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Canterville Ghost - Oscar Wilde · Short Ghost and Horror Stories Collection

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  Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
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  Speaker 1: the public domain. For more information or to find out
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  Speaker 1: how you can volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. The
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  Speaker 1: Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde, Chapter one. When mister Hiram
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  Speaker 1: b Otis, the American minister, bought Canterville Chase, everyone told
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  Speaker 1: him he was doing a very foolish thing, as there
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  Speaker 1: was no doubt at all that the place was haunted. Indeed,
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  Speaker 1: Lord Canterville himself, who was a man of the most
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  Speaker 1: punctilious honor, had felt it his duty to mention the
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  Speaker 1: fact to mister Otis when they came to discuss terms.
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  Speaker 1: We have not cared to live in the place ourselves,
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  Speaker 1: said Lord Canterville, since my grandaunt, the Dowager Duchess of Bolton,
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  Speaker 1: was frightened into a fit from which she never really recovered,
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  Speaker 1: by two skeleton hands being placed on her shoulders as
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  Speaker 1: she was dressing for dinner, and I feel bound to
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  Speaker 1: tell you, mister Artis, that the ghost has been seen
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  Speaker 1: by several living members of my family, as well as
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  Speaker 1: by the rector of the parish, the Reverend Augustus Dampierre,
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  Speaker 1: who is a fellow of King's College, Cambridge. After the
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  Speaker 1: unfortunate accident to the Duchess, none of our younger servants
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  Speaker 1: would stay with us, and Lady Canterville often got very
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  Speaker 1: little sleep at night in consequence of the mysterious noises
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  Speaker 1: that came from the corridor and the library. My Lord
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  Speaker 1: answered the Minister, I will take the furniture and the
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  Speaker 1: ghost out of valuation. I have come from a modern
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  Speaker 1: country where we have everything that money can buy, and
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  Speaker 1: with all our spry young fellows painting the old world
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  Speaker 1: red and carrying off your best actors and prima donnas,
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  Speaker 1: I reckon that if there were such a thing as
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  Speaker 1: a ghost in Europe, we'd have it at home in
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  Speaker 1: a very short time, in one of our public museums,
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  Speaker 1: or on the road as a show. I fear that
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  Speaker 1: the ghost exists, said Lord Cantville, smiling. Though it may
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  Speaker 1: have resisted the overtures of your enterprising impresarvios, it has
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  Speaker 1: been well known for three centuries since fifteen eighty four,
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  Speaker 1: in fact, and always makes its appearance before the death
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  Speaker 1: of any member of our family. Well so does the
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  Speaker 1: family doctor, for that matter, or Canterville. But there is
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  Speaker 1: no such thing, Sir as a ghost, and I guess
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  Speaker 1: the laws of nature are not going to be suspended
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  Speaker 1: for the British aristocracy. You are certainly very natural in America,
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  Speaker 1: answered Lord Canterville, who didn't quite understand mister Otis's last observation.
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  Speaker 1: And if you don't mind a ghost in the house,
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  Speaker 1: it's all right. Only you must remember I warned you.
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  Speaker 1: A few weeks after this, the purchase was concluded, and
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  Speaker 1: at the close of the season, the minister and his
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  Speaker 1: family went down to Canterville chase missus Otis, who, as
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  Speaker 1: Miss Lucretia R. Tappan of West fifty third Street, had
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  Speaker 1: been a celebrated New York Bell, was now a very handsome,
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  Speaker 1: middle aged woman with fine eyes and a superb profile.
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  Speaker 1: Many American ladies, on leaving their native land, adopt an
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  Speaker 1: appearance of chronic ill health, under the impression that it
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  Speaker 1: is a form of European refinement. But missus Otis had
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  Speaker 1: never fallen into this error. She had a magnificent constitution
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  Speaker 1: and a really wonderful amount of animal spirits. Indeed, in
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  Speaker 1: many respects she was quite English and was an excellent
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  Speaker 1: example of the fact that we have really everything in
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  Speaker 1: common with America nowadays, except of course, language. Her eldest son,
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  Speaker 1: christened Washington by his parents in a moment of patriotism
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  Speaker 1: which he never ceased to regret, was a fair haired,
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  Speaker 1: rather good looking young man who had qualified himself for
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  Speaker 1: American diplomacy by leading the German at the Newport Casino
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  Speaker 1: for three successive seasons, and even in London was well
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  Speaker 1: known as an excellent dancer. Guardenias and the peerage were
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  Speaker 1: his only weaknesses. Otherwise he was extremely sensible. Miss Virginia
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  Speaker 1: e Otis was a little girl of fifteen, lithe and
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  Speaker 1: lovely as a fawn, with a fine freedom in her
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  Speaker 1: large blue eyes. She was a wonderful Amazon and had
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  Speaker 1: once raised Old Lord Bilton on her pony twice round
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  Speaker 1: the park, winning by a length and a half just
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  Speaker 1: in front of the Achilles Statue, to the huge delight
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  Speaker 1: of the young Duke of Cheshire, who proposed for her
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  Speaker 1: on the spot, and was sent back to Eton that
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  Speaker 1: very night by his guardian in floods of tears. After
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  Speaker 1: Virginia came the twins, who were usually called the Star
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  Speaker 1: and Stripes as they were always getting swished. They were
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  Speaker 1: delightful boys and with the exception of the worthy minister,
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  Speaker 1: the only true Republicans of the family. As Canterville Chase
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  Speaker 1: is seven miles from Ascot, the nearest railway station, mister
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  Speaker 1: Otis had telegraphed for a wagonette to meet them, and
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: they started on their drive in high spirits. It was
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  Speaker 1: a lovely July evening, and the air was delicate with
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  Speaker 1: the scent of the pine woods. Now and then they
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  Speaker 1: heard a woodpigeon brew over its own sweet voice, or
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  Speaker 1: saw deep in the rustling fern the burnished breast of
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  Speaker 1: the pheasant. Little squirrels peered at them from the beech
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  Speaker 1: trees as they went by, and the rabbits scudded away
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  Speaker 1: through the brushwood and over the mossy knolls, with their
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  Speaker 1: white tails in the air. As they entered the avenue
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  Speaker 1: of Canterville Chase, however, the sky became suddenly overcast with clouds.
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  Speaker 1: A curious stillness seemed to hold the atmosphere. A great
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  Speaker 1: flight of rooks passed silently over their heads, and before
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  Speaker 1: they reached the house, some big drops of rain had fallen.
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  Speaker 1: Standing on the steps to receive them was an old woman,
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  Speaker 1: neatly dressed in black silk, with a white cap and apron.
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  Speaker 1: This was missus Umney, the housekeeper whom missus Otis, at
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  Speaker 1: Lady Canterville's earnest request, had consented to keep in her
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  Speaker 1: former position. Them each a low curtsey as they alighted,
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  Speaker 1: and said in a quaint, old fashioned manner, I bid
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  Speaker 1: you welcome to Cantaville chase Following her, they passed through
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  Speaker 1: the fine Tudor hall into the library, a long, low
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  Speaker 1: room paneled in black oak, at the end of which
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  Speaker 1: was a large stained glass window. Here they found tea
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  Speaker 1: laid out for them, and after taking off their wraps,
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  Speaker 1: they sat down and began to look around while missus
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  Speaker 1: Omney waited on them. Suddenly, missus Otis caught sight of
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  Speaker 1: a dull red stain on the floor just by the fireplace, and,
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  Speaker 1: quite unconscious of what it really signified, said to missus Omney,
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  Speaker 1: I'm afraid something has been spelt there. Yes, madam, replied
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  Speaker 1: the old housekeeper in a low voice, blood has been
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  Speaker 1: spelt on that spot. How horrid, cried missus Otis. I
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  Speaker 1: don't care at all for blood stains in a sitting room.
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  Speaker 1: He must be removed at once. The old woman smiled
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  Speaker 1: and answered in the same low, mysterious voice. It is
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  Speaker 1: the blood of Lady Eleanor Decanterville, who was murdered on
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  Speaker 1: that very spot by her own husband, Sir Simon Decanterville,
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  Speaker 1: in fifteen seventy five. Sir Simon survived her nine years
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  Speaker 1: and disappeared suddenly under very mysterious circumstances. His body has
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  Speaker 1: never been discovered, but his guilty spirit still haunts the chase.
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  Speaker 1: The blood stain has been much admired by tourists and others,
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  Speaker 1: and cannot be removed. That's all nonsense, cried Washington. Notice
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  Speaker 1: Pinkredon's champion stain remover and Paragon detergent will clean it
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  Speaker 1: up in no time. And before the terrified housekeeper could interfere,
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  Speaker 1: he'd fallen upon his knees and was rapidly scouring the
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  Speaker 1: floor with a small stick of what looked like a
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  Speaker 1: black cosmetic. In a few moments, no trace of the
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  Speaker 1: blood stain could be seen. I knew Pinkrodon would do it,
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: he exclaimed triumphantly, as he looked around at his admiring family.
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  Speaker 1: But no sooner had he said these words than a
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  Speaker 1: terrible flash of lightning lit up the somber room. A
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  Speaker 1: fearful peal of thunder made them all start to their feet,
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  Speaker 1: and missus Omny fainted. What a monstrous climate, said the
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  Speaker 1: American minister calmly, as he lit along cherute. I guess
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  Speaker 1: the old country is so overpopulated that they've not enough
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  Speaker 1: decent weather for everybody. I've always been of opinion that
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  Speaker 1: emigration is the only thing for England. My dear Hiram,
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  Speaker 1: cried Missus Otis. What can we do with a woman
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  Speaker 1: who faints? Charge you to her like breakages, answered the minister.
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  Speaker 1: She won't faint after that, and in a few moments
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  Speaker 1: missus Omney certainly came too. There was no doubt, however,
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  Speaker 1: that she was extremely upset, and she sternly warned mister
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  Speaker 1: Otis to beware of some trouble coming to the house.
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  Speaker 1: I've seen things with my own eyes, sir, she said,
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  Speaker 1: that would make any Christian's hair stand on end. And
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  Speaker 1: many and many a night, I have not closed my
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  Speaker 1: eyes in sleep for the awful things that are done here.
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  Speaker 1: Mister Otis, however, and his wife warmly assured the honest
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  Speaker 1: soul that they were not afraid of ghosts, and after
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  Speaker 1: invoking the blessings of Providence on her new master and mistress,
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  Speaker 1: and making arrangements for an increase of salary. The old
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  Speaker 1: housekeeper tottered off to her own room. Chapter two. The
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  Speaker 1: storm raged fiercely all that night, but nothing of particular
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  Speaker 1: line note occurred. The next morning, however, when they came
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  Speaker 1: down to breakfast, they found the terrible stain of blood
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  Speaker 1: once again on the floor. I don't think it can
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  Speaker 1: be the fault of the paragon, detergent, said Washington, for
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  Speaker 1: I've tried it with everything. It must be the ghost.
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  Speaker 1: He accordingly rubbed out the stain a second time, but
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  Speaker 1: the second morning it appeared again. The third morning also
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  Speaker 1: it was there, though the library had been locked up
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  Speaker 1: at night by mister Otis himself, and the key carried upstairs.
