Learn English Through Story ☆ Subtitles ✔ The Woman in White

you the story told by Walter Hart right chapter one a meeting by moonlight it was the last day of July the long hot summer was coming to an end and I was feeling ill and depressed I was also short of money so I had little chance of escaping from the dusty London streets and would have to spend the autumn economically between my rooms in the city and my mother's house my mother and my sister Sarah lived in a cottage Enhanced it in the northern suburbs and I usually went to see them twice a week this evening I arrived at the gate of the cottage just as it was starting to get dark I had hardly rung the bell before the door was opened violently and my Italian friend Professor Pesce rushed out to greet me pesco was a language teacher who had left Italy for political reasons and had made his home in England he was a strange excitable little man he was always trying to be more English than the English I had met him from time to time when he was teaching in the same houses as I was and then one day I met him by chance in Brighton we agreed to go for a swim together in the sea he was very enthusiastic and it never for a moment occurred to me that he did not know how to swim fortunately when he suddenly sank to the bottom I was able to dive down and save him from that day on he was my grateful friend and that evening he showed his gratitude to me in a way that changed my whole life now my good friends he said when we were all in my mother's sitting room I have some wonderful news for you I have been asked by my employer to recommend a drawing teacher for a post who with a rich family in the north of England and who do you think I have recommended the best drawing teacher in the world mr. Walter Hart right my dear pesca how could you are - Walter exclaimed my mother how kind how generous you are as for myself although I was certainly grateful for his kindness I still felt strangely depressed I thanked him warmly however and asked to see the conditions the note he gave me said that a qualified drawing teacher was wanted by mr. Frederick Fairley of Limerick house Cumberland to teach his two young nieces for a period of at least four months the teacher was to live at Limerick house as a gentleman and received four pounds a week letters to show he was of good character would be required the position was certainly an attractive one and I could not understand why I felt so little enthusiasm for it however since my mother and sister thought it was a great opportunity and I had no wish to hurt Pesce stealing's I agreed to apply for the job the next morning I sent my letters of recommendation to the professor's employer and four days later I heard that mr. Fairley accepted my services and requested me to start for Cumberland immediately I arranged to leave the next day and in the evening I walked to Hampstead to say goodbye to my mother and Sarah when I left them at midnight a full moon was shining in a dark blue starless sky and the air was soft and warm I decided to take the long route home and walk across Hampstead Heath before joining a road into the center of the city after a while I came to a crossroads and turned onto the London Road I was lost in my own thoughts wondering about the two young ladies in Cumberland when suddenly my heart seemed to stop beating a hand had touched my shoulder from behind I turned at once my hand tightening on my walking stick there as if it had dropped from the sky stood the of a woman dressed from head to foot in white clothes I was too surprised to speak is that the road into London she said I looked at her carefully it was then nearly 1 o'clock all I could see in the moonlight was a young colorless face large sad eyes and light brown hair her mana was quiet and self-controlled what sort of woman she was and why she was out so late alone I could not guess but there was nothing evil about her indeed a kind of sad innocence seemed to come from her did you hear me she said quietly and rapidly yes I replied that's the road please excuse me I was rather surprised by your sudden appearance you don't suspect me of doing anything wrong do you no no seeing you so suddenly gave me a shock that's all I heard you coming she said and hid behind those trees to see what sort of man you were before I risked speaking may I trust you her eyes searched my face anxiously her loneliness and helplessness were so obvious that I felt great sympathy for her tell me how I can help you I said and if I can I will oh thank you thank you he were very kind her voice trembled a little as she spoke you don't know London at all can I get a cab or a carriage at this time of night could you show me where to get one and will you promise not to interfere with me I have a friend in London who will be glad to receive me I want nothing else will you promise she looked nervously up and down the road then back at me how could I refuse her fear and confusion were painful to see will you promise she repeated yes we set off together towards the centre of London it was like a dream walking along that familiar Road was so strange and so mysterious a companion at my side do you know any men of the rank of baronet in London she asked suddenly there was a note of suspicion in the strange question and when I said I knew no baronet's she seemed relieved I questioned her further and she murmured that she had been cruelly used by a baronet she would not name she told me she came from Hampshire and asked if I lived in London I explained that I did but that I was leaving for Cumberland the next day Cumberland she repeated softly oh I wish I was going there too I was once happy in Cumberland in Limerick village I'd like to see Limerick house again Limerick house I stopped amazed what's wrong she asked anxiously did you hear anybody calling after us no no it's just that I heard the name of Limerick house very recently do you know somebody there I did once she said but mrs. Farrelly is dead and her husband and is dead and their little girl may be married and gone away perhaps she would have told me more but just at that moment we saw a cab I stopped it and she quickly got in please I said let me see you safely to your friend's house no no she cried I'm quite safe and you must let me go remember your promise but thank you oh thank you she caught my hand in hers kissed it and pushed it away the cab disappeared into the black shadows on the road and the woman in white had gone ten minutes later I was still on the same road thinking uneasily about the whole adventure when I heard wheels behind me an open carriage with two men in it past me then stopped when they saw a policeman walking further down the street officer cried one of the men have you seen a woman past this way a woman in white clothes no sir why what has she done done she has escaped from my asylum an asylum but the woman had not seemed mad to me nervous and a little strange perhaps but not mad what had I done had I helped a woman wrongly imprisoned to escape or had I failed to protect a sick person who might come to harm these disturbing thoughts kept me awake all night after I had got back to my rooms until at last it was time to leave London and set out for Cumberland my traveling instructions directed me to Carlisle and then to change trains for Limerick however because of a long delay I missed my connection and did not get to Limerick till past 10 a servant in rather a bad temper was waiting for me at the station with a carriage and when I arrived at Limerick house everyone had gone to bed I was shown to my room and when I at last put out the candle I thought to myself what shall I see in my dreams tonight the woman in white or the unknown inhabitants of this Cumberland house [Music] chapter 2 life at Limerick house [Music] when I got up the next morning I was greeted by bright sunlight and a view of blue sea through the window the future suddenly seemed full of promise I found my way down to the breakfast room and there looking out of a window with her back turned to me was a young woman with a perfect figure but when she turned and walked towards me I saw to my surprise that her face was ugly hair grew on her upper lip and her mouth was large and firm it was almost a man's face but the friendly smile she gave me softened it and made her look more womanly she welcomed me in a pleasant educated voice and introduced herself as Marian Halcomb Miss Fairley's half-sister my mother was twice married she explained in her easy friendly manner the first time to mr. Halcomb my father and the second time to mr. Fairley my half-sisters father my father was a poor man and Miss Fairley's father was a rich man I've got nothing and she has a fortune I'm dark and ugly and she's fair and pretty she said all this quite happily my sister and I are very fond of each other so you must please both of us mr. Hart right or please neither of us she then told me that Miss Fairley had a headache that morning and was being looked after by mrs. VZ an elderly lady who had once been Miss Fairley's governess so we shall be alone at breakfast mr. hot right she said as for mr. Farrelly your employer you will doubtless meet him later he is Miss Fairley's uncle a single man who became Miss Fairley's guardian when her parents died he suffers from some mysterious illness of the nerves and never leaves his rooms while we ate breakfast she described the quiet regular life that she and her sister led do you think he will get used to it she said Oh will you be restless and wish for some adventure hearing the word adventure reminded me of my meeting with a woman in white and her reference to mrs. Farrelly I told miss Halcomb all about my adventure and she showed an eager interest especially in the mention of her mother but you didn't find out the woman's name she said I'm afraid not only that she came from Hampshire well I shall spend the morning said Miss Halcomb looking through my mother's letters I am sure I will find some clues there to explain this mystery lunch is at two o'clock mr. Hart right and I shall introduce you to my sister then after breakfast mr. Fairley's personal servant Lois came to tell me that mr. Farrelly would like to see me I follow the servant upstairs and was shown into a large room full of art treasures there in an armchair said a small pale delicate looking man of about fifty despite his fine clothes and the valuable rings on his soft white fingers there was something very unattractive about him so glad to have you here mr. Hart right he said in a high complaining voice please sit down but don't move the chair in my state of nerves any movement is painful to me may I ask if you have found everything satisfactory here at limerick when I began to reply he had once raced his hand to stop me the briefs excuse me but could you speak more softly I simply cannot bear loud voices or indeed any kind of loud sound the interview did not last long as mr. fairly quickly lost interest in it he informed me that the ladies would make all the arrangements for their drawing lessons I suffer so much from my nerves mr. Hart right he said do you mind ringing the bell for Louie thank you good morning with great relief I left the room and spent the rest of the morning looking forward to lunchtime when I would be introduced to miss Fairley at two o'clock I entered the dining room and found miss Halcomb seated at the table with a rather fat lady who smiled all the time this I discovered was mrs. VZ we started eating and before long we had finished lunch with still no sign of Miss Fairley miss howcome noticed my frequent glances at the door I understand you mr. Hart right she said you are wondering about your other student well she has got over her headache but did not want any lunch if he will follow me I think I can find her somewhere in the garden we walked out together along a path through the garden until we came to a pretty summerhouse inside I could see a young lady standing near a table looking out at the view and turning the pages of a little drawing book this was miss Lora fairly how can I describe her how can I separate this moment from all that has happened since then in a drawing I later made of her she appears as a light youthful figure wearing a simple white and blue striped dress and a summer hat her hair is light brown almost gold and she has eyes that are clear and blue with a look of truth in them they give her whole face such a charm that it is difficult to notice each individual feature the delicate though not perfectly straight nose the sweet sensitive mouth the life and beauty of her face lies in her eyes such was my impression but at the same time I felt there was something about her that I could not explain something that I ought to remember but could not in fact I was thinking about this so much that I could hardly answer when she greeted me miss Halcomb believing I was shy quickly said look at your perfect student and she pointed the sketches she has already started work before your lessons have begun you must show them to mr. Hart right Laura when we go for a drive was fairly laughed with bright good humor I hope he will give his true opinion of them and not just say something to please me she said may I inquire why you say that I asked because I shall believe all that you tell me she answered simply in those few words she gave me the key to her own trusting truthful character later we went for our promised drive but I must confess that I was far more interested in Miss Fairley's conversation than our sketches I soon realized I was behaving more like a guest than a drawing teacher and when I was on my own again I felt uneasy and dissatisfied with myself at dinner that evening these feelings soon disappeared and when the meal was over we went into a large sitting room with glass doors leading into the garden mrs. VZ fell asleep in an armchair and Miss Halcomb sat near a window to look through her mother's letters but my request was fairly played the piano how will I ever forget that peaceful picture the flowers outside the music of Mozart miss how come reading the letters in the half-light the delicate outline of Miss Fairley's face against the dark wall it was an evening of sights and sounds to remember forever later when Miss Fairley had finished playing and had wandered out into the moonlit garden miss how come called me mr. Hart right will you come here for a minute I went over and she showed me a letter it's from my mother to her second husband 12 years ago she mentions a lady from Hampshire called mrs. Catholic who would come to look after her sick sister living in the village it seems she brought her only child with her a little girl called Anne who was about a year older than Laura I was at a school in Paris at the time my mother who took a great interest in the village school says the little girl was slow in learning so she gave her lessons here at the house she also gave her some of Laura's white dresses and white hats saying she looked better in white than any other colour she says that little an Catholic was so grateful and loved her so much that one day she kissed her hand and said I'll always wear white as long as I live it will help me to remember you miss Halcomb stopped and looked at me did the woman you met that night seemed young enough to be twenty-two or twenty-three yes miss Halcomb as young as that and was she dressed from head to foot all in white all in white from where I sat I could see Miss Fairley walking in the gun and the whiteness of her dress in the moonlight suddenly made my heart beat faster no listen to what my mother says at the end of the letter Miss Halcomb continued it will surprise you she says that perhaps the real reason for her liking little Anne Catholic so much was that she looked exactly like before she could finish I jumped up outside stood miss Fairley a white figure alone in the moonlight and suddenly I realized what it was that I had been unable to remember it was the extraordinary likeness between miss Laura Fairley and the runaway from the asylum the woman in white you see it said miss Halcomb just as my mother saw the likeness between them years ago yes I replied but very unwillingly to connect that lonely friendless woman even by an accidental likeness to miss Fairley disturbs me very much I don't like to think of it please call her in from that horrible moonlight say anything about this likeness to Laura she said it will be a secret between you and me then she called miss Farrelly in asking her to play the piano again and so my first eventful day at Limerick house came to an end the days passed the weeks passed and some are changed into a golden autumn a peaceful happy time but at last I had to confess to myself my real feelings for miss fanny I loved her everyday I was near her in that dangerous closeness which exists between teacher and student often as we bent over her sketchbook our hands and faces almost touched I breathed the perfume of her hair I should have put a professional distance between myself and her as I had always done with my students in the past but I did not and it was soon too late by the third month of my stay in Cumberland I was lost in dreams of love and blind to the dangers ahead of me then the first warning finally came from her in the space of one night she changed towards me there was a sudden nervous distance and a kind of sadness in her attitude the pain I felt at that moment is beyond description but I knew then that she had changed because she had suddenly discovered not only my feelings but her own as well this change was also reflected in Miss Halcomb who said nothing unusual to me but who had developed a new habit of always watching me this new and awful situation continued for some time until on a Thursday near the end of the third month I was at last rescued by the sensible and courageous miss Halcomb have you got a moment for me she asked after breakfast shall we go into the garden we walked to the summerhouse and went inside Miss Halcomb turned to me mr. Hart write what I have to say to you I can say here now I know that you are a good man who always acts correctly your story about that unhappy woman in London proves that as your friend I must tell you that I have discovered your feelings for my sister Laura although you have done nothing wrong except show weakness I must tell you to leave Limerick house before any harm is done and there is something else I must tell you which will also give you pain will you shake hands with your friend Marian Halcomb first she spoke with such kindness that I shook her hand you must leave because Laura Farrelly is to be married the last word went like a bullet to my heart I turned white I felt cold with one word all my hopes disappeared you must put an end to your feelings here where you first met her I will hide nothing from you she's not marrying for love but because of a promise she made to her father just before he died the man she is to marry arrives here next Monday let me go today I said bitterly the sooner the better no not today that would look strange wait till tomorrow after the post has arrived say to mr. Farrelly that you have received bad news and must return to London I will follow your advice miss Halcomb I said sadly but may I ask who the gentlemen engaged to miss Farrelly is a rich man from Hampshire Hampshire again a connection with an Catholic and his name I asked as calmly as I could sir percival Glyde sir I remembered an Catholics suspicious question about baronet's and my voice shook a little as I asked is he a baronet she paused for a moment then answered yes a baronet Chapter three the unsigned letter as I sat alone in my room later that morning my thoughts crowded in on me there was no reason at all for me to connect sir percival glide with the man who had made an catholic so afraid but I did my suffering was great but even greater was my feeling that some terrible invisible danger lay ahead of us then I heard a knock at my door it was miss Halcomb mr. Hart right I am sorry to disturb you but you are the only person who can advise me a letter has just arrived from his fairly a