can't stop in the house—I won't stop in it for all the money that is buried in the old castle of Carrigrohan. If ever there was such a thing in the world!—to be abused to my face night and day, and nobody to the fore1 doing it! and then, if I'm angry, to be laughed at with a great roaring ho, ho, ho! I won't stay in the house after to-night, if there was not another place in the country to put my head under.' This angry soliloquy was pronounced in the hall[54] of the old manor-house of Carrigrohan by John Sheehan. John was a new servant; he had been only three days in the house, which had the character of being haunted, and in that short space of time he had been abused and laughed at by a voice which sounded as if a man spoke2 with his head in a cask; nor could he discover who was the speaker, or from whence the voice came. 'I'll not stop here,' said John; 'and that ends the matter.'
'Ho, ho, ho! be quiet, John Sheehan, or else worse will happen to you.'
John instantly ran to the hall window, as the words were evidently spoken by a person immediately outside, but no one was visible. He had scarcely placed his face at the pane3 of glass when he heard another loud 'Ho, ho, ho!' as if behind him in the hall; as quick as lightning he turned his head, but no living thing was to be seen.[55]
'Ho, ho, ho, John!' shouted a voice that appeared to come from the lawn before the house: 'do you think you'll see Teigue?—oh, never! as long as you live! so leave alone looking after him, and mind your business; there's plenty of company to dinner from Cork4 to be here to-day, and 'tis time you had the cloth laid.'
'Lord bless us! there's more of it!—I'll never stay another day here,' repeated John.
'Hold your tongue, and stay where you are quietly, and play no tricks on Mr. Pratt, as you did on Mr. Jervois about the spoons.'
John Sheehan was confounded by this address from his invisible persecutor5, but nevertheless he mustered6 courage enough to say, 'Who are you? come here, and let me see you, if you are a man'; but he received in reply only a laugh of unearthly derision, which was followed by a 'Good-bye—I'll watch you at dinner, John!'[56]
'Lord between us and harm! this beats all! I'll watch you at dinner! maybe you will! 'tis the broad daylight, so 'tis no ghost; but this is a terrible place, and this is the last day I'll stay in it. How does he know about the spoons? if he tells it I'm a ruined man! there was no living soul could tell it to him but Tim Barrett, and he's far enough off in the wilds of Botany Bay now, so how could he know it? I can't tell for the world! But what's that I see there at the corner of the wall! 'tis not a man! oh, what a fool I am! 'tis only the old stump7 of a tree! But this is a shocking place—I'll never stop in it, for I'll leave the house to-morrow; the very look of it is enough to frighten any one.'
The mansion8 had certainly an air of desolation; it was situated9 in a lawn, which had nothing to break its uniform level save a few tufts of narcissuses and a couple of old trees coeval10 with[57] the building. The house stood at a short distance from the road, it was upwards11 of a century old, and Time was doing his work upon it; its walls were weather-stained in all colours, its roof showed various white patches, it had no look of comfort; all was dim and dingy12 without, and within there was an air of gloom, of departed and departing greatness, which harmonised well with the exterior13. It required all the exuberance14 of youth and of gaiety to remove the impression, almost amounting to awe15, with which you trod the huge square hall, paced along the gallery which surrounded the hall, or explored the long rambling16 passages below stairs. The ballroom17, as the large drawing-room was called, and several other apartments, were in a state of decay; the walls were stained with damp, and I remember well the sensation of awe which I felt creeping over me when, boy as I was, and full of boyish life and wild and ardent[58] spirits, I descended18 to the vaults19; all without and within me became chilled beneath their dampness and gloom—their extent, too, terrified me; nor could the merriment of my two schoolfellows, whose father, a respectable clergyman, rented the dwelling20 for a time, dispel21 the feelings of a romantic imagination until I once again ascended22 to the upper regions.
John had pretty well recovered himself as the dinner-hour approached, and several guests arrived. They were all seated at the table, and had begun to enjoy the excellent repast, when a voice was heard in the lawn.
'Ho, ho, ho! Mr. Pratt, won't you give poor Teigue some dinner? ho, ho! a fine company you have there, and plenty of everything that's good; sure you won't forget poor Teigue?'
John dropped the glass he had in his hand.
'That is Teigue,' said Mr. Pratt, laughing, 'whom you must often have heard me mention.'
'And pray, Mr. Pratt,' inquired another gentleman, 'who is Teigue?'
