Latest / Daily Classic Science Fiction Books / 15 - The House of Arden - E Nesbit

Transcript

15 - The House of Arden - E Nesbit · Daily Classic Science Fiction Books

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Chapter eleven, Developments, Part two, and then the two children
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: went down to Old Bee's. There were roses in his
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: garden now, and white English flags and loupins and tall
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: foxgloves bordering the little brick path. Old Bee was sitting
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: on a brown windsor chair, as Edred said, in the sun.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: By his front door. Overi's head was a jack door
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: in a wicker cage. And Elfrida did not approve of
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: this till she saw the cage door was open, and
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: that the jack door was sitting in the cage because
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: he liked it, and not because he must. She had
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: been in prison in the tower, you remember, and people
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: who have been in prison never liked to see live
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: things in cages. There was a tabby and white cat
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: of squarish shape sitting on the wooden threshold. Why are
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: cats who live in country cottages almost always stabby and
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: white and squarish. The feathery tail of a brown spaniel
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: flogged the flags lazily in the patch of shade made
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: by the water butt. It was a picture of rural peace,
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: and Old Beal was asleep in the middle of it.
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: I am glad to tell you that Lord Arden and
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: his sister were polite enough to wait till he awoke
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: of his own accord. Instead of shouting high or rattling
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: the smooth brown iron latch of the gate, as some
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: children would have done, they just sat down on the
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: dry grassy bank opposite his gate and looked at the
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: blue and white butterflies, and the flowers and the green
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: potato tops through the green, gray garden palings. And while
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: they sat there, Elfrida had an idea so sudden and
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: so good that it made her jump. But she said nothing,
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: and Edred said, pinch the place hard, and if it
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: is still there, you'll perhaps, for he thought she had
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: jumped because she had been bitten by an aunt. When
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: they finished looking at the butterflies and the red roses
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: and the green growing things, they looked long and steadily
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: at Old Beal, and of course he awoke, as people
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: always do if you look at them long enough and
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: hard enough. And he got up rather shaking, and put
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: his hand to his forehead and said, my lord, how
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: are you, said Elfrida. We haven't found the treasure yet,
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: but ye will ye? Will, said Old Beal come into
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: the house now, or will ye come round along to
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: the arbor and have a drink of milk. We'd as
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: soon stay here, said Edred. They had come through the
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: gate now, and Edreth was patting the brown spaniel, while
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: Elfrida strove the squarish cat. Missus Honey said, said you
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: knew all the stories, ah, said old Beale, A fine girl,
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: Missus Hornyset. Her father had Cellinge Farm where the fairies
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: churned the butter for the bride. So long as there's
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: no cross words, they don't ever get too much to
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: do them fairies. He chuckled, sighed, and said, I know
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: a power of tales, and I know always I do
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: which it is that people want. What you're after is
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: the story of the East House, isn't it now? It's
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: the old man a failing of his wits, or isn't
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: he We want to know, said Dred companionably, sharing the
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: flagstone with the feather tail spaniel. The story. But by
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: that part of the house in the castle is shut
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: up and all cub wibby and dusty and rusty and musty.
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: And whether there's any reason why it shouldn't be all
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: cleaned up and made nice again if we find the treasure,
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: so that we got enough money to pay for new
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: curtains and carpets and things. It's a sad tale, that,
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: said old Beal, A tale for old folks or middle
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: aged folks, let's say, not for children. You'd never understand
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: it if I was to tell it. You likelis not.
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: We like grown up stories, said Elfrida with dignity. Then
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: Dred added, we can understand anything that grown ups understand
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: if it is told us properly. I understand all about
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: the laws of gravitation and why the sun doesn't go
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: round the Earth but does the opposite. I understood that directly.