horrible unsigned letter warning her not to marry sir percival glide it has upset my sister very much should I try to find out who wrote it or wait to speak to mr Gilmore mr. Fairley his legal adviser who arrives tomorrow she gave me the letter there was no greeting no signature do you believe in dreams miss fairly last night I dreamt I saw you in your white wedding dress in a church so pretty so innocent by your side stood a man with the scar of an old wound on his right hand a handsome man but with a black evil heart a man who was brought misery to many and who will bring misery to you and in my dream I cried for you find out the past life of this man miss Fairley before you marry him I send you this warning because your mother was my first my best my only friend his last words suggested an idea to me which I was afraid to mention was I in danger of losing my balance of mind why should everything lead back to the woman in white I think a woman wrote this letter said Miss Halcomb it certainly refers to sir Percival I remember that scar what should i do mr. Hart right this mystery must be solved mr Gilmore is coming to discuss the financial details of Miss Fairley's marriage and sir Percival arrives on Monday to fix the date of the marriage though miss Farrelly does not know this yet the date of the marriage those words filled me with jealous despair perhaps there was some truth in this letter if I could find the writer perhaps I would find a way to prove that sir Percival Glyde was not the honest man he seemed I think we should begin inquiries at once I said the longer we delay the harder it will be to find out anything we questioned the servants and learnt that the letter had been delivered by an elderly woman who had then disappeared in the direction of the village people in Limerick remembered seeing the woman but no one could tell us who she was or where she had come from finally I suggested asking the schoolteacher as we approached a school door we could hear the teacher shouting at one of the boys saying angrily that there were no such things as ghosts it was an awkward moment but we went in anyway and asked our question the teacher could tell us nothing however as we turned to leave miss Halcomb spoke to the boys standing in the corner are you the foolish boy who was talking about ghosts yes miss but I saw one I saw it yesterday in the churchyard I did it was it was the ghost of mrs. Farrelly his answer visibly shocked Toomas Halcomb and the teacher quickly stepped in to explain that the silly boy had said he had seen or probably imagined a woman in white standing next to mrs. Fairley's grave as he passed the churchyard yesterday evening there was nothing more to it than that what is your opinion of this miss Halcomb asked me as we went out of the school the boy may have seen someone I said but not a ghost I think we should examine the grave I have this suspicion miss Halcomb that the writer of the letter and the imagined ghost in the churchyard might be the same person she stopped turned pale and looked at me what person and Catholic I replied the woman in white I don't know why but your suspicion frightens me she said slowly I will show you the grave and then I must go back to Laura we'll meet again at the house later in the churchyard I examined mrs. Fairley's grave carefully and noticed that the gravestone had been partly cleaned perhaps the person who had done the cleaning would return to finish the job I decided to come back that evening and watch back at the house I explained my plan to miss Halcomb who seemed uneasy but made no objection so as the Sun began to go down I walked to the churchyard chose my position and waited after about half an hour I heard footsteps then two women passed in front of me and walked to the grave one wore a long cloak with a hood over her head hiding her face below the cloak a little of her dress was visible a white dress the other and said something to her companion and then walked away round the corner of the church leaving the woman in the cloak next to the grave after looking all around her she took out a cloth kissed the white cross and started to clean it I approached her slowly and carefully but when she saw me she jumped up and looked at me in terror there in front of me was the face of the woman in white don't be frightened I said surely you remember me her eyes searched my face I helped you to find the way to London I went on surely you have not forgotten that her face relaxed as she recognized me and she sighed in relief before this I had seen her likeness in Miss fairly now I saw miss Fairley's likeness in her accept that Miss Fairley's delicate beauty was missing from this tired face and I could not help thinking that if ever sorrow and suffering fell on miss fairly then and only then they would be the living reflections of one another it was a horrible thought gently I began to question her I told her that I knew she had escaped from an asylum and that I was glad I had helped her but had she found her friend in London that night oh yes that was mrs. Clements who is here with me now she was our neighbor in Hampshire and took care of me when I was a little girl she has always been my friend have you no father or mother to take care of you I never saw my father I never heard mother speak of him and I don't get on well with her I'd rather be with mrs. Clements who is kind like you I learned that she was staying with relations of mrs. Clement set a farm three miles from the village but there were other harder questions I wanted to ask who had shot her away in an asylum her unkind mother perhaps what was her motive in writing the letter to miss Fairley accusing sir Percival Glyde was it revenge what wrong had sir Percival done her she was easily frightened easily confused and could only hold one idea in her mind at a time I tried not to alarm her had she ever I asked been wronged by a man and then abandoned her innocent puzzled face told me that was not the answer all the time we were talking she was cleaning the gravestone with her cloth mrs. Farrelly was my best friend she murmured and her daughter she looked up at me then away again as though hiding her face in guilt is Miss fairly well and happy she whispered anxiously I decided to try and surprise a confession from her she was not well or happy this morning after receiving your letter you wrote it didn't you it was wrong to send such a letter her face went deathly pale then she bent down and kissed the gravestone Oh mrs. Farrelly mrs. Farrelly tell me how to save your daughter tell me what to do you mentioned no names in the letter but Miss Farrelly knows that the person you described is sir Percival Glyde the moment I said his name she gave such a scream of Terror that my blood ran cold a face now full of fear and hatred told me everything without doubt the person who had shut her away in the asylum was sir Percival Glyde at the sound of her scream mrs. Clements came running and looking angrily at me said what is it my dear what is this man done to you nothing the poor girl said he was good to me once he helped me she whispered the rest in her friend's ear then mrs. Clements put her arm round and Catholic and let her away I watched them go feeling great pity for that poor pale frightened face half an hour later I was back at the house and the story I told miss Halcomb made her very worried I am certain sir percival glide put and Catholic in the asylum I said but why what is the connection between them we must find out said Miss Halcomb we will go to the farm tomorrow and I will speak to an Catholic myself the first thing I had to do the next morning was to ask mr. Farrelly if I could leave my job a month early as his nerves who were particularly bad I could not speak to him directly but had to write a note explaining that some unexpected news forced me to return to London in reply I received a most unpleasant letter informing me that I could go once such a letter would have upset me greatly now I no longer cared later miss Halcomb and I walked to the farm and Miss Halcomb went in while I waited nearby to my surprise she returned after only a few minutes does an catherine refused to see you I asked an catherine has gone replied miss Halcomb she left this morning with mrs. Clements the farmer's wife mrs. Todd has no idea why they left or where they went she just said that an catholic had been disturbed after reading something in the local newspaper a couple of days ago I looked at the paper and saw that it mentioned Laura's future wedding then mrs. Todd said that an catholic fainted last night apparently in shock at something mentioned by one of the servant girls from our house who was visiting the farm on her evening off we hurried back to the house to question the servant girl miss Halcomb asked her if she had mentioned sir Percival glides name while at the farm oh yes the girl replied I said he was coming on Monday moment a cab arrived and mr Gilmore the family friend and legal advisor got out he was an elderly man pleasant looking and neatly dressed miss Halcomb introduced me and then went away to discuss family matters with him I wandered out into the garden my time at Limerick house was nearly at an end and I wanted to say a last goodbye to the places where I had so often walked with Miss Fairley in the dream time of my happiness and my love but the autumn day was gray and damp and those golden memories were already fading as I returned to the house i met mr Gilmore now mr. Hart right he said Miss Halcomb has told me how helpful you've been about this strange letter received by Miss Fairley I want you to know of that the investigation is now in my safe hands I have written to Sir Percival glides lawyer in London and I'm sure we will receive a satisfactory explanation I'm afraid I am not so sure as you was my reply well well said mr Gilmore we will wait for events at dinner that evening my last dinner at the Mirage house it was a hard battle to keep my self-control I saw that it was not easy for Miss Fairley either she gave me her hand as she had done in happier days but her fingers trembled when her face was pale mr Gilmore kept the conversation going and afterwards we went into the sitting-room as usual miss Fairley sat at the piano shall I play some of those pieces by Mozart that you like when you sit in your old chair near me she asked nervously as it is my last night I will I answered I am very sorry you are going she said almost in a whisper I shall remember those kind words miss fairly long after tomorrow has gone I replied don't speak about tomorrow then she played and at last it was time to say good night the next morning I found miss Halcomb and miss Farrelly waiting for me downstairs when I began to speak miss Farrelly turned and hurried from the room I tried to control my voice but could only say will you write to me miss Halcomb she took both my hands in hers and her face grew beautiful with the force of her generosity and pity of course I will Walter goodbye and God bless you she left and a few seconds later miss Farrelly returned holding something it was her own sketch of the summer house where we had first met with tears in her eyes she offered it to me to remind you she whispered my own tears fell as I kissed her hand then I turned to go she sank into a chair her head dropped on her arms at that moment I knew that Lora fairly loved me too but it was over we were separated [Music] part two the story told by Marian Halcomb [Music] chapter four arrangements for a marriage [Music] it was a sad day when Walter Hart right left us Laura stayed in her room all day and I felt sad and depressed poor mr Gilmore must have had a dull time and the next morning when Laura reappeared looking pale and ill I thought he seemed rather anxious about her I was anxious too Laura is such a sensitive and loving person that it was no surprise to me to find that she had grown fond of Walter indeed I have grown fond of him myself but I honestly believe that time will cure Laura these feelings two days after Walter left sir Percival Glyde arrived he is forty-five years old but seems younger he is handsome and only a little bald has perfect manners and is pleasant agreeable and respectful I really must try to like him in the afternoon while Laura was out of the room sir Percival referred to an Catholics letter I read mr. Gilmore's letter to my lawyer he said and I want to give you a full explanation but mrs. Catherine you see worked for me and my family for many years her marriage was unfortunate in that her husband deserted her and her only child a girl became mentally ill and needed to be put in an asylum so who in recognition of mrs. Catholic services I agreed to pay the expenses of a private asylum for the girl unfortunately the girl discovered this and consequently developed a hatred for me she recently escaped from the asylum and I'm sure she wrote this letter because of her hatred for me it's all very sad mr Gilmore found this explanation perfectly satisfactory and said so he then looked at me for agreement but I was struggling with a sense of unease that I could not explain and hesitated before answering sir percival noticed this at once but may I beg you miss Halcomb he said politely to write to mrs. Catherine to ask if these facts are true I did not want to agree to this but how could I refuse without making the situation even more embarrassing than it already was so I went to the desk wrote a note and gave it to him without looking at it he put it in an envelope and wrote the address now that is done he said may I ask if and Catherine spoke to miss Farrelly or to you no she spoke to nobody except mr. Hart right I replied ah yes the drawing teacher he said thoughtfully and did you discover where an catholic was staying I described the farm to him it is my duty to try to find her he continued tomorrow I will go to this farm and make inquiries soon afterwards he left to go up to his room that evening and the next day sir percival took every opportunity to bring Laura into the conversation but she hardly took any notice he went to the farm to make his inquiries about an Catterick but learned nothing then on Wednesday a letter came from mrs. Catherine a short businesslike letter thanking me for my note and saying that everything sir percival had told me was completely correct why did I still have doubts this surely was enough proof for anyone but how I wished that water heartwright had been there to give his opinion at Sir Percival's request I now had to give Laura his explanation of an Catherine's letter she listened quietly and showed no emotion but I noticed that on the table near her hand was the little book of heart Wright's drawings I also had to tell her that the reason for Sir Percival's visit was to fix the day of their marriage I'm afraid he will ask you to decide quite soon Laura oh no Marian I can't do that she said please ask him beg him to allow me more time I promised to give him a final answer before the end of the year but not yet please not yet sir Percival agreed to this request and when mr. Gillmore heard about it he arranged to have a private talk with Laura I have to return to London tomorrow he said to me and I need to discuss the financial side of this marriage with Miss Fairley before I go as you know she will inherit a great deal of money and property when she becomes 21 next March and I must include all this in the marriage agreement in a way that reflects miss Fairley's own wishes and is also acceptable to sir Percival he had the meeting with Laura the next morning and in the afternoon he left for London looking rather sad and thoughtful wondering what had been said I hurried up to Laura's room Oh Marian come in she said I need to talk to you what is it Laura is it about the marriage agreement no I couldn't even bear to discuss that with mr Gilmore I'm ashamed to say that all I could do was cry he was very kind and good Marian and he said that he would look after everything for me know what I wanted to tell you was this I cannot bear the situation any longer I must end it her eyes were bright and she spoke with great energy I began to feel alarmed what do you wish to do Laura darling do you want to be released from your promise to marry sir percival no she said simply I cannot break my promise to my father but I want to tell the truth and I will confess to sir Percival that I love someone else Laura he has no right to know that I said in amazement I cannot deceive him she said I have thought it over carefully after I have told him let him do as he wishes I looked into her innocent loving eyes and could say nothing I just put my arms around her trying not to cry myself may I speak to him tomorrow in your presence Marian I held her tight and agreed though I was not sure I was doing the right thing indeed I was not sure of anything I could not understand how I had failed to see how deeply she loved Walter Hart right for the first time in my life I had made a mistake about her now I realized that she would love him all her life the first thing that happened the next morning did nothing to make me feel more cheerful a letter arrived for me from Paul Walter Hart right he had decided to leave England and asked me if I could help him find employment abroad I was then alarmed to read that since his return to London he had neither seen nor heard anything of an Catholic but suspected he had been watched and followed by strange men I was worried about his state of mind so I immediately wrote to some friends in London to ask if they could help him find a suitable job in another country Laura of course knew nothing about these letters sir percival did not join us for breakfast but sent a message saying he would meet us at eleven o'clock as arranged Laura seemed calm and unusually self controlled I had never seen her like this it was almost as if love had created a new force in her character at exactly 11:00 sir percival knocked and entered with anxiety and worry in every line of his face this meeting would decide his future life and he obviously knew it you may wonder sir percival said Laura calmly if I am going to ask to be released from my promise to marry you I am NOT going to ask this I respect my father's wishes too much his face relaxed a little but I saw one of his feet nervously beating the carpet No if we are going to withdraw from our planned marriage it will be because of your wish sir percival not mine mine he said in great surprise what reason could I have for withdrawing a reason that is very hard to tell you she answered there is a change in me his face went so pale that even his lips lost their color he turned his head to one side what change he asked trying to hide his nervousness when the promise was made two years ago she said my love did not belong to anyone will you forgive me sir percival if I tell you that it now belongs to another person her tears started to fall and sir percival hid his face behind his hand so that it was impossible to know what he was thinking he made no answer and my temper got the better of me sir percival i said sharply have you nothing to say you have already heard more than you have a right to hear but I didn't ask for that right he said avoiding my question I wish you to understand Laure continued but I will never see this person again and that if you leave me you only allow me to remain a single woman for the rest of my life all I ask is that you forgive me and keep my secret I will do both those things he said then he looked at Laura as if he was waiting to hear more I think I have said enough to give you a reason to withdraw from our marriage she added quietly no you have said enough to make it the dearest wish of my life to marry you he said getting up and advancing towards her Laura gave a cry of surprise but I had more than half expected this every word she had spoken had shown her honesty and her innocence but these fine qualities had destroyed her own hopes of a release sir Percival understood very well the priceless value of a pure and true woman why would he give her up now I will do everything I can to earn your love he