The Mystery of the Downs
by Arthur J. Rees; John R. Watson
chapter 3 of the mystery of the downs by john watson and arthur j reese this librivox recording is in the public domain recording by tony oliva chapter 3. it seems to me as if the storm is abating said sir george granville to his weekend guest he moved a piece on the chessboard and then got up from his chair and went to the window to listen to the rain on the glass his guest was so intent on the chessboard that he did not reply sir george granville remained at the window his attention divided between watching for his opponent's next move and listening to the storm sir george's opponent was a young man that is to say he was under 40. he was evidently tall and his well-cut clothes indicated that he possessed the well-built frame which is the natural heritage of most young englishmen of good class but his clear-cut clean shaven face suggested that its owner was a man of unusual personality and force of character it was a remarkable face which would have puzzled the student in physiognomy the upper portion was purely intellectual in type the forehead broad and the head well shaped but the dark eyes with a touch of dreaminess and sadness in their depths contrasted strangely with the energy and determination indicated by the firm mouth and heavy lower jaw the guest moved a piece and then looked at his host you are not yourself tonight sir george he said i think we had better finish this game some other time or cancel it sir george walked over to the table and looked at the position on the chessboard perhaps it would be better to cancel it he said though it is generous on your part to offer to do so with a piece to the good and the threatening development of your pawns on the queen side but i am off my game tonight i am too worried about that nephew of mine to give you a good game it is a bad night to be out said the guest but surely he would find shelter somewhere in the downs he may have met with an accident he must have seen the storm coming he should have been home hours ago in any case putting aside the possibility of an accident the fact that he hasn't turned up in the storm indicates that he has found shelter said the guest he is waiting until the storm is over but on the downs there are so few places where one can obtain shelter except at a shepherd's cottage sir george sat down in an armchair near the fire and invited his guests to take the chair on the other side the room they were in was a large one expensively furnished in black oak the small chess table with the chessboard and men had been placed near the large table in the center of the room for the benefit of the light but the autumn night was chilly and the fire comfortable and an open box of cigars and spirit stand close by enhanced the appearance of indoor comfort after his guest had declined a drink sir george mixed himself a whiskey and soda and settled himself in an easy chair his guest lit a cigar they had been seated in front of the fire but a few minutes when the sound of the telephone bell was heard in the hall sir george jumped to his feet with an acclarity that was surprising in a man of his weighty figure perhaps that is hairy he said to his guest as he hurried into the hall the guest lit another cigar and leaned back in his chair as he awaited the return of his host the length of time sir george was at the telephone would indicate to some extent the nature of the conversation an absence of over a minute would suggest good news and that his host was desirous of obtaining the full measure of it to the surprise of the guest five minutes elapsed without any sign of the return of his host that the telephone conversation should have lasted so long seemed improbable the guest with a delicate regard for what was due to a host tried to keep his active mind from speculating on the nature of the news by telephone that was keeping sir george away he got up to examine the paintings on the wall...

