The House Of The Whispering Pines - free ebook by Anna Katharine Green

THE HOUSE OF THE WHISPERING PINES

By ANNA KATHARINE GREEN 1910 Author of "The Leavenworth Case," "That Affair Next Door," "One of My Sons," etc. "Mazes intricate, Eccentric, interwov'd, yet regular Then most, when most irregular they seem". Milton...

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BOOK II

IX.—"WE KNOW OF No SUCH LETTER"...

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BOOK III

XXVIII.—"WHERE Is MY BROTHER?"...

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BOOK IV

XXXV.—"As IF IT WERE A MECCA"...

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I

To have reared a towering scheme Of happiness, and to behold it razed, Were nothing: all men hope, and see their hopes Frustrate, and grieve awhile, and hope anew; But— A Blot in the 'Scutcheon. The moon rode high; but ominous clouds were rushing towards it—clouds heavy with snow. I watched these clouds as I drove recklessly, desperately, over the winter roads. I had just missed the desire of my life, the one precious treasure which I coveted with my whole undisciplined heart, and not being what

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II

Look on death itself!—up, up, and see The great doom's visage! Macbeth . Why, I did not know. There seemed to be no reason for this excess of feeling. I had no dread of attack; my apprehension was of another sort. Besides, any attack here must come from the rear—from the open doorway in which I stood—and my dread lay before me, in the room itself, which, as I have already said, appeared to be totally empty. What could occasion my doubts, and why did I not fly the place? There were passage-ways y

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III

PRINCE.—Bring forth the parties of suspicion. FRIAR.—I am the greatest, as the time and place Doth make against me, of this direful murder; And here I stand, both to impeach and purge. Myself condemned and myself excused. Romeo and Juliet . I have mentioned poison as my first thought. It was a natural one, the result undoubtedly of having noticed two small cordial glasses standing on a little table over against the fireplace. When I was conscious again of my own fears, I crossed to the table and

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IV

It is a damned and a bloody work; The graceless action of a heavy hand, If that it be the work of any hand. King John . The two men eyed me quietly, then Hexford pointed to my shoeless feet and sternly retorted: "Permit us to doubt your last assertion. You seem to be in better position than ourselves to explain the circumstances which puzzle you." They were right. It was for me to talk, not for them. I conceded the point in these words: "Perhaps—but you cannot always trust appearances. I can exp

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V

Look to the lady:— And when we have our naked frailties hid, That suffer in exposure, let us meet, And question this most bloody piece of work, To know it further. Fears and scruples shake us; In the great hand of God I stand; and, thence, Against the undivulg'd pretence I fight Of treasonous malice. Macbeth . Shortly after this, a fresh relay of police arrived and I could hear the whole house being ransacked. I had found my shoes, and was sitting in my own private room before a fire which had b

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VI

There is no agony and no solace left; Earth can console, Heaven can torment, no more Prometheus Unbound The coroner's intent look which had more or less sustained me through this ordeal, remained fixed upon my face as though he were still anxious to see me exonerate myself. How much did he know? That was the question. How much did he know ? Having no means of telling, I was forced to keep silent. I had revealed all I dared to. As I came to this conclusion, his eyes fell and I knew that the favor

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VII

This hand of mine Is yet a maiden and an innocent hand, Not painted with the crimson spots of blood. Within this bosom never enter'd yet The dreadful motion of a murd'rous thought. King John . My first thought (when I could think at all) was this: "She has some feeling, then! Her terror and remorse have maddened her. I can dwell upon her image with pity." The next, "Will they find her wet clothes and discover that she was out last night?" The latter possibility troubled me. My mind was the seat

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VIII

I entreat you then From one that so imperfectly conjects, You'd take no notice; nor build yourself a trouble Out of his scattering and unsure observance: It were not for your quiet, nor your good, Nor for my manhood, honesty or wisdom, To let you know my thoughts. Othello I slept, though a question of no small importance was agitating my mind, demanding instant consideration and a definite answer before I again saw this friend and adviser. I woke to ask if the suggestion which had come to me in

