ENG 10

T H E B LA C K VEIL B Y C H AR LES D IC K EN S CO PYR IGH T IN FO RM ATIO N S ho rt S to ry : “T he Blac k Veil ” A utho r: C harle s D ic k en s, 1812–70 F ir s t pub lish ed : 1836 The orig in al sho rt sto ry is in th e pub li c do main in th e U nit ed Sta te s and in most, if no t all , o th er coun tr ie s as w ell .

R ea ders ou ts id e th e Unit ed Sta te s s hou ld ch ec k th eir ow n c oun tr ie s’ co p yrig h t l aw s to b e ce rta in th ey can le g all y do wnlo ad th is e-s to ry . T he O nli ne Book s Pag e h as an F A Q w hic h giv es a su mm ary of co p yrig h t du ra ti on s fo r man y o th er coun tr ie s, as w ell a s link s to m ore off ic ia l sou rce s.

This PD F ebook was c rea te d by Jo sé M en énd ez. 3 O NE w in te r’ s ev en in g, to w ard s th e clo se of th e year 1800, or w ithin a yea r or tw o of th at tim e, a yo u ng med ic al p rac titi oner, rece ntl y esta b li sh ed in b usin ess , w as s eate d by a c h ee rfu l fir e in h is littl e parlou r, liste n in g to th e wind whic h w as bea ting th e ra in in p att erin g drop s ag ain st t he windo w, o r r um bli ng dis m all y in th e c him ney . T he nig h t w as w et and c o ld ; he had b een walk in g th ro u gh mud and wate r th e who le d ay , and was no w co m fo rta b ly re po sin g in h is dre ss in g-g o w n a nd sli pp ers , m ore th an half asle ep and le ss th an h alf aw ak e, r e vo lv in g a thou sa nd matt ers in h is wand erin g im ag in ati on .

F ir s t, h e tho ugh t ho w hard th e wind was blo w in g, and h ow t h e c old , sh arp ra in wou ld b e at that m om en t beati ng in h is f ace , if he were no t co m fo rta b ly hou se d at ho me. T hen, h is mi nd re v erte d to h is an nu al Chris tm as vis it t o his nati ve p lace a nd deare st frie n d s; he thou gh t ho w gla d th ey wou ld a ll be to see him , and ho w hap p y it wou ld mak e Rose if he c ou ld on ly te ll her th at he had foun d a pati en t at l ast, an d hop ed to hav e more , and to co m e do wn ag ain, in a fe w m on th s’ tim e, and marr y her, and ta k e her ho me to gla dd en h is lon ely fir e sid e, an d stim ula te him t o fresh ex erti on s.

T hen, h e beg an to wond er when h is fir s t patie n t wou ld a pp ear, or w heth er he w as desti ned, by a sp ecia l dis p en sa ti on o f Prov id en ce , nev er to h av e a ny pati en ts at all; and th en, he t hou gh t abou t R ose ag ain, and dropp ed to slee p and d re am ed a bou t her, til l t he ton es of her sw ee t m err y vo ice sound ed in h is ea rs , and her so ft ti ny hand re ste d on h is s hou ld er. TH E BLA CK V EIL 4 T here was a hand upon his s hou ld er, bu t it was neit her s o ft no r tiny; it s ow ner bein g a c orpu le n t round -h ea ded b oy, w ho, in con sid era ti on o f th e su m of on e sh illi ng per wee k a nd h is food, was le t ou t by th e paris h to ca rr y m ed ic in e a nd m ess ag es. As th ere was no d em and fo r th e med ic in e, ho wev er, and no n ec ess it y fo r th e mess ag es, h e usu all y o cc up ie d h is unem plo yed ho urs — av era g in g fou rtee n a d ay — in ab str ac ting pepp ermi nt drop s, ta k in g an im al nou ris h m en t, and go in g to slee p. “ A la d y, sir — a la d y!” whis p ere d th e bo y, rou sin g his m aste r w ith a sh ak e. “ W hat l ad y?” c rie d ou r frie nd, sta rti ng up, no t qu ite ce rta in th at his drea m was an ill usion, and h alf exp ecting th at it mi gh t be Rose hers e lf .