1
00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:05,839
Speaker 1: The tap by Arthur Edwards Chapman. Mentally, I cursed the tap.

2
00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:08,320
If I had risen once to turn it off. I

3
00:00:08,359 --> 00:00:11,039
had risen half a dozen times during the last quarter

4
00:00:11,080 --> 00:00:16,519
of an hour, and still the disconcerting drip, drip drip continued.

5
00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:19,679
This was my first night in a new flat, and

6
00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:22,239
after Missus Biggs, who came in to do the cleaning

7
00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:25,160
and prepare my meals, had wished me good night, I

8
00:00:25,199 --> 00:00:27,480
had settled down to run off a short article which

9
00:00:27,519 --> 00:00:30,440
I had promised to deliver by morning. The words had

10
00:00:30,440 --> 00:00:33,759
flowed from my pen with scarcely an effort, and probably

11
00:00:33,880 --> 00:00:36,359
for this very reason, the incident stands out in my

12
00:00:36,439 --> 00:00:39,280
memory more vividly than would otherwise have been the case.

13
00:00:39,799 --> 00:00:42,560
I recollect that I had paused my writing to consider

14
00:00:42,679 --> 00:00:45,719
more deeply a certain point in my article. Glancing up

15
00:00:45,719 --> 00:00:48,159
at the clock, I had noticed the hands indicating a

16
00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:51,000
quarter to eleven, and as I took up my pen afresh,

17
00:00:51,119 --> 00:00:54,159
I heard that drip, drip drip of the tap in

18
00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:56,880
the bathroom. For a few minutes, I paid no attention

19
00:00:57,000 --> 00:00:59,880
to the sound and continued writing. But presently it be

20
00:01:00,119 --> 00:01:03,520
came so loud and insistent that I found myself counting

21
00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:08,920
the drops unconsciously. Drip drip, drip, a loose washer, I

22
00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:12,319
said to myself, I'll get a plumber tomorrow. Rising, I

23
00:01:12,359 --> 00:01:15,040
proceeded to the bathroom and turned the tap off so

24
00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:17,159
far as I was able. Then I went back to

25
00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:19,640
my desk, but barely had I picked up my pen,

26
00:01:19,879 --> 00:01:24,560
then the sound recommenced. Drip, drip, drip. I tried to

27
00:01:24,599 --> 00:01:27,840
ignore it, but without success. The very quietness of the

28
00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:31,239
building seemed to intensify the noise, until to listen to

29
00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:34,159
it became painful. I must have gone at least four

30
00:01:34,239 --> 00:01:37,200
times to try and screw the confounded thing off. And

31
00:01:37,239 --> 00:01:39,799
as surely as I returned to my chair, believing I

32
00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:43,400
had fixed it, just as surely would that dripping begin anew.

33
00:01:44,079 --> 00:01:46,840
With an exclamation of annoyance, I rose to my feet

34
00:01:46,879 --> 00:01:50,120
once more, and then suddenly I became aware that the

35
00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:54,879
drip drip drip was changing slowly, gradually to a full

36
00:01:54,959 --> 00:01:57,560
rush of water, as though someone were turning on the

37
00:01:57,599 --> 00:02:01,760
tap to its fullest extent. Surprise, I hurried to the bathroom,

38
00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:04,040
and as I approached the door, I heard the little

39
00:02:04,079 --> 00:02:07,359
window blow open with a loud bang, and a great

40
00:02:07,439 --> 00:02:10,639
gust of air enfolded me, air of so icy a

41
00:02:10,719 --> 00:02:14,840
coldness that I shivered involuntarily, grumbling at the carelessness of

42
00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:18,199
missus Biggs, and leaving the window unfastened, I closed it

43
00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:21,639
hastily and made it secure, shooting home the tiny bolt

44
00:02:21,719 --> 00:02:24,520
that a previous tenant had for some reason placed on

45
00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:28,599
the bottom frame. After stopping the tap, which by some

46
00:02:28,719 --> 00:02:32,000
strange freak had turned itself on, I closed the bathroom

47
00:02:32,039 --> 00:02:34,879
door and returned to my work with a renewed resolve

48
00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:37,479
to send for the plumber on the morrow. It was

49
00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:40,919
some time, however, before I was able fully to concentrate again,

50
00:02:41,439 --> 00:02:45,080
for I kept breaking off to listen for that drip, drip, drip.

