The Ghost: A Modern Fantasy

ustins was distinguished even in Bruges. The aspect of the mansion, with its wide entrance and broad courtyard, on which the inner windows looked down in regular array, was simple and dignified in

ian brassware, the curious panellings, the oak-frames, the faience, the silver candlesticks, the Amsterdam toys in silver, the Antwerp incunables, and the

ic swans, with insatiable and endless appetites. We used to fe

held mysteries for me, even medical mysteries. During the first day or two I had thought that I understood it, and I had despised the sayings of Rosetta Rosa in the carriage, and the misgivings with which my original exam

uld be sure of was that this was by no means an instance of mysterious disease. There was no disease, as we understand the term. In particular, there was no decay of the nerve-centres. Alresca was well-in good health. What he lacked was the will to live-that strange and mystic

that had come to me of the sheer empir

and took care that he was well served. Perhaps it would be more correct to say that he had once taken care to be well served, and that the custom primarily established went on by its own momentum. For he did not exercise ev

n had, perhaps inevitably, fallen flat. Of course, the accident to and indisposition of Alresca had also contributed to this end. And there had been another factor i

and recuperate. Certain weekly papers of the irresponsible sort gave publicity to queer rumors-that Sir Cyril had fought a duel and been wounded, that he had been attacked one night in the streets, eve

f Sir Cyril Smart. But I preferred to remain inactive. Locked away in my writing-case

posed to be unconnected save in the way of business-those of Sir Cyril and Rosetta Rosa. I hesitated whether to send the dagger to Rosa, and finally decided that I would wait until I saw her again, if ever that should happen, and then do as cir

, under special conditions, we could travel, and one evening, after

ds came a sli

s made driving impossible for him, and he was far from being able to walk. After a time I contrived to hire a large rowing boat, and on fine afternoons it was our custom to lower him from the quay among the swans into this somewhat unwieldy craft

t was not plain. I was as much puzzled by his rise as I had been puzzled by his descent. But that did not prevent me from trying to persuade myself that this felicitous change in my patient's state must be due, after a

couch, ejecting from his mouth rings of the fine blue smoke of a Javanese cigar, a box of which I had found at the tobacco shop kept by two sisters at the corner of the Grande Place. I stood at the great central window, which was wide o

"your days as an in

you sa

lid could possibly enjoy that

murmured, savoring the perfume of the

u would have said: 'What

y think I am be

sure

never would happen. I am once more interested in life. The wish to live has

t displace the broken pieces of your thigh-bone, what ha

desty-your incu

not lessen my intense pleasure in the improvement. By this time I had a most genuine affection for Alresca. The rare qualities of the man-his serenity, his sense of justice, his invariable politeness and consideration, the pureness of his soul-had captured me completely. I was his f

," I sai

el

t wa

was

his

ht and driven off? What is the mystery

yelid

e expectation of death I wrote down certain matters. But these I shall now destroy. I am wiser, less morbid. I can perceive that there are fields

nd resumed my position near

; you will then no longer have to be carried a

he eja

ill come to an end, and yo

templatively, aft

singing was a

st throw yourself into that. It

you that I should

member. And even if you have, as you yourself

ant me at Chicago. I will go, and while there

then his face becam

gedy," he said at length. "It was founded on a trage

he wished to tell me any private hist

listeni

It was gro

e other day the little house in the R

fect

ightful severity-moods which subsided as quickly as they arose. At the age of three, just as I was beginning to talk easily, I became, for a period, subject to fits; and in one of these I lost the power of speech. I, Alresca, could make no sound; and for seven years that tenor w

tied as the poor dumb boy. I took pleasure in dumb animals, and had for pets a silver-gray cat, a goat, and a little spaniel. One afternoon-I should be about ten year

matter?' asked

said, 'I am

cannot be,'

was annoyed and angry-because she had done her lessons ill. I sent her home, but instead of going home she

if he had spoken roughly to the child it was done for the child's good, and that

ugh the kitchen. It was quite dark, and I knocked against something in the darkness. With an inarticulate scream, I raced up-stairs again to my parents' bedroom. I seized my mother by her night-dress and dragged her towards th

bosom, I clung convulsively to her. From a hook in the ceiling beam my father's corpse d

ad been displayed in this recital; and its solitary auditor was more moved by it than superficially appeared. Nei

ength, "that was t

roce

ging. Well, I cannot use my voice without thinking of the dreadful circum

d on the canal, and the swans were nothing now bu

was decidedly in a mood to be communicativ

distinguish that he was le

think not;" and I wondered if

advise you-either fall in love young or not at all. If you have a disappointment before you are t

sig

ng that he referred to his own

being in love meant to me? Probably not. I am aging now, but in my youth I was handsome, and I have had my voice. Women, the richest, the cleverest, the kindest-they fling themselves at such as me. There is no vanity in saying so; it is the simple fact. I might have married a hundred

ut me, and left me naked to the torment of an unrequited passion. I could not credit the depth of my misfortune, and at first it was impossible for me t

-she is,

ghed e

her goodness, that is all. She refused me. Good! At first I rebelled aga

nd through the wide entrance porch. In another moment the door of the salon was thrown open, and a figure stood radiant and

nd I have found you

turned h

nt, put out his arms, and then

ns of greeting, and our eyes followed her as she moved about, striking

orridor running to the right, and at the end of that corridor some steps and a landing and a door, and on the oth

u to Bruges, dear l

ere still here with Mr. Foster; and to-day, as I was travelling from Cologne to Ostend, the idea suddenly occurred to me to spend one night at B

ndeed?" laug

ee Rosa again, and so unexpectedly, and it was amazingly nice of her to include myself in her inquiries, and

ightful and intoxicating atmosphere, which spread itself through the chamber and enveloped the soul of Alresca. It was as if he fought against an influence, and then gradually yielded to the sweetness of it. I observed him c

dined?" as

d. "One does not dine a

u have so

nd peering at the furniture and bric-a-brac by the light of several candles. Between whiles she related to Alresca all the news of their operatic acquaintances-how this

Alresca queri

ting and hoping

d nothing of him. He is not

d our eyes met, but she made no sign that I could interpret. If she ha

en two windows. She picked them up, and began to pull t

leave I should like to go through the whole house. It seems such a quaint p

the

We can hav

g Rosa up the wide branching staircase of the house. We had left the owner with a re

first landing to

eft him, has it not?" she asked me suddenly, in a low, slightly apprehensi

reason I

cautiously. "At any ra

But he is still in a v

at is only-only a

never was the power of beauty used so artlessly, with such a complete unconsciousness. I began gloomily to speculate on the cha

liar to me, in

me down-stairs. Have

to my kn

e. Suddenly I tripped over an unexpected single stai

ee that ste

there. It is very strange and uncanny, and I shall insist

handle of the door she

l be a small room, and over the mantelp

iliar to me. The room was certainly a small one, but there was no little round pict

ng," I said, and

o, I a

e picture, and lifted

!" sh

ish mark on the wall, showing where

e the flicker of these candles," s

corridor. Her gri

at Alresca?

he

of the cor

le reason that he can't walk yet, not to mention climbing

ekeeper, evidently an old acquaintance, greeted Rosa with a curts

the couch, throwing into prominence the fine profile of Alresca's face. He had fallen asleep, or at any rate his eyes were closed. The copy of "Madame Bovary" la

He has come again

and listened. At that moment Rosa entered. Conceali

oined her, and

? Wh

dead,"

me that I ought to