CHAPTER VIII
HOW I ENTERED PYCROFT
Directly I had made up my mind to pay a second visit to Pycroft Hall myspirits rose, and my heart grew warm. The thought of meeting the weirdold creature, and speaking with him face to face, stirred my blood, andkindled my imagination. Moreover, for the first time the new king'smarriage contract became real to me. For what did not come to me throughthe night came to me on the cliffs. And this I have found since then; itis when I have a sense of freedom that I am able to think. When I ambeneath tall trees, or imprisoned within stone walls, my mind refuses tograsp the issues of things. But when I stand in the light, in God's openplaces, not only does my natural vision widen, but also the vision ofmind and soul becomes more keen and has greater range. The thoughtswhich a man thinks in the dark, and in cramped places, are smaller thanthose which come to him beneath the great dome of the sky, when the windblows free, and naught belittles his sight. At least this hath alwaysbeen the case with me. When I would think the best thoughts I am capableof thinking, I long to live in a large place where the sunlight isstrong.
Through the night I had wondered blindly what drew the woman to PycroftHall, and what was in the man's mind who sent her there, but no answercame to me. Now, as I walked along the cliffs, in sight of the great seawhose waters flashed brightly in the light of the early summer's sun, Ithought of many reasons. And this among others: If my father, andKatharine Harcomb, and Lucy Walters' mother had heard of Pycroft Hall,and of Elijah Pycroft, why not others? If I had been led to try andobtain power over the king might not others? If the man who had sentthe woman to Pycroft at night were Sir Charles Denman, a man upon whomthe king's anger rested, would he not desire to move heaven and earth topossess a secret whereby he could make terms with his monarch? If I hadheard of the king's marriage contract he also had heard of it, and hadsent his wife to obtain knowledge of the thing. But why had he sent her?To this many answers came. For one thing he was afraid, and for anotherhe believed that this beauteous woman would succeed where he had failed.Besides his power over her was great. She also lived in great fear, andhe used that fear in order to make her obey his behests.
All this seemed so natural that I called myself a fool for not thinkingof it before. Why had I allowed my opportunities to slip through myhands? Besides, might not the woman have succeeded? What was the meaningof the other woman entering? And more, whither had they gone?
But this did not trouble me much. There was no sign of victory on thewoman's face. Had she gained possession of such papers she would haverevealed her victory, whereas I had seen her face the moment before theother woman had appeared, and it told only of yearnings and the shadowof a great fear.
I am putting down these thoughts here, so that those who may hap to readthis may see the position in which I was placed, and the difficultiesthat stood in my way. I am aware also that those whose thoughts areclearer, and whose minds are better balanced than mine, may have goodreason for thinking that I had acted foolishly, and had taken altogetherthe wrong way to accomplish my purpose. I would have them remember,however, that I was but a lad of twenty-three, and that youth is notfamed for its discretion. Moreover, as I look back now, I wonder what Icould have done whereby I could better have accomplished the thing I hadset out to accomplish.
Before I had been on the cliffs an hour, I had made my plans, and theseI started to carry out without delay. First of all I went back to thestable and had my horse saddled, and having ridden four miles in thedirection of Pycroft Hall, I cast my eyes around in the hope of seeingsome one. But no one was in sight. The neighbourhood was thinlyinhabited. Not a horseman was to be seen on the road, not a labourer wasworking in the fields. I found out afterwards that practically the wholecountry side had emptied itself in order to be present at the landing ofthe king at Dover. That not knowing the exact day of his coming they hadgone to Dover a few days in advance so that they might be certain to bethere to give him a royal welcome. In truth I found out that for a fullweek before the king came the town of Dover was a huge fair, and thatrevelry continued from midnight to midnight without ceasing.
Presently, however, I caught sight of a man who was cutting wood by oneof the fences some distance away, whereupon I rode across the fields tothe place where he was.
He looked at me attentively, and then held the tool with which he workedin such a way that I imagined he thought I meant to attack him.
"You be young for your work, young master," he said, eyeing me grimly.
"Why?" I asked pleasantly.
"Otherwise you would never come to a working man who has not a groat inhis pouch," he replied.