'That,' he replied, 'is more than I can tell. No one has ever been able to catch even a glimpse of him. I have been on the watch for a whole evening with three of my sons, yet, although his voice sometimes sounded almost in my ear, I could not see him. I fancied, indeed, that I saw a man in a white frieze24 jacket pass into the door from the garden to the lawn, but it could be only fancy, for I found the door locked, while the fellow, whoever he is, was laughing at our trouble. He visits us occasionally, and sometimes a long interval25 passes between his visits, as in the present case; it is now nearly two years since we heard that hollow voice outside the window. He has never done any injury that we know of, and once when he broke a[60] plate, he brought one back exactly like it.'
'It is very extraordinary,' exclaimed several of the company.
'But,' remarked a gentleman to young Mr. Pratt, 'your father said he broke a plate; how did he get it without your seeing him?'
'When he asks for some dinner we put it outside the window and go away; whilst we watch he will not take it, but no sooner have we withdrawn26 than it is gone.'
'How does he know that you are watching?'
'That's more than I can tell, but he either knows or suspects. One day my brothers Robert and James with myself were in our back parlour, which has a window into the garden, when he came outside and said, "Ho, ho, ho! Master James and Robert and Henry, give poor Teigue a glass of whisky." James went out of the room, filled a glass with whisky, vinegar, and[61] salt, and brought it to him. "Here, Teigue," said he, "come for it now."—"Well, put it down, then, on the step outside the window." This was done, and we stood looking at it. "There, now, go away," he shouted. We retired27, but still watched it. "Ho, ho! you are watching Teigue! go out of the room, now, or I won't take it." We went outside the door and returned, the glass was gone, and a moment after we heard him roaring and cursing frightfully. He took away the glass, but the next day it was on the stone step under the window, and there were crumbs28 of bread in the inside, as if he had put it in his pocket; from that time he has not been heard till to-day.'
'Oh,' said the colonel, 'I'll get a sight of him; you are not used to these things; an old soldier has the best chance, and as I shall finish my dinner with this wing, I'll be ready for him when he speaks next—Mr. Bell, will you take a glass of wine with me?'[62]
'Ho, ho! Mr. Bell,' shouted Teigue. 'Ho, ho! Mr. Bell, you were a Quaker long ago. Ho, ho! Mr. Bell, you're a pretty boy! a pretty Quaker you were; and now you're no Quaker, nor anything else: ho, ho! Mr. Bell. And there's Mr. Parkes: to be sure, Mr. Parkes looks mighty29 fine to-day, with his powdered head, and his grand silk stockings and his bran-new rakish-red waistcoat. And there's Mr. Cole: did you ever see such a fellow? A pretty company you've brought together, Mr. Pratt: kiln-dried Quakers, butter-buying buckeens from Mallow Lane, and a drinking exciseman from the Coal Quay30, to meet the great thundering artillery general that is come out of the Indies, and is the biggest dust of them all.'
'You scoundrel!' exclaimed the colonel, 'I'll make you show yourself'; and snatching up his sword from a corner of the room, he sprang out of the window upon the lawn. In a moment a shout of laughter, so hollow,[63] so unlike any human sound, made him stop, as well as Mr. Bell, who with a huge oak stick was close at the colonel's heels; others of the party followed to the lawn, and the remainder rose and went to the windows. 'Come on, colonel,' said Mr. Bell; 'let us catch this impudent31 rascal32.'
'Ho, ho! Mr. Bell, here I am—here's Teigue—why don't you catch him? Ho, ho! Colonel Pratt, what a pretty soldier you are to draw your sword upon poor Teigue, that never did anybody harm.'
'Let us see your face, you scoundrel,' said the colonel.
'Ho, ho, ho!—look at me—look at me: do you see the wind, Colonel Pratt? you'll see Teigue as soon; so go in and finish your dinner.'
'If you're upon the earth, I'll find you, you villain33!' said the colonel, whilst the same unearthly shout of derision seemed to come from behind an angle of the building. 'He's[64] round that corner,' said Mr. Bell, 'run, run.'
They followed the sound, which was continued at intervals34 along the garden wall, but could discover no human being; at last both stopped to draw breath, and in an instant, almost at their ears, sounded the shout—
'Ho, ho, ho! Colonel Pratt, do you see Teigue now? do you hear him? Ho, ho, ho! you're a fine colonel to follow the wind.'
'Not that way, Mr. Bell—not that way; come here,' said the colonel.