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: Aunt Edith explained it, and about fixed stars and the
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: spectroscope and microbes, and the equator not being real, and
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: and heaps of things. Ah, said Old Beal, admiringly. You'll
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: be a busting with book learnin' afore you come true
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: your twenty one I lay, I only hope the half
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: of it's true, and they are not deceiving of you.
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: A trusting innocent I never did hold myself with that
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: about the sun not moving, why you can see it
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: A doin of it with your own naked eyes any
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: day of the week. You wouldn't deceive anyone said Elfrida, gently,
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: do tell us the story, so old Beale began, and
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: he began like this. It was a long time ago,
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: before my time even it was, but not so long
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: afore cause I can recommember my father talking about it.
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: He was coachman at the castle when it all happened,
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: so of course he knew everything there was to know,
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: my mother, having been the housekeeper and gone through it
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: all with the family. There was a miss Elfrida then,
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: same as there is now, only she was older. And
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: what you are, missy, And the gentleman lads from far
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: and near they come accorting her. For she was a
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: fine girl, a real beauty, with hair as black as
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: a coal, and eyes like the sea when it's beating
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: up for a storm before the white horses comes along.
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: So I've heard my father say, not that I ever
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: see her myself. And she kept her pretty head in
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: the air and wouldn't turn it this way or that
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: forever one of them all. And the old Lord he
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: loved her too dear to press her against her wish
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: and will, and her so young, so she stayed single
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: and watched the sea. What did she do that? For
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: Dred asked to see if her sweetheartship wasn't a coming home,
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: for she'd got a sweetheart right enough she had unbeknown
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: to all it was her cousin Dick, and never do well,
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: if ever there was one. And it turned out afterwards
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: she'd broken the sixpence with him and swore to be
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: ever true, and he'd gone overseas to find a fortune.
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: And so she watched the sea every day regular, and
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: every day regular he didn't come. But every day another
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: young chap used to come a riding, a fine young
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: gentleman and well to do. But he was the same
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: kidney as Master Dick, only he'd got a fine fortune,
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: so his wild oats never got a chance to grow
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: strong like Dick's. Poor Dick, said Elfrida. Not so fast, missy,
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: said the old man. Well, her father and mother they said,
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: have him that's hair, and loves you, dare as the
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: saying is a ruin he was, and his christent name Arnold.
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: And she says no, But they keeps on saying yes,
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: and he keeps on saying do. So they wears her down,
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: telling her Dick was drowned dead for sure, and I
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: don't know what all. And at last she says very well,
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: then I'll marry you if you can stand to marry
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: a girl that's got all her heart in the sea
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: alonge of a dead junk chap as she was promised to,
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: and the wedding was set for Christmas, Miss Elfrida. She
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: slept in the room in the east house that looks
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: out towards Ardnnell and the servants in the attics, and
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: the old people in the other part of the house.
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: And that night, when all was asleep, I think she
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: heard a tap tap at her window, and at first
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: she think it was the ivy, but no, so presently
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: she'd take heart to go to the window, and there
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: was a face outside that had climbed up by the ivy,
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: and it was her own true love that they told
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: her was drowned. How splendid, said Dred, How dreadful for
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: mister FreeWin, said Elfrida. That's what she thought, miss, And
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: she couldn't face it. So she puts on her riding
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: coat and gets out a window and down the ivy
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: with him and off to London. And in the morning,
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: when the bells began to ring for her wedding, and
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: the bridegroom came there wasn't no bride for him. She
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: left a letter to say she was very sorry, but
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: it had to be so. Then they shut up the
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: east house. So that's the story, said Elfrida, half of it,
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: Miss said u Bell. And he took out a black
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: clay pipe and a screw of tobacco, and very slowly
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: and carefully filled the pipe and lighted it before he
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: went on. They shut up the east house where she'd
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: been used to sleep, but it was kept sweep and dusty,
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: and the old fox was broken hearted for never a
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: word came from Miss Elfrida. And if I know anything
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: of the feelings of a parent, they kept on saying
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: to each other. She might have trusted us, she might
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: have known we'd never had denied her nothing. And then
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: one night there was a knock at the door, and
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: there was miss Elfrida. That was missus Dick, now with
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: her baby in her arms. Mister Dick was dead sudden
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: in an accident, and she'd come home to her father
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: and mother. They couldn't make enough of the poor young
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: thing and her baby. She had her old rooms and
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: there she lived, and she was getting a bit happier,
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: and worshiping of her baby and the old people worshiping it,
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: and her too. And then one night someone comes up
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: the ivy, same as Master dicted, and takes away not
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: her but the baby. How dreadful breathed Elfrida. Did they
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: get it back? Never, and never a word was ever
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: found out about who took it, or why or where
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: they took it to. Only a week or two after
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: mister Frevin was killed in the hunting field, and as
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: they picked him up, he said, Elfrida, tell Elfrida, And
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: he was trying to say what they was to tell her.
