The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1886-05-27
TH0MPSON'S HOUSE.


THOMPSON'S HOUSE.
From Household Words.
One very hot summer, Thompson,
my old school-friend, offered to lend
me his house for a month. Circum-
stances-more plainly, my means
would not allow me to go abroad,
dislike the seaside, and never 60 there
for pleasure, so l gladly accepted his
offer, and, leaving my hot and dusty
rooms and Office to my landlady's s
mercy, 1 went down to the quiet old
cathedral town for month ofcountry
air.
Thompson's house stands in the
Close, at some little distance from the
dwellings inhabited by Canons and
Dean, in those sedate precincts.
It is very old, and was evidently
built as one large house, but for many
years it has been divided. Thompson
let's the other half His own part has
the larger half of a beautiful, old-fash-
ioned garden at the back, and on the
first day after my arrival, ! did moth
ing, l fear, but wander up and down
the shady lawn, and give myself up to
the pleasure ofhaving absolutely moth
ing which must be done in that day.
But the next morning after break
fast, started on q long expedition in
search of interesting church architec-
ture, in which I knew the neighbor-
hood was rich, and about which am
an enthusiast-natural, perhaps, as !
am an architect. But mine is not
only professional interest; in any case
l must have felt the charm of the old
records of the past" contained in
Early English, Decorated, and Per-
pendicular arches and pillars, for those
to whom these words are more than
names.
On my return that evening I found
Thompson's good housekeeper-he is
not married-rather anxious at my
late hours, and excited at the arrival
of new tenants next door. They had
been expected apparently for some
days, and Mrs. Morse was most anx-
ious that they should prove as quiet
and inoffensive as the last tenant, a
deaf and paralytic old lady, "who
never annoyed master nor me in the
least, and she was there before came
fourteen years ago last May, that
is."
All this and much more of her fears
and anxieties lest the new neighbors
should give noisy parties and keep
late hours, "as they did next door
where lived last, which was why !
left, sir, for their noise was dreadful, -
Mrs. Morse told me, as she held in her
hand the toast she had brought in tor
my tea, and which in her abstraction,
she forgot to set down.
Not until she had at last shut the
door after her good-natured gossip,
and had found the toast decidedly
cold, did l remember that had heard
q piano the night before, as / sat and
smoked, apparently played next door.
l accounted for it by imagining that
some one must have arrived there
sooner than Mrs. Morse knew.
She told me the next morning that
the new neighbors were only a young
lady and her aunt, and on hearing
this most successfully calmed her
fears of the night before.
During the next week Ispent most
of my days in sketching an early
English church near, which l had dis
covered with great pleasure; and in
the evenings smoked many a pipe
while listening to the piano next door.
Generally, am unreasonably irritat-
ed when I am obliged to listen to other
peoples pianos against my will; there
is something very trying in being
obliged to submit. without remon-
STRANGE, to hear whatever they may
be moved to play, or-worse still
practise.
But this was different. It was, !
thought, a woman's touch, and she
played well-chiefy old airs and soma
tas of Corelli. / am very fond OF the
old musicians, and there was in this
playing of them something very gentle
and soothing.
One evening at the end of that week
/ found, on coming in, a note. which /
opened, and read in great surprise:
"Miss Ethel Mayne would be very
greatly obliged if Mr.. Wyndham would
not allow his piano to be used at SO
late an hour. Miss Mayne asks this
for the. sake of her aunt, an invalid,
who is greatly disturbed by it,"
read the note over and over again,
each time with more amaxement.
How could / explain without seeming
rude and brusque, that not only had
I never. played during my stay here,
but that the house did not even con.
tain q piano? Thompson is not in
the least musical. The more thought
OF it the stranger it appeared. One
thing was .certain-the piano which
disturbed them must be the same as
that to which ! had listened on so
many evenings. AT last ] decided to
call next morning, and explain hetter
than q note could, that ] was not to
blame. / did so, about 12 o'clock
next day, and was shown into q draw
ing-room wearing the uncomfortable
look common to newly arranged
rooms, before they had time to re-
ceive any n1arks Of the owners char
acteristics.
In e few moments the door opened,
and = tall girl, with dark hair and q
sweet face, came in. She bowed as
rose, and said:
4. ssMr. Wyndham, Ibelievef ! imagine
you have called in answer to my note.
lam sure you will accede to my re-
quest. Ny aunt is only now recover
ING from . long illness. and the piano
keeps her Awake at night"