Ghost Story Collection Volume 006

"No Living Voice"

Thomas Street Millington,

'How do you account for it?'

'I don't account for it at all. I don't pretend to understand it.'
'You think, then, that it was really supernatural?'

'We know so little what Nature comprehends what are its powers and limits that we can
scarcely speak of anything that happens as beyond it or above it.'

'And you are certain that this did happen?'

'Quite certain; of that I have no doubt whatever.'

These sentences passed between two gentlemen in the drawing?room of a country house,
where a small family party was assembled after dinner; and in consequence of a lull in the
conversation occurring at the moment they were distinctly heard by nearly everybody present.
Curiosity was excited, and enquiries were eagerly pressed as to the nature or supernature of
the event under discussion. 'A ghost story!' cried one; 'oh! delightful! we must and will hear
it.' 'Oh! please, no, said another; 'I should not sleep all night and yet I am dying with
curiosity.'

Others seemed inclined to treat the question rather from a rational or psychological point of
view, and would have started a discussion upon ghosts in general, each giving his own
experience; but these were brought back by the voice of the hostess, crying, 'Question,
question!' and the first speakers were warmly urged to explain what particular event had
formed the subject of their conversation.

'It was you, Mr Browne, who said you could not account for it; and you are such a very
matter?of? fact person that we feel doubly anxious to hear what wonderful occurrence could
have made you look so grave and earnest.'

'Thank you,' said Mr Browne. I am a matter?of?fact person, I confess; and I was speaking of
a fact; though I must beg to be excused saying any more about it. It is an old story; but I never
even think of it without a feeling of distress; and I should not like to stir up such keen and
haunting memories merely for the sake of gratifying curiosity. I was relating to Mr Smith, in
few words, an adventure which befell me in Italy many years ago, giving him the naked facts
of the case, in refutation of a theory which he had been propounding.'

'Now we don't want theories, and we won't have naked facts; they are hardly proper at any
time, and at this period of the year, with snow upon the ground,' they would be most
unseasonable; but we must have that story fully and feelingly related to us, and we promise to
give it a respectful hearing, implicit belief, and unbounded sympathy. So draw round the fire,
all of you, and let Mr Browne begin.'

Poor Mr Browne turned pale and red, his lips quivered, his entreaties to be excused became
quite plaintive; but his good nature and perhaps, also, the consciousness that he could really

interest his hearers, led him to overcome his reluctance; and after exacting a solemn promise
that there should be no jesting or levity in regard to what he had to tell, he cleared his throat
twice or thrice, and in a hesitating nervous tone began as follows:

'It was in the spring of 18 . 1 had been at Rome during the Holy Week, and had taken a place
in the diligence for Naples. There were two routes: one by way of Terracina and the other by
the Via Latina, more inland. The diligence, which made the journey only twice a week,
followed these routes alternately, so that each road was traversed only once in seven days. I
chose the.inland route, and after a long day's journey arrived at Ceprano, where we halted for
the night.

The next morning we started again very early, and it was scarcely yet daylight when we
reached the Neapolitan frontier, at a short distance from the town. There our passports were
examined, and to my great dismay I was informed that mine was not en regie. It was covered,
indeed, with stamps and signatures, not one of which had been procured without some cost
and trouble; but one 'visa' yet was wanting, and that the all?important one, without which
none could enter the kingdom of Naples. I was obliged therefore to alight, and to send my
wretched passport back to Rome, my wretched self being doomed to remain under police
surveillance at Ceprano, until the diligence should bring it back to me on that day week, at
soonest.

I took up my abode at the hotel where I had passed the previous night, and there I presently
received a visit from the Capo di Polizia, who told me very civilly that I must present myself,
even morning and evening at his bureau, but that I might have liberty to "circulate" in the
neighbourhood during the day. I grew so weary of this dull place, that after I had explored the
immediate vicinity of the town I began to extend my walks to a greater distance, and as I
always reported myself to the police before night I met with no objection on their part.

