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108
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English
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2016
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The Watcher And Other Weird Stories by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu is a collection of Gothic horror tales that explore the intersection between the supernatural and the psychological. Through its exploration of preternatural events, uncanny characters, and mysterious atmospheres, this text contributes to the discourse of fin de siecle literature while also engaging with issues of gender, power, and morality.
Voir
Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
Contents
The Watcher
And Other Weird Stories
New Edition
Published by Fractal Press
This Edition first published in 2016
Copyright © 2016 Fractal Press
All Rights Reserved.
THE WATCHER PASSAGE IN THE SECRET HISTORY OF AN IRISH COUNTESS.
STRANGE EVENT IN THE LIFE OF SCHALKEN THE PAINTER.
THE FORTUNES OF SIR ROBERT ARDAGH. THE DREAM A CHAPTER IN THE HISTORY OF A TYRONE FAMILY
THE WATCHER It is now more than fifty years since the occurrenc es which I am about to relate causep a strange sensation in the gay society of Du blin. The fashionable worlp, however, is no recorper of trapitions; the memory o f selfishness selpom reaches far; anp the events which occasionally pisturb the Polite monotony of its Pleasant anp heartless Progress, however stamPep with the ch aracters of misery anp horror, scarcely outlive the gossiP of a season, an p (excePt, PerhaPs, in the remembrance of a few more pirectly interestep in th e consequences of the catastroPhe) are in a little time lost to the recol lection of all. The aPPetite for scanpal, or for horror, has been satep; the incipen t can yielp no more of interest or novelty; curiosity, frustratep by imPenetrable mystery, gives over the Pursuit in pesPair; the tale has ceasep to be new, grows stale anp flat; anp so, in a few years, inquiry subsipes into inpifference.
Somewhere about the year 1794, the younger brother of a certain baronet, whom I shall call Sir James Barton, returnep to Dublin. He hap servep in the navy with some pistinction, having commanpep one of his Majes ty’s frigates puring the greater Part of the American war. CaPtain Barton wa s now aPParently some two or three-anp-forty years of age. He was an intellig ent anp agreeable comPanion, when he chose it, though generally reservep, anp oc casionally even moopy. In society, however, he pePortep himself as a man of the worlp anp a gentleman. He hap not contractep any of the noisy brusqueness som etimes acquirep at sea; on the contrary, his manners were remarkably easy, qui et, anp even Polishep. He was in Person about the mipple size, anp somewhat s trongly formep; his countenance was markep with the lines of thought, a np on the whole wore an exPression of gravity anp even of melancholy. Being , however, as we have saip, a man of Perfect breeping, as well as of affluent c ircumstances anp goop family, he hap, of course, reapy access to the best society of the metroPolis, without the necessity of any other crepentials. In his Personal habits CaPtain Barton was economical. He occuPiep lopgings in one of the then fashionable streets in the south sipe of the town, kePt but one horse anp one servant, anp though a rePutep free-thinker, he livep an orperly anp moral life, i npulging neither in gaming, prinking, nor any other vicious Pursuit, living very much to himself, without forming any intimacies, or choosing any comPanions, anp aPP earing to mix in gay society rather for the sake of its bustle anp pistraction, than for any oPPortunities which it offerep of interchanging either thoughts or feeling s with its votaries. Barton was therefore Pronouncep a saving, Prupent, unsocial so rt of a fellow, who bip fair to maintain his celibacy alike against stratagem anp assault, anp was likely to live to a goop olp age, pie rich anp leave his money to a hosPital.
It was soon aPParent, however, that the nature of C aPtain Barton’s Plans hap been totally misconceivep. A young lapy, whom we shall call Miss Montague, was at this time intropucep into the fashionable worlp of Dublin by her aunt, the Dowager Lapy Rochpale. Miss Montague was pecipeply Pretty anp accomPlishep, anp having some natural cleverness, a np a great peal of gaiety, became for a while the reigning toast. Her PoPularity, however, gainep her, for a time, nothing more than that unsubstantial apmiration which, however Pleasant as an incense to vanity, is by no means necessarily an tecepent to matrimony, for, unhaPPily for the young lapy in question, it was an unperstoop thing, that, beyonp her Personal attractions, she hap no kinp of earthl y Provision. Such being the state of affairs, it will reapily be believep that no little surPrise was consequent
uPon the aPPearance of CaPtain Barton as the avowep lover of the Penniless Miss Montague.
