Амброз Бирс - An Adventure at Brownville

A few days later, there was an inquest in Brownville. The coroner listened to the words of Benning, a doctor, and several people in the boarding house. Then he wrote these words on Pauline's death certificate: Cause of death-heart disease. They thought that Pauline had died suddenly because her heart was weak.

Benning sent for an undertaker from San Francisco. The undertaker took Pauline's body back to the city and she was buried. Neither Benning nor Eva went to the dead girl's funeral. Many of the people of Brownville thought that this was wrong and strange.

"Poor Eva," the landlady said to me. "Her health is not good. Mr Benning is worried. He doesn't want to take her back to San Francisco. Her health might become worse if she goes to the city. It's better for her to stay here, in Brownville."

A week passed. One evening, I finished my supper and went into the garden. I saw Richard Benning and Eva Maynard standing beneath a tree. They were holding each other's hands and looking into each other's eyes. It was a very gentle and romantic scene, but it was wrong. They looked like lovers. Benning was a fifty-year-old man and Eva was not yet twenty. Also, he was her guardian. Benning should be like a father to the young woman-not a lover.

I stood in the shadows and they did not sec me. I did not move, but I listened.

"You will kill me," said Eva, "I know that you killed Pauline. I beg you to kill me quickly. Let me go. Let me be at peace."

Richard Benning did not reply. He released Eva's hand and walked away. He walked up the hill to the forest where I had first seen him. As he walked, he sang. His fine voice sounded beautiful and wild. Eva stared at her guardian. As she listened, she put her hands together. She held her hands in front of her body as if she was praying.

I walked out of the shadows. Eva turned and stared at me. Maybe I had frightened her.

"Miss Maynard," I said, "I'm sorry. I came into the garden and I heard what you said. I believe that you're in danger."

"You can do nothing," she said. Her voice was soft and she had a strange expression on her face. Her eyes were large and bright. Was she ill? Or maybe she was dreaming?

I gently held Eva's hand. "You seem to be asleep," I said. "You must wake up. You said that Benning killed your sister. You said that he'll kill you too. Will you tell me about it? I'll try to help you."

"You can't help me," said Eva. "We'll be here for only a day or two more. Then we'll go away-far away. I ask you to be silent. You mustn't talk about anything that you've seen or heard here."

"But this is crazy," I said. "I'm sure that you're in danger. I must tell the police."

Eva woke up a little when she heard this. Her expression changed. She became cold and polite.

"This is my business, not yours," she said.

"But your sister died here-in Brownville," I said. "And she died suddenly. Now you are in danger. The people of Brownville might be in danger too. You must tell me what happened. Didn't you love your sister?"

"Yes, I loved her," said Eva. "But I love him more. Do you think that the police will believe you? You heard a secret conversation. If you talk about it, I'll say that your words are lies. No one will believe your story."

Suddenly she smiled. It was a beautiful, sweet smile. I could not believe her words. They were so hard and cold.

Eva held my hand tightly. "Come with me," she said. "We'll walk together. He will be away all night. He won't know that you've been with me. We'll walk and talk. And you'll forget what you've seen and heard. You'll forget about us."

Truly, I did not know the ways of women then. I was happy to walk in the garden with Eva Maynard. I was a little in love with this beautiful young woman. We talked about the people of Brownville. And we talked about their love of gossip. I did not want to go to my bed.

Before I said goodnight, I asked Eva to walk with me the next day.

"There's an old mill on the top of the hill. Will you walk there with me tomorrow afternoon? We can enjoy the fine views from the mill."

"If he's not here, yes. I'll walk there with you," said Eva.

I went to bed feeling happy. I smiled happily as I fell asleep. The next morning, I awoke feeling even happier.

"Today is going to be a special day," I thought.

Eva was not in the dining-room at lunchtime. Maybe I had hoped for too much. I am only a school teacher in a small town. And I am not very rich, or very handsome. But I was not disappointed. Eva came into the garden. Benning must have gone away! I was the happiest man in the world!

Eva said nothing as I followed her up the path to the old mill. She knew the way there because she had walked to the mill many times with her guardian.

Eva and I did not have a conversation, but she sang songs. She sang happy and sad songs. Her feelings changed as quickly as clouds pass across the sky. One minute-sunshine. The next minute-shadow. I was happy to be with her, whatever she felt. She walked and I followed.

When we came to the mill, she did not stop walking. She crossed an old wooden bridge and took the path up the high hill. It was the path to a place called the Eagle's Nest. This was where the path ended, on a cliff high above the forest. The view from Eagle's Nest was beautiful.

I was a little afraid. The view was fine, but I did not like to go near the edge of the cliff. The ground was more than two hundred feet below us. But Eva stood on the cliff's edge and looked up, not down.

Suddenly I heard footsteps, and Richard Benning came and stood beside us.

"I saw you walking on the path," he said carelessly, "so I came up too."

Eva turned toward us. She still stood on the edge of the cliff. Her eyes were shining and she was smiling. There was a look of love on her face.

"I'm so glad that you came," she said.

She was staring at Benning. Her loving expression showed that she was telling the truth. But then I saw something else in her expression.

Eva's mouth was smiling, but suddenly there was fear in her eyes. She looked like a frightened animal. With a smile on her lips and fear in her eyes, Eva stepped backward. She fell over the edge of the cliff to the ground below.

Benning and I ran down the path to the bottom of the cliff. He got there before me.

I did not want to look at Eva's body. Beautiful Eva was no longer beautiful. Benning looked at her carefully but he did not touch her.

"She's dead, quite dead," he said. "I'll go to the town and get a police officer. Please stay here with the body."

I did not know what to say. I was shocked.

Benning started to walk toward Brownville. Then he turned and looked at me.

You saw what happened," he said carelessly. "It was an accident. Eva killed herself. I saw her step off the edge of the cliff and you saw it too."

"You're a killer!" I said. "You're a damned killer! You didn't touch her, but I know that you killed her."

Benning turned his back toward me and walked away. As he walked through the forest, I heard him singing. He was singing a song from Verdi's opera, Rigoletto.

"La donna e mobile..."

- THE END -

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