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diff --git a/old/35517-8.txt b/old/35517-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index ec6bd17..0000000 --- a/old/35517-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5961 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Three Impostors, by Arthur Machen - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Three Impostors - or The Transmutations - -Author: Arthur Machen - -Release Date: March 8, 2011 [EBook #35517] -[Last updated: July 16, 2011] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE THREE IMPOSTORS *** - - - - -Produced by Marc D'Hooghe at http://www.freeliterature.org - - - - -THE THREE IMPOSTORS - -or The Transmutations - -by - -ARTHUR MACHEN - - - -TRANSLATOR OF 'L'HEPTAMERON' AND 'LE MOYEN DE PARVENIR'; - -AUTHOR OF 'THE CHRONICLE OF CLEMENDY' AND 'THE GREAT GOD PAN' - - - -BOSTON: Roberts Bros, 1895 - -LONDON: John Lane, Vigo st. - - - - -CONTENTS - - PROLOGUE - ADVENTURE OF THE GOLD TIBERIUS - THE ENCOUNTER OF THE PAVEMENT - NOVEL OF THE DARK VALLEY - ADVENTURE OF THE MISSING BROTHER - NOVEL OF THE BLACK SEAL - INCIDENT OF THE PRIVATE BAR - THE DECORATIVE IMAGINATION - NOVEL OF THE IRON MAID - THE RECLUSE OF BAYSWATER - NOVEL OF THE WHITE POWDER - STRANGE OCCURRENCE IN CLERKENWELL - HISTORY OF THE YOUNG MAN WITH SPECTACLES - ADVENTURE OF THE DESERTED RESIDENCE - - - - -THE THREE IMPOSTORS. - - - - -PROLOGUE. - - -"And Mr. Joseph Walters is going to stay the night?" said the smooth -clean-shaven man to his companion, an individual not of the most -charming appearance, who had chosen to make his ginger-colored mustache -merge into a pair of short chin-whiskers. - -The two stood at the hall door, grinning evilly at each other; and -presently a girl ran quickly down, the stairs, and joined them. She was -quite young, with a quaint and piquant rather than a beautiful face, and -her eyes were of a shining hazel. She held a neat paper parcel in one -hand, and laughed with her friends. - -"Leave the door open," said the smooth man to the other, as they were -going out. "Yes, by----," he went on with an ugly oath. "We'll leave the -front door on the jar. He may like to see company, you know." - -The other man looked doubtfully about him. "Is it quite prudent do you -think, Davies?" he said, pausing with his hand on the mouldering -knocker. "I don't think Lipsius would like it. What do you say, Helen?" - -"I agree with Davies. Davies is an artist, and you are commonplace, -Richmond, and a bit of a coward. Let the door stand open, of course. But -what a pity Lipsius had to go away! He would have enjoyed himself." - -"Yes," replied the smooth Mr. Davies, "that summons to the west was very -hard on the doctor." - -The three passed out, leaving the hall door, cracked and riven with -frost and wet, half open, and they stood silent for a moment under the -ruinous shelter of the porch. - -"Well," said the girl, "it is done at last. I shall hurry no more on the -track of the young man with spectacles." - -"We owe a great deal to you," said Mr. Davies politely; "the doctor said -so before he left. But have we not all three some farewells to make? I, -for my part, propose to say good-by, here, before this picturesque but -mouldy residence, to my friend Mr. Burton, dealer in the antique and -curious," and the man lifted his hat with an exaggerated bow. - -"And I," said Richmond, "bid adieu to Mr. Wilkins, the private -secretary, whose company has, I confess, become a little tedious." - -"Farewell to Miss Lally, and to Miss Leicester also," said the girl, -making as she spoke a delicious courtesy. "Farewell to all occult -adventure; the farce is played." - -Mr. Davies and the lady seemed full of grim enjoyment, but Richmond -tugged at his whiskers nervously. - -"I feel a bit shaken up," he said. "I've seen rougher things in the -States, but that crying noise he made gave me a sickish feeling. And -then the smell--But my stomach was never very strong." - -The three friends moved away from the door, and began to walk slowly up -and down what had been a gravel path, but now lay green and pulpy with -damp mosses. It was a fine autumn evening, and a faint sunlight shone on -the yellow walls of the old deserted house, and showed the patches of -gangrenous decay, and all the stains, the black drift of rain from the -broken pipes, the scabrous blots where the bare bricks were exposed, the -green weeping of a gaunt laburnum that stood beside the porch, and -ragged marks near the ground where the reeking clay was gaining on the -worn foundations. It was a queer rambling old place, the centre perhaps -two hundred years old, with dormer windows sloping from the tiled roof, -and on each side there were Georgian wings; bow windows had been carried -up to the first floor, and two dome-like cupolas that had once been -painted a bright green were now gray and neutral. Broken urns lay upon -the path, and a heavy mist seemed to rise from the unctuous clay; the -neglected shrubberies, grown all tangled and unshapen, smelt dank and -evil, and there was an atmosphere all about the deserted mansion that -proposed thoughts of an opened grave. The three friends looked dismally -at the rough grasses and the nettles that grew thick over lawn and -flower-beds; and at the sad water-pool in the midst of the weeds. There, -above green and oily scum instead of lilies, stood a rusting Triton on -the rocks, sounding a dirge through a shattered horn; and beyond, beyond -the sunk fence and the far meadows; the sun slid down and shone red -through the bars of the elm trees. - -Richmond shivered and stamped his foot. "We had better be going soon," -he said; "there is nothing else to be done here." - -"No," said Davies, "it is finished at last. I thought for some time we -should never get hold of the gentleman with the spectacles. He was a -clever fellow, but, Lord! he broke up badly at last. I can tell you he -looked white at me when I touched him on the arm in the bar. But where -could he have hidden the thing? We can all swear it was not on him." - -The girl laughed, and they turned away, when Richmond gave a violent -start. "Ah!" he cried, turning to the girl, "what have you got there? -Look, Davies, look! it's all oozing and dripping." - -The young woman glanced down at the little parcel she was carrying, and -partially unfolded the paper. - -"Yes, look both of you," she said; "it's my own idea. Don't you think it -will do nicely for the doctor's museum? It comes from the right hand, -the hand that took the gold Tiberius." - -Mr. Davies nodded with a good deal of approbation, and Richmond lifted -his ugly high-crowned bowler, and wiped his forehead with a dingy -handkerchief. - -"I'm going," he said; "you two can stay if you like." - -The three went round by the stable path, past the withered wilderness of -the old kitchen garden, and struck off by a hedge at the back, making -for a particular point in the road. About five minutes later two -gentlemen, whom idleness had led to explore these forgotten outskirts of -London, came sauntering up the shadowy carriage drive. They had spied -the deserted house from the road, and as they observed all the heavy -desolation of the place they began to moralize in the great style, with -considerable debts to Jeremy Taylor. - -"Look, Dyson," said the one as they drew nearer, "look at those upper -windows; the sun is setting, and though the panes are dusty, yet - - "The grimy sash an oriel burns." - -"Phillipps," replied the elder and (it must be said) the more pompous of -the two, "I yield to fantasy, I cannot withstand the influence of the -grotesque. Here, where all is falling into dimness and dissolution, and -we walk in cedarn gloom, and the very air of heaven goes mouldering to -the lungs, I cannot remain commonplace. I look at that deep glow on the -panes, and the house lies all enchanted; that very room, I tell you, is -within all blood and fire." - - - - -ADVENTURE OF THE GOLD TIBERIUS. - - -The acquaintance between Mr. Dyson and Mr. Charles Phillipps arose from -one of those myriad chances which are every day doing their work in the -streets of London. Mr. Dyson was a man of letters, and an unhappy -instance of talents misapplied. With gifts that might have placed him in -the flower of his youth among the most favored of Bentley's favorite -novelists, he had chosen to be perverse; he was, it is true, familiar -with scholastic logic, but he knew nothing of the logic of life, and he -flattered himself with the title of artist, when he was in fact but an -idle and curious spectator of other men's endeavors. Amongst many -delusions, he cherished one most fondly, that he was a strenuous worker; -and it was with a gesture of supreme weariness that he would enter his -favorite resort, a small tobacco shop in Great Queen Street, and -proclaim to any one who cared to listen that he had seen the rising and -setting of two successive suns. The proprietor of the shop, a -middle-aged man of singular civility, tolerated Dyson partly out of good -nature, and partly because he was a regular customer; he was allowed to -sit on an empty cask, and to express his sentiments on literary and -artistic matters till he was tired or the time for closing came; and if -no fresh customers were attracted, it is believed that none were turned -away by his eloquence. Dyson, was addicted to wild experiments in -tobacco; he never wearied of trying new combinations, and one evening he -had just entered the shop and given utterance to his last preposterous -formula, when a young fellow, of about his own age, who had come in a -moment later, asked the shopman to duplicate the order on his account, -smiling politely, as he spoke, to Mr. Dyson's address. Dyson felt -profoundly flattered, and after a few phrases the two entered into -conversation, and in an hour's time the tobacconist saw the new friends -sitting side by side on a couple of casks, deep in talk. - -"My dear sir," said Dyson, "I will give you the task of the literary man -in a phrase. He has got to do simply this: to invent a wonderful story, -and to tell it in a wonderful manner." - -"I will grant you that," said Mr. Phillipps, "but you will allow me to -insist that in the hands of the true artist in words all stories are -marvellous, and every circumstance has its peculiar wonder. The matter -is of little consequence, the manner is everything. Indeed, the highest -skill is shown in taking matter apparently commonplace and transmuting -it by the high alchemy of style into the pure gold of art." - -"That is indeed a proof of great skill, but it is great skill exerted -foolishly, or at least unadvisedly. It is as if a great violinist were -to show us what marvellous harmonies he could draw from a child's -banjo." - -"No, no, you are really wrong. I see you take a radically mistaken view -of life. But we must thresh this out. Come to my rooms; I live not far -from here." - -It was thus that Mr. Dyson became the associate of Mr. Charles -Phillipps, who lived in a quiet square not far from Holborn. Thenceforth -they haunted each other's rooms at intervals, sometimes regular, and -occasionally the reverse, and made appointments to meet at the shop in -Queen Street, where their talk robbed the tobacconist's profit of half -its charm. There was a constant jarring of literary formulas, Dyson -exalting the claims of the pure imagination, while Phillipps, who was a -student of physical science and something of an ethnologist, insisted -that all literature ought to have a scientific basis. By the mistaken -benevolence of deceased relatives both young men were placed out of -reach of hunger, and so, meditating high achievements, idled their time -pleasantly away, and revelled in the careless joys of a Bohemianism -devoid of the sharp seasoning of adversity. - -One night in June Mr. Phillipps was sitting in his room in the calm -retirement of Red Lion Square. He had opened the window, and was smoking -placidly, while he watched the movement of life below. The sky was -clear, and the afterglow of sunset had lingered long about it; and the -flushing twilight of a summer evening, vying with the gas-lamps in the -square, had fashioned a chiaroscuro that had in it something unearthly; -and the children, racing to and fro upon the pavement, the lounging -idlers by the public, and the casual passers-by rather flickered, and -hovered in the play of lights than stood out substantial things. By -degrees in the houses opposite one window after another leaped out a -square of light, now and again a figure would shape itself against a -blind and vanish, and to all this semi-theatrical magic the runs and -flourishes of brave Italian opera played a little distance off on a -piano-organ seemed an appropriate accompaniment, while the deep-muttered -bass of the traffic of Holborn never ceased. Phillipps enjoyed the scene -and its effects; the light in the sky faded and turned to darkness, and -the square gradually grew silent, and still he sat dreaming at the -window, till the sharp peal of the house bell roused him, and looking at -his watch he found that it was past ten o'clock. There was a knock at -the door, and his friend Mr. Dyson entered, and, according to his -custom, sat down in an armchair and began to smoke in silence. - -"You know, Phillipps," he said at length, "that I have always battled -for the marvellous. I remember your maintaining in that chair that one -has no business to make use of the wonderful, the improbable, the odd -coincidence in literature, and you took the ground that it was wrong to -do so, because, as a matter of fact, the wonderful and the improbable -don't happen, and men's lives are not really shaped by odd coincidence. -Now, mind you, if that were so, I would not grant your conclusion, -because I think the "criticism-of-life" theory is all nonsense; but I -deny your premise. A most singular thing has happened to me to-night." - -"Really, Dyson, I am very glad to hear it. Of course I oppose your -argument, whatever it may be; but if you would be good enough to tell me -of your adventure I should be delighted." - -"Well, it came about like this. I have had a very hard day's work; -indeed, I have scarcely moved from my old bureau since seven o'clock -last night. I wanted to work out that idea we discussed last Tuesday, -you know, the notion of the fetish-worshipper." - -"Yes, I remember. Have you been able to do anything with it?" - -"Yes; it came out better than I expected; but there were great -difficulties, the usual agony between the conception and the execution. -Anyhow I got it done at about seven o'clock to-night, and I thought I -should like a little of the fresh air. I went out and wandered rather -aimlessly about the streets; my head was full of my tale, and I didn't -much notice where I was going. I got into those quiet places to the -north of Oxford Street as you go west, the genteel residential -neighborhood of stucco and prosperity. I turned east again without -knowing it, and it was quite dark when I passed along a sombre little -by-street, ill lighted and empty. I did not know at the time in the -least where I was, but I found out afterwards that it was not very far -from Tottenham Court Road. I strolled idly along, enjoying the -stillness; on one side there seemed to be the back premises of some -great shop; tier after tier of dusty windows lifted up into the night, -with gibbet-like contrivances for raising heavy goods, and below large -doors, fast closed and bolted, all dark and desolate. Then there came a -huge pantechnicon warehouse; and over the way a grim blank wall, as -forbidding as the wall of a jail, and then the headquarters of some -volunteer regiment, and afterwards a passage leading to a court where -wagons were standing to be hired. It was, one might almost say, a street -devoid of inhabitants, and scarce a window showed the glimmer of a -light. I was wondering at the strange peace and dimness there, where it -must be close to some roaring main artery of London life, when suddenly -I heard the noise of dashing feet tearing along the pavement at full -speed, and from a narrow passage, a mews or something of that kind, a -man was discharged as from a catapult under my very nose and rushed past -me, flinging something from him as he ran. He was gone and down another -street in an instant, almost before I knew what had happened, but I -didn't much bother about him, I was watching something else. I told you -he had thrown something away; well, I watched what seemed a line of -flame flash through the air and fly quivering over the pavement, and in -spite of myself I could not help tearing after it. The impetus lessened, -and I saw something like a bright half-penny roll slower and slower, and -then deflect towards the gutter, hover for a moment on the edge, and -dance down into a drain. I believe I cried out in positive despair, -though I hadn't the least notion what I was hunting; and then to my joy -I saw that, instead of dropping into the sewer, it had fallen flat -across two bars. I stooped down and picked it up and whipped it into my -pocket, and I was just about to walk on when I heard again that sound of -dashing footsteps. I don't know why I did it, but as a matter of fact I -dived down into the mews, or whatever it was, and stood as much in the -shadow as possible. A man went by with a rush a few paces from where I -was standing, and I felt uncommonly pleased that I was in hiding. I -couldn't make out much feature, but I saw his eyes gleaming and his -teeth showing, and he had an ugly-looking knife in one hand, and I -thought things would be very unpleasant for gentleman number one if the -second robber, or robbed, or what you like, caught him up. I can tell -you, Phillipps, a fox hunt is exciting enough, when the horn blows clear -on a winter morning, and the hounds give tongue, and the red-coats -charge away, but it's nothing to a man hunt, and that's what I had a -slight glimpse of to-night. There was murder in the fellow's eyes as he -went by, and I don't think there was much more than fifty seconds -between the two. I only hope it was enough." - -Dyson leant back in his armchair and relit his pipe, and puffed -thoughtfully. Phillipps began to walk up and down the room, musing over -the story of violent death fleeting in chase along the pavement, the -knife shining in the lamplight, the fury of the pursuer, and the terror -of the pursued. - -"Well," he said at last, "and what was it, after all, that you rescued -from the gutter?" - -Dyson jumped up, evidently quite startled. "I really haven't a notion. I -didn't think of looking. But we shall see." - -He fumbled in his waistcoat pocket and drew out a small and shining -object, and laid it on the table. It glowed there beneath the lamp with -the radiant glory of rare old gold; and the image and the letters stood -out in high relief, clear and sharp, as if it had but left the mint a -month before. The two men bent over it, and Phillipps took it up and -examined it closely. - -"Imp. Tiberius Cæsar Augustus," he read the legend, and then, looking at -the reverse of the coin, he stared in amazement, and at last turned to -Dyson with a look of exultation. - -"Do you know what you have found?" he said. - -"Apparently a gold coin of some antiquity," said Dyson, coolly. - -"Quite so, a gold Tiberius. No, that is wrong. You have found _the_ gold -Tiberius. Look at the reverse." - -Dyson looked and saw the coin was stamped with the figure of a faun -standing amidst reeds and flowing water. The features, minute as they -were, stood out in delicate outline; it was a face lovely and yet -terrible, and Dyson thought of the well-known passage of the lad's -playmate, gradually growing with his growth and increasing with his -stature, till the air was filled with the rank fume of the goat. - -"Yes," he said, "it is a curious coin. Do you know it?" - -"I know about it. It is one of the comparatively few historical objects -in existence; it is all storied like those jewels we have read of. A -whole cycle of legend has gathered round the thing; the tale goes that -it formed part of an issue struck by Tiberius to commemorate an infamous -excess. You see the legend on the reverse: 'Victoria.' It is said that -by an extraordinary accident the whole issue was thrown into the melting -pot, and that only this one coin escaped. It glints through history and -legend, appearing and disappearing, with intervals of a hundred years in -time and continents in place. It was discovered by an Italian humanist, -and lost and rediscovered. It has not been heard of since 1727, when Sir -Joshua Byrde, a Turkey merchant, brought it home from Aleppo, and -vanished with it a month after he had shown it to the virtuosi, no man -knew or knows where. And here it is!" - -"Put it into your pocket, Dyson," he said, after a pause. "I would not -let any one have a glimpse of the thing, if I were you. I would not talk -about it. Did either of the men you saw see you?" - -"Well, I think not. I don't think the first man, the man who was vomited -out of the dark passage, saw anything at all; and I am sure that the -second could not have seen me." - -"And you didn't really see them. You couldn't recognize either the one -or the other if you met him in the street to-morrow?" - -"No, I don't think I could. The street, as I said, was dimly lighted, -and they ran like mad-men." - -The two men sat silent for some time, each weaving his own fancies of -the story; but lust of the marvellous was slowly overpowering Dyson's -more sober thoughts. - -"It is all more strange than I fancied," he said at last. "It was queer -enough what I saw; a man is sauntering along a quiet, sober, every-day -London street, a street of gray houses and blank walls, and there, for a -moment, a veil seems drawn aside, and the very fume of the pit steams up -through the flagstones, the ground glows, red hot, beneath his feet, and -he seems to hear the hiss of the infernal caldron. A man flying in mad -terror for his life, and furious hate pressing hot on his steps with -knife drawn ready; here indeed is horror. But what is all that to what -you have told me? I tell you, Phillipps, I see the plot thicken, our -steps will henceforth be dogged with mystery, and the most ordinary -incidents will teem with significance. You may stand out against it, and -shut your eyes, but they will be forced open; mark my words, you will -have to yield to the inevitable. A clue, tangled if you like, has been -placed by chance in our hands; it will be our business to follow it up. -As for the guilty person or persons in this strange case, they will be -unable to escape us, our nets will be spread far and wide over this -great city, and suddenly, in the streets and places of public resort, we -shall in some way or other be made aware that we are in touch with the -unknown criminal. Indeed, I almost fancy I see him slowly approaching -this quiet square of yours; he is loitering at street corners, -wandering, apparently without aim, down far-reaching thoroughfares, but -all the while coming nearer and nearer, drawn by an irresistible -magnetism, as ships were drawn to the Loadstone Rock in the Eastern -tale." - -"I certainly think," replied Phillipps, "that, if you pull out that coin -and flourish it under people's noses as you are doing at the present -moment, you will very probably find yourself in touch with the criminal, -or a criminal. You will undoubtedly be robbed with violence. Otherwise, -I see no reason why either of us should be troubled. No one saw you -secure the coin, and no one knows you have it. I, for my part, shall -sleep peacefully, and go about my business with a sense of security and -a firm dependence on the natural order of things. The events of the -evening, the adventure in the street, have been odd, I grant you, but I -resolutely decline to have any more to do with the matter, and, if -necessary, I shall consult the police. I will not be enslaved by a gold -Tiberius, even though it swims into my ken in a manner which is somewhat -melodramatic." - -"And I for my part," said Dyson, "go forth like a knight-errant in -search of adventure. Not that I shall need to seek; rather adventure -will seek me; I shall be like a spider in the midst of his web, -responsive to every movement, and ever on the alert." - -Shortly afterwards Dyson took his leave, and Mr. Phillipps spent the -rest of the night in examining some flint arrow-heads which he had -purchased. He had every reason to believe that they were the work of a -modern and not a palæolithic man, still he was far from gratified when a -close scrutiny showed him that his suspicions were well founded. In his -anger at the turpitude which would impose on an ethnologist, he -completely forgot Dyson and the gold Tiberius; and when he went to bed -at first sunlight, the whole tale had faded utterly from his thoughts. - - - - -THE ENCOUNTER OF THE PAVEMENT. - - -Mr. Dyson, walking leisurely along Oxford. Street, and staring with -bland inquiry at whatever caught his attention, enjoyed in all its rare -flavors the sensation that he was really very hard at work. His -observation of mankind, the traffic, and the shop-windows tickled his -faculties with an exquisite bouquet; he looked serious, as one looks on -whom charges of weight and moment are laid, and he was attentive in his -glances to right and left, for fear lest he should miss some -circumstance of more acute significance. He had narrowly escaped being -run over at a crossing by a charging van, for he hated to hurry his -steps, and indeed the afternoon was warm; and he had just halted by a -place of popular refreshment, when the astounding gestures of a well -dressed individual on the opposite pavement held him enchanted and -gasping like a fish. A treble line of hansoms, carriages, vans, cabs, -and omnibuses, was tearing east and west, and not the most daring -adventurer of the crossings would have cared to try his fortune; but the -person who had attracted Dyson's attention seemed to rage on the very -edge of the pavement, now and then darting forward at the hazard of -instant death, and at each repulse absolutely dancing with excitement, -to the rich amusement of the passers-by. At last, a gap that would, have -tried the courage of a street-boy appeared between the serried lines of -vehicles, and the man rushed across in a frenzy, and escaping by a -hair's breadth pounced upon Dyson as a tiger pounces on her prey. "I saw -you looking about you," he said, sputtering out his words in his intense -eagerness; "would you mind telling me this? Was the man who came out of -the Aerated Bread Shop and jumped, into the hansom three minutes ago a -youngish looking man with dark whiskers and spectacles? Can't you speak, -man? For Heaven's sake can't you speak? Answer me; it's a matter of life -and death." - -The words bubbled and boiled out of the man's mouth in the fury of his -emotion, his face went from red to white, and the beads of sweat stood -out on his forehead, and he stamped his feet as he spoke and tore with -his hand at his coat, as if something swelled and choked him, stopping -the passage of his breath. - -"My dear sir," said Dyson, "I always like to be accurate. Your -observation was perfectly correct. As you say, a youngish man, a man, I -should say, of somewhat timid bearing, ran rapidly out of the shop here, -and bounced into a hansom that must have been waiting for him, as it -went eastwards at once. Your friend also wore spectacles, as you say. -Perhaps you would like me to call a hansom for you to follow the -gentleman?" - -"No, thank you; it would be waste of time." The man gulped down -something which appeared to rise in his throat, and Dyson was alarmed to -see him shaking with hysterical laughter, and he clung hard to a -lamp-post and swayed and staggered like a ship in a heavy gale. - -"How shall I face the doctor?" he murmured to himself. "It is too hard -to fail at the last moment." Then he seemed to recollect himself, and -stood straight again, and looked quietly at Dyson. I owe you an apology -for my violence, he said at last. "Many men would not be so patient as -you have been. Would you mind adding to your kindness by walking with me -a little way? I feel a little sick; I think it's the sun." - -Dyson nodded assent, and devoted himself to a quiet scrutiny of this -strange personage as they moved on together. The man was dressed in -quiet taste, and the most scrupulous observer could find nothing amiss -with the fashion or make of his clothes, yet, from his hat to his boots, -everything seemed inappropriate. His silk hat, Dyson thought, should -have been a high bowler of odious pattern worn with a baggy -morning-coat, and an instinct told him that the fellow did not commonly -carry a clean pocket-handkerchief. The face was not of the most -agreeable pattern, and was in no way improved by a pair of bulbous -chin-whiskers of a ginger hue, into which mustaches of light color -merged imperceptibly. Yet in spite of these signals hung out by nature, -Dyson felt that the individual beside him was something more than -compact of vulgarity. He was struggling with himself, holding his -feelings in check, but now and again passion would mount black to his -face, and it was evidently by a supreme effort that he kept himself -from raging like a madman. Dyson found something curious and a little -terrible in the spectacle of an occult emotion thus striving for the -mastery, and threatening to break out at every instant with violence, -and they had gone some distance before the person whom he had met by so -odd a hazard was able to speak quietly. - -"You are really very good," he said. "I apologize again; my rudeness was -really most unjustifiable. I feel my conduct demands an explanation, and -I shall be happy to give it you. Do you happen to know of any place near -here where one could sit down? I should really be very glad." - -"My dear sir," said Dyson, solemnly, "the only café in London is close -by. Pray do not consider yourself as bound to offer me any explanation, -but at the same time I should be most happy to listen to you. Let us -turn down here." - -They walked down a sober street and turned into what seemed a narrow -passage past an iron-barred gate thrown back. The passage was paved with -flagstones, and decorated with handsome shrubs in pots on either side, -and the shadow of the high walls made a coolness which was very -agreeable after the hot breath of the sunny street. Presently the -passage opened out into a tiny square, a charming place, a morsel of -France transplanted into the heart of London. High walls rose on either -side, covered with glossy creepers, flower-beds beneath were gay with -nasturtiums, geraniums, and marigolds, and odorous with mignonette, and -in the centre of the square a fountain hidden by greenery sent a cool -shower continually plashing into the basin beneath, and the very noise -made this retreat delightful. Chairs and tables were disposed at -convenient intervals, and at the other end of the court broad doors had -been thrown back; beyond was a long, dark room, and the turmoil of -traffic had become a distant murmur. Within the room one or two men were -sitting at the tables, writing and sipping, but the courtyard was empty. - -"You see, we shall be quiet," said Dyson. "Pray sit down here, Mr.--?" - -"Wilkins. My name is Henry Wilkins." - -"Sit here, Mr. Wilkins. I think you will find that a comfortable seat. I -suppose you have not been here before? This is the quiet time; the place -will be like a hive at six o'clock, and the chairs and tables will -overflow into that little alley there." - -A waiter came in response to the bell; and after Dyson had politely -inquired after the health of M. Annibault, the proprietor, he ordered a -bottle of the wine of Champigny. - -"The wine of Champigny," he observed to Mr. Wilkins, who was evidently a -good deal composed by the influence of the place, "is a Tourainian wine -of great merit. Ah, here it is; let me fill your glass. How do you find -it?" - -"Indeed," said Mr. Wilkins, "I should have pronounced it a fine -Burgundy. The bouquet is very exquisite. I am fortunate in lighting upon -such a good Samaritan as yourself. I wonder you did not think me mad. -But if you knew the terrors that assailed me, I am sure you would no -longer be surprised at conduct which was certainly most unjustifiable." - -He sipped his wine, and leant back in his chair, relishing the drip and -trickle of the fountain, and the cool greenness that hedged in this -little port of refuge. - -"Yes," he said at last, "that is indeed an admirable wine. Thank you; -you will allow me to offer you another bottle?" - -The waiter was summoned, and descended through a trap-door in the floor -of the dark apartment, and brought up the wine. Mr. Wilkins lit a -cigarette, and Dyson pulled out his pipe. - -"Now," said Mr. Wilkins, "I promised to give you an explanation of my -strange behavior. It is rather a long story, but I see, sir, that you -are no mere cold observer of the ebb and flow of life. You take, I -think, a warm and an intelligent interest in the chances of your -fellow-creatures, and I believe you will find what I have to tell not -devoid of interest." - -Mr. Dyson signified his assent to these propositions, and though he -thought Mr. Wilkins's diction a little pompous, prepared to interest -himself in his tale. The other, who had so raged with passion half an -hour before, was now perfectly cool, and when he had smoked out his -cigarette, he began in an even voice to relate the - - - - -NOVEL OF THE DARK VALLEY. - - -I am the son of a poor but learned clergyman in the West of -England,--but I am forgetting, these details are not of special -interest. I will briefly state, then, that my father, who was, as I -have said, a learned man, had never learnt the specious arts by which -the great are flattered, and would never condescend to the despicable -pursuit of self-advertisement. Though his fondness for ancient -ceremonies and quaint customs, combined with a kindness of heart that -was unequalled and a primitive and fervent piety, endeared him to his -moor-land parishioners, such were not the steps by which clergy then -rose in the Church, and at sixty my father was still incumbent of the -little benefice he had accepted in his thirtieth year. The income of the -living was barely sufficient to support life in the decencies which are -expected of the Anglican parson; and when my father died a few years -ago, I, his only child, found myself thrown upon the world with a -slender capital of less than a hundred pounds, and all the problem of -existence before me. I felt that there was nothing for me to do in the -country, and as usually happens in such eases, London drew me like a -magnet. One day in August, in the early morning, while the dew still -glittered on the turf, and on the high green banks of the lane, a -neighbor drove me to the railway station, and I bade good-bye to the -land of the broad moors and unearthly battlements of the wild tors. It -was six o'clock as we neared London; the faint sickly fume of the -brickfields about Acton came in puffs through the open window, and a -mist was rising from the ground. Presently the brief view of successive -streets, prim and uniform, struck me with a sense of monotony; the hot -air seemed to grow hotter; and when we had rolled beneath the dismal and -squalid houses, whose dirty and neglected back yards border the line -near Paddington, I felt as if I should be stifled in this fainting -breath of London. I got a hansom and drove off, and every street -increased my gloom; gray houses with blinds drawn down, whole -thoroughfares almost desolate, and the foot-passengers who seemed to -stagger wearily along rather than walk, all made me feel a sinking at -heart. I put up for the night at a small hotel in a street leading from -the Strand, where my father had stayed on his few brief visits to town; -and when I went out after dinner, the real gayety and bustle of the -Strand and Fleet Street could cheer me but little, for in all this great -city there was no single human being whom I could claim even as an -acquaintance. I will not weary you with the history of the next year, -for the adventures of a man who sinks are too trite to be worth -recalling. My money did not last me long; I found that I must be neatly -dressed, or no one to whom I applied would so much as listen to me; and -I must live in a street of decent reputation if I wished to be treated -with common civility. I applied for various posts, for which, as I now -see, I was completely devoid of qualification; I tried to become a clerk -without having the smallest notion of business habits, and I found, to -my cost, that a general knowledge of literature and an execrable style -of penmanship are far from being looked upon with favor in commercial -circles. I had read one of the most charming of the works of a famous -novelist of the present day, and I frequented the Fleet Street taverns -in the hope of making literary friends, and so getting the -introductions which I understood were indispensable in the career of -letters. I was disappointed; I once or twice ventured to address -gentlemen who were sitting in adjoining boxes, and I was answered, -politely indeed, but in a manner that told me my advances were unusual. -Pound by pound, my small resources melted; I could no longer think of -appearances; I migrated to a shy quarter, and my meals became mere -observances. I went out at one and returned to my room at two, but -nothing but a milk-cake had occurred in the interval. In short, I became -acquainted with misfortune; and as I sat amidst slush and ice on a seat -in Hyde Park, munching a piece of bread, I realized the bitterness of -poverty, and the feelings of a gentleman reduced to something far below -the condition of a vagrant. In spite of all discouragement I did not -desist in my efforts to earn a living. I consulted advertisement -columns, I kept my eyes open for a chance, I looked in at the windows of -stationers' shops, but all in vain. One evening I was sitting in a Free -Library, and I saw an advertisement in one of the papers. It was -something like this: "Wanted, by a gentleman a person of literary taste -and abilities as secretary and amanuensis. Must not object to travel." -Of course I knew that such an advertisement would have answers by the -hundred, and I thought my own chances of securing the post extremely -small; however, I applied at the address given, and wrote to Mr. Smith, -who was staying at a large hotel at the West End. I must confess that my -heart gave a jump when I received a note a couple of days later, asking -me to call at the Cosmopole at my earliest convenience. I do not know, -sir, what your experiences of life may have been, and so I cannot tell -whether you have known such moments. A slight sickness, my heart beating -rather more rapidly than usual, a choking in the throat, and a -difficulty of utterance; such were my sensations as I walked to the -Cosmopole. I had to mention the name twice before the hall porter could -understand me, and as I went upstairs my hands were wet. I was a good -deal struck by Mr. Smith's appearance; he looked younger than I did, and -there was something mild and hesitating about his expression. He was -reading when I came in, and he looked up when I gave my name. "My dear -sir," he said, "I am really delighted to see you. I have read very -carefully the letter you were good enough to send me. Am I to understand -that this document is in your own handwriting?" He showed me the letter -I had written, and I told him I was not so fortunate as to be able to -keep a secretary myself. "Then, sir," he went on, "the post I advertised -is at your service. You have no objection to travel, I presume?" As you -may imagine, I closed pretty eagerly with the offer he made, and thus I -entered the service of Mr. Smith. For the first few weeks I had no -special duties; I had received a quarter's salary, and a handsome -allowance was made me in lieu of board and lodging. One morning, -however, when I called at the hotel according to instructions, my master -informed me that I must hold myself in readiness for a sea-voyage, and, -to spare unnecessary detail, in the course of a fortnight we had landed -at New York. Mr. Smith told me that he was engaged on a work of a -special nature, in the compilation of which some peculiar researches had -to be made; in short, I was given to understand that we were to travel -to the far West. - -After about a week had been spent in New York we took our seats in the -cars, and began a journey tedious beyond all conception. Day after day, -and night after night, the great train rolled on, threading its way -through cities the very names of which were strange to me, passing at -slow speed over perilous viaducts, skirting mountain ranges and pine -forests, and plunging into dense tracts of wood, where mile after mile -and hour after hour the same monotonous growth of brushwood met the eye, -and all along the continual clatter and rattle of the wheels upon the -ill-laid lines made it difficult to hear the voices of our -fellow-passengers. We were a heterogeneous and ever-changing company; -often I woke up in the dead of night with the sudden grinding jar of the -brakes, and looking out found that we had stopped in the shabby street -of some frame-built town, lighted chiefly by the flaring windows of the -saloon. A few rough-looking fellows would often come out to stare at the -cars, and sometimes passengers got down, and sometimes there was a party -of two or three waiting on the wooden sidewalk to get on board. Many of -the passengers were English; humble households torn up from the moorings -of a thousand years, and bound for some problematical paradise in the -alkali desert or the Rockies. I heard the men talking to one another of -the great profits to be made on the virgin soil of America, and two or -three, who were mechanics, expatiated on the wonderful wages given to -skilled labor on the railways and in the factories of the States. This -talk usually fell dead after a few minutes, and I could see a sickness -and dismay in the faces of these men as they looked at the ugly brush or -at the desolate expanse of the prairie, dotted here and there with -frame-houses, devoid of garden, or flowers or trees, standing all alone -in what might have been a great gray sea frozen into stillness. Day -after day the waving sky line, and the desolation of a land without form -or color or variety, appalled the hearts of such of us as were -Englishmen, and once in the night as I lay awake I heard a woman weeping -and sobbing, and asking what she had done to come to such a place. Her -husband tried to comfort her in the broad speech of Gloucestershire, -telling her the ground was so rich that one had only to plough it up and -it would grow sunflowers of itself, but she cried for her mother and -their old cottage and the beehives, like a little child. The sadness of -it all overwhelmed me, and I had no heart to think of other matters; the -question of what Mr. Smith could have to do in such a country, and of -what manner of literary research could be carried on in the wilderness, -hardly troubled me. Now and again my situation struck me as peculiar; I -had been engaged as a literary assistant at a handsome salary, and yet -my master was still almost a stranger to me; sometimes he would come to -where I was sitting in the cars and make a few banal remarks about the -country, but for the most part of the journey he sat by himself, not -speaking to any one, and so far as I could judge, deep in his thoughts. -It was I think on the fifth day from New York when I received, the -intimation that we should shortly leave the cars; I had been watching -some distant mountains which rose wild and savage before us, and I was -wondering if there were human beings so unhappy as to speak of home in -connection with those piles of lumbered rock, when Mr. Smith touched me -lightly on the shoulder. "You will be glad to be done with, the cars, I -have no doubt, Mr. Wilkins," he said. "You were looking at the -mountains, I think? Well, I hope we shall be there to-night. The train -stops at Reading, and I dare say we shall manage to find our way." - -A few hours later the brakeman brought the tram to a standstill at the -Reading depot and we got out. I noticed that the town, though of course -built almost entirely of frame-houses, was larger and busier than any we -had passed for the last two days. The depot was crowded, and as the bell -and whistle sounded, I saw that a number of persons were preparing to -leave the cars, while an even greater number were waiting to get on -board. Besides the passengers, there was a pretty dense crowd of people, -some of whom had come to meet or to see off their friends and relatives, -while others were mere loafers. Several of our English fellow passengers -got down at Reading, but the confusion was so great that they were lost -to my sight almost immediately. Mr. Smith beckoned to me to follow him, -and we were soon in the thick of the mass; and the continual ringing of -bells, the hubbub of voices, the shrieking of whistles, and the hiss of -escaping steam, confused my senses, and I wondered dimly as I struggled -after my employer, where we were going, and how we should be able to -find our way through an unknown country. Mr. Smith had put on a -wide-brimmed hat, which he had sloped over his eyes, and as all the men -wore hats of the same pattern, it was with some difficulty that I -distinguished him in the crowd. We got free at last, and he struck down -a side street, and made one or two sharp turns to right and left. It was -getting dusk, and we seemed to be passing through a shy portion of the -town, there were few people about in the ill-lighted streets, and these -few were men of the most unprepossessing pattern. Suddenly we stopped -before a corner house, a man was standing at the door, apparently on the -look-out for some one, and I noticed that he and Smith gave sharp -glances one to the other. - -"From New York City, I expect, mister?" - -"From New York!" - -"All right; they 're ready, and you can have 'em when you choose. I know -my orders, you see, and I mean to run this business through." - -"Very well, Mr. Evans, that is what we want. Our money is good, you -know. Bring them round." - -I had stood silent, listening to this dialogue, and wondering what it -meant. Smith began to walk impatiently up and down the street, and the -man Evans was still standing at his door. He had given a sharp whistle, -and I saw him looking me over in a quiet leisurely way, as if to make -sure of my face for another time. I was thinking what all this could -mean, when an ugly, slouching lad came up a side passage, leading