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  Speaker 1: The whole family were now quite interested. Mister Otis began
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  Speaker 1: to suspect that he'd been too dogmatic in his denial
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  Speaker 1: of the existence of ghosts. Missus Otis expressed her intention
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  Speaker 1: of joining the Physical Society, and Washington prepared a long
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  Speaker 1: letter to Messrs Myers and Podmore on the subject of
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  Speaker 1: the permanence of sanguineous stains when connected with crime. That night,
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  Speaker 1: all doubts about the objective existence of phantasmata were removed
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  Speaker 1: forever the day had been warm and sunny, and in
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  Speaker 1: the cool of the evening the whole family went out
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  Speaker 1: to drive. They did not return home till nine o'clock,
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  Speaker 1: when they had a light supper. The conversation in no
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  Speaker 1: way turned upon ghosts. So there were not even those
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  Speaker 1: primary conditions of receptive expectations which so often precede the
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  Speaker 1: presentation of physical phenomena. The subjects discussed, as I have
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  Speaker 1: since learnt from mister Otis, were merely such as formed
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  Speaker 1: the ordinary conversation of cultured Americans of the better class,
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  Speaker 1: such as the immense superiority of Miss Fanny Davenport over
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  Speaker 1: Sarah Bernhardt as an actress, the difficulty of obtaining green corn,
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  Speaker 1: buckwheat cakes and homony even in the best English houses,
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  Speaker 1: the importance of Boston in the development of the world soul,
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  Speaker 1: the advantages of the baggage check system in railway traveling,
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  Speaker 1: and the sweetness of the New York accent as compared
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  Speaker 1: to the London drawl. No mention at all was made
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  Speaker 1: of the supernatural, nor was Sir Simon de Canterville alluded
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  Speaker 1: to in any way. At eleven o'clock the family retired,
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  Speaker 1: and by half past all the lights were out. Some
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  Speaker 1: time after, mister Otis was awakened by a curious noise
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  Speaker 1: in the corridor outside his room. It sounded like the
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  Speaker 1: clank of metal, and seemed to be coming nearer every moment.
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  Speaker 1: He got up at once struck a match and looked
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  Speaker 1: at the time. It was exactly one o'clock. He was
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  Speaker 1: quite calm and felt his pulse, which was not at
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  Speaker 1: all feverish. The strange noise still continued, and with it
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  Speaker 1: he heard distinctly the sound of footsteps. He put on
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  Speaker 1: his slippers, took a small oblong file out of his
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  Speaker 1: dressing case, and opened the door. Right in front of him,
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  Speaker 1: he saw, in the one moonlight an old man of
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  Speaker 1: terrible aspect. His eyes were as red as burning coals,
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  Speaker 1: Long gray hair fell over his shoulders in matted coils.
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  Speaker 1: His garments, which were of antique cut, were soiled and ragged,
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  Speaker 1: and from his wrists and ankles hung heavy manacles and
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  Speaker 1: rusty gives. My dear sir, said mister Rotis, I really
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  Speaker 1: must insist on your oiling those chains, and have brought
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  Speaker 1: you for that purple a small bottle of the Tammany
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  Speaker 1: Rising Sun lubricator. It is said to be completely efficacious
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  Speaker 1: upon one application, and there are several testimonials to that
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  Speaker 1: effect on the wrapper from some of our most eminent
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  Speaker 1: native divines. I shall leave it here for you by
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  Speaker 1: the bedroom candles, and will be happy to supply you
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  Speaker 1: with more should you require it. With these words, the
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  Speaker 1: United States Minister laid the bottle down on a marble table, and,
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  Speaker 1: closing his door, retired to rest for a moment. The
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  Speaker 1: Canterville ghost stood quite motionless in natural indignation. Then, dashing
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  Speaker 1: the bottle violently upon the polished floor, he fled down
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  Speaker 1: the corridor, uttering low groans and emitting a ghastly green light.
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: Just however, as he reached the top of the great
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  Speaker 1: oak staircase, a door was flung open, two little white
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  Speaker 1: robed figures appeared, and a large pillow whizzed past his head.
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  Speaker 1: There was evidently no time to be lost, so hastily
• 16:11
  Speaker 1: adopting the fourth dimension of space as a means of escape,
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  Speaker 1: he vanished through the wainscoting, and the house became quite quiet.
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  Speaker 1: On reaching a small secret chamber in the west wing,
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  Speaker 1: he leaned up against a moonbeam to recover his breath,
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  Speaker 1: and began to try and realize his position. Never in
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  Speaker 1: a brilliant and uninterrupted career of three hundred years had
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  Speaker 1: he been so grossly insulted. He thought of the dowager Duchess,
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  Speaker 1: whom he'd frightened into a fit as she stood before
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  Speaker 1: the glass in her lace and diamonds. Of the four
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  Speaker 1: housemaids who had gone into hysterics when he merely grinned
• 16:58
  Speaker 1: at them through the curtain on one of the spare bedrooms,
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  Speaker 1: of the rector of the parish, whose candle he'd blown
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  Speaker 1: out as he was coming late one night from the library,
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  Speaker 1: and who had been under the care of Sir William
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  Speaker 1: Gull ever since, a perfect martyr to nervous disorders. And
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  Speaker 1: of old Madame de Tormiac, who, having wakened up one
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  Speaker 1: morning early and seen a skeleton seated in an armchair
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  Speaker 1: by the fire reading her diary, had been confined to
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  Speaker 1: her bed for six weeks with an attack of brain fever,
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  Speaker 1: and on her recovery had become reconciled to the church
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  Speaker 1: and broken off her connection with that notorious skeptic Monsieur
• 17:40
  Speaker 1: de Voltaire, he remembered the terrible night when the wicked
• 17:45
  Speaker 1: Lord Canterville was found choking in his dressing room with
• 17:49
  Speaker 1: the knave of diamonds half way down his throat, and
• 17:53
  Speaker 1: confessed just before he died that he'd cheated Charles James
• 17:57
  Speaker 1: Fox out of fifty thousand pounds at Crockford by means
• 18:01
  Speaker 1: of that very card, and swore that the ghost had
• 18:05
  Speaker 1: made him swallow it. All his great achievements came back
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  Speaker 1: to him again, from the butler who'd shot himself in
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  Speaker 1: the pantry because he'd seen a green hand tapping at
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  Speaker 1: the windowpane, to the beautiful Lady Stottfield, who was always
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  Speaker 1: obliged to wear a black velvet band around her throat
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  Speaker 1: to hide the mark of five fingers burnt upon her
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  Speaker 1: white skin, and who drowned herself at last in the
• 18:33
  Speaker 1: carp pond at the end of the King's Walk. With
• 18:37
  Speaker 1: the enthusiastic egotism of the true artist, he went over
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  Speaker 1: his most celebrated performances and smiled bitterly to himself as
• 18:48
  Speaker 1: he recalled to mind his last appearance as Red Reuben
• 18:53
  Speaker 1: or the Strangled Babe, his debut as Gaunt Gibeon, the
• 18:58
  Speaker 1: Blood sucker of Bexley Moor and the Furora. He'd excited
• 19:02
  Speaker 1: one lovely June evening by merely playing nine pins with
• 19:06
  Speaker 1: his own bones upon the lawn tennis ground. And after
• 19:11
  Speaker 1: all this, some wretched modern Americans were to come and
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  Speaker 1: offer him the Rising Sun lubricator and throw pillows at
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  Speaker 1: his head. It was quite unbearable. Besides, no ghost in
• 19:29
  Speaker 1: history had ever been treated in this manner. Accordingly, he
• 19:35
  Speaker 1: determined to have vengeance and remained till daylight in an
• 19:40
  Speaker 1: attitude of deep thought. Chapter three. The next morning, when
• 19:51
  Speaker 1: the Otis family met at breakfast, they discussed the ghost
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  Speaker 1: at some length. The United States Minister was naturally a
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: little annoyed to find that his present had not been accepted.
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  Speaker 1: I have no wish, he said, to do the ghost
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  Speaker 1: any personal injury, And I must say that, considering the
• 20:11
  Speaker 1: length of time he's been in the house, I don't
• 20:14
  Speaker 1: think it is a tall polite to throw pillows at him,
• 20:19
  Speaker 1: a very just remark at which I am sorry to say,
• 20:23
  Speaker 1: the twins burst into shouts of laughter. Upon the other hand,
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: he continued, if he really declines to use the Rising
• 20:33
  Speaker 1: Sun lubricator, or we shall have to take his chains
• 20:37
  Speaker 1: from him, it would be quite impossible to sleep with
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: such a noise going on outside the bedrooms. For the
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: rest of the week, however, they were undisturbed, the only
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: thing that excited any attention being the continual renewal of
• 20:54
  Speaker 1: the blood stain on the library floor. This certainty was
• 20:58
  Speaker 1: very strange, as the door was always locked at night
• 21:02
  Speaker 1: by mister Otis and the windows kept closely barred. The
• 21:07
  Speaker 1: chameleon like colour also of the stain, excited a good
• 21:12
  Speaker 1: deal of comment. Some mornings it was a dull, almost
• 21:16
  Speaker 1: Indian red, then it would be vermilion, then a rich purple,
• 21:21
  Speaker 1: and once when they came down for family prayers, according
• 21:25
  Speaker 1: to the simple rites of the Free American Reformed Episcopalian Church,
• 21:31
  Speaker 1: they found it a bright emerald green. These kaleidoscopic changes
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: naturally amused the party very much, and bets on the
• 21:40
  Speaker 1: subject were freely made every evening. The only person who
• 21:45
  Speaker 1: did not enter into the joke was little Virginia, who,
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  Speaker 1: for some unexplained reason, was always a good deal distressed
• 21:54
  Speaker 1: at the sight of the blood stain, and very nearly
• 21:57
  Speaker 1: cried the morning it was emerald green. The second appearance
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: of the ghost was on Sunday night, shortly after they'd
• 22:07
  Speaker 1: gone to bed, they were suddenly alarmed by a fearful
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: crash in the hall. Rushing downstairs, they found that a
• 22:15
  Speaker 1: large suit of old armour had become detached from its
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: stand and had fallen on the stone floor. While seated
• 22:23
  Speaker 1: in a high backed chair was the Canterville Ghost, rubbing
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: his knees with an expression of acute agony on his face.
• 22:33
  Speaker 1: The twins, having brought their pea shooters with them, at
• 22:37
  Speaker 1: once discharged two pellets on him, with that accuracy of
• 22:41
  Speaker 1: aim which can only be attained by long and careful
• 22:44
  Speaker 1: practice on a writing master. While the United States Minister
• 22:50
  Speaker 1: covered him with his revolver and called upon him, in
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: accordance with California etiquette, to hold up his hands, the
• 23:00
  Speaker 1: ghost started up with a wild shriek of rage and
• 23:03
  Speaker 1: swept through them like a mist, extinguishing Washington notice his
• 23:08
  Speaker 1: candle as he passed, and so leaving them all in
• 23:11
  Speaker 1: total darkness. On reaching the top of the staircase, he
• 23:15
  Speaker 1: recovered himself and determined to give his celebrated peal of
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: demonayac laughter. This he had, on more than one occasion,
• 23:26
  Speaker 1: found extremely useful. It was said to have turned Lord
• 23:30
  Speaker 1: Raker's wig gray in a single night, and had certainly
• 23:34
  Speaker 1: made three of Lady Canterville's French governesses give warning before
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: their month was up. He accordingly laughed his most horrible
• 23:44
  Speaker 1: laugh till the old vaulted roof rang and rang again.