51
00:02:45,759 --> 00:02:49,039
I listened in vain, for the tiresome sound was not renewed,

52
00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:51,360
and though I wrote for at least an hour longer,

53
00:02:51,479 --> 00:02:54,680
I did not hear it again that night. Next morning

54
00:02:54,719 --> 00:02:57,439
I put my resolve into practice, and in due course

55
00:02:57,520 --> 00:03:00,960
my friend, the plumber arrived. After spending considerable time in

56
00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:03,840
the bathroom, he came in to report to me. Didn't

57
00:03:03,879 --> 00:03:06,479
seem to be anything wrong, sir, he assured me. But

58
00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:08,560
I've put a new washer on and it'll be right

59
00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:11,080
enough now sir, I'll bob in again, though, just to

60
00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:14,599
see it's going proper. Apparently he was right, for I

61
00:03:14,639 --> 00:03:17,639
did not hear the tap at all during the day. Once,

62
00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:20,360
after Missus Biggs had gone, I visited the bathroom to

63
00:03:20,439 --> 00:03:23,599
inspect the job, and was quite convinced that the dripping

64
00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:26,840
would not cause me further inconvenience. Also, I took the

65
00:03:26,879 --> 00:03:30,319
opportunity of seeing that the bathroom window was securely fastened,

66
00:03:30,479 --> 00:03:33,800
and thus satisfied, I returned to my study. I got

67
00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:36,800
thoroughly warmed up to my work and was totally oblivious

68
00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:39,080
to everything but the scratch of my pen as it

69
00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:42,479
sped across the smooth surface of the paper. All else

70
00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:45,360
seemed wrapped in a quietness like that of a tropical night,

71
00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:50,639
a quietness paradoxically emphasized by the multitude of familiar sounds that,

72
00:03:50,759 --> 00:03:54,639
strangely enough, failed to impress themselves upon one's mind solely

73
00:03:54,680 --> 00:03:57,879
by reason of their very insistence. The ticking of the

74
00:03:57,879 --> 00:04:00,240
clock on the wall before me, the following of an

75
00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:04,039
occasional coal from the grate, These and other commonplace noises

76
00:04:04,159 --> 00:04:08,919
served only to heighten the deadly stillness of my room. Then, suddenly,

77
00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:11,520
as I wrote, I became conscious of a new sound,

78
00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:16,639
an accompaniment. It seemed to the scratch of my pen. Drip, drip, drip.

79
00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:19,879
It pierced the silence like a rapier pierces a heart.

80
00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:23,319
It forced itself upon me so harshly that I dropped

81
00:04:23,319 --> 00:04:25,600
my pen and stuffed my fingers into my ears to

82
00:04:25,639 --> 00:04:27,879
shut it out. As I did so, I raised my

83
00:04:27,959 --> 00:04:30,519
head and found myself gazing with a feeling akin to

84
00:04:30,560 --> 00:04:34,040
fear at the clock. It was exactly a quarter to eleven.

85
00:04:34,600 --> 00:04:37,160
For an instant, I stared, and a cold shiver ran

86
00:04:37,240 --> 00:04:40,240
down my spine. Was it merely coincidence or was there

87
00:04:40,279 --> 00:04:45,439
something uncanny about the tap? A quarter to eleven? Slowly, fearfully,

88
00:04:45,519 --> 00:04:48,319
I turned my head toward the door, half expecting to

89
00:04:48,319 --> 00:04:52,079
see some awful apparition come gliding through. Then I laughed,

90
00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:55,279
somewhat nervously. I must admit at my childish drette, and

91
00:04:55,319 --> 00:04:58,079
got sharply to my feet. Hang it all My nerves

92
00:04:58,079 --> 00:05:00,600
were all on edge. I was working too hard. A

93
00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:05,399
rest would do me good. Drip drip, drip. Nothing strange

94
00:05:05,399 --> 00:05:08,399
about that. Surely, I thought I would have it out

95
00:05:08,399 --> 00:05:11,120
with my friend the plumber all the same. Meanwhile, I

96
00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:14,439
must try and check the dripping. As I entered the bathroom,

97
00:05:14,519 --> 00:05:18,240
the tap, seeming to protest against my interference, began to

98
00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:21,120
drip faster, and I reached out my hand to stop it.