'Ho, ho, ho! what a fool you are; do you think Teigue is going to show himself to you in the field, there? But, colonel, follow me if you can: you a soldier! ho, ho, ho!' The colonel was enraged35: he followed the voice over hedge and ditch, alternately laughed at and taunted36 by the unseen object of his pursuit (Mr. Bell, who was heavy, was soon thrown out); until at length, after being led a weary[65] chase, he found himself at the top of the cliff, over that part of the river Lee, which, from its great depth, and the blackness of its water, has received the name of Hell-hole. Here, on the edge of the cliff, stood the colonel out of breath, and mopping his forehead with his handkerchief, while the voice, which seemed close at his feet, exclaimed, 'Now, Colonel Pratt, now, if you're a soldier, here's a leap for you! Now look at Teigue—why don't you look at him? Ho, ho, ho! Come along; you're warm, I'm sure, Colonel Pratt, so come in and cool yourself; Teigue is going to have a swim!' The voice seemed as if descending37 amongst the trailing ivy38 and brushwood which clothes this picturesque39 cliff nearly from top to bottom, yet it was impossible that any human being could have found footing. 'Now, colonel, have you courage to take the leap? Ho, ho, ho! what a pretty soldier you are. Good-bye; I'll see you again in ten[66] minutes above, at the house—look at your watch, colonel: there's a dive for you'; and a heavy plunge40 into the water was heard. The colonel stood still, but no sound followed, and he walked slowly back to the house, not quite half a mile from the Crag.
'Well, did you see Teigue?' said his brother, whilst his nephews, scarcely able to smother41 their laughter, stood by.
'Give me some wine,' said the colonel. 'I never was led such a dance in my life; the fellow carried me all round and round till he brought me to the edge of the cliff, and then down he went into Hell-hole, telling me he'd be here in ten minutes; 'tis more than that now, but he's not come.'
'Ho, ho, ho! colonel, isn't he here? Teigue never told a lie in his life: but, Mr. Pratt, give me a drink and my dinner, and then good-night to you all,[67] for I'm tired; and that's the colonel's doing.' A plate of food was ordered; it was placed by John, with fear and trembling, on the lawn under the window. Every one kept on the watch, and the plate remained undisturbed for some time.
'Ah! Mr. Pratt, will you starve poor Teigue? Make every one go away from the windows, and Master Henry out of the tree, and Master Richard off the garden wall.'
The eyes of the company were turned to the tree and the garden wall; the two boys' attention was occupied in getting down; the visitors were looking at them; and 'Ho, ho, ho!—good luck to you, Mr. Pratt! 'tis a good dinner, and there's the plate, ladies and gentlemen. Good-bye to you, colonel!—good-bye, Mr. Bell! good-bye to you all!' brought their attention back, when they saw the empty plate lying on the grass; and Teigue's voice was heard no more[68] for that evening. Many visits were afterwards paid by Teigue; but never was he seen, nor was any discovery ever made of his person or character.
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1
fore
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| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
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2
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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3
pane
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| n.窗格玻璃，长方块 | |
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cork
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| n.软木，软木塞 | |
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persecutor
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| n. 迫害者 | |
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mustered
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| v.集合，召集，集结（尤指部队）( muster的过去式和过去分词 )；（自他人处）搜集某事物；聚集；激发 | |
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stump
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| n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走 | |
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mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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9
situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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10
coeval
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| adj.同时代的；n.同时代的人或事物 | |
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11
upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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12
dingy
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| adj.昏暗的，肮脏的 | |
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13
exterior
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| adj.外部的，外在的；表面的 | |
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14
exuberance
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| n.丰富；繁荣 | |
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15
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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16
rambling
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| adj.[建]凌乱的，杂乱的 | |
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ballroom
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| n.舞厅 | |
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18
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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19
vaults
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| n.拱顶( vault的名词复数 )；地下室；撑物跳高；墓穴 | |
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dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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21
dispel
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| vt.驱走，驱散，消除 | |
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22
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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23
artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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24
frieze
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| n.(墙上的)横饰带，雕带 | |
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25
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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26
withdrawn
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| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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crumbs
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| int. (表示惊讶)哎呀 n. 碎屑 名词crumb的复数形式 | |
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29
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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30
quay
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| n.码头，靠岸处 | |
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31
impudent
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| adj.鲁莽的，卑鄙的，厚颜无耻的 | |
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32
rascal
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| n.流氓；不诚实的人 | |
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33
villain
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| n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因 | |
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34
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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35
enraged
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| 使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤 | |
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36
taunted
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| 嘲讽( taunt的过去式和过去分词 )； 嘲弄； 辱骂； 奚落 | |
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37
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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38
ivy
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| n.常青藤，常春藤 | |
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39
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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40
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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41
smother
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| vt./vi.使窒息；抑制；闷死；n.浓烟；窒息 | |
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