The Silent House

e the Silent House was truly remarkable. He appeared to be bent upon banishin

sed kitchen, and bade him remark that the door leading into the yard was locked and bolted, and, from the rusty condition of the ironwork, could not hav

host were the only two living beings in the house, Berwin conducted his hal

, "drink this and draw near the fire; you must be

e claret-before the fire, while Berwin coughed and shivered, and muttered to himself about t

e you convinced that the struggling shadows on y

enzil stoutl

that there is no

explain what I saw to-night, but as surely as you were out of this house, some people were in it. How this affects you, or what reason you h

ole of it in one gulp. The strong liquor reddened his pallid face and bri

that I am a peaceful man, desirous of being

r to me, and our acquaintance is too slight to warrant my discussing your

the three kingdoms one

said Denzil, thinking his strange neighbo

ide here from those who wish me ill. I am dying, as you see," he cried, striking h

Lucian, rather start

have no concern," re

h, Mr. Berwin, so I

er so unhappy a creature as I? False name, false friend, in disgrace, in hiding! Cu

mazed by the man's fury. "Sha

isible effort. "Only go away and leave me to myself. '

ng that nothing could be done. "I hop

ngue, which contrasted strangely with his l

elf-he could see no meaning in his wild words and mad behaviour; but as he walked briskly back to his lodgings he came to the conclusion that the man was nothing worse than a tragic drunkard, haunted by terrors

n infected by the vulgar curiosity of the Square. Henceforth I'll neither see nor think of this drunken lunatic," and with such resolve he

ate, with her own ends to bring about is not to be denied by her puppets; and of thes

filching hand which was usually in every pocket save her own. She had neither kith nor kin, nor friends, nor even acquaintances; but, being something of a miser, sc

rwin then dressed and went out for a walk, despite Miss Greeb's contention that he took the air only at night, like an owl, and during his absence Mrs. Kebby attended to the bedroom. She then went about her own business, wh

s, which Mrs. Kebby usually did until excited by too copious drams of gin, when she talked freely and unwisely

rs; and when absolute knowledge failed she took to inventing details which did no small credit to her imagination. Also, she coul

ave remained an hour under his roof; but Mrs. Kebby was cunning enough to steer clear of such a danger in the most dexterous manner. She had a firm idea that Berwin had, in her own emphatic phrase, "done something" for wh

ont door, so that she could enter for her morning's work without disturbing him. The sitting-room door itself was not always l

antial flesh and blood figures which cast them. But in this quest, which was intended to put money into her own pocket, she failed entirely; and during the whole six months of Berwin's tenancy she never saw a living soul in No. 13 save her

eral journeys to and fro between hotel and house for that purpose. She laid the table, m

, who looked wretchedly ill. "You

ine,

answered Berwin imp

eight o'clock chimed from the steeple of a near church, and Mrs. Kebby, clinking her newly-received wages in her pocket, hurried out of the square to do her

home, Mrs. Kebby?" he asked, in t

ously, "sittin' afore the fire like Solomon

explained Blinders, "and

day. 'Ow d'ye know but what he won't be dead afore morning? Well, I don

nk, Mrs. Kebby, or

hristmas Eve for, if it ain't for folk to

comrade, and I'll be on duty a

as he likes," muttered Mrs. Kebby, and

son again, and later carried home her purchases to the miserable garret she occupied. In this den

mood, and had to fortify herself with an early

o Geneva Square as speedily as possible, fearful of a scolding. Having admitted herself into the house, Mrs. Kebby took up the tray with both hands, a

d amid the wreckage of glass and china lay Mark Berwin