Gaunts Ghosts First And Only Pdf 11: How to Enjoy the First Book of the Sabbat Worlds Crusade by Dan

Nor were these my only visions. The raising of ghosts or devils was a promiseliberally accorded by my favourite authors, the fulfilment of which I mosteagerly sought; and if my incantations were always unsuccessful, I attributedthe failure rather to my own inexperience and mistake than to a want of skillor fidelity in my instructors. And thus for a time I was occupied by explodedsystems, mingling, like an unadept, a thousand contradictory theories andfloundering desperately in a very slough of multifarious knowledge, guided byan ardent imagination and childish reasoning, till an accident again changedthe current of my ideas.

Gaunts Ghosts First And Only Pdf 11

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The astonishment which I had at first experienced on this discovery soon gaveplace to delight and rapture. After so much time spent in painful labour, toarrive at once at the summit of my desires was the most gratifying consummationof my toils. But this discovery was so great and overwhelming that all thesteps by which I had been progressively led to it were obliterated, and Ibeheld only the result. What had been the study and desire of the wisest mensince the creation of the world was now within my grasp. Not that, like a magicscene, it all opened upon me at once: the information I had obtained was of anature rather to direct my endeavours so soon as I should point them towardsthe object of my search than to exhibit that object already accomplished. I waslike the Arabian who had been buried with the dead and found a passage to life,aided only by one glimmering and seemingly ineffectual light.

We ascended into my room, and the servant presently brought breakfast; but Iwas unable to contain myself. It was not joy only that possessed me; I felt myflesh tingle with excess of sensitiveness, and my pulse beat rapidly. I wasunable to remain for a single instant in the same place; I jumped over thechairs, clapped my hands, and laughed aloud. Clerval at first attributed myunusual spirits to joy on his arrival, but when he observed me moreattentively, he saw a wildness in my eyes for which he could not account, andmy loud, unrestrained, heartless laughter frightened and astonished him.

One of my first duties on my recovery was to introduce Clerval to the severalprofessors of the university. In doing this, I underwent a kind of rough usage,ill befitting the wounds that my mind had sustained. Ever since the fatalnight, the end of my labours, and the beginning of my misfortunes, I hadconceived a violent antipathy even to the name of natural philosophy. When Iwas otherwise quite restored to health, the sight of a chemical instrumentwould renew all the agony of my nervous symptoms. Henry saw this, and hadremoved all my apparatus from my view. He had also changed my apartment; for heperceived that I had acquired a dislike for the room which had previously beenmy laboratory. But these cares of Clerval were made of no avail when I visitedthe professors. M. Waldman inflicted torture when he praised, with kindness andwarmth, the astonishing progress I had made in the sciences. He soon perceivedthat I disliked the subject; but not guessing the real cause, he attributed myfeelings to modesty, and changed the subject from my improvement, to thescience itself, with a desire, as I evidently saw, of drawing me out. Whatcould I do? He meant to please, and he tormented me. I felt as if he had placedcarefully, one by one, in my view those instruments which were to be afterwardsused in putting me to a slow and cruel death. I writhed under his words, yetdared not exhibit the pain I felt. Clerval, whose eyes and feelings were alwaysquick in discerning the sensations of others, declined the subject, alleging,in excuse, his total ignorance; and the conversation took a more general turn.I thanked my friend from my heart, but I did not speak. I saw plainly that hewas surprised, but he never attempted to draw my secret from me; and although Iloved him with a mixture of affection and reverence that knew no bounds, yet Icould never persuade myself to confide in him that event which was so oftenpresent to my recollection, but which I feared the detail to another would onlyimpress more deeply.

You have probably waited impatiently for a letter to fix the date of yourreturn to us; and I was at first tempted to write only a few lines, merelymentioning the day on which I should expect you. But that would be a cruelkindness, and I dare not do it. What would be your surprise, my son, when youexpected a happy and glad welcome, to behold, on the contrary, tears andwretchedness? And how, Victor, can I relate our misfortune? Absence cannot haverendered you callous to our joys and griefs; and how shall I inflict pain on mylong absent son? I wish to prepare you for the woeful news, but I know it isimpossible; even now your eye skims over the page to seek the words which areto convey to you the horrible tidings.