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IX

O, he sits high in all the people's hearts; And that, which would appear offence in us, His countenance like richest alchemy Will change to virtue, and to worthiness. Julius Caesar . And you still hold him?" "Yes, but with growing uncertainty. He's one of those fellows who affect your judgment in spite of yourself. Handsome beyond the ordinary, a finished gentleman and all that, he has, in addition to these advantages, a way with him that goes straight to the heart in spite of prejudice and the

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X

A subtle knave; a finder out of occasions; That has an eye can stamp and counterfeit Advantages though true advantage never presents Itself; A devilish knave! Othello . A half hour spent with Hexford in and about the club-house, and Sweetwater was ready for the road. As he made his way through the northern gate, he cast a quick look back at the long, low building he had just left, with its tall chimneys and rows of sightless windows, half hidden, half revealed by the encroaching pines. The myste

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XI

All things that we ordained festival Turn from their office to black funeral; Our instruments to melancholy bells; Our wedding cheer to a sad burial feast; And all things change them to the contrary. Romeo and Juliet . Fifteen minutes later, he stood in a finely wooded street before an open gateway guarded by a policeman. Showing his badge, he passed in, and entered a long and slightly curved driveway. As he did so, he took a glance at the house. It was not as pretentious as he expected, but inf

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XII

O, treble woe Fall ten times treble on that cursed head, Whose wicked deed thy most ingenious sense Depriv'd thee of!—Hold off the earth awhile, Till I have caught her once more in my arms. Hamlet . "Let us enter by the side door," suggested Sweetwater, as the two moved towards the house. "And be sure you place me where I can see without being seen. I have no wish to attract attention to myself, or to be identified with the police until the necessity is forced upon me." "Then we won't go in toge

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XIII

I'll tell you, by the way, The greatest comfort in the world. You said There was a clew to all. Remember, Sweet, He said there was a clew! I hold it. Come! A Blot in the 'Scutcheon. Sweetwater, however affected by this scene, had not lost control of himself or forgotten the claims of duty. He noted at a glance that, while the candid looking stranger, whose lead he had been following, was as much surprised as the rest at the nature of the interruption—which he had possibly anticipated and for whi

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XIV

'S blood, there is something in this more than natural, if philosophy could find it out. Hamlet . "The coat is here, too," whispered Sweetwater, after a moment of considerate silence. "I had searched the hall-rack for them; I had searched his closets; and was about owning myself to be on a false trail, when I spied this little door. We had better lock it, now, had we not, till you make up your mind what to do with this conclusive bit of evidence." "Yes, lock it. I'm not quite myself, Sweetwater.

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XV

Lurk, lurk. King Lear . The returning servants drove up just as Sweetwater reached the lower floor. He was at the side door when they came in, and a single glance convinced him that all had gone off decorously at the grave, and that nothing further had occurred during their absence to disturb them. He followed them as they filed away into the kitchen, and, waiting till the men had gone about their work, turned his attention to the girls who stood about very much as if they did not know just what

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XVI

Tush! I will stir about, And all things will be well, I warrant thee. Romeo and Juliet . He was walking south and on the best lighted and most beautiful street in town, but his eyes were forever seeking a break in the long line of fence which marked off the grounds of a seemingly interminable stretch of neighbouring mansions, and when a corner was at last reached, he dashed around it and took a straight course for Huested Street, down which he passed with quickened steps and an air of growing as

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XVII

Had I but died an hour before this chance, I had liv'd a blessed time; for from this instant, There's nothing serious in mortality: All is but toys; renown, and grace is dead; The wine of life is drawn, and the lees Is left this vault to brag of. Macbeth . The lamp in the coroner's room shone dully on the perturbed faces of three anxious men. They had been talking earnestly and long, but were now impatiently awaiting the appearance of a fourth party, as was shown by the glances which each threw

