So soon as I was clear of the last street lamp, darkness received me--a darkness only pointed by the lights of occasional rustic farms, where the dogs howled with uplifted heads as I went by.

The wind continued to decline: it had been but a squall, not a tempest.

The rain, on the other hand, settled into a steady deluge, which had soon drenched me thoroughly.

I continued to tramp forward in the night, contending with gloomy thoughts and accompanied by the dismal ululation of the dogs.
What ailed them that they should have been thus wakeful, and perceived the small sound of my steps amid the general reverberation of the rain, was more than I could fancy.

I remembered tales with which I had been entertained in childhood.