03-01-07-神秘及幻想故事集 [2]
，and I could not answer him．
One evening I was reading quietly when my friend told me，in very few words，that the Lady Madeleine had died．He had decided，he said，to keep her body for a fortnight in one of the vaults under the house，before it went to its last resting-place．This was because his sister's illness had been a mysterious one，and her doctors wanted to learn more about it．He asked me to help him and I agreed．
Together we carried the body in its coffin down to the vaults under the house．The vault that he had chosen was a long way down，but was under the part of the house where I slept．It had once been a prison，and was small，dark，and airless，with a heavy metal door．
We put the coffin down and then gently lifted up the cover to look at the dead woman for the last time．As I looked down at her face，I realized how much Usher's sister looked like him．My friend then said a few quiet words and I learnt that he and his sister had been born on the same day．Each had known the other's mind without the need for words．
We could not look at her for long．Her strange illness had left her with a soft pink colour on her face，and that unchanging half－smile on her lips which is so terrible in death．We put back the cover of the coffin，fixed it down well，and after locking the heavy door of the vault，went back upstairs into the gloomy house．
After some days of deep unhappiness，I saw that my friend's illness of the mind was growing worse．He did not paint or read any more．He moved slowly from room to room，never knowing what to do．His face became paler，the light disappeared from his eyes，and his voice often shook with fear when he spoke．Sometimes I thought he was trying to tell me some terrible secret．At other times I thought he was going mad．He used to sit for hours，looking at nothing，listening to nothing-except the sounds in his own mind．I myself began to know real fear．I felt my friend's terror，his deep gloom，slowly taking hold of my own mind．
About seven or eight days after we had put Lady Madeleine's coffin in the vault，I went to bed but could not sleep．Hour after hour I lay there，fighting the fear and gloom that filled my mind．Outside，there was a storm which was growing wilder，and my room was full of shadows and the dark shapes of the gloomy furniture．I tried to calm myself，but I only became more frightened．
Suddenly，my body shook with a new terror．I sat up in bed and listened hard．Yes，I could hear some low sounds，coming not from the storm outside，but from somewhere inside the house．Quickly，I put on my clothes and started walking up and down the room，trying to shake off my terrible fear．
Then I heard a knock on my door and Usher came in．His face was as white as it had always been，and there was a kind of madness in his eyes．The look on his face frightened me terribly，but at the same time I was pleased not to be alone any more．
For some moments he looked around without saying a word．Then，suddenly，‘Have you not seen it？ No？Then wait．You must see it．’He hurried to the window and opened it．
The wind from the violent storm outside crashed into the room，nearly knocking us to the floor．It was，indeed，a wild，but strangely beautiful night．The wind seemed to be going in circles around the house，and huge，heavy black clouds chased each other，first this way，then that way．We could see no moon and no stars，but a pale ghostly light lay around the house．
‘You mustn't，no，you must not watch this，’I cried to Usher．I pushed him gently away from the window and to a seat．‘It's only a storm，and the cold night air will be dangerous to your health．Let's close the window and read together．Look，here's one of your favourite books．I will read to you，and you can listen，and so we will pass this terrible night together．’
The book which I had picked up was The Sad，Mad Life of Sir Launcelot Canning．It was not really one of US her's favourite books，but it was the only one that I had near me，so I started to read it．It was a wild，fantastic story，but I hoped that my reading would make Usher calmer and less afraid．He listened to me，indeed，but with a kind of mad seriousness that I found frightening
One evening I was reading quietly when my friend told me，in very few words，that the Lady Madeleine had died．He had decided，he said，to keep her body for a fortnight in one of the vaults under the house，before it went to its last resting-place．This was because his sister's illness had been a mysterious one，and her doctors wanted to learn more about it．He asked me to help him and I agreed．
Together we carried the body in its coffin down to the vaults under the house．The vault that he had chosen was a long way down，but was under the part of the house where I slept．It had once been a prison，and was small，dark，and airless，with a heavy metal door．
We put the coffin down and then gently lifted up the cover to look at the dead woman for the last time．As I looked down at her face，I realized how much Usher's sister looked like him．My friend then said a few quiet words and I learnt that he and his sister had been born on the same day．Each had known the other's mind without the need for words．
We could not look at her for long．Her strange illness had left her with a soft pink colour on her face，and that unchanging half－smile on her lips which is so terrible in death．We put back the cover of the coffin，fixed it down well，and after locking the heavy door of the vault，went back upstairs into the gloomy house．
After some days of deep unhappiness，I saw that my friend's illness of the mind was growing worse．He did not paint or read any more．He moved slowly from room to room，never knowing what to do．His face became paler，the light disappeared from his eyes，and his voice often shook with fear when he spoke．Sometimes I thought he was trying to tell me some terrible secret．At other times I thought he was going mad．He used to sit for hours，looking at nothing，listening to nothing-except the sounds in his own mind．I myself began to know real fear．I felt my friend's terror，his deep gloom，slowly taking hold of my own mind．
About seven or eight days after we had put Lady Madeleine's coffin in the vault，I went to bed but could not sleep．Hour after hour I lay there，fighting the fear and gloom that filled my mind．Outside，there was a storm which was growing wilder，and my room was full of shadows and the dark shapes of the gloomy furniture．I tried to calm myself，but I only became more frightened．
Suddenly，my body shook with a new terror．I sat up in bed and listened hard．Yes，I could hear some low sounds，coming not from the storm outside，but from somewhere inside the house．Quickly，I put on my clothes and started walking up and down the room，trying to shake off my terrible fear．
Then I heard a knock on my door and Usher came in．His face was as white as it had always been，and there was a kind of madness in his eyes．The look on his face frightened me terribly，but at the same time I was pleased not to be alone any more．
For some moments he looked around without saying a word．Then，suddenly，‘Have you not seen it？ No？Then wait．You must see it．’He hurried to the window and opened it．
The wind from the violent storm outside crashed into the room，nearly knocking us to the floor．It was，indeed，a wild，but strangely beautiful night．The wind seemed to be going in circles around the house，and huge，heavy black clouds chased each other，first this way，then that way．We could see no moon and no stars，but a pale ghostly light lay around the house．
‘You mustn't，no，you must not watch this，’I cried to Usher．I pushed him gently away from the window and to a seat．‘It's only a storm，and the cold night air will be dangerous to your health．Let's close the window and read together．Look，here's one of your favourite books．I will read to you，and you can listen，and so we will pass this terrible night together．’
The book which I had picked up was The Sad，Mad Life of Sir Launcelot Canning．It was not really one of US her's favourite books，but it was the only one that I had near me，so I started to read it．It was a wild，fantastic story，but I hoped that my reading would make Usher calmer and less afraid．He listened to me，indeed，but with a kind of mad seriousness that I found frightening