"Why, you think I am a footpad?" I asked.
"Else why should you gallop across hedges and ditches as though thedevil were behind you? Eh, young man, give it up. It only ends in thegallows, and it must be a fearful life to live, always seeing the rope'send dangling before your eyes."
"Instead of wanting to take your groats from you, my man, I will e'engive you one instead. Nay, believe me, I am peaceably inclined, andinstead of being a highwayman I am making inquiries about an old housewhich I am told is empty, and which may perchance be for sale."
Again he looked at me, and then touched his hat respectfully.
"You be from London, young master?"
"I left London less than a week ago," I replied. "I have come in searchof a house, and I have been told there is one near here, which beingempty and forsaken, a man might buy cheaply."
"The name o't, young master?" he said questioningly.
"It is called Pycroft, or some such name," I replied.
"And is it Pycroft you thought of buying, young master?"
"Rather, I am come to ask questions about it."
At this he laughed. "No man will ever live at Pycroft," he said.
"Why? Is not the house a good one?"
"It's the company, not the house I was thinking of."
"The company?"
"Many and many's the one who has thought of living at Pycroft, but noman hath dared. Through the day it's right eno', but at night thetrouble begins. There is not a witch for twenty miles around but getsher marks at Pycroft; there's not a witches' revel but is held there,and as every man knows after they have met at their revels the devilrybegins. The corn is blighted, the cows give no milk, the murrain blightsthe stock, children have the rickets, and everything goes wrong. I haveheard that it can be bought for an old song, but no man will buy it.Through the day it seems all quiet and restful, but at night-time bluefires have been seen there, awful smells come from there, ay, and thedevil hath been seen there."
These last words the man spoke with a shudder.
"It is said," he went on, "that the parson, who is a man of God if everthere was one, and who is death on wizards and witches, is going toappeal to the new king to have it blown up with gunpowder, so that wemay have peace and quietness again, and so that farmers may sow theircorn without fear that it will be blighted before harvest comes."
"But what is the cause of all this?"
"Ah, you are not from these parts, and have never learnt Solomon theFool lived there. Who he was nobody knows, but he came there long yearsagone before I came to live in this parish, and I have heard that he haddealings with the Pope o' Rome. Anyhow, some said that his life was indanger, and in order to be match for all the world he sold himself tothe devil."
At this I could not help laughing, for although such stories weregenerally believed in, that which I had seen the night before drove suchthoughts from me.
"Ay, you may laugh, young master, but it is no laughing matter. Foryears he did things which no one can explain, and all sorts of thingshappened. Then one day he died."
"Died!"
"Ay, it must be ten years agone now, and ever since then no man will gonear it after sundown. While the sun shines the devil dare not go there;but after dark Old Solomon and the devil do come back, and there OldSolomon do plead with the devil to give him back his soul."
Again I cou
ld not help smiling, even although the man's face was palewith fear.
"Ay, young master, but let me tell you this: One night three of thestrongest men in these parts were over at the _Queen's Head_, in theparish of St. John, drinking. You may have heard of them even in London.Three brothers, and each man of them stood over six foot and a halfhigh. Well, they declared after they had each drunk a quart of strongale that they feared nothing under heaven. Then the landlord made a betthat they dared not go and spend the hours from eleven to one o'clock inthe middle of the night at Pycroft. Well they took the bet, for fivepounds it was, and the next night Jack, and Jim, and Tom Turtle startedfor Pycroft. A lot of us walked with them to the gates, and although wewere in great fear we waited for them to return. We comforted ourselvesby trying to sing psalms and saying our prayers, as the parson advisedus to do. But we didn't have to wait two hours, young master. Beforemidnight they was back to us again, and each of them was trembling likean aspen leaf."
"Why, what did they see?"
"Ay, master, we could never get that from them, except by little bits.One spoke of blue flames, another told of howling, another said he hadseen Old Solomon come to life again, and he chased them through thewoods. The next day, when they told the parson, he went up there; butnaught could he see. Every door was locked and barred, every window wasfastened."
"And were there any evidences that any one had been there through thenight?"