two -raw-boned horses. - -"Get up, Mr. Wilkins, and be quick about it," said Smith. "We ought to -be on our way." - -We rode off together into the gathering darkness, and before long I -looked back and saw the far plain behind us, with the lights of the town -glimmering faintly; and in front rose the mountains. Smith guided his -horse on the rough track as surely as if he had been riding along -Piccadilly, and I followed him as well as I could. I was weary and -exhausted, and scarcely took note of anything; I felt that the track was -a gradual ascent, and here and there I saw great boulders by the road. -The ride made but little impression on me; I have a faint recollection -of passing through a dense black pine forest, where our horses had to -pick their way among the rocks, and I remember the peculiar effect of -the rarefied air as we kept still mounting higher and higher. I think I -must have been half asleep for the latter half of the ride, and it was -with a shock that I heard Smith saying-- - -"Here we are, Wilkins. This is Blue-Rock Park. You will enjoy the view -to-morrow. To-night we will have something to eat, and then go to bed." - -A man came out of a rough-looking house and took the horses, and we -found some fried steak and coarse whiskey awaiting us inside. I had come -to a strange place. There were three rooms,--the room in which we had -supper, Smith's room and my own. The deaf old man who did the work slept -in a sort of shed, and when I woke up the next morning and walked out I -found that the house stood in a sort of hollow amongst the mountains; -the clumps of pines and some enormous bluish-gray rocks that stood here -and there between the trees had given the place the name of Blue-Rock -Park. On every side the snow-covered mountains surrounded us, the breath -of the air was as wine, and when I climbed the slope and looked down, I -could see that, so far as any human fellowship was concerned I might as -well have been wrecked on some small island in mid-Pacific. The only -trace of man I could see was the rough log-house where I had slept, and -in my ignorance I did not know that there were similar houses within -comparatively easy distance, as distance is reckoned in the Rockies. But -at the moment, the utter, dreadful loneliness rushed upon me, and the -thought of the great plain and the great sea that parted me from the -world I knew, caught me by the throat, and I wondered if I should die -there in that mountain hollow. It was a terrible instant, and I have not -yet forgotten it. Of course I managed to conquer my horror; I said I -should be all the stronger for the experience, and I made up my mind to -make the best of everything. It was a rough life enough, and rough -enough board and lodging. I was left entirely to myself. Smith I -scarcely ever saw, nor did I know when he was in the house. I have often -thought he was far away, and have been surprised to see him walking out -of his room, locking the door behind him and putting the key in his -pocket; and on several occasions when I fancied he was busy in his room, -I have seen him come in with his boots covered with dust and dirt. So -far as work went I enjoyed a complete sinecure; I had nothing to do but -to walk about the valley, to eat, and to sleep. With one thing and -another I grew accustomed, to the life, and managed to make myself -pretty comfortable, and by degrees I began to venture farther away from -the house, and to explore the country. One day I had contrived to get -into a neighboring valley, and suddenly I came upon a group of men -sawing timber. I went up to them, hoping that perhaps some of them might -be Englishmen; at all events they were human beings, and I should hear -articulate speech, for the old man I have mentioned, besides being half -blind and stone deaf, was wholly dumb so far as I was concerned. I was -prepared to be welcomed in a rough and ready fashion, without much, of -the forms of politeness, but the grim glances and the short gruff -answers I received astonished me. I saw the men glancing oddly at each -other, and one of them who had stopped work began fingering a gun, and I -was obliged to return on my path uttering curses on the fate which had -brought me into a land where men were more brutish than the very brutes. -The solitude of the life began to oppress me as with a nightmare, and a -few days later I determined to walk to a kind of station some miles -distant, where a rough inn was kept for the accommodation of hunters and -tourists. English gentlemen occasionally stopped there for the night, -and I thought I might perhaps fall in with some one of better manners -than the inhabitants of the country. I found as I had expected a group -of men lounging about the door of the log-house that served as a hotel, -and as I came nearer I could see that heads were put together and looks -interchanged, and when I walked up the six or seven trappers stared at -me in stony ferocity, and with something of the disgust that one eyes a -loathsome and venomous snake. I felt that I could bear it no longer, and -I called out:-- - -"Is there such a thing as an Englishman here, or any one with a little -civilization?" - -One of the men put his hand to his belt, but his neighbor checked him -and answered me. - -"You'll find we've got some of the resources of civilization before very -long, mister, and I expect you'll not fancy them extremely. But anyway, -there's an Englishman tarrying here, and I've no doubt he'll be glad to -see you. There you are, that's Mr. D'Aubernoun." - -A young man, dressed like an English country squire, came and stood at -the door, and looked at me. One of the men pointed to me and said:-- - -"That's the individual we were talking about last night. Thought you -might like to have a look at him, squire, and here he is." - -The young fellow's good-natured English face clouded over, and he -glanced sternly at me, and turned away with a gesture of contempt and -aversion. - -"Sir," I cried, "I do not know what I have done to be treated in this -manner. You are my fellow-countryman, and I expected some courtesy." - -He gave me a black look and made as if he would go in, but he changed -his mind, and faced me. - -"You are rather imprudent, I think, to behave in this manner. You must -be counting on a forbearance which cannot last very long; which may last -a very short time, indeed. And let me tell you this, sir, you may call -yourself an Englishman and drag the name of England through the dirt, -but you need not count on any English influence to help you. If I were -you, I would not stay here much longer." - -He went into the inn, and the men quietly watched my face, as I stood -there, wondering whether I was going mad. The woman of the house came -out and stared at me as if I were a wild beast or a savage, and I turned -to her, and spoke quietly. - -"I am very hungry and thirsty, I have walked a long way. I have plenty -of money. Will you give me something to eat and drink?" - -"No, I won't," she said. "You had better quit this." - -I crawled home like a wounded beast, and lay down on my bed. It was all -a hopeless puzzle to me. I knew nothing but rage and shame and terror, -and I suffered little more when I passed by a house in an adjacent -valley, and some children who were playing outside ran from me -shrieking. I was forced to walk to find some occupation. I should have -died if I had sat down quietly in Blue Rock Park and looked all day at -the mountains; but wherever I saw a human being I saw the same glance of -hatred and aversion, and once as I was crossing a thick brake I heard a -shot, and the venomous hiss of a bullet close to my ear. - -One day I heard a conversation which astounded me; I was sitting behind -a rock resting, and two men came along the track and halted. One of them -had got his feet entangled in some wild vines, and swore fiercely, but -the other laughed, and said they were useful things sometimes. - -"What the hell do you mean?" - -"Oh, nothing much. But they 're uncommon tough, these here vines, and -sometimes rope is skerse and dear." - -The man who had sworn chuckled at this, and I heard them sit down and -light their pipes. - -"Have you seen him lately?" asked the humorist. - -"I sighted him the other day, but the darned bullet went high. He's got -his master's luck, I expect, sir, but it can't last much longer. You -heard about him going to Jinks's and trying his brass, but the young -Britisher downed him pretty considerable, I can tell you." - -"What the devil is the meaning of it?" - -"I don't know, but I believe it'll have to be finished, and done in the -old style, too. You know how they fix the niggers?" - -"Yes, sir, I've seen a little of that. A couple of gallons of -kerosene'll cost a dollar at Brown's store, but I should say it's cheap -anyway." - -They moved off after this, and I lay still behind the rock, the sweat -pouring down my face. I was so sick that I could barely stand, and I -walked home as slowly as an old man, leaning on my stick. I knew that -the two men had been talking about me, and I knew that some terrible -death was in store for me. That night I could not sleep. I tossed on the -rough bed and tortured myself to find out the meaning of it all. At last -in the very dead of night I rose from the bed, and put on my clothes, -and went out. I did not care where I went, but I felt that I must walk -till I had tired myself out. It was a clear moonlight night, and in a -couple of hours I found I was approaching a place of dismal reputation -in the mountains, a deep cleft in the rocks, known as Black Gulf Cañon. -Many years before, an unfortunate party of Englishmen and Englishwomen -had camped here and had been surrounded by Indians. They were captured, -outraged, and put to death with almost inconceivable tortures, and the -roughest of the trappers or woodsmen gave the cañon a wide berth even in -the day-time. As I crushed through the dense brushwood which grew above -the cañon, I heard voices, and wondering who could be in such a place at -such a time, I went on, walking more carefully and making as little -noise as possible. There was a great tree growing on the very edge of -the rocks, and I lay down and looked out from behind the trunk. Black -Gulf Cañon was below me, the moonlight shining bright into its very -depths from midheaven, and casting shadows as black as death from the -pointed rock, and all the sheer rock on the other side, overhanging the -cañon, was in darkness. At intervals a light veil obscured the -moonlight, as a filmy cloud fleeted across the moon; and a bitter wind -blew shrill across the gulf. I looked down as I have said, and saw -twenty men standing in a semicircle round a rock; I counted them one by -one, and knew most of them. They were the very vilest of the vile, more -vile than any den in London could show, and there was murder and worse -than murder on the heads of not a few. Facing them and me stood Mr. -Smith with the rock before him, and on the rock was a great pair of -scales, such, as are used in the stores. I heard his voice ringing down -the cañon as I lay beside the tree, and my heart turned cold as I heard -it. - -"Life for gold," he cried, "a life for gold. The blood and the life of -an enemy for every pound of gold." - -A man stepped out and raised one hand, and with the other flung a bright -lump of something into the pan of the scales, which clanged down, and -Smith muttered something in his ear. Then he cried again:-- - -"Blood for gold; for a pound of gold, the life of an enemy. For every -pound of gold upon the scales, a life." - -One by one the men came forward, each lifting up his right hand; and the -gold was weighed in the scales, and each time Smith leaned forward and -spoke to each man in his ear. Then he cried again:-- - -"Desire and lust, for gold on the scales. For every pound of gold, -enjoyment of desire." - -I saw the same thing happen as before; the uplifted hand, and the metal -weighed, and the mouth whispering, and black passion on every face. - -Then, one by one, I saw the men again step up to Smith. A muttered -conversation seemed to take place; I could see that Smith was explaining -and directing, and I noticed that he gesticulated a little as one who -points out the way, and once or twice he moved his hands quickly as if -he would show that the path was clear and could not be missed. I kept my -eyes so intently on his figure that I noted little else, and at last it -was with a start that I realized that the cañon was empty. A moment -before I thought I had seen the group of villainous faces, and the two -standing, a little apart by the rock; I had looked down a moment, and -when I glanced again into the cañon there was no one there. In dumb -terror I made my way home, and I fell asleep in an instant from -exhaustion. No doubt I should have slept on for many hours, but when I -woke up, the sun was only rising, and the light shone in on my bed. I -had started up from sleep with the sensation of having received a -violent shock, and as I looked in confusion about me I saw to my -amazement that there were three men in the room. One of them had his -hand on my shoulder and spoke to me. - -"Come, mister, wake up. Your time's up now, I reckon, and the boys are -waiting for you outside, and they 're in a big hurry. Come on; you can -put on your clothes, it's kind of chilly this morning." - -I saw the other two men smiling sourly at each other, but I understood -nothing. I simply pulled on my clothes, and said I was ready. - -"All right, come on then. You go first, Nichols, and Jim and I will give -the gentleman an arm." - -They took me out into the sunlight, and then I understood the meaning of -a dull murmur that had vaguely perplexed me while I was dressing. There -were about two hundred men waiting outside, and some women too, and when -they saw me there was a low muttering growl. I did not know what I had -done, but that noise made my heart beat and the sweat come out on my -face. I saw confusedly, as through a veil, the tumult and tossing of the -crowd, discordant voices were speaking, and amongst all those faces -there was not one glance of mercy, but a fury of lust that I did not -understand. I found myself presently walking in a sort of procession up -the slope of the valley, and on every side of me there were men with -revolvers in their hands. Now and then a voice struck me, and I heard -words and sentences of which I could form no connected story. But I -understood that there was one sentence of execration; I heard scraps of -stories that seemed strange and improbable. Some one was talking of men, -lured by cunning devices from their homes and murdered with hideous -tortures, found writhing like wounded snakes in dark and lonely places, -only crying for some one to stab them to the heart, and so end their -torments; and I heard another voice speaking of innocent girls who had -vanished for a day or two, and then had come back and died, blushing red -with shame even in the agonies of death. I wondered what it all meant, -and what was to happen, but I was so weary that I walked on in a dream, -scarcely longing for anything but sleep. At last we stopped. We had -reached the summit of the hill, overlooking Blue Rock Valley, and I saw -that I was standing beneath a clump of trees where I had often sat. I -was in the midst of a ring of armed men, and I saw that two or three men -were very busy with piles of wood, while others were fingering a rope. -Then there was a stir in the crowd, and a man was pushed forward. His -hands and feet were tightly bound with cord, and though his face was -unutterably villainous I pitied him for the agony that worked his -features and twisted his lips. I knew him; he was amongst those that had -gathered round Smith in Black Gulf Cañon. In an instant he was unbound, -and stripped naked; and borne beneath one of the trees, and his neck -encircled by a noose that went around the trunk. A hoarse voice gave -some kind of order; there was a rush of feet, and the rope tightened; -and there before me I saw the blackened face and the writhing limbs and -the shameful agony of death. One after another, half a dozen men, all of -whom I had seen in the cañon the night before, were strangled before me, -and their bodies were flung forth on the ground. Then there was a pause, -and the man who had roused me a short while before, came up to me and -said:-- - -"Now, mister, it's your turn. We give you five minutes to cast up your -accounts, and when that's clocked, by the living God we will burn you -alive at that tree." - -It was then I awoke and understood. I cried out:-- - -"Why, what have I done? Why should you hurt me? I am a harmless man, I -never did you any wrong." I covered my face with my hands; it seemed so -pitiful, and it was such a terrible death. - -"What have I done?" I cried again. "You must take me for some other man. -You cannot know me." - -"You black-hearted devil," said the man at my side, "we know you well -enough. There's not a man within thirty miles of this that won't curse -Jack Smith when you are burning in hell." - -"My name is not Smith," I said, with some hope left in me. "My name is -Wilkins. I was Mr. Smith's secretary, but I knew nothing of him." - -"Hark at the black liar," said the man. "Secretary be damned! You were -clever enough, I dare say, to slink out at night, and keep your face in -the dark, but we've tracked you out at last. But your time's up. Come -along." - -I was dragged to the tree and bound to it with chains, and I saw the -piles of wood heaped all about me, and shut my eyes. Then I felt myself -drenched all over with some liquid, and looked again, and a woman -grinned at me. She had just emptied a great can of petroleum over me and -over the wood. A voice shouted, "Fire away," and I fainted and knew -nothing more. - -When I opened my eyes I was lying on a bed in a bare comfortless room. A -doctor was holding some strong salts to my nostrils, and a gentleman -standing by the bed, whom I afterwards found to be the sheriff, -addressed me:-- - -"Say, mister," he began, "you've had an uncommon narrow squeak for it. -The boys were just about lighting up when I came along with the posse, -and I had as much as I could do to bring you off, I can tell you. And, -mind you, I don't blame, them; they had made up their minds, you see, -that you were the head of the Black Gulf gang, and at first nothing I -could say would persuade them you weren't Jack Smith. Luckily, a man -from here named Evans, that came along with us, allowed he had seen you -with Jack Smith, and that you were yourself. So we brought you along and -jailed you, but you can go if you like, when you're through with this -faint turn." - -I got on the cars the next day, and in three weeks I was in London; -again almost penniless. But from that time my fortune seemed to change. -I made influential friends in all directions; bank directors courted my -company, and editors positively flung themselves into my arms. I had -only to choose my career, and after a while I determined that I was -meant by nature for a life of comparative leisure. With an ease that -seemed almost ridiculous I obtained a well-paid position in connection -with a prosperous political club. I have charming chambers in a central -neighborhood close to the parks; the club _chef_ exerts himself when I -lunch or dine, and the rarest vintages in the cellar are always at my -disposal. Yet, since my return to London, I have never known a day's -security or peace; I tremble when I awake lest Smith should be standing -at my bed, and every step I take seems to bring me nearer to the edge of -the precipice. Smith, I knew, had escaped free from the raid of the -vigilantes, and I grew faint at the thought that he would in all -probability return to London, and that suddenly and unprepared I should -meet him face to face. Every morning as I left my house, I would peer up -and down the street, expecting to see that dreaded figure awaiting me; I -have delayed at street corners, my heart in my mouth, sickening at the -thought that a few quick steps might bring us together; I could not bear -to frequent the theatres or music halls, lest by some bizarre chance he -should prove to be my neighbor. Sometimes, I have been forced, against -my will, to walk out at night, and then in silent squares the shadows -have made me shudder, and in the medley of meetings in the crowded -thoroughfares, I have said to myself, "It must come sooner or later; he -will surely return to town, and I shall see him when I feel most -secure." I scanned the newspapers for hint or intimation of approaching -danger, and no small type nor report of trivial interest was allowed to -pass unread. Especially I read and re-read the advertisement columns, -but without result. Months passed by and I was undisturbed till, though -I felt far from safe, I no longer suffered from the intolerable -oppression of instant and ever present terror. This afternoon as I was -walking quietly along Oxford Street, I raised my eyes, and looked across -the road, and then at last I saw the man who had so long haunted my -thoughts. - - * * * * * - -Mr. Wilkins finished his wine, and leaned back in his chair, looking -sadly at Dyson; and then, as if a thought struck him, fished out of an -inner pocket a leather letter case, and handed a newspaper cutting -across the table. - -Dyson glanced closely at the slip, and saw that it had been extracted -from the columns of an evening paper. It ran as follows:-- - - WHOLESALE LYNCHING. - - SHOCKING STORY. - -A Dalziel telegram from Reading (Colorado) states that advices received -there from Blue Rock Park report a frightful instance of popular -vengeance. For some time the neighborhood has been terrorized by the -crimes of a gang of desperadoes, who, under the cover of a carefully -planned organization, have perpetrated the most infamous cruelties on -men and women. A Vigilance Committee was formed, and it was found that -the leader of the gang was a person named Smith, living in Blue Rock -Park. Action was taken, and six of the worst in the band were summarily -strangled in the presence of two or three hundred men and women. Smith -is said to have escaped. - - * * * * * - -"This is a terrible story," said Dyson; "I can well believe that your -days and nights are haunted by such fearful scenes as you have -described. But surely you have no need to fear Smith? He has much, more -cause to fear you. Consider, you have only to lay your information -before the police, and a warrant would be immediately issued for his -arrest. Besides, you will, I am sure, excuse me for what I am going to -say." - -"My dear sir," said Mr. Wilkins, "I hope you will speak to me with -perfect freedom." - -"Well, then, I must confess that my impression was that you were rather -disappointed at not being able to stop the man before he drove off. I -thought you seemed annoyed that you could not get across the street." - -"Sir, I did not know what I was about. I caught sight of the man, but it -was only for a moment, and the agony you witnessed was the agony of -suspense. I was not perfectly certain of the face; and the horrible -thought that Smith was again in London overwhelmed me. I shuddered at -the idea of this incarnate fiend, whose soul is black with shocking -crimes, mingling free and unobserved amongst the harmless crowds, -meditating perhaps a new and more fearful cycle of infamies. I tell -you, sir, that an awful being stalks through the streets, a being before -whom the sunlight itself should blacken, and the summer air grow chill -and dank. Such thoughts as these rushed upon me with the force of a -whirlwind; I lost my senses." - -"I see. I partly understand your feelings, but I would impress on you -that you have nothing really to fear. Depend upon it, Smith will not -molest you in any way. You must remember he himself has had a warning; -and indeed from the brief glance I had of him, he seemed to me to be a -frightened-looking man. However, I see it is getting late, and if you -will excuse me, Mr. Wilkins, I think I will be going. I dare say we -shall often meet here." - -Dyson walked off smartly, pondering the strange story chance had brought -him, and finding on cool reflection that there was something a little -strange in Mr. Wilkins's manner, for which not even so weird a catalogue -of experiences could altogether account. - - - - -ADVENTURE OF THE MISSING BROTHER. - - -Mr. Charles Phillipps was, as has been hinted, a gentleman of pronounced -scientific tastes. In his early days he had devoted himself with fond -enthusiasm to the agreeable study of biology, and a brief monograph on -the Embryology of the Microscopic Holothuria had formed his first -contribution to the belles lettres. Later, he had somewhat relaxed the -severity of his pursuits, and had dabbled in the more frivolous subjects -of palæontology and ethnology; he had a cabinet in his sitting-room -whose drawers were stuffed with rude flint implements, and a charming -fetish from the South Seas was the dominant note in the decorative -scheme of the apartment. Flattering himself with the title of -materialist, he was in truth one of the most credulous of men, but he -required a marvel to be neatly draped in the robes of science before he -would give it any credit, and the wildest dreams took solid shape to him -if only the nomenclature were severe and irreproachable; he laughed at -the witch, but quailed before the powers of the hypnotist, lifting his -eyebrows when Christianity was mentioned, but adoring protyle and the -ether. For the rest, he prided himself on a boundless scepticism; the -average tale of wonder he heard with nothing but contempt, and he would -certainly not have credited a word or syllable of Dyson's story of the -pursuer and pursued unless the gold coin had been produced as visible -and tangible evidence. As it was he half suspected that Dyson had -imposed on him; he knew his friend's disordered fancies, and his habit -of conjuring up the marvellous to account for the entirely commonplace; -and on the whole he was inclined to think that the so-called facts in -the odd adventure had been gravely distorted in the telling. Since the -evening on which he had listened to the tale, he had paid Dyson a visit, -and had delivered himself of some serious talk on the necessity of -accurate observation, and the folly, as he put it, of using a -kaleidoscope instead of a telescope in the view of things, to which -remarks his friend had listened with a smile that was extremely sardonic -"My dear fellow," Dyson had remarked at last, "you will allow me to tell -you that I see your drift perfectly. However, you will be astonished to -hear that I consider you to be the visionary, while I am a sober and -serious spectator of human life. You have gone round the circle, and -while you fancy yourself far in the golden land of new philosophies, you -are in reality a dweller in a metaphorical Clapham; your scepticism has -defeated itself and become a monstrous credulity; you are in fact in the -position of the bat or owl, I forget which it was, who denied the -existence of the sun at noonday, and I shall be astonished if you do not -one day come to me full of contrition for your manifold intellectual -errors, with a humble resolution to see things in their true light for -the future." This tirade had left Mr. Phillipps unimpressed; he -considered Dyson as hopeless, and he went home to gloat over some -primitive stone implements that a friend had sent him from India. He -found that his landlady, seeing them displayed in all their rude -formlessness upon the table, had removed the collection to the dustbin, -and had replaced it by lunch; and the afternoon was spent in malodorous -research. Mrs. Brown, hearing these stones spoken of as very valuable -knives, had called him in his hearing "poor Mr. Phillipps," and between -rage and evil odors he spent a sorry afternoon. It was four o'clock -before he had completed his work of rescue; and, overpowered with the -flavors of decaying cabbage-leaves, Phillipps felt that he must have a -walk to gain an appetite for the evening meal. Unlike Dyson, he walked -fast, with his eyes on the pavement, absorbed in his thoughts and -oblivious of the life around him; and he could not have told by what -streets he had passed, when he suddenly lifted up his eyes and found -himself in Leicester Square. The grass and flowers pleased him, and he -welcomed the opportunity of resting for a few minutes, and glancing -round, he saw a bench which had only one occupant, a lady, and as she -was seated at one end, Phillipps took up a position at the other -extremity, and began to pass in angry review the events of the -afternoon. He had noticed as he came up to the bench that the person -already there was neatly dressed, and to all appearance young; her face -he could not see, as it was turned away in apparent contemplation of the -shrubs, and moreover shielded with her hand; but it would be doing -wrong to Mr. Phillipps to imagine that his choice of a seat was dictated -by any hopes of an affair of the heart; he had simply preferred the -company of one lady to that of five dirty children, and having seated -himself was immersed directly in thoughts of his misfortunes. He had -meditated changing his lodgings; but now, on a judicial review of the -case in all its bearings, his calmer judgment told him that the race of -landladies is like to the race of the leaves, and that there was but -little to choose between them. He resolved, however, to talk to Mrs. -Brown, the offender, very coolly and yet severely, to point out the -extreme indiscretion of her conduct, and to express a hope for better -things in the future. With this decision registered in his mind, -Phillipps was about to get up from the seat and move off, when he was -intensely annoyed to hear a stifled sob, evidently from the lady, who -still continued her contemplation of the shrubs and flower-beds. He -clutched his stick desperately, and in a moment would have been in full -retreat, when the lady turned her face towards him, and with a mute -entreaty bespoke his attention. She was a young girl with a quaint and -piquant rather than a beautiful face, and she was evidently in the -bitterest distress, and Mr. Phillipps sat down again, and cursed his -chances heartily. The young lady looked at him with a pair of charming -eyes of a shining hazel, which showed no trace of tears, though a -handkerchief was in her hand; she bit her lip, and seemed to struggle -with some overpowering grief, and her whole attitude was all beseeching -and imploring. Phillipps sat on the edge of the bench gazing awkwardly -at her, and wondering what was to come next, and she looked at him still -without speaking. - -"Well, madam," he said at last, "I understood from your gesture that you -wished to speak to me. Is there anything I can do for you? Though, if -you will pardon me, I cannot help saying that that seems highly -improbable." - -"Ah, sir," she said in a low murmuring voice, "do not speak harshly to -me. I am in sore straits, and I thought from your face that I could -safely ask your sympathy, if not your help." - -"Would you kindly tell me what is the matter?" said Phillipps. "Perhaps -you would like some tea?" - -"I knew I could not be mistaken," the lady replied. "That offer of -refreshment bespeaks a generous mind. But tea, alas! is powerless to -console me. If you will let me, I will endeavor to explain my trouble." - -"I should be glad if you would." - -"I will do so, and I will try and be brief, in spite of the numerous -complications which have made me, young as I am, tremble before what -seems the profound and terrible mystery of existence. Yet the grief -which now racks my very soul is but too simple; I have lost my brother." - -"Lost your brother! How on earth can that be?" - -"I see I must trouble you with a few particulars. My brother, then, who -is by some years my elder, is a tutor in a private school in the extreme -north of London. The want of means deprived him of the advantages of a -University education; and lacking the stamp of a degree, he could not -hope for that position which his scholarship and his talents entitled -him to claim. He was thus forced to accept the post of classical master -at Dr. Saunderson's Highgate Academy for the sons of gentlemen, and he -has performed his duties with perfect satisfaction to his principal for -some years. My personal history need not trouble you; if will be enough -if I tell you that for the last month I have been governess in a family -residing at Tooting. My brother and I have always cherished the warmest -mutual affection; and though circumstances into which I need not enter -have kept us apart for some time, yet we have never lost sight of one -another. We made up our minds that unless one of us was absolutely -unable to rise from a bed of sickness, we would never let a week pass by -without meeting, and some time ago we chose this square as our -rendezvous on account of its central position and its convenience of -access. And indeed, after a week of distasteful toil, my brother felt -little inclination for much walking, and we have often spent two or -three hours on this bench, speaking of our prospects and of happier -days, when we were children. In the early spring it was cold and chilly; -still we enjoyed the short respite, and I think that we were often taken -for a pair of lovers, as we sat close together, eagerly talking. -Saturday after Saturday we have met each other here, and though the -doctor told him it was madness, my brother would not allow the influenza -to break the appointment. That was some time ago; last Saturday we had -a long and happy afternoon, and separated more cheerfully than usual, -feeling that the coming week would be bearable, and resolving that our -next meeting should be if possible still more pleasant. I arrived here -at the time agreed upon, four o'clock, and sat down and watched for my -brother, expecting every moment to see him advancing towards me from -that gate at the north side of the square. Five minutes passed by, and -he had not arrived; I thought he must have missed his train, and the -idea that our interview would be cut short by twenty minutes, or perhaps -half an hour, saddened me; I had hoped we should be so happy together -to-day. Suddenly, moved by I know not what impulse, I turned abruptly -round, and how can I describe to you my astonishment when I saw my -brother advancing slowly towards me from the southern side of the -square, accompanied by another person. My first thought, I remember, had -in it something of resentment that this man, whoever he was, should -intrude himself into our meeting; I wondered who it could possibly be, -for my brother had, I may say, no intimate friends. Then as I looked -still at the advancing figures, another feeling took possession of me; -it was a sensation of bristling fear, the fear of the child in the dark, -unreasonable and unreasoning, but terrible, clutching at my heart as -with the cold grip of a dead man's hands. Yet I overcame the feeling, -and looked steadily at my brother, waiting for him to speak, and more -closely at his companion. Then I noticed that this man was leading my -brother rather than walking arm-in-arm with him; he was a tall man, -dressed in quite ordinary fashion. He wore a high bowler hat, and, in -spite of the warmth of the day, a plain black overcoat, tightly -buttoned, and I noticed his trousers, of a quiet black and gray stripe. -The face was commonplace too, and indeed I cannot recall any special -features, or any trick of expression; for though I looked at him as he -came near, curiously enough his face made no impression on me, it was as -though I had seen a well-made mask. They passed in front of me, and to -my unutterable astonishment I heard my brother's voice speaking to me, -though his lips did not move, nor his eyes look into mine. It was a -voice I cannot describe, though I knew it, but the words came to my ears -as if mingled with plashing water and the sound of a shallow brook -flowing amidst stones. I heard, then, the words, 'I cannot stay,' and -for a moment the heavens and the earth seemed to rush together with the -sound of thunder, and I was thrust forth from the world into a black -void without beginning and without end. For, as my brother passed me, I -saw the hand that held him by the arm, and seemed to guide him, and in -one moment of horror I realized that it was as a formless thing that has -mouldered for many years in the grave. The flesh was peeled in strips -from the bones, and hung apart dry and granulated, and the fingers that -encircled my brother's arm were all unshapen, claw-like things, and one -was but a stump from which the end had rotted off. When I recovered my -senses I saw the two passing out by that gate. I paused for a moment, -and then with a rush as of fire to my heart I knew that no horror -could, stay me, but that I must follow my brother and save him, even -though all hell rose up against me. I ran out and looked up the -pavement, and saw the two figures walking amidst the crowd. I ran across -the road, and saw them turn up that side street, and I reached the -corner a moment later. In vain I looked to right and left, for neither -my brother nor his strange guardian was in sight; two elderly men were -coming down arm-in-arm, and a telegraph boy was walking lustily along -whistling. I remained there a moment horror-struck, and then I bowed my -head and returned to this seat, where you found me. Now, sir, do you -wonder at my grief? Oh, tell me what has happened to my brother, or I -feel I shall go mad." - -Mr. Phillipps, who had listened with exemplary patience to this tale, -hesitated a moment before he spoke. - -"My dear madam," he said at length, "you have known how to engage me in -your service, not only as a man, but as a student of science. As a -fellow-creature I pity you most profoundly; you must have suffered -extremely from what you saw, or rather from what you fancied you saw. -For, as a scientific observer, it is my duty to tell you the plain -truth, which, indeed, besides being true, must also console you. Allow -me to ask you then to describe your brother." - -"Certainly," said the lady, eagerly; "I can describe him accurately. My -brother is a somewhat young-looking man; he is pale, has small black -whiskers, and wears spectacles. He has rather a timid, almost a -frightened expression, and looks about him nervously from side to side. -Think, think! Surely you must have seen him. Perhaps you are an -_habitué_ of this engaging quarter; you may have met him on some -previous Saturday. I may have been mistaken in supposing that he turned -up that side street; he may have gone on, and you may have passed each -other. Oh, tell me, sir, whether you have not seen him?" - -"I am afraid I do not keep a very sharp lookout when I am walking," said -Phillipps, who would have passed his mother unnoticed; "but I am sure -your description is admirable. And now will you describe the person, -who, you say, held your brother by the arm?" - -"I cannot do so. I told you, his face seemed devoid of expression or -salient feature. It was like a mask." - -"Exactly; you cannot describe what you have never seen. I need hardly -point out to you the conclusion to be drawn; you have been the victim of -an hallucination. You expected to see your brother, you were alarmed -because you did not see him, and unconsciously, no doubt, your brain -went to work, and finally you saw a mere projection of your own morbid -thoughts; a vision of your absent brother, and a mere confusion of -terrors incorporated in a figure which you can't describe. Of course -your brother has been in some way prevented from coming to meet you as -usual. I expect you will hear from him in a day or two." - -The lady looked seriously at Mr. Phillipps, and then for a second there -seemed almost a twinkling as of mirth about her eyes, but her face -clouded sadly at the dogmatic conclusions to which the scientist was -led so irresistibly. - -"Ah," she said, "you do not know. I cannot doubt the evidence of my -waking senses. Besides, perhaps I have had experiences even more -terrible. I acknowledge the force of your arguments, but a woman has -intuitions which never deceive her. Believe me, I am not hysterical; -feel my pulse, it is quite regular." - -She stretched out her hand with a dainty gesture, and a glance that -enraptured Phillipps in spite of himself. The hand held out to him was -soft and white and warm, and as, in some confusion, he placed his -fingers on the purple vein, he felt profoundly touched by the spectacle -of love and grief before him. - -"No," he said, as he released her wrist, "as you say, you are evidently -quite yourself. Still, you must be aware that living men do not possess -dead hands. That sort of thing doesn't happen. It is, of course, barely -possible that you did see your brother with another gentleman, and that -important business prevented him from stopping. As for the wonderful -hand, there may have been some deformity, a finger shot off by accident, -or something of that sort." - -The lady shook her head mournfully. - -"I see you are a determined rationalist," she said. "Did you not hear me -say that I have had experiences even more terrible? I too was once a -sceptic, but after what I have known I can no longer affect to doubt." - -"Madam," replied Mr. Phillipps, "no one shall make me deny my faith. I -will never believe, nor will I pretend to believe, that two and two make -five, nor will I on any pretences admit the existence of two-sided -triangles." - -"You are a little hasty," rejoined the lady. "But may I ask you if you -ever heard the name of Professor Gregg, the authority on ethnology and -kindred subjects?" - -"I have done much more than merely hear of Professor Gregg," said -Phillipps. "I always regarded him as one of our most acute and -clear-headed observers; and his last publication, the 'Text-book of -Ethnology,' struck me as being quite admirable in its kind. Indeed, the -book had but come into my hands when I heard of the terrible accident -which cut short Gregg's career. He had, I think, taken a country house -in the West of England for the summer, and is supposed to have fallen -into a river. So far as I remember, his body was never recovered." - -"Sir, I am sure that you are discreet. Your conversation seems to -declare as much, and the very title of that little work of yours which -you mentioned, assures me that you are no empty trifler. In a word, I -feel that I may depend on you. You appear to be under the impression -that Professor Gregg is dead; I have no reason to believe that that is -the case." - -"What?" cried Phillipps, astonished and perturbed. "You do not hint that -there was anything disgraceful? I cannot believe it. Gregg was a man of -clearest character; his private life was one of great benevolence; and -though I myself am free from delusions, I believe him to have been a -sincere and devout Christian. Surely you cannot mean to insinuate that -some disreputable history forced him to flee the country?" - -"Again you are in a hurry," replied the lady. "I said nothing of all -this. Briefly, then, I must tell you that Professor Gregg left his house -one morning in full health both of mind and body. He never returned, but -his watch and chain, a purse containing three sovereigns in gold and -some loose silver, with a ring that he wore habitually, were found three -days later on a wild and savage hillside, many miles from the river. -These articles were placed beside a limestone rock of fantastic form; -they had been wrapped into a parcel with a kind of rough parchment which -was secured with gut. The parcel was opened, and the inner side of the -parchment bore an inscription done with some red substance; the -characters were undecipherable, but seemed to be a corrupt cuneiform." - -"You interest me intensely," said Phillips. "Would you mind continuing -your story? The circumstance you have mentioned seems to me of the most -inexplicable character, and I thirst for an elucidation." - -The young lady seemed to meditate for a moment, and she then proceeded -to relate the - - - - -NOVEL OF THE BLACK SEAL. - - -I must now give you some fuller particulars of my history. I am the -daughter of a civil engineer, Steven Lally by name, who was so -unfortunate as to die suddenly at the outset of his career, and before -he had accumulated sufficient means to support his wife and her two -children. My mother contrived to keep the small household going on -resources which must have been incredibly small; we lived in a remote -country village, because most of the necessaries of life were cheaper -than in a town, but even so we were brought up with the severest -economy. My father was a clever and well-read man, and left behind him a -small but select collection of books, containing the best Greek, Latin, -and English classics, and these books were the only amusement we -possessed. My brother, I remember, learned Latin out of Descartes' -"Meditationes," and I, in place of the little tales which children are -usually told to read, had nothing more charming than a translation of -the "Gesta Romanorum." We grew up thus, quiet and studious children, and -in course of time my brother provided for himself in the manner I have -mentioned. I continued to live at home; my poor mother had become an -invalid, and demanded my continual care, and about two years ago she -died after many months of painful illness. My situation was a terrible -one; the shabby furniture barely sufficed to pay the debts I had been -forced to contract, and the books I despatched to my brother, knowing -how he would value them. I was absolutely alone. I was aware how poorly -my brother was paid; and though I came up to London in the hope of -finding employment, with the understanding that he would defray my -expenses, I swore it should only be for a month, and that if I could not -in that time find some work, I would starve rather than deprive him of -the few miserable pounds he had laid by for his day of trouble. I took a -little room in a distant suburb, the cheapest that I could find. I lived -on bread and tea, and I spent my time in vain answering of -advertisements, and vainer walks to addresses I had noted. Day followed -on day, and week on week, and still I was unsuccessful, till at last the -term I had appointed drew to a close, and I saw before me the grim -prospect of slowly dying of starvation. My landlady was good-natured in -her way; she knew the slenderness of my means, and I am sure that she -would not have turned me out of doors. It remained for me then to go -away, and to try and die in some quiet place. It was winter then, and a -thick white fog gathered in the early part of the