The ghost of an 18th century
suicide victim was
stalking the
corridors of Peterhouse College in
Cambridge University and perturbed professors wanted to call in an
exorcist. The college bursar and two butlers reported seeing the
mysterious figure in an oak-panelled dining room.
Founded in
1284, Peterhouse is Cambridge University's oldest college. Historians in the
town can tell you a great deal about the college's well-documented history. They
know every recorded fact, detail and date of the college's buildings. They can
list with
pride the many famous academics and
alumni from Peterhouse who have
made a mark on the world. But, today,
gossips in Cambridge have no interest in
any of these glories of the college's past. Talk now
focuses only on the past
lives of Peterhouse's servants and
staff. The
sudden appearance of a
ghost in a
college dining room is
to blame.
The ghost was first seen last year by two college
butlers who were
tidying away
after a formal dinner in the Combination Room. At exactly the same moment, the
two men
became aware of a faint figure
stepping out from the wooden panelling of
the walls. The ghost moved towards the room's famous William Morris
fireplace.
And then it simply disappeared. Alarmed, both men looked at each other. They
knew they had seen the exact same thing: an unhappy soul from Peterhouse's past!
At first the college
bursar, Andrew Murison, dismissed all the reports of a
ghost. But Murison changed his mind a few months later. He went into the
Combination Room a little before midnight to get some fruit left in a bowl on
the table. The room was as cold as a
tomb, he remembers. But the central heating
was
on full. Suddenly, all the heating pipes
screeched eerily together. A dark
figure stirred at the back of the room. Not surprisingly, Murison says he
raced
out of the room without looking back.
After this, Graham Ward, the
dean of Peterhouse, called in a
priest to ask how
the college could
get rid of the ghost. Unfortunately for everyone, the
religious rites that deal with this sort of
haunting are completely out of step
with the demands of a modern-day institution. To see a ghost off for good,
everyone who lives or works in a haunted building must gather together to take
part in a religious service with the priest. This is impossible to arrange in a
college where everyone's time is
taken up with
research, lectures, conferences,
exams and all the many
tasks of running a complex
seat of learning.
So the ghost at Peterhouse
is likely to disturb the college
for some time to
come. Many people in the college are
keen to know the true identity of their
uninvited guest. Some people
link the ghost to the great uncle of George
Washington, bursar of Peterhouse in 1695. But many others simply dismiss this
connection as
far-fetched.
These people suggest the ghost might well be Francis
Dawes, bursar of Peterhouse until 1787. The unfortunate Dawes
oversaw the
election of a master of the college who thereafter made his life as bursar
sheer
misery. In complete despair, Dawes
hanged himself from a
bell rope. This unhappy
death may be cause enough for Dawes' spirit to walk again. But until more
evidence can be found, no-one can be really sure. |
stalking: walking stiffly (recorriendo)
corridors: enclosed passageways (pasillos)
pride: feeling of self-respect, personal worth and satisfaction
(orgullo)
alumni: graduates (ex-alumnos)
made a mark on: became successful in (tuvieron éxito en)
gossips: informal conversation usually malicious (los chismes)
focuses only on: only centers in (se centra exclusivamente en)
lives: plural of life (vidas)
staff: personnel (personal)
sudden: unexpected
(repentina)
ghost: phantom (fantasma)
to blame: to
accuse (para echarle la culpa)
butler = manservant (mayordomo)
tidying away: putting things in order (poniendo todo en orden)
became aware = realized (se dieron cuenta)
stepping out: going out (saliendo)
fireplace: hearth (chimenea, hogar)
bursar = treasurer (tesorero)
tomb = grave (tumba)
on full: completely on (totalmente encendida)
screeched:
made a noise in an unnatural manner (crujieron, chirriaron de un modo
extraño) |
raced out = ran away (huyó, corrió)
dean = administrator
(decano)
priest = clergyman (sacerdote)
get rid of = do away with (sacarse de encima)
haunting:
follow constantly (persecución, embrujo)
taken up: absorbed, occupied (absorbido, ocupado)
research = investigation (investigación, estudio)
tasks = jobs (tareas, ocupaciones)
seat: center (centro)
is likely to = will probably (es probable que)
for some time to
come = in a near future (próximamente)
keen: clever,
smart (sagaces)
link = connect
(relacionan)
far-fetched = difficult to believe (rebuscada, poco creíble)
oversaw = supervised (supervisó, administró)
sheer misey =
miserable (muy penosa)
hanged himself: killed himself by hanging (se ahorcó)
bell rope: thick cord of a bell
(cuerda de campana) |
|