99
00:05:21,839 --> 00:05:25,720
Then I felt a peculiar, stinging, burning sensation of intense

100
00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:28,800
cold across the backs of my hands, as though someone

101
00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:31,079
were passing a piece of ice over them, and the

102
00:05:31,199 --> 00:05:34,959
knob of the tap began slowly to unscrew itself. It

103
00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:39,240
was weird uncanny. I cannot adequately describe it. I tried

104
00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:42,600
to resist that unseen force, but was powerless against it.

105
00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:45,600
Nor could I withdraw my hands from the tap. They

106
00:05:45,639 --> 00:05:48,439
were numb with that fake coldness, and pressed on by

107
00:05:48,439 --> 00:05:52,040
invisible fingers against the metal, while the screw slowly turned

108
00:05:52,199 --> 00:05:56,000
round and round before my very eyes, and the drip

109
00:05:56,120 --> 00:06:00,279
became a swift dribble. And then an awful, nameless error

110
00:06:00,319 --> 00:06:03,560
took possession of me. I strove to fla but could not.

111
00:06:04,040 --> 00:06:07,240
I turned my head away, but some strange power impelled

112
00:06:07,279 --> 00:06:09,519
me to return my gaze to the tap that kept

113
00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:14,480
on slowly turning, turning. My heart beat madly against my ribs.

114
00:06:14,759 --> 00:06:17,600
I was hot and cold. Alternately, I think I went

115
00:06:17,680 --> 00:06:22,000
mad and struggled wildly to escape that horrible influence. Then,

116
00:06:22,199 --> 00:06:25,399
as the screw reached its limit and the water gushed forth,

117
00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:29,000
the little window suddenly was flung open, and an icy

118
00:06:29,079 --> 00:06:32,439
blast met me and sent me staggering back against the wall.

119
00:06:32,959 --> 00:06:35,720
For a few minutes I leaned there, striving to steady

120
00:06:35,759 --> 00:06:39,160
my racked nerves and collect my scattered wits. But now

121
00:06:39,319 --> 00:06:41,680
all was still and quiet, save for the rushing of

122
00:06:41,680 --> 00:06:45,120
the water. Mechanically, I crossed to the basin and turned

123
00:06:45,160 --> 00:06:48,879
the tap off, afterward closing and fastening the window. Now

124
00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:51,240
I was able to think more calmly, and endeavored to

125
00:06:51,279 --> 00:06:54,199
probe the mystery of this strange happening. But try as

126
00:06:54,199 --> 00:06:56,879
I would, I could not explain it. I had always

127
00:06:56,879 --> 00:07:01,920
been a skeptic where spiritualism was concerned, and yet the

128
00:07:01,959 --> 00:07:05,079
next day passed quite as usual, And though on several

129
00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:08,120
occasions I entered the bathroom, there was no indication of

130
00:07:08,199 --> 00:07:11,199
anything out of the ordinary about the place. The tap

131
00:07:11,319 --> 00:07:15,319
was behaving just as any self respecting tap should. During

132
00:07:15,360 --> 00:07:17,560
the evening I received a visit from an old college

133
00:07:17,680 --> 00:07:21,040
chum Ralph Greytrix. In the old days we had fought

134
00:07:21,079 --> 00:07:24,240
many a wordy battle, a matter's relating to psychic research.

135
00:07:24,680 --> 00:07:27,120
For Great Trix was a keen student of the subject,

136
00:07:27,319 --> 00:07:30,360
whereas I, as I have intimated, was openly a scoffer.

137
00:07:31,240 --> 00:07:34,199
Remembering thus, I took the opportunity of telling him of

138
00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:37,480
my experience of the previous night. When I had finished

139
00:07:37,480 --> 00:07:40,560
my tale, Great Trix was silent for a space. Then

140
00:07:40,600 --> 00:07:44,120
he turned and looked at me queerly and said, rather irrelevantly,

141
00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:47,519
I thought, do you remember the Goldstone murder which created

142
00:07:47,560 --> 00:07:50,879
such a sensation some six months ago? I said, I

143
00:07:50,920 --> 00:07:54,040
had a slight recollection of the affair. A certain theatrical

144
00:07:54,079 --> 00:07:56,879
manager of the name of Goldstone had murdered his wife

145
00:07:56,879 --> 00:08:00,000
in a fit of jealousy, wasn't it yes, Greay Tricks

146
00:08:00,079 --> 00:08:04,360
agreed slowly, Well, the crime was committed in this flat.

