The Crown by M. R. James

CHAPTER 1

Paxton's Story

"Do you want to see a doctor?" Long asked.

"No, no," the young man said. "I ... I'm afraid."

It's a cold night. Come in and sit down. Dont' be afraid. That noise is only the wind in the trees. Please listen to my story. 

   It started on a dark, dark night in Seaburgh. Do you know Seaburg? It's a small English town near the sea. There's a train station near it, and there are some houses and shops. There's one small hotel. The beach is good and long, but the sea is usually very cold. (That isn't a problem for me. I don´t like swimming!). 

I was at the hotel there with my friend, Henry Long. It was cold that April and there weren't many people in Seaburgh. That was good for us because it was quiet.

   It was a good holiday. Every day Long and I walked near the sea. In the evenings we liked to sit in the hotel and talk.

   Suddenly, one evening, there was a noise at the door. A young man opened it.

   "I'm sorry," he said to us. "Please excuse me."

   "That's OK," I said.

   "Come in," Long said.

   The young man came into the light. He was short and he had dark hair. I looked at his unhappy face.

   "What's wrong?" I asked. "Are you OK?"

   "Do you want to see a doctor?" Long asked.

   "No, no", the young man said. "I ... I'm afraid."

   "Why?" Long asked.

   The young man didn't answer my friend's question.

   "Sit down and have a drink," I said. "What's your name?"

   "Paston."

   He didn't say his first name. (I don't know it today.)

   "What's wrong, Paxton?" I asked.

The young man looked at me and then at Long. His eyes were big and his face was white.

   "You don´t know me," he said.

   "I understand that. But please believe me. Please."

This was very important to him. Then Paxton started his story. 

Long and I listened for a long time. Here is his story.

                                         ¨

Paxton was on holiday in Seaburgh, too. He liked old buildings, and there were a lot of them near Seaburgh.

One day he went on his bicycle to a church near the town. It was a beautiful small church.

There was an old picture on it with three crowns. It was very interesting and Paxton wanted to know about it.

There was an old man in the church garden.

“Excuse me,” Paxton said. “What do you know about this picture?”

The old man put down his spade and looked at the young man.

“Do you know the story of the three crowns?” He asked.

“No,” Paxton answered.

“Seaburgh was always an important place,” the old man said. “It is today, too. It’s important because it’s on the sea.”

“I don’t understand,” Paxton said.

“The English wanted to protect their country from countries across the sea,” the old man said. “They put three crowns in the ground near the sea. One of the crowns was here, near Seaburgh.”

“But why?” Paxton asked. He didn’t understand. “What did three crowns in the ground do?”

“The three crowns were magic,” the old man said. “Their magic protected the country.”

“Do people believe that?” Paxton asked with a smile.

“Many people here in Seaburgh believe it,” the old man answered.

“But do you believe it?” Paxton said.

The old man looked at the dark sea. His eyes were dark, too. He didn’t answer Paxton’s question.

“And where are these crowns now?” Paxton asked.

He looked at the water, too. There was a boat on the sea. It was small on the dark water.

“That’s a difficult question,” the old man said. “One of them is in London now. Every day people on holiday can go and look at it. One of the crowns is in the sea. Now only one crown is in the ground. But its magic is working today.”

“Do you know about the last crown?” Paxton asked. “Where is it?

“I don’t know that,’ the old man said.