The Mystery of the Downs
by Arthur J. Rees; John R. Watson
chapter 3 of the mystery of the downs by john watson and arthur j reese this librivox recording is in the public domain recording by tony oliva chapter 3. it seems to me as if the storm is abating said sir george granville to his weekend guest he moved a piece on the chessboard and then got up from his chair and went to the window to listen to the rain on the glass his guest was so intent on the chessboard that he did not reply sir george granville remained at the window his attention divided between watching for his opponent's next move and listening to the storm sir george's opponent was a young man that is to say he was under 40. he was evidently tall and his well-cut clothes indicated that he possessed the well-built frame which is the natural heritage of most young englishmen of good class but his clear-cut clean shaven face suggested that its owner was a man of unusual personality and force of character it was a remarkable face which would have puzzled the student in physiognomy the upper portion was purely intellectual in type the forehead broad and the head well shaped but the dark eyes with a touch of dreaminess and sadness in their depths contrasted strangely with the energy and determination indicated by the firm mouth and heavy lower jaw the guest moved a piece and then looked at his host you are not yourself tonight sir george he said i think we had better finish this game some other time or cancel it sir george walked over to the table and looked at the position on the chessboard perhaps it would be better to cancel it he said though it is generous on your part to offer to do so with a piece to the good and the threatening development of your pawns on the queen side but i am off my game tonight i am too worried about that nephew of mine to give you a good game it is a bad night to be out said the guest but surely he would find shelter somewhere in the downs he may have met with an accident he must have seen the storm coming he should have been home hours ago in any case putting aside the possibility of an accident the fact that he hasn't turned up in the storm indicates that he has found shelter said the guest he is waiting until the storm is over but on the downs there are so few places where one can obtain shelter except at a shepherd's cottage sir george sat down in an armchair near the fire and invited his guests to take the chair on the other side the room they were in was a large one expensively furnished in black oak the small chess table with the chessboard and men had been placed near the large table in the center of the room for the benefit of the light but the autumn night was chilly and the fire comfortable and an open box of cigars and spirit stand close by enhanced the appearance of indoor comfort after his guest had declined a drink sir george mixed himself a whiskey and soda and settled himself in an easy chair his guest lit a cigar they had been seated in front of the fire but a few minutes when the sound of the telephone bell was heard in the hall sir george jumped to his feet with an acclarity that was surprising in a man of his weighty figure perhaps that is hairy he said to his guest as he hurried into the hall the guest lit another cigar and leaned back in his chair as he awaited the return of his host the length of time sir george was at the telephone would indicate to some extent the nature of the conversation an absence of over a minute would suggest good news and that his host was desirous of obtaining the full measure of it to the surprise of the guest five minutes elapsed without any sign of the return of his host that the telephone conversation should have lasted so long seemed improbable the guest with a delicate regard for what was due to a host tried to keep his active mind from speculating on the nature of the news by telephone that was keeping sir george away he got up to examine the paintings on the wall...

The Mystery of the Downs 2
chapter 2 of the mystery of the downs by john watson and arthur j reese this librivox recording is in the public domain recording by tony oliva chapter 2 she hurried from the room in terror marsland remained a few minutes examining the papers that had been taken from the pocketbook with the lamp in his hand he was compelled to descend cautiously and when he reached the foot of the staircase the girl had left the house he extinguished the lamp he was carrying relit the lantern and stepped outside the lantern showed him the girl waiting for him some distance down the path let us leave this dreadful house she cried as he approached please take me out of it i am not frightened of the storm now i will take you wherever you wish to go he said gently will you tell me where you live i will accompany you home you are very good she said gratefully i live at ashland sea that is the little fishing village at the end of the cliff road is it not he said inquiringly i am staying at stately but i have not been there long come i will take you home and then i will inform the police about this tragic discovery there is a police station at ashland sea she said in a low voice he explained to her that he wanted to look after the comfort of his horse before he accompanied her home as it would be necessary to leave the animal at the farm until the following day she murmured a faint acquiescence and when they reached the storehouse she took the lantern from him without speaking and held it up to give him light while he made his horse comfortable for the night they then set out for ashling sea the violence of the storm had passed but the wind occasionally blew in great gusts from the sea compelling them to halt in order to stand up against it the night was still very black but at intervals a late moon managed to send a watery beam through the skutting storm clouds revealing the pathway of the winding cliff road and the turbulent frothing waste of water dashing on the rocks below rain continued to fall in heavy frequent showers but the minds of marsland and his companion were so occupied with what they had seen in the old farmhouse that they were scarcely conscious of the discomfort of getting wet the girl was so unnerved by the discovery of the dead body that she was glad to avail herself of the protection and support of marslin's arm several times as she thought she saw a human form in the darkness of the road she uttered a cry of alarm and clung to his arm with both hands at every step she expected to encounter a maniac who had the blood of one human creature on his hands and was still swayed by the impulse to kill the reserve she had exhibited in the house had broken down and she talked freely in her desire to shut out from her mental vision the spectacle of the murdered man sitting in the armchair on the other hand the discovery of the body had made marsland reserved and thoughtful he learned from her that her name was maynard elsie maynard and that she lived with her widowed mother marsland was quick to gather from the cultivated accents of her voice that she was a refined and educated girl he concluded that mrs maynard must be a lady of some social standing in the district and he judged from what he had seen of the girl's clothes that she was in good circumstances she remarked that her mother would be anxious about her but would doubtless assume she had sought shelter somewhere as having lived in ashland sea for a long time she knew everybody in the district marsland thought it strange that she made no reference to the companion who had accompanied her to the farm if no one accompanied her how was it that on opening the door to him she had greeted him as someone whom she had been expecting she seemed unconscious of the need of enlightening him on this point her thoughts centered round the dead man to such an extent that her conversation related chiefly to him half unconsciously she revealed that she knew him...

