Framtn Nutl indevrd t se ɖ c’rect smʈñ ẃć śd dyli flatr ɖ nīs v ɖ momnt wɖǎt undyli dscǎntñ ɖ ānt ɖt wz t cm. Prîṿtli h dǎtd mor ɖn evr ẃɖr ɖz forml vizits on a s’xeśn v totl strenjrz wd d mć twdz hlpñ ɖ nrvkr ẃć h wz s’pozd t b unḍgwñ.

“I nǒ hǎ it wl b,” hiz sistr hd sd ẃn h wz pripẹrñ t mîgret t ɖs rrl rtrit; “y wl beri yrslf dǎn ɖr n nt spīc t a livñ soul, n yr nrvz wl b wrs ɖn evr fṛm mǒpñ. I śl jst gv y letrz v intṛdux́n t ol ɖ ppl I nǒ ɖr. Sm v ɖm, az far az I cn rmembr, wr qt nîs.”

Framtn wundrd ẃɖr Msz Sapltn, ɖ ledi t hūm h wz prizntñ wn v ɖ letrz v intṛdux́n cem intu ɖ nîs dviźn.

“D y nǒ mni v ɖ ppl rnd hir?” asct ɖ nīs, ẃn ś jujd ɖt ɖe hd hd sfiśnt sîḷnt cḿńn.

“Hardli a soul,” sd Framtn. “Mî sistr wz steyñ hir, at ɖ recṭri, y nǒ, sm for yirz ago, n ś gev m letrz v intṛdux́n t sm v ɖ ppl hir.”

H md ɖ last stetmnt in a ton v dstñt rgret.

“Ɖen y nǒ practicli nʈñ abt mî ānt?” psyd ɖ slf-pzest yuñ ledi.

“Onli hr nem n adres,” admitd ɖ cōlr. H wz wunḍrñ ẃɖr Msz Sapltn wz in ɖ marid or widoud stet. An undifîṇbl smʈñ abt ɖ rūm sīmd t sjst masklin habteśn.

“Hr gret traɉdi hapnd jst ʈri yirz ago,” sd ɖ ćîld; “ɖt wd b sins yr sistr’z tîm.”

“Hr traɉdi?” asct Framtn; smhǎ in ɖs restfl cuntrispot traɉdiz sīmd ǎt v ples.

“Y me wundr ẃ w cīp ɖt windo wîd opn on an Octobr afṭnun,” sd ɖ nīs, indicetñ a larj Frenć windo ɖt opnd on t a lōn.

“It z qt worm fr ɖ tîm v ɖ yir,” sd Framtn; “bt hz ɖt windo got enʈñ t d wɖ ɖ traɉdi?”

“Ǎt ʈru ɖt windo, ʈri yirz ago t a de, hr huzbnd n hr tū yuñ bruɖrz wnt of fr ɖer de’z śūtñ. Ɖe nvr cem bac. In crosñ ɖ mur t ɖer fevrit snîpśūtñ grǎnd ɖe wr ol ʈri ingulft in a trećṛs pìs v bog. It hd bn ɖt dredfl wet sumr, y nǒ, n plesz ɖt wr sef in uɖr yirz gev we sudnli wɖǎt wornñ. Ɖer bodiz wr nvr rcuvrd. Ɖt wz ɖ dredfl part v it.” Hir ɖ ćîld’z vôs lost its slf-pzest not n bcem fōlṭrñli hymn. “Pur ānt olwz ʈncs ɖt ɖe wl cm bac smde, ɖe n ɖ litl brǎn spańl ɖt wz lost wɖ ɖm, n wōc in at ɖt windo jst az ɖe yst t d. Ɖt z ẃ ɖ windo z cept opn evri īvnñ tl it z qt dusc. Pur dir ānt, ś hz ofn tld m hǎ ɖe wnt ǎt, hr huzbnd wɖ hiz ẃît wōtr-prūf cot ovr hiz arm, n Roni, hr yungist bruɖr, sññ “Brti, ẃ d y bǎnd?” az h olwz dd t tīz hr, bcz ś sd it got on hr nrvz. D y nǒ, smtmz on stil, qayt īvnñz lîc ɖs, I olmst gt a crīpi fīlñ ɖt ɖe wl ol wōc in ʈru ɖt windo – ”

Ś brouc of wɖ a litl śudr. It wz a rlif t Framtn ẃn ɖ ānt busld intu ɖ rūm wɖ a ẃrl v apoḷji fr biyñ lêt in mcñ hr apiṛns.

