- Shayad me ve shwo koy dey, Jek, bat bu nau hi.
Me majbur, also, fa-satisfakti bay to, obwol es un-ney ves wen ye koy sekret inter nu. Me dai chek a ela, e me bu dumi snova om toy dela. Probablem it bu es konekti-ney kun kwo eventi aften, bat me dumi ke es prave ke me mensioni it.
Wel, me yus shwo-te a yu, ke ye un isoli-ney vilaja-dom bu dalem fon nuy dom. Sol un felda separi it fon nu; bat si oni yao go til dar, treba go along dao e poy turni a alee. Yus afte it ye prival abeta-ney shulin-ki, e me gro-pri go promeni dar, bikos baumes es sempre priate kosa. Toy vilaja-dom es sin resida duran ot laste mes, e es ya triste, bikos it es jamile bildura do dwa etaja, do lao-moda-ney porcha, sirkumen bay kaprifolia. Me gwo kontempli it mucho ves, dumi-yen ke it wud bi prival vilaja-dom fo fai refuja in it.
Wel, laste undi pa afte-middey me go promeni adar, wen me miti koy vakue furgon kel raki along toy alee fon dom, e me vidi un pila de tapises e otre kosas on gason bli porcha. Es klare ke oni he arendi vilaja-dom pa fin. Me promeni ahir-adar bli it e fai jigyas om kwel tip de jenta es li kel he lai fo jivi tanto blisem a nu. Turan al kan me vidi ke koy fas-ge zai observi me fon un de uupare windas.
Me bu jan kwel osobitaa ye pa toy fas, sinior Holms, bat it sendi lengitaa nich may bey. Me es aika dalem, e also me bu mog distinti tretas, bat fas es kelkem nonaturale e bujen-ney. Tal es may impresa. Me go kway pyu blisem, dabe vidi ti me kan na jen pyu hao. Bat fas turan desapari, tanto turan ke sembli ke it es ek-tiren inu tumitaa de shamba. Me resti stan duran pet minuta dumi-yen om sey dela e trai-yen analisi may impresa. Me bu mog shwo ob fas es de man o de gina. It bin tro dalem fon me. Bat suy kolor hi impresi me zuy. It es mortem pale, e do koysa fixi-ney e rigide, lo kel mah it shok-nem nonaturale. Me es tanto disturbi-ney ke me resoluti en-jan pyu om nove habiter de dom. Me blisifi e tuki pa dwar kel es tuy ofni-ney bay gao magre gina do karke noprival fas.
- Kwo yu yao? - ela kwesti, pa norda-ney pronunsa.
- Me es yur visin dar, - me shwo al niki versu may dom. - Me vidi ke yu lai fo residi, also me dumi ke si me mog helpi yu koykomo...
- Wel, nu ve pregi yu wen nu ve nidi yu, - ela shwo e klapi-klosi dwar bifoo may fas. Vexi-ney bay karke jawaba, me turni e go a dom. Duran tote aksham, obwol me trai dumi om otre kosas, may menta haishi returni a fantom in winda e karkitaa de gina. Me desidi shwo nixa om fantom a may molya, bikos ela es nerva-ney e fa-impresishil gina, also me bu yao parti may nopriate impresa kun ela. Yedoh, bifoo ke me en-somni, me remarki a ela, ke vilaja-dom es nau okupi-ney, a lo kel ela bu fai jawaba.
Pinchanem me somni gro-glubem. Oni gwo joki stay in familia, ke nixa mog jagisi me al nocha. Yedoh koykomo in toy hi nocha - ob por leve eksita kausi-ney bay may syao aventura oda por koysa otre - me somni mucho pyu levem kem pinchanem. Tra sonja me vagem konsi ke koysa zai eventi in shamba, e gradualem en-konsi ke may molya he klaidi swa e zai onpon mantela e shapa. May labas muvi fo murmuri koy somnaful wordas do surprisa o protesta kontra sey nobyen tayaring, wen turan may haf-ofni-ney okos kan an elay fas, lumisi-ney bay kandela-luma, e astona mutisi me. Ela hev myen ke me bu gwo vidi... ke me iven bu mog-te imajini. Ela es mortem pale e kway spiri-she, ahfem kan-she kama, al butoni mantela, fo vidi ob ela he jagisi me. Poy, dumi-yen ke me haishi zai somni, ela fliti sin shum aus shamba, e afte momenta me audi ek-skrika kel mog lai sol fon sharnir de shefe dwar. Me en-sidi in kama e tuki may finga-jor an kama-borda, dabe mah swa serte ke me verem jagi. Poy me pren may kloka fon sub kushen. Es klok tri de sabah. Kwo hi may molya mog zwo on vilaja-ney kamina pa klok tri de sabah?
Me resti sidi duran sirke dwashi minuta dumi-yen om sey dela e trai-yen findi koy posible explika. Kem pyu me dumi, tem pyu nopinchan e noexplikibil it sembli. Me haishi zai bedumi it wen me audi suon de dwar, snova mulem klosen, e elay stepas asendi-she sulam.
- Pa boh, wo hi yu bin, Effi? - me kwesti tuy afte ke ela zin.