— “W hat l ad y? W here ? ” “ T here , sir! ” re p li ed th e bo y, po in ti ng to th e gla ss doo r l ea ding in to th e su rg ery , w ith an ex pre ss ion o f ala rm whic h t h e very unu su al ap p ariti on o f a c usto m er m ig h t hav e te nd ed t o ex cit e. T he su rg eo n look ed to w ard s th e doo r, and sta rte d h im se lf , fo r an in sta n t, on beho ld in g th e a ppeara n ce of his un look ed -f or vis it or. I t was a sin gu la rly ta ll wom an, d re ss e d in dee p m ou rn in g, an d sta nd ing so clo se to th e doo r th at her fa ce a lm ost t ou ch ed th e gla ss . The upp er part of her f ig u re was ca re fu ll y muff le d in a blac k sh aw l, as if f or th e pu rpo se of c on ce alm en t; and h er f ace was s hroud ed by a th ic k b lac k v eil . S he stood p erf ec tl y erec t, h er f ig u re was dra w n up to its f u ll heig h t, and thou gh th e su rg eon fe lt th at t he e yes ben ea th t h e veil were fix ed on him , sh e stood p erf ec tl y moti on le ss , a nd ev in ce d, by no gestu re whate v er, th e sli gh te st c on sc iou sn ess of his hav in g tu rn ed to w ard s her. “ D o you wis h to con su lt m e? ” he inqu ir e d, with so m e h esit ati on, ho ld in g op en th e doo r. It op en ed in w ard s, and CHA RLE S DIC K EN S 5 th ere fo re th e ac tion d id no t alt er th e po siti on of th e fig u re , w hic h still re m ain ed m oti on le ss on th e sa m e spo t. S he sli gh tl y in cli ned her hea d, in tok en o f acqu ie sce nce. “ P ra y walk in, ” sa id th e su rg eon. T he fig u re mov ed a ste p fo rw ard ; and th en , tu rn in g its h ea d in th e dir ec tion o f th e bo y— to h is in fin it e ho rror— a pp eare d to h esit ate . “ L ea ve th e roo m, Tom ,” sa id th e you ng man, a dd re ss in g th e bo y, who se la rg e round ey es had b een e x te nd ed to th eir utm ost w id th du rin g th is brie f in te rv ie w .

“ D ra w th e c urta in, and shu t the doo r.” T he bo y dre w a gre en cu rta in ac ro ss th e gla ss part of th e doo r, re ti re d in to th e su rg ery , clo se d th e doo r afte r him , and imm ed ia te ly app lied on e of his la rg e ey es to th e key ho le on t h e oth er sid e. T he su rg eon d re w a c hair to th e fir e , and moti oned th e v is it or to a sea t. The myste riou s fig u re slo w ly mov ed t o w ard s it. As th e bla z e shon e upon th e blac k dre ss , th e s u rg eon ob se rv ed th at th e bo ttom of it was s atu ra te d with m ud and ra in. “ Y ou are very wet,” he sa id. “ I am ,” sa id th e str a n ger, in a lo w dee p vo ic e. “ A nd you are ill? ” a dded th e su rg eon , co m pass io nate ly , f o r th e ton e w as th at of a pers on in p ain. “ I am ,” was th e re p ly — “v ery ill; not bod il y , bu t m en ta ll y . It is not fo r myse lf , o r on my ow n b eh alf ,” c on tinu ed th e str a n ger, “th at I co m e to you. If I la bo ure d und er bod il y dis ea se , I shou ld no t be ou t, alon e, at su ch an hou r, o r on su ch a nig h t as th is ; and if I w ere a fflicte d with it, t w en ty -fou r hou rs hen ce , G od kno ws ho w gla d ly I w ou ld lie do wn and p ra y to d ie . It i s fo r ano th er th at I beseec h you r a id, sir . I m ay be mad to ask it fo r him —I th ink I am; but, n ig h t afte r nig h t, th rough th e lon g drea ry hou rs of w atc h ing TH E BLA CK V EIL 6 and weep in g, th e tho ugh t has bee n ev er pre se n t to my mi nd; a nd thou gh ev en I s e e th e hop ele ss ness of hu man ass is ta n ce a v aili ng him , th e bare thou gh t of la y in g him i n his gra v e w ithou t it m ak es m y blo od run co ld !” A nd a shu dder, su ch as t h e su rg eon well knew art cou ld no t produ ce, tr e m ble d t h rou gh th e sp ea ker’ s fra m e. T here was a desp era te earn estn ess in th is wom an ’s m ann er, th at w en t t o th e you ng man ’s hea rt. H e was you ng i n h is pro fe ss ion, and had no t yet w itness ed en ou gh o f th e mi se rie s whic h are dail y pre se n te d b efo re th e ey es of its m em bers , to h av e gro w n co m para ti vely callou s to hu man s u ff erin g. “ If ,” he sa id, ris in g hasti ly , “th e pers on o f who m yo u s p ea k, b e in so hop ele ss a c ond ition as you d esc rib e, no t a m om en t i s to be lo st. I w ill go with you in sta n tl y. W hy did y o u no t ob ta in m ed ic al adv ice befo re ? ” “ B eca use it wou ld h av e bee n u se le ss befo re — bec au se it i s use le ss