3.

During the course of the following days, I have heard the presence of several persons throughout the house, wandering about, the stairs and the floor creaking under the sound of the footsteps. I grew acquainted to Liesl, the young lady who – as I understood – took music lesson from this mysterious Miss Dunn – and only occasionally took a piece of her mind as well. Three days continuously I have heard her play the strings wrongly and she had received a spank from her female teacher. She refused to speak ill of this Miss Dunn of hers, because she was certain that she had been the bad of the practice. None of her mistakes were done to spite her female teacher or to show rebellion.

And then there was this odd Mr. Connors who helped me by bringing my meals once or twice a day, speaking little, behaving humbly and unwilling to speak of the mistress of this house.

Finally, there was a third person, a young woman, a servant who had been hired as maid once or twice a week and whose name was Nancy. She would not speak much of Miss Dunn because - as she so often put it – she believed she would be ill-treated if ever someone heard her gossip. In fact, once I heard her take out the empty tray from my room after I was done with my lunch and before she could make a few steps on the stairs, she tripped and fell over with the tray falling off onto the floor. Naturally, I heard the plates, the cutlery and the coffee cup smash into pieces as they hit the floor. There was a moment of pause during which all indoor activities ceased and a few moments during which this young lady stepped up quickly and mumbled to herself worriedly, as she hurriedly tried to undo the wrong she had already committed.

'Oh dear, oh dear…! Oh, n-no, oh n-no…'

'Foolish woman!'

The familiar feminine harsh voice resounded in the hallway and the younger woman startled visibly, dropping onto the ground whatever was left of the broken objects, only to break them further.

'Oh, uh, oh, I'm sorry, I am so terribly sorry, Miss!'

'Foolish woman! Take your filthy hands off from those pieces!'

And then the sound of something being slapped resounded through the walls. 'Step away, you incompetent! Do not touch those!'

'I… I'm terribly sorry, Miss, I didn't really…!'

'Leave now, you imbecile! Now!'

I heard the hurried footsteps of Nancy walking away frightened, while someone was left to pick up the broken pieces. 'Young lady, you will step into your room and practice!'

'But Miss is bleeding.'

'Do not come any closer, you foolish child, or I shall smack you as I did Nancy and you shall have a bruised eye on the following morning!'

'I-I'm sorry, Miss, I'm sorry…'

'I'll clean up the mess, Miss', Mr. Connors spoke, as he came through from the front door.

'Oh, I will undo the wrong that has been done by incompetent hands, Mr. Connors, and I shall thank you not to interfere, I doubt you are any brighter!'

'Miss, you'll cut yourself…'

Off went another slap.

'I believe I have made myself very clear, fool! Now take that idiotic child from the kitchen and see that she reaches home safely. I daresay she would bring misfortune to other unfortunate souls before she reaches her house.'

Her tone of voice was raised and she was angry. She had a strong tone of voice, much like that of soldiers on the battlefield, demanding, impulsive and violent, intolerant to disorder and chaos.

The image I had of these four characters at present further enhanced around one single centralized character, which was this Miss Dunn, whom I had not had the pleasure of knowing since I had awakened in her home.

She would not have other visitors, she would not come to the room of her guest and she would speak very little apart from these other people whom she often bore little close to nothing of respect.

Liesl seemed to admire her for some reason, although she would often come to my room to say goodbye and wish me well until our following meeting with a swollen cheek and I daresay I was often unpleasantly surprised to realize that perhaps this female teacher of hers should be called upon by her parents and given a piece of their mind in return.

This female savior of mine seemed highly unlikely a kind, warm-hearted person and I fairly believed I was much of a burden to her as was her years of old age. Her voice sounded rugged and demanding, almost masculine so, and I suspected she was in her late forties, a wild, but untamed woman who could never find love, therefore chose to grow impatient and insufferable in return.

They sent for a doctor on the first Monday after the week I had awakened and this was because I suffered from a small indigestion. Mr. Connors was called upon to fetch for the doctor after suppertime, when the weather outside worsened and he had been punished to spend the time outside, for he had forgotten to fulfill a task to his mistress' satisfaction.

The doctor was in his late fifties, a tall imposing man who took care not speak ill of my benefactor, while I was consulted.

