1897Copyright, 1897By L. C. Page and CompanyCONTENTS.I.[The summons to the Castle]II.[I meet the countess]III.[My first night in Hugh's Tower]IV.[Knapwurst acquaints me with the genealogy of the Nidecks]V.[I breakfast with Odile]VI.[The Count unsheathes his claws]VII.[Marie Lagoutte relates her experience]VIII.[Sebalt tracks the Plague]IX.[The Plague in my chamber.—The midnight scene on the Altenberg]X.[I lose my way and pass the night in the dwarf's lodge]XI.[I am summoned to the Countess's chamber, and make a confession]XII.[We chase the Plague.—Her death]XIII.[The Baron's story.—He disappears]XIV.[The boar hunt]XV.[The banquet.—The dwarf explains the mystery of the Nideck house]LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.["And the Count was standing upright on the window-sill"]["Pointing to a dark object crouching in the snow"][In the portrait gallery]["'Stay!' he howled, 'I have not cursed you yet'"]["'Yonder you see the peak of the Altenberg'"]["Then he would resume his frightful cries"]["I raised myself on my elbow and stared fearfully in the direction"]["I stepped forward, and found myself in the presence of Odile"]["Odile dropped her eyes"]["I fell upon my knee before the brute"]