The Mystery of the Downs 2
chapter 2 of the mystery of the downs by john watson and arthur j reese this librivox recording is in the public domain recording by tony oliva chapter 2 she hurried from the room in terror marsland remained a few minutes examining the papers that had been taken from the pocketbook with the lamp in his hand he was compelled to descend cautiously and when he reached the foot of the staircase the girl had left the house he extinguished the lamp he was carrying relit the lantern and stepped outside the lantern showed him the girl waiting for him some distance down the path let us leave this dreadful house she cried as he approached please take me out of it i am not frightened of the storm now i will take you wherever you wish to go he said gently will you tell me where you live i will accompany you home you are very good she said gratefully i live at ashland sea that is the little fishing village at the end of the cliff road is it not he said inquiringly i am staying at stately but i have not been there long come i will take you home and then i will inform the police about this tragic discovery there is a police station at ashland sea she said in a low voice he explained to her that he wanted to look after the comfort of his horse before he accompanied her home as it would be necessary to leave the animal at the farm until the following day she murmured a faint acquiescence and when they reached the storehouse she took the lantern from him without speaking and held it up to give him light while he made his horse comfortable for the night they then set out for ashling sea the violence of the storm had passed but the wind occasionally blew in great gusts from the sea compelling them to halt in order to stand up against it the night was still very black but at intervals a late moon managed to send a watery beam through the skutting storm clouds revealing the pathway of the winding cliff road and the turbulent frothing waste of water dashing on the rocks below rain continued to fall in heavy frequent showers but the minds of marsland and his companion were so occupied with what they had seen in the old farmhouse that they were scarcely conscious of the discomfort of getting wet the girl was so unnerved by the discovery of the dead body that she was glad to avail herself of the protection and support of marslin's arm several times as she thought she saw a human form in the darkness of the road she uttered a cry of alarm and clung to his arm with both hands at every step she expected to encounter a maniac who had the blood of one human creature on his hands and was still swayed by the impulse to kill the reserve she had exhibited in the house had broken down and she talked freely in her desire to shut out from her mental vision the spectacle of the murdered man sitting in the armchair on the other hand the discovery of the body had made marsland reserved and thoughtful he learned from her that her name was maynard elsie maynard and that she lived with her widowed mother marsland was quick to gather from the cultivated accents of her voice that she was a refined and educated girl he concluded that mrs maynard must be a lady of some social standing in the district and he judged from what he had seen of the girl's clothes that she was in good circumstances she remarked that her mother would be anxious about her but would doubtless assume she had sought shelter somewhere as having lived in ashland sea for a long time she knew everybody in the district marsland thought it strange that she made no reference to the companion who had accompanied her to the farm if no one accompanied her how was it that on opening the door to him she had greeted him as someone whom she had been expecting she seemed unconscious of the need of enlightening him on this point her thoughts centered round the dead man to such an extent that her conversation related chiefly to him half unconsciously she revealed that she knew him...

