All language subtitles for Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu Chapter 5 A Wonderful Likeness Read by Elise Bauman.eng.eng

welcome back to story time with me

elise bauman today i'll be reading

chapter

five a wonderful likeness

this evening there arrived from grotz

the grave son of the picture cleaner

with a horse and cart laden with two

large packing cases

having many pictures in each it was a

journey of ten leagues and whenever a

messenger arrived at the schloss from

our little capital of gratz

we used to crowd about him in the hall

to hear the news this arrival created in

our secluded quarters quite a sensation

the cases remained in the hall and the

messenger was taken charge of by the

servants till he had eaten his supper

then with assistance and armed with

hammer ripping chisel and turn screw

he met us in the hall where we had

assembled to witness the unpacking of

the cases

carmilla sat looking listlessly on while

one after the other the old pictures

nearly all portraits which had undergone

the process of renovation were brought

to light

my mother was of an old hungarian family

and most of these pictures which were

about to be restored to their places had

come to us through her

my father had a list in his hand from

which he read as the artist rummaged

out the corresponding numbers i don't

know that the pictures were very good

but they were undoubtedly very old

and some of them very curious also they

had for the most part the merit of being

now seen by me

i may say for the first time for the

smoke and dust of time

had all but obliterated them there's a

picture that i have not seen yet said my

father

in one corner at the top of it is the

name as well as i could read

marsha karnstein and the date

1698. i am curious to see how it has

turned out

i remembered it it was a small picture

about a foot and a half high and nearly

square without a frame but it was so

blackened by age that i could not make

it out

the artist now produced it with evident

pride it was quite beautiful

it was startling it seemed to live it

was the effigy of carmilla carmilla dear

here is an absolute miracle

here you are living smiling ready to

speak in this picture

isn't it beautiful papa and see even the

little mole on her throat

my father laughed and said certainly it

is a wonderful likeness

but he looked away and to my surprise it

seemed but little struck by it

and went on talking to the picture

cleaner who was also something of an

artist and discoursed with intelligence

about the portraits or other works

which his art had just brought into

light and color while i was more and

more lost in wonder the more i looked at

the picture

will you let me hang this picture in my

room papa i asked

it's a little bold certainly dear he

said smiling

very glad you like it so must be

prettier even than i thought it was

if it is the young lady did not

acknowledge this pretty speech

did not seem to hear it she was leaning

back in her seat

her fine eyes under their long lashes

gazing on me in contemplation

and she smiled in a kind of rapture and

now you can read quite plainly the name

that is written in the corner

it is not marsha it looks as if it was

done in gold

the name is mercalla countess karnstein

and this is a little coronet over and

underneath a.d

1698. i am descended from the karnsteins

that is

mama was ah said the lady languidly

so am i i think a very long descendant

very ancient

are there any constituents living now

none who bear the name i believe

the family were ruined i believe in some

civil wars long ago but the ruins of the

castle are only about three miles away

how interesting she said languidly ah

but see what beautiful moonlight

she glanced through the hall door which

stood a little open

suppose you take a little ramble around

the court and look down at the road and

river

it is so like the night you came to us i

said she sighed

smiling huh said a size mile

she rose and each with her arm about the

other's waist

we walked out upon the pavement in

silence

slowly we walked down to the drawbridge

where the beautiful landscape opened

before us

and so you were thinking of the night i

came here she almost whispered

are you glad i came delighted dear

carmilla i

answered and you asked for the picture

you think like me to hang in your room

she murmured with a sigh as she drew her

arm closer about my waist and let her

pretty head sink upon my shoulder

how romantic you are carmilla i said

whenever you tell me your story it will

be made up chiefly of some

one great romance she kissed me silently

i am sure carmilla you have been in love

that there is at this moment an affair

of the heart going on

i have been in love with no one and

never shall she whispered

unless it should be with you oh my

goodness

scandalous how beautiful she looked in

the moonlight shy and strange was the

look with which she quickly hid her face

in my neck and hair

with tumultuous size that seemed almost

a sob

as she pressed in mine a hand that

trembled her soft cheek was glowing

against mine

darling darling she murmured i live in

you

oh boy and you would die for me i love

you so

i stared from her she was gazing on me

with eyes from which all

fire all meaning had flown and a face

colorless and apathetic

is there a chill in the air dear she

said drowsily

i almost shiver have i been dreaming let

us come in

come come come in you look ill carmilla

a little faint

you must certainly take some wine i said

yes i will i'm better now shall be quite

well in a few minutes

yes do give me a little wine answered

carmilla as we approach the door

let us look again for a moment it is the

last time perhaps

i shall see the moonlight with you how

do you feel now

dear carmilla are you really better i

asked

i was beginning to take alarm because

she should have been stricken with the

strange epidemic that they had said

had invaded the country about us papa

would be grieved beyond measure i added

if he thought you were ever so little

ill without immediately letting us know

with a very skillful doctor near us the

physician who was with papa today

i'm sure he is i know how kind you all

are but dear child

i'm quite well again there is nothing

ever wrong with me but a little weakness

people say i am languid i am incapable

of exertion

i can scarcely walk as far as a child of

three years old

and every now and then the little

strength i have falters and i become as

you have just seen me

but after all i'm very easily set up

again in a moment i am perfectly myself

see how i have recovered so indeed she

had

and she and i talked a great deal very

animated she was

and the remainder of the evening passed

without any reoccurrence

of what i had called her infatuations i

mean

her crazy talk and looks which

embarrassed and even frightened me

but there occurred that night an event

which gave my thoughts quite a new turn

and seemed to startle even carmilla's

languid nature into momentary energy

what's gonna happen tune in again

[Music]

you