Dracula's Guest & Other Weird Tales - Crooken Sands

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crook and Sands. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox
recordings are in the public domain. For more information or
to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Kate
mac Kenzie Crooke and Sands by Bram Stoker. Mister Arthur
Fernley Markham, who took what was known as the Red
House above the mains of Crookan, was a London merchant, and,

(00:24):
being essentially a Cockney, thought it necessary when he went
for the summer holidays to Scotland, to provide an entire
rig out as a Highland chieftain, as manifested in Cromolythograss
and on the music hall stage. He had once seen
in the Empire the Great Prince the Bounder King, bring
down their house by appearing as the muc slogan of

(00:45):
that ilk and singing the celebrated Scotch song There's nothing
like hagister make yermun dry. And he had ever since
preserved in his mind a faithful image of the pictureresque
and warlike appearance which he presented. Indeed, if the true
inwardness of mister Markham's mind on the subject of his
selection of Aberdeenshire as a summer resort. When known, it

(01:06):
would be found that in the foreground of the holiday
locality which his fancy painted stalked the many hued figure
of the MCS slogan of that ilk. However, be this
as it may, A very kind fortune, certainly so far
as external beauty was concerned, led him to the choice
of Crookhan Bay. It is a lovely spot between Aberdeen
and peter Head, just under the rock bound headland, whence

(01:28):
the long dangerous reefs known as the Spurs, run out
into the North Sea. Between this and the mains of Crookhan,
a village sheltered by the northern cliffs, lies the deep bay,
backed with a multitude of bent grown dunes, where the
rabbits are to be found in thousands. Thus, at either
end of the bay is a rocky promontory, and when
the dawn of the sunset falls on the rocks of

(01:50):
red cyanite, the effect is very lovely. The bay itself
is floored with level sand, and the tide runs far out,
leaving a smooth waste of hard sand on which are
dotted here and there the stake nets and bagnets of
the salmon fishers. At one end of the bay, there
is a little group of cluster of rocks whose heads
are raised something above high water, except when in rough

(02:11):
weather the waves come over them green. At low tide
they are exposed down to sun level, and here is
perhaps the only little bit of dangerous sand on this
part of the Eastern coast. Between the rocks, which are
apart about some fifty feet, is a small quicksand which,
like the good winds, is dangerous only with the incoming tide.

(02:31):
It extends outwards till it is lost in the sea,
and inwards till it fades away in the hard sand
of the upper beach. On the slope of the hill
which rises beyond the dunes midway between the spurs and
the Port of Crooken, is the Red House. It rises
from the midst of a clump of fir trees which
protect it on three sides, leaving the whole sea front open.

(02:51):
A trim, old fashioned garden stretches down to the roadway,
on crossing which a grassy path which can be used
for light vehicles, threads away to the shore, winding amongst
the sand hills. When the Markham family arrived at the
Red House after their thirty six hours of pitching on
the Aberdeen steamer Van Rye from Blackwall, with the subsequent
train to Yelen and drive of a dozen miles, they

(03:14):
all agreed that they had never seen a more delightful spot.
The general satisfaction was more marked as that very time.
None of the family were, for several reasons, inclined to
find favorable anything or any place over the Scottish border.
Though the family was a large one, the prosperity of
the business allowed them all sorts of personal luxuries, amongst

(03:35):
which was a wide latitude in the way of dress.
The frequency of the Markham girl's new frocks was a
source of envy to their bosom friends and of joy
to themselves. Arthur Ferley Markham had not taken his family
into his confidence regarding his new costume. He was not
quite certain that he should be free from ridicule, or
at least from sarcasm, and as he was sensitive on

(03:57):
the subject, he thought it better to be actually in
the suitable environment before he allowed the full splendor to
burst upon them. He had taken some pains to ensure
the completeness of the Highland costume. For the purpose he
had paid many visits to the scotch All Wool Tartan
clothing mart which had been lately established in Cocktole Court
by the masters McCallum More and Roderick mcdoo. He had

(04:20):
anxious consultations with the head of the firm, McCallum, as
he called himself, resenting any such additions as mister or
a squire. The known stock of buckles, button straps, brooches
and ornaments of all kinds were examined in critical detail,
and at last an eagle's feather of sufficiently magnificent proportions
was discovered and the equipment was complete. It was only

(04:43):
when he saw the finished costume, with the vivid hues
of the Tartan, seemingly modified into comparative sobriety by the
multitude of silver fittings, the cair Goone brooches, the Phillip
beg Dirk and Sparren, that he was fully and absolutely
satisfied with his choice. At first, he had thought of
the Royal Stewart dressed Tartan, but abandoned it on the

(05:03):
mcallum pointing out that if he should happen to be
in the neighborhood of balmoral, it might lead to complications.
The Macallum, who by the way spoke with a remarkable
Cockney accent, suggested other plates in turn. But now that
the other question of accuracy had been raised, mister Markham
foresaw difficulties if he should by chance find himself in

(05:24):
the locality of the clan whose colors he had usurped.
The Macallum at last undertook to have at Markham's expense
a special pattern woven which would not be exactly the
same as any existing tartan, though partaking of the characteristics
of many. It was based on the Royal Stewart, but
contained suggestions as to simplicity of pattern from the Mcallis,

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to Ogilvy clans, and as to neutrality of color from
the clans of Buchanan, Macbeth, chief of Macintosh and MacLeod.
When the specimen had been shown to Markham, he had
feared somewhat lest it should strike the eye of his
domestic circle as Gordon. But as Roderick mc dow fell
into perfect ecstasies over its beauty, he did not make
any objection to the completion of the piece. He thought

(06:09):
and wisely, that if a genuine scotchman like McDow liked it.
It must be right, especially as the junior partner was
a man very much of his own build and appearance.
When the mcallum was receiving his check, which by the way,
was a pretty stiff one, he remarked, I've I've taken
the liberty of having some more of the staff woven
in case, sir, you are any your friends shall want it.

