tác phẩm văn học của Nathaniel hawthorne the house of the seven gables

The Old Pyncheon FamilyHalfway down a narrow New England streetstands a rusty, wooden house with seven high-peaked gables.. Such a grand family was reduced to a lawyer, a murderer, a you

CLASSICS CALICO

Seven Gables

Natha niel Hawthorne’s

The House of the

Seven Gables

The House of the

Seven Gables

CLASSICS CALICO

Nathan iel Hawthorne’s

Seven Gables

A

A da pte d by: Jan Fields

I l lustrate d by: Eric Scott Fisher

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Published by Magic Wagon, a division of the ABDO Group,

8000 West 78th Street, Edina, Minnesota 55439 Copyright

© 2011 by Abdo Consulting Group, Inc International copyrights reserved in all countries All rights reserved No part of this

book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

Calico Chapter Books™ is a trademark and logo of Magic Wagon Printed in the United States of America, Melrose Park, Illinois 042010

092010

This book contains at least 10% recycled materials.

Original text by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Adapted by Jan Fields

Illustrated by Eric Scott Fisher

Edited by Stephanie Hedlund and Rochelle Baltzer

Cover and interior design by Abbey Fitzgerald

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Fields, Jan.

Nathaniel Hawthorne's The house of the seven gables / adapted by Jan Fields ; illustrated by Eric Scott Fisher.

p cm (Calico illustrated classics)

Summary: A prominent New England family suffering under a hundred-year-old curse is plagued by greed, vengeful acts, and violent death.

two-ISBN 978-1-60270-746-7

[1 Secrets Fiction 2 Families Fiction 3 Haunted houses Fiction.

4 New England History 19th century Fiction 5 Horror stories.]

I Fisher, Eric Scott, ill II Hawthorne, Nathaniel, 1804-1864 House

of the seven gables III Title IV Title: House of the seven gables PZ7.F479177Nat 2010

[Fic] dc22

CHAPTER 1: The Old Pyncheon Family 4

CHAPTER 2: The Little Shop Window 10

CHAPTER 3:A Day Behind the Counter 18

CHAPTER 4:May and November 23

CHAPTER 5:Maule’s Well 28

CHAPTER 6:The Guest 35

CHAPTER 7:The Pyncheon of Today 41

CHAPTER 8:Clifford and Phoebe 46

CHAPTER 9:The Arched Window 52

CHAPTER 10: The Daguerreotypist 58

CHAPTER 11: Holgrave’s Tale 64

CHAPTER 12: Phoebe’s Good-bye 73

CHAPTER 13: The Scowl and the Smile 77

CHAPTER 14: The Flight of the Two Owls 87

CHAPTER 15: Governor Pyncheon 92

CHAPTER 16:Alice’s Posies 96

Table of Contents

The Old Pyncheon Family

Halfway down a narrow New England streetstands a rusty, wooden house with seven high-peaked gables The gables face differentdirections like squabbling sisters with theirbacks against a single chimney Directly in front

of the house, a wide elm overshadows the mainentrance The street, the house, and even theelm are known by the name of Pyncheon.With its faded glory, the house looks haunted

by its past Perhaps it is This grand house wasnot the first home to sit on this spot A shaggythatched cottage once stood in its very spot Itwas owned by Matthew Maule

A stern Puritan leader named ColonelPyncheon wanted the land His desire grew

1

despite Maule’s stubborn refusal to sell.Eventually, Maule met the fate of many whoseproperty became interesting to rich Puritanleaders—he was accused of witchcraft.

Some have said that Maule did have access

to mysterious powers At any rate, Maule wasfound guilty and was soon executed ColonelPyncheon went to the execution, and Maulespoke a last chilly prophecy as he pointed ashaking finger toward the colonel “God willgive him blood to drink!”

This prediction made many townspeoplenervous, but not the stern colonel He built thegreat house with its seven gables right on thespot of Maule’s cottage He even dared to hireMaule’s own son to oversee work on the house.Then Pyncheon threw a party

On the day of the party, food and drinkflowed freely to the guests They had only onecause for complaint—the old man nevershowed himself at his own party!

