"It's all right, Petrie!" cried the apparition2; "I've leased The Gables!"
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episode of the false pigtail." He threw a small brown leather grip upon the floor. "In case you should care to visit the house, Petrie, I have brought these things. My tenancy commences to-night!"
Two days had elapsed, and I had entirely5 forgotten the strange story of The Gables which Inspector6 Weymouth had related to us; evidently it was otherwise with my friend, and utterly7 at a loss for an explanation of his singular behaviour, I stooped mechanically and opened the grip. It contained an odd assortment8 of garments, and amongst other things several grey wigs9 and a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles.
Kneeling there with this strange litter about me, I looked up amazedly. Nayland Smith, the unsuitable silk hat set right upon the back of his head, was pacing the room excitedly, his fuming10 pipe protruding11 from the tangle12 of factitious beard.
"You see, Petrie," he began again, rapidly, "I did not entirely trust the agent. I've leased the house in the name of Professor Maxton...."
"But, Smith," I cried, "what possible reason can there be for disguise?"
"There's every reason," he snapped.
"Why should you interest yourself in The Gables?"
"Does no explanation occur to you?"
"Then you won't come?"
"I've never stuck at anything, Smith," I replied, "however undignified, when it has seemed that my presence could be of the slightest use."
As I rose to my feet, Smith stepped in front of me, and the steely grey eyes shone out strangely from the altered face. He clapped his hands upon my shoulders.
"If I assure you that your presence is necessary to my safety," he said, "that if you fail me I must seek another companion—will you come?"
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Intuitively, I knew that he was keeping something back, and I was conscious of some resentment15, but, nevertheless, my reply was a foregone conclusion, and—with the borrowed appearance of an extremely untidy old man—I crept guiltily out of my house that evening and into the cab which Smith had waiting.
The Gables was a roomy and rambling16 place lying back a considerable distance from the road. A semi-circular drive gave access to the door, and so densely17 wooded was the ground, that for the most part the drive was practically a tunnel—a verdant18 tunnel. A high brick wall concealed19 the building from the point of view of any one on the roadway, but either horn of the crescent drive terminated at a heavy, wrought-iron gateway20.
Smith discharged the cab at the corner of the narrow and winding21 road upon which The Gables fronted. It was walled in on both sides; on the left the wall being broken by tradesmen's entrances to the houses fronting upon another street, and on the right following, uninterruptedly, the grounds of The Gables. As we came to the gate—
"Nothing now," said Smith, pointing into the darkness of the road before us, "except a couple of studios, until one comes to the Heath."
He inserted the key in the lock of the gate and swung it creakingly open. I looked into the black arch of the avenue, thought of the haunted residence that lay hidden somewhere beyond, of those who had died in it—especially of the one who had died there under the trees ... and found myself out of love with the business of the night.
"Come on!" said Nayland Smith briskly, holding the gate open; "there should be a fire in the library, and refreshments23, if the charwoman has followed instructions."
I heard the great gate clang to behind us. Even had there been any moon (and there was none) I doubted if more than a patch or two of light could
[194]
have penetrated24 there. The darkness was extraordinary. Nothing broke it, and I think Smith must have found his way by the aid of some sixth sense. At any rate, I saw nothing of the house until I stood some five paces from the steps leading up to the porch. A light was burning in the hall-way, but dimly and inhospitably; of the façade of the building I could perceive little.
When we entered the hall and the door was closed behind us, I began wondering anew what purpose my friend hoped to serve by a vigil in this haunted place. There was a light in the library, the door of which was ajar, and on the large table were decanters, a siphon, and some biscuits and sandwiches. A large grip stood upon the floor also. For some reason which was a mystery to me, Smith had decided25 that we must assume false names whilst under the roof of The Gables; and—
"Now, Pearce," he said, "a whisky-and-soda before we look around?"
The proposal was welcome enough, for I felt strangely dispirited, and, to tell the truth, in my strange disguise not a little ridiculous.
All my nerves, no doubt, were highly strung, and my sense of hearing unusually acute, for I went in momentary26 expectation of some uncanny happening. I had not long to wait. As I raised the glass to my lips and glanced across the table at my friend, I heard the first faint sound heralding27 the coming of the bells.
It did not seem to proceed from anywhere within the library, but from some distant room, far away overhead. A musical sound it was, but breaking in upon the silence of that ill-omened house, its music was the music of terror. In a faint and very sweet cascade28 it rippled29; a ringing as of tiny silver bells.
I set down my glass upon the table, and rising slowly from the chair in which I had been seated,
[195]
stared fixedly30 at my companion, who was staring with equal fixity at me. I could see that I had not been deluded31; Nayland Smith had heard the ringing, too.
"The ghosts waste no time!" he said softly. "This is not new to me; I spent an hour here last night—and heard the same sound...."
I glanced hastily around the room. It was furnished as a library, and contained a considerable collection of works, principally novels. I was unable to judge of the outlook, for the two lofty windows were draped with heavy purple curtains which were drawn32 close. A silk-shaded lamp swung from the centre of the ceiling, and immediately over the table by which I stood. There was much shadow about the room; and now I glanced apprehensively33 about me, but specially22 toward the open door.