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Markham was gratified and told him that he should be
only too happy if the beautiful stuff which they had
originated between them should become a favorite, as he had
no doubt it would. In time he might make him
sell as much as he would. Markham tried the dress
on in his office one evening after the clerks had
all gone home. He was pleased. They were a little
frightened at the result. The macallum had done his work thoroughly,

(06:55):
and there was nothing omitted that could add to the
martial dignity of the wearer. I shall not, of course
take the claim or on pistols with me on ordinary occasions,
said Markham to himself, as he began to undress. He
determined that he would wear the dress for the first
time on landing in Scotland, and accordingly, on the morning,
when the ban rye was hanging off the girl Nest
Lighthouse waiting for the tie to enter the port of Aberdeen,

(07:17):
he emerged from his cabin in all the glaudy splendor
of his new costume. The first comment he heard was
from one of his own sons, who did not recognize
him at first. He is a guar gray Scott. It's
the governor, And the boy fled forthwith and tried to
bury his laughter under a cushion in the saloon. Markham
was a good sailor and had not suffered from the

(07:38):
pitching of the boat, so that his naturally rubicund face
was even more rosy by the conscious blush which suffused
his cheeks. When he had found himself at once the
sinosure of all eyes, he could have wished that he
had not been so bold, for he knew from the
cold that there was a big bear spot under one
side of his jauntly worn Glengarry cap. However, he faced

(07:59):
the group of strangers boldly. He was not outwardly upset,
even when some of the comments reached his ears. He's
off his blooming champ, said a cockney in a suit
of exaggerated blood. There's flies on him, said a tall,
thin Yankee, pale with sea sickness. He was on his
way to take up his residence for a time, as
close as he could get to the gates of Balmoral.

(08:21):
Happy thought, let us fill on moles. How's the chance,
said a young Oxford man on his way home to Inverness.
But presently mister Markham heard the voice of his eldest daughter,
Where is he? Where is he? That she came tearing
along the deck, with her hat blown behind her her face.
She had signs of agitation, for her mother had just
been telling her of her father's condition. But when she

(08:42):
saw him, she instantly burst into laughter, so violent that
it ended in a fit of hysterics. Something of the
same kind happened to each of the other children. When
they had all had their turn. Mister Markham went to
his cabin and sent his wife's maid to tell each
member of the family that he wanted to see them
at one time. They all made their appearance, suppressing their
feelings as well as they could. He said to them,

(09:05):
very quietly, my DearS, don't not provide you all with
ample allowances? Yes, father, they all answered gravely. No one
could be more generous. Don't not let you dress as
you please? Yes, father is a little cheepishly. Their mody is,
don't you think it will be nicer and kinder of
you not to try and make me feel uncomfortable, even

(09:28):
if I do assume address which is ridiculous in your eyes,
were quite common enough in a country where we are
a boat. To Sir Jean, there was no answer except
that which appeared in their hanging heads. He was a
good father, and they all knew it. He was quite
satisfied and went on there. Now run away and enjoy yourselves,
which don't have another word about it. Then he went

(09:49):
on deck again and stood bravely the fire of ridicule,
which he recognized around him, though nothing more was said
within his hearing. The astonishment and the amusement which is
yet up occasioned on the ban Rai, however, nothing to
that which it created in Aberdeen. The boys and loafers,
women with babies who waited at the landing shed followed
en mass as the Markham party took their way to

(10:10):
the railway station. Even the porters with their old fashioned
knots and their new fashion barrows, who await the traveler
at the foot of the gangplank, followed in wondering delight. Fortunately,
the Peterhead train was just about to start, so that
the martyrdom was not unnecessarily prolonged. In the carriage, the
glorious Highland costume was unseen, and as there were but
few persons at the station at Yellen, all went well there. When, however,

(10:34):
the carriage drew near to the mains of crook And
and the fisherfolk could run to their doors to see
who it was that was passing, the excitement exceeded all bounds.
The children, with one impulse, waved their bonnets and ran
shouting behind the carriage. The men forsook their nets and
their baiting and followed. The women clutched their babies and
followed also. The horses were tired after their long journey

(10:55):
to Yelling and back, and the hill was steep, so
that there was ample time for the crowd to gather
and even to pass on ahead. Missus Markham and the
elder girls would have liked to make some protest, or
to do something to relieve their feelings of chagrin at
the ridicule which they saw on all faces. But there
was a look of fixed determination on the face of
the seeming highlunder, which awed them a little, and they

