- fables I had always deemed them -- but ye=
t strange, and too ghastly to repeat, save in a whisper. Was I left to peri=
sh of starvation in this subterranean world of darkness; or what fate, perh=
aps even more fearful, awaited me? That the result would be death, and a de=
ath of more than customary bitterness, I knew too well the character of my =
judges to doubt. The mode and the hour were all that occupied or distracted=
me. My outstretched hands at length encountered some solid obstruction. It=
was a wall, seemingly of stone masonry -- very smooth, slimy, and cold. I =
followed it up; stepping with all the careful distrust with which certain a=
ntique narratives had inspired me. This process, however, afforded me no me=
ans of ascertaining the dimensions of my dungeon; as I might make its circu=
it, and return to the point whence I set out, without being aware of the fa=
ct; so perfectly uniform seemed the wall. I therefore sought the knife whic=
h had been in my pocket, when led into the inquisitorial chamber; but it wa=
s gone; my clothes had been exchanged for a wrapper of coarse serge. I had =
thought of forcing the blade in some minute crevice of the masonry, so as t=
o identify my point of departure. The difficulty, nevertheless, was but tri=
vial; although, in the disorder of my fancy, it seemed at first insuperable=
I tore a part of the hem from the robe and placed the fragment at full le=
ngth, and at right angles to the wall. In groping my way around the prison,=
I could not fail to encounter this rag upon completing the circuit. So, at=
least I thought: but I had not counted upon the extent of the dungeon, or =
upon my own weakness. The ground was moist and slippery. I staggered onward=
for some time, when I stumbled and fell. My excessive fatigue induced me t=
o remain prostrate; and sleep soon overtook me as I lay. Upon awaking, and =
stretching forth an arm, I found beside me a loaf and a pitcher with water.=
I was too much exhausted to reflect upon this circumstance, but ate and dr=
ank with avidity. Shortly afterward, I resumed my tour around the prison, a=
nd with much toil came at last upon the fragment of the serge. Up to the pe=
riod when I fell I had counted fifty-two paces, and upon resuming my walk, =
I had counted forty-eight more; -- when I arrived at the rag. There were in=
all, then, a hundred paces; and, admitting two paces to the yard, I presum=
ed the dungeon to be fifty yards in circuit. I had met, however, with many =
angles in the wall, and thus I could form no guess at the shape of the vaul=
t; for vault I could not help supposing it to be. I had little object -- ce=
rtainly no hope these researches; but a vague curiosity prompted me to cont=
inue them. Quitting the wall, I resolved to cross the area of the enclosure=
At first I proceeded with extreme caution, for the floor, although seemin=
gly of solid material, was treacherous with slime. At length, however, I to=
ok courage, and did not hesitate to step firmly; endeavoring to cross in as=
direct a line as possible. I had advanced some ten or twelve paces in this=
manner, when the remnant of the torn hem of my robe became entangled betwe=
en my legs. I stepped on it, and fell violently on my face. In the confusio=
n attending my fall, I did not immediately apprehend a somewhat startling c=
ircumstance, which yet, in a few seconds afterward, and while I still lay p=
rostrate, arrested my attention. It was this -- my chin rested upon the flo=
or of the prison, but my lips and the upper portion of my head, although se=
emingly at a less elevation than the chin, touched nothing. At the same tim=
e my forehead seemed bathed in a clammy vapor, and the peculiar smell of de=
cayed fungus arose to my nostrils. I put forward my arm, and shuddered to f=
ind that I had fallen at the very brink of a circular pit, whose extent, of=
course, I had no means of ascertaining at the moment. Groping about the ma=
sonry just below the margin, I succeeded in dislodging a small fragment, an=
d let it fall into the abyss. For many seconds I hearkened to its reverbera=
tions as it dashed against the sides of the chasm in its descent; at length=
there was a sullen plunge into water, succeeded by loud echoes. At the sam=
e moment there came a sound resembling the quick opening, and as rapid clos=
