Detective and mystery stories, English; Horror tales, English
Inquiry has failed to elicit who this Seaton may have been. I may add
that the visit of the deceased to Allerton's Farm, and the general
nature of the alarm there, apart from his particular explanation, have
been absolutely established. With this foreword I append his account
exactly as he left it. It is in the form of a diary, some entries in
which have been expanded, while a few have been erased.
April 17.--Already I feel the benefit of this wonderful upland air.
The farm of the Allertons lies fourteen hundred and twenty feet above
sea-level, so it may well be a bracing climate. Beyond the usual
morning cough I have very little discomfort, and, what with the fresh
milk and the home-grown mutton, I have every chance of putting on
weight. I think Saunderson will be pleased.
The two Miss Allertons are charmingly quaint and kind, two dear little
hard-working old maids, who are ready to lavish all the heart which
might have gone out to husband and to children upon an invalid
stranger. Truly, the old maid is a most useful person, one of the
reserve forces of the community. They talk of the superfluous woman,
but what would the poor superfluous man do without her kindly presence?
By the way, in their simplicity they very quickly let out the reason
why Saunderson recommended their farm. The Professor rose from the
ranks himself, and I believe that in his youth he was not above scaring
crows in these very fields.
It is a most lonely spot, and the walks are picturesque in the extreme.
The farm consists of grazing land lying at the bottom of an irregular
valley. On each side are the fantastic limestone hills, formed of rock
so soft that you can break it away with your hands. All this country
is hollow. Could you strike it with some gigantic hammer it would boom
like a drum, or possibly cave in altogether and expose some huge
subterranean sea. A great sea there must surely be, for on all sides
the streams run into the mountain itself, never to reappear. There are
gaps everywhere amid the rocks, and when you pass through them you find
yourself in great caverns, which wind down into the bowels of the
earth. I have a small bicycle lamp, and it is a perpetual joy to me to
carry it into these weird solitudes, and to see the wonderful silver
and black effect when I throw its light upon the stalactites which
drape the lofty roofs. Shut off the lamp, and you are in the blackest
darkness. Turn it on, and it is a scene from the Arabian Nights.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account