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classic mystery and detective stories-第2节

小说: classic mystery and detective stories 字数: 每页4000字

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rise very early; and repair to my room to do a day's work before

breakfast; and I am always on those occasions deeply impressed by

the stillness and solitude around me。  Besides that there is

something awful in the being surrounded by familiar faces asleep

in the knowledge that those who are dearest to us and to whom we

are dearest; are profoundly unconscious of us; in an impassive

state; anticipative of that mysterious condition to which we are

all tendingthe stopped life; the broken threads of yesterday; the

deserted seat; the closed book; the unfinished but abandoned

occupation; all are images of Death。  The tranquillity of the hour

is the tranquillity of Death。  The color and the chill have the

same association。  Even a certain air that familiar household

objects take upon them when they first emerge from the shadows of

the night into the morning; of being newer; and as they used to be

long ago; has its counterpart in the subsidence of the worn face of

maturity or age; in death; into the old youthful look。  Moreover; I

once saw the apparition of my father; at this hour。  He was alive

and well; and nothing ever came of it; but I saw him in the

daylight; sitting with his back towards me; on a seat that stood

beside my bed。  His head was resting on his hand; and whether he

was slumbering or grieving; I could not discern。  Amazed to see him

there; I sat up; moved my position; leaned out of bed; and watched

him。  As he did not move; I spoke to him more than once。  As he did

not move then; I became alarmed and laid my hand upon his shoulder;

as I thoughtand there was no such thing。



For all these reasons; and for others less easily and briefly

statable; I find the early morning to be my most ghostly time。  Any

house would be more or less haunted; to me; in the early morning;

and a haunted house could scarcely address me to greater advantage

than then。



I walked on into the village; with the desertion of this house upon

my mind; and I found the landlord of the little inn; sanding his

door…step。  I bespoke breakfast; and broached the subject of the

house。



〃Is it haunted?〃 I asked。



The landlord looked at me; shook his head; and answered; 〃I say

nothing。〃



〃Then it IS haunted?〃



〃Well!〃 cried the landlord; in an outburst of frankness that had

the appearance of desperation〃I wouldn't sleep in it。〃



〃Why not?〃



〃If I wanted to have all the bells in a house ring; with nobody to

ring 'em; and all the doors in a house bang; with nobody to bang

'em; and all sorts of feet treading about; with no feet there; why;

then;〃 said the landlord; 〃I'd sleep in that house。〃



〃Is anything seen there?〃



The landlord looked at me again; and then; with his former

appearance of desperation; called down his stable…yard for 〃Ikey!〃



The call produced a high…shouldered young fellow; with a round red

face; a short crop of sandy hair; a very broad humorous mouth; a

turned…up nose; and a great sleeved waistcoat of purple bars; with

mother…of…pearl buttons; that seemed to be growing upon him; and to

be in a fair wayif it were not prunedof covering his head and

overrunning his boots。



〃This gentleman wants to know;〃 said the landlord; 〃if anything's

seen at the Poplars。〃



〃'Ooded woman with a howl;〃 said Ikey; in a state of great

freshness。



〃Do you mean a cry?〃



〃I mean a bird; sir。〃



〃A hooded woman with an owl。  Dear me!  Did you ever see her?〃



〃I seen the howl。〃



〃Never the woman?〃



〃Not so plain as the howl; but they always keeps together。〃



〃Has anybody ever seen the woman as plainly as the owl?〃



〃Lord bless you; sir!  Lots。〃



〃Who?〃



〃Lord bless you; sir!  Lots。〃



〃The general…dealer opposite; for instance; who is opening his

shop?〃



〃Perkins?  Bless you; Perkins wouldn't go a…nigh the place。  No!〃

observed the young man; with considerable feeling; 〃he an't

overwise; an't Perkins; but he an't such a fool as THAT。〃



(Here; the landlord murmured his confidence in Perkins's knowing

better。)