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: But hardly had the fearful echo died away, when a
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: door opened and missus Otis came out in a light
• 23:55
  Speaker 1: blue dressing gown. I am afraid you are far from well,
• 24:00
  Speaker 1: she said, and have brought you a bottle of Doctor
• 24:03
  Speaker 1: Dobell's tincture. If it is indigestion, you will find it
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: a most excellent remedy. The ghost glared at her in fury,
• 24:13
  Speaker 1: and began at once to make preparations for turning himself
• 24:16
  Speaker 1: into a large black dog, an accomplishment for which he
• 24:20
  Speaker 1: was justly renowned, and to which the family doctor always attributed.
• 24:25
  Speaker 1: The permanent idiocy of Lord Canterville's uncle, the Honorable Thomas Horton.
• 24:31
  Speaker 1: The sound of approaching footsteps, however, made him hesitate in
• 24:35
  Speaker 1: his fell purpose. So he contented himself with becoming faintly phosphorescent,
• 24:41
  Speaker 1: and vanished with a deep church yard groan, just as
• 24:46
  Speaker 1: the twins came up to him. On reaching his room,
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: he entirely broke down and became a prey to the
• 24:54
  Speaker 1: most violent agitation. The vulgarity of the twins and the
• 25:00
  Speaker 1: gross materialism of missus Otis were naturally extremely annoying, But
• 25:06
  Speaker 1: what really distressed him most was that he'd been unable
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: to wear the suit of mail. He'd hoped that even
• 25:13
  Speaker 1: modern Americans would be thrilled by the sight of a
• 25:16
  Speaker 1: specter in armor, if for no more sensible reason, at
• 25:21
  Speaker 1: least out of respect for their natural poet, Longfellow, over
• 25:25
  Speaker 1: whose graceful and attractive poetry he himself had whiled away
• 25:29
  Speaker 1: many a weary hour when the Cantervilles were up in town. Besides,
• 25:35
  Speaker 1: it was his own suit. He had worn it with
• 25:38
  Speaker 1: great success at the Kenilworth Tournament, and had been highly
• 25:42
  Speaker 1: complimented on it by no less a person than the
• 25:45
  Speaker 1: Virgin Queen herself. Yet when he had put it on,
• 25:50
  Speaker 1: he had been completely overpowered by the weight of the
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: huge breastplate and steel cask, and had fallen heavily on
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: the stone pavement, barking both his knees severely and bruising
• 26:02
  Speaker 1: the knuckles of his right hand. For some days after this,
• 26:08
  Speaker 1: he was extremely ill and hardly stirred out of his
• 26:12
  Speaker 1: room atall, except to keep the blood stain in proper repair. However,
• 26:18
  Speaker 1: by taking great care of himself, he recovered and resolved
• 26:22
  Speaker 1: to make a third attempt to frighten the United States
• 26:26
  Speaker 1: Minister and his family. He selected Friday, August seventeen for
• 26:32
  Speaker 1: his appearance, and spent most of that day in looking
• 26:35
  Speaker 1: over his wardrobe, ultimately deciding in favor of a large
• 26:40
  Speaker 1: slouched hat with a red feather, a winding sheet frilled
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: at the wrists and neck, and a rusty dagger. Towards evening,
• 26:50
  Speaker 1: a violent storm of rain came on, and the wind
• 26:53
  Speaker 1: was so high that all the windows and doors in
• 26:56
  Speaker 1: the old house shook and rattled. In fact, it was
• 27:01
  Speaker 1: just such weather as he loved. His plan of action
• 27:04
  Speaker 1: was this. He was to make his way quietly to
• 27:08
  Speaker 1: washington notics room, gibber at him from the foot of
• 27:11
  Speaker 1: the bed, and stab himself three times in the throat
• 27:15
  Speaker 1: to the sound of low music. He bore Washington a
• 27:19
  Speaker 1: great grudge, being quite aware that it was he who
• 27:23
  Speaker 1: was in the habit of removing the famous Canterville blood
• 27:26
  Speaker 1: stain by means of Pinkerton's paragon detergent. Having reduced the
• 27:32
  Speaker 1: reckless and full hardy youth to a condition of abject terror,
• 27:36
  Speaker 1: he was then to proceed to the room occupied by
• 27:39
  Speaker 1: the United States Minister and his wife, and there to
• 27:43
  Speaker 1: place a clammy hand on missus Otis's forehead while he
• 27:48
  Speaker 1: hissed into her trembling husband's ear the awful secrets of
• 27:53
  Speaker 1: the Charnel House. With regard to Little Virginia, he had
• 27:58
  Speaker 1: not quite made up his mind. She had never insulted
• 28:01
  Speaker 1: him in any way, and was pretty and gentle. A
• 28:05
  Speaker 1: few hollow groans from the wardrobe, he thought would be
• 28:09
  Speaker 1: more than sufficient, or if that failed to wake her,
• 28:13
  Speaker 1: he might grabble at the counterpane with palsy twitching fingers.
• 28:18
  Speaker 1: As for the twins, he was quite determined to teach
• 28:23
  Speaker 1: them a lesson. The first thing to be done, was,
• 28:26
  Speaker 1: of course, to sit upon their chests so as to
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: produce the sensation of nightmare. Then, as their beds were
• 28:35
  Speaker 1: quite close to each other, to stand between them in
• 28:38
  Speaker 1: the form of a green, icy cold corpse till they
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: became paralyzed with fear. And finally to throw off the
• 28:46
  Speaker 1: winding sheet and crawl round the room with white bleached
• 28:51
  Speaker 1: bones and one rolling eyeball in the character of Dom
• 28:56
  Speaker 1: Daniel or the Suicide Skeleton, a roll which he had
• 29:00
  Speaker 1: on more than one occasion produced a great effect, and
• 29:04
  Speaker 1: which he considered quite equal to his famous part of
• 29:08
  Speaker 1: Martin the Maniac or the Masked Mystery. At half past
• 29:14
  Speaker 1: ten he heard the family going to bed. For some time,
• 29:18
  Speaker 1: he was disturbed by wild shrieks of laughter from the twins, who,
• 29:24
  Speaker 1: with the light hearted gaiety of schoolboys, were evidently amusing
• 29:28
  Speaker 1: themselves before they retired to rest. But at a quarter
• 29:32
  Speaker 1: past eleven all was still, and as midnight sounded, he
• 29:38
  Speaker 1: sallied forth. The owl beat against the window panes, the
• 29:44
  Speaker 1: raven croaked from the old yew tree, and the wind
• 29:48
  Speaker 1: wandered moaning round the house like a lost soul. But
• 29:53
  Speaker 1: the Otis family slept, unconscious of their doom, and high
• 29:58
  Speaker 1: above the rain and storm, he could hear the steady
• 30:01
  Speaker 1: snoring of the Minister for the United States. He stepped
• 30:07
  Speaker 1: stealthily out of the wainscoating with an evil smile on
• 30:11
  Speaker 1: his cruel wrinkled mouth, and the moon hid her face
• 30:16
  Speaker 1: in a cloud. As he stole past the great oriel window,
• 30:21
  Speaker 1: where his own arms and those of his murdered wife
• 30:24
  Speaker 1: were blazoned in azure and gold. On and on he
• 30:28
  Speaker 1: glided like an evil shadow. The very darkness seemed to
• 30:33
  Speaker 1: loathe him as he passed. Once he thought he heard
• 30:37
  Speaker 1: something cool and stopped, but it was only the baying
• 30:42
  Speaker 1: of a dog from the red farm, and he went
• 30:45
  Speaker 1: on muttering strange seventeenth century curses and ever and anon,
• 30:51
  Speaker 1: brandishing the rusty dagger in the midnight air. Finally he
• 30:56
  Speaker 1: reached the corner of the passage that led to luckless
• 30:59
  Speaker 1: water Washington's room. For a moment, he paused there, the
• 31:04
  Speaker 1: wind blowing his long gray locks about his head and
• 31:08
  Speaker 1: twisting into grotesque and fantastic folds the nameless horror of
• 31:14
  Speaker 1: the dead man's shroud. Then the clock struck the quarter,
• 31:20
  Speaker 1: and he felt the time was come. He chuckled to
• 31:24
  Speaker 1: himself and turned the corner. But no sooner had he
• 31:28
  Speaker 1: done so than with a piteous wail of terror, he
• 31:31
  Speaker 1: fell back and hid his blanched face in his long,
• 31:35
  Speaker 1: bony hands. Right in front of him was standing a
• 31:39
  Speaker 1: horrible specter, motionless as a carven image, and monstrous as
• 31:44
  Speaker 1: a madman's dream. Its head was bald and burnished, its
• 31:49
  Speaker 1: face round and fat and white and hideous. Laughter seemed
• 31:55
  Speaker 1: to have writhed its features into an eternal grin. From
• 31:59
  Speaker 1: the eye streamed rays of scarlet light. The mouth was
• 32:03
  Speaker 1: a wide well of fire, and a hideous garment like
• 32:07
  Speaker 1: to his own, swathed with its silent snows. The titan
• 32:12
  Speaker 1: form on its breast was a placard with strange writing
• 32:18
  Speaker 1: in antique characters, some scroll of shame, it seemed, some
• 32:23
  Speaker 1: record of wild sins, some awful calendar of crime. And
• 32:29
  Speaker 1: with its right hand it bore aloft a falchion of
• 32:33
  Speaker 1: gleaming steel. Never having seen a ghost before, he naturally
• 32:40
  Speaker 1: was terribly frightened, and after a second hasty glance at
• 32:45
  Speaker 1: the awful phantom, he fled back to his room, tripping
• 32:49
  Speaker 1: up in his long winding sheet as he sped down
• 32:51
  Speaker 1: the corridor, and finally dropping the rusty dagger into the
• 32:55
  Speaker 1: minister's jack boots, where it was found in the morning
• 32:58
  Speaker 1: by the butler. Once in the privacy of his own apartment,
• 33:03
  Speaker 1: he flung himself down on a small pallet bed and
• 33:06
  Speaker 1: hid his face under the clothes. After a time, however,
• 33:11
  Speaker 1: the brave old Canterville spirit asserted itself, and he determined
• 33:16
  Speaker 1: to go and speak to the other ghost as soon
• 33:18
  Speaker 1: as it was daylight. Accordingly, just as the dawn was
• 33:23
  Speaker 1: touching the hills with silver, he turned towards the spot
• 33:27
  Speaker 1: where he had first laid eyes on the grisly phantom,
• 33:30
  Speaker 1: feeling that, after all, two ghosts were better than one,
• 33:35
  Speaker 1: and that by the aid of his new friend, he
• 33:37
  Speaker 1: might safely grapple with the twins. On reaching the spot, however,
• 33:43
  Speaker 1: a terrible sight met his gaze. Something had evidently happened
• 33:48
  Speaker 1: to the specter, for the light had entirely faded from
• 33:52
  Speaker 1: its hollow eyes. The gleaming falchion had fallen from its hand,
• 33:57
  Speaker 1: and it was leaning up against the wall in a
• 33:59
  Speaker 1: stray and uncomfortable attitude. He rushed forward and seized it
• 34:04
  Speaker 1: in his arms, when, to his horror, the head slipped
• 34:08
  Speaker 1: off and rolled on to the floor. The body assumed
• 34:12
  Speaker 1: a recumbent posture, and he found himself clasping a white
• 34:16
  Speaker 1: dimity bed curtain with a sweeping brush, a kitchen cleaver,
• 34:21
  Speaker 1: and a hollow turnip lying at his feet. Unable to
• 34:25
  Speaker 1: understand this curious transformation, he clutched the placard with feverish haste,
• 34:31
  Speaker 1: and there in the gray morning light, he read these
• 34:35
  Speaker 1: fearful words, Ye otis ghost, ye only true and original spook,
• 34:44
  Speaker 1: Beware of ye imitations, All others are counterfeit. The whole
• 34:52
  Speaker 1: thing flashed across him. He had been tricked, foiled, and outwitted.
