THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH

The "Red Death" had long plagued the country . Nodisease had ever been so deadly or so terrible . Blood was it ssign and its seal - the redness and horror of blood . Firstcame sharp pains, sudden dizziness, then bleeding fro mevery pore, and finally death . One look at the bloody stain son a victim's body - especially his face - and he was a noutcast. No person dare offer him help or sympathy . Thelength of the disease, from its beginning to death, was on ehalf hour .

But the Prince Prospero was happy and fearless an dshrewd . When half the people in his kingdom had die dfrom the bloody death, he called to him a thousand of hi shealthy, happy friends . With them he went to the oute rlimits of his kingdom . There he had a huge, magnificentcastle surrounded by a high wall . The gates to the castl ewere of iron . Once he and his friends were inside, h ecommanded that the gates be welded shut so no one couldleave or enter. With these precautions, the prince's guest scould defy the disease . The world outside could take care o fitself. In the meantime it was foolish to be sad, or to think .Inside he had gathered everything necessary for their corn -

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fort and pleasure . They had food and wine to eat and drink ,and musicians, clowns, dancers, and actors to entertain .

Inside was safety . Outside was the "Red Death . "After six months had passed in the castle, Prince Pros-

pero entertained his friends at a masked ball . For the dancethe guests dressed themselves in their most lavish cos -

turves . Some came as fairies, some as madmen . Some cameto delight, some to terrify . Mixing together at the ball wa swit and charm, beauty and ugliness .

But let me tell you about the rooms the Prince had pre -pared for his dance . There were seven rooms in all, an deach had been decorated in a different color . There were nolights or candles in the rooms themselves, but in the wall o feach room was a stained-glass window facing the hallway .Behind the window was placed a torch so that the ligh tfrom the torch shone in the window and thus into th eroom.

The first room, for example, had blue drapes and car -pets, and the window was a bright blue . The secondchamber was done in purple - and the window was pur-ple . The third was green throughout - and so was th ewindow . The fourth was orange . The fifth was white . Thesixth was violet . The seventh room was hung with blac kvelvet drapes that covered the ceiling and walls and fel lonto the black carpet . Only in this room was the windo wdifferent . The panes of glass were red - a deep bloo dcolor. The fire behind the window threw a ghastly red ligh ton the black furnishings within . The look of it was terrible ,and few of the guests dared to set foot in the room at all .

Also in this room stood a giant clock of black wood -.ebony . Its pendulum swung back and forth with a dull ,heavy clang . When the clock struck the hour, the sound o fthe chime was clear and loud and deep . But there was also astrange note in the sound - so strange that when the hou rstruck, the musicians stopped their playing to listen, an dthe dancers stood still in place . The tone was so odd tha teven the silliest of the guests was silent and grew pale . Thewise guests stood quiet and thoughtful . When the chime shad at last died away, the musicians played once more an dthe dancers began again . Once more there was music an dlaughter . But each time the hour struck, the same quiet fel lover the company .

In spite of these things, it was a gay and wonderful party .The prince's tastes were strange . He had a fine eye for

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colors and effects . His plans were bold and fiery . Therewere some who would have thought him mad . His follow-ers felt sure that he was not . You needed to hear and seeand touch him to be sure that he was not .

Throughout the evening, the guests moved through th erooms, whirling and dancing . The wild music echoed thei rsteps . In each room the dancers took on the color of th echamber. The music would swell, and the dancers woulddance . They moved like dreams from room to room . Then ,as the clock struck, they all would freeze, and all would b esilent save the voice of the clock . Then when the chimesdied away, they would dance once more .

As the evening grew later and later, the company dance din all the rooms but one . Few dared to enter the black room .The red light and black drapery were frightful . Those wh ostood in the black room heard a louder note from the blac kclock than those who danced in the other rooms . Thoserooms were crowded and beat with the heart of life . Theguests danced until midnight arrived .

Then, as before, the music stopped and the dancers werequieted upon the sounding of the clock . But now therewere twelve chimes to be sounded . During this time ,perhaps, more of thought crept into the minds of the mos tthoughtful guests . And it was during this time, too, tha tthe guests became aware of a stranger among them . It wasa masked. figure that no one had noticed before . The newsof his presence spread quickly through all the rooms .When the company saw him, there was a murmur of sur-prise, terror, horror, and disgust .

As I said before, the costumes the guests wore were amixture of the beautiful and the ugly, but the stranger' sdress frightened them all .

Even in an easy, carefree group such as this, there wer esome things that could not be joked about . And the com-pany was angry at the joke the stranger played on them -for this is how he looked to them :

His figure was tall and thin and dressed from head to foo tin a shroud --the robe of a dead person ready for the grave .

1The mask that covered his face was made to look like acorpse . All this would have been accepted and approved ----but the stranger went too far . He had gone so far, in fact, a sto have his mask take on the look of the Red Death . Hisclothes were covered in blood, and his face was sprinkle dwith the red terror.

Back and forth the stranger moved through the dancers .When Prince Prospero saw him, he shuddered in fear an ddisgust . Then, his face turned red with rage .

"Who dares," the Prince demanded, "Who dares insul tus like this? Seize him. and unmask him. Let us knowwho makes fools of us . Tomorrow we will hang him fromthe tower! "

Prince Prospero stood in the first of the seven rooms, bu this voice rang loud and clear through all seven . But no onemoved . The guests watched horrified as the strange rwalked slowly and carefully among them . No one daredput out a hand to stop him . They moved back away, agains tthe walls as he passed within a yard of the Prince and dow nthe center of each room .

First through the blue room he went . Then through thepurple, through the green to the orange he walked . Fromthere to the white and on to the violet he moved . Not unti lhe entered the last room -- the black room - -- did anyon emove to stop him .

It was the Prince himself, finally, who hurried after th eunwelcome guest -- through the six chambers . He wasmaddened with rage and ashamed of his own cowardice .On and on he ran, his dagger raised .

At last he reached the black chamber and stood withi nthree feet of the figure . Suddenly the man turned and face dthe Prince. There was a sharp cry, and the dagger droppe donto the black carpet. Instantly afterward, the Prince him-self fell -- dead .

In wild despair, the guests crowded into the black roomand threw themselves on the tall figure standing straigh tand still in front of the ebony clock . But with a cry theydrew back . The body and mask they tried to hold belonged

to no man but to a ghost. And they knew the stranger forwhat he was - the Red Death .

The Red Death had come like a thief in the night . Andone by one the company dropped to the blood-stainedfloor. Each died in the position of his fall . And the life of theebony clock went out with the last man . And the flame sbehind the windows went out . And darkness and decayand the Red Death ruled over all .

The Masque of the Red Death

1. What is the title of this story ?

2. Who is the author of the story?

3. Where is the setting ?

4. Who are the main characters?

5. What had long plagued the country ?

6. What were the symptoms of the Red Death ?

7. How long did the disease last?

8. How many healthy friends did Prince Prospero bring to hi skingdom?

9. How many rooms were prepared for the ball ?

10. What color were the rooms ?

11. What kind of window was in each room ?

12. What stood in the black room?

13. What color was the window of the black room ?

14. When the clock struck, what did the musicians and dancer sdo?

15. Which room would no one dance in ?

16. What was the strange guest dressed in?

17. What did the stranger's mask make his face look like ?

18. What were his clothes covered with?

19. Why do you think none of the guest would stop him ?

20. What room did the stranger stop in ?

21. What happened to the prince when the stranger faced him?

22. What did the mask belong to?

23. What room did everyone die in?