Ela ek-tremi gro e krai-inuspiri al ke me shwo, e toy kraisa e ek-trema disturbi me pyu kem olo otre, bikos in li ye koysa gro-kulpa-ney. May molya sempre bin gina do franke e ofni-ney natura, e me es fobisen al vidi komo ela ahfi-go inu swa-ney prope shamba e krai e ek-tremi wen elay prope mursha shwo a ela.
- Yu jagi, Jek! - ela krai, kun nerva-ney rida. - Me dumi-te ke nixa mog jagisi yu.
- Wo yu bin? - me kwesti, pyu saktem.
- Me bu divi ke yu es surprisi-ney, - ela shwo, e me vidi ke elay fingas zai tremi al debutoni mantela. - Wel, me selfa bu remembi ke me gwo zwo tal kosa in may jiva bifooen. Fakta es ke me senti-te kwasi me zai tufi, e me gro-yao-te fai ek-spira de freshe aira. Me verem dumi ke me wud dekonsi si me bu wud chu. Me stan-te pa dwar duran kelke minuta, e nau me sta ga hao snova.
Tra taim wen ela zai shwo a me sey rakonta, ela bu un ves kan pa may direksion, e elay vos es ga bupinchan. Es evidente a me ke ela zai shwo falsitaa. Me shwo nixa pa jawaba, bat turni fas versu mur, al sta buhao, al menta fulen bay mil toxin-ney-si duba e suspekta. Kwo hi may molya ahfi fon me? Wo ela bin duran toy ajibe wanda? Me senti ke me bu wud hev salam til ke me en-jan, yedoh me eviti kwesti ela snova afte ke ela shwo-te falsitaa. Tra resta de nocha me turni-turni in kama, bildi-yen teoria afte teoria, kada nove-la meno probable kem bifoo-ney-la.
Me treba go a urba pa toy dey, bat me es tro disturbi-ney in may menta fo mog atenti delas de komersa. May molya sembli sam disturbi-ney kom me selfa, e me mog vidi, por kway kweste kansa ke ela fai-fai an me, ke ela samaji ke me bu kredi elay deklara, e ke ela bu jan kwo zwo. Nu apena intershanji para worda duran sabahfan, e tuy poy me go aus fo promeni, dabe me mog bedumi sey dela hao al freshe sabah-ney aira.
Me go til Kristal Palas, mah-pasi un ora in parka, e returni a Norburi pa klok un. Eventi ke may dao mah me pasi toy vilaja-dom, e me stopi fo un momenta dabe kan windas, kan ob me mog snova ek-vidi toy ajibe fas kel kan-te an me pa bifoo-dey. Wen me stan dar, turan - imajini ba may surprisa, sinior Holms! - dwar ofni e may molya go aus.
Me es turdi-ney por astona al vidi ela; bat may emosiones es nixa pa kompara kun toy-las kel fa-diki on elay fas wen nuy okos miti. Al un-ney momenta ela sembli yao fliti bak inu dom snova; e poy, samaji-yen vanitaa de eni ahfing, ela lai a me, al fas muy blan e okos fobisi-ney, lo kel bu konkordi kun smaila on elay labas.
- Ah, Jek, - ela shwo, - me yus visiti-te nuy nove visines, dabe vidi ob me mog helpi li koykomo. Way yu zai kan me tak, Jek? Yu bu iri om me?
- Also, - me shwo, - hir hi yu go-te pa nocha.
- Kwo yu yao shwo? - ela krai.
- Yu lai-te ahir. Me es serte om to. Hu es toy personas, ke yu treba visiti li pa tal ora?
- Me bu bin hir bifooen.
- Komo yu mog shwo a me to ke es evidentem false? - me krai. - Iven yur vos hi shanji wen yu shwo. Wen me gwo hev eni sekret fon yu? Me sal zin toy dom, e me ve sondi dela kompletem.
- Non, non, Jek, pa Boh! - ela krai tufi-nem, al sta pa bukontrolibil emosion. Poy, wen me blisi dwar, ela kapti may mansha e tiri me bak kun konvulsive fortitaa.
- Me gro-pregi yu, bye zwo se, Jek, - ela krai. - Me kasami ke me ve shwo a yu olo pa un dey, bat sol tormenta mog resulti si yu zin toy dom. - Poy, wen me probi pushi ela wek, ela klingi a me, pa panika do gro-prega.
- Fidi me, Jek! - ela krai. - Fidi me sol pa sey ves. Neva hi yu ve asfosi se. Yu jan ke me bu wud hev sekret fon yu si to bu wud bi fo yur prope utilitaa. Ambi nuy jivas dependi fon se. Si yu ve go a dom kun me, olo ve sta hao. Si yu ve forsi-go inu toy dom, olo ve bi fini-ney inter nu.
Ye tal sinseritaa, tal denada in elay manera, ke elay wordas stopi me, e me stan noresolutem bifoo dwar.
- Me ve fidi yu al un kondision, sol al un kondision, - me shwo pa fin, - ke oli misteria fini nau. Yu es libre fo kipi yur sekret, bat yu mus wadi a me ke bu ve ye pyu nocha-ney visitas, bu pyu aktas ahfi-ney fon may jansa. Me konsenti fogeti lo pasi-ney si yu wadi ke lo tal bu ve ye pyu in futur.