afternoon, becoming -more dense as the day wore on; it was a Sunday, I remember, and the -people of the house were at chapel. At about three o'clock I crept out -and walked away as quickly as I could, for I was weak from abstinence. -The white mist wrapped all the streets in silence, and a hard frost had -gathered thick upon the bare branches of the trees, and frost crystals -glittered on the wooden fences, and on the cold cruel ground beneath my -feet. I walked on, turning to right and left in utter haphazard, without -caring to look up at the names of the streets, and all that I remember -of my walk on that Sunday afternoon seems but the broken fragments of an -evil dream. In a confused vision I stumbled on, through roads half town -and half country; gray fields melting into the cloudy world of mist on -one side of me, and on the other comfortable villas with a glow of -firelight flickering on the walls; but all unreal, red brick walls, and -lighted windows, vague trees, and glimmering country, gas-lamps -beginning to star the white shadows, the vanishing perspectives of the -railway line beneath high embankments, the green and red of the signal -lamps,--all these were but momentary pictures flashed on my tired brain -and senses numbed by hunger. Now and then I would hear a quick step -ringing on the iron road, and men would pass me well wrapped up, walking -fast for the sake of warmth, and no doubt eagerly foretasting the -pleasures of a glowing hearth, with curtains tightly drawn about the -frosted panes, and the welcomes of their friends; but as the early -evening darkened and night approached, foot-passengers got fewer and -fewer, and I passed through street after street alone. In the white -silence I stumbled on, as desolate as if I trod the streets of a buried -city; and as I grew more weak and exhausted, something of the horror of -death was folding thickly round my heart. Suddenly, as I turned a -corner, some one accosted me courteously beneath the lamp-post, and I -heard a voice asking if I could kindly point the way to Avon Road. At -the sudden shock of human accents I was prostrated and my strength gave -way, and I fell all huddled on the side-walk and wept and sobbed and -laughed in violent hysteria. I had gone out prepared to die, and as I -stepped across the threshold that had sheltered me, I consciously bade -adieu to all hopes and all remembrances; the door clanged behind me with -the noise of thunder, and I felt that an iron curtain had fallen on the -brief passages of my life, and that henceforth I was to walk a little -way in a world, of gloom and shadow; I entered on the stage of the first -act of death. Then came my wandering in the mist, the whiteness wrapping -all things, the void streets, and muffled silence, till when that voice -spoke to me, it was as if I had died and life returned to me. In a few -minutes I was able to compose my feelings, and as I rose I saw that I -was confronted by a middle-aged gentleman of specious appearance, neatly -and correctly dressed. He looked at me with an expression of great pity, -but before I could stammer out my ignorance of the neighborhood, for -indeed I had not the slightest notion of where I had wandered, he spoke. - -"My dear madam," he said, "you seem in some terrible distress. You -cannot think how you alarmed me. But may I inquire the nature of your -trouble? I assure you that you can safely confide in me." - -"You are very kind," I replied; "but, I fear there is nothing to be -done. My condition seems a hopeless one." - -"Oh, nonsense, nonsense! You are too young to talk like that. Come, let -us walk down here, and you must tell me your difficulty. Perhaps I may -be able to help you." - -There was something very soothing and persuasive in his manner, and as -we walked together, I gave him an outline of my story, and told of the -despair that had oppressed me almost to death. - -"You were wrong to give in so completely," he said, when I was silent. -"A month is too short a time in which to feel one's way in London. -London, let me tell you, Miss Lally, does not lie open and undefended; -it is a fortified place, fossed and double-moated with curious -intricacies. As must always happen in large towns, the conditions of -life have become hugely artificial; no mere simple palisade is run up to -oppose the man or woman who would take the place by storm, but serried -lines of subtle contrivances, mines, and pitfalls which it needs a -strange skill to overcome. You, in your simplicity, fancied you had only -to shout for these walls to sink into nothingness, but the time is gone -for such startling victories as these. Take courage; you will learn the -secret of success before very long." - -"Alas, sir," I replied, "I have no doubt your conclusions are correct, -but at the present moment I seem to be in a fair way to die of -starvation. You spoke of a secret; for heaven's sake, tell it me, if you -have any pity for my distress." - -He laughed genially. "There lies the strangeness of it all. Those who -know the secret cannot tell it if they would; it is positively as -ineffable as the central doctrine of Freemasonry. But I may say this, -that you yourself have penetrated at least the outer husk of the -mystery," and he laughed again. - -"Pray do not jest with me," I said. "What have I done, _que sais-je_? I -am so far ignorant that I have not the slightest idea of how my next -meal is to be provided." - -"Excuse me. You ask what you have done? You have met me. Come, we will -fence no longer. I see you have self-education, the only education -which is not infinitely pernicious, and I am in want of a governess for -my two children. I have been a widower for some years; my name is Gregg. -I offer you the post I have named, and shall we say a salary of a -hundred a year?" - -I could only stutter out my thanks, and slipping a card with his address -and a bank-note by way of earnest into my hand, Mr. Gregg bade me -good-bye, asking me to call in a day or two. - -Such was my introduction to Professor Gregg, and can you wonder that the -remembrance of despair and the cold blast that had blown from the gates -of death upon me, made me regard him as a second father? Before the -close of the week. I was installed in my new duties; the professor had -leased an old brick manor house in a western suburb of London, and here, -surrounded by pleasant lawns and orchards, and soothed with the murmur -of the ancient elms that rocked their boughs above the roof, the new -chapter of my life began. Knowing as you do the nature of the -professor's occupations, you will not be surprised to hear that the -house teemed with books; and cabinets full of strange and even hideous -objects filled every available nook in the vast low rooms. Gregg was a -man whose one thought was for knowledge, and I too before long caught -something of his enthusiasm, and strove to enter into his passion for -research. In a few months I was perhaps more his secretary than the -governess of the two children, and many a night I have sat at the desk -in the glow of the shaded lamp while he, pacing up and down in the rich, -gloom of the firelight, dictated to me the substance of his "Text-book -of Ethnology." But amidst these more sober and accurate studies I always -detected a something hidden, a longing and desire for some object to -which he did not allude, and now and then he would break short in what -he was saying and lapse into revery, entranced, as it seemed to me, by -some distant prospect of adventurous discovery. The text-book was at -last finished, and we began to receive proofs from the printers, which -were intrusted to me for a first reading, and then underwent the final -revision of the professor. All the while his weariness of the actual -business he was engaged on increased, and it was with the joyous laugh -of a schoolboy when term is over that he one day handed me a copy of the -book. "There," he said, "I have kept my word; I promised to write it, -and it is done with. Now I shall be free to live for stranger things; I -confess it, Miss Lally, I covet the renown of Columbus. You will, I -hope, see me play the part of an explorer." - -"Surely," I said, "there is little left to explore. You have been born a -few hundred years too late for that." - -"I think you are wrong," he replied; "there are still, depend upon it, -quaint undiscovered countries and continents of strange extent. Ah, Miss -Lally, believe me, we stand amidst sacraments and mysteries full of awe, -and it doth not yet appear what we shall be. Life, believe me, is no -simple thing, no mass of gray matter and congeries of veins and muscles -to be laid naked by the surgeon's knife; man is the secret which I am -about to explore, and before I can discover him I must cross over -weltering seas indeed, and oceans and the mists of many thousand years. -You know the myth of the lost Atlantis; what if it be true, and I am -destined to be called the discoverer of that wonderful land?" - -I could see excitement boiling beneath his words, and in his face was -the heat of the hunter; before me stood a man who believed himself -summoned to tourney with the unknown. A pang of joy possessed me when I -reflected that I was to be in a way associated with him in the -adventure, and I too burned with the lust of the chase, not pausing to -consider that I knew not what we were to unshadow. - -The next morning Professor Gregg took me into his inner study, where -ranged against the wall stood a nest of pigeon-holes, every drawer -neatly labelled, and the results of years of toil classified in a few -feet of space. - -"Here," he said, "is my life; here are all the facts which I have -gathered together with so much pains, and yet it is all nothing. No, -nothing to what I am about to attempt. Look at this;" and he took me to -an old bureau, a piece fantastic and faded, which stood in a corner of -the room. He unlocked the front and opened one of the drawers. - -"A few scraps of paper," he went on, pointing to the drawer, "and a lump -of black stone, rudely annotated with queer marks and scratches,--that -is all that drawer holds. Here you see is an old envelope with the dark -red stamp of twenty years ago, but I have pencilled a few lines at the -back; here is a sheet of manuscript, and here some cuttings from -obscure local journals. And if you ask me the subject matter of the -collection, it will not seem extraordinary. A servant girl at a -farmhouse, who disappeared from her place and has never been heard of, a -child supposed to have slipped down some old working on the mountains, -some queer scribbling on a limestone rock, a man murdered with a blow -from a strange weapon; such is the scent I have to go upon. Yes, as you -say, there is a ready explanation for all this; the girl may have run -away to London, or Liverpool, or New York; the child may be at the -bottom of the disused shaft; and the letters on the rock may be the idle -whims of some vagrant. Yes, yes, I admit all that; but I know I hold the -true key. Look!" and he held me out a slip of yellow paper. - -"Characters found inscribed on a limestone rock on the Gray Hills," I -read, and then there was a word erased, presumably the name of a county, -and a date some fifteen years back. Beneath was traced a number of -uncouth characters, shaped somewhat like wedges or daggers, as strange -and outlandish as the Hebrew alphabet. - -"Now the seal," said Professor Gregg, and he handed me the black stone, -a thing about two inches long, and something like an old-fashioned -tobacco stopper, much enlarged. - -I held it up to the light, and saw to my surprise the characters on the -paper repeated on the seal. - -"Yes," said the professor, "they are the same. And the marks on the -limestone rock were made fifteen years ago, with some red substance. And -the characters on the seal are four thousand years old at least. Perhaps -much more." - -"Is it a hoax?" I said. - -"No, I anticipated that. I was not to be led to give my life to a -practical joke. I have tested the matter very carefully. Only one person -besides myself knows of the mere existence of that black seal. Besides, -there are other reasons which I cannot enter into now." - -"But what does it all mean?" I said. "I cannot understand to what -conclusion all this leads." - -"My dear Miss Lally, that is a question I would rather leave unanswered -for some little time. Perhaps I shall never be able to say what secrets -are held here in solution; a few vague hints, the outlines of village -tragedies, a few marks done with red earth upon a rock, and an ancient -seal. A queer set of data to go upon? Half-a-dozen pieces of evidence, -and twenty years before even so much could be got together; and who -knows what mirage or terra incognita may be beyond all this? I look -across deep waters, Miss Lally, and the land beyond may be but a haze -after all. But still I believe it is not so, and a few months will show -whether I am right or wrong." - -He left me, and alone I endeavored to fathom the mystery, wondering to -what goal such eccentric odds and ends of evidence could lead. I myself -am not wholly devoid of imagination, and I had reason to respect the -professor's solidity of intellect; yet I saw in the contents of the -drawer but the materials of fantasy, and vainly tried to conceive what -theory could be founded on the fragments that had been placed before me. -Indeed, I could discover in what I had heard and seen but the first -chapter of an extravagant romance; and yet deep in my heart I burned -with curiosity, and day after day I looked eagerly in Professor Gregg's -face for some hint of what was to happen. - -It was one evening after dinner that the word came. - -"I hope you can make your preparations without much trouble," he said -suddenly to me. "We shall be leaving here in a week's time." - -"Really!" I said in astonishment. "Where are we going?" - -"I have taken a country house in the west of England, not far from -Caermaen, a quiet little town, once a city, and the headquarters of a -Roman legion. It is very dull there, but the country is pretty, and the -air is wholesome." - -I detected a glint in his eyes, and guessed that this sudden move had -some relation to our conversation of a few days before. - -"I shall just take a few books with me," said Professor Gregg, "that is -all. Everything else will remain here for our return. I have got a -holiday," he went on, smiling at me, "and I shan't be sorry to be quit -for a time of my old bones and stones and rubbish. Do you know," he went -on, "I have been grinding away at facts for thirty years; it is time for -fancies." - -The days passed quickly; I could see that the professor was all -quivering with suppressed excitement, and I could scarce credit the -eager appetence of his glance as we left the old manor house behind us, -and began our journey. We set out at mid-day, and it was in the dusk of -the evening that we arrived at a little country station. I was tired, -and excited, and the drive through, the lanes seems all a dream. First -the deserted streets of a forgotten village, while I heard Professor -Gregg's voice talking of the Augustan Legion and the clash of arms, and -all the tremendous pomp that followed the eagles; then the broad river -swimming to full tide with the last afterglow glimmering duskily in the -yellow water, the wide meadows, and the cornfields whitening, and the -deep lane winding on the slope between the hills and the water. At last -we began to ascend, and the air grew rarer; I looked down and saw the -pure white mist tracking the outline of the river like a shroud, and a -vague and shadowy country, imaginations and fantasy of swelling hills -and hanging woods, and half-shaped outlines of hills beyond, stand in -the distance the glare of the furnace fire on the mountain, growing by -turns a pillar of shining flame, and fading to a dull point of red. We -were slowly mounting a carriage drive, and then there came to me the -cool breath and the scent of the great wood that was above us; I seemed -to wander in its deepest depths, and there was the sound of trickling -water, the scent of the green leaves, and the breath of the summer -night. The carriage stopped at last, and I could scarcely distinguish -the form of the house as I waited a moment at the pillared porch; and -the rest of the evening seemed a dream of strange things bounded by the -great silence of the wood and the valley and the river. - -The next morning when I awoke and looked out of the bow window of the -big old-fashioned bedroom, I saw under a gray sky a country that was -still all mystery. The long, lovely valley, with the river winding in -and out below, crossed, in mid vision by a mediæval bridge of vaulted -and buttressed stone, the clear presence of the rising ground beyond, -and the woods that I had only seen in shadow the night before, seemed -tinged with enchantment, and the soft breath, of air that sighed in at -the opened pane was like no other wind. I looked across the valley, and -beyond, hill followed on hill as wave on wave, and here a faint blue -pillar of smoke rose still in the morning air from the chimney of an -ancient gray farmhouse, there was a rugged height crowned with dark -firs, and in the distance I saw the white streak of a road that climbed -and vanished into some unimagined country. But the boundary of all was a -great wall of mountain, vast in the west, and ending like a fortress -with a steep ascent and a domed tumulus clear against the sky. - -I saw Professor Gregg walking up and down the terrace path below the -windows, and it was evident that he was revelling in the sense of -liberty, and the thought that he had, for a while, bidden good-bye to -task-work. When I joined him there was exultation in his voice as he -pointed out the sweep of valley and the river that wound beneath the -lovely hills. - -"Yes," he said, "it is a strangely beautiful country; and to me, at -least, it seems full of mystery. You have not forgotten the drawer I -showed you, Miss Lally? No; and you have guessed that I have come here -not merely for the sake of the children and the fresh air?" - -"I think I have guessed as much as that," I replied; "but you must -remember I do not know the mere nature of your investigations; and as -for the connection between the search and this wonderful valley, it is -past my guessing." - -He smiled queerly at me. "You must not think I am making a mystery for -the sake of mystery," he said. "I do not speak out because, so far, -there is nothing to be spoken, nothing definite I mean, nothing that can -be set down in hard black and white, as dull and sure and irreproachable -as any blue book. And then I have another reason: many years ago a -chance paragraph in a newspaper caught my attention, and focussed in an -instant the vagrant thoughts and half-formed fancies of many idle and -speculative hours into a certain hypothesis. I saw at once that I was -treading on a thin crust; my theory was wild and fantastic in the -extreme, and I would not for any consideration have written a hint of it -for publication. But I thought that in the company of scientific men -like myself, men who knew the course of discovery, and were aware that -the gas that blazes and flares in the gin-palace was once a wild -hypothesis; I thought that with such men as these I might hazard my -dream--let us say Atlantis, or the philosopher's stone, or what you -like--without danger of ridicule. I found I was grossly mistaken; my -friends looked blankly at me and at one another, and I could see -something of pity, and something also of insolent contempt, in the -glances they exchanged. One of them called on me next day, and hinted -that I must be suffering from overwork and brain exhaustion. 'In plain -terms,' I said, 'you think I am going mad. I think not;' and I showed -him out with some little appearance of heat. Since that day I vowed that -I would never whisper the nature of my theory to any living soul; to no -one but yourself have I ever shown the contents of that drawer. After -all, I may be following a rainbow; I may have been misled by the play of -coincidence; but as I stand here in this mystic hush and silence amidst -the woods and wild hills, I am more than ever sure that I am hot on the -scent. Come, it is time we went in." - -To me in all this there was something both of wonder and excitement; I -knew how in his ordinary work Professor Gregg moved step by step, -testing every inch of the way, and never venturing on assertion without -proof that was impregnable. Yet I divined more from his glance and the -vehemence of his tone than from the spoken word that he had in his every -thought the vision of the almost incredible continually with him; and I, -who was with some share of imagination no little of a sceptic, offended -at a hint of the marvellous, could not help asking myself whether he was -cherishing a monomania, and barring out from this one subject all the -scientific method of his other life. - -Yet, with, this image of mystery haunting my thoughts, I surrendered -wholly to the charm of the country. Above the faded house on the -hillside began the great forest; a long dark line seen from the opposing -hills, stretching above the river for many a mile from north to south, -and yielding in the north to even wilder country, barren and savage -hills, and ragged common land, a territory all strange and unvisited, -and more unknown to Englishmen than the very heart of Africa. The space -of a couple of steep fields alone separated the house from the wood, and -the children were delighted to follow me up the long alleys of -undergrowth, between smooth pleached walls of shining beech, to the -highest point in the wood, whence one looked on one side across the -river and the rise and fall of the country to the great western mountain -wall, and on the other, over the surge and dip of the myriad trees of -the forest, over level meadows and the shining yellow sea to the faint -coast beyond. I used to sit at this point on the warm sunlit turf which -marked the track of the Roman Road, while the two children raced about -hunting for the whinberries that grew here and there on the banks. Here -beneath the deep blue sky and the great clouds rolling, like olden -galleons with sails full-bellied, from the sea to the hills, as I -listened to the whispered charm of the great and ancient wood, I lived -solely for delight, and only remembered strange things when we would -return to the house, and find Professor Gregg either shut up in the -little room he had made his study, or else pacing the terrace with the -look, patient and enthusiastic, of the determined seeker. - -One morning, some eight or nine days after our arrival, I looked out of -my window and saw the whole landscape transmuted before me. The clouds -had dipped low and hidden the mountain in the west, and a southern wind -was driving the rain in shifting pillars up the valley, and the little -brooklet that burst the hill below the house now raged, a red torrent, -down to the river. We were perforce obliged to keep snug within doors, -and when I had attended to my pupils, I sat down in the morning-room -where the ruins of a library still encumbered an old-fashioned bookcase. -I had inspected the shelves once or twice, but their contents had failed -to attract me; volumes of eighteenth century sermons, an old book on -farriery, a collection of "Poems" by "persons of quality," Prideaux's -"Connection," and an odd volume of Pope were the boundaries of the -library, and there seemed little doubt that everything of interest or -value had been removed. Now, however, in desperation, I began to -re-examine the musty sheepskin and calf bindings, and found, much to my -delight, a fine old quarto printed by the Stephani, containing the three -books of Pomponius Mela, "De Situ Orbis," and other of the ancient -geographers. I knew enough of Latin to steer my way through an ordinary -sentence, and I soon became absorbed in the odd mixture of fact and -fancy; light shining on a little of the space of the world, and beyond -mist and shadow and awful forms. Glancing over the clear-printed pages, -my attention was caught by the heading of a chapter in Solinus, and I -read the words:-- - -MIRA DE INTIMIS GENTIBUS LIBYAE, DE LAPIDE - HEXECONTALITHO. - -"The wonders of the people that inhabit the inner parts of Libya, and of -the stone called Sixtystone." - -The odd title attracted me and I read on:-- - -"Gens ista avia et secreta habitat, in montibus horrendis foeda -mysteria celebrat. De hominibus nihil aliud illi præferunt quam -figuram, ab humano ritu prorsus exulant, oderunt deum lucis. Stridunt -potius quam loquuntur; vox absona nec sine horrore auditur. Lapide -quodam gloriantur, quem Hexecontalithon vocant, dicunt enim hunc lapidem -sexaginta notas ostendere. Cujus lapidis nomen secretum ineffabile -colunt: quod Ixaxar." - -"This folk," I translated to myself, "dwells in remote and secret -places, and celebrates foul mysteries on savage hills. Nothing have they -in common with men save the face, and the customs of humanity are wholly -strange to them; and they hate the sun. They hiss rather than speak; -their voices are harsh, and not to be heard without fear. They boast of -a certain stone, which they call Sixtystone; for they say that it -displays sixty characters. And this stone has a secret unspeakable name; -which is Ixaxar." - -I laughed at the queer inconsequence of all this, and thought it fit for -Sinbad the Sailor or other of the supplementary Nights. When I saw -Professor Gregg in the course of the day, I told him of my find in the -bookcase, and the fantastic rubbish I had been reading. To my surprise, -he looked up at me with an expression of great interest. - -"That is really very curious," he said. "I have never thought it worth -while to look into the old geographers, and I daresay I have missed a -good deal. Ah, that is the passage, is it. It seems a shame to rob you -of your entertainment, but I really think I must carry off the book." - -The next day the professor called to me to come to the study. I found -him sitting at a table in the full light of the window, scrutinizing -something very attentively with a magnifying-glass. - -"Ah, Miss Lally," he began, "I want to use your eyes. This glass is -pretty good, but not like my old one that I left in town. Would you -mind examining the thing yourself, and telling me how many characters -are cut on it?" - -He handed me the object in his hand, and I saw that it was the black -seal he had shown me in London, and my heart began to beat with the -thought that I was presently to know something. I took the seal, and -holding it up to the light checked off the grotesque dagger-shaped -characters one by one. - -"I make sixty-two," I said at last. - -"Sixty-two? Nonsense; it's impossible. Ah, I see what you have done, you -have counted that and that," and he pointed to two marks which I had -certainly taken as letters with the rest. - -"Yes, yes," Professor Gregg went on; "but those are obvious scratches, -done accidentally; I saw that at once. Yes, then that's quite right. -Thank you very much, Miss Lally." - -I was going away, rather disappointed at my having been called in merely -to count a number of marks on the black seal, when suddenly there -flashed into my mind what I had read in the morning. - -"But, Professor Gregg, I cried, breathless, the seal, the seal. Why, it -is the stone Hexecontalithos that Solinus writes of; it is Ixaxar." - -"Yes," he said, "I suppose it is. Or it maybe a mere coincidence. It -never does to be too sure, you know, in these matters. Coincidence -killed the professor." - -I went away puzzled by what I had heard, and as much as ever at a loss -to find the ruling clew in this maze of strange evidence. For three days -the bad weather lasted, changing from driving rain to a dense mist, fine -and dripping, and we seemed to be shut up in a white cloud that veiled -all the world away from us. All the while Professor Gregg was darkling -in his room, unwilling, it appeared, to dispense confidences or talk of -any kind, and I heard him walking to and fro with a quick, impatient -step, as if he were in some way wearied of inaction. The fourth morning -was fine, and at breakfast the professor said briskly:-- - -"We want some extra help about the house; a boy of fifteen or sixteen, -you know. There are a lot of little odd jobs that take up the maids' -time, which a boy could do much better." - -"The girls have not complained to me in any way," I replied. "Indeed, -Anne said there was much less work than in London, owing to there being -so little dust." - -"Ah, yes, they are very good girls. But I think we shall do much better -with a boy. In fact, that is what has been bothering me for the last two -days." - -"Bothering you?" I said in astonishment, for as a matter of fact the -professor never took the slightest interest in the affairs of the house. - -"Yes," he said, "the weather, you know. I really couldn't go out in that -Scotch mist; I don't know the country very well, and I should have lost -my way. But I am going to get the boy this morning." - -"But how do you know there is such a boy as you want anywhere about?" - -"Oh, I have no doubt as to that. I may have to walk a mile or two at the -most, but I am sure to find just the boy I require." - -I thought the professor was poking, but though his tone was airy enough -there was something grim and set about his features that puzzled me. He -got his stick, and stood at the door looking meditatively before him, -and as I passed through the hall he called to me. - -"By the way, Miss Lally, there was one thing I wanted to say to you. I -daresay you may have heard that some of these country lads are not over -bright; idiotic would be a harsh word to use, and they are usually -called 'naturals,' or something of the kind, I hope you won't mind if -the boy I am after should turn out not too keen-witted; he will be -perfectly harmless, of course, and blacking boots doesn't need much -mental effort." - -With that he was gone, striding up the road that led to the wood; and I -remained stupefied, and then for the first time my astonishment was -mingled with a sudden note of terror, arising I knew not whence, and all -unexplained even to myself, and yet I felt about my heart for an instant -something of the chill of death, and that shapeless, formless dread of -the unknown that is worse than death itself. I tried to find courage in -the sweet air that blew up from the sea, and in the sunlight after rain, -but the mystic woods seemed to darken around me; and the vision of the -river coiling between the reeds, and the silver gray of the ancient -bridge, fashioned in my mind symbols of vague dread, as the mind of a -child fashions terror from things harmless and familiar. - -Two hours later Professor Gregg returned. I met him as he came down the -road, and asked quietly if he had been able to find a boy. - -"Oh, yes," he answered; "I found one easily enough. His name is Jervase -Cradock, and I expect he will make himself very useful. His father has -been dead for many years, and the mother, whom I saw, seemed very glad -at the prospect of a few shillings extra coming in on Saturday nights. -As I expected, he is not too sharp, has fits at times, the mother said; -but as he will not be trusted with the china, that doesn't much matter, -does it? And he is not in any way dangerous, you know, merely a little -weak." - -"When is he coming?" - -"To-morrow morning at eight o'clock. Anne will show him what he has to -do, and how to do it. At first he will go home every night, but perhaps -it may ultimately turn out more convenient for him to sleep here, and -only go home for Sundays." - -I found nothing to say to all this. Professor Gregg spoke in a quiet -tone of matter-of-fact, as indeed was warranted by the circumstance; and -yet I could not quell my sensation of astonishment at the whole affair. -I knew that in reality no assistance was wanted in the housework, and -the professor's prediction that the boy he was to engage might prove a -little "simple," followed by so exact a fulfilment, struck me as bizarre -in the extreme. The next morning I heard from, the housemaid that the -boy Cradock had come at eight, and that she had been trying to make him -useful. "He doesn't seem quite all there, I don't think, miss," was her -comment; and later in the day I saw him helping the old man who worked -in the garden. He was a youth of about fourteen, with black hair and -black eyes, and an olive skin, and I saw at once from the curious -vacancy of his expression that he was mentally weak. He touched his -forehead awkwardly as I went by, and I heard him answering the gardener -in a queer, harsh voice that caught my attention; it gave me the -impression of some one speaking deep below under the earth, and there -was a strange sibilance, like the hissing of the phonograph as the -pointer travels over the cylinder. I heard that he seemed anxious to do -what he could, and was quite docile and obedient, and Morgan the -gardener, who knew his mother, assured me he was perfectly harmless. -"He's always been a bit queer," he said, "and no wonder, after what his -mother went through before he was born. I did know his father, Thomas -Cradock, well, and a very fine workman he was too, indeed. He got -something wrong with his lungs owing to working in the wet woods, and -never got over it, and went off quite sudden like. And they do say as -how Mrs. Cradock was quite off her head; anyhow, she was found by Mr. -Hillyer, Ty Coch, all crouched up on the Gray Hills, over there, crying -and weeping like a lost soul. And Jervase he was born about eight months -afterwards, and as I was saying, he was a bit queer always; and they do -say when he could scarcely walk he would frighten the other children -into fits with the noises he would make." - -A word in the story had stirred up some remembrance within me, and -vaguely curious, I asked the old man where the Gray Hills were. - -"Up there," he said, with the same gesture he had used before; "you go -past the Fox and Hounds, and through the forest, by the old ruins. It's -a good five mile from here, and a strange sort of a place. The poorest -soil between this and Monmouth, they do say, though it's good feed for -sheep. Yes, it was a sad thing for poor Mrs. Cradock." - -The old man turned to his work, and I strolled on down the path between -the espaliers, gnarled and gouty with age, thinking of the story I had -heard, and groping for the point in it that had some key to my memory. -In an instant it came before me; I had seen the phrase "Gray Hills" on -the slip of yellowed paper that Professor Gregg had taken from the -drawer in his cabinet. Again I was seized with pangs of mingled -curiosity and fear; I remembered the strange characters copied from the -limestone rock, and then again their identity with the inscription on -the age-old seal, and the fantastic fables of the Latin geographer. I -saw beyond doubt that, unless coincidence had set all the scene and -disposed all these bizarre events with curious art, I was to be a -spectator of things far removed from the usual and customary traffic and -jostle of life. Professor Gregg I noted day by day. He was hot on his -trail, growing lean with eagerness; and in the evenings, when the sun -was swimming on the verge of the mountain, he would pace the terrace to -and fro with his eyes on the ground, while the mist grew white in the -valley, and the stillness of the evening brought far voices near, and -the blue smoke rose a straight column from the diamond-shaped chimney of -the gray farmhouse, just as I had seen it on the first morning. I have -told you I was of sceptical habit; but though I understood little or -nothing, I began to dread, vainly proposing to myself the iterated -dogmas of science that all life is material, and that in the system of -things there is no undiscovered land even beyond the remotest stars, -where the supernatural can find a footing. Yet there struck in on this -the thought that matter is as really awful and unknown as spirit, that -science itself but dallies on the threshold, scarcely gaining more than -a glimpse of the wonders of the inner place. - -There is one day that stands up from amidst the others as a grim red -beacon, betokening evil to come. I was sitting on a bench in the garden, -watching the boy Cradock weeding, when I was suddenly alarmed by a harsh -and choking sound, like the cry of a wild beast in anguish, and I was -unspeakably shocked to see the unfortunate lad standing in full view -before me, his whole body quivering and shaking at short intervals as -though shocks of electricity were passing through him, and his teeth -grinding, and foam gathering on his lips, and his face all swollen and -blackened to a hideous mask of humanity. I shrieked with terror, and -Professor Gregg came running; and as I pointed to Cradock, the boy with -one convulsive shudder fell face forward, and lay on the wet earth, his -body writhing like a wounded blind-worm, and an inconceivable babble of -sounds bursting and rattling and hissing from his lips; he seemed to -pour forth an infamous jargon, with words, or what seemed words, that -might have belonged to a tongue dead since untold ages, and buried deep -beneath Nilotic mud, or in the inmost recesses of the Mexican forest. -For a moment the thought passed through my mind, as my ears were still -revolted with that infernal clamor, "Surely this is the very speech of -hell," and then I cried out again and again, and ran away shuddering to -my inmost soul. I had seen Professor Gregg's face as he stooped over the -wretched boy and raised him, and I was appalled by the glow of -exultation that shone on every lineament and feature. As I sat in my -room with drawn blinds, and my eyes hidden in my hands, I heard heavy -steps beneath, and I was told afterwards that Professor Gregg had -carried Cradock to his study, and had locked the door. I heard voices -murmur indistinctly, and I trembled to think of what might be passing -within a few feet of where I sat; I longed to escape to the woods and -sunshine, and yet I dreaded the sights that might confront me on the -way. And at last, as I held the handle of the door nervously, I heard -Professor Gregg's voice calling to me with a cheerful ring: "It's all -right now, Miss Lally," he said. "The poor fellow has got over it, and I -have been arranging for him to sleep here after to-morrow. Perhaps I may -be able to do something for him." - -"Yes," he said later, "it was a very painful sight, and I don't wonder -you were alarmed. We may hope that good food will build him up a little, -but I am afraid he will never be really cured;" and he affected the -dismal and conventional air with which one speaks of hopeless illness, -and yet beneath it I detected the delight that leapt up rampant within -him, and fought and struggled to find utterance. It was as if one -glanced down on the even surface of the sea, clear and immobile, and saw -beneath raging depths, and a storm of contending billows. It was indeed -to me a torturing and offensive problem that this man, who had so -bounteously rescued me from the sharpness of death, and showed himself -in all the relations of life full of benevolence and pity and kindly -forethought, should so manifestly be for once on the side of the demons, -and take a ghastly pleasure in the torments of an afflicted -fellow-creature. Apart, I struggled with the horned difficulty, and -strove to find the solution, but without the hint of a clue; beset by -mystery and contradiction, I saw nothing that might help me, and began -to wonder whether, after all, I had not escaped from the white mist of -the suburb at too dear a rate. I hinted something of my thought to the -professor; I said enough to let him know that I was in the most acute -perplexity, but the moment after regretted what I had done, when I saw -his face contort with a spasm of pain. - -"My dear Miss Lally," he said, "you surely do not wish to leave us? No, -no, you would not do it. You do not know how I rely on you; how -confidently I go forward, assured that you are here to watch over my -children. You, Miss Lally, are my rear-guard; for, let me tell you, that -the business in which I am engaged is not wholly devoid of peril. You -have not forgotten what I said the first morning here; my lips are shut -by an old and firm resolve, till they can open to utter no ingenious -hypothesis or vague surmise but irrefragable fact, as certain as a -demonstration in mathematics. Think over it, Miss Lally, not for a -moment would I endeavor to keep you here against your own instincts, and -yet I tell you frankly that I am persuaded that it is here, here amidst -the woods, that your duty lies." - -I was touched by the eloquence of his tone, and by the remembrance that -the man, after all, had been my salvation, and I gave him my hand on a -promise to serve him loyally and without question. A few days later the -rector of our church, a little church, gray and severe and quaint, that -hovered on the very banks of the river and watched the tides swim and -return, came to see us, and Professor Gregg easily persuaded him to stay -and share our dinner. Mr. Meyrick was a member of an antique family of -squires, whose old manor house stood amongst the hills some seven miles -away, and thus rooted in the soil, the rector was a living store of all -the old fading customs and lore of the country. His manner, genial with -a deal of retired oddity, won on Professor Gregg; and towards the -cheese, when a curious Burgundy had begun its incantations, the two men -glowed like the wine, and talked of philology with the enthusiasm of a -burgess over the peerage. The parson was expounding the pronunciation of -the Welsh _ll_, and producing sounds like the gurgle of his native -brooks, when Professor Gregg struck in. - -"By the way," he said, "that was a very odd word I met with the other -day. You know my boy, poor Jervase Cradock. Well, he has got the bad -habit of talking to himself, and the day before yesterday I was walking -in the garden here and heard him; he was evidently quite unconscious of -my presence. A lot of what he said I couldn't make out, but one word, -struck me distinctly. It was such an odd sound; half-sibilant, -half-guttural, and as quaint as those double _ll_'s you have been -demonstrating. I do not know whether I can give you an idea of the -sound. "Ishakshar" is perhaps as near as I can get; but the _k_ ought to -be a Greek _chi_ or a Spanish _j_. Now what does it mean in Welsh?" - -"In Welsh?" said the parson. "There is no such word in Welsh, nor any -word remotely resembling it. I know the book-Welsh, as they call it, and -the colloquial dialects as well as any man, but there's no word like -that from Anglesea to Usk. Besides, none of the Cradocks speak a word of -Welsh; it's dying out about here." - -"Really. You interest me extremely, Mr. Meyrick. I confess the word -didn't strike me as having the Welsh ring. But I thought it might be -some local corruption." - -"No, I never heard such a word, or anything like it. Indeed," he added, -smiling whimsically, "if it belongs to any language, I should say it -must be that of the fairies,--the Tylwydd Têg, as we call them." - -The talk went on to the discovery of a Roman villa in the neighborhood; -and soon after I left the room, and sat down apart to wonder at the -drawing together of such strange clues of evidence. As the professor had -spoken of the curious word, I had caught the glint of his eye upon me; -and though the pronunciation he gave was grotesque in the extreme, I -recognized the name of the stone of sixty characters mentioned by -Solinus, the black seal shut up in some secret drawer of the study, -stamped forever by a vanished race with signs that no man could read, -signs that might, for all I knew, be the veils of awful things done long -ago, and forgotten before the hills were moulded into form. - -When, the next morning, I came down, I found Professor Gregg pacing the -terrace in his eternal walk. - -"Look at that bridge," he said when he saw me, "observe the quaint and -Gothic design, the angles between the arches, and the silvery gray of -the stone in the awe of the morning light. I confess it seems to me -symbolic; it should illustrate a mystical allegory of the passage from -one world to another." - -"Professor Gregg," I said quietly, "it is time that I knew something of -what has happened, and of what is to happen." - -For the moment he put me off, but I returned again with the same -question in the evening, and then Professor Gregg flamed with -excitement. "Don't you understand yet?" he cried. "But I have told you a -good deal; yes, and shown you a good deal. You have heard pretty nearly -all that I have heard, and seen what I have seen; or at least," and his -voice chilled as he spoke, "enough to make a good deal clear as noonday. -The servants told you, I have no doubt, that the wretched boy Cradock -had another seizure the night before last; he awoke me with cries in -that voice you heard in the garden, and I went to him, and God forbid -you should see what I saw that night. But all this is useless; my time -here is drawing to a close; I must be back in town in three weeks, as I -have a course of lectures to prepare, and need all my books about me. In -a very few days it will be all over, and I shall no longer hint, and no -longer be liable to ridicule as a madman and a quack. No, I shall speak -plainly, and I shall be heard with such emotions as perhaps no other man -has ever drawn from the breasts of his fellows." - -He paused, and seemed to grow radiant with the joy of great and -wonderful discovery. - -"But all that is for the future, the near future certainly, but still -the future," he went on at length. "There is something to be done yet; -you will remember my telling you that my researches were not altogether -devoid of peril? Yes, there is a certain amount of danger to be faced; I -did not know how much when I spoke on the subject before, and to a -certain extent I am still in the dark. But it will be a strange -adventure, the last of all, the last demonstration in the chain." - -He was walking up and down the room as he spoke, and I could hear in his -voice the contending tones of exultation and despondence, or perhaps I -should say awe, the awe of a man who goes forth on unknown waters, and I -thought of his allusion to Columbus on the night he had laid his book -before me. The evening was a little chilly, and a fire of logs had been -lighted in the study where we were, and the remittent flame and the glow -on the walls reminded me of the old days. I was sitting silent in an -armchair by the fire, wondering over all I had heard, and still vainly -speculating