ev en no w,” re p li ed th e wom an, cla sp in g her hand s p ass ion ate ly . T he su rg eon gaz ed, fo r a m om en t, on th e blac k v eil , as i f to asce rta in th e e xpre ss ion o f th e fea tu re s ben ea th it; i ts t h ic kn ess , ho wev er, re n d ere d su ch a re su lt im possib le . “ Y ou are ill ,” he sa id, gen tl y , “alt hou gh you do no t kno w it. The fe v er w hic h h as en ab le d you to b ear, w ithou t f ee ling it, th e fa ti gu e yo u h av e e vid en tl y un derg on e, is bu rn ing within you no w. P ut t hat t o you r lips,” h e con tinu ed , pou rin g ou t a gla ss of w ate r— “co m po se you rs e lf f or a fe w m om en ts , and th en te ll m e, as ca lm ly as you ca n, what t he d is ea se of th e pati en t i s, and ho w lon g he has bee n ill . W hen I kno w w hat it i s nece ssary I shou ld kno w, to re nd er m y vis it s e rv ic e ab le to h im, I am rea dy to ac co m pan y y ou. ” CHA RLE S DIC K EN S 7 T he str a n ger lifte d th e gla ss of wate r to h er mou th, w ithou t ra is ing th e veil; put it down ag ain un ta ste d ; and bu rs t i n to tea rs . “ I kno w,” sh e sa id, so b bin g aloud, “th at w hat I sa y to y o u no w, see ms like th e ra v in gs of f ev er. I hav e bee n to ld so b efo re , le ss kind ly th an by y ou. I am not a yo u ng wom an ; a nd th ey do sa y , th at as lif e stea ls on to w ard s its fin al clo se , t h e la st sho rt re m nan t, w orth le ss as it m ay se em to all besid e, i s dea re r to its po ssess or th an all t he years th at hav e gon e b efo re , con nec te d thou gh th ey be with th e re co ll ec ti on o f old fr ie nd s lon g sin ce dea d, and you ng ones— ch il dre n p erh ap s— who hav e fa ll e n o ff fr om , an d fo rg o tte n on e as c o m ple te ly as if th ey had d ie d too. My natu ra l t erm of life ca nno t be man y y ea rs lon ger, and shou ld b e dea r on th at acc oun t; but I wou ld la y it do wn withou t a sig h— with c h ee rfu ln ess — with jo y— if what I te ll you n ow , w ere on ly f a ls e , o r im ag in ary . T o-m orr ow morn in g he of w ho m I sp ea k w ill be, I kno w, thou gh I w ou ld fa in th in k oth erw is e , b ey on d t h e re ac h of hu man aid ; and yet, to -n ig h t, tho ugh he is in d ea dly peril , you must no t see , and cou ld no t se rv e, h im .” “ I am unwilli ng to in crea se you r dis tr e ss ,” sa id th e s u rg eon, afte r a sho rt pau se , “b y mak in g an y co mm en t on w hat you hav e ju st sa id, o r ap p ea rin g d esir ou s to inv esti gate a sub jec t you are so an x iou s to con cea l; but t here is an i n con sis te n cy in yo u r sta te m en t whic h I ca nn ot rec on cil e w ith p rob ab ili ty . T his pers on is dyin g to -n ig h t, and I ca nno t s ee him when my ass is ta n ce migh t po ssib ly av ail; you a pp re h en d it will be use le ss to -m orr ow , and yet yo u wou ld h av e me see him t hen ! If he be, ind eed, as dea r to you, as y o ur w ord s and man n er w ou ld im ply , w hy no t try to sa v e his li fe befo re dela y and th e pro gre ss of his dis e ase re nd er it im prac tica ble ? ” TH E BLA CK V EIL 8 “G od h elp me!” e xcla im ed th e wom an, wee pin g b itt erly , “ho w can I ho pe str a n gers w ill beli ev e what app ears i n cre d ib le , ev en to myse lf ? You will no t s ee him th en, sir ? ” s h e a dded, ris in g sudd en ly . “ I did no t sa y th at I decli ned to see him ,” re p li e d th e s u rg eon ; “bu t I warn you, th at i f yo u pers is t i n th is e x tr a o rd in ary pro cra sti nati on, and th e ind iv id ual die s, a f ea rfu l re spon sib ili ty re sts w ith you. ” “ T he re spon sib ili ty will re st hea vil y so m ew here ,” r e p li ed th e str a n ger bitt erly . “W hate v er r espon sib ili ty re sts w ith m e, I am con te n t t o b ear, and re ad y to an sw er.” “ A s I in cu r non e,” c ontinu ed th e su rg eon, “b y ac ce din g t o yo u r r equ est, I w ill see him i n th e morn in