The Silent House

rlieus of the Temple. For certain private reasons, not unconnected with economy, he occupied rooms in Geneva Square, Pimlico; and, for the purp

h his position. As his age was only twenty-five, there was ample time, he thought, to succeed in his profession; and, pending that desirabl

m a roaring thoroughfare into a silent quadrangle of tall grey houses, occupied by lodging-house keepers, city clerks and two or three artists, who represented the Bohemian element of the pla

rtained windows, and neat boxes of flowers. The windows glittered like diamonds, the door-knobs and plates shone with

way of cleanliness and order. One might hope to find such a haven in some somnole

flower-boxes on the ledges, the steps lacked whitewash, and the iron railings looked rusty for want of paint. Stray straws and scraps of paper found their way down the area, where the cracked pavement was

, and had been empty for over twenty years. By reason of its legend, its loneliness and grim appearance, it was known as the Silent House, and formed quite a feature of the place. Murder had been done long ago in one of its empty, dusty rooms, and it was since then that th

rors. House and apparition and legend had become quite a tradition, when the whole fantasy was ended in the summer of '95 by the unexpected occupation of the mans

e week extended into six months, and Mr. Berwin showed no signs of leaving, they left off speaking of the ghost and took to disc

admitted no one into the mansion; how he appeared to have plenty of money, and was frequently seen coming home more or less intoxicated; and how Mrs. Kebby,

life became unexpectedly entangled with that of the strange ge

rusting to find his way home by reason of two years' familiarity with the precincts. As it was impossible to see even the glare of the near gas lamp in the murky air, Lucian felt his way ca

able rooms, he was startled by hearing a deep, rich voice boom out almost at his feet. To make the p

t a man should put an enemy in his mouth to steal away his brains!" And

leaping back, with shaken nerv

oice, "which God will not bless!

sound, he stumbled against a man with his folded arms resting on the railings, and his face bent down on his arms. He made

shaking the stranger by the should

esture. "I am an object lesson to teetotalers; a warning to to

o home, sir," sai

s somewhere hereabout, b

said Denzil, trying to sharp

the stranger. "Where the deuce is No. 1

e man's arm. "Come with me. I

seemed to engender a mixture of terror and defiance which placed him on his guard against undue intimacy, even when s

s of this square. As you mention No. 13, I know you can be non

ed Berwin, evidently relieved, "who stays

than

rther speech was interrupted by a fit of coughing, which shook his lean figure severely. At its conclusion he w

plight. At the same time, he was impatient of lingering in the heart of the clammy fog at such a late hour; so, as his companion see

he asked, resisting the g

. You will be ill

of them?" asked

of

se who wish

ds he spoke to him in a soothing manner, as he would to a child: "I

Ah, God, I

gings occupied by himself, and by skirting the railings with due caution, he managed to half lead, half drag his companion to the house. When they stood before the door, and Berwin had assure

ng man by the arm. "I am afraid to go in by myself-

ence in alcohol, and he stood gasping and shivering on the th

ght, as it were, hollowed a gulf out of the tremendous gloom and made the house tenfold more ghostly than before. The footsteps of Denzil and Berwin sounding on the bare boards-for the hall was uncarpeted-waked hollow echoes, and when they paused the silence which ensued s

was placed on a small square table covered with a white cloth and a dainty cold supper. The young barrister noted that the napery, cutlery, and crystal were all o

is face turned away, and seemed as anxious now for his visitor to go as he had

ave the light burning,

, and added to his discourtesy by le

first meeting with the strang