• 34:58
  Speaker 1: The old Canterville look came in to his eyes. He
• 35:01
  Speaker 1: ground his toothless gums together, and, raising his withered hands
• 35:06
  Speaker 1: high above his head, swore, according to the picturesque phraseology
• 35:11
  Speaker 1: of the Antique school, that when Chanticleer had sounded twice
• 35:15
  Speaker 1: his merry horn, deeds of blood would be wrought, and
• 35:19
  Speaker 1: murder walk abroad with silent feet. Hardly had he finished
• 35:26
  Speaker 1: this awful oath, when from the red tiled roof of
• 35:30
  Speaker 1: a distant homestead a cock crew. He laughed a long, low,
• 35:35
  Speaker 1: bitter laugh, and waited. Hour after hour He waited, but
• 35:41
  Speaker 1: the cock, for some strange reason, did not crow again. Finally,
• 35:47
  Speaker 1: at half past seven, the arrival of the housemaids made
• 35:51
  Speaker 1: him give up his fearful vigil, and he stalked back
• 35:55
  Speaker 1: to his room, thinking of his vain oath and baffled purpose.
• 36:01
  Speaker 1: There he consulted several books of ancient chivalry, of which
• 36:05
  Speaker 1: he was exceedingly fond, and found that on every occasion
• 36:10
  Speaker 1: on which this oath had been used, Chanticleer had always
• 36:14
  Speaker 1: crowed a second time perdition sees the naughty fowl. He muttered,
• 36:21
  Speaker 1: I have seen the day when, with my stout spear,
• 36:24
  Speaker 1: I would have run him through the gorge and made
• 36:27
  Speaker 1: him crow for me, And twere in death. He then
• 36:31
  Speaker 1: retired to a comfortable lead coffin and stayed there till
• 36:36
  Speaker 1: evening end of chapter three. This is a LibriVox recording.
• 36:51
  Speaker 1: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
• 36:54
  Speaker 1: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. The
• 37:01
  Speaker 1: Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde, chapter four. The next day,
• 37:09
  Speaker 1: the ghost was very weak and tired. The terrible excitement
• 37:14
  Speaker 1: of the last four weeks was beginning to have its effect.
• 37:19
  Speaker 1: His nerves were completely shattered, and he started at the
• 37:23
  Speaker 1: slightest noise. For five days he kept his room, and
• 37:28
  Speaker 1: at last made up his mind to give up the
• 37:31
  Speaker 1: point of the blood stain on the library floor. If
• 37:35
  Speaker 1: the Otis family didn't want it, they clearly did not
• 37:39
  Speaker 1: deserve it. They were evidently people on a low material
• 37:43
  Speaker 1: plane of existence, and quite incapable of appreciating the symbolic
• 37:49
  Speaker 1: value of sensuous phenomena. The question of phantasmic apparitions and
• 37:55
  Speaker 1: the development of astral bodies was, of course, quite a
• 37:59
  Speaker 1: different matter and really not under his control. It was
• 38:04
  Speaker 1: his solemn duty to appear in the corridor once a
• 38:07
  Speaker 1: week and to jibber from the large oriel window on
• 38:12
  Speaker 1: the first and third Wednesdays in every month, and he
• 38:16
  Speaker 1: didn't see how he could honorably escape from his obligations.
• 38:21
  Speaker 1: It is quite true that his life had been very evil,
• 38:25
  Speaker 1: but on the other hand, he was most conscientious in
• 38:28
  Speaker 1: all things connected with the supernatural. For the next three Saturdays, accordingly,
• 38:35
  Speaker 1: he traversed the corridor as usual between midnight and three o'clock,
• 38:41
  Speaker 1: taking every possible precaution against being either heard or seen.
• 38:46
  Speaker 1: He removed his boots, trod as lightly as possible on
• 38:50
  Speaker 1: the old worm eaten boards, wore a large black velvet cloak,
• 38:56
  Speaker 1: and was careful to use the rising sun lubricator for
• 39:00
  Speaker 1: oiling his chains. I am bound to acknowledge that it
• 39:04
  Speaker 1: was with a good deal of difficulty that he brought
• 39:07
  Speaker 1: himself to adopt this last mode of protection. However, one night,
• 39:12
  Speaker 1: while the family were at dinner, he slipped into mister
• 39:16
  Speaker 1: Otis's bedroom and carried off the bottle. He felt a
• 39:20
  Speaker 1: little humiliated at first, but afterwards was sensible enough to
• 39:24
  Speaker 1: see that there was a great deal to be said
• 39:27
  Speaker 1: for the invention, and to a certain degree it served
• 39:31
  Speaker 1: his purpose. Still, in spite of everything, he was not
• 39:35
  Speaker 1: left unmolested. Strings were continually being stretched across the corridor
• 39:42
  Speaker 1: over which he tripped in the dark, and on one occasion,
• 39:46
  Speaker 1: while dressed for the part of Black Isaac, or the
• 39:49
  Speaker 1: Huntsman of Hogley Woods, he met with a severe fall
• 39:53
  Speaker 1: through treading on a butter slide which the twins had
• 39:56
  Speaker 1: constructed from the entrance of the tapestry chamber to the
• 40:00
  Speaker 1: top of the oak staircase. This last insult so enraged
• 40:05
  Speaker 1: him that he resolved to make one final effort to
• 40:09
  Speaker 1: assert his dignity and social position, and determined to visit
• 40:15
  Speaker 1: the insolent young Etonians the next night in his celebrated
• 40:20
  Speaker 1: character of Reckless Rupert or the Headless Earl. He had
• 40:27
  Speaker 1: not appeared in this disguise for more than seventy years,
• 40:32
  Speaker 1: in fact, not since he had so frightened pretty Lady
• 40:35
  Speaker 1: Barbara modish by means of it that she suddenly broke
• 40:38
  Speaker 1: off her engagement with the present Lord Canterville's grandfather and
• 40:43
  Speaker 1: ran away to Gretna Green with handsome Jack Castletown, declaring
• 40:48
  Speaker 1: that nothing in the world would induce her to marry
• 40:50
  Speaker 1: into a family that allowed such a horrible phantom to
• 40:54
  Speaker 1: walk up and down the terrace at twilight. Poor Jack
• 40:58
  Speaker 1: was afterwards shot in a duel by Lord Canterville on
• 41:02
  Speaker 1: Wandsworth Common, and Lady Barbara died of a broken heart
• 41:06
  Speaker 1: at Tombridge Wells before the year was out. So in
• 41:10
  Speaker 1: every way it had been a great success. It was, however,
• 41:14
  Speaker 1: an extremely difficult make up, if I may use such
• 41:18
  Speaker 1: a theatrical expression in connection with one of the greatest
• 41:21
  Speaker 1: mysteries of the supernatural, or, to employ a more scientific term,
• 41:26
  Speaker 1: the higher natural world. And it took him fully three
• 41:30
  Speaker 1: hours to make his preparations. At last everything was ready,
• 41:35
  Speaker 1: and he was very pleased with his appearance. The big
• 41:39
  Speaker 1: leather riding boots that went with the dress were just
• 41:42
  Speaker 1: a little too large for him, and he could only
• 41:45
  Speaker 1: find one of the two horse pistols, but on the
• 41:49
  Speaker 1: whole he was quite satisfied, and at a quarter past one,
• 41:53
  Speaker 1: he glided out of the wainscoating and crept down the corridor.
• 41:58
  Speaker 1: On reaching the room occupied by the twins, which I
• 42:01
  Speaker 1: should mention was called the blue bedchamber on account of
• 42:05
  Speaker 1: the color of its hangings, he found the door just ajar.
• 42:10
  Speaker 1: Wishing to make an effective entrance, he flung it wide open,
• 42:14
  Speaker 1: when a heavy jug of water fell right down on him,
• 42:18
  Speaker 1: wetting him to the skin and just missing his left
• 42:21
  Speaker 1: shoulder by a couple of inches. At the same moment,
• 42:25
  Speaker 1: he heard stifled shrieks of laughter proceeding from the four
• 42:28
  Speaker 1: poster bed. The shock to his nervous system was so
• 42:32
  Speaker 1: great that he fled back to his room as hard
• 42:34
  Speaker 1: as he could go, and the next day he was
• 42:37
  Speaker 1: laid up with a severe cold. The only thing that
• 42:41
  Speaker 1: a tall consoled him in the whole affair was the
• 42:44
  Speaker 1: fact that he had not brought his head with him,
• 42:47
  Speaker 1: for had he done so, the consequences might have been
• 42:50
  Speaker 1: very serious. He now gave up all hope of ever
• 42:57
  Speaker 1: frightening this rude American family, and contented himself as a rule,
• 43:03
  Speaker 1: with creeping about the passages in list slippers with a
• 43:07
  Speaker 1: thick red muffler round his throat. For fear of drafts,
• 43:11
  Speaker 1: and a small arcubuse in case he should be attacked
• 43:14
  Speaker 1: by the twins. The final blow he received occurred on
• 43:20
  Speaker 1: the nineteenth of September. He'd gone downstairs to the Great
• 43:24
  Speaker 1: Entrance Hall, feeling sure that there at any rate he
• 43:27
  Speaker 1: would be quite unmolested, and was amusing himself by making
• 43:32
  Speaker 1: satirical remarks on the large serony photographs of the United
• 43:36
  Speaker 1: States Minister and his wife, which had now taken the
• 43:40
  Speaker 1: place of the Canterville family pictures. He was simply but
• 43:44
  Speaker 1: neatly clad in a long shroud spotted with churchyard mold,
• 43:49
  Speaker 1: had tied up his jaw with a strip of yellow linen,
• 43:53
  Speaker 1: and carried a small lantern and a sexton spade. In fact,
• 43:57
  Speaker 1: he was dressed for the character of us the Graveless,
• 44:01
  Speaker 1: or the corpse snatcher of Chertsey Barn, one of his
• 44:05
  Speaker 1: most remarkable impersonations, and one which the Cantervilles had every
• 44:11
  Speaker 1: reason to remember, as it was the real origin of
• 44:14
  Speaker 1: their quarrel with their neighbor, Lord Rufford. It was about
• 44:18
  Speaker 1: a quarter past two in the morning, and as far
• 44:20
  Speaker 1: as he could ascertain, no one was stirring as he
• 44:25
  Speaker 1: was strolling towards the library, however, to see if there
• 44:28
  Speaker 1: were any traces left of the blood stain. Suddenly there
• 44:32
  Speaker 1: leaped out on him from a dark corner, two figures
• 44:35
  Speaker 1: who waved their arms wildly above their heads and shrieked
• 44:39
  Speaker 1: out boo in his ear. Seized with a panic, which,
• 44:44
  Speaker 1: under the circumstances was only natural, he rushed for the staircase,
• 44:49
  Speaker 1: but found Washington Notice waiting for him there with the
• 44:52
  Speaker 1: big garden syringe. And being thus hemmed in by his
• 44:56
  Speaker 1: enemies on every side, and driven almost to bay, he
• 45:00
  Speaker 1: vanished into the great iron stove, which fortunately for him
• 45:04
  Speaker 1: was not lit, and had to make his way home
• 45:07
  Speaker 1: through the flues and chimneys, arriving at his own room
• 45:11
  Speaker 1: in a terrible state of dirt, disorder, and despair. After
• 45:18
  Speaker 1: this he was not seen again on any nocturnal expedition.
