chapter 5

A FEW days after this, Virginia and her curly-haired cavalier went out riding on Brockley

meadows, where she tore her habit so badly in getting through a hedge, that, on her return

home, she made up her mind to go up by the back staircase so as not to be seen. As she was

running past the Tapestry Chamber, the door of which happened to be opened, she fancied she

saw some one inside, and thinking it was her mother's maid, who sometimes used to bring her

work there, looked in to ask her to mend her habit. To her immense surprise, however, it was

the Canterville Ghost himself! He was sitting by the window, watching the ruined gold of the

yellow trees fly through the air, and the red leaves dancing madly down the long avenue. His

head was leaning on his hand, and his whole attitude was one of extreme depression. Indeed,

so forlorn, and so much out of repair did he look, that little Virginia, whose first idea had been

to run away and lock herself in her room, was filled with pity, and determined to try and

comfort him. So light was her footfall, and so deep his melancholy, that he was not aware of

her presence till she spoke to him.

"I am so sorry for you," she said, "but my brothers are going back to Eton tomorrow, and

then, if you behave yourself no one will annoy you."

"It is absurd asking me to behave myself" he answered, looking round in astonishment at the

pretty little girl who had ventured to address him, "quite absurd. I must rattle my chains, and

groan through keyholes, and walk about at night, if that is what you mean. It is my only

reason for existing."

"It is no reason at all for existing, and you know you have been very wicked. Mrs. Umney

told us, the first day we arrived here, that you had killed your wife."

"Well, I quite admit it," said the Ghost petulantly, "but it was a purely family matter, and

concerned no one else."

"It is very wrong to kill any one," said Virginia, who at times had a sweet Puritan gravity,

caught from some old New England ancestor.

"Oh, I hate the cheap severity of abstract ethics! My wife was very plain, never had my ruffs

properly starched, and knew nothing about cookery. Why, there was a buck I had shot in

Hogley Woods, a magnificent pricket, and do you know how she had it sent up to table?

However, it is no matter now, for it is all over, and I don't think it was very nice of her

brothers to starve me to death, though I did kill her."

"Starve you to death? Oh, Mr. Ghost, I mean Sir Simon, are you hungry? I have a sandwich

in my case. Would you like it?"

"No, thank you, I never eat anything now; but it is very kind of you, all the same, and you

are much nicer than the rest of your horrid, rude, vulgar, dishonest family."

"Stop!" cried Virginia, stamping her foot, "it is you who are rude, and horrid, and vulgar;

and as for dishonesty, you know you stole the paints out of my box to try and furbish up that

ridiculous blood-stain in the library. First you took all my reds, including the vermilion, and I

couldn't do any more sunsets, then you took the emerald-green and the chrome-yellow, and

finally I had nothing left but indigo and Chinese white, and could only do moonlight scenes,

which are always depressing to look at, and not at all easy to paint. I never told on you,

though I was very much annoyed, and it was most ridiculous, the whole thing; for who ever

heard of emerald-green blood?"

"Well, really," said the Ghost, rather meekly, "what was I to do? It is a very difficult thing to

get real blood nowadays, and, as your brother began it all with his Paragon Detergent, I

certainly saw no reason why I should not have your paints. As for colour, that is always a

matter of taste: the Cantervilles have blue blood, for instance, the very bluest in England; but I

know you Americans don't care for things of this kind."

"You know nothing about it, and the best thing you can do is to emigrate and improve your

mind. My father will be only too happy to give you a free passage, and though there is a

heavy duty on spirits of every kind, there will be no difficulty about the Custom House, as the

officers are all Democrats. Once in New York, you are sure to be a great success. I know lots

of people there who would give a hundred thousand dollars to have a grandfather, and much

more than that to have a family Ghost."

"I don't think I should like America."

"I suppose because we have no ruins and no curiosities," said Virginia satirically.

"No ruins! no curiosities!" answered the Ghost; "you have your navy and your manners."

"Good evening; I will go and ask Papa to get the twins an extra week's holiday."