(11:16):
were silent. It might have been that the eagle's feather,
even when arising above the bald head, the care gone brooch,
even on the fat shoulder, and the clay or dirk
and pistols, even when belted round the extensive paunch and
protruding from the stocking of the sturdy cough, fulfilled their
existence as symbols of martial and terrifying import. When the

(11:36):
party arrived at the gate of the Red House, there
awaited them a crowd of crooken inhabitants, hatless and respectfully silent.
The remainder of the population was painfully toiling up the hill.
The silence was broken by only one sound, that of
a man with the deep voice. Man, but he's forgotten
their pipes. The servants has arrived some days before, and
all things were in readiness. In the glow consequent on

(11:59):
the good lunch after a hard journey, all the disagreeables
of trouble, and all the shagrin consequent on the adoption
of the obnoxious costume were forgotten. That afternoon, Markham still
clad in full array, walked through the mains of crook,
and he was all alone. For strange to say, his
wife and both daughters had sick headaches, and were, as
he was told, lying down to rest after the fatigue

(12:21):
of the journey. His eldest son, who claimed to be
a young man, had gone out by himself to explore
the surroundings of the place, and one of the boys
could not be found. The other boy, on being told
that his father had sent for him to come for
a walk, had managed, by accident, of course, to fall
into the water butt and had to be dried and
rigged out afresh, his clothes not having been as yet unpacked.

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This was of course impossible without delay. Mister Markham was
not quite satisfied with his walk. He could not meet
any of his neighbors. It was not that there were
not enough people about, for every house and cottage seemed
to be full, but the people, when in the open,
were either in their doorways some distance behind him, or
on the roadway a long distance in front. As he passed,

(13:05):
he could see the tops of heads and the whites
of eyes in the windows all round the corners of doors.
The only interview which he had was anything but a
pleasant one. This was with an odd sort of old man,
who was hardly ever heard to speak, except to join
in the amens in the meetinghouse. His sole occupation seemed
to be to wait at the window of the post
office from eight o'clock in the morning till the arrival

(13:27):
of the mail at one, when he carried the letter
back to a neighboring baronial castle. The remainder of his
day was spent on a seat in a drafty part
of the port, where the offal of the fish, the
refuse of the bait, and the house of rubbish was thrown,
and where the ducks were accustomed to hold high revel.
When saf Tammy beheld him coming, he raised his eyes,
which were generally fixed on the nothing which lay on

(13:49):
the roadway opposite his seat, and, seeming dazzled as if
by a burst of sunshine, rubbed them and shaded them
with his hand. Then he started up and raised his
hand aloft in a denunciatory as he spoke, vanity of vanities,
saith the preacher, all is vanity. One be warned in time.
Behold the lilies of the field. They toil, not neither

(14:10):
do they spin. Yet Solomon, in all his glory, was
not arrayed like one of these mon mon. Thy vanity
is as the quicksand which swallows a pall which comes
within its spell. Beware vanity, Beware of the quicksand which
yawneth for thee, and which will swallow thee. Up. See thyself,
learn thine own vanity, meet thyself face to face, and

(14:32):
then in that moment thou shalt learn the fatal force
of thy vanity. Learn it, know it. Then repenty the
quicksand swallow thee. Then, without another word, he went back
to his seat and sapp there, immovable in expressionless as before.
Malkham could not but feel a little upset by this tirade,
only that it was spoken by a seeming badman. He
would have put it down to some eccentric exhibition of

(14:54):
Scottish humor or impudence, but the gravity of the message,
for it seemed nothing else made such a reading impossible.
He was, however, determined not to give in to ridicule,
and although he had not yet seen anything in Scotland
to remind him even of a kilt, he determined to
wear his Highland dress when he returned home. In less
than half an hour, he found that every member of

(15:15):
the family was, despite the head aches, out taking a walk.
He took the opportunity afforded by the absence of locking
himself in his dressing room, took off the Highland dress, and,
putting on a suit of flannels, lit a cigar and
had a snooze. He was awakened by the noise of
the family coming in, and at once, donning his dress,
made his appearance in the drawing room for tea. He

(15:36):
did not go out again that afternoon, but after dinner
he put on his dress again. He had, of course
dressed for dinner as usual, and went by himself for
a walk on the sea shore. He had by this
time come to the conclusion that he would get by
degrees accustomed to the Highland dress before making it his
ordinary wear. The moon was up and he easily followed
the path through the sand hills and shortly struck the shore.

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The tide was out in the beach firm as a rock,
so he strolled southwards to nearly the end of the bay.
Here he was attracted by two isolated rocks some little
way out from the edge of the dunes, so he
strolled towards them when he reached the nearest. When he
climbed it, and, sitting there elevated some fifteen or twenty
feet above the waste of sand, enjoyed the lovely, peaceful prospect.
The moon was rising behind the headland of Pennifold, and

(16:21):
its light was just touching the top of the furthest
most rock of the Spurs, some three quarters of a
mile out. The rest of the rocks were in dark shadow.
As the moon rose over the headland, the rocks of
the spurs, and then the beach by degrees, became flooded
with light. For a good while mister Markham sat and
looked at the rising moon and the growing light area
of light which followed its rise. Then he turned and
faced eastwards, and sat with his chin in his hand,

