Hello.
Welcome to Sleep Stories with Steph,
A romantic bedtime podcast guaranteed to help you drift off into a calm,
Relaxing sleep.
Come with me as we travel back to a time long ago where Helen Huntingdon is sacrificing everything she knows in order to protect her son.
But before we begin let us take a moment to focus on where we are now.
Take a deep breath in through your nose then let it out on a long sigh.
It is time to relax and really let go.
Feel your shoulders melt away from your ears as you sink into the support beneath you.
Feel the pressure seep away from your cheeks as your breath drops into a natural rhythm.
There is nothing you need to be doing right now and nowhere you need to go.
We are together and it is time for sleep.
The Tenant of Wildfelm Hall by Red and Abridged by Stephanie Poppins Chapter 47 continued Grassdale,
November the 4th The Letter to Frederick Dear Frederick,
I know you will be anxious to hear from me and I will tell you all I can.
Mr Huntingdon is very ill but not dying or in any immediate danger and he's rather better at present than he was when I came.
I found the house in sad confusion.
Mrs Greaves,
Benson,
Every decent servant had left and those that were come to supply their places were a negligent disorderly set,
To say no worse.
I must change them again if I stay.
A professional nurse,
A grim hard old woman,
Had been hired to attend the wretched individual.
The immediate injuries he sustained from the accident however were not very severe and would as the doctor said have been but trifling to a man of temperate habits but with him it is very different.
On the night of my arrival when I first entered his room he was lying in a kind of half delirium.
He did not notice me till I spoke and then he mistook me from another.
Is it you Alice?
Come again,
He murmured.
What did you leave me for?
It is I Arthur,
It is Helen your wife,
I answered.
My wife,
Said he with a start,
For heaven's sake don't mention her.
I have none.
Devil taker.
I said no more but observing he kept gazing towards the foot of the bed I went and sat there placing the light so as to shine full upon me for I thought he might be dying and I wanted him to know me.
For a long time he say silently looking upon me first with a vacant stare then with a fixed gaze of strange growing intensity.
At last he startled me by suddenly raising himself to his elbow and demanding in horrified whisper with his eyes still fixed upon me.
Who is it?
It is Helen Huntingdon,
Said I,
Quietly rising at the same time and removing to a less conspicuous position.
I must be going mad,
Cried he,
Or something.
Delirious perhaps.
Leave me whoever you are,
I can't bear that white face and those eyes.
For God's sake go and send me somebody else.
I went at once and sent the hired nurse but next morning I ventured to enter his chamber again and taking the nurse's place by his bedside I watched him and waited on him for several hours.
At first he addressed me as the nurse but on crossing the room to draw up the window blinds in obedience to his directions he said,
No,
It isn't nurse,
It's Alice.
Stay with me,
Do.
Let old haggard be the death of me.
I mean to stay with you,
Said I,
And after that he would call me Alice or some other name almost equally repugnant to my feelings.
I forced myself to enjoy it for a while feeling a contradiction might disturb him too much but when having asked for a glass of water while I held it to his lips he murmured,
Thank you dearest.
I could not help distinctly observing.
You would not say that if you knew me.
I intended to follow that up with another declaration of my identity but he merely muttered an incoherent reply so I dropped it until some time after when I was bathing his forehead and temples with vinegar and water to relieve the heat and pain.
I have such strange fancies,
He observed.
I can't get rid of them and they won't let me rest.
The most singular and pertinacious of them all is your face and voice.
They seem just like hers.
I could swear at this moment she was by my side.
She is,
Said I.
That seems comfortable,
Continued he without noticing my words.
I can't stand such a mania as this.
It will kill me.
It will never vanish,
Said I distinctly,
Which is the truth.
The truth,
He cried,
Starting as if an asp had stung him.
You don't mean to say you are really she?
I do but you needn't shrink away from me as if I were your greatest enemy.
I am come to take care of you and do what none of them would do.
For God's sake don't torment me now,
Cried he,
In pitiable agitation.
Then he began to mutter bitter curses against me or the evil fortune that brought me there while I put down the sponge and resumed my seat at the bedside.
Where are they,
Said he?
Have they all left,
Servants and all?
There are servants within call if you want them but you'd better lie down now and be quiet.
None of them could or would attend you as carefully as I shall.
I can't understand it at all,
Said he in bewildered perplexity.
Was it a dream?
No,
Arthur,
It was not a dream that your conduct was such as to oblige me to leave you but I heard you were ill and alone and I am come back to nurse you.
You need not fear to trust me.
Tell me all your wants and I will try to satisfy them.
There is no one else to care for you and I shall not upbraid you now.
Oh,
I see,
Said he with a bitter smile.
It is an act of Christian charity whereby you hope to gain a higher seat in heaven for yourself.
What have you done with my son?
He is well and you may see him sometime if you will compose yourself but not now.
Where is he?
He is safe.
Is he here?
Wherever he is you will not see him till you've promised to leave him entirely under my care and protection and to let me take him away whenever and wherever I please.
If I should hereafter judge it's necessary to remove him again but we will talk of that tomorrow.
You must be quiet now.
Let me see him now.
I promise if it must be so.
No,
I swear it as God is in heaven.
Let me see him.
But I cannot trust your oaths and promises.
I must have a written agreement and you must sign it in a presence of a witness but not today,
Tomorrow.
No,
Today,
Now,
Persisted he and he was in such a feverish excitement and so bent upon the immediate gratification of his wish I thought it better to grant it at once as I saw he would not rest till I did.
Having clearly written out the promise I wished Mr.
Huntington to give upon a slip of paper.
I deliberately read it over to him and made him sign it in the presence of Rachel.
He begged I would not insist upon this.
It was a useless exposure of my want of faith in his word to the servant.
I told him I was sorry but since he'd forfeited my confidence he must take the consequence.
He pleaded inability to hold the pen.
Then we must wait until you can hold it said I.
Upon which he said he'd try but then he could not see to write.
I placed my finger where the signature was to be and told him he might write his name in the dark if he only knew where to put it.
But he had not the power to form the letters.
In that case you must be too ill to see the child said I.
And finding me inexorable he at length managed to ratify the agreement and I bade Rachel to send for the boy.