ing of a door overhead, while a faint gleam of light flashed suddenly throu=
gh the gloom, and as suddenly faded away. I saw clearly the doom which had =
been prepared for me, and congratulated myself upon the timely accident by =
which I had escaped. Another step before my fall, and the world had seen me=
no more. And the death just avoided, was of that very character which I ha=
d regarded as fabulous and frivolous in the tales respecting the Inquisitio=
n. To the victims of its tyranny, there was the choice of death with its di=
rest physical agonies, or death with its most hideous moral horrors. I had =
been reserved for the latter. By long suffering my nerves had been unstrung=
, until I trembled at the sound of my own voice, and had become in every re=
spect a fitting subject for the species of torture which awaited me. Shakin=
g in every limb, I groped my way back to the wall; resolving there to peris=
h rather than risk the terrors of the wells, of which my imagination now pi=
ctured many in various positions about the dungeon. In other conditions of =
mind I might have had courage to end my misery at once by a plunge into one=
of these abysses; but now I was the veriest of cowards. Neither could I fo=
rget what I had read of these pits -- that the sudden extinction of life fo=
rmed no part of their most horrible plan. Agitation of spirit kept me awake=
for many long hours; but at length I again slumbered. Upon arousing, I fou=
nd by my side, as before, a loaf and a pitcher of water. A burning thirst c=
onsumed me, and I emptied the vessel at a draught. It must have been drugge=
d; for scarcely had I drunk, before I became irresistibly drowsy. A deep sl=
eep fell upon me -- a sleep like that of death. How long it lasted of cours=
e, I know not; but when, once again, I unclosed my eyes, the objects around=
me were visible. By a wild sulphurous lustre, the origin of which I could =
not at first determine, I was enabled to see the extent and aspect of the p=
rison. In its size I had been greatly mistaken. The whole circuit of its wa=
lls did not exceed twenty-five yards. For some minutes this fact occasioned=
me a world of vain trouble; vain indeed! for what could be of less importa=
nce, under the terrible circumstances which environed me, then the mere dim=
ensions of my dungeon? But my soul took a wild interest in trifles, and I b=
usied myself in endeavors to account for the error I had committed in my me=
asurement. The truth at length flashed upon me. In my first attempt at expl=
oration I had counted fifty-two paces, up to the period when I fell; I must=
then have been within a pace or two of the fragment of serge; in fact, I h=
ad nearly performed the circuit of the vault. I then slept, and upon awakin=
g, I must have returned upon my steps -- thus supposing the circuit nearly =
double what it actually was. My confusion of mind prevented me from observi=
ng that I began my tour with the wall to the left, and ended it with the wa=
ll to the right. I had been deceived, too, in respect to the shape of the e=
nclosure. In feeling my way I had found many angles, and thus deduced an id=
ea of great irregularity; so potent is the effect of total darkness upon on=
e arousing from lethargy or sleep! The angles were simply those of a few sl=
ight depressions, or niches, at odd intervals. The general shape of the pri=
son was square. What I had taken for masonry seemed now to be iron, or some=
other metal, in huge plates, whose sutures or joints occasioned the depres=
sion. The entire surface of this metallic enclosure was rudely daubed in al=
l the hideous and repulsive devices to which the charnel superstition of th=
e monks has given rise. The figures of fiends in aspects of menace, with sk=
eleton forms, and other more really fearful images, overspread and disfigur=
ed the walls. I observed that the outlines of these monstrosities were suff=
iciently distinct, but that the colors seemed faded and blurred, as if from=
the effects of a damp atmosphere. I now noticed the floor, too, which was =
of stone. In the centre yawned the circular pit from whose jaws I had escap=
ed; but it was the only one in the dungeon. All this I saw indistinctly and=
by much effort: for my personal condition had been greatly changed during =
slumber. I now lay upon my back, and at full length, on a species of low fr=