Finally, the lieutenant governor arrived andexpected to be greeted by his host Hedemanded explanation for Pyncheon’s absence.

A servant explained that the colonel hadordered that he not be disturbed

“Colonel Pyncheon has simply lost track ofthe time,” the aristocrat insisted “He will want

to be told of my arrival.”

“Even so,” the servant said nervously, “mymaster’s orders were clear and I dare not varyfrom them.”

“Pooh,” said the lieutenant governor “I willtake the matter into my own hands.” And theman stomped loudly to the colonel’s door with

a cluster of guests following him He pounded

on the door several times with no response

“Very strange,” the man muttered As heturned the door handle, a gust of wind flung thedoor open wide

Colonel Pyncheon sat in an oaken chairbeneath a huge portrait of himself At first, the

at the group But then, the colonel’s younggrandson darted into the room He made hisway halfway to the glaring figure when hestopped and began screaming.

Pyncheon’s beard was soaked through withblood, and more blood ran down his collar Theiron-hearted old Puritan was dead! A singlesentence passed among the group in whisperedawe, “God hath given him blood to drink!”Now, the heirs of Colonel Pyncheon receivedhis house and wealth, but one thing they didnot get as they expected The colonel hadspoken often of his ownership of a great piece

of land in Maine This land would be ofenormous worth, but the paperwork to support

it was never found

Over the years, it became less and less likelysuch papers would be honored even if theywere found But the story of this great land washanded down from Pyncheon to Pyncheon to

be dreamed about and longed for

The Pyncheon wealth seemed to grow lesswith each generation, while misfortuneincreased One elderly Pyncheon had themisfortune of being murdered by his ownnephew—or so the courts decided beforesending the young man to prison

Finally, there remained only one trulywealthy Pyncheon heir This heir was a lawyerwith the same grasping nature of the originalancestor

Such a grand family was reduced to a lawyer,

a murderer, a young country cousin, and thesole inhabitant of the Pyncheon house: anelderly spinster And it is with her that webegin

The Little Shop Window

Before sunrise, Miss Hepzibah Pyncheonstood in front of her mirror and glared at herimage She was a pale, thin, rusty-jointedmaiden of sixty years But, she was no moreunhappy with her appearance than she hadbeen at any hour of her life

Her scowl was habit, not anger MissHepzibah’s vision was poor and the constantscowl came from her efforts to see beyond theend of her own nose

Though she looked hard and bitter, nothingcould be further from the truth She wastender-hearted and devoted to her brother,though he was far away and in horrible

circumstance Her only character flaws wereshyness and more than a little family pride.Hepzibah glanced at a miniature of hergentle, beautiful brother “Don’t be ashamed ofme,” she whispered “I’m doing this for you.” She hurried through the darkened passages

of the house, pausing only once in a shadowyparlor The room contained some antiquetables and uncomfortable chairs scattered about

on the worn carpet There were only threetruly noteworthy pieces: a framed map of themythic Pyncheon holdings in Maine, a fine oakchair, and the portrait of old Colonel Pyncheon.Miss Hepzibah glared up at the portrait andthen bowed her head What would ColonelPyncheon think of what she was about to do?She shook herself and hurried on to herdestination

On the lowest level, in a gable facing thestreet, a Pyncheon had set up a shop nearly acentury before The shop was closed soon after

and left undisturbed for many years as thefamily tried to forget such a blot on theirhistory The Pyncheons were not shopkeepers!And yet, Miss Hepzibah had polished thefloors and counters of the shop She hadstocked it with trinkets and toys Gingerbreadelephants tramped across the windowsill Tallbarrels of flour, apples, and cornmeal stood in aneat row near the counter The antique scalewas as polished as rust and ruin would allow.Like many aging gentlewomen, MissHepzibah was opening a shop She already had

a small income from renting part of the house

to a young photographer But that brought in

so little she was forced to seek other income orstarve Yet no occupation seemed less suited tothe shy, scowling woman than selling things.Miss Hepzibah had considered her options.Her hands trembled too much to be aseamstress She had toyed with the idea ofopening a school, but she simply did not like

suspected that modern children actually knewmore than she.

