The Old House (2)

The Old House (2)

Had they been able to speak they probably would have said,
" How long are we to tolerate that old ruin ? Bow windows are out of fashion and, besides,  they obstruct our view.
It must believe itself to be a castle,  judging from the size of the steps leading up to the entrance, and that iron railing makes one think of funerals ; not to speak of the brass knobs.
It's embarrassing ! "

Right across  from the old house stood a new house; it was of the same opinion as all the other houses in the street.

But behind one of its windows sat a little boy, a little red-cheeked child with bright, shining eyes who preferred the old house, and that both in the daytime when the sun shone and at night in the moonlight.

When he looked at the walls of the old house, with its cracks and bare spots where the mortar had fallen off.

Then he could imagine how the street once had looked: in olden times, when all the houses had had broad steps leading up to their doors, and bay windows, and gables with tall pointed roofs.

He could see the soldiers marching through the streets armed with halberds.

Oh, he found the old house worth looking at and dreaming about.

(2/20)
ちょっと出だしは固いのですが、(3)以降、少し読みやすくなると思います。