g, if you lea ve m e th e a ddre ss . A t w hat hou r ca n h e be se en ?” “ N in e,” re p li ed th e str a n ger. “ Y ou must ex cu se m y pre ss in g th ese inqu ir ie s,” sa id th e s u rg eon. “B ut i s he in yo ur ch arg e no w?” “ H e is no t,” w as th e re jo ind er. “ T hen, if I gav e yo u in str u cti on s fo r his tr e atm en t t h rou gh th e nig h t, you co uld no t ass is t him ?” T he w om an wep t bitt erly , as s he re p li ed, “I cou ld no t.” F ind in g th at t here was bu t lit tl e pro sp ec t of ob ta in in g m ore in fo rm ati on by pro lon gin g th e in te rv ie w ; and an x iou s t o sp are th e wom an ’s fe eli ngs, w hic h, subd ued at fir s t by a v io le n t eff ort, were no w irr ep re ss ib le a nd most pain fu l t o w itness ; t he su rg eon re p ea te d h is pro mi se of ca lli ng in th e m orn in g at t he a ppo in te d hou r. H is vis it o r, afte r giv in g him a d ir ec tion to an ob sc u re part of W alw orth, le ft t he hou se in t h e sa m e m yste riou s m an ner in whic h sh e had en te re d it. I t w ill be rea dil y beli ev ed th at so ex tr a o rd in ary a vis it p rodu ced a c onsid era b le im pre ss ion on th e mi nd o f th e y o un g su rg eon ; and th at he sp ec ula te d a gre at dea l and to v ery littl e pu rpo se on th e po ssib le c ir c u m sta n ce s of th e case . CHA RLE S DIC K EN S 9 In co mm on with th e gen era li ty of peop le , h e had o fte n h eard a nd re ad o f sin gu la r in sta n ce s, in whic h a pre se n tim en t of d ea th, at a parti cu la r day , o r ev en minute , h ad b een e n te rta in ed and rea lise d . A t on e mom en t he was in cli ned to t h ink th at t he pre se n t mi gh t be su ch a ca se ; bu t, th en, it o cc urr e d to h im t hat all th e a nec do te s of th e kind h e had ev er h ea rd, were of pers on s who h ad bee n tr oub le d with a f o re bod in g of th eir ow n d eath. This w om an, ho wev er, spo ke o f ano th er pers on — a m an ; and it was im possib le to suppo se t h at a m ere drea m or delu sion o f fan cy wou ld in du ce her to s p ea k o f his app ro ach in g diss olu ti on with su ch te rr ib le ce rta in ty as s he had spo ken. It cou ld no t be th at t he m an was t o b e murd ere d in th e morn in g, and th at t he wom an , o rig in all y a c onse n ti ng party , and bound to sec re c y by an o ath, h ad re le n te d, an d, thou gh un ab le to p re v en t t he c o mmi ssion o f so m e ou tr a g e on th e vic tim , had d ete rmi ned t o p re v en t his dea th if po ssib le , by th e tim ely in te rpo siti on o f m ed ica l aid ? The id ea of su ch th in gs happ en in g within tw o mil es of th e metr opo lis app eare d too wild and pre po ste rou s t o b e ente rta in ed b ey o nd th e in sta n t. Then, h is orig in al im pre ss ion th at t he wom an ’s in te ll ec ts were dis o rd ere d , r ec urre d ; and, as it was th e only mod e of so lv in g th e d iff ic u lt y with an y deg re e of sa ti sfac tion, he obsti nate ly m ad e up h is mi nd to b eli ev e th at sh e was mad. Certa in mi sg iv in gs upo n th is po in t, ho wev er, sto le upon h is thou gh ts a t t he tim e, and pre se n te d th em se lv es ag ain and ag ain t h rou gh th e lon g dull cou rs e of a slee ple ss nig h t; during w hic h, in sp it e of all his eff orts to th e con tr a ry , h e was un ab le to b an is h th e blac k veil from his dis tu rb ed im ag in ati on. T he bac k part of W alw orth, at it s gre ate st dis ta n ce from t o w n, is a str a g gli ng mis e ra b le pla ce e nough, ev en in th ese d ay s; bu t, fiv e-a nd -th ir ty years ag o, th e grea te r porti on o f it TH E BLA CK V EIL 10 was littl e bett er th an a dre a ry waste , inh ab it ed by a fe w s ca ttere d p eop le of qu esti on ab le c harac te r, whose pov erty p re v en te d th eir livin g in an y bett er neig hbou rho od, o r w ho se pu rs u it s and mod e of li f e re nd ere d its s olit ud e desir a b le .