One day, however, when I had been as far as Alatri and was returning on foot, night overtook
me. I had lost my way, and could not tell how far I might be from my destination. I was very
tired and had a heavy knapsack on my shoulders, packed with stones and relics from the ruins
of the old Pelasgic fortress which I had been exploring, besides a number of old coins and a
lamp or two which I had purchased there. I could discern no signs of any human habitation,
and the hills, covered with wood, seemed to shut me in on every side. I was beginning to think
seriously of looking out for some sheltered spot under a thicket in which to pass the night,
when the welcome sound of a footstep behind me fell upon my ears. Presently a man dressed
in the usual long shaggy coat of a shepherd overtook me, and hearing of my difficulty offered
to conduct me to a house at a short distance from the road, where I might obtain a lodging;
before we reached the spot he told me that the house in question was an inn and that he was
the landlord of it. He had not much custom, he said, so he employed himself in shepherding
during the day; but he could make me conformable, and give me a good supper also, better
than I should expect, to look at him; but he had been in different circumstances once, and had
lived in service in good families, and knew how things ought to be, and what a signore like
myself was used to.

'The house to which he took me seemed like its owner to have seen better days. It was a large
rambling place and much dilapidated, but it was tolerably comfortable within; and my
landlord, after he had thrown off his sheepskin coat, prepared me a good and savoury meal,
and sat down to look at and converse with me while I ate it. I did not much like the look of the
fellow; but he seemed anxious to be sociable and told me a great deal about his former life

when he was in service, expecting to receive similar confidences from me. I did not gratify
him much, but one must talk of something, and he seemed to think it only proper to express
an interest in his guests and to learn as much of their concerns as they would tell him.

'I went to bed early, intending to resume my journey as soon as it should be light. My landlord
took up my knapsack, and carried it to my room, observing as he did so that it was a great
weight for me to travel with. I answered jokingly that it contained great treasures, referring to
my coins and relics; of course he did not understand me, and before I could explain he wished
me a most happy little night, and left me.

'The room in which I found myself was situated at the end of a long passage; there were two
rooms on the right side of this passage, and a window on the left, which looked out upon a
yard or garden. Having taken a survey of the outside of the house while smoking my cigar
after.dinner, when the moon was up, I understood exactly the position of my chamber the end
room of a long narrow wing, projecting at right angles from the main building, with which it
was connected only by the passage and the two side rooms already mentioned.

Please to bear this description carefully in mind while I proceed.

'Before getting into bed, I drove into the floor close to the door a small gimlet which formed
part of a complicated pocket?knife which I always carried with me, so that it would be
impossible for any one to enter the room without my knowledge; there was a lock to the door,
but the key would not turn in it; there was also a bolt, but it would not enter the hole intended
for it, the door having sunk apparently from its proper level. I satisfied, myself, however, that
The door was securely fastened by my gimlet, and soon fell asleep.

'How can I describe the strange and horrible sensation which oppressed me as I woke our of
my first slumber? I had been sleeping soundly, and before I quite recovered consciousness I
had instinctively risen from my pillow, and was crouching forward, my knees drawn up, my
hands clasped before my face, and my whole frame quivering with horror. I saw nothing, felt
nothing; but a sound was ringing in my ears which seemed to make my blood run cold. I
could not have supposed it possible that any mere sound, whatever might be its nature, could
have produced such a revulsion of feeling or inspired such intense horror as I then
experienced. It was not a cry of terror that I heard that would have roused me to action nor the
moaning of one in pain that would have distressed me, and called forth sympathy rather than
aversion. True, it was like the groaning of one in anguish and despair, but not like any mortal
voice: it seemed too dreadful, too intense, for human utterance. The sound had begun while I
was fast asleep close in the head of my bed close to my very pillow; it continued after I was
wide awake a long, loud, hollow, protracted groan, making the midnight air reverberate, and
then dying gradually away until it ceased entirely. It was some minutes before I could at all
recover from the terrible impression which seemed to stop my breath and paralyse my limbs.
At length I began to look about me, for the night was not entirely dark, and I could discern the
outlines of the room and the several pieces of furniture in it. I then got out of bed, and called
aloud, "Who is there? What is the matter?