• 45:24
  Speaker 1: The twins lay in wait for him on several occasions,
• 45:27
  Speaker 1: and strewed the passages with nutshells every night, to the
• 45:31
  Speaker 1: great annoyance of their parents and the servants, but it
• 45:35
  Speaker 1: was of no avail. It was quite evident that his
• 45:39
  Speaker 1: feelings were so wounded that he would not appear. Mister
• 45:43
  Speaker 1: Otis consequently resumed his great work on the history of
• 45:47
  Speaker 1: the Democratic Party, on which he had been engaged for
• 45:51
  Speaker 1: some years. Missus Otis organized a wonderful clam bake which
• 45:56
  Speaker 1: amazed the whole county. The boys took to cross Yuka
• 46:01
  Speaker 1: poker and other American national games, and Virginia rode about
• 46:06
  Speaker 1: the lanes on her pony, accompanied by the young Duke
• 46:09
  Speaker 1: of Cheshire, who had come to spend the last week
• 46:12
  Speaker 1: of his holidays at Cantonville Chase. It was generally assumed
• 46:17
  Speaker 1: that the ghost had gone away, and in fact mister
• 46:20
  Speaker 1: Otis wrote a letter to that effect to Lord Canterville,
• 46:23
  Speaker 1: who in reply expressed his great pleasure at the news
• 46:28
  Speaker 1: and sent his best congratulations to the minister's worthy wife.
• 46:34
  Speaker 1: The Otises, however, were deceived, for the ghost was still
• 46:39
  Speaker 1: in the house, and though now almost an invalid, was
• 46:43
  Speaker 1: by no means ready to let matters rest, particularly as
• 46:47
  Speaker 1: he heard that among the guests was the young Duke
• 46:49
  Speaker 1: of Cheshire, whose grand uncle, Lord Francis Stilton, had once
• 46:55
  Speaker 1: bet a hundred guineas with Colonel Carbury that he would
• 46:58
  Speaker 1: play dice with the Cantonese ghost, and was found the
• 47:02
  Speaker 1: next morning lying on the floor of the card room
• 47:06
  Speaker 1: in such a helpless, paralytic state, that, though he lived
• 47:10
  Speaker 1: on to a great age, he was never able to
• 47:13
  Speaker 1: say anything again but double sixes. The story was very
• 47:19
  Speaker 1: well known at the time, though of course, out of
• 47:22
  Speaker 1: respect to the feelings of the two noble families, every
• 47:26
  Speaker 1: attempt was made to hush it up, and a full
• 47:28
  Speaker 1: account of all the circumstances connected with it will be
• 47:32
  Speaker 1: found in the third volume of Lord Tattle's Recollections of
• 47:36
  Speaker 1: the Prince Regent and his Friends. The ghost, then, was
• 47:40
  Speaker 1: naturally very anxious to show that he had not lost
• 47:43
  Speaker 1: his influence over the Stiltons, with whom, indeed he was
• 47:47
  Speaker 1: distantly connected, his own first cousin having been married on
• 47:51
  Speaker 1: Seconos to the Sir de Bulkley, from whom, as everyone knows,
• 47:57
  Speaker 1: the Dukes of Cheshire are linearly desceret. Accordingly, he made
• 48:02
  Speaker 1: his arrangements for appearing to Virginia's little lover in his
• 48:07
  Speaker 1: celebrated impersonation of the vampire Monk or the Bloodless Benedictine,
• 48:14
  Speaker 1: a performance so horrible that when old Lady Startup saw it,
• 48:19
  Speaker 1: which she did on one fatal New Year's Eve in
• 48:22
  Speaker 1: the year seventeen sixty four, she went off into the
• 48:25
  Speaker 1: most piercing shrieks, which culminated in violent apoplexy, and died
• 48:31
  Speaker 1: in three days, after disinheriting the Cantervilles, who were her
• 48:36
  Speaker 1: nearest relations, and leaving all her money to her London apothecary.
• 48:41
  Speaker 1: At the last moment, however, his terror of the twins
• 48:46
  Speaker 1: prevented his leaving the room, and the little Duke slept
• 48:50
  Speaker 1: in peace under the great feathered canopy of the Royal
• 48:53
  Speaker 1: bedchamber and dreamt of Virginia Chapter five. A few days
• 49:05
  Speaker 1: after this, Virginia and her curly haired cavalier went out
• 49:10
  Speaker 1: riding on Broccoly Meadows, where she tore her habit so
• 49:14
  Speaker 1: badly in getting through a hedge that on their return home,
• 49:18
  Speaker 1: she made up her mind to go up by the
• 49:20
  Speaker 1: back staircase so as not to be seen. As she
• 49:24
  Speaker 1: was running past the tapestry chamber, the door of which
• 49:28
  Speaker 1: happened to be open, she fancied she saw some one inside, and,
• 49:33
  Speaker 1: thinking it was her mother's maid who sometimes used to
• 49:36
  Speaker 1: bring her work there, looked in to ask her to
• 49:39
  Speaker 1: mend her habit. To her immense surprise, however, it was
• 49:44
  Speaker 1: the Canterville ghost himself. He was sitting by the window,
• 49:49
  Speaker 1: watching the ruined gold of the yellowing trees fly through
• 49:53
  Speaker 1: the air, and the red leaves dancing madly down the
• 49:57
  Speaker 1: long avenue. His head was leaning on his hand, and
• 50:02
  Speaker 1: his whole attitude was one of extreme depression. Indeed, so
• 50:07
  Speaker 1: forlorn and so much out of repair did he look
• 50:11
  Speaker 1: that little Virginia, whose first idea had been to run
• 50:15
  Speaker 1: away and lock herself in her room, was filled with
• 50:18
  Speaker 1: pity and determined to try and comfort him. So light
• 50:24
  Speaker 1: was her footfall and so deep his melancholy that he
• 50:28
  Speaker 1: was not aware of her presence till she spoke to him.
• 50:32
  Speaker 1: I am so sorry for you, she said, But my
• 50:36
  Speaker 1: brothers are going back to Eton tomorrow, and then if
• 50:39
  Speaker 1: you behave yourself, no one will annoy you. It is
• 50:44
  Speaker 1: absurd asking me to behave myself, he answered, looking round
• 50:50
  Speaker 1: in astonishment at the pretty little girl who had ventured
• 50:53
  Speaker 1: to address him. Quite absurd. I must rattle my chains
• 50:58
  Speaker 1: and groan through through key holes and walk about at night.
• 51:03
  Speaker 1: If that is what you mean, it is my only
• 51:06
  Speaker 1: reason for existing. It is no reason at all for existing.
• 51:12
  Speaker 1: And you know you've been very wicked, missus. Omney told
• 51:16
  Speaker 1: us the first day we arrived here, that you'd killed
• 51:19
  Speaker 1: your wife. Well, I quite admit it, said the ghost petulantly.
• 51:26
  Speaker 1: But it was a purely family matter and concerned no
• 51:29
  Speaker 1: one else. It is very wrong to kill any one,
• 51:35
  Speaker 1: said Virginia, who at times had a sweet Puritan gravity
• 51:40
  Speaker 1: caught from some old New England ancestor. Oh, I hate
• 51:45
  Speaker 1: the cheap severity of abstract ethics. My wife was very plain,
• 51:52
  Speaker 1: never had my Russ properly starched, and knew nothing about cookery.
• 51:59
  Speaker 1: Why there was a buck I had shot in Hogley Woods,
• 52:02
  Speaker 1: a magnificent pricket, and do you know how she had
• 52:06
  Speaker 1: it sent to table? However, it is no matter now,
• 52:11
  Speaker 1: for it is all over. And I don't think it
• 52:15
  Speaker 1: was very nice of her brother's to starve me to death,
• 52:20
  Speaker 1: though I did kill her. Starve you to death? Oh,
• 52:26
  Speaker 1: mister ghost, I mean, sir Simon. Are you hungry? I
• 52:31
  Speaker 1: have a sandwich in my case. Would you like it? No?
• 52:35
  Speaker 1: Thank you. I never eat anything now, But it is
• 52:40
  Speaker 1: very kind of you all the same, and you are
• 52:43
  Speaker 1: much nicer than the rest of your horrid, rude, vulgar,
• 52:49
  Speaker 1: dishonest family. Stop, cried Virginia, stamping her foot. It is
• 52:55
  Speaker 1: you who are rude and horrid and vulgar. And as
• 52:59
  Speaker 1: for dishonesty, you know you stole the paints out of
• 53:02
  Speaker 1: my box to try and furbish up that ridiculous blood
• 53:05
  Speaker 1: stain in the library. First you took all my reds,
• 53:08
  Speaker 1: including the vermilion, and I couldn't do any more sunsets.
