Latest / The Irtonwood Ghost / Chapter II, Part B

Transcript

Chapter II, Part B · The Irtonwood Ghost

• 0:01
  Section four of The Urtonwood Ghost by Eleanor Glynn. This LibriVox recording is in
• 0:07
  the public domain. Chapter two, Part B. This was the moment Sir
• 0:16
  George felt for him to interfere, but before he could take more than a
• 0:22
  step, he was arrested by seeing the thief raise his head and then start
• 0:27
  and grow livid, shaking with abject terror as he gazed into a far corner,
• 0:34
  the parchment dropping from his nerveless fingers back onto the old desk, and
• 0:40
  Sir George, following the direction of his eyes, also experienced a thrill which
• 0:47
  even in him, was not unmixed with something akin to fear, for both
• 0:53
  men could just distinguish, slowly and noiselessly advancing towards them of the shadows from
• 1:00
  a part of the room where there was no door, the tall, slender
• 1:07
  figure of a woman in a raw, short waisted white garment with ruffled curls
• 1:11
  of unpowdered hair. She seemed to be ethereal and unreal, but when she
• 1:19
  got into the moonlight, the likeness was unmistakable. The face was the same
• 1:25
  as the picture in the gallery which the host had told them represented the Urtonwood
• 1:32
  Ghost. The great gray eyes were wide and staring, like the eyes of
• 1:37
  a corpse, and the whole figure moved slowly, with a gliding motion,
• 1:42
  unlike life. My God, is it ester, Sir George gasped to himself
• 1:52
  as he waited the turn of events. If it were his well beloved,
• 1:57
  then she must be walking in her sleep. If the denizen of some other
• 2:02
  world, then something strange and awful might develop when she got to the escritoire.
• 2:09
  In either case, his best course would be to watch and be ready
• 2:15
  to spring, for he fully realized the securing of the parchment was to Ambrose
• 2:21
  Duval for some reason, a matter of desperate need. The figure advanced,
• 2:29
  growing more clear as it reached the goal. Duval was now crouching an almost
• 2:36
  inert mass some paces drawn back in mortal fright. The lady, whoever or
• 2:45
  whatever she was, put out a transparent looking hand in the moonlight, and
• 2:52
  seizing the parchment, was gliding back again from whence she came. But Ambrose
• 2:58
  Duval gave the hiss of a snake as he saw the precious paper being taken
• 3:02
  from his grasp, and with a wharf articulate cry of rage and terror,
• 3:07
  bounded forward. But Sir George was quicker than he, and ere he could
• 3:14
  reach the ghost or woman, he found himself pinioned in the Englishman's strong arms.
• 3:22
  Then the two men struggled, Ambrose Duval with mad fear in his breast
• 3:28
  at this new foe, and Sir George with cool determination to frustrate his opponent's
• 3:35
  ends. As they tottered together, they both saw, with an indescribable thrill,
• 3:42
  the figure disappear as it were before their eyes, into the darkness of
• 3:46
  the wall, and they knew they were alone. Was she a ghost or
• 3:53
  real flesh and blood? That was a question which neither could decide. But
• 4:00
  now that there was no more reason to protect esther if it were she,
• 4:06
  Sir George let mister Duval go. He was breathless from rage and fright,
• 4:14
  and he staggered to a chair. How dare you attack me like this?
• 4:18
  He exclaimed, furiously, drawing a revolver from his pocket and pointing it at
• 4:25
  his foe's face. But Sir George, far more perturbed at the thought of
• 4:30
  what might have become of his lady Love, took no notice of him.
• 4:35
  He walked over to the fire and poked up the dying embers, which threw
• 4:40
  up a last small flame, giving enough light for him to find his candlestick,
• 4:46
  which he had put down beside the sofa in the gloom beyond the shaft
• 4:50
  of moonlight. Mister Duval followed him, still livid from fear of the supernatural
• 4:58
  and mad with rage at a failure and loss. You shall answer to me
• 5:03
  for this now with your life, he snarled. In that case, you
• 5:10
  will be hanged for murder. Sir George retorted coolly, you had better go
• 5:15
  quietly in the morning before I denounce you as a thief. I am no
• 5:20
  thief, mister Duval protested violently. How dare you attack a guest in our
• 5:28
  friend's house in this murderous fashion. It is I who can denounce you.
• 5:32
