“It is not so, nor it was not so,” said Mr. Fox.
“And then I went upstairs, and came to a gallery, at the end of which
was a door, on which was written:
BE BOLD, BE BOLD, BUT NOT TOO BOLD, LEST THAT YOUR HEART'S BLOOD SHOULD
RUN COLD.
“It is not so, nor it was not so,” said Mr. Fox.
“And then--and then I opened the door, and the room was filled with
bodies and skeletons of poor dead women, all stained with their blood.”
“It is not so, nor it was not so. And God forbid it should be so,” said
Mr. Fox.
“I then dreamed that I rushed down the gallery, and just as I was
going down the stairs, I saw you, Mr. Fox, coming up to the hall door,
dragging after you a poor young lady, rich and beautiful.”
“It is not so, nor it was not so. And God forbid it should be so,” said
Mr. Fox.
“I rushed downstairs, just in time to hide myself behind a cask, when
you, Mr. Fox, came in dragging the young lady by the arm. And, as you
passed me, Mr. Fox, I thought I saw you try and get off her diamond
ring, and when you could not, Mr. Fox, it seemed to me in my dream, that
you out with your sword and hacked off the poor lady's hand to get the
ring.”
“It is not so, nor it was not so. And God forbid it should be so,” said
Mr. Fox, and was going to say something else as he rose from his seat,
when Lady Mary cried out:
“But it is so, and it was so. Here's hand and ring I have to show,” and
pulled out the lady's hand from her dress, and pointed it straight at
Mr. Fox.
At once her brothers and her friends drew their swords and cut Mr. Fox
into a thousand pieces.