"Please don't go, Miss Virginia," he cried; "I am so lonely and so unhappy, and I really don't

know what to do. I want to go to sleep and I cannot."

"That's quite absurd! You have merely to go to bed and blow out the candle. It is very

difficult sometimes to keep awake, especially at church, but there is no difficulty at all about

sleeping. Why, even babies know how to do that, and they are not very clever."

"I have not slept for three hundred years," he said sadly, and Virginia's beautiful blue eyes

opened in wonder; "for three hundred years I have not slept, and I am so tired."

Virginia grew quite grave, and her little lips trembled like rose-leaves. She came towards

him, and kneeling down at his side, looked up into his old withered face.

"Poor, poor Ghost," she murmured; "have you no place where you can sleep?"

"Far away beyond the pine-woods," he answered, in a low dreamy voice, "there is a little

garden. There the grass grows long and deep, there are the great white stars of the hemlock

flower, there the nightingale sings all night long. All night long he sings, and the cold, crystal

moon looks down, and the yew-tree spreads out its giant arms over the sleepers."

Virginia's eyes grew dim with tears, and she hid her face in her hands.

"You mean the Garden of Death," she whispered.

"Yes, Death. Death must be so beautiful. To lie in the soft brown earth, with the grasses

waving above one's head, and listen to silence. To have no yesterday, and no to-morrow. To

forget time, to forgive life, to be at peace. You can help me. You can open for me the portals

of Death's house, for Love is always with you, and Love is stronger than Death is."

Virginia trembled, a cold shudder ran through her, and for a few moments there was silence.

She felt as if she was in a terrible dream.

Then the Ghost spoke again, and his voice sounded like the sighing of the wind.

"Have you ever read the old prophecy on the library window?"

"Oh, often," cried the little girl, looking up; "I know it quite well. It is painted in curious

black letters, and it is difficult to read. There are only six lines:

WHEN A GOLDEN GIRL CAN WIN

PRAYER FROM OUT THE LIPS OF SIN,

WHEN THE BARREN ALMOND BEARS,

AND A LITTLE CHILD GIVES AWAY ITS TEARS,

THEN SHALL ALL THE HOUSE BE STILL

AND PEACE COME TO CANTERVILLE.

But I don't know what they mean.

"They mean," he said sadly, "that you must weep for me for my sins, because I have no

tears, and pray with me for my soul, because I have no faith, and then, if you have always

been sweet, and good, and gentle, the Angel of Death will have mercy on me. You will see

fearful shapes in darkness, and wicked voices will whisper in your ear, but they will not harm

you, for against the purity of a little child the powers of Hell cannot prevail."

Virginia made no answer, and the Ghost wrung his hands in wild despair as he looked down

at her bowed golden head. Suddenly she stood up, very pale, and with a strange light in her

eyes. "I am not afraid," she said firmly, "and I will ask the Angel to have mercy on you."

He rose from his seat with a faint cry of joy, and taking her hand bent over it with old-

fashioned grace and kissed it. His fingers were as cold as ice, and his lips burned like fire, but

Virginia did not falter, as he led her across the dusky room. On the faded green tapestry were

broidered little huntsmen. They blew their tasselled horns and with their tiny hands waved to

her to go back "Go back! Little Virginia," they cried, "go back!" but the Ghost clutched her

hand more tightly, and she shut her eyes against them. Horrible animals with lizard tails, and

goggle eyes, blinked at her from the carven chimney-piece, and murmured, "Beware! little

Virginia, beware! we may never see you again," but the Ghost glided on more swiftly, and

Virginia did not listen. When they reached the end of the room he stopped, and muttered some

words she could not understand. She opened her eyes, and saw the wall slowly fading away

like a mist, and a great black cavern in front of her. A bitter cold wind swept round them, and

she felt something pulling at her dress. "Quick, quick," cried the Ghost, or it will be too late,"and, in a moment, the wainscoting had closed behind them, and the Tapestry Chamber was

empty.

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