As Miss Hepzibah bustled around the shop,her sighs came so rapidly that it seemed shemust be a thing of steam and not a human at all.Finally, she hauled the bar free from the doorand hung an open sign with trembling hands.This last action seemed to sap the last ofHepzibah’s courage She dashed back into thehouse, threw herself in the oak chair, and wept

As Miss Hepzibah Pyncheon sat on the oakchair with her hands over her face, she heard aterrifying sound The little bell suspended overthe shop door tinkled Her first customer hadarrived!

She leaped to her feet and rushed into theshop With her pale face and scowl, she lookedbetter prepared to face a burglar than acustomer

The customer stood in the doorway It was

a slender young man in his early twenties with

summer suit and a straw hat He met the scowl

of Miss Hepzibah without alarm, as he had seen

it many times before This was the boarder inher house

“My dear Miss Pyncheon,” he said, “I am glad

to see you have begun your adventure Bestwishes How may I help you on this first day?”The old woman took one look at the kindface and burst into tears “Oh, Mr Holgrave, Iwish I were dead,” she wailed

“Oh, believe me, Miss Hepzibah, thesefeelings will pass,” he said “I believe this is thebest thing you could do It will pull you out ofthe shadows and warm your veins Trust me.”

“I do not understand such modern notions,”she said “And I do not wish to.”

“Then we shall never more speak of them,”

he said kindly “But I believe you are doing abrave thing And I have come to purchasebiscuits for breakfast.”

“Let me be a lady a moment longer,”

must not take money from her only friend for

a morsel of bread.”

With his wrapped parcel, Holgrave slippedout, leaving a much cheerier Hepzibah But itwas a short-lived cheer, as she overheard twoworkmen chattering outside her door

“See here, Dixey!” cried one rough voice

“Trade seems to be looking up on PyncheonStreet!”

The second man made a rude noise “Thatold woman’s face is enough to frighten OldNick himself I can’t imagine customersstanding for such a glare.”

“These cent shops never come to much,” thefirst man said glumly “My wife kept one forthree months and lost five dollars!”

“Poor business,” replied Dixey as they walked

on “Poor business.”

Hepzibah found herself hurt by theirprediction of doom for her business She wasmore hurt still that they seemed so casual abouther ruin

The shop bell tinkled again A sturdy littleboy marched in with his school slate under hisarm He stopped short as Hepzibah scowleddown at him

“Well, child,” she said, “what did you want?”

“The gingerbread man in the window,” hesaid, holding out his cent

Hepzibah handed the child the cookie and

taking a small child’s pocket money for a bit ofstale gingerbread

The boy dashed outside, leaving the doorwide open as he bit the head off his cookie.Hepzibah grumbled as she marched over toclose the door and replace the gingerbread manwith another

No sooner had she gotten the door closedthan the bell rang again The boy was back.Crumbs decorated his face and clothes “I wantthat one too,” he said, pointing at the newcookie

Miss Hepzibah suspected this could go on allday, so she asked for his penny He turned itover and carried the second sweet out of theshop Miss Hepzibah stared at the penny in herhand She had done it She was the keeper of

a cent shop

A Day Behind the Counter

As more customers came and went, manyhad complaints Hepzibah’s cotton thread wasrotten She had no tobacco Five people left in

a huff after learning she had no root beer Toward noon, Hepzibah caught sight of atall, portly gentleman across the street Hestared toward the House of the Seven Gables

as he mopped his bald head with a bit of linen.When he caught Hepzibah’s eye, his frownturned to a smile of the sunniest good humor

He bowed to her and she answered his smilewith a deeper scowl

“Go away, Cousin Jaffrey,” she whispered “Iwill do as I like Pyncheon House is my ownwhile I’m alive!”

The gentleman walked toward the shop Heclearly intended to visit, but his path wasblocked when the young gingerbread loverdashed ahead of him to buy a gingerbreadelephant for his lunch The man passed ondown the street instead

Hepzibah looked after him, murmuring,

“The smile does not fool me Let JaffreyPyncheon beware lest he draw down thePyncheon curse again.”