as to the secret springs concealed from me under all the -phantasmagoria I had witnessed, when I became suddenly aware of a -sensation that change of some sort had been at work in the room, and -that there was something unfamiliar in its aspect. For some time I -looked about me, trying in vain to localize the alteration that I knew -had been made; the table by the window, the chairs, the faded settee -were all as I had known them. Suddenly, as a sought-for recollection -flashes into the mind, I knew what was amiss. I was facing the -professor's desk, which stood on the other side of the fire, and above -the desk was a grimy looking bust of Pitt, that I had never seen there -before. And then I remembered the true position of this work of art; in -the furthest corner by the door was an old cupboard, projecting into the -room, and on the top of the cupboard, fifteen feet from the floor, the -bust had been, and there no doubt it had delayed, accumulating dirt -since the early years of the century. - -I was utterly amazed, and sat silent still, in a confusion of thought. -There was, so far as I knew, no such thing as a step-ladder in the -house, for I had asked for one to make some alterations in the curtains -of my room; and a tall man standing on a chair would have found it -impossible to take down the bust. It had been placed not on the edge of -the cupboard, but far back against the wall; and Professor Gregg was, if -anything, under the average height. - -"How on earth did you manage to get down Pitt?" I said at last. - -The professor looked curiously at me, and seemed to hesitate a little. - -"They must have found you a step-ladder, or perhaps the gardener brought -in a short ladder from outside." - -"No, I have had no ladder of any kind. Now, Miss Lally," he went on with -an awkward simulation of jest, "there is a little puzzle for you; a -problem in the manner of the inimitable Holmes; there are the facts, -plain and patent; summon your acuteness to the solution of the puzzle. -For Heaven's sake," he cried with a breaking voice, "say no more about -it. I tell you, I never touched the thing," and he went out of the room -with horror manifest on his face, and his hand shook and jarred the door -behind him. - -I looked round the room in vague surprise, not at all realizing what had -happened, making vain and idle surmises by way of explanation, and -wondering at the stirring of black waters by an idle word, and the -trivial change of an ornament. "This is some petty business, some whim -on which I have jarred," I reflected; "the professor is perhaps -scrupulous and superstitious over trifles, and my question may have -outraged unacknowledged fears, as though one killed a spider or spilled -the salt before the very eyes of a practical Scotchwoman." I was -immersed in these fond suspicions, and began to plume myself a little on -my immunity from such empty fears, when the truth fell heavily as lead -upon my heart, and I recognized with cold terror that some awful -influence had been at work. The bust was simply inaccessible; without a -ladder no one could have touched it. - -I went out to the kitchen and spoke as quietly as I could to the -housemaid. - -"Who moved that bust from the top of the cupboard, Anne?" I said to her. -"Professor Gregg says he has not touched it. Did you find an old -step-ladder in one of the outhouses?" - -The girl looked at me blankly. - -"I never touched it," she said. "I found it where it is now the other -morning when I dusted the room. I remember now, it, was Wednesday -morning, because it was the morning after Cradock was taken bad in the -night. My room is next to his, you know, miss," the girl went on -piteously; "and it was awful to hear how he cried and called out names -that I couldn't understand. It made me feel all afraid, and then master -came, and I heard him speak, and he took down Cradock to the study and -gave him something." - -"And you found that bust moved the next morning?" - -"Yes, miss, there was a queer sort of a smell in the study when I came -down and opened the windows; a bad smell it was, and I wondered what it -could be. Do you know, miss, I went a long time ago to the Zoo in London -with my cousin Thomas Barker, one afternoon that I had off, when I was -at Mrs. Prince's in Stanhope Gate, and we went into the snake-house to -see the snakes, and it was just the same sort of a smell, very sick it -made me feel, I remember, and I got Barker to take me out. And it was -just the same kind of a smell in the study, as I was saying, and I was -wondering what it could be from, when I see that bust with Pitt cut in -it standing on the master's desk, and I thought to myself, now who has -done that, and how have they done it? And when I came to dust the -things, I looked at the bust, and I saw a great mark on it where the -dust was gone, for I don't think it can have been touched with a duster -for years and years, and it wasn't like finger-marks, but a large patch -like, broad and spread out. So I passed my hand over it, without -thinking what I was doing, and where that patch was it was all sticky -and slimy, as if a snail had crawled over it. Very strange, isn't it, -miss? and I wonder who can have done it, and how that mess was made." - -The well-meant gabble of the servant touched me to the quick. I lay down -upon my bed, and bit my lip that I should not cry out loud in the sharp -anguish of my terror and bewilderment. Indeed, I was almost mad with -dread; I believe that if it had been daylight I should have fled hot -foot, forgetting all courage and all the debt of gratitude that was due -to Professor Gregg, not caring whether my fate were that I must starve -slowly so long as I might escape from the net of blind and panic fear -that every day seemed to draw a little closer round me. If I knew, I -thought, if I knew what there were to dread, I could guard against it; -but here, in this lonely house, shut in on all sides by the olden woods -and the vaulted hills, terror seems to spring inconsequent from every -covert, and the flesh is aghast at the half-heard murmurs of horrible -things. All in vain I strove to summon scepticism to my aid, and -endeavored by cool common-sense to buttress my belief in a world of -natural order, for the air that blew in at the open window was a mystic -breath, and in the darkness I felt the silence go heavy and sorrowful -as a mass of requiem, and I conjured images of strange shapes gathering -fast amidst the reeds, beside the wash of the river. - -In the morning, from the moment that I set foot in the breakfast-room I -felt that the unknown plot was drawing to a crisis; the professor's face -was firm and set, and he seemed hardly to hear our voices when we spoke. - -"I am going out for rather a long walk," he said, when the meal was -over. "You mustn't be expecting me, now, or thinking anything has -happened if I don't turn up to dinner. I have been getting stupid -lately, and I dare say a miniature walking tour will do me good. Perhaps -I may even spend the night in some little inn, if I find any place that -looks clean and comfortable." - -I heard this, and knew by my experience of Professor Gregg's manner that -it was no ordinary business or pleasure that impelled him. I knew not, -nor even remotely guessed, where he was bound, nor had I the vaguest -notion of his errand, but all the fear of the night before returned; and -as he stood, smiling, on the terrace, ready to set out, I implored him -to stay, and to forget all his dreams of the undiscovered continent. - -"No, no, Miss Lally," he replied, still smiling, "it's too late now. -_Vestigia nulla retrorsum_, you know, is the device of all true -explorers, though I hope it won't be literally true in my ease. But, -indeed, you are wrong to alarm yourself so; I look upon my little -expedition as quite commonplace; no more exciting than a day with the -geological hammers. There is a risk, of course, but so there is on the -commonest excursion. I can afford to be jaunty; I am doing nothing so -hazardous as 'Arry does a hundred times over in the course of every Bank -Holiday. Well, then, you must look more cheerfully; and so good-by till -to-morrow at latest." - -He walked briskly up the road, and I saw him open the gate that marks -the entrance of the wood, and then he vanished in the gloom of the -trees. - -All the day passed heavily with a strange darkness in the air, and again -I felt as if imprisoned amidst the ancient woods, shut in an olden land -of mystery and dread, and as if all was long ago and forgotten by the -living outside. I hoped and dreaded, and when the dinner-hour came, I -waited expecting to hear the professor's step in the hall, and his voice -exulting at I knew not what triumph. I composed my face to welcome him -gladly, but the night descended dark, and he did not come. - -In the morning when the maid knocked at my door, I called out to her, -and asked if her master had returned; and when she replied that his -bedroom stood open and empty, I felt the cold clasp of despair. Still, I -fancied he might have discovered genial company, and would return for -luncheon, or perhaps in the afternoon, and I took the children for a -walk in the forest, and tried my best to play and laugh with them, and -to shut out the thoughts of mystery and veiled terror. Hour after hour I -waited, and my thoughts grew darker; again the night came and found me -watching, and at last, as I was making much ado to finish my dinner, I -heard steps outside and the sound of a man's voice. - -The maid came in and looked oddly at me. - -"Please, miss," she began, "Mr. Morgan the gardener wants to speak to -you for a minute, if you didn't mind." - -"Show him in, please," I answered, and I set my lips tight. - -The old man came slowly into the room, and the servant shut the door -behind him. - -"Sit down, Mr. Morgan," I said; "what is it that you want to say to me?" - -"Well, miss, Mr. Gregg he gave me something for you yesterday morning, -just before he went off; and he told me particular not to hand it up -before eight o'clock this evening exactly, if so be as he wasn't back -again home before, and if he should come home before I was just to -return it to him in his own hands. So, you see, as Mr. Gregg isn't here -yet, I suppose I'd better give you the parcel directly." - -He pulled out something from his pocket, and gave it to me, half rising. -I took it silently, and seeing that Morgan seemed doubtful as to what he -was to do next, I thanked him and bade him good-night, and he went out. -I was left alone in the room with the parcel in my hand,--a paper parcel -neatly sealed and directed to me, with the instructions Morgan had -quoted all written in the professor's large loose hand. I broke the -seals with a choking at my heart, and found an envelope inside, -addressed also, but open, and I took the letter out. - - * * * * * - -"MY DEAR MISS LALLY," it began, "To quote the old logic manual, the case -of your reading this note is a case of my having made a blunder of some -sort, and, I am afraid, a blunder that turns these lines into a -farewell. It is practically certain that neither you nor anyone else -will ever see me again. I have made my will with provision for this -eventuality, and I hope you will consent to accept the small remembrance -addressed to you, and my sincere thanks for the way in which you joined -your fortunes to mine. The fate which has come upon me is desperate and -terrible beyond the remotest dreams of man; but this fate you have a -right to know--if you please. If you look in the left-hand drawer of my -dressing-table, you will find the key of the escritoire, properly -labelled. In the well of the escritoire is a large envelope sealed and -addressed to your name. I advise you to throw it forthwith into the -fire; you will sleep better of nights if you do so. But if you must know -the history of what has happened, it is all written down for you to -read." - - * * * * * - -The signature was firmly written below, and again I turned the page and -read out the words one by one, aghast and white to the lips, my hands -cold as ice, and sickness choking me. The dead silence of the room, and -the thought of the dark woods and hills closing me in on every side, -oppressed me, helpless and without capacity, and not knowing where to -turn for counsel. At last I resolved that though knowledge should haunt -my whole life and all the days to come, I must know the meaning of the -strange terrors that had so long tormented me, rising gray, dim, and -awful, like the shadows in the wood at dusk. I carefully carried out -Professor Gregg's directions, and not without reluctance broke the seal -of the envelope, and spread out his manuscript before me. That -manuscript I always carry with me, and I see that I cannot deny your -unspoken request to read it. This, then, was what I read that night, -sitting at the desk, with a shaded lamp beside me. - -The young lady who called herself Miss Lally then proceeded to recite:-- - - * * * * * - -_The Statement of William Gregg, F.R.S., etc._ - -It is many years since the first glimmer of the theory which is now -almost, if not quite, reduced to fact dawned first on my mind. A -somewhat extensive course of miscellaneous and obsolete reading had done -a good deal to prepare the way, and, later, when I became somewhat of a -specialist and immersed myself in the studies known as ethnological, I -was now and then startled by facts that would not square with orthodox -scientific opinion, and by discoveries that seemed to hint at something -still hidden for all our research. More particularly I became convinced -that much of the folk-lore of the world is but an exaggerated account of -events that really happened, and I was especially drawn to consider the -stories of the fairies, the good folk of the Celtic races. Here I -thought I could detect the fringe of embroidery and exaggeration, the -fantastic guise, the little people dressed in green and gold sporting in -the flowers, and I thought I saw a distinct analogy between the name -given to this race (supposed to be imaginary) and the description of -their appearance and manners. Just as our remote ancestors called the -dreaded beings "fair" and "good" precisely because they dreaded them, so -they had dressed them up in charming forms, knowing the truth to be the -very reverse. Literature, too, had gone early to work, and had lent a -powerful hand in the transformation, so that the playful elves of -Shakespeare are already far removed from the true original, and the real -horror is disguised in a form of prankish mischief. But in the older -tales, the stories that used to make men cross themselves as they sat -round the burning logs, we tread a different stage; I saw a widely -opposed spirit in certain histories of children and of men and women who -vanished strangely from the earth. They would be seen by a peasant in -the fields walking towards some green and rounded hillock, and seen no -more on earth; and there are stories of mothers who have left a child -quietly sleeping with the cottage door rudely barred with a piece of -wood, and have returned, not to find the plump and rosy little Saxon, -but a thin and wizened creature, with sallow skin and black piercing -eyes, the child of another race. Then, again, there were myths darker -still; the dread of witch and wizard, the lurid evil of the Sabbath, and -the hint of demons who mingled with the daughters of men. And just as we -have turned the terrible "fair folk" into a company of benignant, if -freakish, elves, so we have hidden from us the black foulness of the -witch and her companions under a popular _diablerie_ of old women and -broomsticks and a comic cat with tail on end. So the Greeks called the -hideous furies benevolent ladies, and thus the northern nations have -followed their example. I pursued my investigations, stealing odd hours -from other and more imperative labors, and I asked myself the question: -Supposing these traditions to be true, who were the demons who are -reported to have attended the Sabbaths? I need not say that I laid aside -what I may call the supernatural hypothesis of the middle ages, and came -to the conclusion that fairies and devils were of one and the same race -and origin; invention, no doubt, and the Gothic fancy of old days had -done much in the way of exaggeration and distortion; yet I firmly -believed that beneath all this imagery there was a black background of -truth. As for some of the alleged wonders, I hesitated. While I should -be very loth to receive any one specific instance of modern spiritualism -as containing even a grain of the genuine, yet I was not wholly prepared -to deny that human flesh may now and then, once perhaps in ten million -cases, be the veil of powers which seem magical to us; powers which, so -far from proceeding from the heights and leading men thither, are in -reality survivals from the depths of being. The amoeba and the snail -have powers which we do not possess; and I thought it possible that the -theory of reversion might explain many things which seem wholly -inexplicable. Thus stood my position; I saw good reason to believe that -much of the tradition, a vast deal of the earliest and uncorrupted -tradition of the so-called fairies, represented solid fact, and I -thought that the purely supernatural element in these traditions, was to -be accounted for on the hypothesis that a race which had fallen out of -the grand march of evolution might have retained, as a survival, certain -powers which would be to us wholly miraculous. Such was my theory as it -stood conceived in my mind; and working with, this in view, I seemed to -gather confirmation from every side, from the spoils of a tumulus or a -barrow, from a local paper reporting an antiquarian meeting in the -country, and from general literature of all kinds. Amongst other -instances, I remember being struck by the phrase "articulate-speaking -men" in Homer, as if the writer knew or had heard of men whose speech -was so rude that it could hardly be termed articulate; and on my -hypothesis of a race who had lagged far behind the rest, I could easily -conceive that such a folk would speak a jargon but little removed from -the inarticulate noises of brute-beasts. - -Thus I stood, satisfied that my conjecture was at all events not far -removed from fact, when a chance paragraph in a small country print one -day arrested my attention. It was a short account of what was to all -appearance the usual sordid tragedy of the village; a young girl -unaccountably missing, and evil rumor blatant and busy with her -reputation. Yet I could read between the lines that all this scandal was -purely hypothetical, and in all probability invented to account for what -was in any other manner unaccountable. A flight to London or Liverpool, -or an undiscovered body lying with a weight about its neck in the foul -depths of a woodland pool, of perhaps murder,--such were the theories of -the wretched girl's neighbors. But as I idly scanned the paragraph, a -flash of thought passed through me with the violence of an electric -shock: What if the obscure and horrible race of the hills still -survived, still remained haunting wild places, and barren hills, and now -and then repeating the evil of Gothic legend, unchanged and -unchangeable as the Turanian Shelta, or the Basques of Spain. I have -said that the thought came with violence; and indeed I drew in my breath -sharply, and clung with both hands to my elbow-chair, in a strange -confusion of horror and elation. It was as if one of my _confrères_ of -physical science, roaming in a quiet English wood, had been suddenly -stricken aghast by the presence of the slimy and loathsome terror of the -ichthyosaurus, the original of the stories of the awful worms killed by -valorous knights, or had seen the sun darkened by the pterodactyl, the -dragon of tradition. Yet as a resolute explorer of knowledge, the -thought of such a discovery threw me into a passion of joy, and I cut -out the slip from the paper, and put it in a drawer in my old bureau, -resolved that it should be but the first piece in a collection of the -strangest significance. I sat long that evening dreaming of the -conclusions I should establish, nor did cooler reflection at first dash -my confidence. Yet as I began to put the case fairly, I saw that I might -be building on an unstable foundation; the facts might possibly be in -accordance with local opinion; and I regarded the affair with a mood of -some reserve. Yet I resolved to remain perched on the look-out, and I -hugged to myself the thought that I alone was watching and wakeful, -while the great crowd of thinkers and searchers stood heedless and -indifferent, perhaps letting the most prerogative facts pass by -unnoticed. - -Several years elapsed before I was enabled to add to the contents of the -drawer; and the second find was in reality not a valuable one, for it -was a mere repetition of the first, with only the variation of another -and distant locality. Yet I gained something; for in the second case, as -in the first, the tragedy took place in a desolate and lonely country, -and so far my theory seemed justified. But the third piece was to me far -more decisive. Again, amongst outland hills, far even from a main road -of traffic, an old man was found done to death, and the instrument of -execution was left beside him. Here, indeed, there was rumor and -conjecture, for the deadly tool was a primitive stone axe, bound by gut -to the wooden handle, and surmises the most extravagant and improbable -were indulged in. Yet, as I thought with a kind of glee, the wildest -conjectures went far astray; and I took the pains to enter into -correspondence with the local doctor, who was called at the inquest. He, -a man of some acuteness, was dumfoundered. "It will not do to speak of -these things in country places, he wrote to me; but, frankly, Professor -Gregg, there is some hideous mystery here. I have obtained possession of -the stone axe, and have been so curious as to test its powers. I took it -into the back-garden of my house one Sunday afternoon when my family and -the servants were all out, and there, sheltered by the poplar hedges, I -made my experiments. I found the thing utterly unmanageable. Whether -there is some peculiar balance, some nice adjustment of weights, which -require incessant practice, or whether an effectual blow can be struck -only by a certain trick of the muscles, I do not know; but I assure you -that I went into the house with but a sorry opinion of my athletic -capacities. It was like an inexperienced man trying 'putting the -hammer;' the force exerted seemed to return on oneself, and I found -myself hurled backwards with violence, while the axe fell harmless to -the ground. On another occasion I tried the experiment with a clever -woodman of the place; but this man, who had handled his axe for forty -years, could do nothing with the stone implement, and missed every -stroke most ludicrously. In short, if it were not so supremely absurd, I -should say that for four thousand years no one on earth could have -struck an effective blow with the tool that undoubtedly was used to -murder the old man." This, as may be imagined, was to me rare news; and -afterwards, when I heard the whole story, and learned that the -unfortunate old man had babbled tales of what might be seen at night on -a certain wild hillside, hinting at unheard-of wonders, and that he had -been found cold one morning on the very hill in question, my exultation -was extreme, for I felt I was leaving conjecture far behind me. But the -next step was of still greater importance. I had possessed for many -years an extraordinary stone seal,--a piece of dull black stone, two -inches long from the handle to the stamp, and the stamping end a rough -hexagon an inch and a quarter in diameter. Altogether, it presented the -appearance of an enlarged tobacco-stopper of an old-fashioned make. It -had been sent to me by an agent in the East, who informed me that it had -been found near the site of the ancient Babylon. But the characters -engraved on the seal were to me an intolerable puzzle. Somewhat of the -cuneiform pattern, there were yet striking differences, which I -detected at the first glance, and all efforts to read the inscription on -the hypothesis that the rules for deciphering the arrow-headed writing -would apply proved futile. A riddle such as this stung my pride, and at -odd moments I would take the Black Seal out of the cabinet, and -scrutinize it with so much idle perseverance that every letter was -familiar to my mind, and I could have drawn the inscription from memory -without the slightest error. Judge then of my surprise, when I one day -received from a correspondent in the west of England a letter and an -enclosure that positively left me thunderstruck. I saw carefully traced -on a large piece of paper the very characters of the Black Seal, without -alteration of any kind, and above the inscription my friend had written: -_Inscription found on a limestone rock on the Grey Hills, Monmouthshire. -Done in some red earth and quite recent_. I turned to the letter. My -friend wrote: "I send you the enclosed inscription with all due reserve. -A shepherd who passed by the stone a week ago swears that there was then -no mark of any kind. The characters, as I have noted, are formed by -drawing some red earth over the stone, and are of an average height of -one inch. They look to me like a kind of cuneiform character, a good -deal altered, but this of course is impossible. It may be either a hoax -or more probably some scribble of the gypsies, who are plentiful enough -in this wild country. They have, as you are aware, many hieroglyphics -which they use in communicating with one another. I happened to visit -the stone in question two days ago in connection with a rather painful -incident which has occurred here." - -As may be supposed, I wrote immediately to my friend, thanking him for -the copy of the inscription, and asking him in a casual manner, the -history of the incident he mentioned. To be brief, I heard that a woman -named Cradock, who had lost her husband a day before, had set out to -communicate the sad news to a cousin who lived some five miles away. She -took a short cut which led by the Gray Hills. Mrs. Cradock, who was then -quite a young woman, never arrived at her relative's house. Late that -night a farmer who had lost a couple of sheep, supposed to have wandered -from the flock, was walking over the Gray Hills, with a lantern and his -dog. His attention was attracted by a noise, which he described as a -kind of wailing, mournful and pitiable to hear; and, guided by the -sound, he found the unfortunate Mrs. Cradock crouched on the ground by -the limestone rock, swaying her body to and fro, and lamenting and -crying in so heart-rending a manner that the farmer was, as he says, at -first obliged to stop his ears, or he would have run away. The woman -allowed herself to be taken home, and a neighbor came to see to her -necessities. All the night she never ceased her crying, mixing her -lament with words of some unintelligible jargon, and when the doctor -arrived he pronounced her insane. She lay on her bed for a week, now -wailing, as people said, like one lost and damned for eternity, and now -sunk in a heavy coma; it was thought that grief at the loss of her -husband had unsettled her mind, and the medical man did not at one time -expect her to live. I need not say that I was deeply interested in this -story, and I made my friend write to me at intervals with all the -particulars of the case. I heard then that in the course of six weeks -the woman gradually recovered the use of her faculties and some months -later she gave birth to a son, christened Jervase, who unhappily proved -to be of weak intellect. Such were the facts known to the village; but -to me while I whitened at the suggested thought of the hideous -enormities that had doubtless been committed, all this was nothing short -of conviction, and I incautiously hazarded a hint of something like the -truth to some scientific friends. The moment the words had left my lips -I bitterly regretted having spoken, and thus given away the great secret -of my life, but with a good deal of relief mixed with indignation, I -found my fears altogether misplaced, for my friends ridiculed me to my -face, and I was regarded as a madman; and beneath a natural anger I -chuckled to myself, feeling as secure amidst these blockheads, as if I -had confided what I knew to the desert sands. - -But now, knowing so much, I resolved I would know all, and I -concentrated my efforts on the task of deciphering the inscription on -the Black Seal. For many years I made this puzzle the sole object of my -leisure moments; for the greater portion of my time was, of course, -devoted to other duties, and it was only now and then that I could -snatch a week of clear research. If I were to tell the full history of -this curious investigation, this statement would be wearisome in the -extreme, for it would contain simply the account of long and tedious -failure. By what I knew already of ancient scripts I was well-equipped -for the chase, as I always termed it to myself. I had correspondents -amongst all the scientific men in Europe, and, indeed, in the world, and -I could not believe that in these days any character, however ancient -and however perplexed, could long resist the search-light I should bring -to bear upon it. Yet, in point of fact, it was fully fourteen years -before I succeeded. With every year my professional duties increased, -and my leisure became smaller. This no doubt retarded me a good deal; -and yet, when I look back on those years I am astonished at the vast -scope of my investigation of the Black Seal. I made my bureau a centre, -and from all the world and from all the ages I gathered transcripts of -ancient writing. Nothing, I resolved, should pass me unawares, and the -faintest hint should be welcomed and followed up. But as one covert -after another was tried and proved empty of result, I began in the -course of years to despair, and to wonder whether the Black Seal were -the sole relic of some race that had vanished from the world and left no -other trace of its existence,--had perished, in fine, as Atlantis is -said to have done, in some great cataclysm, its secrets perhaps drowned -beneath the ocean or moulded into the heart of the hills. The thought -chilled my warmth a little, and though I still persevered, it was no -longer with the same certainty of faith. A chance came to the rescue. I -was staying in a considerable town in the north of England, and took the -opportunity of going over the very creditable museum that had for some -time been established in the place. The curator was one of my -correspondents; and, as we were looking through one of the mineral -cases, my attention was struck by a specimen, a piece of black stone -some four inches square, the appearance of which reminded me in a -measure of the Black Seal. I took it up carelessly, and was turning it -over in my hand, when I saw, to my astonishment, that the under side was -inscribed. I said, quietly enough, to my friend the curator that the -specimen interested me, and that I should be much obliged if he would -allow me to take it with me to my hotel for a couple of days. He, of -course, made no objection, and I hurried to my rooms, and found that my -first glance had not deceived me. There were two inscriptions; one in -the regular cuneiform character, another in the character of the Black -Seal, and I realized that my task was accomplished. I made an exact copy -of the two inscriptions; and when I got to my London study, and had the -Seal before me, I was able seriously to grapple with the great problem. -The interpreting inscription on the museum specimen, though in itself -curious enough, did not bear on my quest, but the transliteration made -me master of the secret of the Black Seal. Conjecture, of course, had to -enter into my calculations; there was here and there uncertainty about a -particular ideograph, and one sign recurring again and again on the Seal -baffled me for many successive nights. But at last the secret stood open -before me in plain English, and I read the key of the awful -transmutation of the hills. The last word was hardly written, when with -fingers all trembling and unsteady I tore the scrap of paper into the -minutest fragments, and saw them flame and blacken in the red hollow of -the fire, and then I crushed the gray films that remained into finest -powder. Never since then have I written those words; never will I write -the phrases which tell me how man can be reduced to the slime from which -he came, and be forced to put on the flesh of the reptile and the snake. -There was now but one thing remaining. I knew; but I desired to see, and -I was after some time able to take a house in the neighborhood of the -Gray Hills, and not far from the cottage where Mrs. Cradock and her son -Jervase resided. I need not go into a full and detailed account of the -apparently inexplicable events which have occurred here, where I am -writing this. I knew that I should find in Jervase Cradock something of -the blood of the "Little People," and I found later that he had more -than once encountered his kinsmen in lonely places in that lonely land. -When I was summoned one day to the garden, and found him in a seizure -speaking or hissing the ghastly jargon of the Black Seal, I am afraid -that exultation prevailed over pity. I heard bursting from his lips the -secrets of the underworld, and the word of dread, "Ishakshar," the -signification of which I must be excused from giving. - -But there is one incident I cannot pass over unnoticed. In the waste -hollow of the night I awoke at the sound of those hissing syllables I -knew so well; and on going to the wretched boy's room, I found him -convulsed and foaming at the mouth, struggling on the bed as if he -strove to escape the grasp of writhing demons. I took him down to my -room and lit the lamp, while he lay twisting on the floor, calling on -the power within his flesh to leave him. I saw his body swell and become -distended as a bladder, while the face blackened before my eyes; and -then at the crisis I did what was necessary according to the directions -on the Seal, and putting all scruple on one side, I became a man of -science, observant of what was passing. Yet the sight I had to witness -was horrible, almost beyond the power of human conception and the most -fearful fantasy; something pushed out from the body there on the floor, -and stretched forth, a slimy wavering tentacle, across the room, and -grasped the bust upon the cupboard, and laid it down on my desk. - -When it was over, and I was left to walk up and down all the rest of the -night, white and shuddering, with sweat pouring from my flesh, I vainly -tried to reason with myself; I said, truly enough, that I had seen -nothing really supernatural, that a snail pushing out his horns and -drawing them in was but an instance on a smaller scale of what I had -witnessed; and yet horror broke through all such reasonings and left me -shattered and loathing myself for the share I had taken in the night's -work. - -There is little more to be said. I am going now to the final trial and -encounter; for I have determined that there shall be nothing wanting, -and I shall meet the "Little People" face to face. I shall have the -Black Seal and the knowledge of its secrets to help me, and if I -unhappily do not return from my journey, there is no need to conjure up -here a picture of the awfulness of my fate. - -Pausing a little at the end of Professor Gregg's statement, Miss Lally -continued her tale in the following words:-- - -Such was the almost incredible story that the professor had left behind -him. When I had finished reading it, it was late at night, but the next -morning I took Morgan with me, and we proceeded to search the Gray Hills -for some trace of the lost professor. I will not weary you with a -description of the savage desolation of that tract of country, a tract -of utterest loneliness, of bare green hills dotted over with gray -limestone boulders, worn by the ravage of time into fantastic semblances -of men and beasts. Finally, after many hours of weary searching, we -found what I told you--the watch and chain, the purse, and the -ring--wrapped in a piece of coarse parchment. When Morgan cut the gut -that bound the parcel together, and I saw the professor's property, I -burst into tears, but the sight of the dreaded characters of the Black -Seal repeated on the parchment froze me to silent horror, and I think I -understood for the first time the awful fate that had come upon my late -employer. - -I have only to add that Professor Gregg's lawyer treated my account of -what had happened as a fairy tale, and refused even to glance at the -documents I laid before him. It was he who was responsible for the -statement that appeared in the public press, to the effect that -Professor Gregg had been drowned, and that his body must have been swept -into the open sea. - -Miss Lally stopped speaking and looked at Mr. Phillipps, with a glance -of some enquiry. He, for his part, was sunken in a deep revery of -thought; and when he looked up and saw the bustle of the evening -gathering in the square, men and women hurrying to partake of dinner, -and crowds already besetting the music-halls, all the hum and press of -actual life seemed unreal and visionary, a dream in the morning after an -awakening. - -"I thank you," he said at last, "for your most interesting story, -interesting to me, because I feel fully convinced of its exact truth." - -"Sir," said the lady, with some energy of indignation, "you grieve and -offend me. Do you think I should waste my time and yours by concocting -fictions on a bench in Leicester Square?" - -"Pardon me, Miss Lally, you have a little misunderstood me. Before you -began I knew that whatever you told would be told in good faith, but -your experiences have a far higher value than that of _bona fides_. The -most extraordinary circumstances in your account are in perfect harmony -with the very latest scientific theories. Professor Lodge would, I am -sure, value a communication from you extremely; I was charmed from the -first by his daring hypothesis in explanation of the wonders of -Spiritualism (so called), but your narrative puts the whole matter out -of the range of mere hypothesis." - -"Alas, sir, all this will not help me. You forget, I have lost my -brother under the most startling and dreadful circumstances. Again, I -ask you, did you not see him as you came here? His black whiskers, his -spectacles, his timid glance to right and left; think, do not these -particulars recall his face to your memory?" - -"I am sorry to say I have never seen any one of the kind," said -Phillipps, who had forgotten all about the missing brother. "But let me -ask you a few questions. Did you notice whether Professor Gregg--" - -"Pardon me, sir, I have stayed too long. My employers will be expecting -me. I thank you for your sympathy. Good bye." - -Before Mr. Phillipps had recovered from his amazement at this abrupt -departure, Miss Lally had disappeared from his gaze, passing into the -crowd that now thronged the approaches to the Empire. He walked home in -a pensive frame of mind, and drank too much tea. At ten o'clock he had -made his third brew, and had sketched out the outlines of a little work -to be called _Protoplasmic Reversion_. - - - - -INCIDENT OF THE PRIVATE BAR. - - -Mr. Dyson often meditated at odd moments over the singular tale he had -listened to at the Café de la Touraine. In the first place he cherished -a profound conviction that the words of truth were scattered with a too -niggardly and sparing hand over the agreeable history of Mr. Smith and -the Black Gulf Cañon; and, secondly, there was the undeniable fact of -the profound agitation of the narrator, and his gestures on the -pavement, too violent to be simulated. The idea of a man going about -London haunted by the fear of meeting a young man with spectacles struck -Dyson as supremely ridiculous; he searched his memory for some precedent -in romance, but without success; he paid visits at odd times to the -little café, hoping to find Mr. Wilkins there; and he kept a sharp watch -on the great generation of the spectacled men without much doubt that he -would remember the face of the individual whom he had seen dart out of -the Aerated Bread Shop. All his peregrinations and researches, however, -seemed to lead to nothing of value, and Dyson needed all his warm -conviction of his innate detective powers and his strong scent for -mystery to sustain him in his endeavors. In fact, he had two affairs on -hand; and every day, as he passed through streets crowded or deserted, -and lurked in the obscure districts, and watched at corners, he was more -than surprised to find that the affair of the gold coin persistently -avoided him; while the ingenious Wilkins, and the young man with -spectacles whom he dreaded, seemed to have vanished from the pavements. - -He was pondering these problems one evening in a house of call in the -Strand, and the obstinacy with which the persons he so ardently desired -to meet hung back gave the modest tankard before him an additional touch -of bitter. As it happened, he was alone in his compartment, and, without -thinking, he uttered aloud the burden of his meditations. "How bizarre -it all is!" he said, "a man walking the pavement with the dread of a -timid-looking young man with spectacles continually hovering before his -eyes. And there was some tremendous feeling at work, I could swear to -that." Quick as thought, before he had finished the sentence, a head -popped round the barrier, and was withdrawn again; and while Dyson was -wondering what this could mean, the door of the compartment was swung -open, and a smooth, clean-shaven, and smiling gentleman entered. - -"You will excuse me, sir," he said politely, "for intruding on your -thoughts, but you made a remark a minute ago." - -"I did," said Dyson; "I have been puzzling over a foolish matter, and I -thought aloud. As you heard what I said, and seem interested, perhaps -you may be able to relieve my perplexity?" - -"Indeed. I scarcely know; it is an odd coincidence. One has to be -cautions. I suppose, sir, that you would have no repulsion in assisting -the ends of justice." - -"Justice," replied Dyson, "is a term of such wide meaning, that I too -feel doubtful about giving an answer. But this place is not altogether -fit for such a discussion; perhaps you would come to my rooms?" - -"You are very kind; my name is Burton, but I am sorry to say I have not -a card with me. Do you live near here?" - -"Within ten minutes' walk." - -Mr. Burton took out his watch and seemed to be making a rapid -calculation. - -"I have a train to catch," he said; "but after all, it is a late one. -So, if you don't mind, I think I will come with you. I am sure we should -have a little talk together. We turn up here?" - -The theatres were filling as they crossed the Strand, the street seemed -alive with voices, and Dyson looked fondly about him. The glittering -lines of gas-lamps, with here and there the blinding radiance of an -electric light, the hansoms that flashed to and fro with ringing bells, -the laden buses, and the eager hurrying east and west of the foot -passengers, made his most enchanting picture; and the graceful spire of -St. Mary le Strand, on the one hand, and the last flush of sunset on the -other, were to him a cause of thanksgiving, as the gorse blossom to -Linnæus. Mr. Burton caught his look of fondness as they crossed the -street. - -"I see you can find the picturesque in London," he said. "To me this -great town is as I see it is to you, the study and the love of life. Yet -how few there are that can pierce the veils of apparent monotony and -meanness! I have read in a paper which is said to have the largest -circulation in the world, a comparison between the aspects of London and -Paris, a comparison which should be positively laureat, as the great -masterpiece of fatuous stupidity. Conceive if you can a human being of -ordinary intelligence preferring the Boulevards to our London streets; -imagine a man calling for the wholesale destruction of our most charming -city, in order that the dull uniformity of that whited sepulchre called -Paris should be reproduced here in London. Is it not positively -incredible?" - -"My dear sir," said Dyson, regarding Burton with a good deal of -interest. "I agree most heartily with your opinions, but I really cannot -share your wonder. Have you heard how much George Eliot received for -'Romola'? Do you know what the circulation of 'Robert Elsmere' was? Do -you read 'Tit Bits' regularly? To me, on the contrary, it is constant -matter both for wonder and thanksgiving that London was not -boulevardized twenty years ago. I praise that exquisite jagged sky line -that stands up against the pale greens and fading blues and flushing -clouds of sunset, but I wonder even more than I praise. As for St. Mary -le Strand, its preservation is a miracle, nothing more or less. A thing -of exquisite beauty _versus_ four buses abreast! Really, the conclusion -is too obvious. Didn't you read the letter of the man who proposed that -the whole mysterious system, the immemorial plan of computing Easter, -should, be abolished off-hand because he doesn't like his son having his -holidays as early as March 20th? But shall we be going on?" - -They had lingered at the corner of a street on the north side of the -Strand, enjoying the contrasts and the glamour of the scene. Dyson -pointed the way with a gesture, and they strolled up the comparatively -deserted streets, slanting a little to the right, and thus arriving at -Dyson's lodging on the verge of Bloomsbury. Mr. Burton took a -comfortable armchair by the open window, while Dyson lit the candles and -produced the whiskey and soda and cigarettes. - -"They tell me these cigarettes are very good," he said, "but I know -nothing about it myself. I hold at last that there is only one tobacco, -and that is shag. I suppose I could not tempt you to try a pipeful?" - -Mr. Burton smilingly refused the offer, and picked out a cigarette from -the box. When he had smoked it half through, he said with some -hesitation:-- - -"It is really kind of you to have me here, Mr. Dyson; the fact is that -the interests at issue are far too serious to be discussed in a bar, -where, as you found for yourself, there may be listeners, voluntary or -involuntary, on each side. I think the remark I heard you make was -something about the oddity of an individual going about London in deadly -fear of a young man with spectacles." - -"Yes, that