“I hop Vira hz bn aḿzñ y?” ś sd.

“Ś hz bn vri inṭrestñ,” sd Framtn.

“I hop y d’nt mînd ɖ opn windo,” sd Msz Sapltn briscli; “mî huzbnd n bruɖrz wl b hom d’recli fṛm śūtñ, n ɖe olwz cm in ɖs we. Ɖ’v bn ǎt fr snîp in ɖ marśz tde, so ɖ’l mc a fîn mes ovr mî pur carpits. So lîc y menfoc, z’nt it?”

Ś ratld on ćirf̣li abt ɖ śūtñ n ɖ scerṣti v brdz, n ɖ prospects fr duc in ɖ wintr. T Framtn it wz ol pyrli horibl. H md a despṛt bt onli parṣ́li s’xesfl ef̣t t trn ɖ tōc on t a les gastli topic, h wz conśs ɖt hiz hostes wz gvñ him onli a fragmnt v hr atnśn, n hr îz wr constntli streyñ past him t ɖ opn windo n ɖ lōn bynd. It wz srtnli an unforćṇt cǒinsidns ɖt h śd hv peid hiz vizit on ɖs trajic aṇvrsri.

“Ɖ doctrz agri in orḍrñ m cmplit rest, an absns v mntl xîtmnt, n avôdns v enʈñ in ɖ nećr v vayḷnt fizicl x’sîz,” anǎnst Framtn, hu lebrd undr ɖ tolṛbli wîdspred dluźn ɖt totl strenjrz n ćans aqentnsz r hungri fr ɖ līst dītel v wn’z eilmnts n infrṃtiz, ɖer cōz n kr. “On ɖ matr v dayt ɖe r nt so mć in agrīmnt,” h cntinyd.

“No?” sd Msz Sapltn, in a vôs ẃć onli rplest a yōn at ɖ last momnt. Ɖen ś sudnli brîtnd intu alrt atnśn – bt nt t ẃt Framtn wz seyñ.

“Hir ɖe r at last!” ś craid. “Jst in tîm fr ti, n d’nt ɖe lc az f ɖe wr mudi p t ɖ îz!”

Framtn śivrd slîtli n trnd twdz ɖ nīs wɖ a lc intndd t cnve simṗʈetic comprihnśn. Ɖ ćîld wz stẹrñ ǎt ʈru ɖ opn windo wɖ a dezd horr in hr îz. In a ćil śoc v nemlis fir Framtn swuñ rnd in hiz sīt n lct in ɖ sem d’rex́n.

In ɖ dīṗnñ twîlît ʈri figrz wr wōcñ acrs ɖ lōn twdz ɖ windo, ɖe ol carid gunz undr ɖer armz, n wn v ɖm wz adiśṇli brdnd wɖ a ẃît cot huñ ovr hiz śoldrz. A tîrd brǎn spańl cept clos at ɖer hìlz. Nôzlisli ɖe nird ɖ hǎs, n ɖen a hōrs yuñ vôs ćantd ǎt v ɖ dusc: “I sd, Brti, ẃ d y bǎnd?”

Framtn grabd wîldli at hiz stic n hat; ɖ hōl dor, ɖ gravl drîv, n ɖ fruntget wr dimli notd stejz in hiz hedloñ rtrit. A sîclist cmñ alñ ɖ rod hd t run intu ɖ hej t avôd iminnt c’liźn.

“Hir w r, mî dir,” sd ɖ berr v ɖ ẃît mac̣ntoś, cmñ in ʈru ɖ windo, “ferli mudi, bt most v it’s drî. Hu wz ɖt hu boltd ǎt az w cem p?”

“A most xtrordnri man, a Mr Nutl,” sd Msz Sapltn; “cd onli tōc abt hiz ilṇsz, n daśt of wɖǎt a wrd v gdbî or apoḷji ẃn y arîvd. Wn wd ʈnc h hd sìn a gost.”

“I xpct it wz ɖ spańl,” sd ɖ nīs cāmli; “h tld m h hd a horr v dogz. H wz wns huntd intu a seṃtri smẃr on ɖ bancs v ɖ Ganjīz bî a pac v p’raia dogz, n hd t spend ɖ nît in a nyli dug grev wɖ ɖ crīćrz snarlñ n grinñ n fomñ jst abv him. Inuf t mc enwn lūz ɖer nrv.”

Romans at śort notis wz hr speśiaḷti.

♥ ♣ ♦ ♠