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looking seawards and reveling in the peace and beauty and
freedom of the scene. The roar of London, the darkness
and the strife and the weariness of London life seemed
to have passed quite away, and he lived at the
moment of freer and higher life. He looked at the
glistening water as it stole its way over the flatway
of sand, coming closer and closer insensibly the tide had turned. Presently,

(17:06):
he heard a distant shouting along the beach, very far off.
Fisherman calling to each other, he said to himself, and
looked around. As he did so, he got a horrible shock,
for though just then a cloud sailed across the moon,
he saw, in spite of the sudden darkness around him,
his own image for an instant on the top of
the opposite rock. He could see the bald back of

(17:27):
the head and the glengarry cap with the immense eagull's feather.
As he staggered back, his foot slipped and he began
to slide down towards the sand between the two rocks.
He took no concern as to failing, for the sand
was really only a few feet below him, and his
mine was occupied with a figure or similar crum with himself,
which had already disappeared as the easiest way of reaching
Terra Firma, he prepared to jump the remainder of the distance.

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All this had taken but a second, but the brain
works quickly, and even as he gathered himself for the spring,
he saw the sand below him lying so marbly level,
shake and shiver in an odd way. A sudden fear
overcame him. His knees failed, and instead of jumping, he
slid miserably down the rock, scratching his bare legs as
he went. His feet touched the sun and threw it
like water, and he was down below his knees before

(18:12):
he realized that he was in a quicksand wildly he
gasped up the rock to keep himself from singing further. Unfortunately,
there was a jutting spur or edge, which he was
able to grasp instinctively. To this he clung in grim desperation.
He tried to shout, but his breath would not come
till after a great effort, his voice rang out again.
He shouted, and it seemed as if the sound of

(18:32):
his own voice gave him new courage, for he was
able to hold on to the rock for a longer
time than he thought possible, though he held on only
in blind desperation. He was, however, beginning to find his
grasp weakening, when joy of joys, his shout was answered
by a rough voice from just above him. God be
thank it, I'm laioll late, and the fisherman with great

(18:53):
thigh boots came hurriedly climbing over the rock. In an
instant he recognized the gravity of the danger, and with
a cheering what fast, come on, I'm coming, scrambled down
till he found a firm foothold. Then, with one strong
hand holding the rock above, he leaned down and, catching
Makham's wrist, called out to him, Hood to me, mon,
Hood to me wire the hunt. Then he lent his
great strength and with a steady, sturdy pull, dragged him

(19:15):
out of the hungry quicksand and placed him safe upon
the rock. Hardly giving time to draw beth. He pulled
and pushed him, never letting him go for an instant
over the rock into the firm sand beyond it, and
finally deposited him, still shaking from the magnitude of his danger,
high upon the beach. Then he began to speak, come on,
but I was just in time. If Idner laughed at

(19:36):
you foolish lads and begins to in at the first,
you'd have been sinking into the bowels of the earth
for the new will they bake this locked you was
against and Tom McPhail swill he was only like a
goblin on a puddick steel, Nah said i Yan's butlered
after Englishman that looney, that escape is for the waxworks.
I was thinking that being strange and silly, if not
a hole made feel he'd nilk in the ways of

(19:58):
the quicksand shouted to warn you, and they ran to
Jagy half if need be God me thank it be
a fool or only half daft? Were you vanity? I
was not that late, and he reverently lifted his cap
as he spoke. Mister Markham was deeply touched and thankful
for his escape from a horrible death, but the sting
of the charge of vanity thus made once more against

(20:18):
him come through his humility. He was about to reply angrily,
when suddenly a great awe fell upon him as he
remembered the warning words of the half crazy letter carrier,
Meet thyself face to face and repent ere the quicksand
shall swallow thee. Here too, he remembered the image of
himself that he had seen, and the sudden danger from

(20:39):
the deadly quicksand that had followed. He was silent a
full minute, and then said, my good fellow, I owe
you my life. The answer came with the reverence from
the hardy fisherman. Nah, nah, you're that to God press
to me. I'm only too glad to be the humble
instrument of his mercy. But you will let me thank you,
said mister Markham, taking both the great hands of his

(21:00):
deliverer in his and holding them tight. My heart is
too full as yet, and my nerves are too much
shaken to let me say much. But believe me, I'm very,
very grateful. It was quite evident that the poor old
fellow was deeply touched, for the tears were running down
his cheeks. The fisherman said, with a rough but true courtesy. Ay, sir,

(21:20):
thank me, and you will if it'll do your poor
heart good. And I'm thinking that if it were me,
i'd be thankful too. But so as for me, I
need no thanks. I'm glad, So I am that Arthur
Furling Markham was really thankful, and grateful was shown practically
later on. Within a week's time, they're sailed into Port Crooking.
Their finest fishing smack had ever been seen in the

(21:41):
harbor of Peterhead. She was fully found with sails and
gear of all kinds, and with nets of the best.
Her master and men went away by the coach, after
having left with sevenfisher's wife the papers which made her
over to him. As mister Markham and the salmon fisher
walked together along the shore, the former asked his companion
not to mention the fact that he had been in
such an imminent danger, for that it would only distress

(22:03):
his dear wife and children. He said that he would
warn them are of the quicksand, and for that purpose
he then and there asked questions about it till he
felt that his information on the subject was complete. Before
they parted, he asked his companion if he had happened
to see a second figure dressed like himself on the
other rock, because he'd approached to sucker him. Yeah, nah,
came the answer, theresny sack another fool in these parts?