was it." - -"Well, would you mind confiding to me the circumstances that gave rise -to the reflection?" - -"Not in the least; it was like this." And he ran over in brief outline -the adventure in Oxford Street, dwelling on the violence of Mr. -Wilkins's gestures, but wholly suppressing the tale told in the café. -"He told me he lived in constant terror of meeting this man; and I left -him when I thought he was cool enough to look after himself," said -Dyson, ending his narrative. - -"Really," said Mr. Burton. "And you actually saw this mysterious -person." - -"Yes." - -"And could you describe him?" - -"Well, he looked to me a youngish man, pale and nervous. He had small -black side whiskers, and wore rather large spectacles." - -"But this is simply marvellous! You astonish me. For I must tell you -that my interest in the matter is this. I am not in the least in terror -of meeting a dark young man with spectacles, but I shrewdly suspect a -person of that description would much rather not meet me. And yet the -account you give of the man tallies exactly. A nervous glance to right -and left--is it not so? And, as you observed, he wears prominent -spectacles, and has small black whiskers. There cannot be surely two -people exactly identical--one a cause of terror, and the other, I should -imagine, extremely anxious to get out of the way. But have you seen this -man since?" - -"No, I have not; and I have been looking out for him pretty keenly. But, -of course, he may have left London, and England too for the matter of -that." - -Hardly, I think. Well, Mr. Dyson, it is only fair that I should explain -my story, now that I have listened, to yours. I must tell you, then, -that I am an agent for curiosities and precious things of all kinds. An -odd employment, isn't it? Of course I wasn't brought up to the business; -I gradually fell into it. I have always been fond of things queer and -rare, and by the time I was twenty I had made half a dozen collections. -It is not generally known how often farm laborers come upon rarities; -you would be astonished if I told you what I have seen turned up by the -plough. I lived in the country in those days, and I used to buy anything -the men on the farms brought me; and I had the queerest set of rubbish, -as my friends called my collection. But that's how I got the scent of -the business, which means everything; and, later on, it struck me that I -might very well turn my knowledge to account and add to my income. Since -those early days I have been in most quarters of the world, and some -very valuable things have passed through my hands, and I have had to -engage in difficult and delicate negotiations. You have possibly heard -of the Khan opal--called in the East 'The Stone of a Thousand and One -Colors'? Well, perhaps the conquest of that stone was my greatest -achievement. I call it myself the stone of the thousand and one lies, -for I assure you that I had to invent a cycle of folk-lore before the -Rajah who owned it would consent to sell the thing. I subsidized -wandering story-tellers, who told tales in which the opal played a -frightful part; I hired a holy man, a great ascetic, to prophesy against -the thing in the language of Eastern symbolism; in short, I frightened -the Rajah out of his wits. So you see there is room for diplomacy in -the traffic I am engaged in. I have to be ever on my guard, and I have -often been sensible that unless I watched every step and weighed every -word my life would not last me much longer. Last April I became aware of -the existence of a highly valuable antique gem. It was in Southern -Italy, and in the possession of persons who were ignorant of its real -value. It has always been my experience that it is precisely the -ignorant who are most difficult to deal with. I have met farmers who -were under the impression that a shilling of George I. was a find of -almost incalculable value; and all the defeats I have sustained have -been at the hands of people of this description. Reflecting on these -facts, I saw that the acquisition of the gem I have mentioned would be -an affair demanding the nicest diplomacy; I might possibly have got it -by offering a sum approaching its real value, but I need not point out -to you that such a proceeding would be most unbusinesslike. Indeed, I -doubt whether it would have been successful, for the cupidity of such -persons is aroused by a sum which seems enormous, and the low cunning -which serves them in place of intelligence immediately suggests that the -object for which such an amount is offered must be worth at least -double. Of course, when it is a matter of an ordinary curiosity--an old -jug, a carved chest, or a queer brass lantern--one does not much care; -the cupidity of the owner defeats its object, the collector laughs, and -goes away, for he is aware that such things are by no means unique. But -this gem I fervently desired to possess; and as I did not see my way to -giving more than a hundredth part of its value, I was conscious that -all my, let us say, imaginative and diplomatic powers would have to be -exerted. I am sorry to say that I came to the conclusion that I could -not undertake to carry the matter through single-handed, and I -determined to confide in my assistant, a young man named William -Robbins, whom I judged to be by no means devoid of capacity. My idea was -that Robbins should get himself up as a low-class dealer in precious -stones; he could patter a little Italian, and would go to the town in -question and manage to see the gem we were after, possibly by offering -some trifling articles of jewelry for sale, but that I left to be -decided, then my work was to begin, but I will not trouble you with a -tale told twice over. In due course, then, Robbins went off to Italy -with an assortment of uncut stones and a few rings, and some jewelry I -bought in Birmingham, on purpose for his expedition. A week later I -followed him, travelling leisurely, so that I was a fortnight later in -arriving at our common destination. There was a decent hotel in the -town, and on my inquiring of the landlord whether there were many -strangers in the place, he told me very few; he had heard there was an -Englishman staying in a small tavern, a pedlar he said, who sold -beautiful trinkets very cheaply, and wanted to buy old rubbish. For five -or six days I took life leisurely, and I must say I enjoyed myself. It -was part of my plan to make the people think I was an enormously rich -man; and I knew that such items as the extravagance of my meals, and the -price of every bottle of wine I drank, would not be suffered, as Sancho -Panza puts it, to rot in the landlord's breast. At the end of the week I -was fortunate enough to make the acquaintance of Signor Melini, the -owner of the gem I coveted, at the café, and with his ready hospitality -and my geniality I was soon established as a friend of the house. On my -third or fourth visit I managed to make the Italians talk about the -English pedlar, who, they said, spoke a most detestable Italian. 'But -that does not matter,' said the Signora Melini, 'for he has beautiful -things, which he sells very very cheap.' 'I hope you may not find he has -cheated you,' I said, 'for I must tell you that English people give -these fellows a very wide berth. They usually make a great parade of the -cheapness of their goods, which often turn out to be double the price of -better articles in the shops,' They would not hear of this, and Signora -Melini insisted on showing me the three rings and the bracelet she had -bought of the pedlar. She told me the price she had paid; and after -scrutinizing the articles carefully, I had to confess that she had made -a bargain, and indeed Robbins had sold her the things at about fifty per -cent below market value. I admired the trinkets as I gave them back to -the lady, and I hinted that the pedlar must be a somewhat foolish -specimen of his class. Two days later, as I was taking my vermouth at -the café with Signor Melini, he led the conversation back to the pedlar, -and mentioned casually that he had shown the man a little curiosity, for -which he had made rather a handsome offer. 'My dear sir,' I said, 'I -hope you will be careful. I told you that the travelling tradesman does -not bear a very high reputation in England; and notwithstanding his -apparent simplicity, this fellow may turn out to be an arrant cheat. May -I ask you what is the nature of the curiosity you have shown him?' He -told me it was a little thing, a pretty little stone with some figures -cut on it: people said it was old. 'I should like to examine it,' I -replied; 'as it happens I have, seen a good deal of these gems. We have -a fine collection of them in our museum at London.' In due course I was -shown the article, and I held the gem I so coveted between my fingers. I -looked at it coolly, and put it down carelessly on the table. 'Would you -mind telling me, signor,' I said, 'how much my fellow-countryman offered -you for this?' 'Well,' he said, 'my wife says the man must be mad; he -said he would give me twenty lire for it.' - -"I looked at him quietly, and took up the gem and pretended to examine -it in the light more carefully; I turned it over and over, and finally -pulled out a magnifying glass from my pocket, and seemed to search every -line in the cutting with minutest scrutiny. 'My dear sir,' I said at -last, 'I am inclined to agree with Signora Melini. If this gem were -genuine, it would be worth some money; but as it happens to be a rather -bad forgery, it is not worth twenty centesimi. It was sophisticated, I -should imagine, some time in the last century, and by a very unskilful -hand.' 'Then we had better get rid of it,' said Melini. 'I never thought -it was worth anything myself. Of course I am sorry for the pedlar, but -one must let a man know his own trade. I shall tell him we will take the -twenty lire.' 'Excuse me,' I said, 'the man wants a lesson. It would be -a charity to give him one. Tell him that you will not take anything -under eighty lire, and I shall be much surprised if he does not close -with you at once. - -"A day or two later I heard that the English pedlar had gone away, after -debasing the minds of the country people with Birmingham art jewelry; -for I admit that the gold sleeve links like kidney beans, the silver -chains made apparently after the pattern of a dog-chain, and the initial -brooches, have always been heavy on my conscience. I cannot acquit -myself of having indirectly contributed to debauch the taste of a simple -folk; but I hope that the end I had in view may finally outbalance this -heavy charge. Soon afterwards, I paid a farewell visit at the Melinis, -and the signor informed me with an oily chuckle that the plan I had -suggested had been completely successful. I congratulated him on his -bargain, and went away after expressing a wish that heaven might send -many such pedlars in his path. - -"Nothing of interest occurred on my return journey. I had arranged that -Robbins was to meet me at a certain place on a certain day, and I went -to the appointment full of the coolest confidence; the gem had been -conquered, and I had only to reap the fruits of victory. I am sorry to -shake that trust in our common human nature which I am sure you possess, -but I am compelled to tell you that up to the present date I have never -set eyes on my man Robbins, or on the antique gem in his custody. I have -found out that he actually arrived in London, for he was seen three -days before my arrival in England by a pawnbroker of my acquaintance -consuming his favorite beverage, four ale, in the tavern where we met -to-night. Since then he has not been heard of. I hope you will now -pardon my curiosity as to the history and adventures of dark young men -with spectacles. You will, I am sure, feel for me in my position; the -savor of life has disappeared for me; it is a bitter thought that I have -rescued one of the most perfect and exquisite specimens of antique art -from the hands of ignorant, and indeed unscrupulous persons, only to -deliver it into the keeping of a man who is evidently utterly devoid of -the very elements of commercial morality." - -"My dear sir," said Dyson, "you will allow me to compliment you on your -style; your adventures have interested me exceedingly. But, forgive me, -you just now used the word morality; would not some persons take -exception to your own methods of business? I can conceive, myself, flaws -of a moral kind being found in the very original conception you have -described to me. I can imagine the Puritan shrinking in dismay from your -scheme, pronouncing it unscrupulous, nay, dishonest." - -Mr. Burton helped himself, very frankly, to some more whiskey. - -"Your scruples entertain me," he said. "Perhaps you have not gone very -deeply into these questions of ethics. I have been compelled to do so -myself, just as I was forced to master a simple system of book-keeping. -Without book-keeping, and still more without a system of ethics, it is -impossible to conduct a business such as mine. But I assure you that I -am often profoundly saddened as I pass through the crowded streets and -watch the world at work by the thought of how few amongst all these -hurrying individuals, black hatted, well dressed, educated we may -presume sufficiently,--how few amongst them have any reasoned system of -morality. Even you have not weighed the question; although you study -life and affairs, and to a certain extent penetrate the veils and masks -of the comedy of man, even you judge by empty conventions, and the false -money which is allowed to pass current as sterling coin. Allow me to -play the part of Socrates; I shall teach you nothing that you do not -know. I shall merely lay aside the wrappings of prejudice and bad logic, -and show you the real image which you possess in your soul. Come then. -Do you allow that happiness is anything?" - -"Certainly," said Dyson. - -"And happiness is desirable or undesirable?" - -"Desirable of course." - -"And what shall we call the man who gives happiness? Is he not a -philanthropist?" - -"I think so." - -"And such a person is praiseworthy, and the more praiseworthy in the -proportion of the persons whom he makes happy?" - -"By all means." - -"So that he who makes a whole nation happy, is praiseworthy in the -extreme, and the action by which he gives happiness is the highest -virtue?" - -"It appears so, O Burton," said Dyson, who found something very -exquisite in the character of his visitor. - -"Quite so; you find the several conclusions inevitable. Well, apply them -to the story I have told, you. I conferred happiness on myself by -obtaining (as I thought) possession of the gem; I conferred happiness on -the Melinis by getting them eighty lire instead of an object for which -they had not the slightest value, and I intended to confer happiness on -the whole British nation by selling the thing to the British Museum, to -say nothing of the happiness a profit of about nine thousand per cent -would have conferred on me. I assure you I regard Robbins as an -interferer with the cosmos and fair order of things. But that is -nothing; you perceive that I am an apostle of the very highest morality; -you have been forced to yield to argument." - -"There certainly seems a great deal in what you advance," said Dyson. "I -admit that I am a mere amateur of ethics, while you, as you say, have -brought the most acute scrutiny to bear on these perplexed and doubtful -questions. I can well understand your anxiety to meet the fallacious -Robbins, and I congratulate myself on the chance which has made us -acquainted. But you will pardon my seeming inhospitality, I see it is -half past eleven, and I think you mentioned a train." - -"A thousand thanks, Mr. Dyson, I have just time, I see. I will look you -up some evening if I may. Good-night." - - - - -THE DECORATIVE IMAGINATION. - - -In the course of a few weeks Dyson became accustomed, to the constant -incursions of the ingenious Mr. Burton, who showed himself ready to drop -in at all hours, not averse to refreshment, and a profound guide in the -complicated questions of life. His visits at once terrified and -delighted Dyson, who could no longer seat himself at his bureau secure -from interruption while he embarked on literary undertakings, each one -of which was to be a masterpiece. On the other hand, it was a vivid -pleasure to be confronted with views so highly original; and if here and -there Mr. Burton's reasonings seemed tinged with fallacy, yet Dyson -freely yielded to the joy of strangeness, and never failed to give his -visitor a frank and hearty welcome. Mr. Burton's first inquiry was -always after the unprincipled Robbins, and he seemed to feel the stings -of disappointment when Dyson told him that he had failed to meet this -outrage on all morality, as Burton styled him, vowing that sooner or -later he would take vengeance on such a shameless betrayal of trust. - -One evening they had sat together for some time discussing the -possibility of laying down for this present generation and our modern -and intensely complicated order of society, some rules of social -diplomacy, such as Lord Bacon gave to the courtiers of King James I. "It -is a book to make," said Mr. Burton, "but who is there capable of making -it? I tell you people are longing for such a book; it would bring -fortune to its publisher. Bacon's Essays are exquisite, but they have -now no practical application; the modern strategist can find but little -use in a treatise 'De Re Militari,' written by a Florentine in the -fifteenth century. Scarcely more dissimilar are the social conditions of -Bacon's time and our own; the rules that he lays down so exquisitely for -the courtier and diplomatist of James the First's age will avail us -little in the rough-and-tumble struggle of to-day. Life, I am afraid, -has deteriorated; it gives little play for fine strokes such as formerly -advanced men in the state. Except in such businesses as mine, where a -chance does occur now and then, it has all become, as I said, an affair -of rough and tumble; men still desire to attain, it is true, but what is -their _moyen de parvenir_? A mere imitation, and not a gracious one, of -the arts of the soap-vender and the proprietor of baking powder. When I -think of these things, my dear Dyson, I confess that I am tempted to -despair of my century." - -"You are too pessimistic, my dear fellow; you set up too high a -standard. Certainly, I agree with you that the times are decadent in -many ways. I admit a general appearance of squalor; it needs much -philosophy to extract the wonderful and the beautiful from the Cromwell -Road or the Nonconformist conscience. Australian wines of fine Burgundy -character, the novels alike of the old women and the new women, popular -journalism,--these things indeed make for depression. Yet we have our -advantages. Before us is unfolded the greatest spectacle the world has -ever seen,--the mystery of the innumerable unending streets, the strange -adventures that must infallibly arise from so complicated a press of -interests. Nay, I will say that he who has stood in the ways of a suburb -and has seen them stretch before him all shining, void, and desolate at -noonday, has not lived in vain. Such a sight is in reality more -wonderful than any perspective of Bagdad or Grand Cairo. And, to set on -one side the entertaining history of the gem which you told me, surely -you must have had many singular adventures in your own career?" - -"Perhaps not so many as you would think; a good deal--the larger -part--of my business has been as commonplace as linen-drapery. But of -course things happen now and then. It is ten years since I have -established my agency, and I suppose that a house and estate agent who -had been in trade for an equal time could tell you some queer stories. -But I must give you a sample of my experiences some night. - -"Why not to-night?" said Dyson. "This evening seems to me admirably -adapted for an odd chapter. Look out into the street; you can catch a -view of it, if you crane your neck from that chair of yours. Is it not -charming? The double row of lamps growing closer in the distance, the -hazy outline of the plane-tree in the square, and the lights of the -hansoms swimming to and fro, gliding and vanishing; and above, the sky -all clear and blue and shining. Come, let us have one of your _cent -nouvelles nouvelles_." - -"My dear Dyson, I am delighted to amuse you." With these words Mr. -Burton prefaced the - - - - -NOVEL OF THE IRON MAID. - - -I think the most extraordinary event which I can recall took place about -five years ago. I was then still feeling my way; I had declared for -business, and attended regularly at my office, but I had not succeeded -in establishing a really profitable connection, and consequently I had a -good deal of leisure time on my hands. I have never thought fit to -trouble you with the details of my private life; they would be entirely -devoid of interest. I must briefly say, however, that I had a numerous -circle of acquaintance, and was never at a loss as to how to spend my -evenings. I was so fortunate as to have friends in most of the ranks of -the social order; there is nothing so unfortunate, to my mind, as a -specialized circle, wherein a certain round of ideas is continually -traversed and retraversed. I have always tried to find out new types and -persons whose brains contained something fresh to me; one may chance to -gain information even from the conversation of city men on an omnibus. -Amongst my acquaintance I knew a young doctor who lived in a far -outlying suburb, and I used often to brave the intolerably slow railway -journey, to have the pleasure of listening to his talk. One night we -conversed so eagerly together over our pipes and whiskey that the clock -passed unnoticed, and when I glanced up I realized with a shock that I -had just five minutes in which to catch the last tram. I made a dash for -my hat and stick, and jumped out of the house and down the steps, and -tore at full speed up the street. It was no good, however; there was a -shriek of the engine whistle, and I stood there at the station door and -saw far on the long dark line of the embankment a red light shine and -vanish, and a porter came down and shut the door with a bang. - -"How far to London?" I asked him. - -"A good nine miles to Waterloo Bridge;" and with that he went off. - -Before me was the long suburban street, its dreary distance marked by -rows of twinkling lamps, and the air was poisoned by the faint sickly -smell of burning bricks; it was not a cheerful prospect by any means, -and I had to walk through nine miles of such streets, deserted as those -of Pompeii. I knew pretty well what direction to take; so I set out -wearily, looking at the stretch of lamps vanishing in perspective; and -as I walked, street after street branched off to right and left,--some -far reaching to distances that seemed endless, communicating with, other -systems of thoroughfare; and some mere protoplasmic streets, beginning -in orderly fashion with serried two-storied houses, and ending suddenly -in waste, and pits, and rubbish heaps, and fields whence the magic had -departed. I have spoken of systems of thoroughfare, and I assure you -that, walking alone through these silent places, I felt phantasy growing -on me, and some glamour of the infinite. There was here. I felt, an -immensity as in the outer void, of the universe. I passed from unknown -to unknown, my way marked by lamps like stars, and on either band was an -unknown world where myriads of men dwelt and slept, street leading into -street, as it seemed to world's end. At first the road by which I was -travelling was lined with houses of unutterable monotony,--a wall of -gray brick pierced by two stories of windows, drawn close to the very -pavement. But by degrees I noticed an improvement: there were gardens, -and these grew larger. The suburban builder began to allow himself a -wider scope; and for a certain distance each flight of steps was guarded -by twin lions of plaster, and scents of flowers prevailed over the fume -of heated bricks. The road began to climb a hill, and, looking up a side -street, I saw the half moon rise over plane-trees, and there on the -other side was as if a white cloud had fallen, and the air around it was -sweetened as with incense; it was a may-tree in full bloom. I pressed on -stubbornly, listening for the wheels and the clatter of some belated -hansom; but into that land of men who go to the city in the morning and -return in the evening, the hansom rarely enters, and I had resigned -myself once more to the walk, when I suddenly became aware that some one -was advancing to meet me along the sidewalk. The man was strolling -rather aimlessly; and though the time and the place would have allowed -an unconventional style of dress, he was vested in the ordinary frock -coat, black tie, and silk hat of civilization. We met each other under -the lamp, and, as often happens in this great town, two casual -passengers brought face to face found, each in the other an -acquaintance. - -"Mr. Mathias, I think?" I said. - -"Quite so. And you are Frank Burton. You know you are a man with a -Christian name, so I won't apologize for my familiarity. But may I ask -where you are going?" - -I explained the situation to him, saying I had traversed a region as -unknown to me as the darkest recesses of Africa. "I think I have only -about five miles farther," I concluded. - -"Nonsense; you must come home with me. My house is close by; in fact, I -was just taking my evening walk when we met. Come along; I dare say you -will find a makeshift bed easier than a five-mile walk." - -I let him take my arm and lead me along, though I was a good deal -surprised at so much geniality from a man who was, after all, a mere -casual club acquaintance. I suppose I had not spoken to Mr. Mathias -half-a-dozen times; he was a man who would sit silent in an armchair -for hours, neither reading nor smoking, but now and again moistening his -lips with his tongue and smiling queerly to himself. I confess he had -never attracted me, and on the whole I should have preferred to continue -my walk. But he took my arm and led me up a side street, and stopped at -a door in a high wall. We passed through the still moonlit garden, -beneath the black shadow of an old cedar, and into an old red brick -house with many gables. I was tired enough, and I sighed with relief as -I let myself fall into a great leather armchair. You know the infernal -grit with which they strew the sidewalk in those suburban districts; it -makes walking a penance, and I felt my four-mile tramp had made me more -weary than ten miles on an honest country road. I looked about the room -with some curiosity. There was a shaded lamp which threw a circle of -brilliant light on a heap of papers lying on an old brass-bound -secretaire of the last century; but the room was all vague and shadowy, -and I could only see that it was long and low, and that it was filled -with indistinct objects which might be furniture. Mr. Mathias sat down -in a second armchair, and looked about him with that odd smile of his. -He was a queer-looking man, clean-shaven, and white to the lips. I -should think his age was something between fifty and sixty. - -"Now I have got you here," he began, "I must inflict my hobby on you. -You knew I was a collector? Oh, yes, I have devoted many years to -collecting curiosities, which I think are really curious. But we must -have a better light." - -He advanced into the middle of the room, and lit a lamp which hung from -the ceiling; and as the bright light flashed round the wick, from every -corner and space there seemed to start a horror. Great wooden frames -with complicated apparatus of ropes and pulleys stood against the wall; -a wheel of strange shape had a place beside a thing that looked like a -gigantic gridiron. Little tables glittered with bright steel instruments -carelessly put down as if ready for use; a screw and vice loomed out, -casting ugly shadows; and in another nook was a saw with cruel jagged -teeth. - -"Yes," said Mr. Mathias; "they are, as you suggest, instruments of -torture,--of torture and death. Some--many, I may say--have been used; a -few are reproductions after ancient examples. Those knives were used for -flaying; that frame is a rack, and a very fine specimen. Look at this; -it comes from Venice. You see that sort of collar, something like a big -horse-shoe? Well, the patient, let us call him, sat down quite -comfortably, and the horse-shoe was neatly fitted round his neck. Then -the two ends were joined with a silken band, and the executioner began -to turn a handle connected with the band. The horse-shoe contracted very -gradually as the band tightened, and the turning continued till the man -was strangled. It all took place quietly, in one of those queer garrets -under the leads. But these things are all European; the Orientals are, -of course, much more ingenious. These are the Chinese contrivances. You -have heard of the 'heavy death'? It is my hobby, this sort of thing. Do -you know, I often sit here, hour after hour, and meditate over the -collection. I fancy I see the faces of the men who have suffered--faces -lean with agony and wet with sweats of death--growing distinct out of -the gloom, and I hear the echoes of their cries for mercy. But I must -show you my latest acquisition. Come into the next room." - -I followed Mr. Mathias out. The weariness of the walk, the late hour, -and the strangeness of it all, made me feel like a man in a dream; -nothing would have surprised me very much. The second room was as the -first, crowded with ghastly instruments; but beneath the lamp was a -wooden platform, and a figure stood on it. It was a large statue of a -naked woman, fashioned in green bronze; the arms were stretched out, and -there was a smile on the lips; it might well have been intended for a -Venus, and yet there was about the thing an evil and a deadly look. - -Mr. Mathias looked at it complacently. "Quite a work of art, isn't it?" -he said. "It's made of bronze, as you see, but it has long had the name -of the Iron Maid. I got it from Germany, and it was only unpacked this -afternoon; indeed, I have not yet had time to open the letter of advice. -You see that very small knob between the breasts? Well, the victim was -bound to the Maid, the knob was pressed, and the arms slowly tightened -round the neck. You can imagine the result." - -As Mr. Mathias talked, he patted the figure affectionately. I had turned -away, for I sickened at the sight of the man and his loathsome treasure. -There was a slight click, of which I took no notice,--it was not much -louder than the tick of a clock; and then I heard a sudden whir, the -noise of machinery in motion, and I faced round. I have never forgotten -the hideous agony on Mathias's face as those relentless arms tightened -about his neck; there was a wild struggle as of a beast in the toils, -and then a shriek that ended in a choking groan. The whirring noise had -suddenly changed into a heavy droning. I tore with all my might at the -bronze arms, and strove to wrench them apart, but I could do nothing. -The head had slowly bent down, and the green lips were on the lips of -Mathias. - -Of course I had to attend at the inquest. The letter which had -accompanied the figure was found unopened on the study table. The German -firm of dealers cautioned their client to be most careful in touching -the Iron Maid, as the machinery had been put in thorough working order. - -For many revolving weeks Mr. Burton delighted Dyson by his agreeable -conversation, diversified by anecdote, and interspersed with the -narration of singular adventures. Finally, however, he vanished as -suddenly as he had appeared, and on the occasion of his last visit he -contrived to loot a copy of his namesake's Anatomy. Dyson, considering -this violent attack on the rights of property, and certain glaring -inconsistencies in the talk of his late friend, arrived at the -conclusion that his stories were fabulous, and that the Iron Maid only -existed in the sphere of a decorative imagination. - - - - -THE RECLUSE OF BAYSWATER. - - -Amongst the many friends who were favored with the occasional pleasure -of Mr. Dyson's society was Mr. Edgar Russell, realist and obscure -struggler, who occupied a small back room on the second floor of a house -in Abingdon Grove, Notting Hill. Turning off from the main street and -walking a few paces onward, one was conscious of a certain calm, a -drowsy peace, which made the feet inclined to loiter; and this was ever -the atmosphere of Abingdon Grove. The houses stood a little back, with -gardens where the lilac and laburnum and blood-red may blossomed gayly -in their seasons, and there was a corner where an older house in another -street had managed to keep a back garden of real extent; a walled-in -garden whence there came a pleasant scent of greenness after the rains -of early summer, where old elms held memories of the open fields, where -there was yet sweet grass to walk on. The houses in Abingdon Grove -belonged chiefly to the nondescript stucco period of thirty-five years -ago, tolerably built with passable accommodation for moderate incomes; -they had largely passed into the state of lodgings, and cards bearing -the inscription "Furnished Apartments" were not infrequent over the -doors. Here, then, in a house of sufficiently good appearance, Mr. -Russell had established himself; for he looked upon the traditional -dirt and squalor of Grub Street as a false and obsolete convention, and -preferred, as he said, to live within sight of green leaves. Indeed, -from his room one had a magnificent view of a long line of gardens, and -a screen of poplars shut out the melancholy back premises of Wilton -Street during the summer months. Mr. Russell lived chiefly on bread and -tea, for his means were of the smallest; but when Dyson came to see him, -he would send out the slavey for six-ale, and Dyson was always at -liberty to smoke as much of his own tobacco as he pleased. The landlady -had been so unfortunate as to have her drawing-room floor vacant for -many months; a card had long proclaimed the void within; and Dyson, when -he walked up the steps one evening in early autumn, had a sense that -something was missing, and, looking at the fanlight, saw the appealing -card had disappeared. - -"You have let your first floor, have you?" he said, as he greeted Mr. -Russell. - -"Yes; it was taken about a fortnight ago by a lady." - -"Indeed," said Dyson, always curious; "a young lady?" - -"Yes, I believe so. She is a widow, and wears a thick crape veil. I have -met her once or twice on the stairs and in the street, but I should not -know her face." - -"Well," said Dyson, when the beer had arrived, and the pipes were in -full blast, "and what have you been doing? Do you find the work getting -any easier?" - -"Alas!" said the young man, with an expression of great gloom, "the life -is a purgatory, and all but a hell. I write, picking out my words, -weighing and balancing the force of every syllable, calculating the -minutest effects that language can produce, erasing and rewriting, and -spending a whole evening over a page of manuscript. And then in the -morning when I read what I have written--Well, there is nothing to be -done but to throw it in the waste-paper basket if the verso has been -already written on, or to put it in the drawer if the other side happens -to be clean. When I have written a phrase which undoubtedly embodies a -happy turn of thought, I find it dressed up in feeble commonplace; and -when the style is good, it serves only to conceal the baldness of -superannuated fancies. I sweat over my work, Dyson,--every finished line -means so much agony. I envy the lot of the carpenter in the side street -who has a craft which he understands. When he gets an order for a table, -he does not writhe with anguish; but if I were so unlucky as to get an -order for a book, I think I should go mad." - -"My dear fellow, you take it all too seriously. You should let the ink -flow more readily. Above all, firmly believe, when you sit down to -write, that you are an artist, and that whatever you are about is a -masterpiece. Suppose ideas fail you, say; as I heard one of our most -exquisite artists say, "It's of no consequence; the ideas are all there, -at the bottom of that box of cigarettes." You, indeed, smoke tobacco, -but the application is the same. Besides, you must have some happy -moments, and these should be ample consolation." - -"Perhaps you are right. But such moments are so few; and then there is -the torture of a glorious conception matched, with execution beneath the -standard of the Family Story Paper. For instance, I was happy for two -hours a night or two ago; I lay awake and saw visions. But then the -morning!" - -"What was your idea?" - -"It seemed to me a splendid one; I thought of Balzac and the 'Comédie -Humaine,' of Zola and the Rougon-Macquart family. It dawned upon me that -I would write the history of a street. Every house should form a volume. -I fixed upon the street, I saw each house, and read, as clearly as in -letters, the physiology and psychology of each. The little by-way -stretched before me in its actual shape,--a street that I know and have -passed down a hundred times; with some twenty houses, prosperous and -mean, and lilac bushes in purple blossom; and yet it was at the same -time a symbol, a _via dolorosa_ of hopes cherished and disappointed, of -years of monotonous existence without content or discontent, of -tragedies and obscure sorrows; and on the door of one of those houses I -saw the red stain of blood, and behind a window two shadows, blackened -and faded, on the blind, as they swayed on tightened cords,--the shadows -of a man and a woman hanging in a vulgar, gas-lit parlor. These were my -fancies; but when pen touched paper, they shrivelled and vanished away," - -"Yes," said. Dyson, "there is a lot in that. I envy you the pains of -transmuting vision into reality, and still more I envy you the day when -you will look at your bookshelf and see twenty goodly books upon the -shelves,--the series complete and done forever. Let me entreat you to -have them bound in solid parchment, with gold lettering. It is the only -real cover for a valiant book. When I look in at the windows of some -choice shop, and see the bindings of Levant morocco, with pretty tools -and panellings, and your sweet contrasts of red and green, I say to -myself, 'These are not books, but bibelots.' A book bound so--a true -book, mind you--is like a Gothic statue draped in brocade of Lyons." - -"Alas!" said Russell, "we need not discuss the binding,--the books are -not begun." - -The talk went on as usual till eleven o'clock, when Dyson bade his -friend good-night. He knew the way downstairs, and walked down by -himself; but greatly to his surprise, as he crossed the first-floor -landing, the door opened slightly, and a hand was stretched out, -beckoning. - -Dyson was not the man to hesitate under such circumstances. In a moment -he saw himself involved in adventure; and, as he told himself, the -Dysons had never disobeyed a lady's summons. Softly, then, with due -regard for the lady's honor, he would have entered the room, when a low -but clear voice spoke to him,-- - -"Go downstairs and open the door, and shut it again rather loudly. Then -come up to me; and for heaven's sake, walk softly." - -Dyson obeyed her commands,--not without some hesitation, for he was -afraid of meeting the landlady or the maid on his return journey. But -walking like a cat, and making each step he trod on crack loudly, he -flattered himself that he had escaped observation; and as he gained the -top of the stairs, the door opened wide before him, and he found himself -in the lady's drawing-room, bowing awkwardly. - -"Pray be seated, sir. Perhaps this chair will be the best; it was the -favored chair of my landlady's deceased husband. I would ask you to -smoke, but the odor would betray me. I know my proceedings must seem to -you unconventional; but I saw you arrive this evening, and I do not -think you would refuse to help a woman who is so unfortunate as I am." - -Mr. Dyson looked shyly at the young lady before him. She was dressed in -deep mourning; but the piquant smiling face and charming hazel eyes ill -accorded with the heavy garments, and the mouldering surface of the -crape. - -"Madam," he said gallantly, "your instinct has served you well. We will -not trouble, if you please, about the question of social conventions; -the chivalrous gentleman knows nothing of such matters. I hope I may be -privileged to serve you." - -"You are very kind to me, but I knew it would be so. Alas, sir, I have -had experience of life, and I am rarely mistaken. Yet man is too often -so vile and so misjudging that I trembled even as I resolved to take -this step, which, for all I knew, might prove to be both desperate and -ruinous." - -"With me you have nothing to fear," said Dyson. "I was nurtured in the -faith of chivalry, and I have always endeavored to remember the proud -traditions of my race. Confide in me then, and count upon my secrecy, -and, if it prove possible, you may rely on my help." - -"Sir, I will not waste your time, which I am sure is valuable, by idle -parleyings. Learn, then, that I am a fugitive, and in hiding here. I -place myself in your power; you have but to describe my features, and I -fall into the hands of my relentless enemy." - -Mr. Dyson wondered for a passing instant how this could be; but he only -renewed his promise of silence, repeating that he would be the embodied -spirit of dark concealment. - -"Good," said the lady; "the Oriental fervor of your style is delightful. -In the first place, I must disabuse your mind of the conviction that I -am a widow. These gloomy vestments have been forced on me by strange -circumstance; in plain language, I have deemed it expedient to go -disguised. You have a friend, I think, in the house,--Mr. Russell? He -seems of a coy and retiring nature." - -"Excuse me, madam," said Dyson, "he is not coy, but he is a realist; and -perhaps you are aware that no Carthusian monk can emulate the cloistral -seclusion in which a realistic novelist loves to shroud himself. It is -his way of observing human, nature." - -"Well, well," said the lady; "all this, though deeply interesting is not -germane to our affair. I must tell you my history." - -With these words the young lady proceeded to relate the - - - - -NOVEL OF THE WHITE POWDER. - - -My name is Leicester; my father. Major General Wyn Leicester, a -distinguished officer of artillery, succumbed five years ago to a -complicated liver complaint acquired in the deadly climate of India. A -year later my only brother, Francis, came home after an exceptionally -brilliant career at the University, and settled down with the resolution -of a hermit to master what has been well called the great legend of the -law. He was a man who seemed to live in utter indifference to everything -that is called pleasure; and though he was handsomer than most men, and -could talk as merrily and wittily as if he were a mere vagabond, he -avoided society, and shut himself up in a large room at the top of the -house to make himself a lawyer. Ten hours a day of hard reading was at -first his allotted portion; from the first light in the east to the late -afternoon he remained shut up with his books, taking a hasty half-hour's -lunch with me as if he grudged the wasting of the moments, and going out -for a short walk when it began to grow dusk. I thought that such -relentless application must be injurious, and tried to cajole him from -the crabbed text-books; but his ardor seemed to grow rather than -diminish, and his daily tale of hours increased. I spoke to him -seriously, suggesting some occasional relaxation, if it were but an idle -afternoon with a harmless novel; but he laughed, and said that he read -about feudal tenures when he felt in need of amusement, and scoffed at -the notion of theatres, or a month's fresh confessed that he looked -well, and seemed not to suffer from his labors; but I knew that such -unnatural toil would take revenge at last, and I was not mistaken. A -look of anxiety began to lurk about his eyes, and he seemed languid, and -at last he avowed that he was no longer in perfect health; he was -troubled, he said, with a sensation of dizziness, and awoke now and then -of nights from fearful dreams, terrified and cold with icy sweats. "I am -taking care of myself," he said; "so you must not trouble. I passed the -whole of yesterday afternoon in idleness, leaning back in that -comfortable chair you gave me, and scribbling nonsense on a sheet of -paper. No, no; I will not overdo my work. I shall be well enough in a -week or two, depend upon it." - -Yet, in spite of his assurances, I could see that he grew no better, but -rather worse; he would enter the drawing-room with a face all miserably -wrinkled and despondent, and endeavor to look gayly when my eyes fell on -him, and I thought such symptoms of evil omen, and was frightened -sometimes at the nervous irritation of his movements, and at glances -which I could not decipher. Much against his will, I prevailed on him to -have medical advice, and with an ill grace he called in our old doctor. - -Dr. Haberden cheered me after his examination of his patient. - -"There is nothing really much amiss," he said to me. "No doubt he reads -too hard, and eats hastily, and then goes back again to his books in too -great a hurry; and the natural consequence is some digestive trouble, -and a little mischief in the nervous system. But I think--I do, indeed, -Miss Leicester--that we shall be able to set this all right. I have -written him a prescription which ought to do great things. So you have -no cause for anxiety." - -My brother insisted on having the prescription made up by a chemist in -the neighborhood; it was an odd old-fashioned shop, devoid of the -studied coquetry and calculated glitter that make so gay a show on the -counters and shelves of the modern apothecary; but Francis liked the old -chemist, and believed in the scrupulous purity of his drugs. The -medicine was sent in due course, and I saw that my brother took it -regularly after lunch and dinner. It was an innocent-looking white -powder, of which a little was dissolved, in a glass of cold water. I -stirred it in, and it seemed to disappear, leaving the water clear and -colorless. At first Francis seemed to benefit greatly; the weariness -vanished from his face, and he became more cheerful than he had ever -been since the time when he left school; he talked gayly of reforming -himself, and avowed to me that he had wasted his time. - -"I have given