"Where is the cottage?" and I looked about me, feeling ready to accept anything in the way of shelter, after the long, hot journey from broiling1 Boston, to breezy York Harbor.
"Right down there, just a step, you see. It's all in order, and next week it will be full, for many folks prefer it because of the quiet."
At the end of a precipitous path, which offered every facility for accidents of all sorts, from a sprained2 ankle to a broken neck, stood the cottage, a little white building with a pretty woodbine over the[Pg 169] porch, gay flowers in the garden, and the blue Atlantic rolling up at the foot of the cliff.
"A regular 'Cottage by the Sea.' It will suit me exactly if I can have that front upper room. I don't mind being alone, so have my trunk taken down, please, and I'll get ready for tea," said I, congratulating myself on my good luck. Alas3, how little I knew what a night of terror I was to pass in that picturesque4 abode5!
An hour later, refreshed by my tea and invigorated by the delicious coolness, I plunged6 recklessly into the gayeties of the season, and accepted two invitations for the evening,—one to a stroll on Sunset Hill, the other to a clam7-bake on the beach.
The stroll came first, and while my friend paused at one of the fishily-fragrant houses by the way, to interview her washerwoman, I went on to the hill-top, where a nautical8 old gentleman with a spy-glass, welcomed me with the amiable9 remark,—
"Pretty likely place for a prospeck."
Entering into a conversation with this ancient mariner11, I asked if he knew any legend or stories concerning the old houses all about us.[Pg 170]
"Sights of 'em; but it aint allers the old places as has the most stories concernin' 'em. Why, that cottage down yonder aint more 'n fifty year old, and they say there's been a lot of ghosts seen there, owin' to a man's killin' of himself in the back bedroom."
"What, that house at the end of the lane?" I asked, with sudden interest.
"Jes' so; nice place, but lonesome and dampish. Ghosts and toadstools is apt to locate in houses of that sort," placidly12 responded the venerable tar13.
The dampness scared me more than the goblins, for I never saw a ghost yet, but I had been haunted by rheumatism14, and found it a hard fiend to exorcise.
"I've taken a room there, so I'm rather interested in knowing what company I'm to have."
"Took a room, hev you? Wal, I dare say you won't be troubled. Some folks have a knack15 of seeing sperrits, and then agin some hasn't. My wife is uncommon16 powerful that way, but I aint; my sight's dreadful poor for that sort of critter."
There was such a sly twinkle in the starboard eye[Pg 171] of the old fellow as he spoke17, that I laughed outright18, and asked, sociably,—
"Has she ever seen the ghosts of the cottage? I think I have rather a knack that way, and I'd like to know what to expect."
"No, her sort is the rappin' kind. Down yonder the only ghost I take much stock in is old Bezee Tucker's. He killed himself in the back bedroom, and some folks say they've heard him groanin' there nights, and a drippin' sound; he bled to death, you know. It was kep' quiet at the time, and is forgotten now by all but a few old chaps like me. Bezee was allers civil to the ladies, so I guess he won't bother you, ma'am;" and the old fellow laughed.
"If he does, I'll let you know;" and with that I departed, for my friend called to me that the beach party was clamoring for our company.
In the delights of that festive20 hour, I forgot the croaking21 of the ancient mariner, for I was about to taste a clam for the first time in my life, and it was a most absorbing moment. Perched about on the rocks like hungry penguins22, we watched the jovial23 cooks with breathless interest, as they struggled[Pg 172] with refractory24 frying-pans, fish that stubbornly refused to brown, steaming seaweed and hot stones.
A certain captivating little Margie waited upon me so prettily25 that I should have been tempted26 to try a sea porcupine27 unskinned if she had offered it, so irresistible28 was her chirping29 way of saying, "Oh, here's a perfectly30 lovely one! Do take him by his little black head and eat him quick."
So beguiled31, I indulged recklessly in clams32, served hot between two shells, little dreaming what a price I was to pay for that marine10 banquet.
We kept up till late, and then I was left at my own door by my friend, who informed me that York was a very primitive33, safe place, where people slept with unlocked doors, and nothing ever went amiss o'nights.
I said nothing of the ghosts, being ashamed to own that I quaked a little at the idea of the "back bedroom," as I shut out the friendly faces and bolted myself in.