(22:27):
Now has there been since the time of Jamie fleming
him that were full to the Laird of Udney, Why
sick of heathenish dress as you have on till he
has nay seen in these pets with the memory of man.
And I'm thinking that sick of Jess was never for
sitting on the code rock as you've done beyond on,
but being a fear of a rheumatism of the lumbergame
a flopping doing on the code stains with your bare flesh.

(22:48):
I was thinking that it was daft you were when
I see the moon and doing the pot. It's full idiot,
you won't be for the look of that. Mister Markham
did not care to argue the point, and as they
were now close to his own home, yesked the summon
fisher to have a lat of whiskey, which he did,
and they parted for the night. He took good care
to warn all his family of the quicksand telling them

(23:09):
that he had himself been in some danger from it.
All that night he never slept. He heard the hour
strike one after the other, but try how he would,
he could not get to sleep. Over and over again
he went through the horrible episode of the quicksand from
the time that saf Tami had broken his habitual silence

(23:30):
to preach to him of the sin of vanity and
to warn him, the question kept ever arising in his mind,
are my friends so vain as to be in the
ranks of the foolish? And the answer ever came in
the words of the crazy prophet Vanity of vanities. All
his vanity meet thyself face to face and repent to
other quicksand shall swallow thee Somehow a feeling of doom

(23:54):
began to shape itself in his mind, that he would
yet perish in that same quicksand for there already met
himself face to face in the grave of the morning,
he dozed off, but it was evident that he continued
the subject in his dreams, for he was fully awakened
by his wife, who said, do sleep quietly, God blessed
all on. A suit has gone your brine. Don't talk

(24:14):
an you sleep if you can help it. He was
somehow conscious of a glad feeling, as if some terrible
weight had been lifted from him, but he did not
know any cause of it. He asked his wife what
he had said in his sleep, and she answered, he
said it often enough. Godness knows for one to remember it.
Not face to face, a silver eagle plume over the
bald head, there is hope yet, not face to face,

(24:35):
go to sleep, do And then he did go to sleep,
for he seemed to realize that the prophecy of the
crazy man had not yet been fulfilled. He had not
met himself face to face as yet at all events.
He was awakened early by a maid who came to
tell him that there was a fisherman at the door
who wanted to see him. He dressed himself as quickly
as he could, for he was not yet expert with
the Highland dress, and hurried down, not wishing to keep

(24:58):
the sun official waiting. He was surprised and not altogether pleased,
to find that his visitor was in another than soft Tammy,
who at once opened fire on him. I'm on gang
about the post, but I thought that I would waste
an arrow on you, and carene to see if you
were still that foo with vanities on the nihigumbay. And
I see that you know learned the lesson well. Time

(25:19):
is coming sure, and however I have all the time
in the minings to main sail, so I look ruined
jest till I say how you gang ye, and get
to the quicksand and then to the dell. I'm after
my work the new and he went straight away, leaving
mister Markham considerably vexed, for the maids with an earshot
were vainly trying to conceal their giggles. He had fairly
made up his mind to wear on that day ordinary clothes.

(25:40):
But the visit of soft tamy reserved his decision. He
would show them all that he was not a coward,
and he would go on as he had begun, come
what might. When he came to breakfast in full marshal panoply,
the children one and all held down their heads, and
the backs of the necks became very red. Indeed, as however,
none of them laughed, except Titus, the youngest boy, who

(26:02):
was seized with a fit of hysterical choking, and was
promptly banished from the room. He could not reprove them,
but began to break his egg with a sternly determined air.
It was unfortunate that, as his wife was handing him
a cup of tea, one of the buttons of his
sleeve caught in the lace of a morning wrapper, with
the result that the hot tea was spilt over his
bur knees. Not unnaturally, he made use of a swear word,

(26:23):
whereupon his wife, somewhat nettled, spoke out, well, offer, if
you will make such an idiot of yourself with that
ridiculous costume, what else can you expect? You are not
cast into it, and you never will be In answer,
he began an indignant speech with madam, but he got
no further, For now that the subject was brot, missus
Markham intended to have her say out it was not

(26:43):
a pleasant say, and truth to tell, it was not
said in a pleasant manner. A wife's manner seldom is
pleasant when she undertakes to tell what she considers truths
to her husband. The result was that Arthur Fernley Markham
undertook then and there that during his stay in Scotland
he would wear no other than the one she abused
woman like his wife had the last word given in

(27:05):
this case with tears very well offur, of course, you
will do as you choose, make me as ridiculous as
you can, and spoil for poor girl's chances in life.
Young men does seem to care as a general role
for an idiot father in law. But I must warn
you for your vanity we someday get a rude shock
if indeed you are not before then and in a

(27:26):
solemn or dead. It was manifest after a few days
that mister Markham would have to take the major part
of his outdoor exercise by himself. The girls now and
again took a walk with him, chiefly in the early morning,
or late at night, or on a wet day when
there will be no one about. They profess to be
willing to go out at all times, but somehow something

(27:46):
always seemed to occur to prevent it. The boys could
never be found at all on such occasions, and as
to missus Markham, she sternly refused to go out with
him on any consideration, so long as he should continue
to make a fool of himself. Sunday he dressed himself
in his habitual broadcloth, for he rightly felt that church
was not a place for angry feelings. But on Monday

(28:07):
morning he resumed his Highland garb. By this time he
would have given a good deal if he had never
thought of the dress, But his British officers in his
sea was strong, and he would not give in. Saftami
called at his house every morning, and, not being able
to see him nor have any message to take into him,
he used to call back in the afternoon when the
letter bag had been delivered, and watched for his going out.