too many hours to law," he said, laughing; "I think you -have saved me in the nick of time. Come, I shall be Lord Chancellor yet, -but I must not forget life. You and I will have a holiday together -before long; we will go to Paris and enjoy ourselves, and keep away from -the Bibliothèque Nationale." - -I confessed myself delighted with the prospect. - -"When shall we go?" I said. "I can start the day after to-morrow, if you -like." - -"Ah, that is perhaps a little too soon; after all, I do not know London -yet, and I suppose a man ought to give the pleasures of his own country -the first choice. But we will go off together in a week or two, so try -and furbish up your French. I only know law French myself, and I am -afraid that wouldn't do." - -We were just finishing dinner, and he quaffed off his medicine with a -parade of carousal as if it had been wine from some choicest bin. - -"Has it any particular taste?" I said. - -"No; I should not know I was not drinking water," and he got up from his -chair, and began to pace up and down the room as if he were undecided as -to what he should do next. - -"Shall we have coffee in the drawing-room," I said, "or would you like -to smoke?" - -"No; I think I will take a turn, it seems a pleasant evening. Look at -the afterglow; why, it is as if a great city were burning in flames, and -down there between the dark houses it is raining blood fast, fast. Yes, -I will go out. I may be in soon, but I shall take my key, so good-night, -dear, if I don't see you again." - -The door slammed behind him, and I saw him walk lightly down the street, -swinging his malacca cane, and I felt grateful to Dr. Haberden for such -an improvement. - -I believe my brother came home very late that night; but he was in a -merry mood the next morning. - -"I walked on without thinking where I was going," he said, "enjoying the -freshness of the air, and livened by the crowds as I reached more -frequented quarters. And then I met an old college friend, Orford, in -the press of the pavement, and then--well, we enjoyed ourselves. I have -felt what it is to be young and a man, I find I have blood in my veins, -as other men have. I made an appointment with Orford for to-night; there -will be a little party of us at the restaurant. Yes, I shall enjoy -myself for a week or two, and hear the chimes at midnight, and then we -will go for our little trip together." - -Such was the transmutation of my brother's character that in a few days -he became a lover of pleasure, a careless and merry idler of western -pavements, a hunter out of snug restaurants, and a fine critic of -fantastic dancing; he grew fat before my eyes, and said no more of -Paris, for he had clearly found his Paradise in London. I rejoiced, and -yet wondered a little, for there was, I thought, something in his gayety -that indefinitely displeased me, though I could not have defined my -feeling. But by degrees there came a change; he returned still in the -cold, hours of the morning, but I heard no more about his pleasures, and -one morning as we sat at breakfast together, I looked suddenly into his -eyes and saw a stranger before me. - -"Oh, Francis!" I cried; "Oh, Francis, Francis, what have you done?" and -rending sobs cut the words short, and I went weeping out of the room, -for though I knew nothing, yet I knew all, and by some odd play of -thought I remembered the evening when he first went abroad to prove his -manhood, and the picture of the sunset sky glowed before me; the clouds -like a city in burning flames, and the rain of blood. Yet I did battle -with such thoughts, resolving that perhaps, after all, no great harm -had been done, and in the evening at dinner I resolved to press him to -fix a day for our holiday in Paris. We had talked easily enough, and my -brother had just taken his medicine, which he had continued all the -while. I was about to begin my topic, when the words forming in my mind -vanished, and I wondered for a second what icy and intolerable weight -oppressed my heart and suffocated me as with the unutterable horror of -the coffin-lid nailed down on the living. - -We had dined without candles, and the room had slowly grown from -twilight to gloom, and the walls and corners were indistinct in the -shadow. But from where I sat I looked out into the street; and as I -thought of what I would say to Francis, the sky began to flush and -shine, as it had done on a well-remembered evening, and in the gap -between two dark masses that were houses an awful pageantry of flame -appeared. Lurid whorls of writhed cloud, and utter depths burning, and -gray masses like the fume blown from a smoking city, and an evil glory -blazing far above shot with tongues of more ardent fire, and below as if -there were a deep pool of blood. I looked down to where my brother sat -facing me, and the words were shaped on my lips, when I saw his hand -resting on the table. Between the thumb and forefinger of the closed -hand, there was a mark, a small patch about the size of a sixpence, and -somewhat of the color of a bad bruise. Yet, by some sense I cannot -define, I knew that what I saw was no bruise at all. Oh, if human flesh -could burn with flame, and if flame could be black as pitch, such was -that before me! Without thought or fashioning of words, gray horror -shaped within me at the sight, and in an inner cell it was known to be a -brand. For a moment the stained sky became dark as midnight, and when -the light returned to me, I was alone in the silent room, and soon after -I heard my brother go out. - -Late as it was, I put on my bonnet and went to Dr. Haberden, and in his -great consulting-room, ill-lighted by a candle which the doctor brought -in with him, with stammering lips, and a voice that would break in spite -of my resolve, I told him all; from the day on which my brother began to -take the medicine down to the dreadful thing I had seen scarcely half an -hour before. - -When I had done, the doctor looked at me for a minute with an expression -of great pity on his face. - -"My dear Miss Leicester," he said, "you have evidently been anxious -about your brother; you have been worrying over him, I am sure. Come, -now, is it not so? - -"I have certainly been anxious," I said. "For the last week or two I -have not felt at ease." - -"Quite so; you know, of course, what a queer thing the brain is?" - -"I understand what you mean; but I was not deceived. I saw what I have -told you with my own eyes." - -"Yes, yes, of course. But your eyes had been staring at that very -curious sunset we had to-night. That is the only explanation. You will -see it in the proper light to-morrow, I am sure. But, remember, I am -always ready to give any help that is in my power; do not scruple to -come to me, or to send for me if you are in any distress." - -I went away but little comforted, all confusion and terror and sorrow, -not knowing where to turn. When my brother and I met the next day, I -looked quickly at him, and noticed, with a sickening at heart, that the -right hand, the hand on which I had clearly seen the patch as of a black -fire, was wrapped up with a handkerchief. - -"What is the matter with your hand, Francis?" I said in a steady voice. - -"Nothing of consequence. I cut a finger last night, and it bled rather -awkwardly, so I did it up roughly to the best of my ability." - -"I will do it neatly for you, if you like." - -"No, thank you, dear, this will answer very well. Suppose we have -breakfast; I am quite hungry." - -We sat down, and I watched him. He scarcely ate or drank at all, but -tossed his meat to the dog when he thought my eyes were turned away; and -there was a look in his eyes that I had never yet seen, and the thought -fled across my mind that it was a look that was scarcely human. I was -firmly convinced that awful and incredible as was the thing I had seen -the night before, yet it was no illusion, no glamour of bewildered -sense, and in the course of the morning I went again to the doctor's -house. - -He shook his head with an air puzzled and incredulous, and seemed to -reflect for a few minutes. - -"And you say he still keeps up the medicine? But why? As I understand, -all the symptoms he complained of have disappeared long ago; why should -he go on taking the stuff when he is quite well? And by the bye where -did he get it made up? At Sayce's? I never send any one there; the old -man is getting careless. Suppose you come with me to the chemist's; I -should like to have some talk with him." - -We walked together to the shop. Old Sayce knew Dr. Haberden, and was -quite ready to give any information. - -"You have been sending that in to Mr. Leicester for some weeks, I think, -on my prescription," said the doctor, giving the old man a pencilled -scrap of paper. - -The chemist put on his great spectacles with trembling uncertainty, and -held up the paper with a shaking hand. - -"Oh, yes," he said, "I have very little of it left; it is rather an -uncommon drug, and I have had it in stock some time. I must get in some -more, if Mr. Leicester goes on with it." - -"Kindly let me have a look at the stuff," said Haberden; and the chemist -gave him a glass bottle. He took out the stopper and smelt the contents, -and looked strangely at the old man. - -"Where did you get this?" he said, "and what is it? For one thing, Mr. -Sayce, it is not what I prescribed. Yes, yes, I see the label is right -enough, but I tell you this is not the drug." - -"I have had it a long time," said the old man, in feeble terror. "I got -it from Burbage's in the usual way. It is not prescribed often, and I -have had it on the shelf for some years. You see there is very little -left." - -"You had better give it to me," said Haberden. "I am afraid something -wrong has happened." - -We went out of the shop in silence, the doctor carrying the bottle -neatly wrapped in paper under his arm. - -"Dr. Haberden," I said when we had walked a little way--"Dr. Haberden." - -"Yes," he said, looking at me gloomily enough. - -"I should like you to tell me what my brother has been taking twice a -day for the last month or so." - -"Frankly, Miss Leicester, I don't know. We will speak of this when we -get to my house," - -We walked on quickly without another word till we reached Dr. -Haberden's. He asked me to sit down, and began pacing up and down the -room, his face clouded over, as I could see, with no common fears. - -"Well," he said at length, "this is all very strange; it is only natural -that you should feel alarmed, and I must confess that my mind is far -from easy. We will put aside, if you please, what you told me last night -and this morning, but the fact remains that for the last few weeks Mr. -Leicester has been impregnating his system with a drug which is -completely unknown to me. I tell you, it is not what I ordered; and what -that stuff in the bottle really is remains to be seen." - -He undid the wrapper, and cautiously tilted a few grains of the white -powder on to a piece of paper, and peered curiously at it. - -"Yes," he said, "it is like the sulphate of quinine, as you say; it is -flaky. But smell it." - -He held the bottle to me, and I bent over it. It was a strange sickly -smell, vaporous and overpowering, like some strong anæsthetic. - -"I shall have it analyzed," said Haberden. "I have a friend who has -devoted his whole life to chemistry as a science. Then we shall have -something to go upon. No, no, say no more about that other matter; I -cannot listen to that, and take my advice and think no more about it -yourself." - -That evening my brother did not go out as usual after dinner. - -"I have had my fling," he said with a queer laugh; "and I must go back -to my old ways. A little law will be quite a relaxation after so sharp a -dose of pleasure," and he grinned to himself, and soon after went up to -his room. His hand was still all bandaged. - -Dr. Haberden called a few days later. - -"I have no special news to give you," he said. "Chambers is out of town, -so I know no more about that stuff than you do. But I should like to see -Mr. Leicester if he is in." - -"He is in his room," I said; "I will tell him you are here." - -"No, no, I will go up to him; we will have a little quiet talk together. -I dare say that we have made a good deal of fuss about very little; for, -after all, whatever the white powder may be, it seems to have done him -good." - -The doctor went upstairs, and standing in the hall I heard his knock, -and the opening and shutting of the door; and then I waited in the -silent house for an hour, and the stillness grew more and more intense -as the hands of the clock crept round. Then there sounded from above the -noise of a door shut sharply, and the doctor was coming down the stairs. -His footsteps crossed the hall, and there was a pause at the door. I -drew a long sick breath with difficulty, and saw my face white in a -little mirror, and he came in and stood at the door. There was an -unutterable horror shining in his eyes; he steadied himself by holding -the back of a chair with one hand, and his lower lip trembled like a -horse's, and he gulped and stammered unintelligible sounds before he -spoke. - -"I have seen that man," he began in a dry whisper. "I have been sitting -in his presence for the last hour. My God! and I am alive and in my -senses! I, who have dealt with death all my life, and have dabbled with -the melting ruins of the earthly tabernacle. But not this! Oh, not this," -and he covered his face with his hands as if to shut out the sight -of something before him. - -"Do not send for me again, Miss Leicester," he said with more composure. -"I can do nothing in this house. Good-bye." - -As I watched him totter down the steps and along the pavement towards -his house, it seemed to me that he had aged by ten years since the -morning. - -My brother remained in his room. He called out to me in a voice I hardly -recognized, that he was very busy, and would like his meals brought to -his door and left there, and I gave the order to the servants. From that -day it seemed as if the arbitrary conception we call time had been -annihilated for me. I lived in an ever present sense of horror, going -through the routine of the house mechanically, and only speaking a few -necessary words to the servants. Now and then I went out and paced the -streets for an hour or two and came home again; but whether I were -without or within, my spirit delayed before the closed door of the upper -room, and, shuddering, waited for it to open. I have said that I -scarcely reckoned time, but I suppose it must have been a fortnight -after Dr. Haberden's visit that I came home from my stroll a little -refreshed and lightened. The air was sweet and pleasant, and the hazy -form of green leaves, floating cloud-like in the square, and the smell -of blossoms, had charmed my senses, and I felt happier and walked more -briskly. As I delayed a moment at the verge of the pavement, waiting for -a van to pass by before crossing over to the house, I happened to look -up at the windows, and instantly there was the rush and swirl of deep -cold waters in my ears, and my heart leapt up, and fell down, down as -into a deep hollow, and I was amazed with a dread and terror without -form or shape. I stretched out a hand blindly through folds of thick -darkness, from the black and shadowy valley, and held myself from -falling, while the stones beneath my feet rocked and swayed and tilted, -and the sense of solid things seemed to sink away from under me. I had -glanced up at the window of my brother's study, and at that moment the -blind was drawn aside, and something that had life stared out into the -world. Nay, I cannot say I saw a face or any human likeness; a living -thing, two eyes of burning flame glared at me, and they were in the -midst of something as formless as my fear, the symbol and presence of -all evil and all hideous corruption. I stood shuddering and quaking as -with the grip of ague, sick with unspeakable agonies of fear and -loathing, and for five minutes I could not summon force or motion to my -limbs. When I was within the door, I ran up the stairs to my brother's -room, and knocked. - -"Francis, Francis," I cried, "for heaven's sake answer me. What is the -horrible thing in your room? Cast it out, Francis, cast it from you!" - -I heard a noise as of feet shuffling slowly and awkwardly, and a -choking, gurgling sound, as if some one was struggling to find -utterance, and then the noise of a voice, broken and stifled, and words -that I could scarcely understand. - -"There is nothing here," the voice said, "Pray do not disturb me. I am -not very well to-day." - -I turned away, horrified and yet helpless. I could do nothing, and I -wondered why Francis had lied to me, for I had seen the appearance -beyond the glass too plainly to be deceived, though it was but the sight -of a moment. And I sat still, conscious that there had been something -else, something I had seen in the first flash of terror before those -burning eyes had looked at me. Suddenly I remembered; as I lifted my -face the blind was being drawn back, and I had had an instant's glance -of the thing that was moving it, and in my recollection I knew that a -hideous image was engraved forever on my brain. It was not a hand: there -were no fingers that held the blind, but a black stump pushed it aside; -the mouldering outline and the clumsy movement as of a beast's paw had -glowed into my senses before the darkling waves of terror had -overwhelmed me as I went down quick into the pit. My mind was aghast at -the thought of this, and of the awful presence that dwelt with my -brother in his room; I went to his door and cried to him again, but no -answer came. That night one of the servants came up to me and told me in -a whisper that for three days food had been regularly placed at the door -and left untouched; the maid had knocked, but had received no answer; -she had heard the noise of shuffling feet that I had noticed. Day after -day went by, and still my brother's meals were brought to his door and -left untouched; and though I knocked and called again and again, I could -get no answer. The servants began to talk to me; it appeared they were -as alarmed as I. The cook said that when my brother first shut himself -up in his room, she used to hear him come out at night and go about the -house; and once, she said, the hall door had opened and closed again, -but for several nights she had heard no sound. The climax came at last. -It was in the dusk of the evening, and I was sitting in the darkening -dreary room when a terrible shriek jarred and rang harshly out of the -silence, and I heard a frightened scurry of feet dashing down the -stairs. I waited, and the servant maid staggered into the room and faced -me, white and trembling. - -"O Miss Helen," she whispered. "Oh, for the Lord's sake, Miss Helen, -what has happened? Look at my hand, miss; look at that hand!" I drew her -to the window, and saw there was a black wet stain upon her hand. - -"I do not understand you," I said. "Will you explain to me?" - -"I was doing your room just now," she began. "I was turning down the -bedclothes, and all of a sudden there was something fell upon my hand -wet, and I looked up, and the ceiling was black and dripping on me." - -I looked bard at her, and bit my lip. "Come with me," I said. "Bring -your candle with you." - -The room I slept in was beneath my brother's, and as I went in I felt I -was trembling. I looked up at the ceiling, and saw a patch, all black -and wet and a dew of black drops upon it, and a pool of horrible liquor -soaking into the white bedclothes. - -I ran upstairs and knocked loudly. - -"O Francis, Francis, my dear brother," I cried, "what has happened to -you?" - -And I listened. There was a sound of choking, and a noise like water -bubbling and regurgitating, but nothing else, and I called louder, but -no answer came. - -In spite of what Dr. Haberden had said, I went to him, and with tears -streaming down my cheeks, I told him of all that had happened, and he -listened to me with a face set hard and grim. - -"For your father's sake," he said at last, "I will go with you, though I -can do nothing." - -We went out together; the streets were dark and silent, and heavy with -heat and a drought of many weeks. I saw the doctor's face white under -the gas-lamps, and when we reached the house his hand was shaking. We -did not hesitate, but went upstairs directly. I held the lamp, and he -called out in a loud, determined voice:-- - -"Mr. Leicester, do you hear me? I insist on seeing you. Answer me at -once." - -There was no answer, but we both heard that choking noise I have -mentioned. - -"Mr. Leicester, I am waiting for you. Open the door this instant, or I -shall break it down." And he called a third time in a voice that rang -and echoed from the walls. - -"Mr. Leicester! For the last time I order you to open the door." - -"Ah!" he said, after a pause of heavy silence, "we are wasting time -here. Will you be so kind as to get me a poker, or something of the -kind?" - -I ran into a little room at the back where odd articles were kept, and -found a heavy adze-like tool that I thought might serve the doctor's -purpose. - -"Very good," he said, "that will do, I dare say. I give you notice, Mr. -Leicester," he cried loudly at the keyhole, "that I am now about to break -into your room." - -Then I heard the wrench of the adze, and the woodwork split and cracked -under it, and with a loud crash the door suddenly burst open; and for a -moment we started back aghast at a fearful screaming cry, no human -voice, but as the roar of a monster, that burst forth inarticulate and -struck at us out of the darkness. - -"Hold the lamp," said the doctor, and we went in and glanced quickly -round the room. "There it is," said Dr. Haberden, drawing a quick -breath; "look, in that corner." - -I looked, and a pang of horror seized my heart as with a white-hot iron. -There upon the floor was a dark and putrid mass, seething with -corruption and hideous rottenness, neither liquid nor solid, but -melting and changing before our eyes, and bubbling with unctuous oily -bubbles like boiling pitch. And out of the midst of it shone two burning -points like eyes, and I saw a writhing and stirring as of limbs, and -something moved and lifted up that might have been an arm. The doctor -took a step forward, and raised the iron bar and struck at the burning -points, and drove in the weapon, and struck again and again in a fury of -loathing. At last the thing was quiet. - - * * * * * - -A week or two later, when I had to some extent recovered from the -terrible shock, Dr. Haberden came to see me. - -"I have sold my practice," he began, "and to-morrow I am sailing on a -long voyage. I do not know whether I shall ever return to England; in -all probability I shall buy a little land in California, and settle -there for the remainder of my life. I have brought you this packet, -which you may open and read when you feel able to do so. It contains the -report of Dr. Chambers on what I submitted to him. Good-bye, Miss -Leicester, good-bye." - -When he was gone, I opened the envelope; I could not wait, and proceeded -to read the papers within. Here is the manuscript; and if you will allow -me, I will read you the astounding story it contains. - -"My dear Haberden," the letter began, "I have delayed inexcusably in -answering your questions as to the white substance you sent me. To tell -you the truth, I have hesitated for some time as to what course I should -adopt, for there is a bigotry and an orthodox standard in physical -science as in theology, and I knew that if I told you the truth I -should offend rooted prejudices which I once held dear myself. However, -I have determined to be plain with you, and first I must enter into a -short personal explanation. - -"You have known me, Haberden, for many years as a scientific man; you -and I have often talked of our profession together, and discussed the -hopeless gulf that opens before the feet of those who think to attain to -truth by any means whatsoever, except the beaten way of experiment and -observation, in the sphere of material things. I remember the scorn with -which you have spoken to me of men of science who have dabbled a little -in the unseen, and have timidly hinted that perhaps the senses are not, -after all, the eternal, impenetrable bounds of all knowledge, the -everlasting walls beyond which no human being has ever passed. We have -laughed together heartily, and I think justly, at the "occult" follies -of the day, disguised under various names,--the mesmerisms, -spiritualisms, materializations, theosophies, all the rabble rant of -imposture, with their machinery of poor tricks and feeble conjuring, the -true back-parlor magic of shabby London streets. Yet, in spite of what I -have said, I must confess to you that I am no materialist, taking the -word of course in its usual signification. It is now many years since I -have convinced myself, convinced myself a sceptic remember, that the old -iron-bound theory is utterly and entirely false. Perhaps this confession -will not wound you so sharply as it would have done twenty years ago; -for I think you cannot have failed to notice that for some time -hypotheses have been advanced by men of pure science which are nothing -less than transcendental, and I suspect that most modern chemists and -biologists of repute would not hesitate to subscribe the _dictum_ of the -old Schoolman, _Omnia exeunt in mysterium_, which means, I take it, that -every branch of human knowledge if traced up to its source and final -principles vanishes into mystery. I need not trouble you now with a -detailed account of the painful steps which led me to my conclusions; a -few simple experiments suggested a doubt as to my then standpoint, and a -train of thought that rose from circumstances comparatively trifling -brought me far. My old conception of the universe has been swept away, -and I stand in a world that seems as strange and awful to me as the -endless waves of the ocean seen for the first time, shining, from a Peak -in Darien. Now I know that the walls of sense that seemed so -impenetrable, that seemed to loom up above the heavens and to be founded -below the depths, and to shut us in forevermore, are no such everlasting -impassable barriers as we fancied, but thinnest and most airy veils that -melt away before the seeker, and dissolve as the early mist of the -morning about the brooks. I know that you never adopted the extreme -materialistic position: you did not go about trying to prove a universal -negative, for your logical sense withheld you from that crowning -absurdity; yet I am sure that you will find all that I am saying strange -and repellent to your habits of thought. Yet, Haberden, what I tell you -is the truth, nay, to adopt our common language, the sole and scientific -truth, verified by experience; and the universe is verily more splendid -and more awful than we used to dream. The whole universe, my friend, is -a tremendous sacrament; a mystic, ineffable force and energy, veiled by -an outward form of matter; and man, and the sun and the other stars, and -the flower of the grass, and the crystal in the test-tube, are each and -every one as spiritual, as material, and subject to an inner working. - -"You will perhaps wonder, Haberden, whence all this tends; but I think a -little thought will make it clear. You will understand that from such a -standpoint the whole view of things is changed, and what we thought -incredible and absurd may be possible enough. In short, we must look at -legend and belief with other eyes, and be prepared to accept tales that -had become mere fables. Indeed, this is no such great demand. After all, -modern science will concede as much, in a hypocritical manner. You must -not, it is true, believe in witchcraft, but you may credit hypnotism; -ghosts are out of date, but there is a good deal to be said for the -theory of telepathy. Give a superstition a Greek name, and believe in -it, should almost be a proverb. - -"So much for my personal explanation. You sent me, Haberden, a phial, -stoppered and sealed, containing a small quantity of a flaky white -powder, obtained from a chemist who has been dispensing it to one of -your patients. I am not surprised to hear that this powder refused to -yield any results to your analysis. It is a substance which was known to -a few many hundred years ago, but which I never expected to have -submitted to me from the shop of a modern apothecary. There seems no -reason to doubt the truth of the man's tale; he no doubt got, as he -says, the rather uncommon salt you prescribed from the wholesale -chemist's; and it has probably remained on his shelf for twenty years, -or perhaps longer. Here what we call chance and coincidence begins to -work; during all these years the salt in the bottle was exposed to -certain recurring variations of temperature, variations probably ranging -from 40° to 80°. And, as it happens, such changes, recurring year after -year at irregular intervals, and with varying degrees of intensity and -duration, have constituted a process, and a process so complicated and -so delicate, that I question whether modern scientific apparatus -directed with the utmost precision could produce the same result. The -white powder you sent me is something very different from the drug you -prescribed; it is the powder from which the wine of the Sabbath, the -_Vinum Sabbati_ was prepared. No doubt you have read of the Witches' -Sabbath, and have laughed at the tales which terrified our ancestors; -the black cats, and the broomsticks, and dooms pronounced against some -old woman's cow. Since I have known the truth I have often reflected -that it is on the whole a happy thing that such burlesque as this is -believed, for it serves to conceal much that it is better should not be -known generally. However, if you care to read the appendix to Payne -Knight's monograph, you will find that the true Sabbath was something -very different, though the writer has very nicely refrained from -printing all he knew. The secrets of the true Sabbath were the secrets -of remote times surviving into the Middle Ages, secrets of an evil -science which existed long before Aryan man entered Europe. Men and -women, seduced from their homes on specious pretences, were met by -beings well qualified to assume, as they did assume, the part of devils, -and taken by their guides to some, desolate and lonely place, known to -the initiate by long tradition and unknown to all else. Perhaps it was a -cave in some bare and wind-swept hill; perhaps some inmost recess of a -great forest, and there the Sabbath was held. There, in the blackest -hour of night, the _Vinum Sabbati_ was prepared, and this evil graal was -poured forth and offered to the neophytes, and they partook of an -infernal sacrament; _sumentes calicem principis inferorum,_ as an old -author well expresses it. And suddenly, each one that had drunk found -himself attended by a companion, a shape of glamour and unearthly -allurement, beckoning him apart to share in joys more exquisite, more -piercing than the thrill of any dream, to the consummation of the -marriage of the Sabbath. It is hard to write of such things as these, -and chiefly because that shape that allured with loveliness was no -hallucination, but, awful as it is to express, the man himself. By the -power of that Sabbath wine, a few grains of white powder thrown into a -glass of water, the house of life was riven asunder, and the human -trinity dissolved, and the worm which never dies, that which lies -sleeping within us all, was made tangible and an external thing, and -clothed with a garment of flesh. And then in the hour of midnight, the -primal fall was repeated and represented, and the awful thing veiled in -the mythos of the Tree in the Garden was done anew. Such was the -_nuptiæ Sabbati_. - -"I prefer to say no more; you, Haberden, know as well as I do that the -most trivial laws of life are not to be broken with impunity; and for so -terrible an act as this, in which the very inmost place of the temple -was broken open and defiled, a terrible vengeance followed. What began -with corruption ended also with corruption." - - * * * * * - -Underneath is the following in Dr. Haberden's writing:-- - -"The whole of the above is unfortunately strictly and entirely true. -Your brother confessed all to me on that morning when I saw him in his -room. My attention was first attracted to the bandaged hand, and I -forced him to show it me. What I saw made me, a medical man of many -years standing, grow sick with loathing; and the story I was forced to -listen to was infinitely more frightful than I could have believed -possible. It has tempted me to doubt the Eternal Goodness which can -permit nature to offer such hideous possibilities; and if you had not -with your own eyes seen the end, I should have said to you--disbelieve -it all. I have not, I think, many more weeks to live, but you are young, -and may forget all this. - - "JOSEPH HABERDEN, M.D." - -In the course of two or three months I heard that Dr. Haberden had died -at sea, shortly after the ship left England. - -Miss Leicester ceased speaking, and looked pathetically at Dyson, who -could not refrain from exhibiting some symptoms of uneasiness. - -He stuttered out some broken phrases expressive of his deep interest in -her extraordinary history, and then said with a better grace-- - -"But, pardon me, Miss Leicester, I understood you were in some -difficulty. You were kind enough to ask me to assist you in some way." - -"Ah," she said, "I had forgotten that. My own present trouble seems of -such little consequence in comparison with what I have told you. But as -you are so good to me, I will go on. You will scarcely believe it, but I -found that certain persons suspected, or rather pretended to suspect -that I had murdered my brother. These persons were relatives of mine, -and their motives were extremely sordid ones; but I actually found -myself subject to the shameful indignity of being watched. Yes, sir, my -steps were dogged when I went abroad, and at home I found myself exposed -to constant if artful observation. With my high spirit this was more -than I could brook, and I resolved to set my wits to work and elude the -persons who were shadowing me. I was so fortunate as to succeed. I -assumed this disguise, and for some time have lain snug and unsuspected. -But of late I have reason to believe that the pursuer is on my track; -unless I am greatly deceived, I saw yesterday the detective who is -charged with the odious duty of observing my movements. You, sir, are -watchful and keen-sighted; tell me, did you see any one lurking about -this evening?" - -"I hardly think so," said Dyson, "but perhaps you would give me some -description of the detective in question." - -"Certainly; he is a youngish man, dark, with dark whiskers. He has -adopted spectacles of large size in the hope of disguising himself -effectually, but he cannot disguise his uneasy manner, and the quick, -nervous glances he casts to right and left." - -This piece of description was the last straw for the unhappy Dyson, who -was foaming with impatience to get out of the house, and would gladly -have sworn eighteenth century oaths if propriety had not frowned on such -a course. - -"Excuse me, Miss Leicester," he said with cold politeness, "I cannot -assist you." - -"Ah!" she said sadly, "I have offended you in some way. Tell me what I -have done, and I will ask you to forgive me." - -"You are mistaken," said Dyson, grabbing his hat, but speaking with some -difficulty; "you have done nothing. But, as I say, I cannot help you. -Perhaps," he added, with some tinge of sarcasm, "my friend Russell might -be of service." - -"Thank you," she replied; "I will try him," and the lady went off into a -shriek of laughter, which filled up Mr. Dyson's cup of scandal and -confusion. - -He left the house shortly afterwards, and had the peculiar delight of a -five-mile walk, through streets which slowly changed from black to gray, -and from gray to shining passages of glory for the sun to brighten. Here -and there he met or overtook strayed revellers, but he reflected that no -one could have spent the night in a more futile fashion than himself; -and when he reached his home he had made resolves for reformation. He -decided that he would abjure all Milesian and Arabian methods of -entertainment, and subscribe to Mudie's for a regular supply of mild and -innocuous romance. - - - - -STRANGE OCCURRENCE IN CLERKENWELL. - - -Mr. Dyson had inhabited for some years a couple of rooms in a moderately -quiet street in Bloomsbury, where, as he somewhat pompously expressed -it, he held his finger on the pulse of life without being deafened with -the thousand rumors of the main arteries of London. It was to him a -source of peculiar, if esoteric gratification, that from the adjacent -corner of Tottenham Court Road a hundred lines of omnibuses went to the -four quarters of the town; he would dilate on the facilities for -visiting Dalston, and dwell on the admirable line that knew extremest -Ealing and the streets beyond Whitechapel. His rooms, which had been -originally "furnished apartments," he had gradually purged of their more -peccant parts; and though one would not find here the glowing splendors -of his old chambers in the street off the Strand, there was something of -severe grace about the appointments which did credit to his taste. The -rugs were old, and of the true faded beauty; the etchings, nearly all of -them proofs printed by the artist, made a good show with broad white -margins and black frames, and there was no spurious black oak. Indeed, -there was but little furniture of any kind: a plain and honest table, -square and sturdy, stood in one corner; a seventeenth century settle -fronted the hearth; and two wooden elbow-chairs, and a bookshelf of the -Empire made up the equipment, with an exception worthy of note. For -Dyson cared for none of these things. His place was at his own bureau, a -quaint old piece of lacquered-work at which he would sit for hour after -hour, with his back to the room, engaged in the desperate pursuit of -literature, or, as he termed his profession, the chase of the phrase. -The neat array of pigeon-holes and drawers teemed and overflowed with -manuscript and note-books, the experiments and efforts of many years; -and the inner well, a vast and cavernous receptacle, was stuffed with -accumulated ideas. Dyson was a craftsman who gloved all the detail and -the technique of his work intensely; and if, as has been hinted, he -deluded himself a little with the name of artist, yet his amusements -were eminently harmless, and, so far as can be ascertained, he (or the -publishers) had chosen the good part of not tiring the world with -printed matter. - -Here, then, Dyson would shut himself up with his fancies, experimenting -with words, and striving, as his friend the recluse of Bayswater strove, -with the almost invincible problem of style, but always with a fine -confidence, extremely different from the chronic depression of the -realist. He had been almost continuously at work on some scheme that -struck him as well-nigh magical in its possibilities since the night of -his adventure with the ingenious tenant of the first floor in Abingdon -Grove; and as he laid down the pen with a glow of triumph, he reflected -that he had not viewed, the streets for five days in succession. With -all the enthusiasm of his accomplished labor still working in his brain, -he put away his papers, and went out, pacing the pavement at first in -that rare mood of exultation which finds in every stone upon the way the -possibilities of a masterpiece. It was growing late, and the autumn -evening was drawing to a close amidst veils of haze and mist, and in the -stilled air the voices, and the roaring traffic, and incessant feet -seemed, to Dyson like the noise upon the stage when all the house is -silent. In the square, the leaves rippled down as quick as summer rain, -and the street beyond was beginning to flare with the lights in the -butcher's shops and the vivid illumination of the green-grocer. It was a -Saturday night, and the swarming populations of the slums were turning -out in force; the battered women in rusty black had begun to paw the -lumps of cagmag, and others gloated over unwholesome cabbages, and there -was a brisk demand for four-ale. Dyson passed through these night-fires -with some relief; he loved to meditate, but his thoughts were not as De -Quincey's after his dose; he cared not two straws whether onions were -dear or cheap, and would not have exulted if meat had fallen to twopence -a pound. Absorbed in the wilderness of the tale he had been writing, -weighing nicely the points of plot and construction, relishing the -recollection of this and that happy phrase, and dreading failure here -and there, he left the rush and the whistle of the gas-flares behind -him, and began to touch upon pavements more deserted. - -He had turned, without taking note, to the northward, and was passing -through an ancient fallen street, where now notices of floors and -offices to let hung out, but still about it there was the grace and the -stiffness of the Age of Wigs; a broad roadway, a broad pavement, and on -each side a grave line of houses with long and narrow windows flush with -the walls, all of mellowed brick-work. Dyson walked with quick steps, as -he resolved that short work must be made of a certain episode; but he -was in that happy humor of invention, and another chapter rose in the -inner chamber of his brain, and he dwelt on the circumstances he was to -write down with curious pleasure. It was charming to have the quiet -streets to walk in, and in his thought he made a whole district the -cabinet of his studies, and vowed he would come again. Heedless of his -course, he struck off to the east again, and soon found himself involved -in a squalid network of gray two-storied houses, and then in the waste -void and elements of brick-work, the passages and unmade roads behind -great factory walls, encumbered with the refuse of the neighborhood, -forlorn, ill-lighted, and desperate. A brief turn, and there rose before -him the unexpected, a hill suddenly lifted from the level ground, its -steep ascent marked by the lighted lamps, and eager as an explorer Dyson -found his way to the place, wondering where his crooked paths had -brought him. Here all was again decorous, but hideous in the extreme. -The builder, some one lost in the deep gloom of the early 'twenties, had -conceived the idea of twin villas in gray brick, shaped in a manner to -recall the outlines of the Parthenon, each with its classic form -broadly marked with raised bands of stucco. The name of the street was -all strange, and for a further surprise, the top of the hill was crowned -with an irregular plot of grass and fading trees, called a square, and -here again the Parthenon-motive had persisted. Beyond the streets were -curious, wild in their irregularities, here a row of sordid, dingy -dwellings, dirty and disreputable in appearance, and there, without -warning, stood a house genteel and prim with wire blinds and brazen -knocker, as clean and trim as if it had been the doctor's house in some -benighted little country town. These surprises and discoveries began to -exhaust Dyson, and he hailed with delight the blazing windows of a -public-house, and went in with the intention of testing the beverage -provided for the dwellers in this region, as remote as Libya and -Pamphylia and the parts about Mesopotamia. The babble of voices from -within warned him that he was about to assist at the true parliament of -the London workman, and he looked about him for that more retired -entrance called private. When he had settled himself on an exiguous -bench, and had ordered some beer, he began to listen to the jangling -talk in the public bar beyond; it was a senseless argument, alternately -furious and maudlin, with appeals to Bill and Tom, and mediæval -survivals of speech, words that Chaucer wrote belched out with zeal and -relish, and the din of pots jerked down and coppers rapped smartly on -the zinc counter made a thorough bass for it all. Dyson was calmly -smoking his pipe between the sips of beer, when an indefinite looking -figure slid rather than walked into the compartment. The man started -violently when he saw Dyson placidly sitting in the corner, and glanced -keenly about him. He seemed to be on wires, controlled by some electric -machine, for he almost bolted out of the door when the barman asked with -what he could serve him, and his hand shivered as he took the glass. -Dyson inspected him with a little curiosity; he was muffled up almost to -the lips, and a soft felt hat was drawn down over his eyes; he looked as -if he shrank from every glance, and a more raucous voice suddenly -uplifted in the public bar seemed to find in him a sympathy that made -him shake and quiver like a jelly. It was pitiable to see any one so -thrilled with nervousness, and Dyson was about to address some trivial -remark of casual inquiry to the man, when another person came into the -compartment, and, laying a hand on his arm, muttered something in an -undertone, and vanished as he came. But Dyson had recognized him as the -smooth-tongued and smooth-shaven Burton, who had displayed so sumptuous -a gift in lying; and yet he thought little of it, for his whole faculty -of observation was absorbed in the lamentable and yet grotesque -spectacle before him. At the first touch of the hand on his arm, the -unfortunate man had wheeled round as if spun on a pivot, and shrank back -with a low, piteous cry, as if some dumb beast were caught in the toils. -The blood fled away from the wretch's face, and the skin became gray as -if a shadow of death had passed in the air and fallen on it, and Dyson -caught a choking whisper-- - -"Mr. Davies! For God's sake, have pity on me, Mr. Davies. On my oath, I -say--" and his voice sank to silence as he heard the message, and strove -in vain to bite his lip; and summon up to his aid some tinge of manhood. -He stood there a moment, wavering as the leaves of an aspen, and then he -was gone out into the street, as Dyson thought silently, with his doom -upon his head. He had not been gone a minute when it suddenly flashed -into Dyson's mind that he knew the man; it was undoubtedly the young man -with spectacles for whom so many ingenious persons were searching; the -spectacles indeed were missing, but the pale face, the dark whiskers, -and the timid glances were enough to identify him, Dyson saw at once -that by a succession of hazards he had unawares hit upon the scent of -some desperate conspiracy, wavering as the track of a loathsome snake in -and out of the highways and byways of the London cosmos; the truth was -instantly pictured before him, and he divined that all unconscious and -unheeding he had been privileged to see the shadows of hidden forms, -chasing and hurrying, and grasping and vanishing across the bright -curtain of common life, soundless and silent, or only babbling fables -and pretences. For him in an instant the jargoning of voices, the garish -splendor, and all the vulgar tumult of the public-house became part of -magic; for here before his eyes a scene in this grim mystery play had -been enacted, and he had seen human flesh grow gray with a palsy of -fear; the very hell of cowardice and terror had gaped wide within an -arm's breadth. In the midst of these reflections, the barman came up and -stared at him as if to hint that he had exhausted his right to take his -ease, and Dyson bought another lease of the seat by an order for more -beer. As he pondered the brief glimpse of tragedy, he recollected that -with his first start of haunted fear the young man with whiskers had -drawn his hand swiftly from his great coat pocket, and that he had heard -something fall to the ground; and pretending to have dropped his pipe, -Dyson began to grope in the corner, searching with his fingers. He -touched some thing, and drew it gently to him, and with one brief -glance, as he put it quietly in his pocket, he saw it was a little -old-fashioned note book, bound in faded green morocco. - -He drank down his beer at a gulp, and left the place, overjoyed at his -fortunate discovery, and busy with conjecture as to the possible -importance of the find. By turns he dreaded to find perhaps mere blank -leaves, or the labored follies of a betting-book, but the faded morocco -cover seemed to promise better things, and hint at mysteries. He piloted -himself with no little difficulty out of the sour and squalid quarter he -had entered with a light heart, and emerging at Gray's Inn Road, struck -off down Guilford Street, and hastened home, only anxious for a lighted -candle and solitude. - -Dyson sat down at his bureau, and placed the little book before him; it -was an effort to open the leaves and dare disappointment. But in -desperation at last he laid his finger between the pages at haphazard, -and rejoiced to see a compact range of writing with a margin, and as it -chanced, three words caught his glance, and stood out apart from the -mass. Dyson read: - - THE GOLD TIBERIUS, - -and his face flushed with fortune and the lust of the hunter. - -He turned at once to the first leaf of the pocket-book, and proceeded to -read with rapt interest the - - - - -HISTORY OF THE YOUNG MAN WITH SPECTACLES - - -From the filthy and obscure lodging, situated, I verily believe, in one -of the foulest slums of Clerkenwell, I indite this history of a life -which, daily threatened, cannot last for very much longer. Every day, -nay, every hour, I know too well my enemies are drawing their nets -closer about me; even now, I am condemned to be a close prisoner in my -squalid room, and I know that when I go out I shall go to my -destruction. This history, if it chance to fall into good hands, may, -perhaps, be of service in warning young men of the dangers and pitfalls -that most surely must accompany any deviation from the ways of -rectitude. - -My name is Joseph Walters. When I came of age I found myself in -possession of a small but sufficient income, and I determined that I -would devote my life to scholarship. I do not mean the scholarship of -these days; I had no intention of associating myself with men whose -lives are spent in the unspeakably degrading occupation of "editing" -classics, befouling the fair margins of the fairest books with idle and -superfluous annotation, and doing their utmost to give a lasting -disgust of all that is beautiful. An abbey church turned to the base use -of a stable or a bake-house is a sorry sight; but more pitiable still is -a masterpiece spluttered over with the commentator's pen, and his -hideous mark "cf." - -For my part I chose the glorious career of scholar in its ancient sense; -I longed to possess encyclopædic learning, to grow old amongst books, to -distil day by day, and year after year, the inmost sweetness of all -worthy writings. I was not rich enough to collect a library, and I was -therefore forced to betake myself to the Reading-Room of the British -Museum. - -O dim, far-lifted and mighty dome, Mecca of many minds, mausoleum of -many hopes, sad house where all desires fail. For there men enter in -with hearts uplifted, and dreaming minds, seeing in those exalted stairs -a ladder to fame, in that pompous portico the gate of knowledge; and -going in, find but vain vanity, and all but in vain. There, when the -long streets are ringing, is silence, there eternal twilight, and the -odor of heaviness. But there the blood flows thin and cold, and the -brain burns adust; there is the hunt of shadows, and the chase of -embattled phantoms; a striving against ghosts, and a war that has no -victory. O dome, tomb of the quick; surely in thy galleries where no -reverberant voice can call, sighs whisper ever, and mutterings of dead -hopes; and there men's souls mount like moths towards the flame, and -fall scorched and blackened beneath thee, O dim, far-lifted, and mighty -dome. - -Bitterly do I now regret the day when I took my place at a desk for the -first time, and began my studies. I had not been an habitué of the place -for many months, when I became acquainted with a serene and benevolent -gentleman, a man somewhat past middle age, who nearly always occupied a -desk next to mine. In the Reading-Room it takes little to make an -acquaintance, a casual offer of assistance, a hint as to the search in -the catalogue, and the ordinary politeness of men who constantly sit -near each other; it was thus I came to know the man calling himself Dr. -Lipsius. By degrees I grew to look for his presence, and to miss him -when he was away, as was sometimes the case, and so a friendship sprang -up between us. His immense range of learning was placed freely at my -service; he would often astonish me by the way in which he would sketch -out in a few minutes the bibliography of a given subject, and before -long I had confided to him my ambitions. - -"Ah," he said, "you should have been a German. I was like that myself -when I was a boy. It is a wonderful resolve, an infinite career. 