The Open Window
By Saki (H H Munro)
In this story a very imaginative young lady of fifteen plays an amusing trick on a visitor to her aunt`s hou. As you read, watch cloly how smoothly she conducts herlf. The story is told with a charm and grace that is characteristics of this English author (1870-1916),who commonly wrote under the pen name of Saki.
“My aunt will be down prently， Mr. Nuttel，” said a very lf-possd young lady of fifteen； “in the meantime you must try and put up with me.”
Framton Nuttel endeavoured to say the correct something which should duly flatter the niece of the moment without unduly discounting the aunt that was to come. Privately he doubted more than ever whether the formal visits on a succession of total strangers would do much towards helping the nerve cure which he was suppod to be undergoing.
“I know how it will be，小学拼音学习” his sister had said when he was preparing to migrate to this rural r
etreat， “you will bury yourlf down there and not speak to a living soul， and your nerves will be wor than ever from moping. I shall just give you letters of introduction to all the people I know there. Some of them， as far as I can remember， were quite nice.”
Framton wondered whether Mrs. Sappleton， the lady to whom he was prenting one of the letters of introduction， came into the nice division.
“Do you know many of the people round here？” asked the niece， when she judged that they had sufficient silent communion.
“Hardly a soul，” said Framton. “My sister was staying here， at the rectory 面积矩计算公式you know， some four years ago， and she gave me letters of introduction to some of the people here.”
He made the last statement in a tone of distinct regret.
“Then you know practically nothing about my aunt？” pursued the lf-possd young lady.
“Only her name and address，” admitted the caller. He was wondering whether Mrs. Sappleton was in the married or widowed state. An undefinable something about the room emed to suggest masculine habitation.
“Her great tragedy happened just three years ago，” said the child； “that would be since your sister's time.”
“Her tragedy？保护的近义词” asked Framton； somehow in this restful country spot tragedies emed out of place.
“You may wonder why we keep that window wide open on an October afternoon，” said the niece， indicating a large French window that opened on to a lawn.
“It is quite warm for the time of the year，” said Framton； “but has that window got anything to do with the tragedy？在阳光灿烂的日子里”
“Out through that window， three years ago to a day， her husband and her two young brothers went off for their day's shooting. They never came back. In crossing the moor to
their favorite snipe-shooting ground they were all three engulfed in a treacherous piece of bog. It had been that dreadful wet summer， you know， and places that were safe in other years gave way suddenly without warning. Their bodies were never recovered. That was the dreadful part of it.” Here the child's voice lost its lf-possd note and became falteringly human. “Poor aunt always thinks that they will come back some day，个人账户养老金计发月数 they and the little brown spaniel that was lost with them，walk in at that window just as they ud to do. That is why the window is kept open every evening till it is quite dusk. Poor dear aunt， she has often told me how they went out， her husband with his white water proof coat over his arm， and Ronnie， her youngest brother， singing 'Bertie， why do you bound？' as he always did to tea her， becau she said it got on her nerves. Do you know， sometimes on still， quiet evenings like this， I almost get a creepy feeling that they will walk in through that window - ”
She broke off with a little shudder. It was a relief to Framton when the aunt bustled into the room with a whirl of apologies for being late in making her appearance.
“I hope Vera has been amusing you？” she said.
“She has been very interesting，” said Framton.
天乌乌“I hope you don't mind the open window，” said Mrs. Sappleton briskly； “My husband and brothers will be home directly from shooting， and they always come in this way. They have been out for snipe in the marshes today， so they will make a fine mess over my poor carpets. So like you menfolk， isn't it？”
She rattled on cheerfully about the shooting and the scarcity of birds， and the prospects for duck in the winter. To Framton it was all purely horrible. He made a desperate but only partially successful effort to turn the talk on to a less ghastly topic；韩国电影爱人在线 he was conscious that his hostess was giving him only a fragment of her attention and her eyes were constantly straying past him to the open window and the lawn beyond. It was certainly an unfortunate coincidence that he should have paid his visit on this tragic anniversary.
“The doctors agree in ordering me complete rest， an abnce of mental excitement， and avoidance of anything in the nature of violent physical exerci，” announced Framt
on， who laboured under the tolerably wide-spread delusion that total strangers and chance acquaintances are hungry for the least detail of one's ailments and infirmities， their cau and cure. “On the matter of diet they are not so much in agreement，” he continued.
“No？” said Mrs. Sappleton， in a voice which only replaced a yawn at the last moment. Then she suddenly brightened into alert attention - but not to what Framton was saying.
“Here they are at last！” she cried. “Just in time for tea， and don't they look as if they were muddy up to the eyes！”
Framton shivered slightly and turned towards the niece with a look intended to convey sympathetic comprehension. The child was staring out through the open window with dazed horror in her eyes. In a chill shock of nameless fear Framton swung round in his at and looked in the same direction.
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