(28:28):
On such occasions. He never failed to warn him against
his vanity in the same words which he had used
at the first before many days were over, mister Markham
had come to look upon him as a little short
of a scourge. By the time the week was out,
the enforced part of solitude, the constant shagrin, and the
never ending brooding which was thus engendered, began to make
mister Arkham quite ill. He was too proud to take

(28:48):
any of his family into his confidence, since they had,
in his view, treated him very badly. Then he did
not sleep well at night, and when he did sleep
he had constantly bad dreams. Merely to assure himself that
his pluck was not feeling him, he made it to
practice to visit the quicksand at least once every day.
He hardly ever failed to go there the last thing
at night. It was perhaps this habit that wrought the

(29:08):
quicksand with its terrible experience, so perpetually into his dreams.
More and more vivid these became, till on waking at
times he could hardly realize that he had not been
actually in the flesh to visit the fatal spot. He
sometimes thought that he might have been walking in his sleep.
One night, his dream was so vivid that when he
awoke he could not believe that it had only been
a dream. He showed his eyes again and again, but

(29:30):
each time the vision, if it was a vision, or
the reality, if it was a reality, would rise before him.
The moon was shining full and yellow over the quicksand
as he approached it, he could see the expanse of light,
shaken and disturbed and full of black shadows, as the
liquid sand quivered and trembled and wrinkled and edded, as
was its wont between its pauses of marble calm. As
he took close to it, another figure came towards it

(29:51):
from the opposite side with equal footsteps. He saw that
it was his own figure, his very self, and in
silent terror, compelled by what force he knew not, he advanced,
charmed as the birds by the snake, mesmerized or hypnotized
to meet this other self. As he felt the yielding
sand closing over him, he awoke in the agony of death,
trembling with fear and strange to say, with the silly

(30:13):
man's prophecy seeming to sound in his ears, the vanity
of vanities, all his vanity, see their self and repent
till the quicksand swallow thee. So convinced was he that
this was no dream that he arose bearly as it was, and,
dressing himself without disturbing his wife, took his way to
the shore. His heart fell when he came across a
series of footsteps on the sands, which he at once

(30:33):
recognized as his own. There was the same white heel,
the same square toe. He had no doubt now that
he had actually been there, and, half horrified and half
in a state of dreamy stupor, he followed the footsteps
and found them lost in the edge of the yielding
quicksand this gave him a terrible shock, for there were
no return steps marked on the sand, and he felt

(30:56):
that there was some dread mystery which he could not penetrate,
and the penetration of which would he fear undo him.
In this state of affairs, he took two wrong causes. Firstly,
he kept his trouble to himself, and as none of
his family had any clue to it, every innocent word
or expression which they used supplied fuel to the consuming
fire of his imagination. Secondly, he began to read books

(31:17):
professing to bear upon the mysteries of dreaming and of
mental phenomena, generally, with the result that every wild imagination
of every crank or half crazy philosopher became a living
germ of unrest in the fertilizing soil of his disordered brain. Thus,
negatively and positively, all things began to work to a
common end. Not the least of his disturbing causes was
saff Timy, who would now become at certain times of

(31:38):
the day of fixture at his gait. After a while,
being interested in the previous state of this individual, he
made inquiries regarding his past, with the following result. Faf
Timey was popularly believed to be the son of a
lad of one of the counties around the Firth of Forth.
He had been partially educated for the ministry, but for
some cause which no one ever knew, threw up his
prospects suddenly, and going to peter Head, in its days

(32:00):
of whaling prosperity, had there taken service on a whaler.
Here after and on he had remained for some years,
getting gradually more and more silent in his habits, till
finally his shipmates protested against so taciturn a mate, and
he had found serviced amongst the fishing smacks of the
Northern Fleet. He had worked for many years at the fishing,
with always the reputation of being a wee bit daft,

(32:20):
till at length he had gradually settled down at Crooking,
whether led doubtless knowing something of his family history, had
given him a job which practically made him a pensioner.
The minister who gave the information to finished, thus it
is a very strange thing, But the man seems to
have some odd kind of gift, whether it be that
second side which we scotch people as so prone to
believe in, or some other occult form of knowledge or not.

