1

The Open Window

SAKI

About the Author

a well-
Munro (1870-1916),
Saki is the pen n a m e of Hector Hugh Born in
writer known more for his short stories.
known English two maiden
officer, he was brought up by
Burma, the son of a police
his education, Munro travelled all over Europe
aunts in England. After
Burma police. Two years
and eventually followed his father into the
him resign and return to England, where
tailing health forced
to
ater, for newspapers such
as
journalist, writing
e Started his career as
a
and
Morning Post,
e Westminster Gazette, Daily Express, Bystander,
in the First
in France as a soldier
Oulook. He died on the battlefield
in
and manners of people
Worl
War. d War. A superb storyteller of the lives
Parker.
this p Saki is often compared to O. Henry and Dorothy
Petiod, with a book of
Knowntoday for his short stories, he began his career

in 1900. His
story called The Rise of the Russian Empire, published
in l1902.
st coll came out
tion of short stories called Not-so-Stories
Sideshis Short
short stories (which first published in newspapers
dand later
were
tull-length
wrote a
volumes), he
lhe anthologised
into several
P1be another writer, and
short
ewwe Watched Pot, in collaboration with
a

lbe Unb Westminster Alee pol1tical

was a
aod Bassington. The
nodelled
e d on on Alice
Alice in Wonderland and When
Willuum Came,
78 Pearls of Wisdom

a futuristic work about an imagined German invasion of R..

Recognising his contribution to literature, a blue plaque haxBritan.
L
affixed to a building in which Munro once lived on MortimerS
been
Street
in central London. Sakis works also include Reginald (1904),. ginald
in Russia and Other Sketches (1910), The Chronicles of Clovis (1912
and Beasts and Superbeasts (1914). Two collections of his storiesand
sketches, The Toys of Peace and Other Papers, and The Square Eg and
death.
Other Sketches were published after his

About the Story

with an unlikely name
The Open Window tells the story of a man
'Framton Nuttel' and his visit to the country. Mr Nuttel is portrape
as having had a history of bad nerves and calls upon his sister's tnenus
UNt or
an accoua
letters to them. The story is
in the country to deliver her
Stor
one such visit when Mr Nuttel comes across a most interesan
ryteling
narrated to him by a fifteen year old who has a talent for sTorya
rbeastsin1914

The story was initially anthologised in Beasts and SuperDE |OKe

The character of the prankster and the plot of the witty pra theme
or
the
ne
in Saki's work. "The Open Window' showcases
Wcases

recur d rongue

telling tall tales, with the author's characteristic wit, irony*

in-cheek humour.

The Open Window e r

sd
Nurel,
Mr a

will be down presently, you

M
meantime
y aunt the
selfpossessed young lady of fifteen. In rbuu

try and put up with me. should

Harer

which P t u v a e l y

Framton Nuttel tried to say a feww o r d s come.

help
te

the niece that was

of the moment and the aunt
ngers
ereangers
w o u l d

doubted whether these formal visits on total prepg

nerve cure which he was

was to undergo. when

he c h e ra
en d

T know how it will be, his sister had sau t h ep e o p l e

l k n o u

down
to leave for the urself
counry. You will bury rs to a lady
towhem
speak to anybody. I shall just give you letters were
yu.
there. Some of them, as far as I can e m e m b e r ,

Framton wondered whether Mrs Sappleton,

the
nice
peopl

was
presenting one of the letters, was o of one
 Do you The Open Window
she r know
when she
many of the
thought
Hardly that
they people
rectory, you kr
know, anybody,
said had been silentaround here? asked the
79

introduction
ntroductic to about four
some of
Framtyearson. My sisterlongwasenough. niece.
Then you the
the young lady. know people here.ago, and she stgaveaying here
Only her name practically nothing about my
me
letters ot
and aunt?
ndering wheth
ondering whether Mrs address, continued
Sappleton admitted the
state.
Something
Her
about the room was in the visitor. le
married was
great made him
tragedy happened just believe the former.
That would be since former
widowed or

the time three

Her tragedy? your sister wasyears ago, said the child.
asked Framton. here.
spot tragedies seemed Somehow in this restful
out of
You may wonder place. country
October afternoon, why we keep that window wide
that said the niece, open on cold a

opened on to a lawn. pointing large French window

to a

lt is
hat window
quite warm for the time of the
year, said Framton. Bur has
Qut
got anything
to do with her tragedy?
wo through that window, three years her husband and her
young brothers went off for their day's ago,
back.i nIn crossing
crossing the shooting. They never came
moor they were
marsh. Their bodies
engulfed in a treacherous
part of