V ery man y of th e hou se s w hic h h av e sin ce sp ru ng up on all s id es, w ere no t bu ilt un til so m e years afte rw ard s; and th e g rea t m ajo rit y ev en o f tho se whic h were sp rink le d abou t, at i rr eg u la r in te rv als , were of th e rud est and most mi se ra b le d esc rip ti on. T he a pp ea ra n ce of th e place th ro u gh whic h he walk ed i n th e morn in g, w as no t ca lc u la te d to ra is e th e sp ir it s of th e y o un g su rg eon, o r to d is p el an y fee ling of an x ie ty or d ep re ss ion whic h th e sin gu la r kind of vis it he was abou t to m ak e, h ad aw ak en ed. Str ik in g off fr om t he high ro ad, h is w ay la y acro ss a mars h y co mm on, th ro u gh ir r e g u la r la n es, w ith h ere a nd th ere a ru inou s and d is m an tl ed co tt ag e fa st f a lli ng to p iece s with d eca y an d neg le ct. A stun te d tr e e, o r poo l of sta g n an t w ate r, rou se d in to a slu ggis h ac ti on by th e h ea vy ra in o f th e prece din g nig h t, sk ir te d th e path o cca sion all y ; and, no w and th en, a mise ra b le patc h o f g ard en -g round, with a fe w old bo ard s kno ck ed to geth er f or a s u mm er- hou se , and o ld pali ngs im perf ec tl y mend ed with s ta k es pil fe re d from th e neig hbou rin g hedg es, bo re t e stim on y, at on ce to th e pov erty of th e in h ab it an ts , and th e littl e sc rup le th ey en te rta in ed in ap p rop ria ti ng th e prop erty of o th er peop le to th eir ow n u se . O cca sion all y , a filt hy-look in g w om an wou ld mak e her app eara n ce from t he doo r of a dir ty hou se , to em pty th e c onte n ts of so m e c ook in g ute n sil i nto th e g u tt er in fron t, o r to sc re am afte r a littl e sli p-s hod gir l, w ho h ad con tr iv ed to sta g ger a fe w yard s from t he do or und er th e w eig h t of a sa ll ow in fa n t alm ost as big as hers e lf ; bu t, s ca rc ely an yth in g was sti rr in g around : an d so much o f th e p ro sp ec t as cou ld b e fa in tl y tr a ce d th ro u gh th e c old d am p CHA RLE S DIC K EN S 11 mi st whic h hun g heav il y ov er it, p re se n te d a lon ely and d rea ry app eara n ce perf e ctl y in kee pin g with th e ob jec ts we h av e desc rib ed. A fte r plodd in g wearil y th rou gh th e mud an d mire ; m ak in g man y inqu ir ie s fo r th e place to whic h he had b een d ir ec te d ; and rece iv in g as man y con tr a d ic to ry and un sa ti sfac to ry re p li es in re tu rn ; t he you ng man at le n gth a rr iv ed b efo re th e hou se whic h h ad b een po in te d ou t to h im a s th e ob jec t of his desti nati on. It w as a sm all l ow buildin g, on e sto ry abo ve th e gro und, with ev en a more deso la te a nd unp ro mi sin g ex te rio r th an an y he had yet pass e d. An o ld y ell ow cu rta in was clo se ly dra w n ac ro ss th e windo w up- s ta ir s , and th e parlou r sh utt ers w ere c lo se d, bu t no t fa ste n ed .

