Extracted from The House by the Churchyard by Sheridan Le Fanu, published by Appletree Press
The House by the Churchyard
by Sheridan Le Fanu
Prologue - part 7
"I—I beg your pardon, Sir: but I think—yes—the funeral has arrived; and for the present, I must bid you good-morning."
And so my uncle hurried to the church, where he assumed his gown, and the solemn rite proceeded.
When all was over, my uncle, after his wont, waited until he had seen the disturbed remains re-deposited decently in their place; and then, having disrobed, I saw him look with some interest about the church-yard, and I knew 'twas in quest of the old soldier.
"I saw him go away during the funeral," I said.
"Ay, the old pensioner," said my uncle, peering about in quest of him. And we walked through the town, and over the bridge, and we saw nothing of his cocked hat and red single-breasted frock, and returned rather disappointed to tea.
I ran into the back room which commanded the church-yard in the hope of seeing the old fellow once more, with his cane shouldered, grinning among the tombstones in the evening sun. But there was no sign of him, or indeed of anyone else there. So I returned, just as my uncle, havIng made the tea, shut down the lid of his silver tea-pot with a little smack; and wiIth a kind but absent smile upon me, he took his book, sat down and crossed one of his thin legs over the other, and waited pleasantly until the delightful infusion should be ready for our lips, reading his old volume, and with his disengaged hand gently stroking his long shin-bone.
In the meantime, I, who thirsted more for that tale of terror which the old soldier had all but begun, of which in that strangely battered skull I had only an hour ago seen face to face so grizzly a memento, and of which in all human probability I never was to hear more, looked out dejectedly from the window, when, whom should I behold marching up the street, at slow time towards the Salmon House, but the identical old soldier, cocked-hat, copper nose, great red single-breasted coat with its prodigious wide button-holes, leggings, cane, and all, just under the village tree.
"Here he is oh! Uncle Charles, here he comes," I cried.
"Eh, the soldier, is he?" said my uncle, tripping in the carpet in his eagerness, and all but breaking the window.
"So it is, indeed; run down, my boy, and beg him to come up."
But by the time I had reached the street, which you may be sure was not very long, I found my uncle had got the window up and was himself inviting the old boy, who having brought his left shoulder forward, thanked the curate, saluting soldier-fashion, with his hand to his hat, palm foremost. I've observed indeed that those grim old campaigners who have seen the world, make it a principle to accept anything in the shape of a treat. If it's had, why, it costs them nothing; and if good, so much the better.
So up he marched, and into the room with soldierly self-possession, and being offered tea, preferred punch,. and the ingredients were soon on the little round table by the fire, which, the evenIng being sharp, was pleasant; and the old fellow being seated, he brewed his nectar, to his heart's content; and as we sipped our tea in pleased attention, he, after his own fashion, commenced the story, to which I listened with an interest which I confess has never subsided.
'The House by the Churchyard' becomes almost a character in the story: our extracts continue
|
|