amework of wood. To this I was securely bound by a long strap resembling a =
surcingle. It passed in many convolutions about my limbs and body, leaving =
at liberty only my head, and my left arm to such extent that I could, by di=
nt of much exertion, supply myself with food from an earthen dish which lay=
by my side on the floor. I saw, to my horror, that the pitcher had been re=
moved. I say to my horror; for I was consumed with intolerable thirst. This=
thirst it appeared to be the design of my persecutors to stimulate: for th=
e food in the dish was meat pungently seasoned. Looking upward, I surveyed =
the ceiling of my prison. It was some thirty or forty feet overhead, and co=
nstructed much as the side walls. In one of its panels a very singular figu=
re riveted my whole attention. It was the painted figure of Time as he is c=
ommonly represented, save that, in lieu of a scythe, he held what, at a cas=
ual glance, I supposed to be the pictured image of a huge pendulum such as =
we see on antique clocks. There was something, however, in the appearance o=
f this machine which caused me to regard it more attentively. While I gazed=
directly upward at it (for its position was immediately over my own) I fan=
cied that I saw it in motion. In an instant afterward the fancy was confirm=
ed. Its sweep was brief, and of course slow. I watched it for some minutes,=
somewhat in fear, but more in wonder. Wearied at length with observing its=
dull movement, I turned my eyes upon the other objects in the cell. A slig=
ht noise attracted my notice, and, looking to the floor, I saw several enor=
mous rats traversing it. They had issued from the well, which lay just with=
in view to my right. Even then, while I gazed, they came up in troops, hurr=
iedly, with ravenous eyes, allured by the scent of the meat. From this it r=
equired much effort and attention to scare them away. It might have been ha=
lf an hour, perhaps even an hour, (for in cast my I could take but imperfec=
t note of time) before I again cast my eyes upward. What I then saw confoun=
ded and amazed me. The sweep of the pendulum had increased in extent by nea=
rly a yard. As a natural consequence, its velocity was also much greater. B=
ut what mainly disturbed me was the idea that had perceptibly descended. I =
now observed -- with what horror it is needless to say -- that its nether e=
xtremity was formed of a crescent of glittering steel, about a foot in leng=
th from horn to horn; the horns upward, and the under edge evidently as kee=
n as that of a razor. Like a razor also, it seemed massy and heavy, taperin=
g from the edge into a solid and broad structure above. It was appended to =
a weighty rod of brass, and the whole hissed as it swung through the air. I=
could no longer doubt the doom prepared for me by monkish ingenuity in tor=
ture. My cognizance of the pit had become known to the inquisitorial agents=
-- the pit whose horrors had been destined for so bold a recusant as mysel=
f -- the pit, typical of hell, and regarded by rumor as the Ultima Thule of=
all their punishments. The plunge into this pit I had avoided by the meres=
t of accidents, I knew that surprise, or entrapment into torment, formed an=
important portion of all the grotesquerie of these dungeon deaths. Having =
failed to fall, it was no part of the demon plan to hurl me into the abyss;=
and thus (there being no alternative) a different and a milder destruction=
awaited me. Milder! I half smiled in my agony as I thought of such applica=
tion of such a term. What boots it to tell of the long, long hours of horro=
r more than mortal, during which I counted the rushing vibrations of the st=
eel! Inch by inch -- line by line -- with a descent only appreciable at int=
ervals that seemed ages -- down and still down it came! Days passed -- it m=
ight have been that many days passed -- ere it swept so closely over me as =
to fan me with its acrid breath. The odor of the sharp steel forced itself =
into my nostrils. I prayed -- I wearied heaven with my prayer for its more =
speedy descent. I grew frantically mad, and struggled to force myself upwar=
d against the sweep of the fearful scimitar. And then I fell suddenly calm,=
and lay smiling at the glittering death, as a child at some rare bauble. T=