'Oh, I am certain Miss Dunn is doing her very best, Mr. Chase. If anything, you would not be in such good state under your conditions. Remember, my dear boy, you've been brought here in the middle of the night with no one else to vouch for your well-being and Miss Dunn was kind enough to agree to take you in until your health improves. I must say I would have taken you for a last case. You must forgive me, however, for having such little faith in the power of the human body.'

I smiled. 'I would have believed myself dead a while ago, Mr. Foster, so I take no offense onto your words.'

He began consulting my eyes and then the constitution of my face. 'I've heard there is another man taken care of in town. A companion of mine…'

'Ah, a Mr. Haggins. Yes, I consulted him only a few days ago, but his state of health is much worse than yours. I cannot vouch for his health as well as I can do for you, Mr. Chase.'

'I see', I frowned hard. 'Is there any chance that I could see him?'

'I understand the need to see a friend on his death bed, but I would suggest you must take it slow, Mr. Chase, I will do my very best to keep the man alive until we have reached the point of no return. And you should not try anything foolish, you will not be able to withstand the pain as it is.'

But I was foolish to consider this man's words later during the night, when the window to my room was left open by Nancy. While the air had been fresh and chilly during the day, now it turned bitter and cold and the room was left without fire by the mantelpiece. It gradually turned cold and darker than I expected, especially since the weather showed signs of rainfall.

The sea breeze creeped in through the window and the curtain blew a few times, before I was awakened in desperate need to warm up. I looked around frightened, as if returning back to the times of desperation from the shipwreck and as I turned to face the window, I could almost see black shadows moving about the beach side wobbling about, strangely suspended by the sheer will to live on wandering aimlessly. They looked like puppets worked on by masters of disguise, hiding in between the crushing waves of the sea, and I could almost hear them laughing, or calling me by my name, although I knew none of them.

The ship had a mere number of thirty men and I was but a helper on desk, without a hint of as to who everyone was and why we had gathered there. Yet these souls roaming the beach felt friendly, but threatening at the same time, familiar yet unknown to me and they called my name before, I realized I was pushing aside the blanket and was pushing my unhealthy leg to the edge.

I barely comprehended the movement of my body unwilling to refuse the call, as I pushed off the blankets and it fell on the floor. But before I could stand up, something like a dark figure walked pass me at a quick pace, came by the windows and banged them together sealing them firmly.

There was light coming from a small candle which this person had left by the first piece of furniture closest to the entrance door. The woman turned around slowly and although I could not see much of her presence, I could notice that she was wearing a long dress, something of a large silk-like coat over and her hair was long and streaming down her shoulders. She brought in an odd smell of wet wood and incense.

She wrapped her coat over to her neck and held it sealed with one hand.

'I, uh…'

'You should refrain yourself, Mr. Chase, form performing any night strolls at this late hour all on your own. As I understand from Mr. Foster has not given his consent yet that you should move about the bed.'

'I… Those men…'

'They are not men, sir. They were spirits. Mere souls of those who have died at sea.'

I raised my head to look at the dark figure standing before me.

'You've seen them?'

'They've always been there, Mr. Chase, because there will always be fools to love death more than life itself. Perhaps you yourself would have been one of them, had life not given thought to keep you alive. Perhaps you were foolish to believe death is a better experience that life, yet you were gullible to be deceived otherwise.'

'I will not have you call me a fool, woman!' I stood up abruptly, but was suddenly struck by pain in my leg so sharp, I almost gasped without words for breath of air I could not receive. I lay still on the bedside, my hand crushing against the side of my ribs, holding them firmly in place because of the pain raising up to my muscles.

'All men are foolish to believe they will conquer death, Mr. Chase. What did you expect to find at the end of the world over sea, sir? Paradise itself?'

She breathed in as a mother would in front of a spoiled child. 'You would do well to rest, sir, you have not recovered so easily.'

'I thank you for your concern, but I needn't your advice, woman.'

'I'd ask you to mind your manners, sir, you are not speaking to a servant of this house.'

Her tone was harsh and determined.

'I will speak in any way I please to someone who would not properly present herself to her guests, furthermore, who would call them fools without proof.'