T he hou se was deta ch ed from an y oth er, and, as it stood at a n an gle of a narr ow la n e, th ere was no o th er hab it ati on in s ig h t. W hen we sa y th at t he su rg eon h esit ate d, and walk ed a f e w pace s bey on d th e hou se , b efo re he c ould pre v ail upo n h im se lf to li f t t he kno ck er, w e sa y no th in g th at nee d ra is e a s mil e upon th e fa ce of th e bo ld est rea der. The po lice of L ondon were a very dif f e re n t bo dy in th at day ; t he is o la te d po siti on o f th e subu rb s, w hen th e ra g e fo r bu ildin g and th e p rog re ss of im prov em en t had no t yet beg un to co nn ect them w ith th e main bo dy of th e c it y and its env ir on s, re nd ere d m an y of th em (a nd th is in p arti cu la r) a pla ce of re so rt fo r th e w ors t an d most dep ra v ed ch arac te rs . E ven th e str ee ts in th e g ay est parts of London were im perf ec tl y li g h te d, at t hat tim e; a nd su ch p lace s as th ese , w ere le ft en ti re ly to th e merc y of t h e moon and sta rs . The c han ce s of detec ting desp era te c h ara cte rs , or of tr ac in g th em t o th eir haun ts , were thu s r e nd ere d v ery fe w , and th eir off e n ce s natu ra ll y in crea se d in bo ldn ess , as th e c onsc iou sn ess of co m para ti ve sec urit y b eca me th e m ore im pre sse d upon th em by dail y ex perie n ce . TH E BLA CK V EIL 12 Add ed to th ese c onsid era ti on s, it m ust be re m em bere d th at t h e you ng m an h ad sp en t so m e tim e in th e pub lic ho sp it als of t h e metr opo lis; and, alt hou gh n eit her Burk e no r Bis hop h ad t h en gain ed a ho rrib le no to rie ty , h is ow n ob se rv ati on migh t h av e sugg este d to h im ho w easil y th e a tr o citi es to whic h th e f o rm er h as s in ce giv en h is nam e, mi gh t be c ommitt ed. Be t h is as it m ay , w hate v er r efle cti on mad e him hesit a te , h e did h esit ate : bu t, b ein g a yo un g man of str o n g mi nd and grea t p ers on al co u ra g e, it was on ly fo r an in sta n t; —h e ste pp ed b ris k ly back and kno ck ed gen tl y at t he do or. A lo w w his p erin g was aud ib le , imm ed ia te ly afte rw ard s, a s if so m e pers on at t he e nd o f th e pass ag e were c onv ers in g s tea lthil y with ano th er on th e la nd in g abov e. It was s u ccee ded by th e no is e of a pair of heav y boo ts upon th e b are floo r. The doo r- c h ain was s oftl y un fa ste n ed ; t he doo r op en ed ; and a ta ll , ill -favou re d man, with b lac k h air , and a f ace , as th e su rg eon o fte n d ecla re d afte rw ard s, as pale a nd h agg ard, as th e c oun te n an ce of an y dea d man he e ver sa w , p re se n te d h imse lf . “ W alk in, sir ,” he sa id in a lo w ton e. T he su rg eo n did so, an d th e man hav ing se cu re d th e doo r ag ain, by th e c hain, le d th e way to a sm all bac k p arlou r a t t he e xtr e mi ty of th e pass ag e. “ A m I in tim e? ” “ T oo soon !” re p li ed th e man. The su rg eo n tu rn ed h asti ly round, with a gestu re of aston is h m en t no t un mix ed w ith ala rm , w hic h h e fo u nd it im possib le to re p re ss . “ If you ’ll ste p in h ere , sir ,” sa id th e man, who h ad e v id en tl y no ticed th e ac tion— “if yo u ’ll ste p in here , sir , yo u w on ’t be deta in ed fiv e m inu te s, I ass ure you .” T he su rg eon at on ce walk ed in to th e roo m. The man c lo se d th e doo r, and le ft him alon e. CHA RLE S DIC K EN S 13 It w as a littl e cold ro o m , w ith no o th er f urn it ure th an t w o d eal ch air s , and a ta b le of th e sa m e m ate ria l. A han d fu l o f f ir e , u ngu ard ed by an y fe n d er, w as bu rn ing in th e gra te , w hic h b rou gh t ou t the dam p if it se rv ed no more c om fo rta b le pu rpo se , fo r th e un who le so m e mois tu re was s tea ling do wn t h e wall s, in lon g slu g-li ke tr ac ks. The windo w, w hic h was b rok en and p atc h ed in man y pla c es, look ed in to a sm all e n clo se d p ie c e of grou nd, alm ost cov ere d with wate r. N ot a s ound was to b e hea rd, eit her w ithin th e hou se , o r w ithou t.