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XVIII

Can this avail thee? Look to it! Prometheus Bound . The district attorney was right; Sweetwater was not happy. His night's rest had not benefited him. He had seemed natural enough when he first appeared at the coroner's office in the early morning, and equally natural all through the lengthy conference which followed; but a half hour later, any one who knew him well,—any of his fellow detectives in New York; especially Mr. Gryce, who had almost fathered him since he came among them, a raw and in

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XIX

I am not mad;—I would to heaven I were! For then, 't is like I should forget myself: O, if I could, what grief should I forget!— Preach some philosophy to make me mad, For being not mad, but sensible of grief, My reasonable part produces reason How I may be delivered of these woes. King John . "I regret to disturb you, Arthur; but my business is of great importance, and should be made known to you at once. This I say as a friend. I might have waited for the report to have reached you from hearsa

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XX

A heavy summons lies like lead upon me, And yet I would not sleep Merciful powers! Restrain in me the cursed thoughts that nature Gives way to in repose. Macbeth . For several days I had been ill. They were merciful days to me since I was far too weak for thought. Then there came a period of conscious rest, then renewed interest in life and my own fate and reputation. What had happened during this interval? I had a confused memory of having seen Clifton's face at my bedside, but I was sure that

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XXI

One woe doth tread upon another's heel, So fast they follow. Hamlet . Later, I asked myself many questions, and wandered into mazes of speculation which only puzzled me and led nowhere. I remembered the bottles; I remembered the ring. I went back, in fancy, to the hour of my own entrance into the club-house, and, recalling each circumstance, endeavoured to fit the facts of Arthur's story with those of my own experience. Was he in the building when I first stepped into it? It was just possible. I

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XXII

This inundation of mistempered humour Rests by you only to be qualified. King John . It was some time before I learned the particulars of this awakening. It had occurred at sunset. A level beam of light had shot across the bed, and the nurse had moved to close the blind, when a low exclamation from the doctor drew her back, to mark the first faint fluttering of the snowy lids over the long-closed eyes. Afterwards she remembered what a picture her youthful patient made, with the hue of renewed li

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XXIII

Forget the world around you. Meantime friendship Shall keep strict vigils for you, anxious, active, Only be manageable when that friendship Points you the road to full accomplishment. Coleridge . "I don't care a rush what you do to me. If you are so besotted by your prejudices that you refuse to see the nose before your face; if you don't believe your own officer who swore he saw Ranelagh's hands upon my sister's throat, then this world is all a jumble and it makes very little difference to me w

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XXIV

It's fit this royal session do proceed; And that, without delay, their arguments Be now produc'd and heard King Henry VIII . There was difficulty, as you will conceive, in selecting an unprejudiced jury. But this once having been accomplished, the case went quickly and smoothly on under the able guidance of the prosecuting attorney. I shall spare you the opening details, also much of the preliminary testimony. Enough that at the close of the sixth day, the outlook was a serious one for Arthur Cu

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XXV

All is oblique, There's nothing level in our cursed natures, But direct villainy. Therefore, be abhorred All feasts, societies, and throngs of men! His semblable, yea, himself, Timon disdains. Timon of Athens . I was early in my seat. Feeling the momentousness of the occasion—for this day must decide my action for or against the prisoner—I searched the faces of the jury, of the several counsel, and of the judge. I was anxious to know what I had to expect from them, in case my conscience got the

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XXVI

I alit On a great ship lightning-split, And speeded hither on the sigh Of one who gave an enemy His plank, then plunged aside to die. Prometheus Unbound . Recess followed. Clifton and I had the opportunity of exchanging a few words. He was voluble; I was reticent. I felt obliged to hide from him the true cause of the deep agitation under which I was labouring. Attached as he was to me, keenly as he must have felt my anomalous position, he was too full of Moffat's unwarrantable introduction of te

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XXVII

I see your end, 'T is my undoing. King Henry VIII . A turning-point had been reached in the defence. That every one knew after the first glance at Mr. Moffat, on the opening of the next morning's session. As I noted the excitement which this occasioned even in quarters where self-control is usually most marked and such emotions suppressed, I marvelled at the subtle influence of one man's expectancy, and the powerful effect which can be produced on a feverish crowd by a well-ordered silence sugge