The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers Chapter 4 Wanted A North Wind Free Teens Audiobook

chapter 5 of the riddle of the sans this is the librivox recording all librivox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit librivox.org recording by xeno the riddle of the sands by asking childish chapter 5 wanted a north wind nothing disturbed my rest that night so adaptable as youth and so masterful its nature at times i was remotely aware of the threshing of rain and a humming of wind with the nervous kicking of the little hull and at one moment i dreamt i saw an apparition by candlelight of davies clad in pajamas and huge top boots grasping a misty lantern of gigantic proportions but the apparition mounted the ladder and disappeared and i passed to other dreams a blast in my ear like the voice of fifty trombones galvanized me into full consciousness the musician smiling and tousled was at my bedside raising a fog home to his lips with deadly intention it's a way we have in the dulce bella he said as i started up on one elbow i didn't startle you much did i he added well i like the matinata better than the cold douche i answered thinking of yesterday fine day and magnificent breeze he answered

my sensations this morning were vastly livelier than those of yesterday at the same hour my limbs were supple again and my head clear not even the searching wind could mar the ecstasy of that plunge down to smooth seductive sand where i buried greedy fingers and looked through a medium blue with that translucent blue fairy faint and angel pure that you see in perfection only in the heart of ice up again to sun wind and the forest whispers from the shore down just once more to see the uncouth anchor stabbing the sun's soft bosom with one rusty fang death and an urge to the delta bella's puny efforts to drag him from his prey back holding by the cable as a rustic clue from heaven to earth up to that bourgeois little maiden's bows back to breakfast was an appetite not to be blunted by condensed milk and somewhat passe bread an hour later we had dressed the dulce bella for the road and were foaming into the grey void of yesterday now a noble expanse of wind-whipped blue half surrounded by distant hills the every outline vivid in the rainwashed air

i cannot pretend that i really enjoyed this first sail into the open though i was keenly anxious to do so i felt the thrill of those forward leaps heard that persuasive song the film sings under the lead bow saw the flashing harmonies of sea and sky but census perception was deadened by nervousness the yacht looked smaller than ever outside the quiet fjord the song of the foam seemed very near the wave crests aft very high the novice in sailing clings desperately to the thoughts of sailors effective prudent persons with a typical jargon and a typical dress versed in local currents and winds i could not help missing this professional element davies as he sat grasping his beloved tiller looked strikingly efficient in his way and supremely at home in his surroundings but he looked the amateurs through and through as with one hand and it seemed one eye he wrestled with a spray splashed chart half unrolled on the deck beside him all his casual ways returned to me his casual talk and that last adventurous voyage to the baltic and the suspicions his reticence had aroused

do you see a monument anywhere he said all at once and before i could answer we must take another reef he let go of the tiller and re-lit his pipe while the yacht rounded sharply too and in a twinkling was tossing head to sea with loud clasps of her canvas and passionate jacks of her boom as the wind leapt on its quarry now turning to hay with redoubled force the sting of spray in my eyes and the babel of noise dazed me but davis with a pull on the four sheet soothed the tormented little ship and left her coolies sparring with the waves while he...

The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers Chapter 4 Wanted A North Wind Free Teens Audiobook

chapter 5 of the riddle of the sans this is the librivox recording all librivox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit librivox.org recording by xeno the riddle of the sands by asking childish chapter 5 wanted a north wind nothing disturbed my rest that night so adaptable as youth and so masterful its nature at times i was remotely aware of the threshing of rain and a humming of wind with the nervous kicking of the little hull and at one moment i dreamt i saw an apparition by candlelight of davies clad in pajamas and huge top boots grasping a misty lantern of gigantic proportions but the apparition mounted the ladder and disappeared and i passed to other dreams a blast in my ear like the voice of fifty trombones galvanized me into full consciousness the musician smiling and tousled was at my bedside raising a fog home to his lips with deadly intention it's a way we have in the dulce bella he said as i started up on one elbow i didn't startle you much did i he added well i like the matinata better than the cold douche i answered thinking of yesterday fine day and magnificent breeze he answered

