The Grey Room

rn of their leaves at the edge of winter, still answered the setting sun with fires of thinning foliage. They sank away through stretches of brake fern, and already amid their trunks ar

grey pony, and a woman walked on each side of him. They chattered together, and the little company of twee

a later day than they, had been imposed two iron coats of arms, with crest above and motto beneath-the heraldic bearings of the present owner of Chadlands. He set store upon such things, but was not responsible for the work. A survival himself, and steeped

tenants held him the very exemplar of a landlord, and his servants worshipped him for the best possible reasons, his friends, weary of remonstrance, were forced to forgive his bad precedents and a mistaken liberality quite beyond the power of the average unfortunate who lives by his land. But he managed his great manor in his own lavish way, and marvelled that other men dec

rned to a young man lounging in an e

assume in private but the pair were not sophisticated and lovers still, though married. They lacked self-consciousness, and the husband liked to feel his wife's han

uncle!" said

had been handsome, save for a nose with a broken bridge, but his pale brown eyes were fine,

ts on his scoring board, and g

o-night,

red. Sir Walter wore an eyeglass. He was growing bald, but preserved a pair of grey whiskers still of respectable size. His face, indeed, belied him, for it was moulded in a stern pattern. One had guessed him a martinet until his amiable opinions and easy-going personality were manifested. The old man was not vain; he knew that a world very different from his own extended round about him. But he was puzzle-headed, and had never been

ir Walter's hope that he and Mary might marry. Nor had the youth any objection to such a plan. Indeed, he loved Mary well enough; there was even thought to be a tacit understanding between them, and they gre

d to Mesopotamia, speedily fell sick of jaundice, was invalided to India, and, on returning to the front, saw service against the Turks. But chance willed that he won no distinction. He did his duty under dreary circumstances, while to his hatred of war was added the weight of his loss when he heard that Mary had fallen in love. He was an ingenuous, kindly youth-a typical Le

, had saved his life. He was an impulsive man of thirty, brown-bearded, black-eyed, and hot-tempered. He came from a little Somerset vicarage and was the only son of a clergyman, the Rev. Septimus May. Knowing the lady as "Nurse Mary

gn that he even appreciated her ministry. The very whisper of his voice sent a thrill through her before he had gained strength to speak aloud. And his deep tones, when she heard them, were like no voice that had fallen on her ear till then. The first thing that indicated restoring health was his request that his beard might be trimmed; and he was making love to her three days after he had been declared out of danger. Then did Mary begin to live, and looking back, she marvelled how horses and dogs and a fishing-rod had been her life til

vor, had already befallen him. But he was deeply attached to his daughter, and her magical change under the new and radiant revelation convinced him that she had now awakened to an emotional fulness of life which could only be the outward sign of love. That she was in love for the first time also seemed clear; but he would not give his consent until he had seen her lover and heard

ace and breach of promise, I do think h

ut expected to return to his ship at Plymouth in a day or two. Then his father-in-law had promised to visit the great cruiser, for

Sir Walter at Eton. Their comradeship had lasted a lifetime, and no year passed without reciprocal visits. Travers also looked at life with the eyes of a wealthy man. He was sixty-five, pompous, large, and rubicund-a "backwoodsman" of a pattern obsolescent. His wife, ten years younger tha

other woman, a Diana, who lived for sport and had joined the house party w

, and two pheasants to-day," said

big frog in his own little puddle, none known far beyond it and none with sufficient intellect or ability to

ty and on a very modest plane might they have done so. Of the entire company only one-the

to them all, was, within twelve hours, to confront men and women alike with reality. They were destined to endure at close quarters an occurrence so astounding and unparalleled that, for

a reflected glory shone. They were at least objects of attraction elsewhere, and for many months furnished

be fair to laugh at their terror and bewilderment, their confusion of tongues and the fatuous theories they adventured by way of explana

e speaker guessed what his jest must presently mean in terms of human mise

imself had just flung away the stump of his cigar and was admonishing his son-in-law. "Church to-morrow, Tom. None of your

see to that

you,

enderness. He felt for Henry; he was also fond of him and doubted not that the youth would prove a worthy successor. Thomas May w

't fail

nother whisky?" aske

of a deep-mouthed, grandfather clock in the hall. When eleven sou

d, "and Mr. Travers badly wants another drink. If he doesn't have

e-Michel

emendously interested in psychical research and so

alter?" asked Ernest Tra

clared another speaker-a yo

at all. And that is my own impression. But an idle generality is always futile-indeed, any generality usually is. You have, at least

n without pride. "I didn't know

ically I bel

so does my wife-for the best possible re

e-Michel

ings," he said. "One may discredit the whole busines

ache. He had a small body on very long legs, and though a veteran

im. Indeed, they all agreed.