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XXVIII

Let me see the writing. My lord, 't is nothing. No matter, then, who sees it; I will be satisfied, let me see the writing. Richard II . What is the explanation of Carmel's reappearance in town and of this sensational introduction of her into the court-room, in a restored state of health of which no one, so far as known, had had any intimation save the man who was responsible for her appearance? The particulars are due you. She had passed some weeks at Lakewood, under the eye of the nurse who was

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XXIX

MERCURY.—If thou mightst dwell among the Gods the while Lapped in voluptuous joy? PROMETHEUS.—I would not quit This bleak ravine, these unrepentant pains. Prometheus Unbound . Great moments, whether of pain, surprise, or terror, awaken in the startled breast very different emotions from those we are led to anticipate from the agitation caused by lesser experiences. As Carmel disclosed her features to the court, my one absorbing thought was: Would she look at me? Could I ho

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XXX

Let me have A dram of poison; such soon speeding geer As will disperse itself through all the veins, That the life-weary taker may fall dead. Come, bitter conduct, come unsavoury guide! Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on The dashing rocks thy sea-sick weary bark. Romeo and Juliet "I have not finished," were the first words we heard, when order was restored, and we were all in a condition to listen again. "I had to relate what you have just heard, that you might understand what happened nex

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XXXI

Threescore and ten I can remember well: Within the volume of which time, I have seen Hours dreadful, and things strange; but this sore night Hath trifled former knowledge. Macbeth . I shall say nothing about myself at this juncture. That will come later. I have something of quite different purport to relate. When I left the court-room with the other witnesses, I noticed a man standing near the district attorney. He was a very plain man—with no especial claims to attention, that I could see, yet

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XXXII

O my soul's joy! If after every tempest come such calms May the winds blow till they have wakened death! Othello . I had always loved her; that I knew even in the hour of my darkest suspicion—but now I felt free to worship her. As the thought penetrated my whole being, it made the night gladsome. Whatever awaited her, whatever awaited Arthur, whatever awaited me, she had regenerated me. A change took place that night in my whole nature, in my aspect of life and my view of women. One fact rode tr

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XXXIII

O if you rear this house against this house, It will the wofulest division prove That ever fell upon this cursed earth. Prometheus Unbound . In my first glance around the court-room the next morning, I sought first for Carmel and then for the detective Sweetwater. Neither was visible. But this was not true of Ella. She had come in on her father's arm, closely followed by the erect figure of her domineering mother. As I scrutinised the latter's bearing, I seemed to penetrate the mystery of her na

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XXXIV

I am a tainted wether of the flock, Meetest for death; the weakest kind of fruit Drops earliest to the ground, and so let me. You cannot better be employ'd, Bassanio, Than to live still, and write my epitaph. Merchant of Venice . Why linger over the result. Arthur Cumberland's case was won before Mr. Fox arose to his feet. The usual routine was gone through. The district attorney made the most of the three facts which he declared inconsistent with the prisoner's innocence, just as Mr. Moffat sai

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XXXV

—I have within my mind A thousand raw tricks of these bragging Jacks Which I will practise. Merchant of Venice . "Give me your reasons. They must be excellent ones, Sweetwater, or you would not risk making a second mistake in a case of this magnitude and publicity." "Mr. Fox, they are excellent. But you shall judge of them. From the moment Miss Carmel Cumberland overthrew the very foundations of our case by her remarkable testimony, I have felt that my work was only half done. It was a strain on

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XXXVI

For Justice, when triumphant, will weep down Pity, not punishment, on her own wrongs, Too much avenged by those who err. I wait, Enduring thus, the retributive hour Which since we spake is even nearer now. Prometheus Unbound . The moment I felt Sweetwater's hand lifted from my shoulder I sprang into the first hack I could find, and bade the driver follow the Cumberland sleigh post-haste. I was determined to see Carmel and have Carmel see me. Whatever cold judgment might say against the meeting,

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