The Mysteries of Udolpho

Preparations and Strangers at the Castle

Preparations and Strangers at the Castle

Through Annette’s rambling account, Emily learns of Ludovico’s suspicions: ill-looking men arriving daily, being housed in the stables and neighbouring cottages, Montoni’s midnight conferences with other signors, the fortifying of the castle, and the repair of the ramparts—all pointing to some larger enterprise rather than any mere household quarrel.

Emily’s Nighttime Terror at her Chamber Door

Emily’s Nighttime Terror at her Chamber Door

Retiring after a melancholy evening with her aunt, Emily is alarmed by a violent knocking and a heavy weight flung against her chamber door. Receiving no answer to her calls, she is seized by the instinctive terror that one of the newly arrived strangers has discovered her remote apartment with criminal intent.

The Breathing on the Other Side

The Breathing on the Other Side

Frozen in fearful silence between the gallery door and the staircase door, Emily becomes conscious of faint breathing just beyond the locked staircase door, and her terror deepens as the sound persists and she finds no additional fastening to secure the entrance.

Annette’s Swoon in the Corridor

Annette’s Swoon in the Corridor

Resolved to call for help from her casement, Emily instead opens the corridor door and nearly falls over a prostrate figure—Annette, lying senseless on the floor. Fear yields to astonishment, and Emily summons the strength to assist the swooning girl back into her chamber.

Annette’s Apparition in the Haunted Chamber

Annette’s Apparition in the Haunted Chamber

Once recovered, Annette solemnly describes having seen a tall gliding figure pass along the corridor and vanish into the long-shut haunted chamber whose key only Montoni possesses. Emily sceptically suggests it was the Signor himself, but Annette insists she had just left him quarrelling in her lady’s dressing-room.

Annette Refuses to Sleep Alone

Annette Refuses to Sleep Alone

Annette, refusing even for a thousand sequins to sleep in the haunted chamber or pass again through the corridor, is at last persuaded by Emily—who is herself shaken by the remembered footsteps on the staircase—to stay the night in her room, yielding to fear as much as to Emily’s insistence.

The Armed Horsemen Arrive at the Castle

The Armed Horsemen Arrive at the Castle

At dawn Emily diverts from the ramparts to an upper casement and observes in the courtyard a large band of horsemen in uniform black-and-scarlet jackets, daggers at their belts, pikes and javelins in hand, and small Italian caps—some plumed with black—surmounting faces of such savage aspect that she half fancies herself surrounded by banditti, with Montoni as their captain and the castle as their rendezvous.

CHAPTER IX

This is the second of three fragments for Chapter IX (Chapter 22), covering events at the castle where Emily observes the departure of Montoni’s armed party, witnesses her aunt’s conflict with Montoni over estate demands, learns she is the heir to the contested estates, and discovers Montoni’s secret midnight meeting in a long-sealed chamber.

Emily Observes Departing Armed Riders

Emily watches Cavigni, Verezzi, and Bertolini lead a group of armed riders out of the castle. She notes Verezzi’s exultant expression, Cavigni’s graceful, commanding presence that reminds her of Valancourt, though Cavigni lacks Valancourt’s benevolent, intelligent features.

Montoni Sees Off the Party, Emily Watches Them Vanish into the Mountains

Montoni appears at the hall door to bid the departing riders farewell, then watches them exit through the portcullis. Emily retreats to the ramparts, where she observes the party wind through the western mountains until distance reduces them to a single indistinct mass moving along the heights.

Suspicious Men Lurking Near Castle Walls

While on the ramparts, Emily notices fortification repairs are complete and no workmen are present. She spots several men hiding under the castle walls who are clearly not workers and appear aligned with the departed armed party. She reports the sight to Madame Montoni, who offers no explanation for the suspicious individuals.