my sensations this morning were vastly livelier than those of yesterday at the same hour my limbs were supple again and my head clear not even the searching wind could mar the ecstasy of that plunge down to smooth seductive sand where i buried greedy fingers and looked through a medium blue with that translucent blue fairy faint and angel pure that you see in perfection only in the heart of ice up again to sun wind and the forest whispers from the shore down just once more to see the uncouth anchor stabbing the sun's soft bosom with one rusty fang death and an urge to the delta bella's puny efforts to drag him from his prey back holding by the cable as a rustic clue from heaven to earth up to that bourgeois little maiden's bows back to breakfast was an appetite not to be blunted by condensed milk and somewhat passe bread an hour later we had dressed the dulce bella for the road and were foaming into the grey void of yesterday now a noble expanse of wind-whipped blue half surrounded by distant hills the every outline vivid in the rainwashed air

i cannot pretend that i really enjoyed this first sail into the open though i was keenly anxious to do so i felt the thrill of those forward leaps heard that persuasive song the film sings under the lead bow saw the flashing harmonies of sea and sky but census perception was deadened by nervousness the yacht looked smaller than ever outside the quiet fjord the song of the foam seemed very near the wave crests aft very high the novice in sailing clings desperately to the thoughts of sailors effective prudent persons with a typical jargon and a typical dress versed in local currents and winds i could not help missing this professional element davies as he sat grasping his beloved tiller looked strikingly efficient in his way and supremely at home in his surroundings but he looked the amateurs through and through as with one hand and it seemed one eye he wrestled with a spray splashed chart half unrolled on the deck beside him all his casual ways returned to me his casual talk and that last adventurous voyage to the baltic and the suspicions his reticence had aroused

do you see a monument anywhere he said all at once and before i could answer we must take another reef he let go of the tiller and re-lit his pipe while the yacht rounded sharply too and in a twinkling was tossing head to sea with loud clasps of her canvas and passionate jacks of her boom as the wind leapt on its quarry now turning to hay with redoubled force the sting of spray in my eyes and the babel of noise dazed me but davis with a pull on the four sheet soothed the tormented little ship and left her coolies sparring with the waves while he...

The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers Chapter 4 Retrospect Free Teens Audiobook
chapter 4 of the riddle of the sans this is a librivox recording all librivox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit librivox.org recorded by xeno the riddle of the sands by askin childers chapter four retrospect wake up i rubbed my eyes and wondered where i was stretched myself painfully too for even the cushions had not given me a true bed of roses it was dusk and the yacht was stationary in glassy water coloured by the last afterglow a roofing of thin upper cloud had spread over most of the sky and a subtle smell of rain was in the air we seemed to be in the middle of the fjord whose shores looked distant and steep in the gathering darkness close ahead they faded away suddenly and the sight lost itself in a gray void the stillness was absolute

we can't get to zonderberg tonight said what's to be done then i asked collecting my senses oh we'll anchor anywhere here we're just at the mouth of the fjord i'll tell her inshore if you'll stay in that direction he pointed vaguely at a blur of treason cliff then he jumped into the dinghy cast off the painter and after snatching at the slack of a rope began towing the reluctant yacht by short jacks of the skulls menacing aspect of that grey void combined with the natural preference for getting to some definite place at night combined to depress my spirits afresh in my sleep i had dreamed of more than lodge of heather tea parties after glorious slaughters of grouse of salmon leaping in amber pools and now just take a cast of the lead will you came davis's voice above the splash of the skulls where is it i shouted back never mind we're close enough now let can you manage to let go the anchor i hurried forward and picked impotently at the bonds of the sleeping monster but davies was aboard again and stirred him with a deft touch or two until he crashed into the water with a grinding of chain we shall do well here said he isn't this rather an open anchorage i suggested it's only opened from that quarter he replied if it comes on to blow from there we shall have to clear out but i think it's only rain let's stow the sails another whirlwind of activity in which i joined as effectively as i could oppressed by the prospect of having to clear out who knows with her at midnight but davis's son foie was infectious i suppose and the little den below bright lit and soon fragrant with cookery pleaded insistently for affection yachting in this singular style was hungry work i found steak tastes nonetheless for having been wrapped in newspaper and the slight traces of the day's news disappear with frying and onions and potato chips davies was indeed on his medal for this his first dinner to his guest for he produced with stealthy pride not from the dishonored grave of the beer but from some more hallowed recess a bottle of german champagne from which we drank success to the dulce bella i wish you would tell me all about your cruise from england i asked you must have had some exciting adventures here are the charts let's go over them we must wash up first he replied and i was tactfully introduced to one of his very few standing orders that tobacco should not burn nor postprandial chat begin until that distasteful process had ended it would never get done otherwise he sagely opined but when we were finally settled with cigars a variety of which culled from many ports german dutch and belgian davies kept in a buttered old box in the network the promised talk hung fire i'm no good at description he complained and there's really very little to tell we left dover morrison and i on 6th of august made a good passage to ostend you had some fun there i suppose i put in thinking of well or fast end in august fun a filthy hole i call it we had to stop a couple of days as we fouled a boy coming in and carried away the bob's day we lay in a dirty little tidal...