said and perhaps in time I will win it never she answered looking more beautiful than ever I will be your true and loyal wife but never your loving wife that is enough for me I accept your loyalty and your truth he said then raised her hand to his lips and silently left the room Laura sat without moving I put my arm around her at last she said I must resign myself Marian if you write to Walter don't tell him how unhappy I am and if I die first please say to him to say what I could never say myself say I loved him then she threw herself on the sofa and cried as if her heart was breaking until at last she fell asleep in the days that followed it seemed that nothing could prevent this miserable marriage from taking place I tried to make Laura change her mind but she was determined to keep her promise and to do her duty mr. Farrelly was of course very happy that the family worry was now at an end and suggested that the sooner his niece got married the better this made me very angry but when I told Laura I was surprised by her calm reply my uncle is right I have caused trouble and anxiety to everyone let sir percival decide on the day for her marriage sir Percival was delighted by this news and he then left to prepare for the bride's reception at his house in Hampshire I thought that a change would do Laura good so I arranged for us both to go and stay with some friends in Yorkshire she passively agreed with my idea I also wrote to mr Gilmore telling him this marriage would now take place the next day I received a letter from water heartwright saying that my friends had got him a job on an expedition to Central America he was going to be the artist with the expedition he was leaving on the 21st of November and would be away for six months I could only hope that this was for the best Laura and I then departed for Yorkshire but after only nine days there we received a letter from mr. Farrelly calling us back to Limerick immediately what could this mean I wondered I found out as soon as we arrived mr. Farrelly and sir Percival had agreed on the 22nd of December for the wedding provided that Laura also agreed would I please persuade said mr. Farrelly his nerves were much too bad to talk to her himself I also found our old friend mr Gilmore who had come to talk to mr. Farrelly about the marriage agreement he was leaving that day and was anxious to speak to me alone before he left I am not at all happy about the financial arrangements in the agreement miss Halcomb he said but there is nothing I can do about it I know how fond you are of your sister and I think you ought to know why I am concerned as you will know he went on there are three parts to miss Fairley's inheritance firstly on mr. Fairley's death she will inherit the Limerick property and land and the income from it if she dies childless this property will go to a cousin but the income from it will go to her husband during his lifetime if she has a son everything a property and income will go to the son no problems there secondly when Miss fairly reaches the age of 21 next March she will receive the income from ten thousand pounds this ten thousand pounds will go to her aunt Eleanor if Miss fairly dies before her aunt which is not very likely the reason miss Fairley's father did not leave the ten thousand pounds to his sister Eleanor on his death was that he disapproved strongly of her marriage to a foreigner even though the man was an Italian nobleman who count Fusco yes allora has told me about that I said well mr Gilmore went on there are no problems there are either but the third part of Miss Fairley's inheritance is more difficult next March she will also inherit 20,000 pounds which will be her own money completely if she dies before her husband the income from the 20,000 pounds we'll go to sir Percival for his lifetime and the capital will go to their children if there are no children to inherit the capital miss fairly contused relations and friends to inherit the money when she dies that's what I proposed but Sir Percival's lawyer did not accept it he insists that if sir Percival survives his wife and there are no children sir Percival should receive the capital in that case nothing will go to any other member of the family including you miss Halcomb mr Gilmore sigh deeply I protested strongly I tried every argument I could but nothing would change the lawyers mind I've discovered you see that sir Percival is always in debt and always in need of cash my last effort has been to come here to try and persuade mr. Fairley to oppose this demand from Sir Percival's lawyer and I am sorry to say I have not succeeded mr. Fairley wishes to avoid all responsibility for his niece's marriage arrangements he says that his niece will not die before sir Percival anyway so what is there to worry about mr Gilmore stood up to go and picked up his hat I shall complete the agreement and send it in and I have no choice if I don't do it mr. Fairley will find another lawyer who will but I tell you Miss Halcomb no daughter of mine should be married to any man alive under such an agreement as I am forced to make for Miss Fairley with that he shook my hand and without another word he went away to catch his train back to London after he had gone I tried to be sensible mr. Fairley was Laura's guardian and if he chose to accept this agreement there was nothing I could do about it it was just one more worried about this dreadful marriage a more immediate worry was the date of the wedding when I told Laura she turned pale and trembled not so soon she cried Oh Marian not so soon well let me speak to mr. Farrelly then I said ready to fight for her I will try to change it no she said faintly too late Marian too late it will only make more trouble please that tell my uncle I agree I think I would have cried if I had not been so angry I rushed into mr. Fairley's room and shouted loudly Laura agrees to the 22nd and rushed out again banging the door noisily I hoped I had destroyed his nerves for the whole day after this the wedding preparations began the dressmaker's came and went all the time there was packing and planning and all kinds of arrangements to make we heard everyday from sir Percival after the wedding he proposed to take Laura to Italy for six months they would meet a number of sir Percival's friends there including his best and oldest friend count Fosco whose wife of course was Laura's aunt Eleanor at least this marriage would bring Laura and her aunt together again I thought the count himself sounded a most interesting person and I rather hoped that I would meet him one day all too quickly the days passed sir Percival arrived looking a little tired and anxious but talking and laughing like the happiest of men the evening after he arrived he went off to the village to ask if anyone had any news of an catholic no one had heard anything but I had to admit that it was good of him to continue to try to help her I have decided to try and think better of him after all what reason do I have to distrust him I am sure that I could like him if I really tried it is getting quite easy to like him today I spoke to him about the dearest wish of both Laura and myself that I should be able to live with Laura after her marriage just as I had always lived with her before he agreed instantly and seemed delighted with the plan I would be the ideal the perfect companion for his wife he said yes I am beginning to like sir percival very much I hate sir percival he has no sensitivity no kindness no good feeling last night he whispered something in Laura's ear she has refused to tell me what it was and her face turned white with misery he took no notice at all and all my suspicions of him have returned is he now showing his true character he seems more restless and nervous than before and is often sharp and bad-tempered I have this strange idea that something might happen to prevent the marriage and that he is afraid of that a foolish thought I must forget it as the day of our separation grows nearer Laura cannot bear to have me out of her sight I must be brave and cheerful for her sake but my fear will not go away will this marriage be the one terrible mistake of her life and the one hopeless sorrow of mine it is the 22nd no more time for tears laura is dressed and we leave for the church by 11 o'clock they are married by three o'clock they are gone I am blind with crying and can write no more [Music] chapter five a document for signature six long lonely months passed and I had little to do but think of absent friends I received a cheerful letter from Walter Hart right after he arrived in Honduras and just before he set off with the expedition into the forest since then I have heard nothing and there was no news of an catholic all mrs. Clements poor mr Gilmore fell very ill and had to give up work but his business is continued by his partner mr. Kiril mrs. VZ has moved to London to live with her sister and mr. Farrelly I believe is secretly delighted to have his house free of women most of all of course I thought about Laura many letters came from her but she said very little in them she told me she was well but hardly mentioned her husband and wrote not a word about count Fosco whom they had met in Austria not Italy I understood from her silence that she did not like him all she said was that her aunt Eleanor Madame Fausto was quieter and more sensible than she had used to be on the 11th of June I arrived at Blackwater park sir Percival's family home in Hampshire the waiting was nearly over and how happy I was the next day Laura and her husband would return home together with Count Roscoe and his wife who were going to spend the summer at Blackwater in the morning the housekeeper mrs. Mitchell s'en showed me round the house it is very old and much of it is dusty and unused only one part of the enormous building is comfortable enough to live in later I explored the gardens in the park the gardens are small and not well-kept and there are so many trees that the house feels shut in by them I found a path through the trees which after half a mile brought me to a lake it was a damp lonely place the still dark waters of the lake and the long shadows from the tall trees gave it a gloomy air near the lake there was an old boathouse with some seats in it so I went in and sat down for a rest I am NOT a nervous person generally but when I heard the sound of quick breathing under my seat I jumped to my feet in alarm in fact it was a dog a small black and white dog with a bullet wound in its side I carried the poor creature back to the house and sent for mrs. Mitchell s'en to help me when she came in and saw the dog lying on the floor she cried out at once oh that must be mrs. Catherine's dog who's I asked amazed mrs. Catholics do you know her she came here to ask for news of her daughter when yesterday she'd heard that her daughter Anne had been seen in the neighborhood but no one knew anything I suppose the doc ran away into the woods and got shot by the park keeper I tried to make my voice sound politely interested I suppose you've known mrs. Catholic for some years oh no miss how come I never saw her before she lives at whelming Ham 25 miles away I had heard of her because of sir Percival paying for her daughter to go to an asylum but yesterday mrs. Catholic asked me not to mention her visit to sir Percival that was an odd thing to say he wasn't it miss odd indeed but then we had to turn our attention to the poor dog which despite our efforts died a little while later it was a sad thing to happen on my first day at Blackwater later that evening the travelers returned after my first happiness at meeting Laura I felt there was a strangeness between us and I realized she had changed I was sure we would soon get back to normal but she had lost her innocent openness she was unwilling to talk about her married life and I saw that there were no warm feelings between her husband and her it wasn't long before she asked me about Walter have you heard from him is he well and happy and it was clear to me that she loved him as deeply as ever as for sir percival his manners are sharper and less pleasant on meeting me he simply said hello miss Halcomb glad to see you again and then walked past me little things seemed to annoy him a great deal for example the housekeeper told him a man had called to speak to him a week ago but had left no name sir percival demanded a description of the man which poor mrs. Mitchell sim was unable to give and sir percival stormed out of the room in great anger Laura was certainly right about Madame Fausto never have I seen such a change in a woman as Eleanor fairly aged 37 she wore bright clothes was silly and foolish and always talked nonsense as Madame Fausto aged 43 she wears only gray or black and sits for hours in silence doing needlework rolling up cigarettes with a count or just looking at him with the eyes of a loyal dog and the man who has achieved this extraordinary change the man who has tamed this wild English woman yes what can I say about the count he looks like a man who could tame anything if he had married me I would have made his cigarettes as his wife does I would have held my tongue when he looked at me as she holds her how can I explain the power and the attraction the force that comes from this man there are many unlikable or unattractive things about him for example he is enormous Li fat he seems to have false hair he is at least 60 years old he is lazy jumps at the slightest sudden sound and has a peculiar fondness for pet animals he is brought with him a variety of birds and a whole family of white mice which he often kisses and cause loving names just as a child might do and yet and yet he is fat but moves lightly and easily like a dancer there is a calmness and a strength about his smooth unlined face and his voice is persuasive gentle hard to resist his knowledge of the English language is perfect and he is a well known expert in chemical science he speaks in baby language to his white mice but he talks with intelligence and charm about books in every language and brings to his conversation experience of life in half the capitals of Europe but it is his eyes that I shall always remember his cold clear beautiful gray eyes eyes which held such a frightening power that I shiver even now to think of it I could discover very little about his past from sir Percival I only learnt that he had not been to Italy for years I wondered if this was for political reasons it seemed he had saved sir Percival from great danger in Rome once and they had been the closest of friends ever since it was quite clear that sir Percival was always anxious to please him and would never go against his wishes I wonder whether I am afraid of him too I certainly never saw her Myrna would be more sorry to have as an enemy at lunchtime a few days after they all returned a man called mr. Merriman arrived asking to see Sir Percival urgently sir passable had clearly not expected the visit and looked both alarmed and angry as he left the table neither Laura nor I had any idea who mr. Merriman was but the count told us he was super Seville's lawyer I wondered what had happened as a lawyer does not usually travel from London to Hampshire unless sent for mr. Merriman must be the bringer of important news either good or bad count fosco obviously read my thoughts and said softly to me a yes miss Halcomb as something has happened later in the day I was coming from my room when I saw sir Percival and his lawyer crossing the hall downstairs they spoke quietly but clearly enough for their words to reach my ears yes sir Percival I heard the lawyer say it all depends on lady glide I immediately stopped when I heard Laura's name and although I knew it was wrong continued to listen you understand sir Percival a lady glide must sign her name in the presence of two witnesses if this is done in a week's time everything will be all right and if not I may be able to get them to accept a document promising payment in three months but how that money is to be obtained by then they went into the library and I heard no more but it seemed that sir Percival had a serious debt and that the solution to it depended on Laura I immediately went to tell Laura what I had heard she did not seem surprised I was afraid of something like this she said when I heard about that strange gentleman who called without leaving his name he had probably come to ask for his money but don't worry Marian I won't sign anything that I might later regret in the evening sir passable was unusually polite and pleasant to all of us what did this mean I thought I could guess I was afraid Laura could guess and I was sure count Fusco knew I saw sir percival looking at him for approval more than once during the evening the count was certainly aware of sir Percival's financial problems the next morning sir percival asked count Fosco laura and myself if we would go to the library for a minute after lunch for a small business matter before lunch however we all went for a walk to the lake stopping at the boathouse for a rest and some people call the lake pretty said sir percival pointing to the view now I call it ugly it looks just the place for a murder doesn't it what do you think Fosco a my dear Percival the count protested the water is too shallow to hide a body only a fool would murder someone here a wise man would choose somewhere else wise men do not murder said Laura looking at him with dislike I am sure you cannot give me an example of a wise man who has been a criminal My dear lady said the count it is impossible to give an example and because a wise man's crime is never found out as he spoke he was playing with his white mice in their little cage and suddenly noticed that one of them was missing a few seconds later he found the little animal under a seat but also found something which seemed to shock him Paris eval he said come here look at this Indus and blood everyone seemed alarmed so I had to explain about the wounded dog I had found whose dog was it asked sir Percival the housekeeper said it was mrs. Catholics dog I replied remembering too late that the visit was meant to be kept secret what the devil was mrs. Catherine doing here this question came with such rudeness and anger that I turned away count Fosco laid his hand on Sir Percival's arm my dear Percival gently gently to my great surprise sir Percival apologized to me and count Fosco then said why not questioned the housekeeper Percival since she seems to know all about it sir Percival took the point and immediately left us to return to the house the count seemed fascinated by mrs. Katherine and wanted to know all about her visit I tried to say as little as possible but Laura asked questions too and in the end the count knew as much as we did about mrs. Catholic and her daughter Anne I was quite sure from his surprise at the story that the count had known nothing of an Catholic and uneasily I wondered why sir Percival had not told his closest friend when we went back to the house sir Percival came to greet us I am sorry to say I have to leave you and I have to drive a long way and won't be back until tomorrow first though I would like to finish that little business matter will you come into the library it won't take a minute in the library he got a document out of a cupboard and put it on the table it was folded in such a way but all the writing was hidden and only the places to sign were visible handing a pen to Laura he said sign they're new and fosco are to sign afterwards miss Halcomb what do you want me to sign Laura asked quietly but I have no time to explain that I have to leave it's just business he said angrily women don't understand business just sign it but surely I ought to know what I'm signing I see so you're saying you don't trust me is that it what kind of a wife is that to help Laura I said I am afraid I cannot be a witness if she doesn't understand what she is signing sir percival turned to me furiously how dare you you're a guest in my house and you take my wife's side against me control your unfortunate temper Perceval set the count and I heard him whisper to him he