Is anyone ill?" I repeated these enquiries in Italian and in French, but there was none that
answered. Fortunately I had some matches in my pocket and was able to light my candle. I
then examined every pan of the room carefully, and especially the wall at the head of my bed,
sounding it with my knuckles; it was firm and solid there, as in all other places. I unfastened
my door, and explored the passage and the two adjoining rooms, which were unoccupied and

almost destitute of furniture; they had evidently not been used for some time. Search as I
would I could gain no clue to the mystery. Returning to my room I sat down upon the bed in
great perplexity, and began to turn over in my mind whether it was possible I could have been
deceived whether the sounds which caused me such distress might be the offspring of some
dream or nightmare; but to that conclusion I could not bring myself at all, much as I wished it,
for the groaning had continued ringing in my ears long after I was wide awake and conscious.
While I was thus reflecting, having neglected to close the door which was opposite to the side
of my bed where I was sitting, I heard a soft footstep at a distance, and presently a light
appeared at the further end of the passage. Then I saw the shadow of a man east upon the
opposite wall; it moved very slowly, and presently stopped. I saw the hand raised, as if
making a sign to someone, and I knew from the fact of the shadow being thrown in advance
that there must be a second person in the rear by whom the light was earned. After a short
pause they seemed to retrace their steps, without my having had a glimpse of either of them,
but only of the shadow which had come before and which followed them as they withdrew. It
was then a little after one o'clock, and I concluded they were retiring late to rest, and anxious
to avoid disturbing me, though I have since thought that it was the light from my room which
caused their retreat. I felt half inclined to call to them, but I shrank, without knowing why,
from making known what had disturbed me, and while I hesitated they were gone; so I
fastened my door again, and resolved to sit up and watch a little longer by myself. But now
my candle was beginning to burn low, and I found myself in this dilemma: either I must
extinguish it at once, or I should be left without the means of procuring a light in ease I should
be again disturbed. I regretted that I had not called for another candle while there were people
yet moving in the house, but I could not do so now without making explanations; so I grasped
my box of matches, put out my light, and lay down, not without a shudder, in the bed.

'For an hour or more I lay awake thinking over what had occurred, and by that time I had
almost persuaded myself that I had nothing but my own morbid imagination to thank for the
alarm whish I had suffered. "It is an outer wall," I said to myself; "they are all outer walls, and
the house is built of stone; it is impossible that any sound could be heard through such a
thickness. Besides, it seemed to be in my room, close to my ear.

What an idiot I must be, to be excited and alarmed about nothing; I'll think no more about it."
So I turned on my side, with a smile (rather a forced one) at my own foolishness, and
composed myself to sleep.

'At that instant I heard, with more distinctness than I ever heard any other sound in my life, a
gasp, a voiceless gasp, as if someone were in agony for breath, biting at the air, or trying with
desperate efforts to cry out or speak. It was repeated a second and a third time; then there was
a pause; then again that horrible gasping; and then a long?drawn breath, an audible drawing
up of the air into the throat, such as one would make in heaving a deep sigh. Such sounds as
these could not possibly have been heard unless they had been close to my car; they seemed to
come from the wall at my head, or to rise up out of my pillow. That fearful gasping, and that
drawing in of the breath, in the darkness and silence of the night, seemed to make every nerve
in my body thrill with dreadful expectation. Unconsciously I shrank away from it, crouching
down as before, with my face upon my knees. It ceased, and immediately a moaning sound
began, which lengthened out into an awful, protracted groan, waxing louder and louder, as if
under an increasing agony, and then dying away slowly and gradually into silence; yet
painfully and distinctly audible even to the last.

'As soon as I could rouse myself from the freezing horror which seemed to penetrate even to
my joints and marrow, I crept away from the bed, and in the furthest corner of the room
lighted with shaking hand my candle, looking anxiously about me as I did so, expecting some
dreadful revelation as the light flashed up.

Yet, if you will believe me, I did not feel alarmed or frightened; but rather oppressed, and
penetrated with an unnatural, overpowering, sentiment of awe. I seemed to be in the presence
of some great and horrible mystery, some bottomless depth of woe, or misery, or crime. I
shrank from it with a sensation of intolerable loathing and suspense. It was a feeling akin to
this which prevented me from calling to my landlord. I could not bring myself to speak to him
of what had passed; not knowing how nearly he might be himself involved in the mystery. I
was only anxious to escape as quietly as possible from the room and from the house. The
candle was now beginning to flicker in its socket, but the stars were shining outside, and there
was space and air to breathe there, which seemed to be wanting in my room; so I hastily
opened my window, tied the bedclothes together for a rope, and lowered myself silently and
safely to the ground.

'There was a light still burning in the lower part of the house; but I crept noiselessly along,
feeling my way carefully among the trees, and in due time came upon a beaten track which
led.me to a road, the same which I had been travelling on the previous night. I walked on,
scarcely knowing whither, anxious only to increase my distance from the accursed house,
until the day began to break, when almost the first object I could see distinctly was a small
body of men approaching me. It was with no small pleasure that I recognized at their head my
friend the Capo di Polizia. "Ah!" he cried, "unfortunate Inglese, what trouble you have given
me!

