The Open Window

Framton Nuttel was suffering from some nervous disorder. So, he decided to come to the village for a rural treatment.

Framton’s sister knew that he would meet very few people in the countryside. He would feel lonely and bored. Also, his nerves would become worse. Thus, she gave him few letters of introduction to people she knew already.

The niece told Nuttel that three years ago, her aunt’s husband, two brothers and a dog had gone for hunting through the open French window and they never returned. But the aunt was still hoping to see them back through the open window.

Mrs. Sappleton said that her husband and brothers would be entering the house anytime through the open window. As they did this every time. The window was kept open until it was dark.

Framton swung around to know the reason for the girl’s horror. Soon he saw a silhouette of two men and a dog. And the three figures were coming towards the window.

The niece had told Nuttel that her aunt’s husband and brothers had been missing for three years. They once went through this window and never returned. When Framton saw them coming, he thought they were ghosts. So, he rushed out wildly in fear.

The girl explained that Framton had a bad experience with the dogs. She explained about her experience with a pack of dogs near a cemetery. So, he panicked and made a sudden exit on seeing the dog.

The open window is not truly a mystery story. It shows the fertile imagination of a young girl. She tells him a cooked-up story. Poor Framton falls a prey to her prank and runs out of the house hurriedly.

‘Irony’ refers to the contrast between what is expected out of a situation and what actually occurs. The open window has the irony of the situation. Framton goes to countryside for rest and relief from his nervousness. But Mrs. Sappleton’s niece tells him such a cooked-up story that he suddenly rushes out. He mistakes Mrs. Sappleton’s husband and brother as their ghosts.