was yet but Laura had put the pen down and moved to my side lady glide is right the count then said allegedly signature wait until tomorrow sir percival swore at him but moved away from the table all right then he said until tomorrow anyway I have to go but you will sign tomorrow or he gave his wife a cold hard stare then went out as Laura and I moved to the door the count approached us you have ajust seen sir percival at his worst he said as his old friend I apologize for him and promise he won't behave like that tomorrow I had begun to realize that I could not hope to remain at Blackwater park now without the influence and support of the count so I answered by thanking him warmly then I let Laura out and took her up to my room for a rest while we were there she told me how cruel sir Percival had been to her since their marriage and how unhappy she was I tried to calm her and to find a solution to the problem of the signature suddenly I had the idea of writing to mr. Gilmore's partner mr. Kiril and asking for his advice in my letter I also asked him to get a messenger to bring the reply by one o'clock the next day I then put the letter in the post bag in the hall just at that moment Madame Foster appeared and asked to speak to me in the garden she spoke to me for a full half-hour about how much sympathy she had for me I found this very odd indeed since she had shown very little interest in me before when I finally returned I saw the count also putting a letter in the post bag for some reason I decided to check my letter was properly closed so I got it out of the bag this was lucky as I found the envelope had come open how strange I thought perhaps there had been something wrong with it or perhaps no there could be no other explanation [Music] chapter 6 an appointment by the lake you after dinner that evening Laura and I went for a walk down to the lake the atmosphere was gloomy and depressing but at least we were alone I want to have no secrets from you Marian Laura said but I'm sure you have already guessed what my married life is like sir Percival said such cruel things to me in Italy that I turn to a comfort to my memories of those happy days with Walter Hart right and I have to tell you Marian sir Percival now knows that Walter is the man I loved I stared at her and what little hope I had left began to die it was at a party in Rome some people from London said I should have drawing lessons and recommended a mr. Hart right I could not control myself when I heard his name and my husband noticed so it was him was it he said with a horrible smile well we will see about mr. Hart right you will be sorry and so will he to the end of your lives and Marian he uses this knowledge like a whip to punish me day in day out Oh Laura I said putting my arms around her this was my fault yes my fault I remembered the white despair of Walter's face as I told him to leave as I tore these two young hearts apart and I had done this for sir Percival glide for sir Percival glide it was growing dark when we set out for home and as we left Loras seized my arm Berrien look by the lake was a dark figure half hidden by the evening mist rising off the water we began to walk quickly I'm sure it's following us whispered laura is it a man or woman she was shaking with fear it's hard to tell in this light I said then cooled out who's there there was no answer we hurried back through the wood and when we reached home I sent Laura upstairs and went to find out where everyone was the count and his wife the servants the housekeeper all were inside the figure by the lake was no one from the house so who could it have been the next day Laura discovered she had lost her bracelet and thought she must have dropped it near the lake she went off to look for it while I waited for the messenger for a mr. Carol one o'clock came by now I was so suspicious of everyone in the house that I decided to slip out and meet the messenger myself taking great care not to be seen I went down to the main gate and a little way along the road soon a cab appeared I stopped it and said are you going to Blackwater park a man put his head out and said yes with a letter from Miss Halcomb you may give the letter to me I said I am Miss Halcomb I read the letter quickly dear Miss Halcomb your letter has caused me great anxiety it seems very likely that lady glide signature is needed so that alone of all all part of her 20,000 pounds can be made - sir percival this is almost certainly illegal and lady glide should not sign any document until I have examined it first sincerely William Carroll I read this very thankfully and told the messenger to say that I understood the letter as I spoke these words count fosco came around the corner and suddenly appeared in front of me completely taken by surprise I stared at him speechless ly the messenger drove away in his cab and the count took my arm to walk home with me he talked pleasantly of this and that and asked no questions about letters or messengers so I assumed he had found out everything he must have read my letter returned it to the postbag and now knew that I had received an answer there was no point in trying to deceive him so I said nothing and just tried to seem quite cool and calm back at the house we found that sir percival had returned in an even worse mood than before it seemed when I told him Laura was out looking for her bracelet he growled bracelet or no bracelet I shall expect to see her in the library in half an hour I turned to go into the house but behind me heard the count saying to sir percival may I have five minutes talk with you here on the grass they walked off together and I went inside to the sitting room to think over all that it happened before long however the door opened softly and the count looked in good news miss Halcomb he said the business of the signature is put off for the moment I'm sure you are relieved he went out before I had recovered from my amazement there could be no doubt that this change was due to his influence his discovery of my writing to London and receiving an answer had caused him to interfere now there was even more to think about but exhausted by worry and the heat of the day my eyes closed and I fell into a little sleep I woke to find Laura's hand on my shoulder Harian the thicker at the lake I've just spoken to her it's an Catholic look she found my bracelet still half asleep I stared at her stupidly and Catholic yes I was searching in the boathouse Laura went on when a woman in a white dress came in and said quietly miss Valli I have your bracelet your mother would not want you to lose it I jumped up but her voice was so kind that I wasn't afraid I asked her how she knew my mother she said her name was Anne Catholic and asked me if I remembered as a little girl walking with her and my mother to the school in liverish one day I did remember suddenly I saw that we were like each other but her face was pale and thin and tired it was how my face might look after a long illness why do you call me miss Sally I asked and she answered because I love the name of fairly and hate the name of glide did she say anything about your husband I asked she said that after she wrote the letter she did not have the courage to stay in Limerick to try to prevent my marriage to him she was afraid he would find her and shut her up in the asylum again but she was not afraid anymore because she was so ill she thought she was dying then Marian she said that she and her mother knew a secret that my husband was afraid of yes go on I said eagerly what secret he was just going to tell me when she thought she heard a noise outside well we are not alone she said someone is watching come here tomorrow at this time and I will tell you then she pushed me to one side and disappeared Oh Laura Laura another chance lost but you must keep the appointment tomorrow it seems so important I will follow you at a safe distance she must not escape this time we were silent for a time then Laura said anxiously why hasn't sir percival cordis to the library to sign the document oh yes I forgot to tell you I said thanks to count Fusco the business of the signature has been postponed but why Laura said amazed if sir Percival urgently needs money how can it be postponed I heard sir Percival's lawyer mention a second plan to give a document from a singin tin three months Oh Marian she said that would be such a relief yes it would let's hope that it's true that evening sir percival was polite even pleasant especially to Laura this must have been due to the counts influence and it worried me what lay behind it I was sure that sir Percival's sudden journey yesterday had been too whelming him to question mrs. Catherine what had he learned what were his plans as the evening passed I grew more and more uneasy and I went to bed feeling very anxious about what the next day would bring I was not wrong to be anxious the next day Laura and I arranged that after lunch she would go alone to the boathouse and that I would follow a little later taking great care that an catholic did not see me in case she was frightened by the appearance of another stranger sir percival had gone out earlier in the morning and did not appear even for lunch so it was quite easy to put our plan into action however when I came quietly up to the back of the boathouse I heard no voices no sounds of movement nothing soon I was searching inside the boathouse and softly calling Laura's name but no one answered and no one appeared outside I searched the ground for signs and found the footprints of two people in the sand big footprints like a man's and small footprints which I was sure were Laura's there was also a little hole in the sand by the wall of the boathouse desperate with worry I hurried back to the house the first person I met was mrs. Mitchell s'en the housekeeper do you know I asked whether lady glide has come in he has she house Miss Halcomb and I am afraid something unfortunate has happened lady glide ran upstairs in tears and sir percival has told me to dismiss her servant funny my heart sank Fanny was Laura's personal servant from Limerick and the only person in the house we both trusted I ran upstairs to Laura's room her door was shut and there was one of Sir Percival's house servants standing in front of it move away I said don't you see that I want to go in but you mustn't go in she answered I have my orders wild with anger I turned and went downstairs to find sir Percival he was in the library with the count and Countess am I to understand that your wife's room is a prison I asked staring him full in the face yes that is what you are to understand he answered take care how you treat your wife I shouted furiously there are laws to protect women and I will use those laws instead of answering me he turned to the count the count looked at me with his calm cold gray eyes but it was the countess who spoke thank you for your hospitality sir Percival she said suddenly but I cannot remain in a house where ladies are treated as your wife and Miss Halcomb have been treated today sir Percival stared at her in shocked silence knowing as I did she would not have said this without the counts permission I agree with my wife the count said quietly sir percival swore then whispered angrily all right have your own way with these words he left the room we have made the worst tempered man in England seriesin is at the count thanks to your courage miss Halcomb this insulting situation is now ended I tried to speak normally but could not the count left the library then returned a few minutes later to say that lady glide had the freedom of her own house again immediately I rushed upstairs to Laura's room she was alone inside and I was in such a hurry that I did not close the door properly behind me hariom she said thankfully how did you get here it was the count's influence of course I said but horrible man she cried he's a miserable spy just then we heard a knock on the door it was the countess bringing me a handkerchief I had dropped her face was white and I saw in her eyes that she had been listening at the door Oh Laura I said when she had gone you shouldn't have called the CounterSpy we shall both regret it but he is a spy Marian there was someone watching me at the lake yesterday and it was him he told sir Percival who watched and waited all morning for me and and Catholic but she didn't come I found a note from her hidden in a hole in the sand she said she'd been followed yesterday by a fat old man he hadn't caught her but she was afraid to come back this afternoon she hid this note very early in the morning and said she would see me again soon - tell me sir percival secret what happened to the note I said have you got it no while I was reading it sir Percival appeared he took it from me and demanded to hear everything and Catherine said he held my arm so tightly look see how he's bruised it what could I do Marian I was helpless I told him everything I looked at the bruises on Laura's arm and felt such furious hatred for sir Percival that I dared not speak but he didn't believe me Laura went on he said he knew she had told me more and that he would lock me up and till I had to confess the truth then he took me back to the house gave orders for Frannie to leave and locked me in my room Oh Marian he was like a madman what are we to do he is mad mad with fear he thinks you know his secret I said I must act now to protect you who knows how long I will be allowed to stay here I thought hard for a few minutes I will write two letters and give them to Fannie to take with her I can't trust the postbag here anymore one for mr. Caroll telling him of your bruises and sir Percival's violent behavior and who is the other letter for asked Laura anxiously for mr. Fairley I said your lazy selfish uncle I'll make him invite you for a visit to Limerick without your husband I left her then and went to my room to write the letters Fanny had already gone and was staying the night in the little hotel in the village before beginning the long journey to Cumberland the next day I decided I had time before dinner to walk to the village and back so I slipped quietly out of the house and set off from time to time I looked behind me was I being followed or was my imagination playing tricks on me by now I was suspicious of everything every tiny sound every shadow on the road every breath of wind earlier while writing the letters I thought I had heard the rustle of silk dress outside my door I had even wondered if someone had been in my room looking through the things in my desk I hurried on trying to put these thoughts out of my mind when I got to the little hotel I saw fanny in her room she was very upset at leaving Laura and started crying but stopped when I told her that lady glide and I needed her help here are two letters I said post the one addressed to mr. Caroll in London tomorrow and deliver the other to mr. Farrelly yourself when you get home to Limerick keep them safe fanni put the letters down the front of her dress now stay there miss she said til I've done what you tell me [Music] Chapter seven a conversation in the night I arrived back at the house with only 20 minutes to get ready for dinner and to slip into Laura's room to say that the letters were safely in Fanny's hands Nora looked pale I'm not coming down to dinner she said sir percival came to my door shouting at me to tell him where an catholic is at least that means he hasn't found her yet I said at dinner the count looked hot and red in the face and his clothes were a little untidy had he been out too I wondered he seemed troubled by some secret annoyance or anxiety and was almost as silent as sir Percival at the end of the meal when Madame Foster and I left the table the count stood up - where are you going Fosco sir percival said sit down and have another glass of wine I want a quiet talk with you but not now Percival later he answered earlier in the day I had heard sir Percival make the same request and this was the second time the count had postponed the talk why I wondered and what was it that sir Percival wanted to discuss so urgently we went into the living room and Madame Bosco usually so slow and deliberate in her movements drank her tea at great speed and then slipped quietly out of the room I began to leave too but the count stopped me first by a request for more tea then by asking my opinion on some music and then by playing several noisy Italian songs on the piano eventually I escaped from him and went up to Laura's room had she seen or heard anything of Madame Foster I asked no she had not we talked together till 10 o'clock and then I went downstairs again to say good night sir percival the count and his wife were sitting together in the living room I noticed that Madame Foster's face was now hot and red where had she been and what had she been doing as I looked at her she gave a little smile as though at some private joke I said good night to everybody and as I left the room I heard sir percival saying patiently to the count come outside and have a smoke Fosco with pleasure Percival when all of the ladies have gone to bed replied the count up in my room I could not stop myself thinking about this private discussion between sir Percival and the count postponed all day and now it seemed about to take place in the silence and loneliness of the night after a while I went from my bedroom into my sitting room and closed the door between the rooms it was dark as no candles were lit and I looked out of the open window for some time down into the blackness of the garden there was a smell like rain and the still heavy air suddenly I saw two red points of light advancing in the dark and stopping below my bedroom window inside which a candle was burning one red point was small the other was big the count smoking a cigarette and sir personal smoking a cigar I think they could not see me in the darkness of my sitting room so I waited to hear what they said why don't you come in and sit down sir percival said wait till we see that light go out replied the count when I know she is in bed and I have checked the rooms on each side of the library then we will talk such secrecy I decided I must listen to this conversation in spite of the camp's efforts to keep it private the idea terrified me but Laura's happiness perhaps even her life might depend on what I heard how could I do it I realized I could get out onto the flat veranda roof which ran past the bedrooms about three feet below the windows it was narrow but there was room to move along it till I was above the library window the count and sir percival usually sat near the open windows smoking and if they did I would be able to hear them from above went back to my bedroom put on a long dark cloak with a hood and put out the candle then after a while I returned to my sitting room and climbed out of the window onto the veranda roof my heart began to beat very fast I had to pass five windows for were dark but the fifth window was the countess's room and it looked out over the exact place above the library where I plan to sit and there was still a light in it I crept along the roof then went down on my hands and knees to pass her window as I passed I looked up and saw her shadow against the thin curtains at the window I stopped breathing as she heard me will she look out no the shadow moves away she's gone now I moved to my position at the edge of the roof and begin to listen are they there or have they gone elsewhere for their talk ah I can hear the counts voice a missile comes light is out the rooms next door are empty the only window with a light in is my wives so now we may talk we are at a serious crisis in our affairs percival and we must decide about the future tonight it's a worst crisis than you think Kraus Percival listen Percival this is our situation we both came to this house in need of money and the only way of getting it was with the help of your wife now what did I tell you I told you never to lose your temper with her and especially never with her sister miss Halcomb and have you remembered this not once you're mad temper lost your wife signature lost