T he you ng su rg eo n sa t do wn by th e fir e p la c e, to aw ait t he r e su lt of his fir s t pro fe ss ion al vis it . H e had no t re m ain ed in th is po siti on man y minu te s, w hen th e no is e of so m e app ro ac hin g veh ic le str u ck h is ea r. It s topp ed ; t he str ee t- d o or was open ed ; a lo w ta lk in g s u ccee ded, acc om pan ie d with a shu ffli ng no is e of f oo ts te p s, a lon g th e pass ag e a nd on th e sta ir s , as if tw o o r th ree men w ere en gag ed in carr y in g so m e hea vy bo dy to th e roo m a bov e. T he c re ak in g of th e sta ir s , a fe w se cond s afte rw ard s, a nnoun ced th at t he new -c o m ers hav in g co m ple te d th eir ta sk, w hate v er it was, w ere le av in g th e hou se . T he do or w as ag ain c lo se d, and th e fo rm er sil e n ce was re sto re d. A no th er f iv e mi nute s had ela p se d, and th e su rg eon h ad r e so lv ed to ex plo re th e hou se , in se arc h o f so m e on e to w ho m he mi gh t m ak e his err and kno wn, when th e roo m-doo r op en ed, and h is la st nigh t’ s vis it or, d re ss ed in ex ac tl y th e s a m e m ann er, w ith th e veil l ow ere d as befo re , m oti on ed h im t o adv an ce . T he sin gu la r heig h t of her f orm , coup le d with th e c ir c u m sta n ce of her no t sp ea kin g, cau se d th e id ea to p ass ac ro ss his bra in fo r an in sta n t, th at i t mi gh t be a man d is g u is e d in wom an ’s att ir e . T he hyste ric sob s w hic h iss ued fr om ben eath th e veil , an d th e c onvu ls iv e a ttitude of grie f of t h e who le fig u re , ho wev er, at on ce e xpo se d th e a bsu rd it y of t h e su sp ic ion ; and h e hasti ly fo ll ow ed. TH E BLA CK V EIL 14 The wom an le d th e w ay up -s ta ir s to th e fron t ro o m , and p au se d at t he do or, to le t him en te r fir s t. It was s canti ly f u rn is h ed with an o ld dea l bo x, a fe w ch air s , and a te n t b ed stea d, withou t han gin gs or cro ss -ra il s, w hic h was cov ere d w ith a patc h w ork co u nte rp an e. The dim li ght ad mitt ed t h rou gh th e c urta in whic h h e had no tice d from th e ou ts id e, r e nd ere d th e objec ts in th e roo m so ind is ti nct, and c o mm unica te d to all of th em so un if o rm a hu e, th at he did no t, at fir s t, p erce iv e th e ob jec t on whic h h is ey e at on ce r e ste d when th e wom an ru sh ed fr a n ti ca ll y past him , and f lun g hers e lf on her kn ees b y th e bed sid e. S tr e tc h ed upon th e bed , clo se ly en v elop ed in a linen w ra pp er, an d co v ere d with b la nk ets , la y a hu man fo rm , sti ff a nd moti on le ss . The hea d and fa c e, w hic h were tho se of a m an, were un cov ere d, sa v e by a band ag e whic h pass ed ov er t h e hea d an d und er th e ch in. The ey es were c lo se d. The le ft a rm l ay heav il y ac ro ss th e bed, and th e wom an h eld th e p ass iv e hand. T he su rg eon g en tl y pu sh ed th e wom an asid e, an d too k t h e hand in h is . “ M y God !” he e xcla im ed, le tti ng it fa ll i nvo lu nta ril y — “ th e m an is dea d!” T he wom an sta rte d to h er f eet and bea t her hand s t o geth er. “O h! do n’t sa y so, sir ,” sh e e xcla im ed, with a bu rs t o f pass ion, am oun ting alm ost t o fren zy . “O h! do n’t sa y so , s ir! I ca n’t bea r it! M en hav e bee n bro u gh t t o lif e , b efo re , w hen un sk il fu l peop le hav e giv en th em up fo r lo st; and men h av e die d, who migh t hav e bee n re sto re d, if prop er m ea ns h ad b een re so rte d to. Don’t l et him li e here , sir , w ithou t on e e ff ort t o sa v e him ! This very mom en t li fe may be pass ing a w ay . Do tr y , sir ,—do , fo r Heav en ’s s ak e!” — And whil e s p ea kin g, sh e hu rr ie d ly ch afe d , fir s t t he fo re h ea d, and th en t h e brea st, o f th e se n se le ss fo rm befo re her; and th en, wildly CHA RLE S DIC K EN S 15 bea t t he co ld hand s, w hic h, when sh e ce ase d to ho ld th em , f e ll li stl ess ly and h eav il y bac k on th e c ov erle t. “ It i s of no u se , m y go od wom an, ” sa id th e su rg eon, s oo th in gly , as he withd re w his hand from t he man ’s brea st.

“ S ta y —un dra w th at cu rta in !” “ W hy?” sa id th e w om an , sta rti ng up. “ U nd ra w th at cu rta in !” re p ea te d th e su rg eo n in an a g it ate d ton e. “ I d ark en ed th e roo m on purpo se ,” sa id th e wom an , t h ro w in g hers e lf befo re him as he ro se to und ra w it.— “O h!