part of it. were never recovered. That the dreadhi was

Here the child's voice lost its self-possessed nore. Poor Aunt
aways thinks that
rown nat they will come back some day, they and the that licle

wndow spaniel
ijust as thethatWwas
a s lost with them, and walk in through
Serery evening Y used todo, That is why the window kept opeu is

aey went out untildusk. Poor his aunt, she has often told me
how

uknow, ut, her husband withdear white raincoat over his arm, Do
now,
ng that sometimesquiet a crecy
ou evenings like this, I almostget
he brokethey wil all walk in through that window-
eaunT hurriedoff withallittle shudder.
throu It
in
to was a relief
Framton when
wh

oDA ed into the room with many apologies for beinglate.

pe
She Vera has
has ee been amusing you? she said.
hope youbeendot very interesting, said Framton. drr Sappleton
 Pearls of Wisdom
brothers will be home from sho
and and
My
husband
this way.
come
in
always about the
rattled on cheerfully shooting and the sCarcr
She winter. To Framns
for d u c k in the
the prospects
birds, and made a desperate effort to turn the-
horrible. He
all purely conscious
hostess that his w-
but he w a s
less horrible subject;
and her eyes were conszr
of her attention,
only a fragment
him
him to the open window.
wandering past me rest from m
have ordered complete
The doctors announced
violent physical exercise, r
excitement and
that toral strangen=
like many people,
mistakenly believed
who, and cure. Ohi a
details of one's illness, their c a u s e
hungry for at the last mar
a yawn
a voice which only replacedattention-but et
Sappleton, in alert
into
Then she suddenly brightened
Framton was saying.
last! she cried.
Just in time for t
are at
Here they the niece w
turned towards
shivered slightly and was staring
understanding,
The child
sympathetic Framo
horror in her eyes.
window with dazed
Open direction. walkng
were
the s a m e figures
his seat and looked in three
all carried
s e'
o v e r h i ss h o u e
They
rwilight
In the deepening window. Ihey ndow.
towards the amton y Y
across the lawn coaro white Here'ta
Fram
had a
we
one heels.
arms, and of them their
thetr
att
close a i el derve
brown spaniel kept hall-door
andthegran
comn
hat; the
hisstick and retreat.
A cyclist hin.
with
the
rus
his hasty b e a r e r

ot
colliding
w h o
stages in avoid che
c h a t
to said
the hedge was
into
are, nny t e ls a n d
ere we Who
window.
Nuetel
wn
the
through
in Mr
ot
Oming dashed
a
I 1 . 0 1 ,
t n d
r r i v e d . n e w o s

ost cxtraordinary man, and

cameA
up' i l l n e s s e s ,

d
his
abuut arrive
.
talk y o u
you
wlen
n i e e
vwhen
Could only y a
or
apolog)y the
sud into
good bye hunted
s y a n i e l ,
the once
a ghost. was i s
d u k
it
 on t
rhe banks The Open Window
he
night in of thea
an
and newly dug Ganges by a
foaming grave of 81
Romance justat above him. withpack
the wild dogs,
short and had to
creatures
to
notice Enough
was her make snarling and spend
specialityanyone
. lose his grinerve.nning
Glossary (Slightly abri dged from the
self-possessed:
formal: calm, confident original.)
nerve cure:
according to
bury oneself: treatment for accepted rules or
rectory: keep nervous
French houseaway from disordercustoms
moor: window:
of the people
glass door rector (parish priest)
opening on to
to the
usually moors) wild, hilly
garde
garden
or
rough grass land, covered
engulf cannot be farmed.low bushes and with
marsh swallow up heather, that
wwaniel
Cteepy feeling low-lying, wet land
kind of dog
Prospect feeling of fearwith long hair and long ears
kmetery hope of
omancer something
unable to think
orhappening
piece of land feel clearly
ayeclity fanciful story where dead bodies are buried
thing that a
person does very well
pboosreheerhmbe sbeiostn
best option
thehe best
ranton
tudl strangt optioninin each cach of
a help dheNuttel thhe
the
belS would
i ieves
e ves Jo
following
e
that formal
t ftorna visits paid to the
be hel help nerve
the nervecure houses of
be ve which e
he was to
cure undergo.
undergo
beht
very eresting which e was
he was to
boring andng andand exciting.
exciting to undergo.
strenuous.