CHAPTER XXIII.
It was late when Mrs.Costello fell asleep, and very early when she woke, startled out of her dreams by a long wailing sound.

She listened, and in the dark winter morning could hear the wind sweeping through the pines and round the house with loud intermittent gusts, like moans and outcries of pain.

The moments of silence between these gusts had something weird and awful, and she could not resist the desire to get up and look out at the weather.

But just as she drew aside the blind, a cloud of frozen snow was dashed against the glass, rattling sharply, while the wind again passed on with its ominous wail.

Nothing whatever could be seen; the pale dim dawn was veiled by mist and snow, and each time the icy particles were driven against the window, they left behind them a thicker curtain of frost.