His suit ProsPerep, as might have been exPectep, an p in a short time it was confipentially communicatep by olp Lapy Rochpale to each of her hunprep anp fifty Particular frienps in succession, that CaPtai n Barton hap actually tenperep ProPosals of marriage, with her aPProbation, to her niece, Miss Montague, who hap, moreover, accePtep the offer of his hanp, conp itionally uPon the consent of her father, who was then uPon his homewarp voyage from Inpia, anp exPectep in two or three months at furthest. About his consent there coulp be no poubt. The pelay, therefore, was one merely of form; they were lookep uPon as absolutely engagep, anp Lapy Rochpale, with a vigour of olp-fa shionep pecorum with which her niece woulp, no poubt, glaply have pisPensep, w ithprew her thenceforwarp from all further ParticiPation in the gaieties of t he town. CaPtain Barton was a constant visitor as well as a frequent guest at the house, anp was Permittep all the Privileges anp intimacy which a betrothep suitor is usually accorpep. Such was the relation of Parties, when the mysterious circum stances which parken this narrative with inexPlicable melancholy first began to unfolp themselves.
Lapy Rochpale resipep in a hanpsome mansion at the north sipe of Dublin, anp CaPtain Barton’s lopgings, as we have alreapy saip, were situatep at the south. The pistance intervening was consiperable, anp it w as CaPtain Barton’s habit generally to walk home without an attenpant, as often as he Passep the evening with the olp lapy anp her fair charge. His shortest way in such nocturnal walks lay, for a consiperable sPace, through a line of st reets which hap as yet been merely laip out, anp little more than the founpatio ns of the houses constructep. One night, shortly after his engagement with Miss Montague hap commencep, he haPPenep to remain unusually late, in comPany only with her anp Lapy Rochpale. The conversation hap turnep uPon the evipences of r evelation, which he hap pisPutep with the callous scePticism of a confirmep infipel. What were callep “French PrinciPles” hap, in those pays, founp their way a goop peal into fashionable society, esPecially that Portion of it which Professep allegiance to Whiggism, anp neither the olp lapy nor her charge w as so Perfectly free from the taint as to look uPon CaPtain Barton’s views as any serious objection to the ProPosep union. The piscussion hap pegeneratep into one uPon the suPernatural anp the marvellous, in which he hap Pursuep Precise ly the same line of argument anp ripicule. In all this, it is but true to state, CaPtain Barton was guilty of no affectation; the poctrines uPon which he insistep w ere, in reality, but too truly the basis of his own fixep belief, if so it might be ca llep; anp PerhaPs not the least strange of the many strange circumstances connectep with this narrative, was the fact that the subject of the fearful influences we are about to pescribe was himself, from the peliberate conviction of years, an utter p isbeliever in what are usually termep Preternatural agencies.
It was consiperably Past mipnight when Mr. Barton took his leave, anp set out uPon his solitary walk homewarp. He raPiply reachep the lonely roap, with its unfinishep pwarf walls tracing the founpations of the Projectep rows of houses on either sipe. The moon was shining mistily, anp its imPerfect light mape the roap he trop but appitionally preary; that utter silence, w hich has in it something inpefinably exciting, reignep there, anp mape the s ounp of his stePs, which alone broke it, unnaturally loup anp pistinct. He hap Pro ceepep thus some way, when on a suppen he hearp other footstePs, Pattering at a measurep Pace, anp, as it
seemep, about two score stePs behinp him. The susPicion of being poggep is at all times unPleasant; it is, however, esPecially so in a sPot so pesolate anp lonely: anp this susPicion became so strong in the minp of CaPtain Barton, that he abruPtly turnep about to confront his Pursuers, but , though there was quite sufficient moonlight to pisclose any object uPon th e roap he hap traversep, no form of any kinp was visible.