the ready money made miss Halcomb write to the lawyer for the first time first time while she written again yes she has written again today what how does he know that did he follow me to the hotel but even if he did he couldn't have seen the letters they went straight from my hand to Fanny's dress so how does he know you're lucky the count continues that you have me in the house to undo the harm that you do lucky that I said no when you are mad enough to make your wife a prisoner and keep her from Miss Halcomb can't you see that Miss Halcomb has the courage and understanding of a man how I admire that woman but she stands like a rock between us and that pretty little wife of yours now the money we have obtained alone a horribly expensive loan by signing a document promising to repay it in three months when the time comes is there really no way to repay the money except by the help of your wife none what money do you actually get from your wife at present only the income from her twenty thousand pounds do you expect any more from your wife absolutely nothing except in the case of her death aha in the case of her death a pause it has become terrain and already I feel wet and cold sir percival again if she leaves new children I get her 20,000 pounds Perceval do you care about your wife Bosco that's a very direct question let's say your wife dies before the end of the summer forget it Fausto you would gain 20,000 pounds speak for yourself as well as for me force Co you would also gain my wife's death would be ten thousand pounds in your wife's pocket Percival here is the position if your wife leaves you pay that debt with her signature on the document if your wife dies you pay the debt with her death the light in Madame Foster's room goes out and the veranda roof is now sunk in darkness the rain continues I listen with every nerve in my body memorizing word after word Percival you must now leave this matter in my hands I have more than two months to find the solution so let's not talk about it anymore but let me help you with your other difficulty the difficulty that seems to have the name of an Catholic look Fosco we may be friends but we still have our secrets this does not concern you please don't ask me about it my friend I can respect a secret so I won't ask you to tell me but can I help you all the same if I don't find an Catholic I'm a lost man both she and her mother know this this secret it could ruin me Fosco an Catholic has spoken to my wife and I'm sure she's told her but as a your wife surely it's in her interest to keep it a secret if she loved me that would be true but she's in love with someone she met before we married a drawing teacher called Walter Haught right and who helped an Catholic escape from the asylum heartwright who saw her again in Cumberland heart right he knows the secret and my wife knows the secret if they get together and they will use it against me yes yes I see where is mr. Hart right out of the country he sailed for America don't worry then I will deal with him if he ever comes back depend on it but first we must find an Catterick what about mother can she be trusted it's in her interest not to tell anyone the secret good now how will I recognize an Catholic easily she's the pale sickly likeness of my wife a noise as a chair is pushed back the count has jumped to his feet and is walking about he seems amazed what are she and your wife related to each other not at all and yet so I like well I will know her when I see her what the devil are you laughing about Fosco just a thought my good friend just a thought but enough for tonight you will pay the debt and find an Catholic I promise you you can put your mind at rest Percival not another word is spoken I hear the library door closed I am wet to the skin stiff and aching with the cold at first I can't move but slowly painfully I creep back to my window and climb in as I fall on the floor I hear the clock strike a quarter past one time passes somehow I managed to get up and put on dry clothes I am burning hot and shivering with cold I know I must write down what I have heard so I find paper and pen and write without stopping the fever rises in me burning burning I open the window for cool air 8 o'clock bright sunshine which hammers at my eyes my head aches my bones ache my skin burns yet I cannot stop shivering I lie down to sleep my writing finished and in my fever I see count Fosco come into my room and read the pages I have written he smiles I am helpless unable to move speak breathe and I sink into the long black night of illness chapter 8 fever [Music] you while I lay unconscious in my illness I knew nothing of course of the events happening around me it was only much later that I learned from other people what had happened when I eventually returned to Limerick Fanny told me about the letters in the night she had left Blackwater you left me at about seven Mis and at nine o'clock I had another visitor the countess yes I was so surprised but she was very kind she saw that I was upset at leaving and insisted on having some tea with me so I drank my tea and five minutes later I fainted for the first time in my life when I woke up it was about half an hour later a lady from the hotel was looking after me as the countess had had to go home I checked the letters in my dress miss and they were both there quite safe and just as you told me in London I posted the letter to mr. Kiril and as soon as I got to Limerick I delivered the other letter personally to mr. Fairley I told him all about being dismissed by sir Percival in everything and what had happened at the hotel but well he didn't seem very interested miss that last piece of information did not surprise me in the least had Laura's uncle ever been interested in anybody except himself when I went to talk to him he was full of excuses dear Marion remember my nerves yes of course I will tell you about the letters but please don't get excited and go around banging doors try to stay calm I suppose my letter about Laura upset you I said of course it did dear Marion what was I to do you told me Laura needed to escape from her husband and to come to Limerick but suppose sir Percival had come after her think of the noise the arguments the banging of doors that's why I wrote to you to beg you to come here first by yourself to talk the matter over with me I never saw that letter of course as it arrived at Blackwater when I was unconscious with fever and mr. Carroll wrote to you as well didn't he I said yes he wrote to say he had received an envelope addressed to him in your handwriting but which contained only a plain piece of paper without a word on it he had written to you about it and had received no reply why he expected me to explain this mystery I had no idea and that's what I told him so helpful I thought bitterly but there was no point in saying anything and were you surprised not to hear from me again indeed I was until my sister's foreign husband that extraordinary count fosco came to see me such a huge man said mr. Farrelly his eyes closing at the memory but surprisingly quiet on his feet anyway he explained how ill he were dear Marion which was why you hadn't replied to my letter I was extremely shocked and sorry to hear about your illness but the count did talk so much I thought he would never leave and he persuaded you to write to Laura I said trying to keep my voice calm and quiet yes he urged me in fact practically ordered me to invite Laura here at once she was too nervous and upset to be of any use to you in the sickroom he said and the situation with sir Percival was growing more dangerous every day there was no trouble with the journey because he and his wife had just rented a house in London so Laura could travel up to London stay the night with them and travel on to Cumberland the next day so you wrote the letter and gave it to him I said where was the harm in it in any case I never for a moment thought that Laura would leave you alone when you were so ill and how was I to know what shocking event was about to take place no one could possibly say that I was to blame I know now exactly who was to blame but it took quite a time to put all the different pieces of information together when I first began to be aware of my surroundings again during my recovery I knew nothing of course about the letters I knew only that I was not in my usual bedroom and there was a foreign lady looking after me I had no idea who she was and she would not answer any of my questions so I was very relieved a few days later when the familiar face of mrs. Mitchell s'en appeared Oh mrs. Mitchell s'en I said I'm so glad to see you please tell me what's been happening you've had typhus fever miss Halcomb you've been very ill but you're getting stronger now I'm happy to say typhus I wonder I feel so weak and my sister lady glide I do hope she didn't catch the infection no no she didn't mrs. Mitchell s'en would not look me in the face and I began to feel worried was she afraid to tell me something is my sister ill please mrs. mitchison I must know no she's not ill but but she's not here she went away yesterday to London and is going on to Limerick today I stared at her Laura gone I could not believe it what did it mean had something terrible happened I remembered the conversation I heard during the night on the veranda Ruth and my heart filled with fear and sir Percival I could not finish my question sir Percival left the house last night to go abroad she said the counting count s have gone to London and the servants have all been dismissed except for a cook and the gardener you and I are the only people living in the house miss Halcomb the shock of this news was so great that I felt faint mrs. Mitchell s'en hurried to fetch me a glass of water Oh miss Halcomb I'm sorry she said try not to worry he must rest now and try to sleep a little later when I felt stronger we talked again tell me everything you can remember from the day I fell ill I begged mrs. Mitchell s'en I must know what happened well miss Halcomb on that first morning a servant found you lying on your bed in a fever holding a pen tightly in your hand the doctor was called at once a mr. dorsen who said you were very ill the countess and I acted as your nurses lady Glyde wanted to help but she was so upset at seeing you unconscious that she couldn't stop crying so Percival and the count were concerned about you too though they seemed worried about something else as well in fact the count spent three days down by the lake that old boathouse and I remember he came in once and I was going through the hall sir Percival came rushing out of the library sing have you found her I didn't hear the answer and I have no idea who they were talking about I had a very good idea who they were talking about but it was obvious that mrs. mitchison didn't so I said nothing your fever got worse mrs. Mitchell soon went on the count said we needed a nurse to help us so Madame foster took the train to London and came back with mrs. Rebell is that the foreign lady who was looking after me before you appeared mrs. mitchison I asked yes that's right she didn't say very much but she was a capable nurse I had no complaints about her work mr. dorsen the doctor was suspicious of her because she was recommended by the count and he didn't like the count at all why was that I asked the count had a lot of medical knowledge you see and he was always suggesting to mr. dorsen ways of reducing your fever mr. dorsen called it interference and got quite angry about it but in fact miss the count recognized you had typhus fever before mr. dorsen did he either the count that is went away to London for a week and when he came back he took one look at you and said typhus mr. dorsen sent to London for another doctor who came and said the same thing then we had a very worrying ten days when your life was in danger but at last the doctor said you were through the worst and with good nursing care you would recover lady Clyde was so overcome by this happy news that she became ill herself and had to be put to bed my sister has always had delicate health I said yes she's not strong anyway miss Halcomb it was at this point that disturbing things started to happen first the count and mr. Dawson argued again so fiercely that mr. Dawson left saying he refused to offer her services anymore next sir Percival told me that he was going to close the house as soon as you and lady glide were able to travel he said you'll be going away for a change of air he told me to dismiss all the servants except a girl to do the cooking and a gardener imagine just like that I tell you miss Halcomb if I hadn't felt so sorry for you and lady glide I would have resigned at once the last thing was very strange indeed said mrs. Mitchell s'en shaking her head sir percival said that you and lady glide would benefit from a stay at the seaside town of Torquay he told me to go there to look for a suitable house to rent and told me how much money I could pay well I knew it wasn't enough and I wish now that I hadn't gone but he was my employer so I thought I had to obey his orders I returned yesterday after two days away and told sir Percival that it was impossible to find a house at such a low rent sir Percival showed no interest in my news at all he just said that the count and Countess had left Blackwater park for their new house in London mrs. mitchison looked at me anxious Lee I think you'll find the next part of the story very upsetting she said poor lady glide was cruelly deceived by her husband you don't surprise me i murmured please go on after seeing sir percival I went upstairs to see you and lady glide your sister though still very weak was feeling better and wanted to get up and go and visit you in your room I helped her to dress and as we went down the passage we met sir Percival if you're going to see your sister you won't find her sir Percival says she left the house yesterday with Fosco and his wife she decided to go with him to London on her way to Limerick mrs. Ravel went to to look after her on the journey you can look in her room if you don't believe me I was shocked and amazed by this and lady glides face went as white as a sheet she almost ran down the passage and threw open the door to your room it was empty then she cries out to sir Percival Marian was much too ill to travel even if she did go she would never leave without saying goodbye to me first and why would she go to Limerick alone leaving me here at Blackwater park because your uncle won't receive you till he has seen your sister first says sir Percival have you forgotten the letter he wrote her at the beginning of her illness all through this interview miss Halcomb I thought sir percival seen very strange jumpy and nervous not at all his usual self and now he just turned and walked away lady glide was shaking with fear and looked at me with terror in her eyes something's happened to my sister I must follow her I must see that she's alive and well with my own eyes please mrs. Mitchell s'en come down with me to sir percival stay with me please she held my arm so tightly that I had to go with her sir percival was in the dining room drinking he drank at least four glasses of wine while we were in there miss Halcomb lady glide was very brave I thought she said if my sister is well enough to travel and so am I please allow me to follow her at once by the afternoon train sir percival was so rude and rock with her you can go tomorrow he said I'll write to Fosco he can meet you at the station and you'll stay at his house overnight lady glides hand began to tremble violently on my arm I would rather not stay at the counts house she said sir percival then got very angry why not he shouted what's wrong was sleeping at your aunt's house your sister slept there last night to break her journey in Soul will you that's what your uncle mr. Farrelly wants you to do as well here there is a letter from him I forgot to send it up to you Horrell lady glide was shaking so much that she gave me the letter to read to her it was very short I remember it word for word dear Laura please come whenever you like break the journey by sleeping at your aunt's house sorry to hear of Marion's illness you're fond ankle Frederick farily lady glide didn't try to argue anymore and we went back upstairs it seemed quite a sensible plan to me miss Halcomb and I couldn't understand why lady glide was so terrified of count foscatini Arion in that horrible man's power I must find her even if I have to follow her to count Fusco's house the next day I helped lady glide get ready and went with her to the station if Marion has already left Limerick I won't state the counts house she told me I'll go and stay with mrs. VZ my old governess as the train pulled away I saw her pale frightened face at the window I felt so sad for her then I came back here imagine my surprise miss Halcomb when I saw mrs. ruble walking in the garden what are you doing here I said you went to London with the Fusco's and Miss Halcomb and then it all came out you were still in the house while I was out of the way in Torquay they moved you to a room in an unused part of the house and kept you hidden you must have been in a very deep sleep when they moved you perhaps they drugged you I don't know then sir percival appeared and gave me this explanation it was all for his wife's own good he said she needed a change of air and would not have gone to Limerick if she had known that you were still in the house he spoke in such a violent angry way that I did not dare to express my opinion so you see miss Halcomb that was how poor lady Clyde was deceived it was wicked and cruel he would have resigned my position immediately but Sir Percival told me that mrs. Rubel was leaving and there will be no one to look after you if I left too so naturally I stayed it served Percival left last night as I told you the gardener said he seemed half mad he called for his carriage and drove away like an escaped criminal saying his house was a prison and he would never return to it I hope and pray miss Halcomb that I never see that man again poor Laura how she must have suffered there was nothing I could do I could not go after her as I was too weak even to stand I hoped desperately that she had found out about the deception and would write soon to tell me that she was safe a letter came a few days later but it was not for me and not from Nora it was for mrs. Mitchell s'en from madam Fausto mrs. mitchison came into my room with the letter in her hand mr. dorsen who had agreed to be my doctor again now that the count had gone was behind her I took one look at both their faces and sat up in bed terrified what what is it I gasped he you have some dreadful news for me I can see it in your faces mrs. mitchison sat down on the edge of the bed and took my hand your poor dear sister lady glide she began the room began to darken around me as so night was falling and the words seemed to come from a great distance was taken seriously ill when she arrived at her aunt's house in London and died the next day very suddenly she is to be buried at Limerick in her mother's grave mrs. Mitchell s'en nursed me through my second illness with mr. Dawson's help I was not able to travel for more than three weeks but eventually I found the strength to leave that hated house and return to Limerick mrs. mitchison and I traveled together to London where I went to see mr. Carol to him I revealed the terrible suspicions in my mind about the circumstances of my sister's death he was most concerned and promised to make inquiries for me I went on to Limerick house and a few days later mr. Carroll wrote to me there he had taken statements from several witnesses he said and was convinced but nothing suspicious had happened he sent copies of the statements for my information this was the one by the counts cook mrs. Hester pin Horn I was recently employed as a cook by the count and Countess Rosco at five Forest Road st. John's would one day near the end of July the countess's nice lady glide arrived at the house she immediately fell ill I saw her lying on the sofa her face all