Случай Чарльза Декстера Варда
Chapter 3
AllthatcanbetoldoftheirdiscoveriesiswhatEleazarSmithjotteddowninanontoocoherentdiary,andwhatotherdiaristsandletter-writershavetimidlyrepeatedfromthestatementswhichtheyfinallymade—andaccordingtowhichthefarmwasonlytheoutershellofsomevastandrevoltingmenace,ofascopeanddepthtooprofoundandintangibleformorethanshadowycomprehension.
ItisgatheredthatWeedenandSmithbecameearlyconvincedthatagreatseriesoftunnelsandcatacombs,inhabitedbyaverysizeablestaffofpersonsbesidestheoldIndianandhiswife,underlaythefarm.Thehousewasanoldpeakedrelicofthemiddleseventeenthcenturywithenormousstackchimneyanddiamond-panedlatticewindows,thelaboratorybeinginalean-totowardthenorth,wheretheroofcamenearlytotheground.Thisbuildingstoodclearofanyother;yetjudgingbythedifferentvoicesheardatoddtimeswithin,itmusthavebeenaccessiblethroughsecretpassagesbeneath.Thesevoices,before1766,weremeremumblingsandnegrowhisperingsandfrenziedscreams,coupledwithcuriouschantsorinvocations.Afterthatdate,however,theyassumedaverysingularandterriblecastastheyranthegamutbetwixtdroningsofdullacquiescenceandexplosionsoffranticpainorfury,rumblingsofconversationsandwhinesofentreaty,pantingsofeagernessandshoutsofprotest.Theyappearedtobeindifferentlanguages,allknowntoCurwen,whoseraspingaccentswerefrequentlydistinguishableinreply,reproof,orthreatening.