• 53:12
  Speaker 1: Then you took the emerald green and the chrome yellow,
• 53:15
  Speaker 1: and finally I had nothing left but indigo and Chinese white,
• 53:20
  Speaker 1: and could only do moonlight scenes, which are always depressing
• 53:24
  Speaker 1: to look at, anot at all easy to paint. I
• 53:27
  Speaker 1: never told on knew, though I was very much annoyed,
• 53:31
  Speaker 1: and it was most ridiculous the whole thing. For who
• 53:34
  Speaker 1: ever heard of emerald green blood? Well, really said the
• 53:40
  Speaker 1: ghost rather meekly. What was I to do? It is
• 53:45
  Speaker 1: a very difficult thing to get real blood nowadays, And
• 53:50
  Speaker 1: as your brother began it all with his paragon detergent,
• 53:54
  Speaker 1: I certainly saw no reason why I should not have
• 53:57
  Speaker 1: your paints. As for color, that is always a matter
• 54:02
  Speaker 1: of taste. The Cantervilles have blue blood, for instance, the
• 54:07
  Speaker 1: very bluest in England. But I know you Americans don't
• 54:10
  Speaker 1: care for things of this kind. You know nothing about it,
• 54:15
  Speaker 1: and the best thing you can do is to emigrate
• 54:17
  Speaker 1: and improve your mind. My father will be only too
• 54:21
  Speaker 1: happy to give you a free passage. And though there
• 54:24
  Speaker 1: is a heavy duty on spirits of every kind, there
• 54:27
  Speaker 1: will be no difficulty about the custom house, as the
• 54:30
  Speaker 1: officers are all Democrats. Once in New York, you're sure
• 54:35
  Speaker 1: to be a great success. I know lots of people
• 54:38
  Speaker 1: there who would give a hundred thousand dollars to have
• 54:40
  Speaker 1: a grandfather, and much more than that to have a family. Ghost,
• 54:46
  Speaker 1: I don't think I should like America. I suppose because
• 54:51
  Speaker 1: we have no ruins and no curiosities, said Virginia satirically.
• 54:58
  Speaker 1: No ruins, no curiosities, answered the ghost. You have your
• 55:05
  Speaker 1: navy and your manners. Good evening, I will go and
• 55:10
  Speaker 1: ask Papa to get the twins an extra week's holiday.
• 55:14
  Speaker 1: Please don't go, miss Virginia, he cried. I'm so lonely
• 55:19
  Speaker 1: and so unhappy, and I really don't know what to do.
• 55:24
  Speaker 1: I want to go to sleep, and I cannot. Well,
• 55:29
  Speaker 1: that's quite absurd. You've merely to go to bed and
• 55:33
  Speaker 1: blow out the candle. It's very difficult sometimes to keep awake,
• 55:38
  Speaker 1: especially at church. But there's no difficulty at all about sleeping.
• 55:42
  Speaker 1: Why even babies know how to do that, and they're
• 55:46
  Speaker 1: not very clever. I have not slept for three hundred years,
• 55:52
  Speaker 1: he said sadly, and Virginia's beautiful blue eyes opened in wonder.
• 55:58
  Speaker 1: For three hundred years, I have not slept, and I
• 56:03
  Speaker 1: am so tired. Virginia grew quite grave, and her little
• 56:10
  Speaker 1: lips trembled like rose leaves. She came towards him, and,
• 56:15
  Speaker 1: kneeling down at his side, looked up into his old,
• 56:19
  Speaker 1: withered face, Poor, poor ghost, she murmured, Have you no
• 56:25
  Speaker 1: place where you can sleep? Far away beyond the pine woods,
• 56:32
  Speaker 1: he answered, in a low, dreamy voice, there is a
• 56:37
  Speaker 1: little garden there. The grass grows long and deep. There
• 56:45
  Speaker 1: are the great white stars of the hemlock flower. There
• 56:49
  Speaker 1: the nightingale sings all night long. All night long he sings,
• 56:57
  Speaker 1: and the cold crystal moon look down, and the yew
• 57:02
  Speaker 1: tree spreads out its giant arms over the sleepers. Virginia's
• 57:10
  Speaker 1: eyes grew dim with tears, and she hid her face
• 57:13
  Speaker 1: in her hands. You mean the garden of death, she whispered, Yes, death,
• 57:23
  Speaker 1: Death must be so beautiful to lie in the soft
• 57:28
  Speaker 1: brown earth with the grasses waving above one's head, and
• 57:33
  Speaker 1: listen to silence, to have no yesterday and no tomorrow,
• 57:40
  Speaker 1: to forget time, to forget life, to be at peace.
• 57:48
  Speaker 1: You can help me, You can open for me the
• 57:51
  Speaker 1: portals of Death's house, for love is always with you,
• 57:56
  Speaker 1: and love is stronger than death is. Virginia trembled. A
• 58:03
  Speaker 1: cold shudder ran through her, and for a few moments
• 58:07
  Speaker 1: there was silence. She felt as if she was in
• 58:10
  Speaker 1: a terrible dream. Then the ghost spoke again, and his
• 58:15
  Speaker 1: voice sounded like the sighing of the wind. Have you
• 58:20
  Speaker 1: ever read the old prophecy on the library window, Oh,
• 58:26
  Speaker 1: often cried the little girl looking up. I know it
• 58:30
  Speaker 1: quite well. It's painted in curious black letters and is
• 58:34
  Speaker 1: difficult to read. There are only six lines when a
• 58:39
  Speaker 1: golden girl can win prayer from out the lips of sin,
• 58:43
  Speaker 1: when the barren arm and bears, and a little child
• 58:47
  Speaker 1: gives away its tears, Then shall all the house be still,
• 58:51
  Speaker 1: and peace come to Canterville. But I don't know what
• 58:55
  Speaker 1: they mean. They mean he said sadly that you must
• 59:02
  Speaker 1: weep with me for my sins, because I have no tears,
• 59:08
  Speaker 1: and pray with me for my soul because I have
• 59:12
  Speaker 1: no faith. And then if you have always been sweet
• 59:17
  Speaker 1: and good and gentle, the angel of Death will have
• 59:21
  Speaker 1: mercy on me. You will see fearful shapes in darkness,
• 59:26
  Speaker 1: and wicked voices will whisper in your ear, but they
• 59:30
  Speaker 1: will not harm you, for against the purity of a
• 59:33
  Speaker 1: little child, the powers of hell cannot prevail. Virginia made
• 59:39
  Speaker 1: no answer, and the ghost wrung his hands in wild
• 59:43
  Speaker 1: despair as he looked down at her bowed golden head.
• 59:47
  Speaker 1: Suddenly she stood up, very pale and with a strange
• 59:52
  Speaker 1: light in her eyes. I am not afraid, she said firmly,
• 59:57
  Speaker 1: and I will ask the angel to have me mercy
• 1:00:00
  Speaker 1: on you. He rose from his seat with a faint
• 1:00:05
  Speaker 1: cry of joy, and taking her hand, bent over it
• 1:00:09
  Speaker 1: with old fashioned grace, and kissed it. His fingers were
• 1:00:14
  Speaker 1: as cold as ice, and his lips burned like fire,
• 1:00:19
  Speaker 1: but Virginia did not falter as he led her across
• 1:00:22
  Speaker 1: the dusky room. On the faded green tapestry were broidered
• 1:00:27
  Speaker 1: little huntsmen. They blew their tasseled horns, and with their
• 1:00:32
  Speaker 1: tiny hands waved to her to go back, Go back,
• 1:00:36
  Speaker 1: Little Virginia, They cried, go, back, but the ghost clutched
• 1:00:41
  Speaker 1: her hand more tightly, and she shot her eyes against them.
• 1:00:47
  Speaker 1: Horrible animals with lizard tails and goggle eyes blinked at
• 1:00:51
  Speaker 1: her from the cavern chimney piece and murmured, Beware, little Virginia, beware,
• 1:00:56
  Speaker 1: we may never see you again. But the ghost ghost
• 1:01:00
  Speaker 1: glided on more swiftly, and Virginia did not listen. When
• 1:01:06
  Speaker 1: they reached the end of the room, he stopped and
• 1:01:09
  Speaker 1: muttered some words she could not understand. She opened her
• 1:01:13
  Speaker 1: eyes and saw the walls slowly fade away like a mist,
• 1:01:18
  Speaker 1: and a great black cavern in front of her. A
• 1:01:22
  Speaker 1: bitter cold wind swept round them, and she felt something
• 1:01:26
  Speaker 1: pulling at her dress. Quick quick, cried the ghost, or
• 1:01:31
  Speaker 1: it will be too late, And in a moment the
• 1:01:35
  Speaker 1: wainscoating had clothed behind them, and the tapestry chamber was empty.
• 1:01:43
  Speaker 1: End of chapter five. This is a libriyvox recording. All
• 1:01:54
  Speaker 1: liberyvox recordings are in the public domain. For more information
• 1:01:59
  Speaker 1: or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. The Canterville
• 1:02:04
  Speaker 1: Ghost by Oscar Wilde, Chapter six. About ten minutes later,
• 1:02:12
  Speaker 1: the bell rang for Tea and as Virginia did not
• 1:02:15
  Speaker 1: come down, missus Otis sent up one of the footmen
• 1:02:19
  Speaker 1: to tell her. After a little time, he returned and
• 1:02:22
  Speaker 1: said that he could not find miss Virginia anywhere, as
• 1:02:26
  Speaker 1: she was in the habit of going out to the
• 1:02:28
  Speaker 1: garden every evening to get flowers for the dinner table.
• 1:02:32
  Speaker 1: Missus Otis was not at all alarmed at first, but
• 1:02:35
  Speaker 1: when six o'clock struck and Virginia did not appear, she
• 1:02:40
  Speaker 1: became really agitated and sent the boys out to look
• 1:02:43
  Speaker 1: for her, while she herself and mister Otis searched every
• 1:02:48
  Speaker 1: room in the house. At half past six, the boys
• 1:02:52
  Speaker 1: came back and said that they could find no trace
• 1:02:55
  Speaker 1: of their sister anywhere. They were all now in the
• 1:02:58
  Speaker 1: greatest state of excitment and did not know what to do.
• 1:03:03
  Speaker 1: When mister Otis suddenly remembered that some few days before
• 1:03:07
  Speaker 1: he'd given a band of gypsies permission to camp in
• 1:03:10
  Speaker 1: the park, he accordingly at once set off for Blackfell Hollow,
• 1:03:15
  Speaker 1: where he knew they were accompanied by his eldest son
• 1:03:19
  Speaker 1: and two of the farm servants. The little Duke of Cheshire,
• 1:03:23
  Speaker 1: who was perfectly frantic with anxiety, begged hard to be
• 1:03:27
  Speaker 1: allowed to go too, but mister Otis would not allow him,
• 1:03:31
  Speaker 1: as he was afraid there might be a scuffle. On
• 1:03:35
  Speaker 1: arriving at the spot, however, he found that the gypsies
• 1:03:38
  Speaker 1: had gone, and it was evident that their departure had
• 1:03:41
  Speaker 1: been rather sodden, as the fire was still burning and
• 1:03:45
  Speaker 1: some plates were lying on the grass. Having sent off
• 1:03:50
  Speaker 1: Washington and the two men to scour the district, he
• 1:03:53
  Speaker 1: ran home and dispatch telegrams to all the police inspectors
• 1:03:57
  Speaker 1: in the county, telling them to out for a little
• 1:04:01
  Speaker 1: girl who'd been kidnapped by tramps or gypsies. He then
• 1:04:05
  Speaker 1: ordered his horse to be brought round, and, after insisting
• 1:04:09
  Speaker 1: on his wife and the three boys sitting down to dinner,
• 1:04:12
  Speaker 1: rode off down the Ascot road with a groom. He'd hardly, however,
• 1:04:17
  Speaker 1: gone a couple of miles when he heard somebody galloping
• 1:04:20
  Speaker 1: after him, and looking round, saw the little duke coming
• 1:04:24
  Speaker 1: up on his pony, with his face very flushed and
• 1:04:28
  Speaker 1: no hat. I'm awfully sorry, mister Otis, gasped out the boy.