Where have you been? God be praised that I sec you safe and sound! But how? What is the
matter with you?

You look like one possessed."

'I told him how I had lost my way, and where I had lodged.

' "And what happened to you there?" he cried, with a look of anxiety.

' "I was disturbed in the night. I could not sleep. I made my escape, and here I am. I cannot
tell you more."

' "But you must tell me more, dear sir; forgive me; you must tell me everything. I must know
all that passed in that house. We have had it under our surveillance for a long time, and when
I heard in what direction you had gone yesterday, and had not returned, I feared you had got
into some mischief there, and we were even now upon our way to look for you."

'I could not enter into particulars, but I told him I had heard strange sounds, and at his request
I went back with him to the spot. He told me by the way that the house was known to be the
resort of banditti; that the landlord harboured them, received their ill?gotten goods, and helped
them to dispose of their booty.

Arrived at the spot, he placed his men about the premises and instituted a strict search, the
landlord and the man who was found in the house being compelled to accompany him. The

room in which I had slept was carefully examined; the floor was of plaster or cement, so that
no sound could have passed through it; the walls were sound and solid, and there was nothing
to be seen that could in any way account for the strange disturbance I had experienced. The
room on the ground?floor underneath my bedroom was next inspected; it contained a quantity
of straw, hay, firewood, and lumber. It was paved with brick, and on turning over the straw
which was heaped together in a corner it was observed that the bricks were uneven, as if they
had been recently disturbed.

' "Dig here," said the officer, "we shall find something hidden here, I imagine."

'The landlord was evidently much disturbed. "Stop," he cried. "I will tell you what lies there;
come away out of doors, and you shall know all about it."

' "Dig, I say. We will find out for ourselves."

' "Let the dead rest," cried the landlord, with a trembling voice. "For the love of heaven come
away, and hear what I shall tell you."

' "Go on with your work," said the sergeant to his men, who were now plying pickaxe and
spade.

' "I can't stay here and see it," exclaimed the landlord once more. "Hear then! It is the body of
my son, my only son let him rest, if rest he can. He was wounded in a quarrel, and brought
home here to die. I thought he would recover, but there was neither doctor nor priest at hand,
and in spite of all that we could do for him he died. Let him alone now, or let a priest first be
sent for; he died unconfessed, but it was not my fault; it may not be yet too late to make peace
for him."

' "But why is he buried in this place?"

' "We did not wish to make a stir about it. Nobody knew of his death, and we laid him down
quietly; one place I thought was as good as another when once the life was out of him. We are
poor folk, and could not pay for ceremonies. ".'The truth at length eame out. Father and son
were both members of a band of thieves; under this floor they concealed their plunder, and
there too lay more than one mouldering corpse, victims who had occupied the room in which I
slept, and had there met their death. The son was indeed buried in that spot; he had been
mortally wounded in a skirmish with travellers, and had lived long enough to repent of his
deeds and to beg for that priestly absolution which, according to his creed, was necessary to
secure his pardon. In vain he had urged his hither to bring the confessor to his bedside; in vain
he had entreated him to break off from the murderous band with which he was allied and to
live honestly in future; his prayers were disregarded, and his dying admonitions were of no
avail. But for the strange mysterious warning which had roused me from my sleep and driven
me out of the house that night another crime would have been added to the old man's tale of
guilt. That gasping attempt to speak, and that awful groaning whence did they proceed?

It was no living voice. Beyond that I will express no opinion on the subject. I will only say it
was the means of saving my life, and at the same time putting an end to the series of bloody
deeds which had been committed in that house.

'I received my passport that evening by the diligence from Rome, and started the next
morning on my way to Naples. As we were crossing the frontier a tall figure approached,
wearing the long rough cappoua of the mendicant friars, with a hood over the face and holes
for the eyes to look through. He earned a tin money ?box in his hand, which he held out to the
passengers, jingling a few coins in it, and crying in a monotonous voice, "Anime in
purgatorio! Anime in purgatorio!"

I do not believe in purgatory, nor in supplications for the dead; but I dropped a piece of silver
into the box nevertheless, as I thought of that unhallowed grave in the forest, and my prayer
went up to heaven in all sincerity "Requiescat in pace!" '

THE END.