eople who profess to be able to do so-extremely doubtful characters, as a rule-that I think is much to be condemned. I deny that there are any living mediums of communication between the spirit worl

earth, a soldier who fell on the Maine, appeared to him and advised him not to do so. Tom's acquaintance could not say that he heard words uttered, but he c

ew York-told four others about it, and three took his tip and didn't

the dead as we ring up the living on a telephone. The idea is insufferable and indecent. Neither can anybody be used as a mouth-piece in that way, or tell us the present position or occupation and interests of a dead man-or what he smokes, or how h

ligious to attempt to get at these thi

vil spirits pretend sometimes to hoodwink us by posing as

a family spectre? Is it fairly well authenticated? Does it reign in a particular spot of house or garden? I ask from no idle curiosity. It i

s is an old Tudor place, and has been tinkered and altered in successive generations. We have one room at the eastern end of the great corridor which always suffered from a bad reputation. Nobody has ever seen anything in our time, and neither my father nor grandfathe

cause you any pain, Walt

haracter who never did anything that might be foreseen. She had never come to the family reunion before, yet appeared on this occasion, and declared that, as this was going to be her last Christmas on earth, she had felt it right to join the clan-my father being the head of the family. Her sudden advent strained our resources, I suppose, but she herself reminded us of the Grey Room, and, on hearing that it was empty, insisted on occupying it. The place is a bedroom, and my father, who personally entertained no dislike or dread of it, raised not the least objection to the strong-minded old lady's proposal. She retired, and was found dead on Christmas morning

e death she returned to her profession. She desired her bedroom to be as near the patient as possible, and objected, when she found it arranged at the other end of the corridor. 'Why not the next room?' she inquired; and I had to tell her that the next room suffered from a bad name and was not used. 'A bad name-is it unwholesome?' she asked; and I explained that traditions credited it with a sinister influence. 'In fact,' I said, 'it is supposed to be haunted. Not,' I adde

, and could not say that I was easy about it. I felt conscious of a discomfort which even her indifference did not entirely banish. I attributed it to my acute anxiety over Mary-also to a shadow of-what? It may have been irritation at Nurse Forrester's unconcealed cont

complished and quick-witted nurse. There seemed to be quite a touch of genius about her. Her voice was melodious and her touch gentle. I could appreciate her skill

in myself. Before I did so, Mary drank some milk and seemed to be holding her strength well. I was worn out, and despite my anxiety fell into deep sleep, and did not wake until my man called me half an hour earlier than usual. What he told me brought me quickly to my sense

Mary. I told him what had happened. He went in to look at my girl, and felt satisfied that she was holding her own well-indeed, he thought her stronger; and just as he told me so the do

poor little creature. An expression of wonder seemed to sit on her features, but otherwise she was looking much as I had last seen her, when she said 'Good-night.' Everything appeared to be orderly in the room. It was now flooded with the first light of a sunny morning, for she had drawn her blind up and thrown her window wide open. The poor lady passed out

of any physical trouble could be discovered to explain Nurse Forrester's death. She was thin, but organically sound in every particular, nor could the slightest trace of poison be reported. Life had simply left her without any physical reason. Search proved

ering afterwards told me. The finite mind of science hates, apparently, to be faced with any mystery beyond its power to explain. It regards such an incident as a challenge to human intell

r graves. Mary loves to tend it still, though to her the dead woman is but a name. Yet to this day she declares that she can remember Nurse Forrester's voice through her fever-gentle, yet musical and cheerful. As for me, I

roceed for the space of a minute. None,

now not-only a vague, oral tradition came to my father from his, and it is certain that neither of them attached any personal importance to it. But after such a pe

lady's death with the room,

ice. The horror of such a possibility to the normal mind is sufficient argument against it. Causes beyond our apparent knowledge were responsible for the death of Nurse Forrester; but who shall presume to say that was really so?

s beyond the skill of those particular s

other conclusion can a reasonable man come? I do not, of course, deny the supernat

question. He had listened with

particular spot, to the discomfort and even loss of reason, or life, of

nate being in life at any particular place, it is, in my opinion, monstrous to suppose his disembodied spirit will hereaf

tic-However, I admit the

eny that many strange and terrible things happen, fro

stence. At present it is full of lumber-old furniture and a pack of rubbishy family

nry Lennox. "I have no more respect for th

very bad, as you say, but they were most worthy peop

Mary showed it to me the first time I came here, and

ary says it should be called th

ing. "We will look in on our way to bed. Get the key from my