Again, the shop bell rang This time itsignaled the arrival of a thin, ancient figureknown in the neighborhood as Uncle Venner

He had seemed old even when Hepzibah was agirl The simple old man thought himself wiseand often gave advice during his visits

“So, you have really begun trade,” he said

“Well, I’m glad to see it Young people shouldnever live idle in the world.”

“Thank you, Uncle Venner,” Hepzibah said,smiling She had not been called young for

“I met your cousin, the judge,” the old mansaid “He bowed to me He has a mostremarkable smile.”

“Yes,” Hepzibah said tightly “My cousin isthought to be pleasant.”

Uncle Venner nodded and said, “I must say,I’m surprised one such as the judge would let acousin fall upon hard times.”

“My store has nothing to do with my cousin,”she said

“Well,” the old man said, “I expect it will beshort enough Something better will turn upfor you, I’m sure of it!” Suddenly the old mangestured her close “When do you expect himhome?”

“Whom do you mean?” she asked faintly

“Ah, I see you don’t want to talk of it,” hesaid “No matter, though there is talk of it allover town I remember him, Miss Hepzibah.”The old man left Hepzibah in a cloud ofconfusion She seemed to pass the rest of the

day as in a dream, making mistakes with nearlyevery customer It was a great relief when thetime came to close the shop for the night aftermaking one last sale of gingerbread to her mostfaithful young customer.

As she closed up, she spotted a carriagepulling up before the house For an instant,Hepzibah held her breath, thinking it might behim home now But a lively young woman in a

cheerful straw bonnet sprang from it Thedriver carried her bags to the door of the house

“This must be Phoebe,” Hepzibah muttered,for she often talked to herself in the emptyhouse “She has the look of her father abouther How like country cousins to visit without

a warning Well, she can only stay one night,”Hepzibah insisted as she unbolted the door “IfClifford were to find her here, it might disturbhim.”

May and November

Phoebe Pyncheon awoke when the crimsonglow of sunrise crept between the curtains ofher bed At first, she did not recognize theroom or the heavy bed curtains

As she climbed from the bed, memories ofher arrival and chat with Hepzibah came tomind Phoebe had told Hepzibah that hermother’s second marriage made it better ifPhoebe moved to another home

Phoebe dressed quickly and peeped out thewindow to see that her room overlooked thegarden She saw a tall rosebush covered withbeautiful white roses Hurrying down thecreaking staircase, she found her way to thegarden She gathered a great armload of the

most perfect of the roses and brought them tobrighten her room.

Then, Phoebe went in search of Hepzibah.When Phoebe found her, her elder cousin drew

a deep breath and said, “Cousin Phoebe, I reallycan’t see my way clear to keep you with me.”

“Dear cousin,” Phoebe said, “we may suit oneanother much better than you suppose.”

“This is no environment for a young person,”Hepzibah said “The dust and decay of this oldhouse is unwholesome for the lungs.”

“Then I shall busy myself in the garden everyday,” Phoebe observed “That should keep mehealthy.”

“Perhaps,” the old woman said “But it is not

my decision to make The master of this house

is soon coming.”

“Judge Pyncheon?” Phoebe asked, confused

“No, no!” Hepzibah shouted “He is notwelcome to cross this threshold while I live Ispeak of Clifford Pyncheon Look, I will show

you.” She retrieved a miniature portrait andhanded it to Phoebe.

“He is very beautiful,” Phoebe said “He has

as sweet a face as a man can have But Ithought I had heard I thought CliffordPyncheon had died long ago.”

“Perhaps he has,” Hepzibah said “In oldhouses like this, the dead are apt to come back.”She sighed and patted her young cousin’s hand

“You are welcome to such a home as I can offer

at present.” And at this, the old woman kissedher cheek

The two women went downstairs, wherePhoebe bustled about the kitchen preparing amost lovely breakfast Before they left thebreakfast table, the shop bell rang sharply andHepzibah moaned Though the day before hadbeen difficult, the thought of returning to theshop was almost unbearable

“Do not trouble yourself, dear cousin,” criedPhoebe “I will be shopkeeper today.”