s ir , h av e pit y on me! If it can b e of no u se , and h e is rea ll y d ea d, do no t ex po se th at fo rm t o oth er ey es th an mi ne!” “ T his man d ie d no n atu ra l or easy dea th, ” sa id th e s u rg eon. “I must se e th e bo dy!” W ith a moti on so sudd en, t h at t he wom an hard ly knew th at he had sli pp ed from besid e h er, h e to re op en th e c urta in, ad mitt ed th e fu ll l ig h t of day , a nd re tu rn ed to th e bed sid e. “ T here has bee n v io le n ce here ,” he sa id, po in ti ng t o w ard s th e bo dy, an d gaz in g in te n tl y on th e face , fr o m w hic h th e blac k veil was no w, fo r th e fir s t tim e, re m ov ed. In t h e e xcit em en t of a mi nute befo re , th e fe m ale had th ro w n off t h e bonn et and veil , an d no w stood with her ey es fix ed upo n h im . H er f eatu re s were tho se of a wom an abou t fif ty , w ho h ad on ce bee n h and so m e. Sorr ow and wee pin g had le ft t r ace s upon th em whic h no t tim e its e lf wou ld ev er hav e p rodu ced withou t their aid ; her f ac e was dead ly pale ; and t h ere was a nervou s co n to rti on o f th e lip, an d an unn atu ra l f ir e in h er ey e, w hic h sh ow ed too p la in ly th at her bod il y an d m en ta l po wers had nea rly sunk, b en ea th an acc um ula ti on o f mi se ry . “ T here has been v io le n ce here ,” sa id th e su rg eon, p re se rv in g his s earc h in g g la n ce . “ T here has!” re p li ed th e w om an. TH E BLA CK V EIL 16 “T his m an h as bee n m urd ere d. ” “ T hat I call God to witn ess he has,” sa id th e wom an, p ass ion ate ly ; “p itil ess ly , inhu man ly m urd ere d !” “ B y who m?” sa id th e su rg eon, se iz in g th e wom an by t h e a rm . “ L ook at t he bu tc h ers ’ m ark s, and th en ask me!” sh e r e p li ed. T he su rg eon tu rn ed h is face to w ard s th e bed, an d b en t ov er th e bo dy whic h n ow la y fu ll i n th e ligh t of th e windo w.

T he th ro at w as s woll en , and a livid mark en cir c le d it. The t r u th fla sh ed sudd en ly up on h im. “ T his is one of th e men who were han ged th is m orn in g!” he e xcla im ed, tu rn in g aw ay with a shu dder. “ It is ,” re p li ed th e wom an, with a co ld, un mea nin g s ta re . “ W ho was he? ” inqu ir e d th e su rg eon. “ M y son ,” re jo in ed th e wom an ; and fe ll se n se le ss at his f ee t. I t w as tr u e. A co m pan io n, equ all y gu il ty with h im se lf , h ad b een acqu itted fo r w an t of ev id en ce; and th is m an h ad b ee n le ft fo r dea th , and ex ec ute d . To rec oun t the c ir c u m sta n ces of th e c ase , at t his dis ta n t perio d, must be unn ecessary , and mig h t giv e pain to so m e pers o n s s till ali ve.

T he his to ry was an ev ery -d ay on e. T he m oth er w as a wido w w ithou t fr ie nd s or m on ey , and had d en ie d h ers e lf nece ssarie s t o b esto w th em on h er orph an b oy. That bo y, u nmi ndfu l of h er pra y ers , and fo rg etf u l of th e su ff erin gs s he had endu re d f o r him —in ce ssan t an x ie ty of mi nd, and vo lun ta ry sta rv ati on o f bo dy— had p lu n ged in to a ca ree r of diss ip ati on and crim e.

A nd th is was th e re su lt; his ow n d eath by th e han gm an ’s h and s, and h is m oth er’ s sh am e, and in cu ra b le in sa n it y . F or man y years afte r th is occ urr en ce , an d when p ro fit ab le a nd arduou s avo cation s w ou ld hav e le d man y m en CHA RLE S DIC K EN S 17 to fo rg et t hat su ch a mi se ra b le bein g ex is te d, th e you ng s u rg eon was a dail y vis it or at t he sid e of th e harml ess mad w om an ; no t on ly soo th in g her by his pre se n ce an d k indn ess , bu t all ev ia ti ng th e rig o ur of her cond ition by pec un ia ry don ati on s fo r her co m fo rt and suppo rt, b esto w ed with n o s p arin g hand. In th e tr a n sie n t glea m of r eco ll ec tion and c on sc iou sn ess whic h prece ded h er death, a pra y er fo r his w elf a re a nd p ro tec tion, as fe rv en t as morta l ev er brea th ed , r o se from t he lips of th is poo r fr ie nd le ss crea tu re . That p ra y er f le w to Heav en, and was hea rd. The ble ss in gs he was i n str u m en ta l i n con fe rr in g, h av e bee n re p aid to h im a t hou sa nd -fold ; bu t, ami d all t he honou rs of ra n k and sta ti on w hic h h av e sin ce bee n hea ped upo n him , and whic h h e has s o well ea rn ed, h e can h av e no re mi nis ce nce m ore gra ti fy in g t o h is hea rt t han th at co n nec te d with The Bla ck Veil .