"There it is again!" whispered Smith tensely.
The ringing of bells was repeated, and seemingly much nearer to us; in fact it appeared to come from somewhere above, up near the ceiling of the room in which we stood. Simultaneously35 we looked up, then Smith laughed shortly.
"Instinctive36, I suppose," he snapped; "but what do we expect to see in the air?"
The musical sound now grew in volume; the first tiny peal37 seemed to be reinforced by others and by others again, until the air around about us was filled with the pealings of these invisible bell-ringers.
Although, as I have said, the sound was rather musical than horrible, it was, on the other hand, so utterly unaccountable as to touch the supreme38 heights of the uncanny. I could not doubt that our presence had attracted these unseen ringers to the room in which we stood, and I knew quite well that I was growing pale. This was the room in which at
[196]
least one unhappy occupant of The Gables had died of fear. I recognized the fact that if this mere39 overture40 were going to affect my nerves to such an extent, I could not hope to survive the ordeal41 of the night; a great effort was called for. I emptied my glass at a draught42, and stared across the table at Nayland Smith with a sort of defiance43. He was standing44 very upright and motionless, but his eyes were turning right and left, searching every visible corner of the big room.
"Good!" he said in a very low voice. "The terrorizing power of the Unknown is boundless45, but we must not get in the grip of panic, or we could not hope to remain in this house ten minutes."
I nodded without speaking. Then Smith, to my amazement, suddenly began to speak in a loud voice, a marked contrast to that, almost a whisper, in which he had spoken formerly46.
"My dear Pearce," he cried, "do you hear the ringing of bells?"
Clearly the latter words were spoken for the benefit of the unseen intelligence controlling these manifestations47; and although I regarded such finesse49 as somewhat wasted, I followed my friend's lead and replied in a voice as loud as his own:
"Distinctly, Professor!"
Silence followed my words, a silence in which both stood watchful50 and listening. Then, very faintly, I seemed to detect the silvern ringing receding51 away through distant rooms. Finally it became inaudible, and in the stillness of The Gables I could distinctly hear my companion breathing. For fully52 ten minutes we two remained thus, each momentarily expecting a repetition of the ringing, or the coming of some new and more sinister53 manifestation48. But we heard nothing and saw nothing.
He turned and walked out of the library, his
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boots creaking very loudly in that awe-inspiring silence.
Standing beside the table, I watched the open door for his return, crushing down a dread55 that another form than his might suddenly appear there.
I could hear him moving from room to room, and presently, as I waited in hushed, tense watchfulness56, he came in, depositing the grip upon the table. His eyes were gleaming feverishly57.
"The house is haunted, Pearce!" he cried. "But no ghost ever frightened me! Come, I will show you your room."
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1
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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apparition
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| n.幽灵，神奇的现象 | |
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amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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memorable
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| adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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7
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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8
assortment
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| n.分类，各色俱备之物，聚集 | |
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9
wigs
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| n.假发，法官帽( wig的名词复数 ) | |
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10
fuming
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| 愤怒( fume的现在分词 )； 大怒； 发怒； 冒烟 | |
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11
protruding
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的现在分词 )；凸 | |
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12
tangle
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| n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱 | |
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13
smacks
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| 掌掴（声）( smack的名词复数 )； 海洛因； （打的）一拳； 打巴掌 | |
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14
stark
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| adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地 | |
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15
resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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16
rambling
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| adj.[建]凌乱的，杂乱的 | |
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17
densely
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| ad.密集地；浓厚地 | |
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18
verdant
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| adj.翠绿的，青翠的，生疏的，不老练的 | |
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19
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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20
gateway
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| n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法 | |
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21
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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22
specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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23
refreshments
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| n.点心,便餐;(会议后的)简单茶点招 待 | |
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24
penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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25
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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26
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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27
heralding
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| v.预示( herald的现在分词 )；宣布（好或重要） | |
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28
cascade
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| n.小瀑布，喷流；层叠；vi.成瀑布落下 | |
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29
rippled
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| 使泛起涟漪（ripple的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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30
fixedly
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| adv.固定地；不屈地，坚定不移地 | |
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31
deluded
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| v.欺骗，哄骗( delude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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32
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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33
apprehensively
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| adv.担心地 | |
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34
suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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35
simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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36
instinctive
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| adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的 | |
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37
peal
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| n.钟声；v.鸣响 | |
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38
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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40
overture
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| n.前奏曲、序曲，提议，提案，初步交涉 | |
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41
ordeal
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| n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验 | |
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42
draught
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| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
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43
defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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44
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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45
boundless
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| adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的 | |
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46
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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47
manifestations
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| n.表示，显示（manifestation的复数形式） | |
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48
manifestation
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| n.表现形式；表明；现象 | |
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49
finesse
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| n.精密技巧，灵巧，手腕 | |
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50
watchful
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| adj.注意的，警惕的 | |
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51
receding
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| v.逐渐远离( recede的现在分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题 | |
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52
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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53
sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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54
hissed
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| 发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对 | |
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55
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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56
watchfulness
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| 警惕，留心； 警觉（性） | |
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57
feverishly
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| adv. 兴奋地 | |
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