Phoebe proved to be good as her word,bustling about the shop with the same cheerfulenergy she had shown over breakfast Shecharmed every customer until even thecrankiest left with a smile

During a lull in business, Phoebe showedHepzibah a list of ideas for improving thebusiness

“I can make yeast, both liquid and in cakes,”Phoebe said “I can make spice cakes to sell andbrew the beer our customers ask after We mustrenew our stock of gingerbread figures Andwe’ve had at least a dozen requests for molassescandy.”

“Well done Well done,” said Uncle Venner,who had shuffled in and out of the shop severaltimes during the morning “Bless my eyes, what

a brisk little soul!”

“Yes, she is a nice girl,” Hepzibah said “Butnot at all like a Pyncheon.”

“Not like any I’ve met,” the old man agreed

As the day passed, the two cousins grewquite fond of each other After the shop wasclosed for the day, Hepzibah took Phoebe on atour of the house As they walked, the oldwoman told Phoebe of the boarder

“He has the strangest companions who dress

in newfangled and ill-fitting garments,”Hepzibah said “And he speaks of the oddestthings.”

She went on to explain that she suspectedthe man practiced animal magnetism, hypnosis,and other dark arts

“Then why would you let him stay?” Phoebeasked

“He is a quiet sort of person,” Hepzibah said

“And he has such a way of taking hold of one’smind I would be sorry to lose sight of himentirely.”

Phoebe argued no more against the youngman, but still she wondered

Maule’s Well

After an early tea, Phoebe returned to thegarden Though it was overgrown, she saw thatsomeone had set to taming its wildness Thewhite rosebush had clearly been propped uprecently A pear and three plum trees had beenpruned And though the flower beds were amess, they showed signs of recent weeding

As she wandered around the garden, Phoebesaw more signs of attention A vegetable patchflourished with squash vines filled with orangeblossoms Phoebe wondered whose hand hadbeen the gardener She could little imagineHepzibah kneeling and pulling weeds

She walked deeper into the garden andfound an overgrown fountain with a rim of old

mossy stones Its bed was paved with coloredpebbles She turned from the fountain andspotted a henhouse.

The henhouse was the home of Chanticleer,his two wives, and a solitary chicken Theserepresented the last of the purebred chicken ofthe Pyncheon family Once this line hadproduced chickens as big as turkeys, but nowthey were little larger than pigeons The henshad a rusty, withered look

Phoebe ran into the house to collect crumbsand scraps for the chickens “Here, you oddlittle chickens,” she called to them gently “Hereare some nice crumbs for you.” A chickengathered enough life to flutter up and alight onPhoebe’s shoulder

“You are much favored!” said a voice behindPhoebe

Turning quickly, Phoebe was surprised to see

a young man with a hoe She knew this must

be the photographer, Holgrave, who rented one

of the gables He smiled as he used his hoe todraw up earth around the roots of the tomatoes

“None of the chickens have shown me nearly

so much friendliness,” he said, “though I havefed them every day.”

Phoebe smiled “I have simply learned how

to talk with hens and chickens.”

“I think they recognize the family tone,” theyoung man said “You are a Pyncheon?”

“My name is Phoebe Pyncheon,” she said “Isee you have given much care to my cousin’sgarden.”

“I would gladly share the chore with you,” hesaid “I have little interest in the flowers orchickens I prefer to tend vegetables to add tothe dinner pot.”

To show her agreement with his idea,Phoebe began to pull weeds She started in aflower bed close to the vegetable plantings

“Has Miss Hepzibah told you I makepictures with light? Would you like to see a

“A daguerreotype likeness, you mean?”Phoebe asked “I don’t much like pictures ofthat sort They always seem so stern and hard.”The young man showed her a daguerreotypeminiature in a morocco case “I know that face,”she said “Its stern eye followed me from theparlor portrait all day How did you make apicture of my Puritan ancestor without his skullcap and gray beard?”

Holgrave laughed “This is a Pyncheon,though this man is still quite alive He wears asmile always for the world’s eye, but I think thecamera has captured what lies in his heart.”

