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Prosy Jane; or, The puritan's bequest (1868)
Prosy Jane or The puritan's bequest - 1868 Author:Gregory Graves Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Or, The Puritan's Bequest. 5 every window and door that gave light or access to those rooms, except the door which communicated with the North-Western Tower: ... more »through that they came and went. It is said that they embalmed the poor youth's corpse, and left it un- buried in the central room, as a kind of penance to themselves;—that they used to watch and pray over it. It is said that they spent days and weeks in endeavouring to erase the blood-stains from the stone-floor of the banqueting-hall. It is said that, when he was near his end, Sir Arthur caused an effigy of himself to be made, and that this effigy still sits at the table whereat he and his son supped on the night of the murder, and close to the spot where the floor is stained with blood. It is said that, with one hand, the effigy still points down to the blood-stains, and that with the other hand it points to a parchment scroll which lies on the table before it. It is said that that scroll is inscribed in large characters of the day; and that it contains a curse on any one of the Chesneys who shall ever enter that banqueting-hall, and a curse on any chapter{Section 4man whatsoever who shall enter the room beyond." Such was Mr. Chesney's story, given, as nearly as I can remember, in his own words ; and I don't think that my interest in the subject allowed me to lose any important sentence. Dear Jane was equally attentive, and remembers just what I do. When Mr. Chesney had concluded, I must confess that all of us were impressed with a solemnity which seemed to be infectious. However, we soon began to make remarks on the story, and then dear Jane asked him explicitly whether he and Sir Robert believed it ? He replied, that Sir Robert believed every word of it, and a good deal more beside, and that it was of no consequ...« less