Chapter 10: The Time Of Waiting

The Sun Was Now Warm, And Shining Brightly, Forming A Wondrous Contrast To The Dark And Dismal Cellars; And It Was With Comparatively Light Feelings, That I Made My Way Up To The Tower, To Survey The Gardens. There, I Found Everything Quiet, And, After A Few Minutes, Went Down To Mary’s Room.

Here, Having Knocked, And Received A Reply, I Unlocked The Door. My Sister Was Sitting, Quietly, On The Bed; As Though Waiting. She Seemed Quite Herself Again, And Made No Attempt To Move Away, As I Approached; Yet, I Observed That She Scanned My Face, Anxiously, As Though In Doubt, And But Half Assured In Her Mind That There Was Nothing To Fear From Me.

To My Questions, As To How She Felt, She Replied, Sanely Enough, That She Was Hungry, And Would Like To Go Down To Prepare Breakfast, If I Did Not Mind. For A Minute, I Meditated Whether It Would Be Safe To Let Her Out. Finally, I Told Her She Might Go, On Condition That She Promised Not To Attempt To Leave The House, Or Meddle With Any Of The Outer Doors. At My Mention Of The Doors, A Sudden Look Of Fright Crossed Her Face; But She Said Nothing, Save To Give The Required Promise, And Then Left The Room, Silently.

Crossing The Floor, I Approached Pepper. He Had Waked As I Entered; But, Beyond A Slight Yelp Of Pleasure, And A Soft Rapping With His Tail, Had Kept Quiet. Now, As I Patted Him, He Made An Attempt To Stand Up, And Succeeded, Only To Fall Back On His Side, With A Little Yowl Of Pain.

I Spoke To Him, And Bade Him Lie Still. I Was Greatly Delighted With His Improvement, And Also With The Natural Kindness Of My Sister’s Heart, In Taking Such Good Care Of Him, In Spite Of Her Condition Of Mind. After A While, I Left Him, And Went Downstairs, To My Study.

In A Little Time, Mary Appeared, Carrying A Tray On Which Smoked A Hot Breakfast. As She Entered The Room, I Saw Her Gaze Fasten On The Props That Supported The Study Door; Her Lips Tightened, And I Thought She Paled, Slightly; But That Was All. Putting The Tray Down At My Elbow, She Was Leaving The Room, Quietly, When I Called Her Back. She Came, It Seemed, A Little Timidly, As Though Startled; And I Noted That Her Hand Clutched At Her Apron, Nervously.

‘Come, Mary, ‘ I Said. ‘Cheer Up! Things Look Brighter. I’ve Seen None Of The Creatures Since Yesterday Morning, Early.’

She Looked At Me, In A Curiously Puzzled Manner; As Though Not Comprehending. Then, Intelligence Swept Into Her Eyes, And Fear; But She Said Nothing, Beyond An Unintelligible Murmur Of Acquiescence. After That, I Kept Silence; It Was Evident That Any Reference To The Swine-Things, Was More Than Her Shaken Nerves Could Bear.

Breakfast Over, I Went Up To The Tower. Here, During The Greater Part Of The Day, I Maintained A Strict Watch Over The Gardens. Once Or Twice, I Went Down To The Basement, To See How My Sister Was Getting Along. Each Time, I Found Her Quiet, And Curiously Submissive. Indeed, On The Last Occasion, She Even Ventured To Address Me, On Her Own Account, With Regard To Some Household Matter That Needed Attention. Though This Was Done With An Almost Extraordinary Timidity, I Hailed It With Happiness, As Being The First Word, Voluntarily Spoken, Since The Critical Moment, When I Had Caught Her Unbarring The Back Door, To Go Out Among Those Waiting Brutes. I Wondered Whether She Was Aware Of Her Attempt, And How Near A Thing It Had Been; But Refrained From Questioning Her, Thinking It Best To Let Well Alone.