A lamp and matches stood in the hall, and lighting34 the lamp, I whisked up stairs with suspicious rapidity, locked my door and retired35 to bed, firmly[Pg 173] refusing to own even to myself that I had ever heard the name of Bezee Tucker.
Being very tired, I soon fell asleep; but fried potatoes and a dozen or two of hot clams are not viands36 best fitted to insure quiet repose37, so a fit of nightmare brought me to a realizing sense of my indiscretion.
From a chaos38 of wild dreams was finally evolved a gigantic clam, whose mission it was to devour39 me as I had devoured40 its relatives. The sharp shells gaped41 before me, a solemn voice said, "Take her by her little head and eat her quick." Retribution was at hand, and, with a despairing effort to escape by diving, I bumped my head smartly against the wall, and woke up feeling as if there was an earthquake under the bed.
Collecting my scattered42 wits, I tried to compose myself to slumber43 again; but alas! that fatal feast had murdered sleep, and I vainly tried to lull44 my wakeful senses with the rustle45 of woodbine leaves about the window, and the breaking waves upon the beach.
In one of the pauses between the ebb46 and flow of[Pg 174] the waves, I heard a curious sound in the house,—a muffled47 sort of moan, coming at regular intervals48. And, as I sat up to make out where it was, another sound caught my attentive49 ear. Drip, drip, drip, went something out in the hall, and in an instant the tale told me on Sunset Hill came back with unpleasant vividness.
"Nonsense! it is raining, and the roof leaks," I said to myself, while a disagreeable thrill went through me, and fancy, aided by indigestion, began to people the house with uncanny inmates50.
No rain had fallen for weeks, and peeping through my curtain I saw the big, bright stars shining in a cloudless sky; so that explanation failed, and still the drip, drip, drip went on. Likewise the moaning, so distinctly now that it was evident the little back bedroom was next the chamber51 in which I was quaking at that identical moment.
"Some one is sleeping there," I said, and then recollected52 that all the rooms were locked, and all the keys but mine in Mrs. Grant's pocket up at the house.
"Well, let the goblins enjoy themselves; I won't[Pg 175] disturb them if they let me alone. Some of the ladies thought me brave to dare to sleep here, and it will never do to own I was scared by a foolish story and an odd sound."
So down I lay, and said the multiplication53 table industriously54 for several minutes, trying to turn a deaf ear to the outer world, and curb55 my unruly thoughts. But it was a failure, and, when I found myself saying over and over "Four times twelve is twenty-four," I gave up affecting courage, and went in for a good honest scare.
As a cheerful subject for midnight meditation56 I kept thinking of B. Tucker, in spite of every effort to abstain57. In vain I recalled the fact that the departed gentleman was "allers civil to the ladies." I still was in mortal fear lest he might think it necessary to come and apologize in person for "bothering" me.
Presently a clock struck three, and I involuntarily gave a groan19 that beat the ghost's all hollow, so full of anguish58 was I at the thought of several hours of weary waiting in such awesome59 suspense60.
I was not sure at what time the daylight would[Pg 176] appear, and bitterly regretted not gathering61 useful information about sunrise, tides, and such things, instead of listening to the foolish gossip of Uncle Peter on the hill-top.
Minute after minute dragged slowly on, and I was just thinking that I should be obliged to shout "Fire!" as the only means of relief in my power, when a stealthy step under the window gave me a new sensation.
This was a start, not a scare, for the new visitor was a human foe62, and I had little fear of such, being possessed63 of good lungs, strong arms, and a Roman dagger64 nearly as big as a carving-knife. That step broke the spell, and, creeping noiselessly to the window, I peeped out to see a dark figure coming up the stem of the tall tree close by, hand over hand, like a sailor or a monkey.
"Two can play at that game, my friend; you scare me, and I'll scare you;" and with an actual sense of relief in breaking the oppressive silence, I suddenly flung up the curtain, and, leaning out, brandished65 my dagger with what I intended to be an awe-inspiring screech66, but, owing to the flutter[Pg 177] of my breath, the effort ended in a curious mixture of howl and bray67.
A most effective sound nevertheless; for the rascal68 dropped as if shot, and, with one upward glance at the white figure dimly seen in the starlight, fled as if a legion of goblins were at his heels.