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: When he died, some folkshold as twas him, stole the
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: baby to be even, whether for jilting of him or else,
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: to pretend to find it and get her to marry
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: him out of gratitude. But no one'll ever know. And
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: the baby's mother she wore away bit by bit to
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: a shadow, and then she died. And after that the
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: East House was shut up for good, and all to
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: fall into rot and ruin like it's now. Don't you cry, missy?
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: I knowed you wouldn't like the story, but you would
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: have it. But don't you cry. It's all long ago,
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: and she and her baby and her young husband's all
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: been happy together in heaven this long time. Now, I lay,
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: I do like the story, said Elfrida Galpi. But it
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: is sad, isn't it. Thank you for telling it, Edred said,
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: But I don't think it's any good really, being unhap
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: happy about things that are so long ago and all
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: over and done with. I wish we could go back
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: into the past and find the baby for her. Elfrida whispered,
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: and Drid whispered back. It's the treasure we've got to find.
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: Excuse our whispering, mister Beale. Thank you for the story.
• 13:22
  Speaker 1: Oh and I wanted to ask you who owns the
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: land now? All the land about here, I mean that
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: used to belong to us Ardens, That Jackson Chap, said
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: Old Beale, him that made a fortune in the soap boiling,
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: the tallow King, they call him. But he's got too
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: rich for the house he is. Goot, he's bought a
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: bigger place in Yorkshire that used to belong to the
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: Duke of Sanderstey, and the arden lands are to be
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: sold next year, so I'm told, oh, said Edred, clasping
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: his hands. If we could only find the treasure and
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: buy back the land. We haven't forgotten what we said
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: the first time. If we found the treasure, we'd make
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: all the cottages comfortable, and you thatched everywhere. That's a
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: good lad, said Old Beale. You make haste and find
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: the treasure, and if you don't find it, never fret.
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: There's ways of helping other folks without finding a treasure.
• 14:25
  Speaker 1: So there is you come and see Old Beale again,
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: my lord. And I shouldn't wonder but what i'd have
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: a white rabbit for you next time you come along
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: this way. He is an old dear, said Elfrida as
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: they went home. And I do think the films will
• 14:43
  Speaker 1: be dry by the time we get back, but perhaps
• 14:45
  Speaker 1: we'd better not print them till tomorrow morning. There's plenty
• 14:49
  Speaker 1: of light to day, said Ydred, And Elfrida said, I say, well,
• 14:55
  Speaker 1: did you notice the kind of clothes we wore in
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: those pictures where they were stowing away the treasure? Oh,
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: groaned Edred, recall to sense of his wrongs. If only
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: missus Honeyset hadn't opened the door just when she did,
• 15:11
  Speaker 1: we should know exactly where the treasure was. It was
• 15:14
  Speaker 1: the West Tower they took it too, wasn't it I'm
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: not sure, said Elfrida. But and if had gone on,
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: we should have been sure. We should have seen them
• 15:25
  Speaker 1: come away again. Yes, said Elfrida, and again she remarked,
• 15:31
  Speaker 1: I say. Edrid again said well, well, suppose we looked
• 15:36
  Speaker 1: in the chests, we should be sure to find clothes
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: like those, and then we should be back there, living
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: in those times, and we could see the treasure put away,
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: and then we really should know. A one first class
• 15:52
  Speaker 1: ripping was Edred's enthusiastic rejoinder, Come on, I'll raise you
• 15:57
  Speaker 1: to the gate. And he did raise, sir, and won
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: by about thirty white mouldiwarp's legs. There had been no
• 16:05
  Speaker 1: quarrel now for quite a long time, if you count
• 16:08
  Speaker 1: as time the days spent in the Gunpowder plot adventure.