white I ran out for a doctor and came back with mr. good Ric he examined her and said she had a very serious heart disease during the night she got worse then at about five o'clock the next day she lost consciousness the doctor went in and after putting his hand on her heart announced that she was dead he said that as the count was a foreigner he himself would go to record the death at the district office the count and Countess were very badly affected by the lady's death the lady's husband was abroad so they arranged the funeral themselves which took place in Cumberland I was still very weak from my long illness and despair nearly overtook me at this point I had no friend to turn to and no idea what to do next I went every day to the church and to put flowers on the grave and to read again those sad sad words in loving memory of Laura lady glide wife of sir Percival guide of Blackwater park Hampshire born the 27th of March 1829 died the 25th of July 1850 [Music] chapter 9 the gravestone on the 13th of October 1850 the wild forests of Central America and return to England I had escaped death by disease death by war and death by drowning and hoped that these experiences had strengthened me to face my future a future without Laura fairly I still remembered her as Laura fairly and could not think of her by her husband's name the first thing I did was to visit my mother and sister in their Hampstead cottage the joy of our meeting however soon turned to sadness I have no secrets from my mother and when I saw the loving pity in her eyes I feared the worst the news was soon told I tried hard not to let my sorrow spoil the happiness of my return for my mother and sister but by the third day I knew I had to go away alone for a while let me go up to Limerick I begged my mother I can bear it better when I have seen her grave it was a warm autumn afternoon when I arrived at the station and walked down the familiar road seeing in the distance the high white walls of Limerick house in the churchyard I found the grave and knelt down beside the gravestone closing my eyes my love my dear dear love hours passed and the evening sunlight through long shadows among the sleeping places of the dead I had lost all sense of time kneeling there then in the silence I heard this soft sound of footsteps on the grass I looked up beyond me standing together by the churchyard war were two women their veils down hiding their faces they were looking towards the grave looking towards me too they came closer and stopped one of them lifted her veil and in the still evening light I saw the face of Marian Halcomb a changed face thin and pale full of pain and fear the woman with the veiled face came towards me slowly Marian Halcomb sank to her knees murmuring oh god help him please please help him God the veiled woman came on slowly and silently I looked at her at her and at no one else from that moment she had possession of me body and soul she stopped by the side of the gravestone and we stood face to face with the grave between us Oh God help him help him the woman lifted her veil in loving memory of Laura lady glide Laura lady glide was standing by the gravestone looking at me over her grave a life suddenly changed a new future before me like the sunlit view from a mountaintop I leave my story in the quiet shadow of Limerick Church and begin again one week later in the noise and rush of a London Street I have rented rooms under a different name Marian and Laura using the same name are said to be my sisters I earn our bread by doing drawings for cheap magazines we employ no servant my eldest sister Marian does the housework with her own hands Marian and I are known to be the friends of mad and Catholic address unknown who falsely claims the identity of lady glide to the rest of the world Laura lady glide is dead dead to her uncle who was refused to recognise her dead to the lawyers who have passed her fortune to her husband and art but to Marian and me she is alive penniless and sadly changed her beauty faded her mind confused but alive with her poor drawing teacher to fight her battles and to win her way back to the world of living beings she's mine at last mine to support to protect to defend and mine to love chapter 10 the rescue [Music] at the first opportunity we had Marian told me everything that had happened to her and Laura the hardest part for her was after she had returned to Limerick house I was in despair Walter she said mr. Carroll's investigation was finished and had shown nothing he said mr. Farrelly was no help at all I heard that he didn't even leave his room to go to the funeral but he did show me a letter he'd received from count Fusco which contained news of an catholic the count said that an catholic had been found and put back in the asylum from which she had escaped but because she hated sir Percival and wanted to make trouble for him she was now claiming that she was not an Catholic at all but lady lied the count warned mr. Fairley that if she escaped again she might try to annoy members of lady glides family I wasn't well enough to do anything for about a month after returning to Limerick but when I felt stronger I decided to make some investigations myself first I planned to visit the asylum in London and talk to poor Anne Catholic to find out why she was claiming to be Laura I knew the address because you had given it to me all those months ago will Walter you can guess what's coming I'm sure the director of the asylum who seemed an honest person told me that Anne Catholic had been brought back on the 27th of July he was puzzled by some odd personal changes in her but assumed they were caused by her mental illness he then called a nurse to take me to an Catholic who was walking in the gardens imagine the shock Walter seeing my dead sister walking towards me in that garden we just ran into each others arms unable to say a word however no stared at us I think I know he must have felt I said I shall never forget in the churchyard at limerick but tell me how ever did you get Laura out of the asylum bribery Walter I didn't want to risk a legal battle and all the delay that would involve so I persuaded the nurse that a terrible mistake had been made and she would be doing a good thing in helping an Catholic escape and I offered her 400 pounds the plan went smoothly and by early afternoon the next day Laura and I were on the train to Cumberland and Laura I asked what actually happened on the day she left Blackwater park and came to London Mary inside Oh Walter it's not at all clear poor Laura's mind is so confused now that her memory of events is very unreliable she can't even remember the date she left Blackwater all she's been able to tell me is this the count met her at the station and said that I was still in London and that he would take her to see me at once she doesn't remember where the cab went but it was clearly not to his house in st. John's Wood she was taken to a house in a narrow street where people came and went asking her questions she didn't understand at this point the count told her I was now very ill she was so frightened by this news she nearly fainted someone then gave her a glass of water which she said tasted odd and after that she lost consciousness poor poor Laura I murmured she woke up Marion continued in the asylum unable to leave unable to make contact with the outside world she was called by an Catherine's name and found she was wearing clothes with an Catherine's name on them she was told Lady Glyde was dead and buried and that she was an Catholic and Catholic and Catholic day in day out from the 27th of July to the 15th of October she was made to feel that she was mad it's hardly surprising her mind is so confused now and what happened at Limerick I asked Mary Ann turned her face away I can't bear to think about it she said the worst part was taking Laura into mr. Fairley's room he looked straight into Laura's face and said my niece is buried in Limerick churchyard I don't recognize this woman remove her from my house before I call on the law to protect me even the servants were doubtful about her identity because she was so much changed and so confused by her experiences perhaps people would have been persuaded if we'd stayed longer but I didn't dare risk it at any minute the people from the asylum might come looking for us so I decided to return to London at once and hide then as we were passing the churchyard Laura insisted on a last look at her mother's grave and well that moment changed our three lives I think God was guiding Laura's footsteps I said how well I remember that day that moment when Laura laid her poor head innocently in trustingly on my shoulder and said they have tried to make me forget everything water but I remember Marian and I remember you the plot against Laura was now clear and Catholic had been taken in to count Rosco's house as lady glide and lady glide had taken the dead woman's place in the asylum it was also clear that the three of us could expect no mercy from Count Fosco and sir Percival who between them had gained thirty thousand pounds from the plot they would do everything in their power to prevent their crime being discovered and would hunt for their victim to separate her from her only friends Marian and myself this is why I had chosen a poor and crowded part of London to live in it is easier to hide in a place where people are always coming and going our life quickly took on a regular pattern work watching out for our enemies and care of Laura whom we surrounded with a gentle protective love helping her slowly but steadily to recover her balance of mind and her self-confidence meanwhile Marian and I began the battle we studied the statements that mr. Kiril had taken from witnesses the doctor and the servants and cook encounter Oscar's house I obtained a copy of lady glides death certificate and Marian wrote to mrs. Mitchell s'en who replied saying that she could not remember the exact date of Laura's departure from Blackwater park nor could she remember when the letter announcing Laura's death which was undated had arrived from Madame Fausto I also arranged to visit mr. Kiril to ask for his help after listening to my long explanation the lawyer shook his head my legal opinion mr. heartrate is that you won't win this case in a court of law I accept of course that the identity of lady glide as a living person is a proved fact to miss how command yourself but there is no evidence if you could prove that the date on the death certificate was earlier than the date of lady glides journey to London then you might have a case as I left he gave me a letter that had been delivered to him for Marian and told me in answer to my question that sir Percival Glyde had returned to London outside in the street I soon noticed two men following me and realized too late that the count spies must have been watching the lawyer's office in the hope that Marian or I would go there I went home by a very long route and managed to lose them but it was a warning to me to be more careful Marian was very worried when I told her about the two men then I gave her the letter she recognized the writing instantly it's from Count fosco dear and admirable woman do not be afraid stay hidden with your gentle companion and nothing will happen to you challenge nothing threaten nobody do not I beg you force me into action if mr. heartwright returns to England do not speak to him if he crosses my path he is a lost man f Porter Marion said her eyes flashing with anger if ever the count and sir percival are at your mercy and you must spare one of them don't let it be the count I'll keep his letter to remind me when the time comes I said but tomorrow I will go to Blackwater to try and find out the date of Laura's journey to London it's the one weak point in their plot you mean that perhaps Laura did not leave for London until after the date on the death certificate exactly I think she left on the 26th of July the director of the asylum said she was taken there on the 27th I doubt if they could have kept her drugged more than one night we know from mrs. Mitchell s'en but Sir Percival left on the same day as Laura I'll ask everyone in the village if they remember when he left and if that fails if that fails Marian our force a confession from sir Percival we have one weapon against him his secret and Catholic said that if his secret was known it would ruin him I intend to find out that secret the woman in white though dead in her grave is still with us and is showing us the way chapter 11 the investigation [Music] the story of my first inquiries in Hampshire is soon told not a single person in the village of Blackwater could remember exactly when sir Percival blyde had left even the gardener at the house could only say it was sometime in the last 10 days of July so on to the next plan I said to Marion back in London which is to pursue the secret I need to talk to Ann Catholics mother but first I must find out something about her from mrs. Clements Anne's friend but how do I find mrs. Clements Marion had the answer to that you remember the farm she and Ann stayed at near Limerick will write to them they might know mrs. Clements address we were lucky the farmer's wife did know the address and wrote back by return to tell us it was in London not far from our rooms and the next morning I was knocking at the door mrs. Clements was anxious to know if I had brought her any news of Ann and very sad to learn that I had not however as she was willing to tell me everything she knew after leaving Limerick sir she said Anne and I went to live in the northeast of England and that's when Ann started to suffer from heart disease she wasn't at all well but she insisted on traveling to Hampshire because she wanted to speak to Lady Clyde so we went there and stayed in a village near black water not too close as Anne was so frightened of sir Percival each time and went to the lake to try to speak to lady glide I followed her at a distance but the long walks made her so exhausted that she became ill again so finally I went to the lake in her place to meet lady glide she didn't come that day but a very fat man came instead with a message from her the message was that we should return to London immediately as sir percival would certainly find us if we stayed longer lady glide was going to London herself very soon and if we sent her our address she would contact us but she didn't did she I said thinking how cleverly count Fosco had lied to this kind woman no sir I found lodgings and simply addressed to lady glide but after two weeks we'd still heard nothing then one day a lady called in a cab she said she came from Lady Glide who was staying at a hotel and wanted to arrange an interview with an I agreed to go with this lady to make the arrangement leaving Ann alone in our lodgings but it was a wicked plot sir on the way the lady stopped the cab saying she just had to collect something from a shop and would I wait for a few minutes she never came back sir I waited for some time and then I hurried home and found an gone just disappeared I asked mrs. Clements to describe this lady and it seemed clear from her description that it was Nodame Fusco so I now knew how the count had got and Catholic to London and separated her from mrs. Clements I never found out what happened to when mrs. Clement said sadly I made inquiries I even wrote to her mother but she didn't know anything I miss poor Anne so much she was like a daughter to me his Caesar and I'm sure you were a kind mother to her I said a better mother than her own mother that wasn't difficult said mrs. Clements rick is a hard woman she seemed to hate the child and was only too pleased when I offered to bring her up then one day she took an Toole image to stay with a sister and after that she kept Anne from me I didn't see Anne again till she escaped from the asylum with your help sir and then she was always talking about a secret her mother had which could ruin sir Percival but you know sir I don't think and really knew what this secret was if she had known I'm sure she would have told me I had wondered about that myself and now I tried to turn the conversation on to mrs. Catholic did you know mrs. Catholic before Anne was born yes for about four months we were neighbors in whelming ham mr. and mrs. Katherine could just got married and mr. Catholic had a job as Clark at whelming and Church before that mrs. Katherine had been a servant at a large house she was a selfish heartless woman and treated her poor husband very badly before long there was a lot of talk about her and a young gentleman who was staying at a hotel nearby and mr. Catholic told my husband that he'd found expensive presents gold rings and such like hidden in his wife straw and who was this gentleman I asked you know him sir and so did my poor dear and sir percival glide my heart began to beat faster was I getting close to the secret that's right his father had recently died abroad and sir percival had just arrived in the neighborhood people thought you see that maybe mrs. Catholic had known sir percival before and had married mr. Catholic just to save her reputation because of well you know anyway one night mr. Catholic found his wife whispering with sir percival outside the vestry of the church they had a fight but sir percival beat him and mr. Catholic left the village never to return again and in spite of all the talk in the village mrs. Catholic stayed she said she was innocent and that no one would drive her away but most people thought that the money she lived on came from sir Percival the secret was here somewhere but where but sir Percival was Anne's father was hardly a secret since everyone already thought that know there was another mystery somewhere and what did you think mrs. Clemens well sir worked out time and place it was obvious that mr. Catholic wasn't Anne's father but Anne wasn't at all like sir Percival and nor was she like her mother I wondered about the house where mrs. Katherine had worked as a servant perhaps I would make some inquiries later you've been very kind mrs. Clements I said answering all my questions at one last request will you tell me mrs. Catholics address I have to find out the secret and only she can tell me mrs. Clements gave me the address but shook her head take care sir she's an awful woman you don't know her as I do back at our rooms I announced my intention to Marian of going to whelming him she was very uneasy about the plan are you sure it's wise Walther sir percival is a violent man I'm more afraid for you and Laura I said left alone in London with a count as your enemy we arranged to write to each other every day and if no letter came from her I would take the first train back to London three days later I was standing in mrs. catholics sitting-room face to face with a grey haired woman dressed in black silk her dark eyes looked straight at me with a hard cold stare you say you have come to speak to me about my daughter she said please say what you have to say her voice was as hard as the expression in her eyes she pointed to a chair and looked at me carefully as I sat down you know I said that your daughter is lost I know that perfectly well don't you worry that she might not be just lost but that she might have met with her death yes have you come to tell me that she is dead I have why she asked that extraordinary question without the slightest change in her voice face or manner I might have been talking about the death of a cat in the street I thought Anne's mother might be interested in knowing if she was alive or dead just so she said but what is your interest in her or in me have you no other reason for coming here yes I do I said your daughter's death has caused someone I love to be harmed by a man called sir Percival glide she did not react at all at the mention of his name I want to make him confess to his crime you know certain things about him from the time when your husband was the church Clarke I want you to tell me about them at last I saw the anger burning in her eyes what do you know about those events everything that mrs. Clemens could