"What next?" thought I, wondering whether tragedy or comedy would close this eventful night.
I sat and waited, chilly69, but valiant70, while the weird71 sounds went on within, and silence reigned72 without, till the cheerful crow of the punctual "cockadoo," as Margie called him, announced the dawn and laid the ghosts. A red glow in the east banished73 my last fear, and, wrapping the drapery of my couch about me, I soon lay down to quiet slumber, quite worn out.
The sun shining in my face waked me; a bell ringing spasmodically warned me to hurry, and a childish voice calling out, "Bet-fast is most weady, Miss Wee," assured me that sweet little spirits haunted the cottage as well as ghostly ones.
As I left my room to join Margie, who was waiting in the porch, and looking like a rosy74 morning-[Pg 178]glory half-way up the woodbine trellis, I saw two things which caused me to feel that the horrors of the night were not all imaginary.
Just outside the back bedroom door was a damp place, as if that part of the floor had been newly washed; and when, goaded75 by curiosity, I peeped through the keyhole of the haunted chamber, my eye distinctly saw an open razor lying on a dusty table.
My vision was limited to that one object, but it was quite enough, and I went up the hill brooding darkly over the secret hidden in my breast. I longed to tell some one, but was ashamed, and, when asked why so pale and absent-minded, I answered, with a gloomy smile,—
"It is the clams."
All day I hid my sufferings pretty well, but as night approached, and I thought of another lonely vigil in the haunted cottage, my heart began to fail, and, when we sat telling stories in the dusk, a brilliant idea came into my head.
I would relate my ghost story, and rouse the curiosity of the listeners to such a pitch that some[Pg 179] of them would offer to share my quarters, in hopes of seeing the spirit of the restless Tucker.
Cheered by this delusive76 fancy, when my turn came I made a thrilling tale of the night's adventures, and, having worked my audience up to a flattering state of excitement, paused for applause.
It came in a most unexpected form, however, for Mrs. Grant burst out laughing, and the two boys, Johnny and Joe, rolled off the piazza77 in convulsions of merriment.
Much disgusted at this unseemly demonstration78, I demanded the cause of it, and involuntarily joined in the general shout when Mrs. Grant demolished79 my ghost by informing me that Bezee Tucker lived, died in, and haunted the tumble-down house at the other end of the lane.
"Then who or what made those mysterious noises?" I asked, relieved but rather nettled80 at the downfall of my romance.
"My brother Seth," replied Mrs. Grant, still laughing. "I thought you might be afraid to be there all alone, so he slipped into the bedroom, and I forgot to tell you. He's a powerful snorer, and[Pg 180] that's one of the awful sounds. The other was the dripping of salt water; for you wanted some, and the girl got it in a leaky pail. Seth wiped up the slops when he came out early in the morning."
I said nothing about the keyhole view of the harmless razor, but, feeling that I did deserve some credit for my heroic reception of the burglar, I mildly asked if it was the custom in York for men as well as turkeys to roost in trees.
An explosion from the boys extinguished my last hope of glory, for as soon as he could speak Joe answered, unable to resist the joke, though telling it betrayed his own transgressions81.
"Johnny planned to be up awful early, and pick the last cherries off that tree. I wanted to get ahead of him, so I sneaked82 down before light to humbug83 him, for I was going a-fishing, and we have to be off by four."
"Did you get your cherries?" I asked, bound to have some of the laugh on my side.
"Guess I didn't," grumbled84 Joe, rubbing his knees, while Johnny added, with an exulting85 chuckle,[Pg 181]—
"He got a horrid86 scare and a right good scraping, for he didn't know any one was down there. Couldn't go fishing either, he was so lame87, and I had the cherries after all. Served him right, didn't it?"
No answer was necessary, for the two lads indulged in a friendly scuffle among the hay-cocks, while Mrs. Grant went off to repeat the tale in the kitchen, whence the sound of a muffled roar soon assured me that Seth was enjoying the joke as well as the rest of us.