(32:40):
But nothing ever, disasters tendency ever occurs in this place.
But the men with whom he lives able to court
after the events and saying of his which suddenly appears
to have foretold it, he gets un easier excited, wakes
up in fact when death is in the air. This
did not in any way tend to lessen mister Markham's concern,
but on the contrary, he seemed to impress the prophecy

(33:01):
more deeply on his mind. Of all the books which
he had read on his new subject study, none interested
in him so much as a German one. The Duppelganger
by doctor Heinrich von Aschenberg family of Bond. Here he
learned for the first time of Cat's where men had
led a double existence, each nature being quite apart from
the other, the body being always a reality with one
spirit and a similar croom with the other. Needless to

(33:23):
say that mister Markham realized this theory as exactly suiting
his own case. The glimpse which he had had of
his own back the night of his escape from the
quicksand his own footmarks disappearing into the quicksand with no
return steps of visible. The prophecy of saft Tammy about
his meeting himself and perishing in the quicksand all lent
aid to the conviction that he was, in his own person,
an instance of the duppel Ganger. Being then conscious of

(33:44):
a double life, he took steps to prove his existence
to his own satisfaction. To this end, when one night,
before going to bed, he wrote his name and chalk
on the soles of his shoes. That night he dreamed
of the quicksand and of his visiting it, dreamed so
vividly that, on walking in the gray of the dawn,
he could not believe that he had not been there.
Arising without disturbing his wife, he sought his shoes. The

(34:07):
chokingreatures were undisturbed. He dressed himself and stole out softly.
This time the tide was in, so he crossed the
dunes and struck the shore on the further side of
the quicksand there, oh, horror of horrors, he saw his
own footprints dying into the abyss. He went home a
desperately sad man. It seemed incredible that he, an elderly
commercial man, who had passed a long and uneventful life

(34:30):
in the pursuit of business, in the midst of roaring
practical London, should thus find himself enmeshed in mystery and horror,
and that he should discover that he had two existences.
He could not speak of his trouble even to his
own wife, for well he knew that she would at
once require the fullest particular as of the other life,
the one which she did not know, and that she
would at the start not only imagine but charge him

(34:51):
with all manner of infidelities on the head of it.
And so his brooding grew deeper and deeper still one evening,
the tide, then going out in the moon at the
full He was sitting waiting for dinner when the maid
announced that Saft Tammy was making a disturbance outside because
he would not be let in to see him. He
was very indignant, but did not like the maid to
think that he had any fear on the subject, and

(35:12):
so told her to bring him in. Tammy entered, walking
more briskly than ever, with his head up and a
look of vigorous decision in the eyes that were so
generally cast down. As soon as he entered, he said,
I have come to see you once again, once again,
and there you sit still, just like a cock of
two on a pet. Whil monna forgee? Mind you that
I forgear? And without a word more, he turned and

(35:33):
walked out of the house, leaving the master in speechless indignation.
After dinner, he determined to pay another visit to the
quicksand he would not allow even to himself that he
was afraid to go, And so about nine o'clock, in
full array, he marched the beach, and, passing over the sands,
sat on the skirt of the near a rock. The
full moon was behind him, and its light lit up
the bay so that its fringe of foam, The dark

(35:54):
outline of the headline, and the stakes of the salmon
nets were all emphasized in the brilliant lott glow. The
lights in the windows of put Crooking, and in those
of the distant castle of the Lead, trembled like stars
through the sky. For a long time, he sat and
drank in the beauty of the scene, and his soul
seemed to feel a peace that he had not known
for many days. All the pettiness and annoyance and silly
fears of the past weeks seemed blotted out, and a

(36:15):
new holy calm took the vacant place. In this sweet
and solemn mood, he reviewed his late action calmly, and
felt ashamed of himself for his vanity and for the
oppostinacy which had followed it. And then and there he
made up his mind that the present would be the
last time he would wear the costume which had estranged
him from those whom he loved, and which had caused
him so many hours and days of shakerin vexation and pain.

(36:36):
But almost as soon as he arrived at this conclusion,
another voice seemed to speak within him, and mockingly to
ask him if he should ever get the chance to
wear the suit again, that it was too late. He
had chosen his course and must now abide the issue.
He's not too late, came the quick answer of his
better self, and full of the thought, he rose up
to go home and divest himself of the now hateful costume.

(36:57):
Right away. He paused for one look at the beautiful scene.
The light lay pale and mellow, softening every outline of
rock and tree and house top, and deepening the shadows
into velvety black and lighting as with a pale flame
the incoming tide that now crept fringe like across the
flat waste of sand. Then he left the rock and
stepped out for the shore. But as he did so,

(37:18):
a fragleed spasm of horror shook him, and for an instant,
the blood rushing to his head shut out all the
light of the full moon. Once more he saw that
fatal image of himself moving beyond the quicksand from the
opposite rock to the shore. The shock was all the
greater for the contrast with the spell of peace, which
he had just enjoyed, and almost paralyzed in every sense.
He stood and watched the fatal vision and the wrinkly
crawl and quicksand that seemed to writhe and yearn for

(37:40):
something that lay between. There could be no mistake this time,
for though the moon behind threw the face into shadow,
he could see there the same shaven cheeks as his own,
and the small, stubby mustache of a few weeks growth.
The light shone on the brilliant tartan and on the
eagle's plume. Even the bald space at one side of
the Glengarry cap glistened, as did the cake hang on
brooch on the shoulder, and the tops of the silver buttons.

