author - "Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu"
as visible.
Proceeding now quite alone upon his homeward way he grew really nervous and uncomfortable, as he became sensible, with increased distinctness, of the well-known and now absolutely dreaded sounds.
By the side of the dead wall which bounded the college park, the sounds followed, recommencing almost simultaneously with his own steps. The same unequal pace -- sometimes slow, sometimes for a score yards or so, quickened almost to a run -- was audible from behind him. Again and again he turned; quickly and stealthily he glanced over his shoulder -- almost at every half-dozen steps; but no one was visible.
The irritation of this intangible and unseen pursuit became gradually all but intolerable; and when at last he reached his home his nerves were strung to such a pitch of excitement that he could not rest, and did not attempt even to lie down until after the daylight had broken.
He was awakened by a knock at his chamber-door, and his servant, entering, handed him several lett
All is still and sombre. At this hour the simple traffic of the thinly-peopled country is over, and nothing can be more solitary.
From this jungle, nevertheless, through which the mists of evening are already creeping, she sees a gigantic man approaching her.
In that poor and primitive country robbery is a crime unknown. She, therefore, has no fears for her pound of tea, and pint of gin, and sixteen shillings in silver which she is bringing home in her pocket. But there is something that would have frighted another woman about this man.
He is gaunt, sombre, bony, dirty, and dressed in a black suit which a beggar would hardly care to pick out of the dust.
This ill-looking man nodded to her as he stepped on the road.
"I don't know you," she said.
He nodded again.
"I never sid ye neyawheere," she exclaimed sternly.
"Fine evening, Mother Carke," he says, and holds his snuff-box toward her.
She widened the distance between them by a step or so, and said again sternly and pale,
"I hev nowt to say to thee, whoe'er thou beest."
"You know Laura Silver Bell?"
"That's a byneyam; the lass's neyam is Laura Lew," she answered, looking straight before her.
"One name's as good as
currences were ever mentioned in hearing of the children. They would have been, no doubt, like most children, greatly terrified had they heard any thing of the matter, and known that their elders were unable to account for what was passing; and their fears would have made them wretched and troublesome.
They used to play for some hours every day in the back garden--the house forming one end of this oblong inclosure, the stable and coach-house the other, and two parallel walls of considerable height the sides. Here, as it afforded a perfectly safe playground, they were frequently left quite to themselves; and in talking over their days' adventures, as children will, they happened to mention a woman, or rather the woman, for they had long grown familiar with her appearance, whom they used to see in the garden while they were at play. They assumed that she came in and went out at the stable door, but they never actually saw her enter or depart. They merely saw a figure--that of a very poor woman, soiled an
he parish sexton. Bob Martin was held much in awe bytruant boys who sauntered into the churchyard on Sundays, to read thetombstones, or play leap frog over them, or climb the ivy in search ofbats or sparrows' nests, or peep into the mysterious aperture under theeastern window, which opened a dim perspective of descending stepslosing themselves among profounder darkness, where lidless coffins gapedhorribly among tattered velvet, bones, and dust, which time andmortality had strewn there. Of such horribly curious, and otherwiseenterprising juveniles, Bob was, of course, the special scourge andterror. But terrible as was the official aspect of the sexton, andrepugnant as his lank form, clothed in rusty, sable vesture, his small,frosty visage, suspicious grey eyes, and rusty, brown scratch-wig, mightappear to all notions of genial frailty; it was yet true, that BobMartin's severe morality sometimes nodded, and that Bacchus did notalways solicit him in vain.
Bob had a curious mind, a memory well st
rn sounded, and the mail-coach drew up at thedoor of the George and Dragon to set down a passenger and his luggage.
Dick Turnbull rose and went out to the hall with careful bustle, andDoctor Torvey followed as far as the door, which commanded a view of it,and saw several trunks cased in canvas pitched into the hall, and bycareful Tom and a boy lifted one on top of the other, behind the cornerof the banister. It would have been below the dignity of his cloth to goout and read the labels on these, or the Doctor would have doneotherwise, so great was his curiosity.
CHAPTER III
Philip Feltram
The new guest was now in the hall of the George, and Doctor Torvey couldhear him talking with Mr. Turnbull. Being himself one of the dignitariesof Golden Friars, the Doctor, having regard to first impressions, didnot care to be seen in his post of observation; and closing the doorgently, returned to his chair by the fire, and in an under-tone informedhis cronie
sum invalue five times the fortune which she has a right to expect from herhusband. This shall lie in your hands, together with her dowry, and youmay apply the united sum as suits her interest best; it shall be allexclusively hers while she lives: is that liberal?"
Douw assented, and inwardly acknowledged that fortune had beenextraordinarily kind to his niece; the stranger, he thought, must beboth wealthy and generous, and such an offer was not to be despised,though made by a humourist, and one of no very prepossessing presence.Rose had no very high pretensions for she had but a modest dowry, whichshe owed entirely to the generosity of her uncle; neither had she anyright to raise exceptions on the score of birth, for her own origin wasfar from splendid, and as the other objections, Gerald resolved, andindeed, by the usages of the time, was warranted in resolving, not tolisten to them for a moment.
"Sir" said he, addressing the stranger, "your offer is liberal, andwhatever hesitation I may
as visible.
