Випадок Чарльза Декстера Варда
Chapter 5
Fromthemtherewasneveranygossip,fortoeventhecommonestofmortalinstinctsthereareterribleboundaries.Andfromthatsinglemessengerthepartyattheshorecaughtanamelessawewhichalmostsealedtheirownlips.Veryfewaretherumorswhichevercamefromanyofthem,andEleazarSmith’sdiaryistheonlywrittenrecordwhichhassurvivedfromthatwholeexpeditionwhichsetforthfromtheSignoftheGoldenLionunderthestars.
CharlesWard,however,discoveredanothervaguesidelightinsomeFennercorrespondencewhichhefoundinNewLondon,whereheknewanotherbranchofthefamilyhadlived.ItseemsthattheFenners,fromwhosehousethedoomedfarmwasdistantlyvisible,hadwatchedthedepartingcolumnsofraiders;andhadheardveryclearlytheangrybarkingoftheCurwendogs,followedbythefirstshrillblastwhichprecipitatedtheattack.Thisblasthadbeenfollowedbyarepetitionofthegreatshaftoflightfromthestonebuilding,andinanothermoment,afteraquicksoundingofthesecondsignalorderingageneralinvasion,therehadcomeasubduedprattleofmusketryfollowedbyahorribleroaringcrywhichthecorrespondentLukeFennerhadrepresentedinhisepistlebythecharacters’Waaaahrrrrr—R’waaahrrr.’
Thiscry,however,hadpossessedaqualitywhichnomerewritingcouldconvey,andthecorrespondentmentionsthathismotherfaintedcompletelyatthesound.