here was another interval of utter insensibility; it was brief; for, upon a=
gain lapsing into life there had been no perceptible descent in the pendulu=
m. But it might have been long; for I knew there were demons who took note =
of my swoon, and who could have arrested the vibration at pleasure. Upon my=
recovery, too, I felt very -- oh, inexpressibly sick and weak, as if throu=
gh long inanition. Even amid the agonies of that period, the human nature c=
raved food. With painful effort I outstretched my left arm as far as my bon=
ds permitted, and took possession of the small remnant which had been spare=
d me by the rats. As I put a portion of it within my lips, there rushed to =
my mind a half formed thought of joy -- of hope. Yet what business had I wi=
th hope? It was, as I say, a half formed thought -- man has many such which=
are never completed. I felt that it was of joy -- of hope; but felt also t=
hat it had perished in its formation. In vain I struggled to perfect -- to =
regain it. Long suffering had nearly annihilated all my ordinary powers of =
mind. I was an imbecile -- an idiot. The vibration of the pendulum was at r=
ight angles to my length. I saw that the crescent was designed to cross the=
region of the heart. It would fray the serge of my robe -- it would return=
and repeat its operations -- again -- and again. Notwithstanding terrifica=
lly wide sweep (some thirty feet or more) and the its hissing vigor of its =
descent, sufficient to sunder these very walls of iron, still the fraying o=
f my robe would be all that, for several minutes, it would accomplish. And =
at this thought I paused. I dared not go farther than this reflection. I dw=
elt upon it with a pertinacity of attention -- as if, in so dwelling, I cou=
ld arrest here the descent of the steel. I forced myself to ponder upon the=
sound of the crescent as it should pass across the garment -- upon the pec=
uliar thrilling sensation which the friction of cloth produces on the nerve=
s. I pondered upon all this frivolity until my teeth were on edge. Down -- =
steadily down it crept. I took a frenzied pleasure in contrasting its downw=
ard with its lateral velocity. To the right -- to the left -- far and wide =
-- with the shriek of a damned spirit; to my heart with the stealthy pace o=
f the tiger! I alternately laughed and howled as the one or the other idea =
grew predominant. Down -- certainly, relentlessly down! It vibrated within =
three inches of my bosom! I struggled violently, furiously, to free my left=
arm. This was free only from the elbow to the hand. I could reach the latt=
er, from the platter beside me, to my mouth, with great effort, but no fart=
her. Could I have broken the fastenings above the elbow, I would have seize=
d and attempted to arrest the pendulum. I might as well have attempted to a=
rrest an avalanche! Down -- still unceasingly -- still inevitably down! I g=
asped and struggled at each vibration. I shrunk convulsively at its every s=
weep. My eyes followed its outward or upward whirls with the eagerness of t=
he most unmeaning despair; they closed themselves spasmodically at the desc=
ent, although death would have been a relief, oh! how unspeakable! Still I =
quivered in every nerve to think how slight a sinking of the machinery woul=
d precipitate that keen, glistening axe upon my bosom. It was hope that pro=
mpted the nerve to quiver -- the frame to shrink. It was hope -- the hope t=
hat triumphs on the rack -- that whispers to the death-condemned even in th=
e dungeons of the Inquisition. I saw that some ten or twelve vibrations wou=
ld bring the steel in actual contact with my robe, and with this observatio=
n there suddenly came over my spirit all the keen, collected calmness of de=
spair. For the first time during many hours -- or perhaps days -- I thought=
It now occurred to me that the bandage, or surcingle, which enveloped me,=
was unique. I was tied by no separate cord. The first stroke of the razorl=
ike crescent athwart any portion of the band, would so detach it that it mi=
ght be unwound from my person by means of my left hand. But how fearful, in=
that case, the proximity of the steel! The result of the slightest struggl=
e how deadly! Was it likely, moreover, that the minions of the torturer had=
not foreseen and provided for this possibility! Was it probable that the b=