Proceeding now quite alone upon his homeward way he grew really nervous and uncomfortable, as he became sensible, with increased distinctness, of the well-known and now absolutely dreaded sounds.
By the side of the dead wall which bounded the college park, the sounds followed, recommencing almost simultaneously with his own steps. The same unequal pace -- sometimes slow, sometimes for a score yards or so, quickened almost to a run -- was audible from behind him. Again and again he turned; quickly and stealthily he glanced over his shoulder -- almost at every half-dozen steps; but no one was visible.
The irritation of this intangible and unseen pursuit became gradually all but intolerable; and when at last he reached his home his nerves were strung to such a pitch of excitement that he could not rest, and did not attempt even to lie down until after the daylight had broken.
He was awakened by a knock at his chamber-door, and his servant, entering, handed him several lett
All is still and sombre. At this hour the simple traffic of the thinly-peopled country is over, and nothing can be more solitary.
From this jungle, nevertheless, through which the mists of evening are already creeping, she sees a gigantic man approaching her.
In that poor and primitive country robbery is a crime unknown. She, therefore, has no fears for her pound of tea, and pint of gin, and sixteen shillings in silver which she is bringing home in her pocket. But there is something that would have frighted another woman about this man.
He is gaunt, sombre, bony, dirty, and dressed in a black suit which a beggar would hardly care to pick out of the dust.
This ill-looking man nodded to her as he stepped on the road.
"I don't know you," she said.
He nodded again.
"I never sid ye neyawheere," she exclaimed sternly.
"Fine evening, Mother Carke," he says, and holds his snuff-box toward her.
She widened the distance between them by a step or so, and said again sternly and pale,
"I hev nowt to say to thee, whoe'er thou beest."
"You know Laura Silver Bell?"
"That's a byneyam; the lass's neyam is Laura Lew," she answered, looking straight before her.
"One name's as good as
currences were ever mentioned in hearing of the children. They would have been, no doubt, like most children, greatly terrified had they heard any thing of the matter, and known that their elders were unable to account for what was passing; and their fears would have made them wretched and troublesome.
They used to play for some hours every day in the back garden--the house forming one end of this oblong inclosure, the stable and coach-house the other, and two parallel walls of considerable height the sides. Here, as it afforded a perfectly safe playground, they were frequently left quite to themselves; and in talking over their days' adventures, as children will, they happened to mention a woman, or rather the woman, for they had long grown familiar with her appearance, whom they used to see in the garden while they were at play. They assumed that she came in and went out at the stable door, but they never actually saw her enter or depart. They merely saw a figure--that of a very poor woman, soiled an
he parish sexton. Bob Martin was held much in awe bytruant boys who sauntered into the churchyard on Sundays, to read thetombstones, or play leap frog over them, or climb the ivy in search ofbats or sparrows' nests, or peep into the mysterious aperture under theeastern window, which opened a dim perspective of descending stepslosing themselves among profounder darkness, where lidless coffins gapedhorribly among tattered velvet, bones, and dust, which time andmortality had strewn there. Of such horribly curious, and otherwiseenterprising juveniles, Bob was, of course, the special scourge andterror. But terrible as was the official aspect of the sexton, andrepugnant as his lank form, clothed in rusty, sable vesture, his small,frosty visage, suspicious grey eyes, and rusty, brown scratch-wig, mightappear to all notions of genial frailty; it was yet true, that BobMartin's severe morality sometimes nodded, and that Bacchus did notalways solicit him in vain.
Bob had a curious mind, a memory well st
rn sounded, and the mail-coach drew up at thedoor of the George and Dragon to set down a passenger and his luggage.
Dick Turnbull rose and went out to the hall with careful bustle, andDoctor Torvey followed as far as the door, which commanded a view of it,and saw several trunks cased in canvas pitched into the hall, and bycareful Tom and a boy lifted one on top of the other, behind the cornerof the banister. It would have been below the dignity of his cloth to goout and read the labels on these, or the Doctor would have doneotherwise, so great was his curiosity.
CHAPTER III
Philip Feltram
The new guest was now in the hall of the George, and Doctor Torvey couldhear him talking with Mr. Turnbull. Being himself one of the dignitariesof Golden Friars, the Doctor, having regard to first impressions, didnot care to be seen in his post of observation; and closing the doorgently, returned to his chair by the fire, and in an under-tone informedhis cronie
sum invalue five times the fortune which she has a right to expect from herhusband. This shall lie in your hands, together with her dowry, and youmay apply the united sum as suits her interest best; it shall be allexclusively hers while she lives: is that liberal?"
Douw assented, and inwardly acknowledged that fortune had beenextraordinarily kind to his niece; the stranger, he thought, must beboth wealthy and generous, and such an offer was not to be despised,though made by a humourist, and one of no very prepossessing presence.Rose had no very high pretensions for she had but a modest dowry, whichshe owed entirely to the generosity of her uncle; neither had she anyright to raise exceptions on the score of birth, for her own origin wasfar from splendid, and as the other objections, Gerald resolved, andindeed, by the usages of the time, was warranted in resolving, not tolisten to them for a moment.
"Sir" said he, addressing the stranger, "your offer is liberal, andwhatever hesitation I may