(38:03):
As he looked, he felt his feet slightly sinking, for
he was still near the edge of the belt of quicksand,
and he stepped back. As he did so, the other
figure stepped forward, so that the space between them was preserved.
So the two stood facing each other, as though in
some weird fascination, and in the rushing of the blood
through his brain, Markham seemed to hear the words of
the prophecy, see thy self face to face. They repent

(38:25):
ere the quicksand swallow thee He did stand face to
face with himself. He had repented, and now he was
sinking in the quicksand the warning of prophecy were coming true.
Above him, the seagulls screamed, circling round the fringe of
the incoming tide, and the sound being entirely morsel, recalled
to himself. On the instant, he stepped back a few

(38:45):
quick steps, for as yet only his feet were merged
in the soft sand. As he did so, the other
figure stepped forward, and, coming with him the deadly grip
of the quicksand began to sink. It seemed to Markham
that he was looking at himself going down to his doom,
and on the instant the anguish of his soul fan
in a terrible cry. There was at the same instant
a terrible cry from the other figure, and as Markham
threw up his hands, the figure did the same. With

(39:07):
horror struck eyes, he saw him sink deeper into the quicksand,
and then, impelled by what power he knew not, he
advanced again towards the sun to meet his fate. But
at his more forward foot began to sink. He hid
again the cries of the seagulls, which seemed to restore
his benumbed faculties with a mighty effort, he drew his
foot out of the sand which seemed to clutch it,
leaving his shoe behind, and then, in sheer terror, he

(39:29):
turned and ran from the place, never stopping till his
breath and strength failed him, and he sank half swimming
on the grassy path through the sand hills. Arthur Markham
made up his mind not to tell his family of
his terrible adventure until at least such time as he
should be complete master of himself. Now that the fatal
double his other self, had been engulfed in the quicksand
he felt something like his old peace of mind. That

(39:51):
night he slept soundly and did not dream at all,
and in the morning was quite his old self. It
really seemed as though his newer and worser self had
disappeared forever. Strangely enough, saft Tammy was absent from his
post that morning and never appeared there again, but sat
in his old place, watching nothing as of old, with
lack luster eye. In accordance with his resolution, he did
not wear his Highland suit again, but one evening tied

(40:13):
it up in a bundle play more Dirk phili beg
and All, and bringing it secretly with him threw it
into the quicksand, with a feeling of intense pleasure, he
saw it sucked below the sand, which closed above it
into marble smoothness. Then he went home and announced cheerily
to his family, assembled for evening prayers. Well, my DearS,
you'll be glad to hever I've abandoned my idea of weary,
violent dress. See now, what a vain old fool I

(40:36):
was an how ridiculous a man myself shall never see
it again? Where is it? Father asked one of the girls,
wishing to say something so that such a self sacrificing
announcement as her father's should not be passed in absolute silence.
His answer was so sweetly given that the girl rose
from her seat and came and kissed him. It was
in the quicksand, my dear, and I hope that my
worser self was very, very along with it. Forever the

(40:58):
remainder of the summer was pasted, it crooken with delight
by all the family, And on his return to town,
mister Markham had almost forgotten the whole of the incident
of the quicksand and all touching on it, when one
day he got a letter from the mcallum more, which
caused him much thought, though he said nothing of it
to his family and left it for certain reasons unanswered.
It ran as followed the McCallum more and Roderick macdow

(41:22):
the Scotch all Waltartan Clothing mart Coptolecourt, e c. Thirtieth
of September eighteen ninety two. Dear Sir, I trust you
will pardon the liberty which which I take in writing
to you. But I am so desirous of making inquiry,
and I am informed that you have been sojourning during
the summer in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and b My partner, mister

(41:42):
Roderick mcdo as he appears with business reasons on our
billheads and in our advertisements, his real name being Emmanuel
Moses Marks of London, went early last months to Scotland
and b for a tour. But as I have only
once heard from him shortly after his departure, I am
anxious lest any misfortune may have befallen him. As I
have been unable to obtain any news of him, while
making all inquiries in my power, I venture to appeal

(42:05):
to you. His letter was written in deep dejection of spirit,
and mentioned that he feared a judgment had come upon
him for wishing to appear as a scotchman on Scottish soil,
as he had one moonlight night shortly after his arrival
seen his wraith. He evidently alluded to the fact that
before his departure he had procured for himself a highland
costume similar to that which we had the honor to
supply to you, with which, as perhaps you will remember,

(42:27):
he was much struck. He may, however, never have worn it,
as he was, to my own knowledge, diffident about putting
it on, and even went so far as to tell
me that he would at first only venture to wear
it late at night or very early in the morning,
and then only in remote places until such time as
he should get accustomed to it. Unfortunately, he did not
advise me of his route, so that I am in
complete ignorance of his whereabouts, and I venture to ask

(42:49):
if you may have seen or heard of a highland
costume similar to your own having been seen anywhere in
the neighborhood in which I am told you have recently
purchased the estate which he temporarily occupied. I shall not
expect an answers to this letter unless you can give
me some information regarding my friend and partner. So pray
do not trouble to reply unless there because I am
encouraged to think that he may have been in your neighborhood,

(43:10):
as though his letter is not dated. The envelope is
marked with a postmark of Yellen, which I find is
in Abadinsha and not far from the mains of Crook
And I have the honor to be dear sir yours
very respectfully, Joshua Shehini Cohen, Benjamin the McCallum more end
of Crook and Sands end of Dracula's Guest and Other

(43:31):
Weird Tales by Bram Stoker