while. Some months, weeks maybe. I don’t know what she would have done. But there was something else. One day -after some violence maybe, I don’t know what - she ran out of the house. She ran out of the door to the cliffs, the door you came from just now. She ran out toward the cliff top. God in His mercy knows what was in her mind - suicide, it might be, to throw herself from the cliff. Or perhaps she was just running away with no thought at all. Mr Crean-Smith ran after her. What happened then nobody knows for sure. But there was a struggle between them and Mr Crean-Smith went over the edge of the cliff.’
‘Oh God -‘ said Marian. She felt sick, stifled as with a taste or smell of burning. She jumped at the flash of the torch. It was dark again.
‘He lived. It was like a miracle. There is a sort of cranny in the cliff there, I don’t know if you’ve seen it, a break, a little stony channel of an old stream maybe, and he fell into that. It was a big fall, but he lived.’
‘Was he - much hurt?’
‘I don’t know. He lived. People say he was maimed somehow or hurt, hurt for good, but they say different things of what it was happened to him, and I don’t know.’
‘You haven’t seen - since?’
‘No. And little enough before indeed. I was not at Gaze then. He has not set foot here since that time seven years ago.’
‘And she-?’
‘She was - shut up.’
‘You mean ever since, seven years?’
‘Yes. He shut her up. It was then he brought Gerald Scottow into the house. Gerald was his friend, from childhood they were friends here though of different worlds, when he came to fish as a boy, and he trusted Gerald and he set Gerald to look to her. And so the time has passed.’
‘But my God!’ said Marian, ‘this is all mad. She’s not kept here by force, is she, she could go away if she wanted to, she -‘
‘You are forgetting her. ’
‘You mean she stays - voluntarily - now?’
‘Who can say what is in her mind? She was at first confined to the domain. Many miles she could go either way, and she rode her horse a lot then. Then one day, five years ago it was, she suddenly left and galloped her horse to Greytown and was on the train before anyone knew. And she went to her father’s house.’
‘And what happened?’
‘Her father would not receive her. He sent her back.’
‘But why did she go?’
‘Who can say what was in her mind? Remember it was her first cousin and families are powerful things, those families are. And she wed as a young girl and her not able to strike a match for herself. It’s a wonder she was able to buy a railway ticket. She came back.’
‘And then -?’
‘And then it was a rumour that he was coming, Peter Crean-Smith, and she was near mad, but he did not come. But he confined her then to the garden.’
‘You mean she hasn’t been outside the garden for five years?’
‘She has not. And it was then he sent the Evercreeches to be here, they were poor relatives, and he sent them to add to the watch. They are not close, but they are her nearest relatives, after her husband, now her father is dead.’
This is an insane story!’ said Marian shrilly. She lowered her voice. ‘I don’t mean I don’t believe you. But it’s all mad. You say “I am forgetting her”. But what about her? Why does she put up with it all, why doesn’t she just pack and go away? Surely, Gerald Scottow and the rest of you wouldn’t forcibly restrain her? And surely there are people anyway who know about her? What about this Effingham Cooper? What about young Mr Lejour? What is he doing? What-‘
‘Mr Lejour watches and waits. He comes every summer here. He has done up the house and has brought his old father to live here. He comes and he watches. But there is nothing for him to do. And I don’t know if there is anything he wants to do - now.’
Marian recalled the man with the field-glasses whom
‘Oh God -‘ said Marian. She felt sick, stifled as with a taste or smell of burning. She jumped at the flash of the torch. It was dark again.
‘He lived. It was like a miracle. There is a sort of cranny in the cliff there, I don’t know if you’ve seen it, a break, a little stony channel of an old stream maybe, and he fell into that. It was a big fall, but he lived.’
‘Was he - much hurt?’
‘I don’t know. He lived. People say he was maimed somehow or hurt, hurt for good, but they say different things of what it was happened to him, and I don’t know.’
‘You haven’t seen - since?’
‘No. And little enough before indeed. I was not at Gaze then. He has not set foot here since that time seven years ago.’
‘And she-?’
‘She was - shut up.’
‘You mean ever since, seven years?’
‘Yes. He shut her up. It was then he brought Gerald Scottow into the house. Gerald was his friend, from childhood they were friends here though of different worlds, when he came to fish as a boy, and he trusted Gerald and he set Gerald to look to her. And so the time has passed.’
‘But my God!’ said Marian, ‘this is all mad. She’s not kept here by force, is she, she could go away if she wanted to, she -‘
‘You are forgetting her. ’
‘You mean she stays - voluntarily - now?’
‘Who can say what is in her mind? She was at first confined to the domain. Many miles she could go either way, and she rode her horse a lot then. Then one day, five years ago it was, she suddenly left and galloped her horse to Greytown and was on the train before anyone knew. And she went to her father’s house.’
‘And what happened?’
‘Her father would not receive her. He sent her back.’
‘But why did she go?’
‘Who can say what was in her mind? Remember it was her first cousin and families are powerful things, those families are. And she wed as a young girl and her not able to strike a match for herself. It’s a wonder she was able to buy a railway ticket. She came back.’
‘And then -?’
‘And then it was a rumour that he was coming, Peter Crean-Smith, and she was near mad, but he did not come. But he confined her then to the garden.’
‘You mean she hasn’t been outside the garden for five years?’
‘She has not. And it was then he sent the Evercreeches to be here, they were poor relatives, and he sent them to add to the watch. They are not close, but they are her nearest relatives, after her husband, now her father is dead.’
This is an insane story!’ said Marian shrilly. She lowered her voice. ‘I don’t mean I don’t believe you. But it’s all mad. You say “I am forgetting her”. But what about her? Why does she put up with it all, why doesn’t she just pack and go away? Surely, Gerald Scottow and the rest of you wouldn’t forcibly restrain her? And surely there are people anyway who know about her? What about this Effingham Cooper? What about young Mr Lejour? What is he doing? What-‘
‘Mr Lejour watches and waits. He comes every summer here. He has done up the house and has brought his old father to live here. He comes and he watches. But there is nothing for him to do. And I don’t know if there is anything he wants to do - now.’
Marian recalled the man with the field-glasses whom
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