"Ay, there were; the parson saw footmarks which were half the footmarksof a man, and half of a beast. But that was not all. When the parsontried to look into the place, through a window where a small pane ofglass was broken, he smelt brimstone--brimstone, young master. And sincethen the parson hath it that while a man may be safe to go there whilethe sun is shining, ten chances to one but he will be met with the devilafter sundown. And so no man will buy the house master, and no man willgo there after dark."
"But from whom did this old man Solomon get the house?" I asked.
"It is said that he was one of the Pycrofts, but I know not. Some haveit that old Lord Denman had it at one time, but I do not know. Otherssay there's a spell cast upon it. Certain it is that the parson saysthat on a huge stone near the front door these words are carved--
A Pycroft built this house In the hardest of stone, And the mortar was truly mixed With a Pycroft's blood and bone, If another here would live Because of a well-lined purse, The mortar shall become The buyer's lasting curse."
In spite of myself the labourer's talk made me pause, but I was not theson of my father for naught. The teaching of a lifetime was not to bedestroyed because of an ignorant man's vain babbling, and I held to myresolution to visit the old place again that night. I thereforepresently rode back, and after a hearty meal I fell asleep, from which Idid not wake till sundown.
I gathered that no one asked any questions why I was there; in truth,every man seemed too much interested in the coming of the king and thechanges that would be wrought in the land to trouble aught about me; so,telling the landlord that I should not be back until late, I left theinn about an hour after sundown and took a roundabout road to Pycroft.Moreover, I took good heed that I was not followed, and by an hourbefore midnight I had entered the dark woods that grew around the lonelyhouse.
Now, although I had carried a brave heart during daylight, I was notable to choke down my fears in the darkness. I have been told thatnature hath given me firm nerves; moreover, I can meet a danger as wellas another man without shewing fear, but once within the shadow of thewoods which surrounded the haunted house I confess that my heartwellnigh failed me. The stories which the labourer had related came backto me with great vividness, so that before I had come within sight ofthe house I seemed to be surrounded with all sorts of grinning things,some of which lured me on, while others warned me against going farther.The cracking of every twig made my heart beat faster, the twitter of astartled bird told me that I was in a domain where the devil held hisrevels and where spirits of darkness worked their will.
Still I determined to go forward. I was calm enough to know that on themorrow I should laugh at these fancies, and that, did they hinder mefrom carrying out my plans now, I should all my life accuse myself ofbeing a poltroon. Besides, what report should I have to give to myfather, the man who knew no fear and who would be ashamed of a son whobelieved in old wives' fables? So I set my teeth firmly together andtrudged my way through the darkness, stopping every now and then tolisten if any one was near.
Never shall I forget my journey along that lonely pathway, for as I lookback now, it seems to mark an era in my life. But of that I must notspeak now: I will tell my story in as straightforward a way as I amable, so that those who read may judge for themselves. And yet, if Ifelt fear, I maintain that it was no wonder, for my experiences were notthose with which a man meets every day. Besides, I had but three daysleft my home, where I had lived an uneventful life, and now to be castalone amidst mystery and danger was a matter of no small moment.
Presently I emerged from the woods into the open space where the womanand I had stood on the previous night. I could see the moon, but itseemed to sail in a hazy light, while around it was a great ring. Not asound could I hear. The songs of the birds had ceased; not an insectmoved its wings: all nature seemed asleep. After waiting a few moments,scarce daring to look around me, I heard a sound like that of a distantsigh; but it might have been only the night wind soughing through thetreetops, or it might have been only my own fancy. At length I dared tolook towards the house; but all was darkness, or at least so it seemed.Then I noted that I stood on a different place from that on which I hadbeen standing when I had parted from the woman the night before, and itmight be that some angle hid the window I had seen then.
I therefore crept along the brushwood until I reached the same place,and then my heart gave a great bound. There, half hidden by the tree Ihad climbed, was a light shining from the window.
In a minute my ghostly fears vanished. What was the meaning of it all Idid not know, but I determined that I would find out before the nightwas over. It is true I called to mind some of the things I had read inthe writings of Master Will Shakespeare, as well as passages from theHoly Scriptures, all of which spoke with certainty concerning those whopossessed familiar spirits; but these influenced me not one jot at thetime. The light shone from the window as it had shone the night before,and in all probability the same old man occupied the room.