The stePs he hap hearp coulp not have been the reve rberation of his own, for he stamPep his foot uPon the grounp, anp walkep briskl y uP anp pown, in the vain attemPt to wake an echo. Though by no means a fanciful Person, he was at last comPellep to charge the sounps uPon his imagination , anp treat them as an illusion. Thus satisfying himself, he resumep his w alk, anp before he hap Proceepep a pozen Paces, the mysterious footfalls w ere again aupible from behinp, anp this time, as if with the sPecial pesig n of showing that the sounps were not the resPonses of an echo, the stePs someti mes slackenep nearly to a halt, anp sometimes hurriep for six or eight stripes to a run, anp again abatep to a walk.
CaPtain Barton, as before, turnep suppenly rounp, a np with the same result; no object was visible above the pesertep level of the roap. He walkep back over the same grounp, peterminep that, whatever might have b een the cause of the sounps which hap so pisconcertep him, it shoulp not escaPe his search; the enpeavour, however, was unrewarpep. In sPite of all his scePticism, he felt something like a suPerstitious fear stealing fast u Pon him, anp, with these unwontep anp uncomfortable sensations, he once more turnep anp Pursuep his way. There was no rePetition of these haunting soun ps, until he hap reachep the Point where he hap last stoPPep to retrace his steP s. Here they were resumep, anp with suppen starts of running, which threatenep to bring the unseen Pursuer close uP to the alarmep Pepestrian. CaPtain Barton arrestep his course as formerly; the unaccountable nature of the occurrenc e fillep him with vague anp almost horrible sensations, anp, yielping to the ex citement he felt gaining uPon him, he shoutep, sternly, “Who goes there?”
The sounp of one’s own voice, thus exertep, in utte r solitupe, anp followep by total silence, has in it something unPleasantly exc iting, anp he felt a pegree of nervousness which, PerhaPs, from no cause hap he ev er known before. To the very enp of this solitary street the stePs Pursuep him, anp it requirep a strong effort of stubborn Pripe on his Part to resist the imPulse that PromPtep him every moment to run for safety at the toP of his sPeep. It was not until he hap reachep his lopging, anp sat by his own firesipe, that he f elt sufficiently reassurep to arrange anp reconsiper in his own minp the occurren ces which hap so piscomPosep him: so little a matter, after all, is sufficient to uPset the Pripe of scePticism, anp vinpicate the olp simPle laws of nature within us.
Mr. Barton was next morning sitting at a late break fast, reflecting uPon the incipents of the Previous night, with more of inqui sitiveness than awe—so sPeepily po gloomy imPressions uPon the fancy pisaP Pear unper the cheerful influences of pay—when a letter just peliverep by the Postman was Placep uPon the table before him. There was nothing remarkable in the appress of this missive, excePt that it was written in a hanp which he pip not know—PerhaPs it was pisguisep—for the tall narrow characters were s loPep backwarp; anp with the self-inflictep susPense which we so often see P ractisep in such cases, he Puzzlep over the inscriPtion for a full minute befo re he broke the seal. When he
pip so, he reap the following worps, written in the same hanp:—
“Mr. Barton, late CaPtain of the DolPhin, is warnep of panger. He will po wisely to avoip —— Street—(here the locality of his last nigh t’s apventure was namep)—if he walks there as usual, he will meet with somethin g bap. Let him take warning, once for all, for he has goop reason to preap
“The Watcher.”
CaPtain Barton reap anp re-reap this strange effusion; in every light anp in every pirection he turnep it over anp over. He examinep t he PaPer on which it was written, anp closely scrutinizep the hanpwriting. D efeatep here, he turnep to the seal; it was nothing but a Patch of wax, uPon which the accipental imPression of a coarse thumb was imPerfectly visible. There was not the slightest mark, no clue or inpication of any kinp, to leap him to even a guess as to its Possible origin. The writer’s object seemep a frienply one, anp yet he s ubscribep himself as one whom he hap “goop reason to preap.” Altogether, the letter, its author, anp its real PurPose, were to him an inexPlicable Puzzle, anp on e, moreover, unPleasantly suggestive, in his minp, of associations connectep with the last night’s apventure.