'Perhaps I should send for Mr. Connors to fetch you out of this house, Mr. Chase.'

'Your threats do not scare me, woman. If anything, they would deform my opinion of you, as little as I have managed, listening to others speaking of you.'

The light from the candle was fading distantly, but it was enough to shut in a sealing light over my behind and her front side of the black dress she was wearing. I could see the coat she held at her neck and it looked heavy, but of oriental style, something I have never seen before.

'And what do others speak of me then, Mr. Chase?'

There was a hint of mockery in her voice, which only worked to annoy me.

'You will not make a fool out of me, woman. I will try and fulfill my end of the bargain, and as soon as my health improves, I shall leave this house, make no mistake.'

'Very well, Mr. Chase. Until then, good sir, I would advise you to refrain from some such comments addressed to myself.'

'I will do any comments I please!'

I was terribly annoyed and angered and I almost felt like I should step up and hold true to my patience, but this woman's scornfulness and her determination to have me ashamed even in private was more than I could handle for a mere week in her home.

'Very well.'

And then she walked up to the room. she went to pick up the candle and I saw the light moving around, while I turned to face her. I caught a glimpse of her face and it looked womanly, but unclear. 'Pray, tell me, madam, why have you agreed to take me in if you treat your guests so unkindly? It's obvious you don't want my company.'

She turned her head to look at me and she was so uncertain I would not see her clearly, she was right in holding up the candle to one side and have half of her face illuminated. 'It is not the company I dislike, Mr. Chase. It is the people I am not fond of. Whether they are good or mischievous. I dislike them all. And when people brought you at the doors of my house, they demanded I should take you in, on account of being Christian. I had no choice in the matter.'

'Then, you are saying you have been forced. It's nothing like Mr. Connors said, then!'

'I would give little credit to this man whose sole purpose in life had been to serve those deemed superior to him.'

'You'll pardon my indolence, but that's conceited of you, woman!'

'I am not asking anyone to like or to agree to my being, Mr. Chase. Likewise, I would not care less of other people's opinion of me. Men are cruel and they are liars and cheaters. They will do anything for a piece of gold or a handful of silver. They will scheme and plot and kill for what they deem necessary to have, regardless whether what they wish for does not belong to them in the first place.'

'Not all men are the same, and you should be any wiser to know, madam!'

'This is the kind I know Mr. Chase. And those who are not, are too coward to prefer life instead of victimization. I dislike any of those kind, sir, and I must warn you, Mr. Connors is of the lesser kind, the sneaking quiet kind who waits like a snake to catch the first bite.'

'If he is so, then you are foolish to keep him as your servant.'

'And you, Mr. Chase, are quick to judgement, I see.'

'Why do I have the impression that whenever you call me Mr. Chase, you are mocking?'

She did not reply any further, instead, she drew her hand above the candle she held and when she brought her fingers down, they shut the flame off suddenly.

'Good night, Mr. Chase.'

4.

On the following day, the weather improved enough so that the sun came out and after my late breakfast – which Nancy had been so kind to prepare without delay – I had awakened with Mr. Connors at the door to my chamber and announced that the mistress had asked him that he should help carry me to the porch outside facing the sea. There, I would have a chair prepared for me and I would be able to spend some time under the sunlight.

It felt strange to know that this woman had suddenly turned caring for me, but at the same time, I deemed it unwisely to refuse the offer. Perhaps seeing me sit by the side of the bed, the woman concluded that I would be able to withstand a little more effort.

I was heavily carried with one arm by Mr. Connors, and we both found it difficult to do so whilst heading out of the room and into the main hall. As I walked about with me – being dragged on more than walked off – I could see the house was large, a manor-like place, lonely and old in decorations, with paper-and-wood lanterns hung everywhere, chandeliers mightily sculpted with imprints and decorations of Chinese dragons and phoenix birds. The rooms were dimly lit, but the windows had curtains pulled off to one side, so that the sunlight would penetrate and set the Asian carpets, the Asian and Persian piece of furniture and the wallpapers on the wall in paintings of gold and bright red.

