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Page 6
Had it been necessary for any of them to earn his living, only in
some very modest capacity and on a very modest plane might they
have done so. Of the entire company only one--the youngest--
could claim even the celebrity that attached to his little
volume of war verses.
And now upon the lives of these every-day folk was destined to
break an event unique and extraordinary. Existence, that had
meandered without personal incident save of a description common
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 once in
their lives, they would find themselves interesting to the wider
world beyond their own limited circuit, and, for their friends and
acquaintance, the centre of a nine days' wonder.
Most of them, indeed, merely touched the hem of the mystery and
were not involved therein, but even for them a reflected glory
shone. They were at least objects of attraction elsewhere, and for
many months furnished conversation of a more interesting and
exciting character than any could ever claim to have provided
before.
The attitude to such an event, and the opinions concerning it, of
such people might have been pretty accurately predicted; nor would
it be fair to laugh at their terror and bewilderment, their
confusion of tongues and the fatuous theories they adventured by
way of explanation. For wiser than they--men experienced in the
problems of humanity and trained to solve its enigmas--were
presently in no better case.
A very trivial and innocent remark was prelude to the disaster; and
had the speaker guessed what his jest must presently mean in terms
of human misery, grief, and horror, it is certain enough that he
would not have spoken.
The women were gone to bed and the men sat around the fire smoking
and admiring Sir Walter's ancient blend of whisky. He himself had
just flung away the stump of his cigar and was admonishing his
son-in-law. "Church to-morrow, Tom. None of your larks. When
first you came to see me, remember, you went to church twice on
Sunday like a lamb. I'll have no backsliding."
"Mary will see to that, governor."
"And you, Henry."
Sir Walter, disappointed of his hopes respecting his nephew and
daughter, had none the less treated the young man with tact and
tenderness. He felt for Henry; he was also fond of him and
doubted not that the youth would prove a worthy successor. Thomas
May was one with whom none could quarrel, and he and his wife's
old flame were now, after the acquaintance of a week, on friendly
terms.
"I shan't fail, uncle."
"Will anybody have another whisky?" asked Sir Walter, rising.
It was the signal for departure and invariably followed the stroke
of a deep-mouthed, grandfather clock in the hail. When eleven
sounded, the master rose; but to-night he was delayed. Tom May
spoke.
"Fayre-Michell has never heard the ghost story, governor," he said,
"and Mr. Travers badly wants another drink. If he doesn't have
one, he won't sleep all night. He's done ten men's work to-day."
Mr. Fayre-Michell spoke.
"I didn't know you had a ghost, Sir Walter. I'm tremendously
interested in psychical research and so on. If it's not bothering
you and keeping you up--."
"A ghost at Chadlands, Walter?" asked Ernest Travers. "You never
told me."
"Ghosts are all humbug," declared another speaker--a youthful
"colonel" of the war.
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