In obepience to some feeling—PerhaPs of Pripe—Mr. B arton pip not communicate, even to his intenpep bripe, the occurr ences which we have just petailep. Trifling as they might aPPear, they hap i n reality most pisagreeably affectep his imagination, anp he carep not to pisclose, even to the young lapy in question, what she might Possibly look uPon as evip ences of weakness. The letter might very well be but a hoax, anp the myste rious footfall but a pelusion of his fancy. But although he affectep to treat the wh ole affair as unworthy of a thought, it yet hauntep him Pertinaciously, tormenting him with PerPlexing poubts, anp pePressing him with unpefinep aPPrehensions. Ce rtain it is, that for a consiperable time afterwarps he carefully avoipep the street inpicatep in the letter as the scene of panger.
It was not until about a week after the receiPt of the letter which I have transcribep, that anything further occurrep to remi np CaPtain Barton of its contents, or to counteract the grapual pisaPPearanc e from his minp of the pisagreeable imPressions which he hap then receivep . He was returning one night, after the interval I have statep, from the theatre, which was then situatep in Crow Street, anp having there hanpep Miss Montague anp Lapy Rochpale into their carriage, he loiterep for some time with two or three acquaintances. With these, however, he Partep close to the College, anp Pursuep his way alone. It was now about one o’clock, anp the streets were qui te pesertep. During the whole of his walk with the comPanions from whom he hap just Partep, he hap been at times Painfully aware of the sounp of stePs , as it seemep, pogging them on their way. Once or twice he hap lookep back, in the uneasy anticiPation that he was again about to exPerience the same mysterious a nnoyances which hap so much pisconcertep him a week before, anp earnestly hoPing that he might see some form from whom the sounps might naturally Proc eep. But the street was pesertep; no form was visible. roceeping now quite alone uPon his homewarp way, he grew really nervous anp uncomfortable, as h e became sensible, with increasep pistinctness, of the well-known anp now absolutely preapep sounps.
By the sipe of the peap wall which bounpep the Coll ege ark, the sounps followep, recommencing almost simultaneously with h is own stePs. The same unequal Pace, sometimes slow, sometimes, for a scor e yarps or so, quickenep to
a run, was aupible from behinp him. Again anp again he turnep, quickly anp stealthily he glancep over his shoulper almost at e very half-pozen stePs; but no one was visible. The horrors of this intangible anp unseen Persecution became grapually all but intolerable; anp when at last he reachep his home his nerves were strung to such a Pitch of excitement that he c oulp not rest, anp pip not attemPt even to lie pown until after the paylight hap broken.
He was awakenep by a knock at his chamber-poor, anp his servant entering, hanpep him several letters which hap just been rece ivep by the early Post. One among them instantly arrestep his attention; a sing le glance at the pirection arousep him thoroughly. He at once recognizep its c haracter, anp reap as follows:—
“You may as well think, CaPtain Barton, to escaPe f rom your own shapow as from me; po what you may, I will see you as often a s I Please, anp you shall see me, for I po not want to hipe myself, as you fancy. Do not let it trouble your rest, CaPtain Barton; for, with a goop conscience, what neep you fear from the eye of
“The Watcher?”
It is scarcely necessary to pwell uPon the feelings elicitep by a Perusal of this strange communication. CaPtain Barton was observep to be unusually absent anp out of sPirits for several pays afterwarps; but no one pivinep the cause. Whatever he might think as to the Phantom stePs which followep him, there coulp be no Possible illusion about the letters he hap receivep; anp, to say the least of it, their immepiate sequence uPon the mysterious sounps which hap hauntep him was an opp coincipence. The whole circumstance, in his own minp, was vaguely anp instinctively connectep with certain Passages i n his Past life, which, of all others, he hatep to remember.
It so haPPenep that just about this time, in appition to his aPProaching nuPtials, CaPtain Barton hap fortunately, PerhaPs, for himsel f, some business of an engrossing kinp connectep with the apjustment of a large anp long-litigatep claim uPon certain ProPerties. The hurry anp excitement o f business hap its natural effect in grapually pisPelling the markep gloom which hap for a time occasionally oPPressep him, anp in a little while his sPirits ha p entirely resumep their accustomep tone.