'I will -know all things;' yes, it is a device indeed. But it means this--a life -of labor without end, and a desire unsatisfied at last. The scholar has -to die, and die saying, 'I know very little.'" - -Gradually, by speeches such as these, Lipsius seduced me: he would -praise the career, and at the same time hint that it was as hopeless as -the search for the philosopher's stone, and so by artful suggestions, -insinuated with infinite address, he by degrees succeeded in undermining -all my principles. "After all," he used to say, "the greatest of all -sciences, the key to all knowledge, is the science and art of pleasure. -Rabelais was perhaps the greatest of all the encyclopædic scholars; and -he, as you know, wrote the most remarkable book that has ever been -written. And what does he teach men in this book? Surely, the joy of -living. I need not remind you of the words, suppressed in most of the -editions, the key of all the Rabelaisian mythology, of all the enigmas -of his grand philosophy, _Vivez joyeux_. There you have all his -learning; his work is the institutes of pleasure as the fine art; the -finest art there is; the art of all arts. Rabelais had all science, but -he had all life too. And we have gone a long way since his time. You are -enlightened, I think; you do not consider all the petty rules and -by-laws that a corrupt society has made for its own selfish convenience -as the immutable decrees of the eternal." - -Such were the doctrines that he preached; and it was by such insidious -arguments, line upon line, here a little and there a little, that he at -last succeeded in making me a man at war with the whole social system. I -used to long for some opportunity to break the chains and to live a free -life, to be my own rule and measure. I viewed existence with the eyes of -a pagan, and Lipsius understood to perfection the art of stimulating the -natural inclinations of a young man hitherto a hermit. As I gazed up at -the great dome I saw it flushed with the flames and colors of a world of -enticement, unknown to me, my imagination played me a thousand wanton -tricks, and the forbidden drew me as surely as a loadstone draws on -iron. At last my resolution was taken, and I boldly asked Lipsius to be -my guide. - -He told me to leave the Museum at my usual hour, half past four, to walk -slowly along the northern pavement of Great Russell Street, and to wait -at the corner of the street till I was addressed, and then to obey in -all things the instructions of the person who came up to me. I carried -out these directions, and stood at the corner looking about me -anxiously, my heart beating fast, and my breath coming in gasps. I -waited there for some time, and had begun to fear I had been made the -object of a joke, when I suddenly became conscious of a gentleman who -was looking at me with evident amusement from the opposite pavement of -Tottenham Court Road. He came over, and raising his hat, politely begged -me to follow him, and I did so without a word, wondering where we were -going, and what was to happen. I was taken to a house of quiet and -respectable aspect in a street lying to the north of Oxford Street, and -my guide rang the bell, and a servant showed us into a large room, -quietly furnished, on the ground floor. We sat there in silence for some -time, and I noticed that the furniture, though unpretending, was -extremely valuable. There were large oak-presses, two book-cases of -extreme elegance, and in one corner a carved chest which must have been -mediæval. Presently Dr. Lipsius came in and welcomed me with his usual -manner, and after some desultory conversation, my guide left the room. -Then an elderly man dropped in and began talking to Lipsius; and from -their conversation I understood that my friend was a dealer in antiques; -they spoke of the Hittite seal, and of the prospects of further -discoveries, and later, when two or three more persons had joined us, -there was an argument as to the possibility of a systematic exploration -of the pre-celtic monuments in England I was; in fact, present at an -archæological reception of an informal kind; and at nine o'clock, when -the antiquaries were gone, I stared at Lipsius in a manner that showed I -was puzzled, and sought an explanation. - -"Now," he said, "we will go upstairs." - -As we passed up the stairs, Lipsius lighting the way with a hand-lamp, I -heard the sound of a jarring lock and bolts and bars shot on at the -front door. My guide drew back a baize door, and we went down a passage, -and I began to hear odd sounds, a noise of curious mirth, and then he -pushed me through a second door, and my initiation began. I cannot write -down what I witnessed that night; I cannot bear to recall what went on -in those secret rooms fast shuttered and curtained so that no light -should escape into the quiet street; they gave me red wine to drink, and -a woman told me as I sipped it that it was wine of the Red Jar that -Avallaunius had made. Another asked me how I liked the Wine of the -Fauns, and I heard a dozen fantastic names, while the stuff boiled in my -veins, and stirred, I think, something that had slept within me from the -moment I was born. It seemed as if my self-consciousness deserted me; I -was no longer a thinking agent, but at once subject and object. I -mingled in the horrible sport and watched the mystery of the Greek -groves and fountains enacted before me, saw the reeling dance, and heard -the music calling as I sat beside my mate, and yet I was outside it all, -and viewed my own part an idle spectator. Thus with strange rites they -made me drink the cup, and when I woke up in the morning I was one of -them, and had sworn to be faithful. At first I was shown the enticing -side of things. I was bidden to enjoy myself and care for nothing but -pleasure, and Lipsius himself indicated to me as the acutest enjoyment -the spectacle of the terrors of the unfortunate persons who were from -time to time decoyed into the evil house. But after a time it was -pointed out to me that I must take my share in the work, and so I found -myself compelled to be in my turn a seducer; and thus it is on my -conscience that I have led many to the depths of the pit. - -One day Lipsius summoned me to his private room, and told me that he had -a difficult task to give me. He unlocked a drawer, and gave me a sheet -of type-written paper, and had me read it. It was without place, or -date, or signature, and ran as follows:-- - -"Mr. James Headley, F.S.A., will receive from his agent in Armenia, on -the 12th inst., a unique coin, the gold Tiberius. It hears on the -reverse a faun, with the legend VICTORIA. It is believed that this coin -is of immense value. Mr. Headley will come up to town to show the coin -to his friend, Professor Memys, of Chenies Street, Oxford Street, on -some date between the 13th and the 18th." - -Dr. Lipsius chuckled at my face of blank surprise when I laid down this -singular communication. - -"You will have a good chance of showing your discretion," he said. "This -is not a common case; it requires great management and infinite tact. I -am sure I wish I had a Panurge in my service, but we will see what you -can do." - -"But is it not a joke?" I asked him. "How can you know, or rather how -can this correspondent of yours know that a coin has been despatched -from Armenia to Mr. Headley? And how is it possible to fix the period in -which Mr. Headley will take it into his head to come up to town? It -seems to me a lot of guess work." - -"My dear Mr. Walters," he replied; "we do not deal in guess work here. -It would bore you if I went into all these little details, the cogs and -wheels, if I may say so, which move the machine. Don't you think it is -much more amusing to sit in front of the house and be astonished, than -to be behind the scenes and see the mechanism? Better tremble at the -thunder, believe me, than see the man rolling the cannon ball. But, -after all, you needn't bother about the how and why; you have your share -to do. Of course, I shall give you full instructions, but a great deal -depends on the way the thing is carried out. I have often heard very -young men maintain that style is everything in literature, and I can -assure you that the same maxim holds good in our far more delicate -profession. With us style is absolutely everything, and that is why we -have friends like yourself." - -I went away in some perturbation; he had no doubt designedly left -everything in mystery, and I did not know what part I should have to -play. Though I had assisted at scenes of hideous revelry, I was not yet -dead to all echo of human feeling, and I trembled lest I should receive -the order to be Mr. Headley's executioner. - -A week later, it was on the sixteenth of the month, Dr. Lipsius made me -a sign to come into his room. - -"It is for to-night," he began. "Please to attend carefully to what I am -going to say, Mr. Walters, and on peril of your life, for it is a -dangerous matter,--on peril of your life I say, follow these -instructions to the letter. You understand? Well, to-night at about -half-past seven you will stroll quietly up the Hampstead Road till you -come to Vincent Street. Turn down here and walk along, taking the third -turning to your right, which is Lambert Terrace. Then follow the -terrace, cross the road, and go along Hertford Street, and so into -Lillington Square. The second turning you will come to in the square is -called Sheen Street; but in reality it is more a passage between blank -walls than a street. Whatever you do, take care to be at the corner of -this street at eight o'clock precisely. You will walk along it, and just -at the bend, where you lose sight of the square, you will find an old -gentleman with white beard and whiskers. He will in all probability be -abusing a cabman for having brought him to Sheen Street instead of -Chenies Street. You will go up to him quietly and offer your services; -he will tell you where he wants to go, and you will be so courteous as -to offer to show him the way. I may say that Professor Memys moved, -into Chenies Street a month ago; thus Mr. Headley has never been to see -him there, and moreover he is very short-sighted, and knows little of -the topography of London. Indeed he has quite lived the life of a -learned hermit at Audley Hall. - -"Well, need I say more to a man of your intelligence? You will bring him -to this house; he will ring the bell, and a servant in quiet livery will -let him in. Then your work will be done, and I am sure done well. You -will leave Mr. Headley at the door, and simply continue your walk, and I -shall hope to see you the next day. I really don't think there is -anything more I can tell you." - -These minute instructions I took care to carry out to the letter. I -confess that I walked up the Tottenham Court Road by no means blindly, -but with an uneasy sense that I was coming to a decisive point in my -life. The noise and rumor of the crowded pavements were to me but -dumb-show. I revolved again and again in ceaseless iteration the task -that had been laid on me, and I questioned myself as to the possible -results. As I got near the point of turning, I asked myself whether -danger were not about my steps; the cold thought struck me that I was -suspected and observed, and every chance foot-passenger who gave me a -second glance seemed to me an officer of police. My time was running -out, the sky had darkened, and I hesitated, half resolved to go no -farther, but to abandon Lipsius and his friends forever. I had almost -determined to take this course, when the conviction suddenly came to me -that the whole thing was a gigantic joke, a fabrication of rank -improbability. Who could have procured the information about the -Armenian agent, I asked myself. By what means could Lipsius have known -the particular day, and the very train that Mr. Headley was to take? How -engage him to enter one special cab amongst the dozens waiting at -Paddington? I vowed it a mere Milesian tale, and went forward merrily, -and turned down Vincent Street, and threaded out the route that Lipsius -had so carefully impressed upon me. The various streets he had named -were all places of silence and an oppressive cheap gentility; it was -dark, and I felt alone in the musty squares and crescents, where people -pattered by at intervals, and the shadows were growing blacker. I -entered Sheen Street, and found it, as Lipsius had said, more a passage -than a street; it was a by-way, on one side a low wall and neglected -gardens and grim backs of a line of houses, and on the other a timber -yard. I turned the corner, and lost sight of the square, and then to my -astonishment I saw the scene of which I had been told. A hansom cab had -come to a stop beside the pavement, and an old man carrying a handbag -was fiercely abusing the cabman, who sat on his perch the image of -bewilderment. - -"Yes, but I'm sure you said Sheen Street, and that's where I brought -you," I heard him saying, as I came up, and the old gentleman boiled in -a fury, and threatened police and suits at law. - -The sight gave me a shock; and in an instant I resolved to go through -with it. I strolled on, and without noticing the cabman, lifted my hat -politely to old Mr. Headley. - -"Pardon me, sir," I said, "but is there any difficulty? I see you are a -traveller; perhaps the cabman has made a mistake. Can I direct you?" - -The old fellow turned to me, and I noticed that he snarled and showed -his teeth like an ill-tempered cur as he spoke. - -"This drunken fool has brought me here," he said. "I told him to drive -to Chenies Street, and he brings me to this infernal place. I won't pay -him a farthing, and I meant to have given him a handsome sum. I am going -to call for the police and give him in charge." - -At this threat the cabman seemed to take alarm. He glanced round as if -to make sure that no policeman was in sight and drove off grumbling -loudly, and Mr. Headley grinned, savagely with satisfaction at having -saved his fare, and put back one and sixpence into his pocket, the -"handsome sum" the cabman had lost. - -"My dear sir," I said, "I am afraid this piece of stupidity has annoyed -you a great deal. It is a long way to Chenies Street, and you will have -some difficulty in finding the place unless you know London pretty -well." - -"I know it very little," he replied. "I never come up except on -important business, and I've never been to Chenies Street in my life." - -"Really? I should be happy to show you the way. I have been for a -stroll, and it will not at all inconvenience me to take you to your -destination." - -"I want to go to Professor Memys, at number 15. It's most annoying to -me. I'm short-sighted, and I can never make out the numbers on the -doors." - -"This way if you please," I said, and we set out. - -I did not find Mr. Headley an agreeable man; indeed, he grumbled the -whole way. He informed me of his name, and I took care to say, "The -well-known antiquary?" and thenceforth I was compelled to listen to the -history of his complicated squabbles with publishers, who had treated -him, as he said, disgracefully. The man was a chapter in the -Irritability of Authors. He told me that he had been on the point of -making the fortune of several firms, but had been compelled to abandon -the design owing to their rank ingratitude. Besides these ancient -histories of wrong and the more recent misadventure of the cabman, he -had another grievous complaint to make. As he came along in the train, -he had been sharpening a pencil, and the sudden jolt of the engine as it -drew up at a station had driven the penknife against his face, -inflicting a small triangular wound just on the cheek-bone, which he -showed me. He denounced the railway company, and heaped imprecations on -the head of the driver, and talked of claiming damages. Thus he grumbled -all the way, not noticing in the least where he was going, and so -inamiable did his conduct appear to me that I began to enjoy the trick I -was playing on him. - -Nevertheless my heart beat a little faster as we turned into the street -where Lipsius was waiting. A thousand accidents, I thought, might -happen. Some chance might bring one of Headley's friends to meet us; -perhaps, though he knew not Chenies Street, he might know the street -where I was taking him; in spite of his short-sight he might possibly -make out the number, or in a sudden fit of suspicion he might make an -inquiry of the policeman at the corner. Thus every step upon the -pavement, as we drew nearer to the goal, was to me a pang and a terror, -and every approaching passenger carried a certain threat of danger. I -gulped down my excitement with an effort, and made shift to say pretty -quietly:-- - -"No. 15, I think you said? That is the third house from this. If you -will allow me, I will leave you now; I have been delayed a little, and -my way lies on the other side of Tottenham Court Road." - -He snarled out some kind of thanks, and I turned my back and walked -swiftly in the opposite direction. A minute or two later, I looked round -and saw Mr. Headley standing on the doorstep, and then the door opened -and he went in. For my part I gave a sigh of relief, and hastened to get -away from the neighborhood and endeavored to enjoy myself in merry -company. - -The whole of the next day I kept away from Lipsius. I felt anxious, but -I did not know what had happened or what was happening, and a reasonable -regard for my own safety told me that I should do well to remain quietly -at home. My curiosity, however, to learn the end of the odd drama in -which I had played a part stung me to the quick, and late in the evening -I made up my mind to go and see how events had turned out. Lipsius -nodded when I came in, and asked me if I could give him five minutes' -talk. We went into his room, and he began to walk up and down, and I sat -waiting for him to speak. - -"My dear Mr. Walters," he said at length, "I congratulate you warmly. -Your work was done in the most thorough and artistic manner. You will go -far. Look." - -He went to his escritoire and pressed a secret spring, and a drawer flew -out, and he laid something on the table. It was a gold coin, and I took -it up and examined it eagerly, and read the legend about the figure of -the faun. - -"Victoria," I said, smiling. - -"Yes, it was a great capture, which we owe to you. I had great -difficulty in persuading Mr. Headley that a little mistake had been -made; that was how I put it. He was very disagreeable, and indeed -ungentlemanly about it; didn't he strike you as a very cross old man?" - -I held the coin, admiring the choice and rare design, clear cut as if -from the mint; and I thought the fine gold glowed and burned like a -lamp. - -"And what finally became of Mr. Headley?" I said at last. - -Lipsius smiled and shrugged his shoulders. - -"What on earth does it matter?" he said. "He might be here, or there, or -anywhere; but what possible consequence could it be? Besides, your -question rather surprises me. You are an intelligent man, Mr. Walters. -Just think it over, and I'm sure you won't repeat the question." - -"My dear sir," I said, "I hardly think you are treating me fairly. You -have paid me some handsome compliments on my share in the capture, and I -naturally wish to know how the matter ended. From what I saw of Mr. -Headley, I should think you must have had some difficulty with him." - -He gave me no answer for the moment, but began again to walk up and down -the room, apparently absorbed in thought. - -"Well," he said at last, "I suppose there is something in what you say. -We are certainly indebted to you. I have said, that I have a high -opinion of your intelligence, Mr. Walters. Just look here, will you." - -He opened a door communicating with another room and pointed. - -There was a great box lying on the floor; a queer coffin-shaped thing. I -looked at it and saw it was a mummy case like those in the British -Museum, vividly painted in the brilliant Egyptian colors, with I knew -not what proclamation of dignity or hopes of life immortal. The mummy, -swathed about in the robes of death, was lying within, and the face had -been uncovered. - -"You are going to send this away?" I said, forgetting the question I had -put. - -"Yes; I have an order from a local museum. Look a little more closely, -Mr. Walters." - -Puzzled by his manner, I peered into the face, while he held up the -lamp. The flesh was black with the passing of the centuries; but as I -looked I saw upon the right cheek-bone a small triangular scar, and the -secret of the mummy flashed upon me. I was looking at the dead body of -the man whom I had decoyed into that house. - -There was no thought or design of action in my mind. I held the accursed -coin in my hand, burning me with a foretaste of hell, and I fled as I -would have fled from pestilence and death, and dashed into the street -in blind horror, not knowing where I went. I felt the gold coin grasped -in my clenched list, and threw it away, I knew not where, and ran on and -on through by-streets and dark ways, till at last I issued out into a -crowded thoroughfare, and checked myself. Then, as consciousness -returned, I realized my instant peril, and understood what would happen -if I fell into the hands of Lipsius. I knew that I had put forth my -finger to thwart a relentless mechanism rather than a man; my recent -adventure with the unfortunate Mr. Headley had taught me that Lipsius -had agents in all quarters, and I foresaw that if I fell into his hands, -he would remain true to his doctrine of style, and cause me to die a -death of some horrible and ingenious torture. I bent my whole mind to -the task of outwitting him and his emissaries, three of whom I knew to -have proved their ability for tracking down persons who for various -reasons preferred to remain obscure. These servants of Lipsius were two -men and a woman, and the woman was incomparably the most subtle and the -most deadly. Yet I considered that I too had some portion of craft, and -I took my resolve. Since then I have matched myself day by day and hour -by hour against the ingenuity of Lipsius and his myrmidons. For a time I -was successful; though they beat furiously after me in the covert of -London, I remained _perdu_, and watched with some amusement their -frantic efforts to recover the scent lost in two or three minutes. Every -lure and wile was put forth to entice me from my hiding-place. I was -informed by the medium of the public prints that what I had taken had -been recovered, and meetings were proposed in which I might hope to -gain a great deal without the slightest risk. I laughed at their -endeavors, and began a little to despise the organization I had so -dreaded, and ventured more abroad. Not once or twice, but several times, -I recognized the two men who were charged with my capture, and I -succeeded in eluding them easily at close quarters; and a little hastily -I decided that I had nothing to dread, and that my craft was greater -than theirs. But in the mean while, while I congratulated myself on my -cunning, the third of Lipsius's emissaries was weaving her nets, and in -an evil hour I paid a visit to an old friend, a literary man named -Russell, who lived in a quiet street in Bayswater. The woman, as I found -out too late, a day or two ago, occupied rooms in the same house, and I -was followed and tracked down. Too late, as I have said, I recognized -that I had made a fatal mistake, and that I was besieged. Sooner or -later I shall find myself in the power of an enemy without pity; and so -surely as I leave this house I shall go to receive doom. I hardly dare -to guess how it will at last fall upon me. My imagination, always a -vivid one, paints to me appalling pictures of the unspeakable torture -which I shall probably endure; and I know that I shall die with Lipsius -standing near and gloating over the refinements of my suffering and my -shame. - -Hours, nay, minutes, have become very precious to me. I sometimes pause -in the midst of anticipating my tortures, to wonder whether even now I -cannot hit upon some supreme stroke, some design of infinite subtlety, -to free myself from the toils. But I find that the faculty of -combination has left me. I am as the scholar in the old myth, deserted -by the power which has helped, me hitherto. I do not know when the -supreme moment will come, but sooner or later it is inevitable, and -before long I shall receive sentence, and from the sentence to execution -will not be long. - - * * * * * - -I cannot remain here a prisoner any longer. I shall go out to-night when -the streets are full of crowds and clamors, and make a last effort to -escape. - - * * * * * - -It was with profound astonishment that Dyson closed the little book, and -thought of the strange series of incidents which had brought him into -touch with the plots and counterplots connected with the Gold Tiberius. -He had bestowed the coin carefully away, and he shuddered at the bare -possibility of its place of deposit becoming known to the evil band who -seemed to possess such extraordinary sources of information. - -It had grown late while he read, and he put the pocket-book away, hoping -with all his heart that the unhappy Walters might even at the eleventh -hour escape the doom he dreaded. - - - - -ADVENTURE OF THE DESERTED RESIDENCE. - - -"A wonderful story, as you say; an extraordinary sequence and play of -coincidence. I confess that your expressions when you first showed me -the Gold Tiberius were not exaggerated. But do you think that Walters -has really some fearful fate to dread?" - -"I cannot say. Who can presume to predict events when life itself puts -on the robe of coincidence and plays at drama? Perhaps we have not yet -reached the last chapter in the queer story. But, look, we are drawing -near to the verge of London; there are gaps, you see, in the serried -ranks of brick, and a vision of green fields beyond." - -Dyson had persuaded the ingenious Mr. Phillipps to accompany him on one -of those aimless walks to which he was himself so addicted. Starting -from the very heart of London, they had made their way westward through -the stony avenues, and were now just emerging from the red lines of an -extreme suburb, and presently the half-finished road ended, a quiet lane -began, and they were beneath the shade of elm-trees. The yellow autumn -sunlight that had lit up the bare distance of the suburban street now -filtered down through the boughs of the trees and shone on the glowing -carpet of fallen leaves, and the pools of rain glittered and shot back -the gleam of light. Over all the broad pastures there was peace and the -happy rest of autumn before the great winds begin, and afar off, London -lay all vague and immense amidst the veiling mist; here and there a -distant window catching the sun and kindling with fire, and a spire -gleaming high, and below the streets in shadow, and the turmoil of life. -Dyson and Phillipps walked on in silence beneath the high hedges, till -at a turn of the lane they saw a mouldering and ancient gate standing -open, and the prospect of a house at the end of a moss-grown carriage -drive. - -"There is a survival for you," said Dyson; "it has come to its last -days, I imagine. Look how the laurels have grown gaunt, and weedy, and -black, and bare, beneath; look at the house, covered with yellow wash -and patched with green damp. Why, the very notice-board which informs -all and singular that the place is to be let has cracked and half -fallen." - -"Suppose we go in and see it," said Phillipps. "I don't think there is -anybody about." - -They turned up the drive, and walked slowly, towards this remnant of old -days. It was a large straggling house, with curved wings at either end, -and behind a series of irregular roofs and projections, showing that the -place had been added to at divers dates; the two wings were roofed in -cupola fashion, and at one side, as they came nearer, they could see a -stable-yard, and a clock turret with a bell, and the dark masses of -gloomy cedars. Amidst all the lineaments of dissolution, there was but -one note of contrast: the sun was setting beyond the elm-trees, and all -the west and the south were in flames, and on the upper windows of the -house the glow shone reflected, and it seemed as if blood and fire were -mingled. Before the yellow front of the mansion, stained, as Dyson had -remarked, with gangrenous patches, green and blackening, stretched what -once had been, no doubt, a well-kept lawn, but it was now rough and -ragged, and nettles and great docks, and all manner of coarse weeds, -struggled in the places of the flower-beds. The urns had fallen from -their pillars beside the walk, and lay broken in shards upon the ground, -and everywhere from grass-plot and path a fungoid growth had sprung up -and multiplied, and lay dank and slimy like a festering sore upon the -earth. In the middle of the rank grass of the lawn was a desolate -fountain; the rim of the basin was crumbling and pulverized with decay, -and within, the water stood stagnant, with green scum for the lilies -that had once bloomed there; and rust had eaten into the bronze flesh of -the Triton that stood in the middle, and the conch-shell he held was -broken. - -"Here," said Dyson, "one might moralize over decay and death. Here all -the stage is decked out with the symbols of dissolution; the cedarn -gloom and twilight hangs heavy around us, and everywhere within the pale -dankness has found a harbor, and the very air is changed and brought to -accord with the scene. To me, I confess, this deserted house is as moral -as a graveyard, and I find something sublime in that lonely Triton, -deserted in the midst of his water-pool. He is the last of the gods; -they have left him and he remembers the sound of water falling on water, -and the days that were sweet." - -"I like your reflections extremely," said Phillipps, "but I may mention -that the door of the house is open.". - -"Let us go in then." - -The door was just ajar, and they passed into the mouldy hall, and looked -in at a room on one side. It was a large room, going far back, and the -rich old red flock paper was peeling from the walls in long strips, and -blackened with vague patches of rising damp; the ancient clay, the dank -reeking earth rising up again, and subduing all the work of men's hands -after the conquest of many years. And the floor was thick with the dust -of decay, and the painted ceiling fading from all gay colors and light -fancies of cupids in a career, and disfigured with sores of dampness, -seemed transmuted into other work. No longer the amorini chased one -another pleasantly, with limbs that sought not to advance, and hands -that merely simulated the act of grasping at the wreathed flowers, but -it appeared some savage burlesque of the old careless world and of its -cherished conventions, and the dance of the loves had become a dance of -Death; black pustules and festering sores swelled and clustered on fair -limbs, and smiling faces showed corruption, and the fairy blood had -boiled with the germs of foul disease; it was a parable of the leaven -working, and worms devouring for a banquet the heart of the rose. - -Strangely, under the painted ceiling, against the decaying walls, two -old chairs still stood alone, the sole furniture of the empty place. -High-backed, with curving arms and twisted legs, covered with faded gold -leaf, and upholstered in tattered damask, they too were a part of the -symbolism, and struck Dyson with surprise. "What have we here?" he said. -"Who has sat in these chairs? Who, clad in peach-bloom satin, with lace -ruffles and diamond buckles, all golden, _a conté fleurettes_ to his -companion? Phillipps, we are in another age. I wish I had some snuff to -offer you, but failing that, I beg to offer you a seat, and we will sit -and smoke tobacco. A horrid practice, but I am no pedant." - -They sat down on the queer old chairs, and looked out of the dim and -grimy panes to the ruined lawn, and the fallen urns, and the deserted -Triton. - -Presently Dyson ceased his imitation of eighteenth century airs; he no -longer pulled forward imaginary ruffles, or tapped a ghostly snuff-box. - -"It's a foolish fancy," he said at last, "but I keep thinking I hear a -noise like some one groaning. Listen; no, I can't hear it now. There it -is again! Did you notice it, Phillipps? - -"No, I can't say I heard anything. But I believe that old places like -this are like shells from the shore, ever echoing with noises. The old -beams, mouldering piecemeal, yield a little and groan, and such a house -as this I can fancy all resonant at night with voices, the voices of -matter so slowly and so surely transformed into other shapes; the voice -of the worm that gnaws at last the very heart of the oak; the voice of -stone grinding on stone, and the voice of the conquest of time." - -They sat still in the old armchairs and grew graver in the musty ancient -air,--the air of a hundred years ago. - -"I don't like the place," said Phillipps, after a long pause. "To me it -seems, as if there were a sickly, unwholesome smell about it, a smell of -something burning." - -"You are right; there is an evil odor here. I wonder what it is! Hark! -Did you hear that?" - -A hollow sound, a noise of infinite sadness and infinite pain broke in -upon the silence; and the two men looked fearfully at one another, -horror and the sense of unknown things glimmering in their eyes. - -"Come," said Dyson, "we must see into this," and they went into the hall -and listened in the silence. - -"Do you know," said Phillipps, "it seems absurd, but I could almost -fancy that the smell is that of burning flesh." - -They went up the hollow-sounding stairs, and the the odor became thick -and noisome, stifling the breath; and a vapor, sickening as the smell of -the chamber of death, choked them. A door was open and they entered the -large upper room, and clung hard to one another, shuddering at the sight -they saw. - -A naked man was lying on the floor, his arms and legs stretched wide -apart, and bound to pegs that had been hammered into the boards. The -body was torn and mutilated in the most hideous fashion, scarred with -the marks of red-hot irons, a shameful ruin of the human shape. But upon -the middle of the body a fire of coals was smouldering; the flesh had -been burned through. The man was dead, but the smoke of his torment -mounted still, a black vapor. - -"The young man with spectacles," said Mr. Dyson. - - -THE END. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Three Impostors, by Arthur Machen - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE THREE IMPOSTORS *** - -***** This file should be named 35517-8.txt or 35517-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - https://www.gutenberg.org/3/5/5/1/35517/ - -Produced by Marc D'Hooghe at http://www.freeliterature.org - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Three Impostors - or The Transmutations - -Author: Arthur Machen - -Release Date: March 8, 2011 [EBook #35517] -[Last updated: July 16, 2011] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE THREE IMPOSTORS *** - - - - -Produced by Marc D'Hooghe at http://www.freeliterature.org - - - - - -</pre> - -<h1>THE THREE IMPOSTORS</h1> - -<h3>or The Transmutations</h3> - -<h3>by</h3> - -<h2>ARTHUR MACHEN</h2> - - -<h4>TRANSLATOR OF 'L'HEPTAMERON' AND</h4> - -<h4>'LE MOYEN DE PARVENIR'; AUTHOR</h4> - -<h4>OF 'THE CHRONICLE OF CLEMENDY'</h4> - -<h4>AND 'THE GREAT GOD PAN'</h4> - - - -<h5>BOSTON: Roberts Bros, 1895</h5> - -<h5>LONDON: John Lane, Vigo st.</h5> - - - -<hr style="width: 65%;" /> - -<p class="caption">CONTENTS</p> - -<p class="content"> -<span style="margin-left: 2em;"><a href="#PROLOGUE">PROLOGUE</a></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2em;"><a href="#ADVENTURE_OF_THE_GOLD_TIBERIUS">ADVENTURE OF THE GOLD TIBERIUS</a></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2em;"><a href="#THE_ENCOUNTER_OF_THE_PAVEMENT">THE ENCOUNTER OF THE PAVEMENT</a></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3.5em;"><a href="#NOVEL_OF_THE_DARK_VALLEY">NOVEL OF THE DARK VALLEY</a></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2em;"><a href="#ADVENTURE_OF_THE_MISSING_BROTHER">ADVENTURE OF THE MISSING BROTHER</a></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3.5em;"><a href="#NOVEL_OF_THE_BLACK_SEAL">NOVEL OF THE BLACK SEAL</a></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2em;"><a href="#INCIDENT_OF_THE_PRIVATE_BAR">INCIDENT OF THE PRIVATE BAR</a></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2em;"><a href="#THE_DECORATIVE_IMAGINATION">THE DECORATIVE IMAGINATION</a></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3.5em;"><a href="#NOVEL_OF_THE_IRON_MAID">NOVEL OF THE IRON MAID</a></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2em;"><a href="#THE_RECLUSE_OF_BAYSWATER">THE RECLUSE OF BAYSWATER</a></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3.5em;"><a href="#NOVEL_OF_THE_WHITE_POWDER">NOVEL OF THE WHITE POWDER</a></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2em;"><a href="#STRANGE_OCCURRENCE_IN_CLERKENWELL">STRANGE OCCURRENCE IN CLERKENWELL</a></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3.5em;"><a href="#HISTORY_OF_THE_YOUNG_MAN_WITH_SPECTACLES">HISTORY OF THE YOUNG MAN WITH SPECTACLES</a></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2em;"><a href="#ADVENTURE_OF_THE_DESERTED_RESIDENCE">ADVENTURE OF THE DESERTED RESIDENCE</a></span><br /> -</p> - -<hr style="width: 95%;" /> - -<h2>THE THREE IMPOSTORS.</h2> - - - -<hr style="width: 65%;" /> -<h3><a name="PROLOGUE" id="PROLOGUE"></a>PROLOGUE.</h3> - - -<p>"And Mr. Joseph Walters is going to stay the night?" said the smooth -clean-shaven man to his companion, an individual not of the most -charming appearance, who had chosen to make his ginger-colored mustache -merge into a pair of short chin-whiskers.</p> - -<p>The two stood at the hall door, grinning evilly at each other; and -presently a girl ran quickly down, the stairs, and joined them. She was -quite young, with a quaint and piquant rather than a beautiful face, and -her eyes were of a shining hazel. She held a neat paper parcel in one -hand, and laughed with her friends.</p> - -<p>"Leave the door open," said the smooth man to the other, as they were -going out. "Yes, by——," he went on with an ugly oath. "We'll leave the -front door on the jar. He may like to see company, you know."</p> - -<p>The other man looked doubtfully about him. "Is it quite prudent do you -think, Davies?" he said, pausing with his hand on the mouldering -knocker. "I don't think Lipsius would like it. What do you say, Helen?"</p> - -<p>"I agree with Davies. Davies is an artist, and you are commonplace, -Richmond, and a bit of a coward. Let the door stand open, of course. But -what a pity Lipsius had to go away! He would have enjoyed himself."</p> - -<p>"Yes," replied the smooth Mr. Davies, "that summons to the west was very -hard on the doctor."</p> - -<p>The three passed out, leaving the hall door, cracked and riven with -frost and wet, half open, and they stood silent for a moment under the -ruinous shelter of the porch.</p> - -<p>"Well," said the girl, "it is done at last. I shall hurry no more on the -track of the young man with spectacles."</p> - -<p>"We owe a great deal to you," said Mr. Davies politely; "the doctor said -so before he left. But have we not all three some farewells to make? I, -for my part, propose to say good-by, here, before this picturesque but -mouldy residence, to my friend Mr. Burton, dealer in the antique and -curious," and the man lifted his hat with an exaggerated bow.</p> - -<p>"And I," said Richmond, "bid adieu to Mr. Wilkins, the private -secretary, whose company has, I confess, become a little tedious."</p> - -<p>"Farewell to Miss Lally, and to Miss Leicester also," said the girl, -making as she spoke a delicious courtesy. "Farewell to all occult -adventure; the farce is played."</p> - -<p>Mr. Davies and the lady seemed full of grim enjoyment, but Richmond -tugged at his whiskers nervously.</p> - -<p>"I feel a bit shaken up," he said. "I've seen rougher things in the -States, but that crying noise he made gave me a sickish feeling. And -then the smell—But my stomach was never very strong."