The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers Chapter 4 Retrospect Free Teens Audiobook
chapter 4 of the riddle of the sans this is a librivox recording all librivox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit librivox.org recorded by xeno the riddle of the sands by askin childers chapter four retrospect wake up i rubbed my eyes and wondered where i was stretched myself painfully too for even the cushions had not given me a true bed of roses it was dusk and the yacht was stationary in glassy water coloured by the last afterglow a roofing of thin upper cloud had spread over most of the sky and a subtle smell of rain was in the air we seemed to be in the middle of the fjord whose shores looked distant and steep in the gathering darkness close ahead they faded away suddenly and the sight lost itself in a gray void the stillness was absolute

we can't get to zonderberg tonight said what's to be done then i asked collecting my senses oh we'll anchor anywhere here we're just at the mouth of the fjord i'll tell her inshore if you'll stay in that direction he pointed vaguely at a blur of treason cliff then he jumped into the dinghy cast off the painter and after snatching at the slack of a rope began towing the reluctant yacht by short jacks of the skulls menacing aspect of that grey void combined with the natural preference for getting to some definite place at night combined to depress my spirits afresh in my sleep i had dreamed of more than lodge of heather tea parties after glorious slaughters of grouse of salmon leaping in amber pools and now just take a cast of the lead will you came davis's voice above the splash of the skulls where is it i shouted back never mind we're close enough now let can you manage to let go the anchor i hurried forward and picked impotently at the bonds of the sleeping monster but davies was aboard again and stirred him with a deft touch or two until he crashed into the water with a grinding of chain we shall do well here said he isn't this rather an open anchorage i suggested it's only opened from that quarter he replied if it comes on to blow from there we shall have to clear out but i think it's only rain let's stow the sails another whirlwind of activity in which i joined as effectively as i could oppressed by the prospect of having to clear out who knows with her at midnight but davis's son foie was infectious i suppose and the little den below bright lit and soon fragrant with cookery pleaded insistently for affection yachting in this singular style was hungry work i found steak tastes nonetheless for having been wrapped in newspaper and the slight traces of the day's news disappear with frying and onions and potato chips davies was indeed on his medal for this his first dinner to his guest for he produced with stealthy pride not from the dishonored grave of the beer but from some more hallowed recess a bottle of german champagne from which we drank success to the dulce bella i wish you would tell me all about your cruise from england i asked you must have had some exciting adventures here are the charts let's go over them we must wash up first he replied and i was tactfully introduced to one of his very few standing orders that tobacco should not burn nor postprandial chat begin until that distasteful process had ended it would never get done otherwise he sagely opined but when we were finally settled with cigars a variety of which culled from many ports german dutch and belgian davies kept in a buttered old box in the network the promised talk hung fire i'm no good at description he complained and there's really very little to tell we left dover morrison and i on 6th of august made a good passage to ostend you had some fun there i suppose i put in thinking of well or fast end in august fun a filthy hole i call it we had to stop a couple of days as we fouled a boy coming in and carried away the bob's day we lay in a dirty little tidal...

The Adventures of Grandfather Frog Thornton W. Burgess Mr Toad Visits Free Download

The Adventures of Grandfather Frog Thornton W. Burgess Mr Toad Visits Free Download