andage crossed my bosom in the track of the pendulum? Dreading to find my f=
aint, and, as it seemed, in last hope frustrated, I so far elevated my head=
as to obtain a distinct view of my breast. The surcingle enveloped my limb=
s and body close in all directions -- save in the path of the destroying cr=
escent. Scarcely had I dropped my head back into its original position, whe=
n there flashed upon my mind what I cannot better describe than as the unfo=
rmed half of that idea of deliverance to which I have previously alluded, a=
nd of which a moiety only floated indeterminately through my brain when I r=
aised food to my burning lips. The whole thought was now present -- feeble,=
scarcely sane, scarcely definite, -- but still entire. I proceeded at once=
, with the nervous energy of despair, to attempt its execution. For many ho=
urs the immediate vicinity of the low framework upon which I lay, had been =
literally swarming with rats. They were wild, bold, ravenous; their red eye=
s glaring upon me as if they waited but for motionlessness on my part to ma=
ke me their prey. "To what food," I thought, "have they been=
accustomed in the well?" They had devoured, in spite of all my effort=
s to prevent them, all but a small remnant of the contents of the dish. I h=
ad fallen into an habitual see-saw, or wave of the hand about the platter: =
and, at length, the unconscious uniformity of the movement deprived it of e=
ffect. In their voracity the vermin frequently fastened their sharp fangs i=
n my fingers. With the particles of the oily and spicy viand which now rema=
ined, I thoroughly rubbed the bandage wherever I could reach it; then, rais=
ing my hand from the floor, I lay breathlessly still. At first the ravenous=
animals were startled and terrified at the change -- at the cessation of m=
ovement. They shrank alarmedly back; many sought the well. But this was onl=
y for a moment. I had not counted in vain upon their voracity. Observing th=
at I remained without motion, one or two of the boldest leaped upon the fra=
me-work, and smelt at the surcingle. This seemed the signal for a general r=
ush. Forth from the well they hurried in fresh troops. They clung to the wo=
od -- they overran it, and leaped in hundreds upon my person. The measured =
movement of the pendulum disturbed them not at all. Avoiding its strokes th=
ey busied themselves with the anointed bandage. They pressed -- they swarme=
d upon me in ever accumulating heaps. They writhed upon my throat; their co=
ld lips sought my own; I was half stifled by their thronging pressure; disg=
ust, for which the world has no name, swelled my bosom, and chilled, with a=
heavy clamminess, my heart. Yet one minute, and I felt that the struggle w=
ould be over. Plainly I perceived the loosening of the bandage. I knew that=
in more than one place it must be already severed. With a more than human =
resolution I lay still. Nor had I erred in my calculations -- nor had I end=
ured in vain. I at length felt that I was free. The surcingle hung in riban=
ds from my body. But the stroke of the pendulum already pressed upon my bos=
om. It had divided the serge of the robe. It had cut through the linen bene=
ath. Twice again it swung, and a sharp sense of pain shot through every ner=
ve. But the moment of escape had arrived. At a wave of my hand my deliverer=
s hurried tumultuously away. With a steady movement -- cautious, sidelong, =
shrinking, and slow -- I slid from the embrace of the bandage and beyond th=
e reach of the scimitar. For the moment, at least, I was free. Free! -- and=
in the grasp of the Inquisition! I had scarcely stepped from my wooden bed=
of horror upon the stone floor of the prison, when the motion of the helli=
sh machine ceased and I beheld it drawn up, by some invisible force, throug=
h the ceiling. This was a lesson which I took desperately to heart. My ever=
y motion was undoubtedly watched. Free! -- I had but escaped death in one f=
orm of agony, to be delivered unto worse than death in some other. With tha=
t thought I rolled my eves nervously around on the barriers of iron that he=
mmed me in. Something unusual -- some change which, at first, I could not a=
ppreciate distinctly -- it was obvious, had taken place in the apartment. F=
or many minutes of a dreamy and trembling abstraction, I busied myself in v=