tell me sis Clements is a foolish woman she bit back her anger and her lips curled in an unpleasant little smile I begin to understand you want your revenge on sir Percival glide and you want my help that's why you've come here well you don't know me I've spent years getting back my reputation in this village now everyone respects me I won't help you if you're afraid of sir Percival that's quite understandable I said he's a powerful man and comes from a great family to my amazement she suddenly burst out laughing from her great family yes indeed especially from his mother's side she said with disgust what ever did she mean by that I wondered the secret between you and sir Percival was not guilty love I insisted it was something else that brought you and him to those stolen meetings outside the vestry of the church as I said the words vestry of the church I saw a wave of Terror pass across her face go she said you never come back unless and she gave a slow cruel smile unless you bring news of his death it was now late and I made my way to the nearest hotel there was much to think about why should mention of the church vestry caused terror why the disgust that's a Percival's family especially his mother was there something unusual about his parents marriage perhaps the local marriage register was kept in the vestry of whelming ham church the next day I went to the church I had been aware of being followed the previous evening and now I caught sight of the same two men I had seen outside mr. kiril's office in London it seemed that sir Percival had expected me to visit mrs. Catholic and was now expecting me to visit whelming Ham Church proof surely that my investigation was going in the right direction I found the church clerk who fetched his keys and took me to the vestry it could only be entered from the outside of the church and the clerk had great difficulty opening the lock which was very old once inside I asked to see the marriage register it was kept in a cupboard which could easily be forced open is that a safe enough place to keep the register I said safe enough the clerk said a copy is kept by a lawyer in the next village mr. Wong's Burroughs office in Noel's brick I worked backwards in the register from Sir Percival's year of birth and there under September of the previous year squashed into a small space at the bottom of the page was the record of the marriage of Sir Felix glide and Cecilia Elster of Knowles Bri just the usual information nothing apparently peculiar about Sir Percival's mother the secret seemed further away than ever but on two nulls Bree and mr. wands Burress office a five mile walk but possible to get there and back by the end of the day it was worth checking the copy of the register and perhaps the lawyer would know something that might be useful chapter 12 the secret [Music] sir percival spies attacked me on the road to Knowles BRE one of them came up beside me and bumped into me with his shoulder I pushed him away hard and he immediately shouted for help the other man ran up and the two of them held me between them the first man accused me of attacking him and they said they would take me to the police station in the town what could I do I couldn't fight both of them and hope to get away so I had to go with them at the police station the first man accused me of a violent attack and the second man said he was a witness I was locked up until the next magistrate's court which was three days away I could be released on bail I was told but how could I a total stranger in the town find a responsible person willing to pay money for my temporary freedom the whole plan was now clear to get me out of the way for three days while sir percival did whatever was necessary to prevent his secret being discovered at first I was too angry to think clearly then I remembered mr. Dawson the doctor I had been to his house and my previous visit to Blackwater so I knew his address I wrote him a letter explaining what had happened and begging for his help and then asked for a messenger to deliver it two hours later the good doctor appeared paid the required money and I was set free there was no time to lose the news of my being free would doubtless reach sir percival within hours I hurried to the lawyer's office where I asked if I could see the copy of the whelming a marriage register mr. wansbrough was a pleasant man and agreed to show me the copy in fact he was quite amused no one had asked to see it since his father now dead had locked it away in the office more than 20 years before as I opened the register my hands trembled I turned the pages to the year and month I found the names I remembered just before and just after the marriage of Sir Percival's parents and between these entries at the bottom of the page nothing the marriage of Sir Felix Clyde and Cecilia Elster was not there I looked again to be sure now nothing not a doubt about it sir Percival must have seen the space in the whelming um register and written in the marriage himself I had never once suspected this he was not so personal glide at all his parents had not been married so he had no right to the inheritance of Blackwater park no right to the rank of baronet no right even to the name of Glide this was his secret and it was now mine to use against him the copy of the register would be safe enough in the lawyer's office but I decided to go back to whelming him and make a copy of the false record from the church register it was dark now and I ran all the way to the church Clark's house I knocked on his door but when he appeared he looked suspicious and confused where are the keys he asked have you taken them what keys do you mean I said I've just this minute arrived from Noel's Bree the keys of the vestry he said the keys are gone someone's broken in and taken the keys get a light I said and let's go to the vestry quick we ran to the church on the path we passed a man who looked at us with frightened eyes he seemed to be a servant of some kind we did not stop to question him but ran on as we came in sight of the vestry I saw a high window brilliantly lit from within there was a strange smell on the night air a sound of cracking wood and the light grew brighter and brighter I ran to the door and put my hand on it the vestry was on fire I heard the key working violently in the lock I heard a man's voice behind the door raised in terror screaming for help oh my god said the servant who had followed us it's sir percival god help him said the clock he's damaged a lock at that moment I forget the man's crimes and see only the horror of his situation several people are now running towards the church and I call to them to help me break down the door we looked desperately for something to use and at last someone finds a long heavy piece of wood by now the flames are shooting up out of the window and the screams have stopped we get the wood into position and run at the door with it again and again at last the crashes down but a wave of heat hits our faces and drives us back and in the room we see nothing but a sheet of living fire the church itself was saved as the fire engine arrived soon afterwards and managed to put out the fire before it spread they carried out the body of sir Percival glide and laid it on the wet ground I looked down on his Dead face and this was how for the first and last time I saw him he must have heard that I was free and on my way back to whelming him so he hurried to the church stealing the keys and locking himself in to prevent anyone coming in and finding him all he could do was tear the page out of the register and destroy it if the false record no longer existed I could produce no evidence to threaten him with he must have dropped his lamp by accident which started the fire then in his urgency to get out the lock had become damaged and a key unmovable I could not leave the town there would be a legal inquiry into the accident the next day which I had to attend and in any case I had to report back to the police station in Knowles Bree I returned to the hotel and wrote to Marion telling her everything that had happened and warning her to keep the news from Laura for the moment with Sir Percival's death my hopes of establishing Laura's identity had also died and I could see no way forward at present the next day an envelope with my name on was delivered to the hotel the letter inside was neither dated nor signed but before I had read the first sentence I knew who had written it mrs. Catholic sir I thought you were my enemy now that he is dead because of you I consider you my friend to thank you for what you have done I will now tell you the things you wanted to know about my private life 23 years ago I was a beautiful young woman living in whelming Hamm married to a fool of a husband I also knew a gentleman I shall not call him by his name why should i it was not his own I was born with expensive tastes this man gave me expensive presents naturally he wanted something in return all men do and what did he want just a little thing the key to the church vestry when my husband's back was turned I liked my presence so I got him the key I watched him in the vestry without his knowing and saw what he was doing I did not know then how serious a crime it was I said I would not tell anyone about the marriage he had added to the register if he told me about his private life he agreed why you will see in a moment he said that he only found out that his parents were not married after his mother's death his father confessed to it and promised to do what he could for his son but he died having done nothing the son came to England and took possession of the property there was no one to say he could not in fact the right person to claim the property was a distant relation away at sea however to borrow money on the property he needed a certificate of his parents marriage this was a problem a problem which brought him to whelming him as his parents had mostly lived abroad and had had no social life in England who was to say the priest being dead that a private marriage had not taken place but whelming Hamsher Shh his plan was to tear out a page from the marriage register in the year before his birth and destroy it then he would tell his lawyers in London to get the necessary certificate innocently referring them to the date on the page that was gone at least no one could say that his parents were not married however when he saw there was a small space at the bottom of the page in the right year he changed his plan and took the opportunity to write in the marriage himself it took him some time though to practice the handwriting and to mix the right color of ink so that it looked the same after my husband caught me talking secretly to him and after their fight together I asked my fine gentleman to clear my name and to say there had been nothing between us but he refused he wanted everyone to believe something false so that they would never suspect the truth he then told me that the punishment for his crime and anyone who helped him was life in prison he frightened me if I spoke out I was just as lost as he was he then agreed to make me a yearly payment if I said nothing and stayed in whelming him where he could always find me and where there was no danger of my making friends and talking this was hard but I accepted many years later when my daughter was with me at home I received a letter from him which made me very angry I lost control of myself and said in her presence that I could destroy him if I let out his secret then one day he came to our house and called her a fool immediately she shouted asked for my pardon now or I let out your secret and destroy your life my own words he went white then he swore at us it ended as you know by his shutting her up in an asylum I tried to tell him she knew nothing but he did not believe me my daughter knew that she had frightened him and that he was responsible for shutting her up because he believed she knew his secret that's why she hated him but she never to her dying day knew what his secret actually was I will end by saying that you insult me if you think my husband was not my daughter's father please do not ask further questions about that to protect myself I mention no names in this letter nor do I sign it chapter 13 the threat mrs. Catholics extraordinary and shameless letter filled me with disgust my interest in sir Percival glides crime was now at an end but I decided to keep the letter in case it might help me find out who Anne's father really was later in the morning I went to the legal inquiry into Sir Percival's death I was only asked to say what had happened I was not asked how I thought the keys had been taken how the fire had been caused or why Sir Percival had gone into the vestry as no one could explain any of these things the verdict to the end of the inquiry was death by accident afterwards a gentleman who was also at the inquiry walked back to the hotel with me he had heard from Sir Percival's lawyer that a distant relation abroad would now inherit Blackwater park this was obviously the person who should have inherited it twenty-three years before if I made sir Percival's crime public it would be to no-one's advantage now if I kept a secret the true character of the man who had cheated Laura into marrying him would remain hidden and for her sake I wish to keep it hidden I still could not leave Hampshire as I had to report to the police station in Knowles Bree the next day I spent another night at the hotel and in the morning went to the post office to collect the letter from Marion as promised we had written to each other every day and Marian's letters had been full of cheerful news this morning's letter was short and terrified me come back as soon as you can we have had to move come to GAO's walk Fulham number five I will look out for you don't be alarmed about us we are both safe and well but come back Marion what had happened what dreadful thing had count Fusco done while I was away in spite of my anxiety I had to wait I paid my bill at the hotel and took a cab to Knowles Bree at the police station as I expected no one appeared to continue the action against me and I was allowed to go half an hour later I was on the train back to London I got to go as walk in Fulham at about nine o'clock both Laura and Marian came to the door to let me in Laura was much brighter and happier full of plans for the future and for her drawing and painting Marian's face was tired and anxious I could see that she had spared Laura the knowledge of the terrible death in whelming ham and the true reason for moving to new lodgings when Laura had left us and we could speak freely I tried to give some expression to my feelings and told Marianne how much I admired her for the courage and love she had shown she was too generous to listen to me had turned the conversation to my worries I'm so sorry for my letter it must have alarmed you yes it did I admitted was i right in thinking that you moved because of a threat by count Roscoe perfectly right she said I saw him yesterday and worse than that Walter I spoke to him spoke to him did he come to the house he did yesterday when I was passing the window I saw him in the street then there was a knock on the door I rushed out and there he was dressed in black with his smooth face and his deadly smile I closed the door behind me so that Laura would not see or hear him What did he say I asked anxiously he greeted me then repeated the warning in his letter to me he said he had not been able to prevent sir Percival's violence towards you and he had found out our address in order to protect his own interests you were followed Walter on your return home after your first journey to Hampshire he used this information only when he heard of Sir Percival's death because he believed you would act against him next and he was right I said What did he say about me he was very cool very polite and very threatening said Marion he said warn mr. Hart right he has an intelligent and powerful man to deal with let him be content with what he has got say to him if he attacks me I will use all my power to destroy him there is nothing I will not do dear lady good morning then he just looked at me with his cold gray eyes and walked away I ran back inside and told Laura we had to move we needed a quieter neighborhood with better air for the sake of her health I said you'd wanted us to do that and why didn't we do it now to surprise you when you got back she liked that idea and was quite happy to move I found these lodgings through an old school friend I did the right thing didn't I water I answered her warmly and gratefully as I really felt but the anxious look remained on her face and I saw in her eyes her continuing fear of the counts cleverness and energy what do you think of his message water what you plan to do next I decided weeks ago that Laura will be received in her uncle's house again I answered and my decision remains the same count Frasca will answer for his crime to me Marian's eyes lit up she said nothing but I could see how strongly she supported this plan I know the risks are great I said but it must be done I'm not foolish enough to try this before I'm well prepared I can wait let him think his message has produced its effect he will start to feel safe also my position towards you and Laura ought to be a stronger one than it is now how can it be stronger she asked surprised Marian I would like you to say to Laura gently that her husband is dead Oh Walter so soon you have a reason for this don't you cannot speak to Laurie yet one day not too distant I want to tell her that I love her Marian looked at me for a time then gave a sad gentle smile yes I understand I think I owe it to her and to you Walter to tell her of her husband's death the next day Lauren knew that death had released her from her marriage and her husband's name was never mentioned among us again our life returned to its usual pattern but I did not forget the count I discovered that he had rented his house in st. John's Wood for another six months so I was fairly sure he would still be in London within my reach when the time came to act we finally solved the puzzle of who and Catholics father was when I went again to see mrs. Clements and to tell her about Anne's death she remembered where mrs. Catholic had worked as a servant her employer had been a mr. Dunn thorne we wrote to mr. Dunn thorne who replied with some very interesting information Phillip Fairley Laura's father had been a great friend of his when they were young and a frequent houseguest he was a handsome man and fond of female company mr. Dunn thorne was fairly certain that Phillip Fairley had been staying at his house when mrs. Catholic was employed as a servant in the year before and was born when Marian and I checked the dates when we considered that Anne and Laura looked so alike and when we took into account the fact that Laura looked very much like her father we were in no doubt that here was the solution Phillip Fairley was Anne's father and so Anne was Laura's half-sister now at last the woman in white that strange sad shadow walking in the loneliness of the night could rest in peace for months past Laura grew stronger in body and in mind she was almost her old self and when we talked it was as we used to talk at limerick if I touched her by accident I felt my heart beating fast and I saw the answering color in her face in April we went for a holiday at the seaside why we were there I told Marian that when we returned to London I was determined to force a confession from count fosco to make him tell me the real date of Laura's journey to London but if I to challenge the count for Laura's safety I think I should challenge him as her husband do you agree Marian with every word she said I parted you both once wait here my brother my best and dearest friend till Laura comes and tells you what I have done now she kissed my forehead and left the room I waited by the window staring out at the beach seeing nothing hardly able to breathe the door opened and Laura came in alone when we parted at Limerick she had come into the room