1937-12-31 — Page 39

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CHINA MAIL CHRISTMAS SUPPLEMENT

THE HAUNTED HOUSE

OF VASSILEVSKY ISLAND

THIS ghost story provided one

Tus story provisations

of pre-war St. Petersburg. It concerns a haunted house on the Vassilevsky Island, opposite the Nicolaevsky Bridge.

The house had been unoccupi- ed for many years, and external- ly it lived up to its sinister re- house under putation as **a

some prodigions ban of excom- munication. However, two stu- dents who disbelieved in any kind of superstition, and scoff- ed at supernatural manifesta- tions, planned to destroy the le- gend of the House on the Island, by passing the night there, hold-

A REAL LIFE GHOST STORY BY PRINCESS MARINA CHAVCHAVADZE

ing themselves in readiness to tackie any ghost bold enough to appear.

"The owner of the property, an- xious to remstate the nouse as a sehing, or letting, proposition, to the gladly gave permission ghost seers to say as long as

He also made ar- they liked. rangements to have a good are. lighted in what was known as room, besides: the haunted” supplying two chairs and table, as the friends proposed having supper before beginning to "watch out." Everything was soon in readiness.

2

Provisions

and wine were sent in, and a supply of candles to lighten the darkness completed the equip- ment for the night.

C. arrived punctually at the time fixed for the meeting. Apart from his mulish opstinacy where the supernatural was concern- ed he was a nice young fellow, who entered thoroughly into the spirit of the adventure on this cold rainy autumn evening. As he liked his comforts, he was cheered by the thought that the vigil would not take place in a fireless room. He, therefore, unlocked the front door with pleasurable anticipation not only of being thrilled, but also of being warmed. ·

The hall was in darkness, and when C's electric torch flashed here and there, he understood how different empty houses feel: at night.

Upstairs, someone was sing- ing, and C. recognised his friend's voice in company with a curiously distorted echo. "Keep- ing up his spirits," said C. to himself, but suddenly the Echo set in movement something de- finitely malignant; the house be-

DRINK

RICKSHA BRAND TEA

came a receptable for an mense resistess power, and sensed an imperisiaure recoFQ of incarnate evil.

neproaching himself for 100 via an imagination, C. wenz upstaus and opened the door of tne room whence the voice, and ine Eero, proceeaed..

each

A пre of smps umber blazed on the open hearth, and names of red, prue, green and jamı - lac danced and pursued other upwarus in a carnivales- que riot of colour. The Tabie was set for supper, and lighted candles in heavy canalesocks stood on a marnie buffet-a res he of the house's former state. In this aspect, the room had no- thmg approaching the superna- turai about it.

Taking off his heavy vercoat, C. greeted P, and asked him how long he had been waiting.

**I alan't know you meant to steal a march on me." he said.

Merely my fancy," answered P. I wanted to get in touch with the Unseen."

-And-did you?”

"Yes--and no." And he be- gan to sing in a voice lacking all youth and clearness, the sound cleaving the warm wood-scent- ed air like a meteor. C., hither- to only accustomed to hearing P. sing students' songs with an occasional excerpt from musical comedy, was by turns attracted and repelled. He even expe rienced a vague feeling of pan- ie; for a moment it seemed as if a devil were making music.

With something of an effort he said: "Well, let's have sup- per. By the way, in what lan- guage were you singing?

I couldn't understand a word of it."

"Naturally not," and P. smil- ed at him across the table-a wicked cynical smile, which per- plexed C. This might be P. who sang and smiled, but it certainly was not the familiar light-heart

He ed P. of the daily round. said nothing, and tried to think and act normally, but from time to time he looked at his friend, who was enjoying his supper with a healthy appetite, while. Cate sparingly, and drank only a couple of glasses of wine.

At last P. began to talk about the house. "I wonder what we shall see," he said, "don't you

think it is a little presumptuous to disturb well buried evil out of senseless curiosity? Perhaps this house belongs to one who is adored through fear and whose strength lies in destruc-: tion, who might resent our in- trusion.".

"But you were the first to pro- pose to investigate the haunt- tings," said C. “Have you by any chance become a convert to.. the religion whose god is ador- ed through fear?"

P. threw him a dark look. "We won't discuss religion. Better

by far to toast midnight in a li- bation to evil" He tossed off the contents of his glass, refill- ed it, and flung the red wine on to the merry flames.

“A liba-

-

Mendoza

tion to evil," he cried

Those

Arterwards his whole person- ality changed, and win a snarl he turned to C. "You poor 1001," he cried, to attempt to measure your strength against Those strength 1S invincible. You thought to destroy the in- destructible, to uproot as easily as weeds forces whose roots are ölder than Time. Do you not think that you deserve punish- ment?" As, he spoke, P. rose → from his seat, still smiling his cruel, mocking smile, and C. stared at him, incapable of thought or movement, conscious only that he was a helpless pri- soner of the powers of darkness. The last thing C. remembered was P's tiger-like spring. His throat was seized by fingers which burnt like acid into his flesh, then darkness fell on hirn.

**

Next morning C. and P. were absent from the University, and, as they had missed a special noon-day. lecture important for both, some fellow students who knew about the experiment at the haunted house decided to go and see what had become of the ghost hunters.

To their disappointment there was nothing "frightening” about the place. The silken curtains spun by successive generations of spiders waved across the win- dows when the door opened to admit the autumn air.

an

In the room on the first floor and masses of cold grey ash -burnt-out candles met their eyes.

Afterwards they noticed overturned table, and plates and pieces of food strew- ed the floor, where the spilt wine looked like a stream of congeal- ed blood.

broken

Something lay under the de- bris. This was C. evidently in

2 dead faint, or worse. There": was no sign of P., so while two of the young men busied them- selves in bringing C. round, the others hurried upstairs to see if P. was anywhere in hiding.

The rooms were empty, save for gigantic bloated spiders scuttling away in the gloom. rose like The dust of years musty incense from cracks in the boards as the searchers hur- ried over them, and, in the gar- rets, battalions of bats clung to the worm-eaten beams.

to

The students concluded that P. had gone suddenly mad, and had attacked C. in a moment of frenzy. There was nothing else to do but to take C. back

his home (he was now some- what restored, but incapable. of giving them any information),» make inquiries at P.'s lodgings, report and then, if necessary, the affair to the police.

A closed carriage was soon in readiness, and C., looking as if he had passed the night in Hell, and not in an empty house, was restored to his family.

The next halt was at P.'s lod- gings, a few street away. The inquiry as to whether he was at home instantly produced a run- ning commentary from the-land- Yes, lady. "Was he at home? he was; and, judging from his appearance, likely to remain at home for the next few days." She didn't know whether too much learning or too much see- ing life made anyone sleep like the dead. "He came in at two o'clock yesterday afternoon, went straight to bed, and has not got up since. Sleeping all the time." Yes-it will be a good thing to rouse him-so far she hadn't been able to do any thing with him.

(Continued on Page 20)