20 лучших повестей на английском / 20 Best Short Novels

Meanwhile I had opened the tablet: it was bound in plain red leather, with a silver clasp; it contained but one sheet of thick vellum[35 - vellum – parchment], and on that sheet were inscribed, within a double pentacle, words in old monkish Latin, which are literally to be translated thus: �On all that it can reach within these walls, sentient or inanimate, living or dead, as moves the needle, so work my will! Accursed be the house, and restless be the dwellers therein.’

We found no more. Mr. J– burned the tablet and its anathema[36 - anathema – a formal declaration of the Church condemning smb.

or smth.; a curse]. He razed to the foundations the part of the building containing the secret room with the chamber over it. He had then the courage to inhabit the house himself for a month, and a quieter, better-conditioned house could not be found in all London. Subsequently he let it to advantage, and his tenant has made no complaints.

Wilkie Collins

Dream Woman

The First Narrative

Introductory statement of the facts by Percy Fairbank

I

�Hullo, there! Hostler! Hullo-o-o!’

�My dear! why don’t you look for the bell?’

�I have looked – there is no bell.

’

�And nobody in the yard. How very extraordinary! Call again, dear.’

�Hostler! Hullo, there! Hostler-r-r!’

My second call echoes through empty space, and rouses nobody – produces, in short, no visible result. I am at the end of my resources – I don’t know what to say or what to do next.

Here I stand in the solitary inn yard of a strange town, with two horses to hold, and a lady to take care of. By way of adding to my responsibilities, it so happens that one of the horses is dead lame, and that the lady is my wife.

Who am I? – you will ask.

There is plenty of time to answer the question. Nothing happens; and nobody appears to receive us. Let me introduce myself and my wife.

I am Percy Fairbank – English gentleman – age (let us say) forty – no profession – moderate politics – middle height – fair complexion – easy character – plenty of money.

My wife is a French lady. She was Mademoiselle Clotilde Delorge – when I was first presented to her at her father’s house in France. I fell in love with her – I really don’t know why. It might have been because I was perfectly idle, and had nothing else to do at the time.