ain, unconnected conjecture. During this period, I became aware, for the fi=
rst time, of the origin of the sulphurous light which illumined the cell. I=
t proceeded from a fissure, about half an inch in width, extending entirely=
around the prison at the base of the walls, which thus appeared, and were,=
completely separated from the floor. I endeavored, but of course in vain, =
to look through the aperture. As I arose from the attempt, the mystery of t=
he alteration in the chamber broke at once upon my understanding. I have ob=
served that, although the outlines of the figures upon the walls were suffi=
ciently distinct, yet the colors seemed blurred and indefinite. These color=
s had now assumed, and were momentarily assuming, a startling and most inte=
nse brilliancy, that gave to the spectral and fiendish portraitures an aspe=
ct that might have thrilled even firmer nerves than my own. Demon eyes, of =
a wild and ghastly vivacity, glared upon me in a thousand directions, where=
none had been visible before, and gleamed with the lurid lustre of a fire =
that I could not force my imagination to regard as unreal. Unreal! -- Even =
while I breathed there came to my nostrils the breath of the vapour of heat=
ed iron! A suffocating odour pervaded the prison! A deeper glow settled eac=
h moment in the eyes that glared at my agonies! A richer tint of crimson di=
ffused itself over the pictured horrors of blood. I panted! I gasped for br=
eath! There could be no doubt of the design of my tormentors -- oh! most un=
relenting! oh! most demoniac of men! I shrank from the glowing metal to the=
centre of the cell. Amid the thought of the fiery destruction that impende=
d, the idea of the coolness of the well came over my soul like balm. I rush=
ed to its deadly brink. I threw my straining vision below. The glare from t=
he enkindled roof illumined its inmost recesses. Yet, for a wild moment, di=
d my spirit refuse to comprehend the meaning of what I saw. At length it fo=
rced -- it wrestled its way into my soul -- it burned itself in upon my shu=
ddering reason. -- Oh! for a voice to speak! -- oh! horror! -- oh! any horr=
or but this! With a shriek, I rushed from the margin, and buried my face in=
my hands -- weeping bitterly. The heat rapidly increased, and once again I=
looked up, shuddering as with a fit of the ague. There had been a second c=
hange in the cell -- and now the change was obviously in the form. As befor=
e, it was in vain that I, at first, endeavoured to appreciate or understand=
what was taking place. But not long was I left in doubt. The Inquisitorial=
vengeance had been hurried by my two-fold escape, and there was to be no m=
ore dallying with the King of Terrors. The room had been square. I saw that=
two of its iron angles were now acute -- two, consequently, obtuse. The fe=
arful difference quickly increased with a low rumbling or moaning sound. In=
an instant the apartment had shifted its form into that of a lozenge. But =
the alteration stopped not here-I neither hoped nor desired it to stop. I c=
ould have clasped the red walls to my bosom as a garment of eternal peace. =
"Death," I said, "any death but that of the pit!" Fool!=
might I have not known that into the pit it was the object of the burning =
iron to urge me? Could I resist its glow? or, if even that, could I withsta=
nd its pressure And now, flatter and flatter grew the lozenge, with a rapid=
ity that left me no time for contemplation. Its centre, and of course, its =
greatest width, came just over the yawning gulf. I shrank back -- but the c=
losing walls pressed me resistlessly onward. At length for my seared and wr=
ithing body there was no longer an inch of foothold on the firm floor of th=
e prison. I struggled no more, but the agony of my soul found vent in one l=
oud, long, and final scream of despair. I felt that I tottered upon the bri=
nk -- I averted my eyes -- There was a discordant hum of human voices! Ther=
e was a loud blast as of many trumpets! There was a harsh grating as of a t=
housand thunders! The fiery walls rushed back! An outstretched arm caught m=
y own as I fell, fainting, into the abyss. It was that of General Lasalle. =
The French army had entered Toledo. The Inquisition was in the hands of its=
enemies.</p>=20
</div>=20
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