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: So the attic was easily found, and once more the
• 16:16
  Speaker 1: children stood among the chests, with the dusty roof and
• 16:19
  Speaker 1: the dusty sunbeams, and the glittering pigeon feet and the
• 16:23
  Speaker 1: soft pigeon noises overhead. Come on, cried Elfrida joyously, I
• 16:28
  Speaker 1: shall know the dress directly. I see it. Mine was
• 16:31
  Speaker 1: blue silk with sloping shoulders, and yours was black velvet
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: and a Fandyke collar. Together they flung back the lid
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: of a chest they had not yet opened. It held close,
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: far richer than any they had seen yet. The doublets
• 16:48
  Speaker 1: and cloaks and bodices were stiff with gold embroidery and jewels.
• 16:52
  Speaker 1: But there was no blue silk dress with sloping shoulders,
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: and no black velvet suit and Vandyke collar. Oh never mind,
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: said Edred, bundling the splendid close back by double armfuls.
• 17:07
  Speaker 1: Help me to smooth these down so that the lid
• 17:10
  Speaker 1: will shut properly, and we'll try the next chest. But
• 17:13
  Speaker 1: the lid would not shut at all till Elfrida had
• 17:15
  Speaker 1: taken all the things out and folded them properly, and
• 17:19
  Speaker 1: then it shut quite easily. Then they went on to
• 17:23
  Speaker 1: the next chest. I have a magic inside feeling that
• 17:27
  Speaker 1: they're in this one, said Elfrida gaily, And so they
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: may have been. The children never knew, for the next
• 17:35
  Speaker 1: chest was locked, and the utmost efforts of four small
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: arms failed to move the lid a hair's breadth. Oh bother,
• 17:44
  Speaker 1: said Edred. We'll try the next, but the next was
• 17:47
  Speaker 1: locked too, and the next, and the one after that,
• 17:50
  Speaker 1: and the one beyond, and well, the fact is they
• 17:54
  Speaker 1: were all locked. The children looked at each other in
• 17:57
  Speaker 1: something quite like despair. I feel, said the boy, like
• 18:03
  Speaker 1: a baffled burglar. I feel, said the girl, as if
• 18:07
  Speaker 1: I was just going to understand something. Oh wait a minute,
• 18:12
  Speaker 1: it's coming, I think, she added, very slowly. I think
• 18:17
  Speaker 1: it means if we go anywhere, we've got to go.
• 18:20
  Speaker 1: Wherever it was, they wore those glorious stiff gold clothes.
