an hour after midnight
For about a quarter of an hour she listened intensely , but the sound which had alarmed her was not repeated ; and she began to reason with herself upon the absurdity of her fears . Finally she succeeded in persuading herself that she had in reality heard nothing , but had been deceived by her own imagination . Still , she could not entirely dissipate her fears ; she recollected that the house had the reputation of being ` haunted ' -- and , though she was naturally neither timid nor superstitious , a vague and undefinable dread oppressed her , as she lay in that solitary chamber , where reigned a heavy gloom and profound stillness . It was an hour after midnight when she awoke from an uneasy slumber into which she had fallen ; and the first object which met her gaze , was a human figure , enveloped from head to toe in white drapery , standing near her bed ! Yes , there it stood , with the upper part of a ghastly face alone visible , pointing at her with its finger , and freezing her soul with the steady glare of its eyes . Long , long stood that dreadful apparition ; its attitude seemed to be either menacing or warning . The terrified woman , under the influence of a painful fascination , could not avert her gaze from it ; and the spectre stood until the candle was entirely consumed , and the room was wrapped in profound darkness .