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1
broiling
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| adj.酷热的，炽热的，似烧的v.（用火）烤（焙、炙等）( broil的现在分词 )；使卷入争吵；使混乱；被烤（或炙） | |
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2
sprained
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| v.&n. 扭伤 | |
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3
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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4
picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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5
abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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6
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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clam
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| n.蛤，蛤肉 | |
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8
nautical
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| adj.海上的，航海的，船员的 | |
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amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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10
marine
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| adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵 | |
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mariner
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| n.水手号不载人航天探测器，海员，航海者 | |
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12
placidly
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| adv.平稳地，平静地 | |
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tar
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| n.柏油，焦油；vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于 | |
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rheumatism
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| n.风湿病 | |
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15
knack
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| n.诀窍，做事情的灵巧的，便利的方法 | |
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16
uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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17
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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18
outright
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| adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的 | |
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19
groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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20
festive
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| adj.欢宴的，节日的 | |
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21
croaking
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| v.呱呱地叫( croak的现在分词 )；用粗的声音说 | |
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22
penguins
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| n.企鹅( penguin的名词复数 ) | |
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23
jovial
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| adj.快乐的，好交际的 | |
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24
refractory
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| adj.倔强的，难驾驭的 | |
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25
prettily
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| adv.优美地；可爱地 | |
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26
tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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27
porcupine
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| n.豪猪， 箭猪 | |
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28
irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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29
chirping
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| 鸟叫，虫鸣( chirp的现在分词 ) | |
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30
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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31
beguiled
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| v.欺骗( beguile的过去式和过去分词 )；使陶醉；使高兴；消磨（时间等） | |
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32
clams
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| n.蛤；蚌，蛤( clam的名词复数 )v.（在沙滩上）挖蛤( clam的第三人称单数 ) | |
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33
primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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34
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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35
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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36
viands
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| n.食品，食物 | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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38
chaos
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| n.混乱，无秩序 | |
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39
devour
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| v.吞没；贪婪地注视或谛听，贪读；使着迷 | |
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40
devoured
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| 吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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41
gaped
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| v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的过去式和过去分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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42
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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43
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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44
lull
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| v.使安静，使入睡，缓和，哄骗；n.暂停，间歇 | |
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45
rustle
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| v.沙沙作响；偷盗(牛、马等)；n.沙沙声声 | |
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46
ebb
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| vi.衰退，减退；n.处于低潮，处于衰退状态 | |
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47
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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48
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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49
attentive
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| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
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50
inmates
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| n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 ) | |
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51
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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52
recollected
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| adj.冷静的；镇定的；被回忆起的；沉思默想的v.记起，想起( recollect的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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53
multiplication
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| n.增加，增多，倍增；增殖，繁殖；乘法 | |
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54
industriously
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55
curb
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| n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制 | |
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56
meditation
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| n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录 | |
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57
abstain
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| v.自制，戒绝，弃权，避免 | |
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58
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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59
awesome
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| adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的 | |
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60
suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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61
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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62
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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63
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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64
dagger
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| n.匕首，短剑，剑号 | |
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65
brandished
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| v.挥舞( brandish的过去式和过去分词 )；炫耀 | |
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66
screech
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| n./v.尖叫；(发出)刺耳的声音 | |
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67
bray
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| n.驴叫声, 喇叭声；v.驴叫 | |
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68
rascal
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| n.流氓；不诚实的人 | |
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69
chilly
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| adj.凉快的，寒冷的 | |
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70
valiant
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| adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人 | |
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71
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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72
reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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73
banished
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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74
rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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75
goaded
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| v.刺激( goad的过去式和过去分词 )；激励；（用尖棒）驱赶；驱使（或怂恿、刺激）某人 | |
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76
delusive
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| adj.欺骗的，妄想的 | |
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77
piazza
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| n.广场；走廊 | |
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78
demonstration
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| n.表明，示范，论证，示威 | |
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79
demolished
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| v.摧毁( demolish的过去式和过去分词 )；推翻；拆毁（尤指大建筑物）；吃光 | |
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80
nettled
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| v.拿荨麻打，拿荨麻刺（nettle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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81
transgressions
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| n.违反，违法，罪过( transgression的名词复数 ) | |
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82
sneaked
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| v.潜行( sneak的过去式和过去分词 )；偷偷溜走；（儿童向成人）打小报告；告状 | |
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83
humbug
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| n.花招，谎话，欺骗 | |
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84
grumbled
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| 抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声 | |
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85
exulting
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| vi. 欢欣鼓舞，狂喜 | |
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86
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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87
lame
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| adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的 | |
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