• 1:04:33
  Speaker 1: But I can't eat my dinner as long as Virginia
• 1:04:36
  Speaker 1: is lost. Please don't be angry with me if you
• 1:04:39
  Speaker 1: let us be engaged last year, there would never have
• 1:04:42
  Speaker 1: been all this trouble. You won't send me back, will you.
• 1:04:45
  Speaker 1: I can't go, I won't go. The minister could not
• 1:04:50
  Speaker 1: help smiling at the handsome young scapegrace, and was a
• 1:04:54
  Speaker 1: good deal touched at his devotion to Virginia, so, leaning
• 1:04:58
  Speaker 1: down from his horse him kindly on the shoulders and said, well, cecil,
• 1:05:04
  Speaker 1: if you won't go back, I suppose you must come
• 1:05:06
  Speaker 1: with me, but I must get you a hat at asgart.
• 1:05:10
  Speaker 1: Oh bother my hat. I want Virginia, cried the little duke, laughing,
• 1:05:16
  Speaker 1: and they galloped on to the railway station. There, mister
• 1:05:20
  Speaker 1: Otis inquired of the station master if any one answering
• 1:05:24
  Speaker 1: to the description of Virginia had been seen on the platform,
• 1:05:28
  Speaker 1: but could get no news of her. The station master, however,
• 1:05:33
  Speaker 1: wired up and down the line and assured him that
• 1:05:36
  Speaker 1: a strict watch would be kept for her. And, after
• 1:05:39
  Speaker 1: having bought a hat for the little duke from a
• 1:05:42
  Speaker 1: linen draper who was just putting up his shutters, mister
• 1:05:45
  Speaker 1: Otis rode off to Bexley, a village about four miles away,
• 1:05:50
  Speaker 1: which he was told was a well known haunt of
• 1:05:52
  Speaker 1: the Gypsies, as there was a large common next to it.
• 1:05:57
  Speaker 1: Here they roused up the rural policeman, but could get
• 1:06:00
  Speaker 1: no information from him, and after riding all over the common,
• 1:06:05
  Speaker 1: they turned their horses heads homewards and reached the chase
• 1:06:09
  Speaker 1: about eleven o'clock. Dead tired and almost heart broken, they
• 1:06:14
  Speaker 1: found Washington and the twins waiting for them at the
• 1:06:17
  Speaker 1: gatehouse with lanterns. As the avenue was very dark, not
• 1:06:23
  Speaker 1: the slightest trace of Virginia had been discovered. The gypsies
• 1:06:27
  Speaker 1: had been caught on Broccoly Meadows, but she was not
• 1:06:30
  Speaker 1: with them, and they had explained their sudden departure by
• 1:06:34
  Speaker 1: saying that they had mistaken the date of Chawt and Fair,
• 1:06:38
  Speaker 1: and had gone off in a hurry for fear they
• 1:06:40
  Speaker 1: should be late. Indeed, they had been quite distressed at
• 1:06:44
  Speaker 1: hearing of Virginia's disappearance, as they were very grateful to
• 1:06:48
  Speaker 1: mister Otis for having allowed them to camp in his park,
• 1:06:52
  Speaker 1: and four of their number had stayed behind to help
• 1:06:55
  Speaker 1: in the search. The carp pond had been dragged and
• 1:07:00
  Speaker 1: the whole chase thoroughly gone over, but without any result.
• 1:07:05
  Speaker 1: It was evident that for that night at any rate,
• 1:07:08
  Speaker 1: Virginia was lost to them, and it was in a
• 1:07:12
  Speaker 1: state of the deepest depression that mister Otis and the
• 1:07:15
  Speaker 1: boys walked up to the house, the groom following behind
• 1:07:19
  Speaker 1: with the two horses and a pony. In the hall,
• 1:07:22
  Speaker 1: they found a group of frightened servants, and lying on
• 1:07:26
  Speaker 1: a sofa in the library was poor missus Otis, almost
• 1:07:30
  Speaker 1: out of her mind with terror and anxiety, and having
• 1:07:34
  Speaker 1: her forehead bathed with eau de cologne by the old housekeeper.
• 1:07:39
  Speaker 1: Mister Otis at once insisted on her having something to
• 1:07:42
  Speaker 1: eat and ordered up supper for the whole party. It
• 1:07:47
  Speaker 1: was a melancholy meal, as hardly anyone spoke, and even
• 1:07:51
  Speaker 1: the twins were all struck and subdued, as they were
• 1:07:55
  Speaker 1: very fond of their sister. When they had finished, mister Otis,
• 1:08:00
  Speaker 1: in spite of the entreaties of the little Duke, ordered
• 1:08:04
  Speaker 1: them all to bed, saying that nothing more could be
• 1:08:06
  Speaker 1: done that night, and that he would telegraph in the
• 1:08:09
  Speaker 1: morning to Scotland Yard for some detectives to be sent
• 1:08:13
  Speaker 1: down immediately. Just as they were passing out of the
• 1:08:17
  Speaker 1: dining room, midnight began to boom from the clock tower,
• 1:08:21
  Speaker 1: and when the last stroke sounded, they heard a crash
• 1:08:25
  Speaker 1: and a sodden shrill cry. A dreadful peal of thunder
• 1:08:29
  Speaker 1: shook the house. A strain of unearthly music floated through
• 1:08:33
  Speaker 1: the air. A panel at the top of the staircase
• 1:08:36
  Speaker 1: flew back with a loud noise, and out on the landing,
• 1:08:40
  Speaker 1: looking very pale and white, with a little casket in
• 1:08:44
  Speaker 1: her hand, stepped Virginia. In a moment they had all
• 1:08:49
  Speaker 1: rushed up to her. Missus Otis clasped her passionately in
• 1:08:53
  Speaker 1: her arms. The dukes smothered her with violent kisses, and
• 1:08:57
  Speaker 1: the twins executed a wild war darn round the group.
• 1:09:02
  Speaker 1: Good Heavens, child, where have you been, said mister Otis,
• 1:09:06
  Speaker 1: rather angrily, thinking that she'd been playing some foolish trick
• 1:09:10
  Speaker 1: on them. Cecil and I have been riding all over
• 1:09:13
  Speaker 1: the country looking for you, and your mother's been frightened
• 1:09:16
  Speaker 1: to death. You must never play these practical jokes any more,
• 1:09:22
  Speaker 1: except on the ghost. Except on the ghost, shrieked the
• 1:09:26
  Speaker 1: twins as they capered about My own darling. Thank god
• 1:09:31
  Speaker 1: you are found. You must never leave my side again,
• 1:09:34
  Speaker 1: murmured missus Otis as she kissed the trembling child and
• 1:09:39
  Speaker 1: smoothed the tangled gold of her hair. Papa said, Virginia quietly,
• 1:09:45
  Speaker 1: I have been with the ghost. He is dead and
• 1:09:49
  Speaker 1: you must come and see him. He's been very wicked,
• 1:09:53
  Speaker 1: but he was really sorry for all that he'd done,
• 1:09:56
  Speaker 1: and he gave me this box of beautiful jewels before
• 1:09:59
  Speaker 1: he died. The whole family gazed at her in mute amazement,
• 1:10:05
  Speaker 1: but she was quite grave and serious, and turning round,
• 1:10:10
  Speaker 1: she led them through the opening in the wainscoating down
• 1:10:13
  Speaker 1: a narrow, secret corridor, Washington, following with a lighted candle
• 1:10:18
  Speaker 1: which he had caught up from the table. Finally, they
• 1:10:22
  Speaker 1: came to a great oak door studded with rusty nails.
• 1:10:26
  Speaker 1: When Virginia touched it, it swung back on its heavy hinges,
• 1:10:31
  Speaker 1: and they found themselves in a little low room with
• 1:10:34
  Speaker 1: a vaulted ceiling and one tiny grated window. Embedded in
• 1:10:40
  Speaker 1: the wall was a huge iron ring, and chained to
• 1:10:43
  Speaker 1: it was a gaunt skeleton that was stretched out at
• 1:10:48
  Speaker 1: full length on the stone floor and seemed to be
• 1:10:51
  Speaker 1: trying to grasp with its long, fleshless fingers an old
• 1:10:55
  Speaker 1: fashioned trencher and ewer that were placed just out of
• 1:10:59
  Speaker 1: its reach. The jug had evidently once been filled with water,
• 1:11:04
  Speaker 1: as it was covered inside with green mold. There was
• 1:11:07
  Speaker 1: nothing on the trencher but a pile of dust. Virginia
• 1:11:11
  Speaker 1: knelt down beside the skeleton, and, folding her little hands together,
• 1:11:17
  Speaker 1: began to pray silently, while the rest of the party
• 1:11:21
  Speaker 1: looked on in wonder at the terrible tragedy whose secret
• 1:11:25
  Speaker 1: was now disclosed to them. Hallo suddenly exclaimed one of
• 1:11:31
  Speaker 1: the twins, who had been looking out of the window,
• 1:11:34
  Speaker 1: to try and discover in what wing of the house
• 1:11:36
  Speaker 1: the room was situated. Hallo, the old withered almond trees blossomed.
• 1:11:42
  Speaker 1: I can see the flowers quite plainly in the moonlight
• 1:11:46
  Speaker 1: God has forgiven him, said Virginia gravely, as she rose
• 1:11:51
  Speaker 1: to her feet, and a beautiful light seemed to illume
• 1:11:55
  Speaker 1: in her face. What an angel you are, cried the
• 1:11:59
  Speaker 1: young deer duke, and he put his arm round her
• 1:12:02
  Speaker 1: neck and kissed her. Chapter seven. Four days after these
• 1:12:11
  Speaker 1: curious incidents, a funeral started from Canterville Chase at about
• 1:12:16
  Speaker 1: eleven o'clock at night. The hearse was drawn by eight
• 1:12:20
  Speaker 1: black horses, each of which carried on its head a
• 1:12:24
  Speaker 1: great tuft of nodding ostrich plumes, and the leaden coffin
• 1:12:28
  Speaker 1: was covered by a rich purple pall on which was
• 1:12:32
  Speaker 1: embroidered in gold. The Canterville coat of arms by the
• 1:12:37
  Speaker 1: side of the hearse and the coaches walked the servants
• 1:12:40
  Speaker 1: with lighted torches, and the whole procession was wonderfully impressive.
• 1:12:47
  Speaker 1: Lord Canterville was the chief mourner, having come up specially
• 1:12:51
  Speaker 1: from Wales to attend the funeral, and sat in the
• 1:12:54
  Speaker 1: first carriage along with Little Virginia. Then came the United
• 1:12:59
  Speaker 1: States Minister and his wife, then Washington and the three boys,
• 1:13:05
  Speaker 1: and in the last carriage was missus Omni. It was
• 1:13:08
  Speaker 1: generally felt that as she had been frightened by the
• 1:13:11
  Speaker 1: ghost for more than fifty years of her life, she
• 1:13:15
  Speaker 1: had a right to see the last of him. A
• 1:13:19
  Speaker 1: deep grave had been dug in the corner of the churchyard,
• 1:13:23
  Speaker 1: just under the old yew tree, and the service was
• 1:13:26
  Speaker 1: read in the most impressive manner by the Reverend Augustus Dampier.
