Endless Night / Бесконечная ночь. Книга для чтения на английском языке

No, people would rather pay thousands for a luxury flat in a town nowadays up on the sixteenth floor of a modern building. Big unwieldy country houses are a drag on the market.’

�But you could build a modern house,’ I argued. �Labour-saving.’

�You could, but it’s an expensive business and people aren’t so fond of living lonely.’

�Some people might be,’ I said.

He laughed and we parted. I walked along, frowning, puzzling to myself. My feet took me without my really noticing where I was going along the road between the trees and up, up to the curving road that led between the trees to the moorlands.

And so I came to the spot in the road where I first saw Ellie. As I said, she was standing just by a tall fir tree and she had the look, if I can explain it, of someone who hadn’t been there a moment before but had just materialized, as it were, out of the tree. She was wearing a sort of dark green tweed and her hair was the soft brown colour of an autumn leaf and there was something a bit unsubstantial about her.

I saw her and I stopped. She was looking at me, her lips just parted, looking slightly startled. I suppose I looked startled too. I wanted to say something and I didn’t quite know what to say. Then I said:

�Sorry. I – I didn’t mean to startle you. I didn’t know there was anyone here.’

She said, and her voice was very soft and gentle, it might have been a little girl’s voice but not quite. She said:

�It’s quite all right. I mean, I didn’t think anyone would be here either.

’ She looked round her and said, �It – it’s a lonely spot.’ And she shivered just a little.

There was rather a chilly wind that afternoon. But perhaps it wasn’t the wind. I don’t know. I came a step or two nearer.

�It is a sort of scary place rather, isn’t it?’ I said. �I mean, the house being a ruin the way it is.’

�The Towers,’ she said thoughtfully. �That was the name of it, wasn’t it – only I mean, there don’t seem to have been any towers.

’

�I expect that was just a name,’ I said. �People call their houses names like The Towers to make them sound grander than they are.’

She laughed just a little. �I suppose that was it,’ she said. �This – perhaps you know, I’m not sure – this is the place that they’re selling today or putting up for auction?’

�Yes,’ I said. �I’ve come from the auction now.’

�Oh.’ She sounded startled.