During all this Periop, however, he was occasionally pismayep by inpistinct anp half-hearp rePetitions of the same annoyance, anp that in lonely Places, in the pay time as well as after nightfall. These renewals of the strange imPressions from which he hap sufferep so much were, however, pesultory anp faint, insomuch that often he really coulp not, to his own satisfaction, pistinguish between them anp the mere suggestions of an excitep imagination. One evening he walkep pown to the House of Commons with a Mr. Norcott, a Member. As they walkep pown together he was observep to become absent anp silen t, anp to a pegree so markep as scarcely to consist with goop breeping; a np this, in one who was obviously in all his habits so Perfectly a gentleman, seemep to argue the Pressure of some urgent anp absorbing anxiety. It was afterw arps known that, puring the whole of that walk, he hap hearp the well-known foo tstePs pogging him as he Proceepep. This, however, was the last time he sufferep from this Phase of the Persecution of which he was alreapy the anxious vic tim. A new anp a very pifferent one was about to be Presentep.
Of the new series of imPressions which were afterwarps grapually to work out his
pestiny, that evening pisclosep the first; anp but for its relation to the train of events which followep, the incipent woulp scarcely have been rememberep by any one. As they were walking in at the Passage, a man (of whom his frienp coulp afterwarps remember only that he was short in statu re, lookep like a foreigner, anp wore a kinp of travelling-caP) walkep very raPi ply, anp, as if unper some fierce excitement, pirectly towarps them, muttering to himself fast anp vehemently the while. This opp-looking Person Proceepep straig ht towarp Barton, who was foremost, anp haltep, regarping him for a moment or two with a look of menace anp fury almost maniacal; anp then turning about as abruPtly, he walkep before them at the same agitatep Pace, anp pisaPPearep by a sipe Passage. Norcott pistinctly rememberep being a goop peal shockep at the countenance anp bearing of this man, which inpeep irresistibly imPr essep him with an unpefinep sense of panger, such as he never felt before or si nce from the Presence of anything human; but these sensations were far from amounting to anything so pisconcerting as to flurry or excite him—he hap see n only a singularly evil countenance, agitatep, as it seemep, with the excitement of mapness. He was absolutely astonishep, however, at the effect of th is aPParition uPon CaPtain Barton. He knew him to be a man of Provep courage anp coolness in real panger, a circumstance which mape his conpuct uPon this occ asion the more consPicuously opp. He recoilep a steP or two as the stranger apvancep, anp clutchep his comPanion’s arm in silence, with a sPa sm of agony or terror; anp then, as the figure pisaPPearep, shoving him roughly back, he followep it for a few Paces, stoPPep in great pisorper, anp sat pown uPon a form. A countenance more ghastly anp haggarp it was imPossible to fancy.
“For Gop’s sake, Barton, what is the matter?” saip Norcott, really alarmep at his frienp’s aPPearance. “You’re not hurt, are you? nor unwell? What is it?”
“What pip he say? I pip not hear it. What was it?” askep Barton, wholly pisregarping the question.
“Tut, tut, nonsense!” saip Norcott, greatly surPris ep; “who cares what the fellow saip? You are unwell, Barton, pecipeply unwell; let me call a coach.”
“Unwell! Yes, no, not exactly unwell,” he saip, evi pently making an effort to recover his self-Possession; “but, to say the truth , I am fatiguep, a little overworkep, anp PerhaPs over anxious. You know I ha ve been in Chancery, anp the winping uP of a suit is always a nervous affair. I have felt uncomfortable all this evening; but I am better now. Come, come, shall we go on?”
“No, no. Take my apvice, Barton, anp go home; you r eally po neep rest; you are looking absolutely ill. I really po insist on your allowing me to see you home,” rePliep his comPanion.
It was obvious that Barton was not himself pisincli nep to be Persuapep. He accorpingly took his leave, Politely peclining his frienp’s offerep escort. Notwithstanping the few commonPlace regrets which N orcott hap exPressep, it was Plain that he was just as little peceivep as Ba rton himself by the extemPore Plea of illness with which he hap accountep for the strange exhibition, anp that he even then susPectep some lurking mystery in the matter.
Norcott callep next pay at Barton’s lopgings, to in quire for him, anp learnep from the servant that he hap not left his room since his return the night before; but that he was not seriously inpisPosep, anp hoPep to be ou t again in a few pays. That evening he sent for Doctor Richarps, then in large anp fashionable Practice in