• 1:13:31
  Speaker 1: When the ceremony was over, the servants, according to an
• 1:13:35
  Speaker 1: old custom observed in the Canterville family, extinguished their torches,
• 1:13:41
  Speaker 1: and as the coffin was being lowered into the grave,
• 1:13:44
  Speaker 1: Virginia stepped forward and laid on it a large cross
• 1:13:48
  Speaker 1: made of white and pink almond blossoms. As she did so,
• 1:13:53
  Speaker 1: the moon came out from behind a cloud and flooded
• 1:13:57
  Speaker 1: with its silent silver the little churchyard, and from a
• 1:14:01
  Speaker 1: distant copse a nightingale began to sing. She thought of
• 1:14:06
  Speaker 1: the ghost's description of the garden of death. Her eyes
• 1:14:10
  Speaker 1: became dim with tears, and she hardly spoke a word
• 1:14:15
  Speaker 1: during the drive home. The next morning, before Lord Canteville
• 1:14:21
  Speaker 1: went up to town, mister Otis had an interview with
• 1:14:24
  Speaker 1: him on the subject of the jewels the ghost had
• 1:14:27
  Speaker 1: given to Virginia. They were perfectly magnificent, especially a certain
• 1:14:32
  Speaker 1: ruby necklace with old Venetians setting, which was really a
• 1:14:37
  Speaker 1: superb specimen of sixteenth century work, and their value was
• 1:14:41
  Speaker 1: so great that mister Otis felt considerable scruples about allowing
• 1:14:45
  Speaker 1: his daughter to accept them. My Lord, he said, I
• 1:14:51
  Speaker 1: know that in this country modermain is held to apply
• 1:14:55
  Speaker 1: to trinkets as well as to land, and it is
• 1:14:58
  Speaker 1: quite clear to me that these jewels are or should
• 1:15:01
  Speaker 1: be heirlooms in your family. I must beg you accordingly
• 1:15:06
  Speaker 1: to take them to London with you, and to regard
• 1:15:08
  Speaker 1: them simply as a portion of your property which has
• 1:15:12
  Speaker 1: been restored to you under certain strange conditions. As for
• 1:15:17
  Speaker 1: my daughter, she is merely a child and has, as
• 1:15:20
  Speaker 1: yet I am glad to say, but little interest in
• 1:15:24
  Speaker 1: such appertinences of idle luxury. I am also informed by
• 1:15:29
  Speaker 1: missus Otis, who I may say is no mean authority
• 1:15:33
  Speaker 1: upon art, having had the privilege of spending several winters
• 1:15:37
  Speaker 1: in Boston when she was a girl, that these gems
• 1:15:41
  Speaker 1: are of great monetary worth, and if offered for sale,
• 1:15:45
  Speaker 1: would fetch a tall price. Under these circumstances, Lord Canderville,
• 1:15:51
  Speaker 1: I feel sure that you will recognize how impossible it
• 1:15:54
  Speaker 1: would be for me to allow them to remain in
• 1:15:56
  Speaker 1: the possession of any member of my family. And indeed,
• 1:16:01
  Speaker 1: all such vain gods and toys, however suitable or necessary
• 1:16:06
  Speaker 1: to the dignity of the British aristocracy, would be completely
• 1:16:11
  Speaker 1: out of place among those who have been brought up
• 1:16:14
  Speaker 1: on the severe and I believe immortal principles of Republicans simplicity.
• 1:16:21
  Speaker 1: Perhaps I should mention that Virginia is very anxious that
• 1:16:24
  Speaker 1: you should allow her to retain the box as a
• 1:16:27
  Speaker 1: memento of your unfortunate but misguided ancestor. As it is
• 1:16:33
  Speaker 1: extremely old and consequently a good deal out of repair,
• 1:16:37
  Speaker 1: you may perhaps think fit to comply with her request.
• 1:16:42
  Speaker 1: For my own part, I confess I am a good
• 1:16:44
  Speaker 1: deal surprised to find a child of mine expressing sympathy
• 1:16:49
  Speaker 1: with medievalism in any form, and can only account for
• 1:16:53
  Speaker 1: it by the fact that Virginia was born in one
• 1:16:55
  Speaker 1: of your London suburbs. Shortly after missus ODIs had returned
• 1:17:00
  Speaker 1: from a trip to Athens, Lord Canterville listened very gravely
• 1:17:06
  Speaker 1: to the worthy Minister's speech, pulling his great mustache now
• 1:17:11
  Speaker 1: and then to hide an involuntary smile. And when mister
• 1:17:15
  Speaker 1: Otis had ended, he shook him cordially by the hand
• 1:17:18
  Speaker 1: and said, my dear sir, your charming little daughter rendered
• 1:17:25
  Speaker 1: my unlucky ancestors a simon a very important service, and
• 1:17:31
  Speaker 1: I and my family are very much indebted to her
• 1:17:36
  Speaker 1: for her marvelous courage and pluck. The jewels are clearly hers,
• 1:17:44
  Speaker 1: and here gad I believe that if I were heartless
• 1:17:47
  Speaker 1: enough to take them from her, the wicked old fellow
• 1:17:51
  Speaker 1: would be out of his grave in a fortnight, leading
• 1:17:54
  Speaker 1: me the devil of a life. As for their being heirlooms,
• 1:18:00
  Speaker 1: thing is an heirloom that is not so mentioned in
• 1:18:03
  Speaker 1: a will or legal document, and the existence of these
• 1:18:07
  Speaker 1: jewels has been quite unknown. I assure you I have
• 1:18:12
  Speaker 1: no more claim on them than your butler. And when
• 1:18:16
  Speaker 1: Miss Virginia grows up, I dare say she will be
• 1:18:19
  Speaker 1: pleased to have pretty things to wear. Besides, you forget,
• 1:18:25
  Speaker 1: mister Otis, that you took the furniture and the ghost
• 1:18:29
  Speaker 1: at a valuation, and anything that belonged to the ghost
• 1:18:33
  Speaker 1: passed at once into your possession. As whatever activity Sir
• 1:18:39
  Speaker 1: Simon may have shown in the corridor at night, in
• 1:18:43
  Speaker 1: point of law, he was really dead, and you acquired
• 1:18:48
  Speaker 1: his property by purchase. Mister Otis was a good deal.
• 1:18:55
  Speaker 1: Distressed at Lord Canterville's refusal, and begged him to recon
• 1:19:00
  Speaker 1: consider his decision, but the good natured peer was quite
• 1:19:04
  Speaker 1: firm and finally induced the Minister to allow his daughter
• 1:19:08
  Speaker 1: to retain the present the ghost had given her. And
• 1:19:12
  Speaker 1: when in the spring of eighteen ninety, the young Duchess
• 1:19:16
  Speaker 1: of Cheshire was presented at the Queen's first Drawing Room,
• 1:19:20
  Speaker 1: on the occasion of her marriage. Her jewels were the
• 1:19:24
  Speaker 1: universal theme of admiration. For Virginia received the coronet, which
• 1:19:30
  Speaker 1: is the reward of all good little American girls, and
• 1:19:34
  Speaker 1: was married to her boy lover as soon as he
• 1:19:36
  Speaker 1: came of age. They were both so charming, and they
• 1:19:41
  Speaker 1: loved each other so much that everyone was delighted at
• 1:19:45
  Speaker 1: the match, except the old Marchioness of Doumbleton, who had
• 1:19:51
  Speaker 1: tried to catch the Duke for one of her seven
• 1:19:53
  Speaker 1: unmarried daughters, and had given no less than three expensive
• 1:19:58
  Speaker 1: dinner parties for that purpose, and strange to say, mister
• 1:20:04
  Speaker 1: Otis himself. Mister Otis was extremely fond of the young
• 1:20:09
  Speaker 1: Duke personally, but theoretically he objected to titles, and to
• 1:20:16
  Speaker 1: use his own words, was not without apprehension. Lest amid
• 1:20:21
  Speaker 1: the enervating influences of a pleasure loving aristocracy, the true
• 1:20:26
  Speaker 1: principles of Republicans simplicity should be forgotten. His objections, however,
• 1:20:33
  Speaker 1: were completely overruled, and I believe that when he walked
• 1:20:37
  Speaker 1: up the aisle of Saint George's Hanover Square with his
• 1:20:41
  Speaker 1: daughter leaning on his arm, there was not a prouder
• 1:20:45
  Speaker 1: man in the whole length and breadth of England. The
• 1:20:50
  Speaker 1: Duke and Duchess, after the honeymoon was over, went down
• 1:20:54
  Speaker 1: to Canterville Chase, and on the day after their arrival
• 1:20:58
  Speaker 1: they walked over in the after to the lonely churchyard
• 1:21:02
  Speaker 1: by the pine Woods. There'd been a great deal of
• 1:21:05
  Speaker 1: difficulty at first about the inscription on Sir Simon's tombstone,
• 1:21:10
  Speaker 1: but finally it had been decided to engrave on it
• 1:21:13
  Speaker 1: simply the initials of the old gentleman's name and the
• 1:21:17
  Speaker 1: verse from the library window. The Duchess had brought with
• 1:21:21
  Speaker 1: her some lovely roses, which she strewed upon the grave,
• 1:21:25
  Speaker 1: and after they had stood by it for some time,
• 1:21:28
  Speaker 1: they strolled into the ruined chancel of the old abbey.
• 1:21:32
  Speaker 1: There the Duchess sat down on a fallen pillar, while
• 1:21:36
  Speaker 1: her husband lay at her feet, smoking a cigarette and
• 1:21:40
  Speaker 1: looking up at her beautiful eyes. Suddenly, he threw his
• 1:21:44
  Speaker 1: cigarette away, took hold of her hand, and said to her, Virginia,
• 1:21:49
  Speaker 1: a wife should have no secrets from her husband. Dear Cecil,
• 1:21:54
  Speaker 1: I have no secrets from you. Yes you have, he
• 1:21:58
  Speaker 1: answered smilingly. You've never told me what happened to you
• 1:22:02
  Speaker 1: when you were locked up with the ghost. I have
• 1:22:05
  Speaker 1: never told any one, Cecil, said Virginia gravely. I know that,
• 1:22:11
  Speaker 1: but you can tell me. Please don't ask me, Cecil,
• 1:22:16
  Speaker 1: I cannot tell you. Poor Sir Simon, I owe him
• 1:22:19
  Speaker 1: a great deal. Yes, don't laugh, Cecil, I really do.
• 1:22:24
  Speaker 1: He made me see what life is and what death signifies,
• 1:22:28
  Speaker 1: and why love is stronger than both. The Duke rose
• 1:22:34
  Speaker 1: and kissed his wife lovingly. You can have your secret
• 1:22:39
  Speaker 1: as long as I have your heart, he murmured. You
• 1:22:43
  Speaker 1: have always had that, Cecil, and you will tell our
• 1:22:47
  Speaker 1: children some day, won't you. Virginia blushed. The end of
• 1:22:55
  Speaker 1: The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde, read for LibriVox by
• 1:23:00
  Speaker 1: David Barnes