〃Who isor who wasthe hooded woman with the owl?  Do you know?〃



〃Well!〃 said Ikey; holding up his cap with one hand while he

scratched his head with the other; 〃they say; in general; that she

was murdered; and the howl he 'ooted the while。〃



This very concise summary of the facts was all I could learn;

except that a young man; as hearty and likely a young man as ever I

see; had been took with fits and held down in 'em; after seeing the

hooded woman。  Also; that a personage; dimly described as 〃a hold

chap; a sort of one…eyed tramp; answering to the name of Joby;

unless you challenged him as Greenwood; and then he said; 'Why not?

and even if so; mind your own business;'〃 had encountered the

hooded woman; a matter of five or six times。  But; I was not

materially assisted by these witnesses: inasmuch as the first was

in California; and the last was; as Ikey said (and he was confirmed

by the landlord); Anywheres。



Now; although I regard with a hushed and solemn fear; the

mysteries; between which and this state of existence is interposed

the barrier of the great trial and change that fall on all the

things that live; and although I have not the audacity to pretend

that I know anything of them; I can no more reconcile the mere

banging of doors; ringing of bells; creaking of boards; and such…

like insignificances; with the majestic beauty and pervading

analogy of all the Divine rules that I am permitted to understand;

than I had been able; a little while before; to yoke the spiritual

intercourse of my fellow… traveller to the chariot of the rising

sun。  Moreover; I had lived in two haunted housesboth abroad。  In

one of these; an old Italian palace; which bore the reputation of

being very badly haunted indeed; and which had recently been twice

abandoned on that account; I lived eight months; most tranquilly

and pleasantly: notwithstanding that the house had a score of

mysterious bedrooms; which were never used; and possessed; in one

large room in which I sat reading; times out of number at all

hours; and next to which I slept; a haunted chamber of the first

pretensions。  I gently hinted these considerations to the landlord。

And as to this particular house having a bad name; I reasoned with

him; Why; how many things had bad names undeservedly; and how easy

it was to give bad names; and did he not think that if he and I

were persistently to whisper in the village that any weird…looking

old drunken tinker of the neighborhood had sold himself to the

Devil; he would come in time to be suspected of that commercial

venture!  All this wise talk was perfectly ineffective with the

landlord; I am bound to confess; and was as dead a failure as ever

I made in my life。



To cut this part of the story short; I was piqued about the haunted

house; and was already half resolved to take it。  So; after

breakfast; I got the keys from Perkins's brother…in…law (a whip and

harness maker; who keeps the Post Office; and is under submission

to a most rigorous wife of the Doubly Seceding Little Emmanuel

persuasion); and went up to the house; attended by my landlord and

by Ikey。



Within; I found it; as I had expected; transcendently dismal。  The

slowly changing shadows waved on it from the heavy trees; were

doleful in the last degree; the house was ill…placed; ill…built;

ill…planned; and ill…fitted。  It was damp; it was not free from dry

rot; there was a flavor of rats in it; and it was the gloomy victim

of that indescribable decay which settles on all the work of man's

hands whenever it's not turned to man's account。  The kitchens and

offices were too large; and too remote from each other。  Above

stairs and below; waste tracts of passage intervened between

patches of fertility represented by rooms; and there was a mouldy

old well with a green growth upon it; hiding like a murderous trap;

near the bottom of the back…stairs; under the double row of bells。

One of these bells was labelled; on a black ground in faded white

letters; MASTER B。  This; they told me; was the bell that rang the

most。



〃Who was Master B。?〃 I asked。  〃Is it known what he did while the

owl hooted?〃



〃Rang the bell;〃 said Ikey。



I was rather struck by the prompt dexterity with which this young

man pitched his fur cap at the bell; and rang it himself。  It was a

loud; unpleasant bell; and made a very disagreeable sound。  The

other bells were inscribed according to the names of the rooms to

which their wires were conducted: as 〃Picture Room;〃 〃Double Room;〃

〃Clock Room;〃 and the like。  Following Master B。's bell to its

source I found that young gentleman to have had but indifferent

third…class accommodation in a triangular cabin under the cock…

loft; with a corner fireplace which Master B。 must have been

exceedingly small if he were ever able to warm himself at; and a

corner chimney…piece like 

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