“Then many dreadful things must lie there,”Phoebe said with a shudder “I don’t wish tosee it anymore Not every Pyncheon looks soharsh I have seen another miniature thatshows someone I could not imagine everlooking so stern.”

“Ah, you have seen Clifford’s portrait.Hepzibah has told me about it, but she has not

shown it to me,” Holgrave said “Is therenothing dark or sinister in the picture? Nothingdangerous or mad?”

Phoebe found Holgrave’s mysterious toneunsettling and turned away

“Wait,” he called, though he moved towardthe door to his own gable “On any bright day,

if you will put one of those rosebuds in yourhair and come to my rooms in Central Street, Iwill make a picture of the flower and itswearer.”

Phoebe looked after him thoughtfully

“Be careful not to drink at Maule’s well,” hesaid, turning once more toward her

“Is that it with the rim of mossy stones?” sheasked “Why not?”

“Its water is bewitched.”

As the strange young man disappeared intothe house, Phoebe went in as well She foundHepzibah sitting in the darkness and went tothe kitchen to fetch a lamp She heard

“In a moment, cousin,” she called

But instead of a response from Hepzibah,she heard only more murmurings She carriedthe lamp to the room where her cousin sat

“My dear cousin,” she said, “is there someonehere with us?”

“Phoebe, my dear girl,” Hepzibah said

“You’ve had a full day You should get to bed.”The old lady kissed the young girl, dismissingher

As the young cousin turned in her bed, sheheard heavy footsteps on the stairs and moremurmurs

The Guest

Phoebe awoke to the twittering of the robins

in the pear tree and the sound of movementbelow She hurried down to find Hepzibahstanding beside the kitchen window with acookbook held close to her nose

The old woman sighed and put the bookdown “Do you know if Old Speckle has laid

an egg?” she asked “And do you suppose youcould make coffee?”

Phoebe dashed out to the henhouse, but thehens had nothing to offer When she returned,she saw Hepzibah rapping on the window andgesturing toward the fish dealer who stood onthe street

“I would like some mackerel,” Hepzibah said

“Here is the finest piece on my cart,” theman said enthusiastically “And as fat a one asever I’ve had so early in the season.”

“Good, good.” The old woman rushed aboutthe kitchen preparing the woodstove to receivethe fish In truth, Hepzibah had a completehorror of the stove, but this breakfast was soimportant she made a rush at it with thecourage of a knight smiting a dragon

“I could make a nice Indian cake,” Phoebeoffered She had no idea why this breakfastabove all others was so important to her elderlycousin

“Good, good,” Hepzibah said

While the lovely smell of breakfast filled theair, several half-starved rats slipped out of theirhiding places They sat on their hind legs,sniffing the air and waiting for any opportunity

to nibble

The women carried the food and coffee to asmall, ancient table draped with a cloth “It

so loves beautiful things.” She looked at heryoung cousin “And do smile He’ll enjoy yoursmile Are there any flowers in the garden?”Phoebe hurried out and gathered roses and afew other flowers She arranged them in a glasspitcher to add a sweet air to the stuffy room.From the portrait over the table, the Puritanscowled down at them as if nothing on the tablepleased him in the least.

Then, the women heard footsteps on thestairs Hepzibah burst into tears from nerves

“My dearest cousin, who is it?” Phoebe asked

“Hush, hush, he is coming,” the old womanwhispered as she wiped the tears from her eyes

“My dear, dear Clifford.”

At the words, the shuffling steps they heardfinally produced a figure in the passageway.Phoebe saw an elderly man in an old-fashioneddressing gown His gray hair hung to anunusual length and he looked around the room

in confusion

Hepzibah rushed to grasp his hands and leadhim to the table, where he ate as if starved.

“More, more,” he cried “This is what I need!”Finally he slowed the pace of his eating andlooked around more Though Hepzibah gazed

at him with devotion, his eyes always slippedquickly past her to rest on Phoebe

“How pleasant! How delightful!” hemurmured Then his face darkened and heseemed to sink back into his confusion