I could see the room I had been set on was located at the top first floor, and from then on, a set of stairs had to go down into the main hall. The place felt strangely lonely, although I was certain at this time that Liesl was having her music lessons with the mistress of the house.

I was carried into the hallway with great care and to this, Nancy was called upon. I felt ashamed of putting people at great discomfort, but the deed was decided and done. I had been taught for too long to play humble and make less and less use of the force of those deemed lower in rank than myself from a social stand-point.

The rooms had the doors open and finally, as we headed for the porch, I could watch the surrounding place and the room on one side where Liesl had her music lessons. The door was slightly open, when I noticed the child sitting on her knees by the side of a large strange musical instrument. It had subtle strings, but it stood facing the player upwards without any concern, as if it were a small Japanese table. She was biting her lower lip when I smiled to her, she noticed me from the corner of her eye and turned around to smile in return.

She waved to me and I nodded in her direction, before I was torture further towards the porch. There was a large seat waiting for me there with a small table filled with refreshments. They were so delicately prepared, I doubted Nancy had the time or the elegance to arrange them so.

I was settled on a chair before long and I was brought a blanket and made as perfectly comfortable as possible. On a daily basis, being a sailor, I was rather tired of staring at the sea and watch the waves dance through the wet sands from the beach, but this time, the clean air, the winds and the cold sunlight was more than enough for me to enjoy. I was breathing the fresh air of the sea breeze, I was staring at naughty seagulls flying off through the winds, trying to compete with their speed, while the old Lighthouse made its way through time standing still a few miles from the manor.

There was a small paved path through the sand where it did not reach the waves and I was certain it led through to the town, but firstly, it headed straight for the garden and the few rose bushes the manor had as decoration. Obviously the place needed some arrangement and certainly the touch of a gardener, but I doubted the woman wanted any further company than necessary.

It was quiet for a while and I felt refreshed, especially from the fresh air, the chilliness of the weather, the familiar sound of the sea breeze and the playful seagulls. For a time, I haven't seen anyone and I have not been disturbed, even when I heard Liesl play one of her tone incorrectly and the mistress scolded her harshly. When it was time for supper, Nancy came by and asked me politely if I had anything necessary and while I shook my head, she smiled humbly and went in the house.

After this, just before nightfall I was brought another blanket and Mr. Connors spoke with me a little more, before he asked if I wished to come into the house.

A man came by the paved path from the beachside and he was wearing a long black garment which signified that he was of the holy side. His look was concerned and as he came towards the house, I could see the wrinkles from under his eyes and the one on his hands, signifying that the man would be old of age.

As soon as he came closer, he smiled forcedly and nodded, while Mr. Connors greeted him humbly. 'Good eve, reverent Johnson!'

'Good shall be your heart, my boy! And you must be Mr. Christopher Chase, is it not so?'

'Indeed I am, sir', I smiled. 'I'm sorry I cannot greet you properly.'

He gave me his hand as if I were to kiss it, but I was never much of a man for church, so I took it in my fingers and smiled nodding. He took his hand away disconcerned, as if he was meeting a heretic, yet he was not sure if he would exert his power over me. In return, he gave his hand to Mr. Connors, who did kindly what the priest has expected him to.

'It's perfectly alright, sir, and understandable at that. But I must agree, I have heard a great deal of you from a Mr. Foster and his concern as a doctor was that you should not step out from the bed for a while off. Yet, here you are, I see, sitting by the porch, in the cold and in wind-blowing.'

'Yes, here I am', I smiled forcedly.

'Oh, where are my manners, indeed! Please forgive me, I am Reverent Charles Johnson. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Chase, I must confess you have been the talk of the town for the past few days.'

'I see. I thank you for your acquaintance, sir. I hope news of me are good, as they travel into town.'

'Quite so!' he smiled forcedly once more, and as soon as his face stared at me, with his black eyes, I concluded that this man was not to my liking. He quickly turned to face Mr. Connors and asked him of the mistress of the house.

'She be in the house, Reverent. Should I call out for the lady or shall I bring you into the waiting room?'

'Oh, I would rather prefer she stepped outside, Connors. As far as I know her ladyship, a breath of fresh air should not do harm to her.'

