large/1336/afterward_cb_librivox_64kb_mp3/afterward_1_wharton_cb_64kb_27
large/1336/afterward_cb_librivox_64kb_mp3/afterward_1_wharton_cb_64kb
English
1336
One just has to wait." "Oh, hang waiting!" Ned broke in. "Life's too short for a ghost who can only be enjoyed in retrospect. Can't we do better than that, Mary?" But it turned out that in the event they were not destined to, for within three months of their conversation with Mrs. Stair they were established at Lyng, and the life they had yearned for to the point of planning it out in all its daily details had actually begun for them. ONE JUST HAS TO WAIT OH HANG WAITING NED BROKE IN LIFE'S TOO SHORT FOR A GHOST WHO CAN ONLY BE ENJOYED IN AT RETROSPECT CAN'T READ A BETTER THAN THAT MARY BUT IT TURNED OUT THAT IN THE EVENT THEY WERE NOT DESTINED TO FOR WITHIN THREE MONTHS OF THEIR CONVERSATION WITH MISSUS STAIR THEY WERE SETTLED AT LYING AND THE LIFE THEY HAD YEARNED FOR TO THE POINT OF PLANNING IT IN ADVANCE IN ALL ITS DAILY DETAILS HAD ACTUALLY BEGUN FOR THEM
as then that she had flung back tantalizingly: "Oh, there is one, of course, but you'll never know it." "Never know it?" Boyne pulled her up. "But what in the world constitutes a ghost except the fact of its being known for one?" "I can't say. But that's the story." "That there's a ghost, but that nobody knows it's a ghost?" "Well -- not till afterward, at any rate." "Till afterward?" "Not till long, long afterward." "But if it's once been identified as an unearthly visitant, why hasn't its signalement been handed down in the family? How has it managed to preserve its incognito?" Alida could only shake her head. "Don't ask me. But it has." "And then suddenly --" Mary spoke up as if from some cavernous depth of divination --"suddenly, long afterward, one says to one's self, 'That was it?'" She was oddly startled at the sepulchral sound with which her question fell on the banter of the other two, and she saw the shadow of the same surprise flit across Alida's clear pupils. "I suppose so. HE PREMISES IS THERE A GHOST AT LYING HIS REJOINDER HAD MADE ALIDA LAUGH AGAIN AND IT WAS THEN THAT SHE HAD FLUNG BACK TANTALIZINGLY OH THERE IS ONE OF COURSE BUT YOU'LL NEVER KNOW IT NEVER KNOW IT BOYNE PULLED HER UP BUT WHAT IN THE WORLD CONSTITUTES A GHOST EXCEPT THE FACT OF ITS BEING KNOWN FOR ONE I CAN'T SAY BUT THAT'S THE STORY THAT THERE'S A GHOST BUT THAT NOBODY KNOWS IT'S A GHOST WELL NOT TILL AFTERWARD AT ANY RATE TILL AFTERWARD NOT TILL LONG LONG AFTERWARD BUT IF IT'S ONCE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS AN UNEARTHLY VISITANT WHY HASN'T ITS SIGNORME BEEN HANDED DOWN IN THE FAMILY HOW HAS IT MANAGED TO PRESERVE ITS INCOGNITO ALIDA COULD ONLY SHAKE HER HEAD DON'T ASK ME BUT IT HAS AND THEN SUDDENLY MARY SPOKE UP AS IF FROM CAVERNOUS DEPTHS OF DIVINATION SUDDENLY LONG AFTERWARD ONE SAYS TO ONESELF THAT WAS IT SHE WAS STARTLED AT THE SEPULCHRAL SOUND WITH WHICH HER QUESTION FELL ON THE BANTER OF THE OTHER TWO AND SHE SAW THE SHADOW OF THE SAME SURPRISE FLIT ACROSS ALIDA'S PUPILS I SUPPOSE SO
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