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Caine, Hall, Sir, 1853-1931

"The Shadow of a Crime A Cumbrian Romance"


UNTIL THE DAY BREAK.
Until the day break, and the shadows flee away.

It was not at first that Ralph was a prey to sentiments of horror. His
physical energy dominated all emotion, and left no room for terrible
imaginings--no room for a full realization of what had occurred. That
which appeared to paralyze the others--that which by its ghastly
reality appeared to fix them to the earth with the rigidity of
stone--endowed him with a power that seemed all but superhuman, and
inspired him with an impulse that leapt to its fulfilment.
Mounted on the young horse, he galloped after the mare along the long
range of the pikes, in and out of their deep cavernous alcoves, up and
down their hillocks and hollows, over bowlders, over streams, across
ghylls, through sinking sloughs and with a drizzling rain overhead. At
one moment he caught sight of the mare and her burden as they passed
swiftly over a protruding headland which was capped from his point of
view by nothing but the mist and the sky. Then he followed on the
harder; but faster than his horse could gallop over the pathless
mountains galloped the horse of which he was in pursuit.


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