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: That's what the chest's open for. That's what the others
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: are looked for. See. Then let's put them on and go,
• 18:33
  Speaker 1: said Dred. I don't think I want any more Tower
• 18:37
  Speaker 1: of London's, said Elfrida, doubtfully. I don't mind what it is,
• 18:42
  Speaker 1: said Drid. I've found out one thing. We always come
• 18:46
  Speaker 1: safe out of it, whatever it is. And besides, he added,
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: remembering many talks with his good friend Sir Walter Rawleiy
• 18:55
  Speaker 1: an English gentleman must be afraid of nothing save God
• 18:59
  Speaker 1: and his conscience. Us all right, said Elfrida, laying hands
• 19:04
  Speaker 1: on the chest lid that hid the golden splendor. You
• 19:08
  Speaker 1: might help, she said, but Edred couldn't. He laid hands
• 19:12
  Speaker 1: on the chest, of course, and he pulled and Elfrida puddled,
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: But the chest lid was as fast now as any
• 19:19
  Speaker 1: of the others done in the eye, said Edred. It
• 19:25
  Speaker 1: was a very vulgar expression. And I can't think where
• 19:28
  Speaker 1: he picked it up. He that will not when he may,
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: he shall not when he would, ah, said Elfrida. And
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: I do know where she learned that. It was from
• 19:41
  Speaker 1: an old song Missus Honict used to sing when she
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: blackleaded the stoves. I suppose we must shuck it for
• 19:49
  Speaker 1: to day, said Edred, when he had quite hurt his
• 19:52
  Speaker 1: fingers by trying all the chests once more, and had
• 19:56
  Speaker 1: found that every single one was shut tight as wax.
• 20:00
  Speaker 1: Come on, we'll print the photographs. But the films were
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: not dry enough. They never are when you just expect
• 20:07
  Speaker 1: them to be. So they locked the steel room door
• 20:10
  Speaker 1: on the outside and hung the key on a nail
• 20:13
  Speaker 1: high up in the kitchen chimney. Missus Honyseet was not
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: in the kitchen at that moment, but she came hurrying
• 20:20
  Speaker 1: in the next Here you are, my lambs, she said cheerily,
• 20:26
  Speaker 1: and just in time for the surprise. Oh, I'd forgotten
• 20:31
  Speaker 1: the surprise. That makes two of it, doesn't it, said Elfrida,
• 20:36
  Speaker 1: do tell us what it is. We need a nice
• 20:39
  Speaker 1: surprise to make up for everything. If you only knew, ah,
• 20:44
  Speaker 1: said missus honyhet do you mean because of me opening
• 20:47
  Speaker 1: that there door? Well there is two surprises. One's roast
• 20:53
  Speaker 1: chicken for supper, she added impressively. Then I know the other,
• 20:58
  Speaker 1: said Edred. Aunt eid it's coming, and she was indeed
• 21:03
  Speaker 1: at that very moment. As they looked through the window,
• 21:06
  Speaker 1: they saw her blue dress coming over the hill and
• 21:09
  Speaker 1: joyously tore out to meet her. It was after the
• 21:14
  Speaker 1: roast chicken, when it was nearly dark and almost bedtime
• 21:19
  Speaker 1: that Aunt Edith said, suddenly, children, there's something I wanted
• 21:24
  Speaker 1: to tell you. I've hesitated about it a good deal,
• 21:28
  Speaker 1: but I think we oughtn't to have any secrets from
• 21:31
  Speaker 1: each other. Edred and Elfrida exchanged guilty glances. Not real secrets,
• 21:37
  Speaker 1: of course, said Edred hastily. But you don't mind our
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: having magic secrets, do you? Of course not, said Aunt Edith, smiling,
• 21:47
  Speaker 1: And what I'm going to tell you is rather like magic,
• 21:51
  Speaker 1: if it is true. I don't know yet whether it's
• 21:54
  Speaker 1: true or not. Here Aunt Edith put an arm round
• 21:58
  Speaker 1: each of the children, as they sat on the broad
• 22:01
  Speaker 1: window seat and swallowed something in her throat and sniffed.
• 22:05
  Speaker 1: Oh it's not bad news, is it, Elfrida cried, Oh,
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: darling Aunty, don't be miserable, and don't say that they
• 22:14
  Speaker 1: found out that Arden isn't ours, or that Edret isn't
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: really Lord Arden or something. Would you mind so very much,
• 22:23
  Speaker 1: said aunt Edy gently, if you warn't Lord Arden edred
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: because end of section fifteen