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Updated: June 19, 2025
Before him was Oakshott's Barn, an ancient structure, its rotting thatch dishevelled, its doors gone long since, its aged walls cracked and scarred by years, a very monument of desolation; upon its threshold weeds had sprung up, and within its hoary shadow breathed an air damp, heavy, and acrid with decay.
'Twas thought the creature ought to be shot, and the head-keeper at Oakshott's, who knew the cleverness of the animal, was strong for it; but humanity be full of strange twists and the Squire himself it was who ordered the cur should live and be tended. "Let the dog be there to welcome him back," said the Squire in his easy way.
"Bless you, Mistress Anne, there's been some idle talk among the women folk, as how that there crooked slip of Major Oakshott's, as they called Master Perry or Penny, and said was a changeling, has been seen once and again. Some says as the fairies have got him, and 'tis the seven year for him to come back again.
In a nice, qviet, lonely place say a vood?" "Yes, at a very lonely place called Oakshott's Barn." "Come, that's better and better!" nodded Mr. Shrig brightly, "that's werry pretty, that is things is rosier than I 'oped, but then, as I said afore, things is allus blackest afore the dawn. Oakshott's Barn, eh?
"Are you riding back to London to-night?" "Yes." "It should be glorious to gallop under a full-orbed moon." "London is a great way from here." "Do you remember the madman we met at Oakshott's Barn?" "Yes. I met him in London, lately." "Did he talk about the moon again?" "Well do you remember what he prophesied about an 'orbed moon' and 'Barnaby Bright'?"
Poaching went on, and Joseph noted that Teddy was apt to be from home a bit and would often go away for a day or two. And the new head-keeper, who was sleepless on the job, traced where a car had come across one of the drives in Oakshott's by night, for the wheels had scored the grass; and where the thing had stood was a dead bird the blackguards had overlooked.
"No, sir, but he described her." "To be sure." said Barnabas; "he mentioned her hair, perhaps?" "Yes, sir." "Her eyelashes, perhaps?" "And her eyes also, sir." "Yes, her eyes, of course. He seemed to know her well, perhaps?" "Yes, sir." "And she promised to meet him in a very lonely place?" "At Oakshott's Barn, sir."
I want you here beside me, for although the sky here is blue and cloudless, away to the north where London lies, there is a great, black shadow like the shadow of my dream, and God keep all shadows from you, Barnabas. So come to me meet me to-morrow there is a new moon. Come to Oakshott's Barn at 7:30, and we will walk back to the house together.
Slowly the sun declined, and slowly the shadows lengthened about Oakshott's Barn, as they had done many and many a time before; a rabbit darted across the clearing, a blackbird called to his mate in the thicket, but save for this, nothing stirred; a great quiet was upon the place, a stillness so profound that Barnabas could distinctly hear the scutter of a rat in the shadows behind him, and the slow, heavy breathing of the sleeper down below.
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