I understood then that this man would be indolent enough to travel through the basic of conduct in order to show that he would be one of those powerful men in town and not those who were deeded so by the amount of fortune they made a year. The mansion was large and well taken care of, as old as it seemed, and while the few people dwell in it, the rooms were elegantly decorated with expensive things brought undoubted from Japan or China, so I was certain the lady of the house was of high class. In this case, she would undoubtedly threaten this man's social power to the very least, showing all around him that she should not be treated lightly, since she was nobility. I suspected however that, due to her fine character, Miss Dunn was not all that likeable in these parts.

The priest stood by my side, while Mr. Connors went to fetch her, and I wondered if she would compel to this request, seeing as my image of her was stubborn, ignorant and arrogant.

'I must confess, Mr. Chase, you look finely, as oppose to how it had been when you were brought to the manor.'

'I've seen worst days', I smiled as the man nodded.

'It is very fortunate that you were saved and that her ladyship has agreed to take you in. She would make no better host of as much a better guest. Oh, hello, Liesl!'

The child came out from the house smiling to us. As soon as she reached my side, she smiled to me widely. And then she made a small curtsy to the reverent. 'Hello, Father Johnson!'

'You look lovely in that dress, my dear. Is this a new one?'

'Something of it. Mommy brought it all the way from Paris.'

'It's very lovely, my dear. Oh, Miss Dunn!'

I startled because I thought – no, I was convinced! – that this woman would not make use of the man's request and put it into being. The request itself had been mischievous and rude, yet I suspected that now, she had agreed to it, simply not to embarrass herself in front of a crowd. Even though I doubted Liesl understood the etiquette of the time, I was certain she believed Nancy would watch and eaves-drops, same as Mr. Connors would and also, I too was a stranger she believed she needed to show a certain decent side of her to.

'I do apologize, my dear, for calling you out like this and under such timing, but I wondered… might I have a word with you in private? Perhaps you prefer we take a short walk through the garden?'

He stretched his hand to her, but I could not see her because she was still hiding behind the chair I was sitting on. I gradually began to believe that perhaps this woman was frightened to show herself, due to her old age.

'Very well, sir. Mr. Connors, I will have you help Mr. Chase return to his chamber within half an hour.'

'Thank you, madam, but I can decided that for myself', I replied looking away, while she passed me by, to come to the reverent. When she finally reached him, she turned her face to stare at me and I felt her do so. I looked up and expected nothing more and nothing less but less wrinkles than the priest, yet further more than what I could expect from a woman in her forties.

But what I received instead was a pair of light blue eyes and a fairly young skin type, hair as black as raven, streaming down her shoulders and a pale skin. She was nothing of what imagined or expected, and if anything, she was fairly handsome and fetching to the eye. But there was evil frowning in her eyes and her lips were straight and blood red, as if she never smiled.

'Half an hour, Mr. Connors. No more, no less. Mr. Chase, may I remind you that this should not have been possible by means of Mr. Foster's indications. But as you know, I am aware of my guests' needs as well.'

'Then you should know, Madam, I do not take orders from anyone.'

'I believe you just did, sir.'

And then she turned around ignoring me completely, oblivious to the entire embarrassing situation she has created and soon enough she stared at the reverent who smiled forcedly to her and gave her his hand so that she would receive it.

She pressed her lips together and began walking forward. Now that I knew just how young she was, I found it hard not to match her age with a little over a child's, especially in matters of treating one's guests or proper social etiquette.

I could see her clearly now, her slim figure and the black dress she wore tightly around her body, with the large silk coat id seen her before in. it had imprints of Japanese cranes and the sunlight setting over a bamboo forest. She'd caught one side from her black hair in a silver pin with a large pearl atop, and dangling small silver butterflies from there. She reminded of those paintings I'd seen some time ago, when Matthew Perry discovered the island of Japan and threatened that he would bring upon them political mayhap, should they chose to refuse the foreign access into the land. If anything, this woman reminded me of those times, so when Mr. Connors began carrying me to the room, I asked him of her origins and he confirmed it to the vaguest.

'No, sir, she's not born from this parts. I am uncertain at which point she come to Dove's Cottage, but folks down town gossip she'd come some few years ago by ship from the Far East. There is little I know of her though, sir.'