I therefore went swiftly across the open space towards the tree I havespoken of, and before one might well count twenty I had climbed to thebranch whereon I had aforetime rested, and so again obtained view of thechamber. This I did because I feared to seek admission without takingprecautions. If others were there as well as the old man, I might haveto adopt methods different from those I should make use of if he werealone. I reflected that if what the woman Katharine Harcomb had told myfather were true, and that the king's marriage contract were hidden inthe house, he would guard it carefully. It was of too much importance totreat lightly. What I did, therefore, must be done warily, neither mustI foolishly and with youthful wilfulness be led to betray myself.
As I have said, therefore, I again climbed the tree, and obtained a viewof the chamber, and ere long saw the old man seated at a table, and bythe aid of a lamp was reading some scrolls, which he had spread outbefore him. I watched him a few moments in silence, noting the eagerlook upon his face, and the evident ardour with which he sought tounderstand the writing on the parchment before him. Presently I saw himtake certain powders from a drawer, and place them in a pot, into whichhe also poured some liquid. This done, he placed the pot on the fire,and watched the liquid with great care.
It was at this time that I determined to seek entrance. But how? I knewthat every door was securely bolted, every window barricaded. If I wasto enter, therefore, it must be by strategy. If the woman had obtainedadmission the previous night there seemed no reason why the door couldnot be opened to me. But what were the means she had used? I
calledmyself a fool for not following her, and thus learning the means she hadused; but that was futile now. Wisdom after a thing has happened isgenerally foolishness, and so I ransacked my brains in thinking of whatshe must have done.
I have not set it down in these pages, but I did remember the previousnight that, when the woman drew near the house, I heard a noise like thecry of a screech-owl. At the time I put it down to the night bird, butnow it occurred to me that it might have been a means whereby sheobtained entrance. At any rate, it could do no harm, and therefore Islid silently down the tree, and made my way to the great door, wherethe woman had entered.
I must confess to a fast-beating heart as I stood by the greatiron-studded door. After all, I knew nothing of what I should see withinthe walls, and the very mystery made every nerve tingle, while therecame to the eyes of my imagination pictures of many strange doings. Sostrong was this feeling upon me that I stood still, scarce daring tomove. Then I saw in the moonlight what had escaped me in the earlymorning. A piece of string hung by the postern of the door. Indeed, Ibelieve that it had not been there then. What did it mean? On closerexamination I saw that it was passed through a hole in the woodwork.
Scarcely realizing what I was doing, I tugged at the piece of string,and immediately I heard a kind of clanking noise within. This, althoughI might have expected some such result, startled me so that I cried outalmost involuntarily.
A minute later the clanking ceased, and then silence reigned again. Butnow that I had once tugged at the string, and no harm had happened tome, I pulled it again and then, using what powers of mimicry I had, Icried out as I had heard the screech-owl cry among the trees around myold home.
Again I listened, and this time I heard cautious footsteps. I judgedthen, as I know now, that the footsteps were muffled, nevertheless therewas something very weird in listening to the stealthy tread of some onecreeping nearer and nearer to me. A minute later I knew that some onestood at the other side of the door. I heard some one murmuring, andthen another silence followed. I waited I should think a minute, but nofurther sound came, whereupon I again repeated the cry of the nightbird. At this, I heard the clanking of chains and the shooting of bolts,as though the one within were preparing to open the door, after whichthere was again a moment's silence as if he hesitated.
"Are you prepared to pay the price of entrance?"
The words were uttered in a hoarse whisper, and at that time they seemedto contain some occult meaning, so that for a moment I hesitated toreply. But I summoned up my courage, and made answer also in a hoarsewhisper--
"I am prepared."
Then the great door began to creak and to slowly open. Knowing how muchdepended on my speed of action, no sooner was the aperture between thedoor and its lintel a few inches wide than, putting all my strengthagainst it, I forced it back, and found myself inside the buildingbefore he who had opened it had been able to obtain a glimpse of me.