This advice, although good, was totally inapplicable to my case; I should havebeen the first to hide my grief and console my friends if remorse had notmingled its bitterness, and terror its alarm, with my other sensations. Now Icould only answer my father with a look of despair and endeavour to hide myselffrom his view.

As I said this I suddenly beheld the figure of a man, at some distance,advancing towards me with superhuman speed. He bounded over the crevices in theice, among which I had walked with caution; his stature, also, as heapproached, seemed to exceed that of man. I was troubled; a mist came over myeyes, and I felt a faintness seize me, but I was quickly restored by the coldgale of the mountains. I perceived, as the shape came nearer (sight tremendousand abhorred!) that it was the wretch whom I had created. I trembled with rageand horror, resolving to wait his approach and then close with him in mortalcombat. He approached; his countenance bespoke bitter anguish, combined withdisdain and malignity, while its unearthly ugliness rendered it almost toohorrible for human eyes. But I scarcely observed this; rage and hatred had atfirst deprived me of utterance, and I recovered only to overwhelm him withwords expressive of furious detestation and contempt.

I continued for the remainder of the day in my hovel in a state of utter andstupid despair. My protectors had departed and had broken the only link thatheld me to the world. For the first time the feelings of revenge and hatredfilled my bosom, and I did not strive to control them, but allowing myself tobe borne away by the stream, I bent my mind towards injury and death. When Ithought of my friends, of the mild voice of De Lacey, the gentle eyes ofAgatha, and the exquisite beauty of the Arabian, these thoughts vanished and agush of tears somewhat soothed me. But again when I reflected that they hadspurned and deserted me, anger returned, a rage of anger, and unable to injureanything human, I turned my fury towards inanimate objects. As night advanced,I placed a variety of combustibles around the cottage, and after havingdestroyed every vestige of cultivation in the garden, I waited with forcedimpatience until the moon had sunk to commence my operations.

I generally rested during the day and travelled only when I was secured bynight from the view of man. One morning, however, finding that my path laythrough a deep wood, I ventured to continue my journey after the sun had risen;the day, which was one of the first of spring, cheered even me by theloveliness of its sunshine and the balminess of the air. I felt emotions ofgentleness and pleasure, that had long appeared dead, revive within me. Halfsurprised by the novelty of these sensations, I allowed myself to be borne awayby them, and forgetting my solitude and deformity, dared to be happy. Softtears again bedewed my cheeks, and I even raised my humid eyes withthankfulness towards the blessed sun, which bestowed such joy upon me.

His sentence was pronounced, and I could only grieve and be patient. I sat byhis bed, watching him; his eyes were closed, and I thought he slept; butpresently he called to me in a feeble voice, and bidding me come near, said,Alas! The strength I relied on is gone; I feel that I shall soon die, and he,my enemy and persecutor, may still be in being. Think not, Walton, that in thelast moments of my existence I feel that burning hatred and ardent desire ofrevenge I once expressed; but I feel myself justified in desiring the death ofmy adversary. During these last days I have been occupied in examining my pastconduct; nor do I find it blamable. In a fit of enthusiastic madness I createda rational creature and was bound towards him to assure, as far as was in mypower, his happiness and well-being. This was my duty, but there was anotherstill paramount to that. My duties towards the beings of my own species hadgreater claims to my attention because they included a greater proportion ofhappiness or misery. Urged by this view, I refused, and I did right inrefusing, to create a companion for the first creature. He showed unparalleledmalignity and selfishness in evil; he destroyed my friends; he devoted todestruction beings who possessed exquisite sensations, happiness, and wisdom;nor do I know where this thirst for vengeance may end. Miserable himself thathe may render no other wretched, he ought to die. The task of his destructionwas mine, but I have failed. When actuated by selfish and vicious motives, Iasked you to undertake my unfinished work, and I renew this request now, when Iam only induced by reason and virtue. 2ff7e9595c