147
00:08:05,279 --> 00:08:08,839
Now it was my turn to stare curiously in this flat,

148
00:08:09,079 --> 00:08:11,879
I repeated, taking out my cigarette case and offering it

149
00:08:11,920 --> 00:08:15,439
to him. Great Tricks nodded. Let me refresh your memory

150
00:08:15,439 --> 00:08:18,680
a little, he said, lighting up. This Goldstone was known

151
00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:21,519
to be insanely jealous of his young wife. It was

152
00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:24,680
said that he suspected her of being unduly interested in

153
00:08:24,720 --> 00:08:29,160
a certain actor who was then playing lead in Goldstone's company. Well,

154
00:08:29,240 --> 00:08:32,480
one night, a Sunday, it was Goldstone was returning to

155
00:08:32,559 --> 00:08:36,159
his flat when he passed the actor in the street. Immediately,

156
00:08:36,200 --> 00:08:39,799
Goldstone's jealousy was aroused in his mind. There was but

157
00:08:39,879 --> 00:08:43,799
one explanation. His wife had taken advantage of his absence

158
00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:47,039
to receive her lover. Oh, I seem to remember that,

159
00:08:47,120 --> 00:08:50,279
I interrupted. It was proved afterwards that the actor had

160
00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:52,559
just left some friends further up the street, in whose

161
00:08:52,600 --> 00:08:55,720
company he had been all the evening. Wasn't that it? Yes,

162
00:08:55,840 --> 00:08:58,919
you're right, great Trick said, But Goldstone didn't know that.

163
00:08:59,519 --> 00:09:03,519
All he thought of was the supposed faithlessness of his wife.

164
00:09:03,559 --> 00:09:07,159
His previous suspicions seemed to be more than justified, and

165
00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:09,879
he entered the flat with murder in his heart. His

166
00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:12,639
wife was just retiring and had gone into the bathroom

167
00:09:12,679 --> 00:09:14,360
for a glass of water, which she was in the

168
00:09:14,399 --> 00:09:17,240
habit of taking last thing at night. She had just

169
00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:20,720
turned on the tap marked this well, and was reaching

170
00:09:20,759 --> 00:09:24,240
for the glass when Goldstone burst in upon her. Great

171
00:09:24,279 --> 00:09:27,840
Trix paused and gazed into the fireplace. That would be

172
00:09:27,879 --> 00:09:32,200
some time, just before eleven, he said, reflectively, Just before eleven,

173
00:09:32,399 --> 00:09:35,600
I shot the question suddenly, that's the time the tap

174
00:09:35,679 --> 00:09:39,320
starts to drip. My friend nodded his head slowly and continued,

175
00:09:39,919 --> 00:09:42,559
She hadn't time to fill the glass before Goldstone had

176
00:09:42,559 --> 00:09:45,360
her by the throat. You know, the rest A policeman

177
00:09:45,440 --> 00:09:47,559
heard her scream and forced an entry, but it was

178
00:09:47,600 --> 00:09:50,519
too late. He finished speaking, and bent to poke the

179
00:09:50,600 --> 00:09:53,960
dying fire into a last despairing flame. I gazed at

180
00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:59,000
him half doubtfully, Then you think, I began? I believe,

181
00:09:59,120 --> 00:10:02,320
he said deliberately, that the spirit of the dead woman

182
00:10:02,399 --> 00:10:05,559
is seeking to complete the action which the mind conceived

183
00:10:05,639 --> 00:10:08,519
but the body was unable to carry out. You mean

184
00:10:08,759 --> 00:10:11,639
that the thought uppermost in the woman's mind when death

185
00:10:11,679 --> 00:10:14,600
overtook her was to obtain a glass of water, and

186
00:10:14,639 --> 00:10:17,120
that the spirit will not rest in peace until this

187
00:10:17,240 --> 00:10:22,000
thought becomes translated into action, Yes, he said, and then

188
00:10:22,039 --> 00:10:26,120
stopped short, listening intently. I had heard the sound also,

189
00:10:26,399 --> 00:10:29,279
and knew that the hour had come. Glancing quickly at

190
00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:31,480
the clock, I saw that it was a quarter to eleven,

191
00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:36,000
And as the drip, drip drip slowly became louder, I

192
00:10:36,039 --> 00:10:39,000
felt something of that fear of the previous night, returning.