slowly in sorrow and hesitation now she ran to me would the light of happiness shining in her face she put her arms around me and her sweet lips came to meet mine my darling she whispered maybe we say we love each other now oh I'm so happy at last days later we were even happier we were married chapter 14 the confession a fortnight later we returned to London and I began to prepare for my battle with the count it was now early May and the rental agreement for his house ended in June in my new happiness with Laura to whom we never mentioned the counts name I was sometimes tempted to change my mind and to leave things as they were but she still had dreams terrible dreams that made her cry out in her sleep and I knew I had to go on try to find out more about the count Marion told me that he had not been back to Italy for many years had he been obliged to leave Italy for political reasons I wondered but Marion also said that at Blackwater park he had received official looking letters with Italian stamps on which would seem to contradict this idea perhaps he was a spy I thought that might explain why he had stayed in England so long after the successful completion of his plot who could I ask who might know something another Italian perhaps and I suddenly thought of my old friend professor Pesce before I did that I decided to have a look at the count as up to this time I had never once set eyes on him so one morning I went to forest Road since John's wood and waited near his house eventually he came out and I followed behind him as he walked towards the centre of London Marion had prepared me for his enormous size and fashionable clothes but not for the horrible freshness and cheerfulness and energy of the man near Oxford Street he stopped to read a sign announcing an opera and then went into the Opera ticket office which was nearby I went over to read the sign the Opera was being performed that evening and it seemed likely that the count would be in the audience if I invite Pesce to the Opera I thought I can point the count out to him and find out if he knows him so I bought two tickets myself sent Pesce a note and that evening called to take him with me to the Opera the music had already started when we went in and all the seats were filled however there was room to stand at the sides I looked around and saw the count's sitting in a seat halfway down so I placed myself exactly on a line with him with Pesce standing at my side when the first part finished the audience including the count rose to look about them when the count was looking in our direction I nodded Pesce with my elbow you see that tall fat man do you know him no said Pesce is he famous why do you point him out because I have a reason for wanting to know more about him he's an Italian and his name is count Fusco do you know that name look stand on this step so that you can see him better a slim fair-haired man with a scar on his left cheek was standing near us I saw him look at Pesce and then follow the direction of his eyes to the count Pesce repeated that he did not know him and as he spoke the count looked our way again the eyes of the two Italians met in that second I was suddenly convinced that while Pesce may not have known the count the count certainly knew Pesce not only knew him but more surprising still feared him as well the counts face had frozen into a dreadful stillness the cheeks as pale as death the cold gray eyes staring in terror nearby the man with the scar also seemed to be watching with interest the effect that Pesce had had on the count how the fat man stares Pesce said looking round at me but I've never seen him before in my life as pesco looked away the count turned moving quickly towards the back of the theater where the crowd was thickest I caught Pesce arm and to his great surprise hurried him with me after the count the slim man with the scar had apparently also decided to leave and was already ahead of us by the time Pesce and I reached the entrance neither the count nor the slim man was in sight Pesce i said urgently I must speak to you in private may we go to your lodgings to talk what on earth is the matter cried Pesce I hurried him on without answering the way the count had left the theatre his extraordinary anxiety to avoid Pesce made me fear that he might go even further and out of my reach in pesco slaw Jing's i explained everything as fast as I could while Pesce stared at me in great confusion and amazement he knows you he's afraid of you he left the theater to escape you I said there must be a reason Pesce think of your own life before you came to England you left Italy for political reasons I don't ask what they were but could that man's terror be connected with your past in some way to make an expressible surprise these harmless words seemed to terrify Pesce his face went white and he started to tremble what he whispered you don't know what you asked I stared at him Pesce forgive me I didn't mean to cause you pain I spoke only because of what my wife has suffered from that man's cruel actions he must forgive me I rose to go he stopped me before I reached the door wait he said you saved my life once you have a right to hear from me what you want to know even though I could be killed for it I only ask that if you find the connection between my past and that man fosco you do not tell me then his face still pale as the memories of the past crowded in on him he told me the story in my youth I belonged and still belong to a secret political society let's call it the Brotherhood I can't tell you its real name but I took too many risks and did something which put other members in danger so I was ordered to go and live in England and to wait I went I have waited I still wait I could be called away tomorrow or in ten years I cannot know the purpose of the Brotherhood is to fight for the rights of the people there is a president in Italy and presidents abroad each of these has his secretary the presidents and secretaries and all the members but members don't know each other until it's considered necessary every member of the Brotherhood is identified by a small round mark burnt into the skin high up on the inside of their left arm he rolled up his sleeve and showed me his own mark if anyone betrays the Brotherhood he went on he is a dead man another member a distant stranger or a neighbor will be ordered to kill him no one can leave the society Baskar paused then continued in Italy I was chosen to be secretary the members at that time were brought face to face with the president and were also brought face to face with me you understand me I see it in your face but tell me nothing I beg you let me stay free of a responsibility which horrifies me I do not know the man at the Opera he said finally if he knows me he is so changed or disguised that I do not know him leave me now Walter I have said enough I thank you with all my heart Pesce I said he will never never regret the trust you have placed in me walking home my heart beat with excitement here at last surely was my weapon against the count I was convinced he was a member of the Brotherhood had betrayed it and believed that he had been recognized tonight his life was now in danger what else could explain his extreme terror at seeing Pesce and what would he do next leave London as fast as he could if I went to his house and tried to stop him he would not hesitate to kill me to protect myself I had to make his safety depend on mine I hurried home and wrote this letter to pesca the man at the Opera fosco is a member of your society and has betrayed it go instantly to his house at five forest roads and John's wood I am already dead use your power against him without delay I signed and dated the letter and wrote on the envelope keep until nine o'clock tomorrow morning if you do not hear from me before then open the envelope and read the contents I then found a messenger told him to deliver the letter and bring back a note from Professor Pesce to say he had received it 20 minutes later I had the note and as I was leaving Marian came to the door looking anxious it's tonight isn't it she said you're going to the count yes it's the last chance and the best Oh Walter not alone let me go with you don't go alone no Marion you must stay here and guard Laura for me then I will be easy in my mind when I face the coat as I approached the counts house I passed the man with a scar on his cheek whom I had noticed earlier at the Opera what was he doing here I wondered I sent in my card and I still do not know why the count let me into his house at half past eleven at night was he just curious to see me he would not have known that I was at the Opera with Pesce and I suppose he thought he had nothing to fear from me he was still in his evening suit and there was a traveling case on the floor with books papers and clothes all around him my guess had been right you come here on business mr. Hart ride he said looking at me with curiosity I cannot think what that might be you are obviously preparing for a journey I said that is my business I know why you were leaving London so you know why I am leaving London he went over to a table and opened a drawer tell me the reason if you please I can show you the reason I said roll up the sleeve on your left arm and you will see it his cold gray eyes stared into mine there was a long heartbeat of silence I was a certain as if I had seen it that he had a gun hidden in a drawer and that my life hung by a thread wait a little I said before you act I advise you to read this note moving slowly and carefully I passed him Pesky's note he read the lines aloud your letter is received if I don't hear from you before nine o'clock I will open the envelope when the clock strikes another man might have needed an explanation but not the count his expression changed and he closed the drawer hmm you are cleverer than I thought he said I cannot leave before 9:00 as I have to wait for a passport to be delivered your information may be true or maybe false where did you get it I refused to tell him and that unsigned note you showed me who wrote it a man whom you have every reason to fear oppose what do you want of me mr. Hart right is it to do with a lady perhaps yes my wife I answered he looked at me in real amazement and I saw at once that he no longer considered me a dangerous man he folded his arms and listened to me with a cold smile you are guilty of a wicked crime I went on but you can keep the money all I want is a signed confession of the plot and a proof of the date my wife traveled to London good he said those are your conditions here are mine one Madame Foster and I leave the house when we please and you do not try to stop us - you wait here until my agent comes early tomorrow morning and you give him an order to get back your letter unopened you then allow us half an hour to leave the house three you agree to fight me at a place to be arranged later abroad do you accept my conditions yes or no is quick decision his cleverness and force of character amazed me for a second I hesitated should I let him escape yes the evidence I needed to prove Laura's identity was far more important than revenge I accept your conditions I said a bunts he called for coffee and sat down to write he wrote quickly for quite some time finally he jumped up declared that he had finished and read out his statement which I accepted as satisfactory he gave me the address of the company from whom he had hired the cab to collect Laura and also gave me a letter signed by sir Percival it was dated the 25th of July and announced the journey of lady glide to London on the 26th of July so there it was on the 25th of July the date of her death certificate in London Laura was alive in Hampshire about to make a journey the next day the count then called in Madame Fausto to watch me while he slept early in the morning his agent arrived and I wrote a note for Pesce an hour later the agent returned with my unopened letter and the counts Passport remember the third condition the count said as he left you will hear from me mr. Hardt right then he and the countess got into the agents cab with their bags and drove away leaving the agent with me to make sure I did not follow as I watched them leave another cab went by and I saw inside the man with the scar on his cheek what was his business with the count I wondered I had seen him too often now for it to be chance perhaps I had fought my own battle with the count just in time you cannot get a signed confession out of a dead man while I waited for the agreed half hour I read the document that the count had written for me statement by Isidora ottavio baldessari Fusco in the summer of 1850 hide in England on delicate political business and stayed with my friend sir Percival glide we both urgently needed large amounts of money the only person who had such money was his wife from whom when not a penny could be obtained until her death to make matters worse my friend had other private problems a woman called an catholic was hidden in the neighborhood was communicating with a lady glide and knew a secret which could ruin him and if he was ruined what would happen to our financial interests the first thing to do was to find an Catholic who I was told looked very much like lady glide and who had escaped from a madhouse I had the fantastic idea of changing the names places and lives of lady glide and and Catholic the one with the other the wonderful results of this change would be the gain of thirty thousand pounds and the keeping of the percival secret I found on Catholic and persuaded her and her friend to return to London I rented a house in st. John's Wood for myself and obtained from mr. Furley image an invitation for lady glide to visit for my plan to work it was necessary for lady glide to leave Blackwater park alone and stay a night at my house on her way to Limerick this plan was made easier by miss Holcomb's illness I returned to Blackwater park and when Miss Halcomb was out of danger I got rid of the doctor and instructed sir Percival to get rid of the servants next we sent mrs. Elson away for a few days and one night Madame Foucault misses Rubel and I moved the sleeping miss Halcomb to an unused part of the house I left for London in the morning with my wife leaving sir Percival to persuade lady glide that her sister had gone to Limerick and that she should follow her breaking her journey in London at my house on the 24th of July with my wife's help I got hold of an Catterick and took her to my house as lady glide however when she saw no one she recognized she screamed with fear and to my horror the shock to her weak heart caused her to collapse by the end of the following day she was dead dead on the 25th and lady glide was not due to arrive in London till the 26th it was too late to change the plan I remained calm and carried on on the 26th leaving the false lady glide dead in my house I collected the true lady glide from the railway station and took her to mrs. Reubens house the two medical men I had hired shall we say were easily persuaded to certify the confused and frightened lady glide as mentally ill then I gave her a drug and had the mrs. ruble dress her in uncaf Eric's clothes the next day the 27th she was delivered to the asylum where she was received with great surprise but without suspicion the false lady glide was buried at Limerick I attended the funeral with suitable expressions of deep sympathy one final question remains if an Catholic had not died when she did what would I have done I would of course have given her a happy release from the prison of life chapter 15 the proof when the half hour had passed I returned home after a brief explanation to Laura and Marian I hurried back to sanjana wood to find the cab driver whom the count had hired to collect Laura at the station he wrote me a statement which he and a witness signed saying that on the 26th of July 1850 he had driven a count Fosco to the railway station where they had collected a lady Glyde he remembered lady glides name he said from the labels on her luggage then I went to mr. Caroll's office and presented him with the proof of Laura's identity the letter from Sir Percival the statement by the cab driver the confession by the count and the death certificate amazed he congratulated me and agreed to accompany us to Limerick the next day where I intended to have Laura publicly received and recognized early the next morning Laura Marian mr. Carol and I took the train to Limerick Laura and Marian stayed at first in a hotel while mr. Carol and I went to the house to deal with mr. Farrelly he complained like a child saying how was he to know his niece was alive when he was told she was dead between us the lawyer and I made him sign letters calling all those who had attended the false funeral to come to the house the next day as I led Laura into her childhood home the following morning there was a murmur of surprise and interest from the waiting crowd of villagers and neighbors the business was soon done I read out the story of the plot against Laura and mr. Kira announced that everything I had said was proved by the strongest evidence I put my arm around Laura raise her up and call to the crowd are you all agreed that this is the law a fairly you knew there she is alive and well god bless her it was an old man at the back of the room who began it and in an instant everybody was shouting and cheering together later in the churchyard we watched a stone worker removed Laura's name from the gravestone in its place he put this and Catholic 25th July 1850 we returned to London the following day happy in the thought that the long struggle was now over several days later Pesce came to see me and asked for a quiet word in my ear he had just returned from Paris I have news for you my friend he said you need not worry any more about the man at the Opera his body was found in the river Sen yesterday and now lies in the morgue in Paris he was killed by knife wounds to the heart count Fosco I said amazed are you sure I saw the body with my own eyes he was wearing a French workman's clothes and had a different name of course but he was the fat man we saw at the Opera that night no question but how do you know this I asked Pesce hesitated a man brought me some information he said I had to see the body and send a report about it a man I said what kind of man a stranger said Pesce I didn't know him a man with a scar on his left cheek he saw the understanding in my face and held up his hand no more questions my friend please again but I think Pesce was telling me that the Brotherhood had taken their revenge and so count Fosco that extraordinary evil men passed from this world the following year our first child was born a son six months later my newspaper sent me to Ireland and when I returned I found a note from my wife saying she and Marian and little water had gone to Limerick house she begged me to follow as soon as possible very surprised I caught the next train when I got there Marian and Laura told me mr. Fairley was dead and that mr. Carol had advised them to go to Limerick house Laura came close to me and I have realized some great change was happening in our lives do you know who this is water Marian asked holding up my little son with tears of happiness in her eyes this is the boy who will one day inherit Limerick outs so she spoke in writing those last words I have written everything Miriam was the good friend of our lives let Marianne end our story [Music]

Channel: Story English with Subtitles

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Keywords: english story, learn english through stories, learn english, english stories, story in english, learn english through story, bedtime stories, listen english story, listening english through story, english story with subtitle, english language, english conversation, english, learn to english, english for beginner, learning english, learn english for beginner, esl, pdf, The Woman in White, the woman in white level 6, the woman in white by wilkie collins

Id: nlK7E7FppYw

Length: 232min 37sec (13957 seconds)

Published: Sat Oct 27 2018