  You must give me satisfaction for this. I shall do nothing of the kind,
• 5:38
  said Sir George. I should not think of fighting a duel with a
• 5:43
  thief. Just take my advice and go in the morning without a scandal and
• 5:48
  prosecutor scheming tricks. Elsewhere. I have seen all you did, remember,
• 5:53
  and can describe it well. Then the two men glared at one another in
• 6:00
  the old library, the one candle illuminating their angry faces, and the great
• 6:05
  shaft of moonlight lighting the rifled escritoire. And then Sir George calmed himself.
• 6:15
  You can take what course you please. He said, I am armed too,
• 6:21
  and he drew his small derringer from the pocket where he had been holding
• 6:26
  it. I am rather a good shot sometimes, so we may hit each
• 6:30
  other, but there is no use in it, and rats like you are
• 6:34
  fond of life. This reflection seemed to carry weight with mister Duval, unflattering
• 6:43
  as it was, for it is one thing to shoot at an unarmed man,
• 6:47
  and quite another to find him possessed of a pistol too. With what
• 6:54
  dignity he could, mister Duval now drew himself up and prepared to leave the
• 6:59
  room. Whom you have won this time, he said, between his teeth.
• 7:06
  But some day I will level things up. I am quite indifferent about
• 7:12
  that, Sir George answered, hurriedly. Get out now, and get away
• 7:16
  by the earliest train. I shall give you so much start now. I
• 7:20
  have other and more important matters to attend. To go, and he almost
• 7:27
  drove Duval to the door and up to his room. Then, when he
• 7:31
  had seen him safely shut in, he paused to think what was the next
• 7:36
  thing to be done? To awaken Jack Hardress and his wife and ascertain if
• 7:43
  Esther were safe in her cedar chamber seemed to be the best move, so,
• 7:48
  after some difficulty, he found his host's apartment and knocked firmly at the
• 7:55
  door. Yes, what is it, Jack Hargess, called out sleepily,
• 8:03
  and AIDA's frightened voice piped, Oh, who is there? Then, Sir
• 8:09
  George explained in as few words as he could, when the host and hostess,
• 8:15
  clothed in dressing gowns, appeared in the passage, and they, all,
• 8:18
  three carrying lights, set off for the cedar room. But here was
• 8:26
  deathly silence. No answer came to their knocks, nor could they enter.
• 8:33
  The door was locked from within. A sickening, icy hand clutched at Sir
• 8:39
  George's heart. What had happened? Some ill had befallen Esther. If we
• 8:46
  both rush the door together we can break the lock. Jack, he said
• 8:52
  desperately, We must not delay an instant now, And the two men hurled
• 8:58
  themselves against the stout panels, but though they shivered, they held. Then,
• 9:05
  with the strength of despair, Sir George made a rush by himself and
• 9:11
  the bolt gave and he fell headlong into the room. But alas AIDA's two
• 9:18
  candles, which she held high, revealed no occupant. The bed had been
• 9:24
  slept in and left hastily. The clothes were turned back, but there was
• 9:30
  no sign of Esther. The three people looked at each other with blanched faces.
• 9:39
  What mystery was here? Sir George began hastily to examine the walls.
• 9:46
  It followed his common sense told him if the door were locked from within,
• 9:52
  his beloved lady had left the apartment by some other means. The windows were
• 9:58
  out of the question. They were too high, and besides, were closed
• 10:03
  and the orange curtains drawn. There must be some secret panel, and Esther
• 10:09
  must have walked in her sleep. But how weird it all was, and
• 10:16
  he was filled with dread and foreboding as he felt each part of the wall.
• 10:22
  We must discover the entrance. Jack, he said, I saw missus
• 10:28
  Charters with my own eyes in the library, or her ghost, and she
• 10:33
  disappeared at the end of the room. Now with terrified eagerness, the three
• 10:39
  set to work, feeling and tapping each cedar panel, while Ada Hardress called
• 10:46
  continually Esther. Esther answer if you are there and can hear us. But
• 10:54
  only silence greeted them, And as the hopelessness of theirs made itself felt,
• 11:01
  a sickening fear grew and grew in each of their hearts. What if she
• 11:07
  had fallen down some deep secret place, some oubliate, and were dead.
• 11:15
  They might pull all the house down and be too late. End of Section four.