193
00:10:39,519 --> 00:10:42,720
Great tricks rose sharply and flung his half consumed cigarette

194
00:10:42,759 --> 00:10:47,000
into the fireplace, a strange, far off look in his eyes. Come,

195
00:10:47,080 --> 00:10:50,600
he said quietly, and I followed him, not without some misgivings,

196
00:10:50,639 --> 00:10:53,360
to the bathroom. As he pushed open the door, my

197
00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:56,399
eyes instinctively sought out the tap, and I saw that

198
00:10:56,480 --> 00:11:00,480
it was slowly turning, turning. For an instant my friend

199
00:11:00,519 --> 00:11:04,279
watched in silence. Then suddenly he crossed to the basin, and,

200
00:11:04,360 --> 00:11:07,120
taking a glass from the shelf above, held it under

201
00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:11,279
the tap, which now was running swiftly. Wonderingly, I watched him,

202
00:11:11,360 --> 00:11:13,919
shivering a little as I felt an icy wave pass

203
00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:17,039
by me. But great Tricks did not appear to notice anything,

204
00:11:17,279 --> 00:11:20,039
and placing the glass, now full, on the basin, he

205
00:11:20,120 --> 00:11:24,360
came quickly to my side. Watch, he said simply. Together

206
00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:26,960
we gazed at that glass of water, and then, with

207
00:11:27,039 --> 00:11:31,320
a shock, I realized that it was moving slowly, almost imperceptibly.

208
00:11:31,360 --> 00:11:34,519
At first it began to float upward, as though raised

209
00:11:34,519 --> 00:11:39,480
by an invisible hand. Fascinated, horrified, I watched the upward course,

210
00:11:39,759 --> 00:11:41,679
and I think I would have rushed forward had not

211
00:11:41,759 --> 00:11:45,039
my companion held me back with a warning arm. Higher

212
00:11:45,080 --> 00:11:47,960
the glass went and that invisible hand began to tilt

213
00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:50,360
it so that it seemed as if the contents must

214
00:11:50,440 --> 00:11:54,360
be spilled to the floor. No drop fell, however, Instead

215
00:11:54,519 --> 00:11:57,879
I saw the water slowly disappearing, vanishing into the air,

216
00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:01,480
until the last drop was gone. I felt my head throbbing,

217
00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:04,840
my heart began to raise. I could stand it no longer,

218
00:12:04,879 --> 00:12:07,600
and with a cry, I flung aside my friend's restraining

219
00:12:07,639 --> 00:12:11,120
hand and darted wildly forward. With a loud crash, the

220
00:12:11,159 --> 00:12:14,159
window burst open, and as I fell back before the

221
00:12:14,200 --> 00:12:17,720
fierceness of that inrush of air, the glass freed from

222
00:12:17,720 --> 00:12:21,000
the invisible power, tumbled to the floor, where it shattered

223
00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:24,919
into a hundred fragments. With an effort, I calmed myself

224
00:12:24,960 --> 00:12:27,200
and turned to greyt Trix, who was still standing with

225
00:12:27,279 --> 00:12:29,759
his back against the wall, a vacant look in his

226
00:12:29,840 --> 00:12:32,639
eyes and a faint smile of un understanding and relief

227
00:12:32,679 --> 00:12:36,120
on his lips. What what was it? I stammered? What

228
00:12:36,240 --> 00:12:39,600
does it mean? Quietly he answered, as he turned toward me.

229
00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:43,120
It means that the unexpressed thought has become an actuality.

230
00:12:43,399 --> 00:12:46,799
The spirit will trouble you no more, my friend, the

231
00:12:46,799 --> 00:12:49,000
plumber came as he had promised to see how his

232
00:12:49,120 --> 00:12:52,200
job had gone on. Well, Sir said, I dare bet

233
00:12:52,240 --> 00:12:56,320
as how that tap ain't drippen now, eh, I smiled thoughtfully. No,

234
00:12:56,679 --> 00:13:00,440
I replied slowly. It doesn't drip now, I thought, is

235
00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:03,960
how I'd fix it, he exclaimed with professional pride. What

236
00:13:04,080 --> 00:13:06,639
I don't know about taps ain't worth waisting breath on

237
00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:09,200
and of the tap.