</p> - -<p>The three friends moved away from the door, and began to walk slowly up -and down what had been a gravel path, but now lay green and pulpy with -damp mosses. It was a fine autumn evening, and a faint sunlight shone on -the yellow walls of the old deserted house, and showed the patches of -gangrenous decay, and all the stains, the black drift of rain from the -broken pipes, the scabrous blots where the bare bricks were exposed, the -green weeping of a gaunt laburnum that stood beside the porch, and -ragged marks near the ground where the reeking clay was gaining on the -worn foundations. It was a queer rambling old place, the centre perhaps -two hundred years old, with dormer windows sloping from the tiled roof, -and on each side there were Georgian wings; bow windows had been carried -up to the first floor, and two dome-like cupolas that had once been -painted a bright green were now gray and neutral. Broken urns lay upon -the path, and a heavy mist seemed to rise from the unctuous clay; the -neglected shrubberies, grown all tangled and unshapen, smelt dank and -evil, and there was an atmosphere all about the deserted mansion that -proposed thoughts of an opened grave. The three friends looked dismally -at the rough grasses and the nettles that grew thick over lawn and -flower-beds; and at the sad water-pool in the midst of the weeds. There, -above green and oily scum instead of lilies, stood a rusting Triton on -the rocks, sounding a dirge through a shattered horn; and beyond, beyond -the sunk fence and the far meadows; the sun slid down and shone red -through the bars of the elm trees.</p> - -<p>Richmond shivered and stamped his foot. "We had better be going soon," -he said; "there is nothing else to be done here."</p> - -<p>"No," said Davies, "it is finished at last. I thought for some time we -should never get hold of the gentleman with the spectacles. He was a -clever fellow, but, Lord! he broke up badly at last. I can tell you he -looked white at me when I touched him on the arm in the bar. But where -could he have hidden the thing? We can all swear it was not on him."</p> - -<p>The girl laughed, and they turned away, when Richmond gave a violent -start. "Ah!" he cried, turning to the girl, "what have you got there? -Look, Davies, look! it's all oozing and dripping."</p> - -<p>The young woman glanced down at the little parcel she was carrying, and -partially unfolded the paper.</p> - -<p>"Yes, look both of you," she said; "it's my own idea. Don't you think it -will do nicely for the doctor's museum? It comes from the right hand, -the hand that took the gold Tiberius."</p> - -<p>Mr. Davies nodded with a good deal of approbation, and Richmond lifted -his ugly high-crowned bowler, and wiped his forehead with a dingy -handkerchief.</p> - -<p>"I'm going," he said; "you two can stay if you like."</p> - -<p>The three went round by the stable path, past the withered wilderness of -the old kitchen garden, and struck off by a hedge at the back, making -for a particular point in the road. About five minutes later two -gentlemen, whom idleness had led to explore these forgotten outskirts of -London, came sauntering up the shadowy carriage drive. They had spied -the deserted house from the road, and as they observed all the heavy -desolation of the place they began to moralize in the great style, with -considerable debts to Jeremy Taylor.</p> - -<p>"Look, Dyson," said the one as they drew nearer, "look at those upper -windows; the sun is setting, and though the panes are dusty, yet</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 2.5em;">"The grimy sash an oriel burns."</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>"Phillipps," replied the elder and (it must be said) the more pompous of -the two, "I yield to fantasy, I cannot withstand the influence of the -grotesque. Here, where all is falling into dimness and dissolution, and -we walk in cedarn gloom, and the very air of heaven goes mouldering to -the lungs, I cannot remain commonplace. I look at that deep glow on the -panes, and the house lies all enchanted; that very room, I tell you, is -within all blood and fire."</p> - - - -<hr style="width: 65%;" /> -<h3><a name="ADVENTURE_OF_THE_GOLD_TIBERIUS" id="ADVENTURE_OF_THE_GOLD_TIBERIUS"></a>ADVENTURE OF THE GOLD TIBERIUS.</h3> - - -<p>The acquaintance between Mr. Dyson and Mr. Charles Phillipps arose from -one of those myriad chances which are every day doing their work in the -streets of London. Mr. Dyson was a man of letters, and an unhappy -instance of talents misapplied. With gifts that might have placed him in -the flower of his youth among the most favored of Bentley's favorite -novelists, he had chosen to be perverse; he was, it is true, familiar -with scholastic logic, but he knew nothing of the logic of life, and he -flattered himself with the title of artist, when he was in fact but an -idle and curious spectator of other men's endeavors. Amongst many -delusions, he cherished one most fondly, that he was a strenuous worker; -and it was with a gesture of supreme weariness that he would enter his -favorite resort, a small tobacco shop in Great Queen Street, and -proclaim to any one who cared to listen that he had seen the rising and -setting of two successive suns. The proprietor of the shop, a -middle-aged man of singular civility, tolerated Dyson partly out of good -nature, and partly because he was a regular customer; he was allowed to -sit on an empty cask, and to express his sentiments on literary and -artistic matters till he was tired or the time for closing came; and if -no fresh customers were attracted, it is believed that none were turned -away by his eloquence. Dyson, was addicted to wild experiments in -tobacco; he never wearied of trying new combinations, and one evening he -had just entered the shop and given utterance to his last preposterous -formula, when a young fellow, of about his own age, who had come in a -moment later, asked the shopman to duplicate the order on his account, -smiling politely, as he spoke, to Mr. Dyson's address. Dyson felt -profoundly flattered, and after a few phrases the two entered into -conversation, and in an hour's time the tobacconist saw the new friends -sitting side by side on a couple of casks, deep in talk.</p> - -<p>"My dear sir," said Dyson, "I will give you the task of the literary man -in a phrase. He has got to do simply this: to invent a wonderful story, -and to tell it in a wonderful manner."</p> - -<p>"I will grant you that," said Mr. Phillipps, "but you will allow me to -insist that in the hands of the true artist in words all stories are -marvellous, and every circumstance has its peculiar wonder. The matter -is of little consequence, the manner is everything. Indeed, the highest -skill is shown in taking matter apparently commonplace and transmuting -it by the high alchemy of style into the pure gold of art."</p> - -<p>"That is indeed a proof of great skill, but it is great skill exerted -foolishly, or at least unadvisedly. It is as if a great violinist were -to show us what marvellous harmonies he could draw from a child's -banjo."</p> - -<p>"No, no, you are really wrong. I see you take a radically mistaken view -of life. But we must thresh this out. Come to my rooms; I live not far -from here."</p> - -<p>It was thus that Mr. Dyson became the associate of Mr. Charles -Phillipps, who lived in a quiet square not far from Holborn. Thenceforth -they haunted each other's rooms at intervals, sometimes regular, and -occasionally the reverse, and made appointments to meet at the shop in -Queen Street, where their talk robbed the tobacconist's profit of half -its charm. There was a constant jarring of literary formulas, Dyson -exalting the claims of the pure imagination, while Phillipps, who was a -student of physical science and something of an ethnologist, insisted -that all literature ought to have a scientific basis. By the mistaken -benevolence of deceased relatives both young men were placed out of -reach of hunger, and so, meditating high achievements, idled their time -pleasantly away, and revelled in the careless joys of a Bohemianism -devoid of the sharp seasoning of adversity.</p> - -<p>One night in June Mr. Phillipps was sitting in his room in the calm -retirement of Red Lion Square. He had opened the window, and was smoking -placidly, while he watched the movement of life below. The sky was -clear, and the afterglow of sunset had lingered long about it; and the -flushing twilight of a summer evening, vying with the gas-lamps in the -square, had fashioned a chiaroscuro that had in it something unearthly; -and the children, racing to and fro upon the pavement, the lounging -idlers by the public, and the casual passers-by rather flickered, and -hovered in the play of lights than stood out substantial things. By -degrees in the houses opposite one window after another leaped out a -square of light, now and again a figure would shape itself against a -blind and vanish, and to all this semi-theatrical magic the runs and -flourishes of brave Italian opera played a little distance off on a -piano-organ seemed an appropriate accompaniment, while the deep-muttered -bass of the traffic of Holborn never ceased. Phillipps enjoyed the scene -and its effects; the light in the sky faded and turned to darkness, and -the square gradually grew silent, and still he sat dreaming at the -window, till the sharp peal of the house bell roused him, and looking at -his watch he found that it was past ten o'clock. There was a knock at -the door, and his friend Mr. Dyson entered, and, according to his -custom, sat down in an armchair and began to smoke in silence.</p> - -<p>"You know, Phillipps," he said at length, "that I have always battled -for the marvellous. I remember your maintaining in that chair that one -has no business to make use of the wonderful, the improbable, the odd -coincidence in literature, and you took the ground that it was wrong to -do so, because, as a matter of fact, the wonderful and the improbable -don't happen, and men's lives are not really shaped by odd coincidence. -Now, mind you, if that were so, I would not grant your conclusion, -because I think the "criticism-of-life" theory is all nonsense; but I -deny your premise. A most singular thing has happened to me to-night."</p> - -<p>"Really, Dyson, I am very glad to hear it. Of course I oppose your -argument, whatever it may be; but if you would be good enough to tell me -of your adventure I should be delighted."</p> - -<p>"Well, it came about like this. I have had a very hard day's work; -indeed, I have scarcely moved from my old bureau since seven o'clock -last night. I wanted to work out that idea we discussed last Tuesday, -you know, the notion of the fetish-worshipper."</p> - -<p>"Yes, I remember. Have you been able to do anything with it?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; it came out better than I expected; but there were great -difficulties, the usual agony between the conception and the execution. -Anyhow I got it done at about seven o'clock to-night, and I thought I -should like a little of the fresh air. I went out and wandered rather -aimlessly about the streets; my head was full of my tale, and I didn't -much notice where I was going. I got into those quiet places to the -north of Oxford Street as you go west, the genteel residential -neighborhood of stucco and prosperity. I turned east again without -knowing it, and it was quite dark when I passed along a sombre little -by-street, ill lighted and empty. I did not know at the time in the -least where I was, but I found out afterwards that it was not very far -from Tottenham Court Road. I strolled idly along, enjoying the -stillness; on one side there seemed to be the back premises of some -great shop; tier after tier of dusty windows lifted up into the night, -with gibbet-like contrivances for raising heavy goods, and below large -doors, fast closed and bolted, all dark and desolate. Then there came a -huge pantechnicon warehouse; and over the way a grim blank wall, as -forbidding as the wall of a jail, and then the headquarters of some -volunteer regiment, and afterwards a passage leading to a court where -wagons were standing to be hired. It was, one might almost say, a street -devoid of inhabitants, and scarce a window showed the glimmer of a -light. I was wondering at the strange peace and dimness there, where it -must be close to some roaring main artery of London life, when suddenly -I heard the noise of dashing feet tearing along the pavement at full -speed, and from a narrow passage, a mews or something of that kind, a -man was discharged as from a catapult under my very nose and rushed past -me, flinging something from him as he ran. He was gone and down another -street in an instant, almost before I knew what had happened, but I -didn't much bother about him, I was watching something else. I told you -he had thrown something away; well, I watched what seemed a line of -flame flash through the air and fly quivering over the pavement, and in -spite of myself I could not help tearing after it. The impetus lessened, -and I saw something like a bright half-penny roll slower and slower, and -then deflect towards the gutter, hover for a moment on the edge, and -dance down into a drain. I believe I cried out in positive despair, -though I hadn't the least notion what I was hunting; and then to my joy -I saw that, instead of dropping into the sewer, it had fallen flat -across two bars. I stooped down and picked it up and whipped it into my -pocket, and I was just about to walk on when I heard again that sound of -dashing footsteps. I don't know why I did it, but as a matter of fact I -dived down into the mews, or whatever it was, and stood as much in the -shadow as possible. A man went by with a rush a few paces from where I -was standing, and I felt uncommonly pleased that I was in hiding. I -couldn't make out much feature, but I saw his eyes gleaming and his -teeth showing, and he had an ugly-looking knife in one hand, and I -thought things would be very unpleasant for gentleman number one if the -second robber, or robbed, or what you like, caught him up. I can tell -you, Phillipps, a fox hunt is exciting enough, when the horn blows clear -on a winter morning, and the hounds give tongue, and the red-coats -charge away, but it's nothing to a man hunt, and that's what I had a -slight glimpse of to-night. There was murder in the fellow's eyes as he -went by, and I don't think there was much more than fifty seconds -between the two. I only hope it was enough."</p> - -<p>Dyson leant back in his armchair and relit his pipe, and puffed -thoughtfully. Phillipps began to walk up and down the room, musing over -the story of violent death fleeting in chase along the pavement, the -knife shining in the lamplight, the fury of the pursuer, and the terror -of the pursued.</p> - -<p>"Well," he said at last, "and what was it, after all, that you rescued -from the gutter?"</p> - -<p>Dyson jumped up, evidently quite startled. "I really haven't a notion. I -didn't think of looking. But we shall see."</p> - -<p>He fumbled in his waistcoat pocket and drew out a small and shining -object, and laid it on the table. It glowed there beneath the lamp with -the radiant glory of rare old gold; and the image and the letters stood -out in high relief, clear and sharp, as if it had but left the mint a -month before. The two men bent over it, and Phillipps took it up and -examined it closely.</p> - -<p>"Imp. Tiberius Cæsar Augustus," he read the legend, and then, looking at -the reverse of the coin, he stared in amazement, and at last turned to -Dyson with a look of exultation.</p> - -<p>"Do you know what you have found?" he said.</p> - -<p>"Apparently a gold coin of some antiquity," said Dyson, coolly.</p> - -<p>"Quite so, a gold Tiberius. No, that is wrong. You have found <i>the</i> gold -Tiberius. Look at the reverse."</p> - -<p>Dyson looked and saw the coin was stamped with the figure of a faun -standing amidst reeds and flowing water. The features, minute as they -were, stood out in delicate outline; it was a face lovely and yet -terrible, and Dyson thought of the well-known passage of the lad's -playmate, gradually growing with his growth and increasing with his -stature, till the air was filled with the rank fume of the goat.</p> - -<p>"Yes," he said, "it is a curious coin. Do you know it?"</p> - -<p>"I know about it. It is one of the comparatively few historical objects -in existence; it is all storied like those jewels we have read of. A -whole cycle of legend has gathered round the thing; the tale goes that -it formed part of an issue struck by Tiberius to commemorate an infamous -excess. You see the legend on the reverse: 'Victoria.' It is said that -by an extraordinary accident the whole issue was thrown into the melting -pot, and that only this one coin escaped. It glints through history and -legend, appearing and disappearing, with intervals of a hundred years in -time and continents in place. It was discovered by an Italian humanist, -and lost and rediscovered. It has not been heard of since 1727, when Sir -Joshua Byrde, a Turkey merchant, brought it home from Aleppo, and -vanished with it a month after he had shown it to the virtuosi, no man -knew or knows where. And here it is!"</p> - -<p>"Put it into your pocket, Dyson," he said, after a pause. "I would not -let any one have a glimpse of the thing, if I were you. I would not talk -about it. Did either of the men you saw see you?"</p> - -<p>"Well, I think not. I don't think the first man, the man who was vomited -out of the dark passage, saw anything at all; and I am sure that the -second could not have seen me."</p> - -<p>"And you didn't really see them. You couldn't recognize either the one -or the other if you met him in the street to-morrow?"</p> - -<p>"No, I don't think I could. The street, as I said, was dimly lighted, -and they ran like mad-men."</p> - -<p>The two men sat silent for some time, each weaving his own fancies of -the story; but lust of the marvellous was slowly overpowering Dyson's -more sober thoughts.</p> - -<p>"It is all more strange than I fancied," he said at last. "It was queer -enough what I saw; a man is sauntering along a quiet, sober, every-day -London street, a street of gray houses and blank walls, and there, for a -moment, a veil seems drawn aside, and the very fume of the pit steams up -through the flagstones, the ground glows, red hot, beneath his feet, and -he seems to hear the hiss of the infernal caldron. A man flying in mad -terror for his life, and furious hate pressing hot on his steps with -knife drawn ready; here indeed is horror. But what is all that to what -you have told me? I tell you, Phillipps, I see the plot thicken, our -steps will henceforth be dogged with mystery, and the most ordinary -incidents will teem with significance. You may stand out against it, and -shut your eyes, but they will be forced open; mark my words, you will -have to yield to the inevitable. A clue, tangled if you like, has been -placed by chance in our hands; it will be our business to follow it up. -As for the guilty person or persons in this strange case, they will be -unable to escape us, our nets will be spread far and wide over this -great city, and suddenly, in the streets and places of public resort, we -shall in some way or other be made aware that we are in touch with the -unknown criminal. Indeed, I almost fancy I see him slowly approaching -this quiet square of yours; he is loitering at street corners, -wandering, apparently without aim, down far-reaching thoroughfares, but -all the while coming nearer and nearer, drawn by an irresistible -magnetism, as ships were drawn to the Loadstone Rock in the Eastern -tale."</p> - -<p>"I certainly think," replied Phillipps, "that, if you pull out that coin -and flourish it under people's noses as you are doing at the present -moment, you will very probably find yourself in touch with the criminal, -or a criminal. You will undoubtedly be robbed with violence. Otherwise, -I see no reason why either of us should be troubled. No one saw you -secure the coin, and no one knows you have it. I, for my part, shall -sleep peacefully, and go about my business with a sense of security and -a firm dependence on the natural order of things. The events of the -evening, the adventure in the street, have been odd, I grant you, but I -resolutely decline to have any more to do with the matter, and, if -necessary, I shall consult the police. I will not be enslaved by a gold -Tiberius, even though it swims into my ken in a manner which is somewhat -melodramatic."</p> - -<p>"And I for my part," said Dyson, "go forth like a knight-errant in -search of adventure. Not that I shall need to seek; rather adventure -will seek me; I shall be like a spider in the midst of his web, -responsive to every movement, and ever on the alert."</p> - -<p>Shortly afterwards Dyson took his leave, and Mr. Phillipps spent the -rest of the night in examining some flint arrow-heads which he had -purchased. He had every reason to believe that they were the work of a -modern and not a palæolithic man, still he was far from gratified when a -close scrutiny showed him that his suspicions were well founded. In his -anger at the turpitude which would impose on an ethnologist, he -completely forgot Dyson and the gold Tiberius; and when he went to bed -at first sunlight, the whole tale had faded utterly from his thoughts.</p> - - - -<hr style="width: 65%;" /> -<h3><a name="THE_ENCOUNTER_OF_THE_PAVEMENT" id="THE_ENCOUNTER_OF_THE_PAVEMENT"></a>THE ENCOUNTER OF THE PAVEMENT.</h3> - - -<p>Mr. Dyson, walking leisurely along Oxford. Street, and staring with -bland inquiry at whatever caught his attention, enjoyed in all its rare -flavors the sensation that he was really very hard at work. His -observation of mankind, the traffic, and the shop-windows tickled his -faculties with an exquisite bouquet; he looked serious, as one looks on -whom charges of weight and moment are laid, and he was attentive in his -glances to right and left, for fear lest he should miss some -circumstance of more acute significance. He had narrowly escaped being -run over at a crossing by a charging van, for he hated to hurry his -steps, and indeed the afternoon was warm; and he had just halted by a -place of popular refreshment, when the astounding gestures of a well -dressed individual on the opposite pavement held him enchanted and -gasping like a fish. A treble line of hansoms, carriages, vans, cabs, -and omnibuses, was tearing east and west, and not the most daring -adventurer of the crossings would have cared to try his fortune; but the -person who had attracted Dyson's attention seemed to rage on the very -edge of the pavement, now and then darting forward at the hazard of -instant death, and at each repulse absolutely dancing with excitement, -to the rich amusement of the passers-by. At last, a gap that would, have -tried the courage of a street-boy appeared between the serried lines of -vehicles, and the man rushed across in a frenzy, and escaping by a -hair's breadth pounced upon Dyson as a tiger pounces on her prey. "I saw -you looking about you," he said, sputtering out his words in his intense -eagerness; "would you mind telling me this? Was the man who came out of -the Aerated Bread Shop and jumped, into the hansom three minutes ago a -youngish looking man with dark whiskers and spectacles? Can't you speak, -man? For Heaven's sake can't you speak? Answer me; it's a matter of life -and death."</p> - -<p>The words bubbled and boiled out of the man's mouth in the fury of his -emotion, his face went from red to white, and the beads of sweat stood -out on his forehead, and he stamped his feet as he spoke and tore with -his hand at his coat, as if something swelled and choked him, stopping -the passage of his breath.</p> - -<p>"My dear sir," said Dyson, "I always like to be accurate. Your -observation was perfectly correct. As you say, a youngish man, a man, I -should say, of somewhat timid bearing, ran rapidly out of the shop here, -and bounced into a hansom that must have been waiting for him, as it -went eastwards at once. Your friend also wore spectacles, as you say. -Perhaps you would like me to call a hansom for you to follow the -gentleman?"</p> - -<p>"No, thank you; it would be waste of time." The man gulped down -something which appeared to rise in his throat, and Dyson was alarmed to -see him shaking with hysterical laughter, and he clung hard to a -lamp-post and swayed and staggered like a ship in a heavy gale.</p> - -<p>"How shall I face the doctor?" he murmured to himself. "It is too hard -to fail at the last moment." Then he seemed to recollect himself, and -stood straight again, and looked quietly at Dyson. I owe you an apology -for my violence, he said at last. "Many men would not be so patient as -you have been. Would you mind adding to your kindness by walking with me -a little way? I feel a little sick; I think it's the sun."</p> - -<p>Dyson nodded assent, and devoted himself to a quiet scrutiny of this -strange personage as they moved on together. The man was dressed in -quiet taste, and the most scrupulous observer could find nothing amiss -with the fashion or make of his clothes, yet, from his hat to his boots, -everything seemed inappropriate. His silk hat, Dyson thought, should -have been a high bowler of odious pattern worn with a baggy -morning-coat, and an instinct told him that the fellow did not commonly -carry a clean pocket-handkerchief. The face was not of the most -agreeable pattern, and was in no way improved by a pair of bulbous -chin-whiskers of a ginger hue, into which mustaches of light color -merged imperceptibly. Yet in spite of these signals hung out by nature, -Dyson felt that the individual beside him was something more than -compact of vulgarity. He was struggling with himself, holding his -feelings in check, but now and again passion would mount black to his -face, and it was evidently by a supreme effort that he kept himself -from raging like a madman. Dyson found something curious and a little -terrible in the spectacle of an occult emotion thus striving for the -mastery, and threatening to break out at every instant with violence, -and they had gone some distance before the person whom he had met by so -odd a hazard was able to speak quietly.</p> - -<p>"You are really very good," he said. "I apologize again; my rudeness was -really most unjustifiable. I feel my conduct demands an explanation, and -I shall be happy to give it you. Do you happen to know of any place near -here where one could sit down? I should really be very glad."</p> - -<p>"My dear sir," said Dyson, solemnly, "the only café in London is close -by. Pray do not consider yourself as bound to offer me any explanation, -but at the same time I should be most happy to listen to you. Let us -turn down here."</p> - -<p>They walked down a sober street and turned into what seemed a narrow -passage past an iron-barred gate thrown back. The passage was paved with -flagstones, and decorated with handsome shrubs in pots on either side, -and the shadow of the high walls made a coolness which was very -agreeable after the hot breath of the sunny street. Presently the -passage opened out into a tiny square, a charming place, a morsel of -France transplanted into the heart of London. High walls rose on either -side, covered with glossy creepers, flower-beds beneath were gay with -nasturtiums, geraniums, and marigolds, and odorous with mignonette, and -in the centre of the square a fountain hidden by greenery sent a cool -shower continually plashing into the basin beneath, and the very noise -made this retreat delightful. Chairs and tables were disposed at -convenient intervals, and at the other end of the court broad doors had -been thrown back; beyond was a long, dark room, and the turmoil of -traffic had become a distant murmur. Within the room one or two men were -sitting at the tables, writing and sipping, but the courtyard was empty.</p> - -<p>"You see, we shall be quiet," said Dyson. "Pray sit down here, Mr.—?"</p> - -<p>"Wilkins. My name is Henry Wilkins."</p> - -<p>"Sit here, Mr. Wilkins. I think you will find that a comfortable seat. I -suppose you have not been here before? This is the quiet time; the place -will be like a hive at six o'clock, and the chairs and tables will -overflow into that little alley there."</p> - -<p>A waiter came in response to the bell; and after Dyson had politely -inquired after the health of M. Annibault, the proprietor, he ordered a -bottle of the wine of Champigny.</p> - -<p>"The wine of Champigny," he observed to Mr. Wilkins, who was evidently a -good deal composed by the influence of the place, "is a Tourainian wine -of great merit. Ah, here it is; let me fill your glass. How do you find -it?"</p> - -<p>"Indeed," said Mr. Wilkins, "I should have pronounced it a fine -Burgundy. The bouquet is very exquisite. I am fortunate in lighting upon -such a good Samaritan as yourself. I wonder you did not think me mad. -But if you knew the terrors that assailed me, I am sure you would no -longer be surprised at conduct which was certainly most unjustifiable."</p> - -<p>He sipped his wine, and leant back in his chair, relishing the drip and -trickle of the fountain, and the cool greenness that hedged in this -little port of refuge.</p> - -<p>"Yes," he said at last, "that is indeed an admirable wine. Thank you; -you will allow me to offer you another bottle?"</p> - -<p>The waiter was summoned, and descended through a trap-door in the floor -of the dark apartment, and brought up the wine. Mr. Wilkins lit a -cigarette, and Dyson pulled out his pipe.</p> - -<p>"Now," said Mr. Wilkins, "I promised to give you an explanation of my -strange behavior. It is rather a long story, but I see, sir, that you -are no mere cold observer of the ebb and flow of life. You take, I -think, a warm and an intelligent interest in the chances of your -fellow-creatures, and I believe you will find what I have to tell not -devoid of interest."</p> - -<p>Mr. Dyson signified his assent to these propositions, and though he -thought Mr. Wilkins's diction a little pompous, prepared to interest -himself in his tale. The other, who had so raged with passion half an -hour before, was now perfectly cool, and when he had smoked out his -cigarette, he began in an even voice to relate the</p> - - - -<hr style="width: 65%;" /> -<h3><a name="NOVEL_OF_THE_DARK_VALLEY" id="NOVEL_OF_THE_DARK_VALLEY"></a>NOVEL OF THE DARK VALLEY.</h3> - - -<p>I am the son of a poor but learned clergyman in the West of -England,—but I am forgetting, these details are not of special -interest. I will briefly state, then, that my father, who was, as I -have said, a learned man, had never learnt the specious arts by which -the great are flattered, and would never condescend to the despicable -pursuit of self-advertisement. Though his fondness for ancient -ceremonies and quaint customs, combined with a kindness of heart that -was unequalled and a primitive and fervent piety, endeared him to his -moor-land parishioners, such were not the steps by which clergy then -rose in the Church, and at sixty my father was still incumbent of the -little benefice he had accepted in his thirtieth year. The income of the -living was barely sufficient to support life in the decencies which are -expected of the Anglican parson; and when my father died a few years -ago, I, his only child, found myself thrown upon the world with a -slender capital of less than a hundred pounds, and all the problem of -existence before me. I felt that there was nothing for me to do in the -country, and as usually happens in such eases, London drew me like a -magnet. One day in August, in the early morning, while the dew still -glittered on the turf, and on the high green banks of the lane, a -neighbor drove me to the railway station, and I bade good-bye to the -land of the broad moors and unearthly battlements of the wild tors. It -was six o'clock as we neared London; the faint sickly fume of the -brickfields about Acton came in puffs through the open window, and a -mist was rising from the ground. Presently the brief view of successive -streets, prim and uniform, struck me with a sense of monotony; the hot -air seemed to grow hotter; and when we had rolled beneath the dismal and -squalid houses, whose dirty and neglected back yards border the line -near Paddington, I felt as if I should be stifled in this fainting -breath of London. I got a hansom and drove off, and every street -increased my gloom; gray houses with blinds drawn down, whole -thoroughfares almost desolate, and the foot-passengers who seemed to -stagger wearily along rather than walk, all made me feel a sinking at -heart. I put up for the night at a small hotel in a street leading from -the Strand, where my father had stayed on his few brief visits to town; -and when I went out after dinner, the real gayety and bustle of the -Strand and Fleet Street could cheer me but little, for in all this great -city there was no single human being whom I could claim even as an -acquaintance. I will not weary you with the history of the next year, -for the adventures of a man who sinks are too trite to be worth -recalling. My money did not last me long; I found that I must be neatly -dressed, or no one to whom I applied would so much as listen to me; and -I must live in a street of decent reputation if I wished to be treated -with common civility. I applied for various posts, for which, as I now -see, I was completely devoid of qualification; I tried to become a clerk -without having the smallest notion of business habits, and I found, to -my cost, that a general knowledge of literature and an execrable style -of penmanship are far from being looked upon with favor in commercial -circles. I had read one of the most charming of the works of a famous -novelist of the present day, and I frequented the Fleet Street taverns -in the hope of making literary friends, and so getting the -introductions which I understood were indispensable in the career of -letters. I was disappointed; I once or twice ventured to address -gentlemen who were sitting in adjoining boxes, and I was answered, -politely indeed, but in a manner that told me my advances were unusual. -Pound by pound, my small resources melted; I could no longer think of -appearances; I migrated to a shy quarter, and my meals became mere -observances. I went out at one and returned to my room at two, but -nothing but a milk-cake had occurred in the interval. In short, I became -acquainted with misfortune; and as I sat amidst slush and ice on a seat -in Hyde Park, munching a piece of bread, I realized the bitterness of -poverty, and the feelings of a gentleman reduced to something far below -the condition of a vagrant. In spite of all discouragement I did not -desist in my efforts to earn a living. I consulted advertisement -columns, I kept my eyes open for a chance, I looked in at the windows of -stationers' shops, but all in vain. One evening I was sitting in a Free -Library, and I saw an advertisement in one of the papers. It was -something like this: "Wanted, by a gentleman a person of literary taste -and abilities as secretary and amanuensis. Must not object to travel." -Of course I knew that such an advertisement would have answers by the -hundred, and I thought my own chances of securing the post extremely -small; however, I applied at the address given, and wrote to Mr. Smith, -who was staying at a large hotel at the West End. I must confess that my -heart gave a jump when I received a note a couple of days later, asking -me to call at the Cosmopole at my earliest convenience. I do not know, -sir, what your experiences of life may have been, and so I cannot tell -whether you have known such moments. A slight sickness, my heart beating -rather more rapidly than usual, a choking in the throat, and a -difficulty of utterance; such were my sensations as I walked to the -Cosmopole. I had to mention the name twice before the hall porter could -understand me, and as I went upstairs my hands were wet. I was a good -deal struck by Mr. Smith's appearance; he looked younger than I did, and -there was something mild and hesitating about his expression. He was -reading when I came in, and he looked up when I gave my name. "My dear -sir," he said, "I am really delighted to see you. I have read very -carefully the letter you were good enough to send me. Am I to understand -that this document is in your own handwriting?" He showed me the letter -I had written, and I told him I was not so fortunate as to be able to -keep a secretary myself. "Then, sir," he went on, "the post I advertised -is at your service. You have no objection to travel, I presume?" As you -may imagine, I closed pretty eagerly with the offer he made, and thus I -entered the service of Mr. Smith. For the first few weeks I had no -special duties; I had received a quarter's salary, and a handsome -allowance was made me in lieu of board and lodging. One morning, -however, when I called at the hotel according to instructions, my master -informed me that I must hold myself in readiness for a sea-voyage, and, -to spare unnecessary detail, in the course of a fortnight we had landed -at New York. Mr. Smith told me that he was engaged on a work of a -special nature, in the compilation of which some peculiar researches had -to be made; in short, I was given to understand that we were to travel -to the far West.</p> - -<p>After about a week had been spent in New York we took our seats in the -cars, and began a journey tedious beyond all conception. Day after day, -and night after night, the great train rolled on, threading its way -through cities the very names of which were strange to me, passing at -slow speed over perilous viaducts, skirting mountain ranges and pine -forests, and plunging into dense tracts of wood, where mile after mile -and hour after hour the same monotonous growth of brushwood met the eye, -and all along the continual clatter and rattle of the wheels upon the -ill-laid lines made it difficult to hear the voices of our -fellow-passengers. We were a heterogeneous and ever-changing company; -often I woke up in the dead of night with the sudden grinding jar of the -brakes, and looking out found that we had stopped in the shabby street -of some frame-built town, lighted chiefly by the flaring windows of the -saloon. A few rough-looking fellows would often come out to stare at the -cars, and sometimes passengers got down, and sometimes there was a party -of two or three waiting on the wooden sidewalk to get on board. Many of -the passengers were English; humble households torn up from the moorings -of a thousand years, and bound for some problematical paradise in the -alkali desert or the Rockies. I heard the men talking to one another of -the great profits to be made on the virgin soil of America, and two or -three, who were mechanics, expatiated on the wonderful wages given to -skilled labor on the railways and in the factories of the States. This -talk usually fell dead after a few minutes, and I could see a sickness -and dismay in the faces of these men as they looked at the ugly brush or -at the desolate expanse of the prairie, dotted here and there with -frame-houses, devoid of garden, or flowers or trees, standing all alone -in what might have been a great gray sea frozen into stillness. Day -after day the waving sky line, and the desolation of a land without form -or color or variety, appalled the hearts of such of us as were -Englishmen, and once in the night as I lay awake I heard a woman weeping -and sobbing, and asking what she had done to come to such a place. Her -husband tried to comfort her in the broad speech of Gloucestershire, -telling her the ground was so rich that one had only to plough it up and -it would grow sunflowers of itself, but she cried for her mother and -their old cottage and the beehives, like a little child. The sadness of -it all overwhelmed me, and I had no heart to think of other matters; the -question of what Mr. Smith could have to do in such a country, and of -what manner of literary research could be carried on in the wilderness, -hardly troubled me. Now and again my situation struck me as peculiar; I -had been engaged as a literary assistant at a handsome salary, and yet -my master was still almost a stranger to me; sometimes he would come to -where I was sitting in the cars and make a few banal remarks about the -country, but for the most part of the journey he sat by himself, not -speaking to any one, and so far as I could judge, deep in his thoughts. -It was I think on the fifth day from New York when I received, the -intimation that we should shortly leave the cars; I had been watching -some distant mountains which rose wild and savage before us, and I was -wondering if there were human beings so unhappy as to speak of home in -connection with those piles of lumbered rock, when Mr. Smith touched me -lightly on the shoulder. "You will be glad to be done with, the cars, I -have no doubt, Mr. Wilkins," he said. "You were looking at the -mountains, I think? Well, I hope we shall be there to-night. The train -stops at Reading, and I dare say we shall manage to find our way."</p> - -<p>A few hours later the brakeman brought the tram to a standstill at the -Reading depot and we got out. I noticed that the town, though of course -built almost entirely of frame-houses, was larger and busier than any we -had passed for the last two days. The depot was crowded, and as the bell -and whistle sounded, I saw that a number of persons were preparing to -leave the cars, while an even greater number were waiting to get on -board. Besides the passengers, there was a pretty dense crowd of people, -some of whom had come to meet or to see off their friends and relatives, -while others were mere loafers. Several of our English fellow passengers -got down at Reading, but the confusion was so great that they were lost -to my sight almost immediately. Mr. Smith beckoned to me to follow him, -and we were soon in the thick of the mass; and the continual ringing of -bells, the hubbub of voices, the shrieking of whistles, and the hiss of -escaping steam, confused my senses, and I wondered dimly as I struggled -after my employer, where we were going, and how we should be able to -find our way through an unknown country. Mr. Smith had put on a -wide-brimmed hat, which he had sloped over his eyes, and as all the men -wore hats of the same pattern, it was with some difficulty that I -distinguished him in the crowd. We got free at last, and he struck down -a side street, and made one or two sharp turns to right and left. It was -getting dusk, and we seemed to be passing through a shy portion of the -town, there were few people about in the ill-lighted streets, and these -few were men of the most unprepossessing pattern. Suddenly we stopped -before a corner house, a man was standing at the door, apparently on the -look-out for some one, and I noticed that he and Smith gave sharp -glances one to the other.</p> - -<p>"From New York City, I expect, mister?"</p> - -<p>"From New York!"</p> - -<p>"All right; they 're ready, and you can have 'em when you choose. I know -my orders, you see, and I mean to run this business through."</p> - -<p>"Very well, Mr. Evans, that is what we want. Our money is good, you -know. Bring them round."</p> - -<p>I had stood silent, listening to this dialogue, and wondering what it -meant. Smith began to walk impatiently up and down the street, and the -man Evans was still standing at his door. He had given a sharp whistle, -and I saw him looking me over in a quiet leisurely way, as if to make -sure of my face for another time. I was thinking what all this could -mean, when an ugly, slouching lad came up a side passage, leading two -raw-boned horses.</p> - -<p>"Get up, Mr. Wilkins, and be quick about it," said Smith. "We ought to -be on our way."</p> - -<p>We rode off together into the gathering darkness, and before long I -looked back and saw the far plain behind us, with the lights of the town -glimmering faintly; and in front rose the mountains. Smith guided his -horse on the rough track as surely as if he had been riding along -Piccadilly, and I followed him as well as I could. I was weary and -exhausted, and scarcely took note of anything; I felt that the track was -a gradual ascent, and here and there I saw great boulders by the road. -The ride made but little impression on me; I have a faint recollection -of passing through a dense black pine forest, where our horses had to -pick their way among the rocks, and I remember the peculiar effect of -the rarefied air as we kept still mounting higher and higher. I think I -must have been half asleep for the latter half of the ride, and it was -with a shock that I heard Smith saying—</p> - -<p>"Here we are, Wilkins. This is Blue-Rock Park. You will enjoy the view -to-morrow. To-night we will have something to eat, and then go to bed."</p> - -<p>A man came out of a rough-looking house and took the horses, and we -found some fried steak and coarse whiskey awaiting us inside. I had come -to a strange place. There were three rooms,—the room in which we had -supper, Smith's room and my own. The deaf old man who did the work slept -in a sort of shed, and when I woke up the next morning and walked out I -found that the house stood in a sort of hollow amongst the mountains; -the clumps of pines and some enormous bluish-gray rocks that stood here -and there between the trees had given the place the name of Blue-Rock -Park. On every side the snow-covered mountains surrounded us, the breath -of the air was as wine, and when I climbed the slope and looked down, I -could see that, so far as any human fellowship was concerned I might as -well have been wrecked on some small island in mid-Pacific. The only -trace of man I could see was the rough log-house where I had slept, and -in my ignorance I did not know that there were similar houses within -comparatively easy distance, as distance is reckoned in the Rockies. But -at the moment, the utter, dreadful loneliness rushed upon me, and the -thought of the great plain and the great sea that parted me from the -world I knew, caught me by the throat, and I wondered if I should die -there in that mountain hollow. It was a terrible instant, and I have not -yet forgotten it. Of course I managed to conquer my horror; I said I -should be all the stronger for the experience, and I made up my mind to -make the best of everything. It was a rough life enough, and rough -enough board and lodging. I was left entirely to myself. Smith I -scarcely ever saw, nor did I know when he was in the house. I have often -thought he was far away, and have been surprised to see him walking out -of his room, locking the door behind him and putting the key in his -pocket; and on several occasions when I fancied he was busy in his room, -I have seen him come in with his boots covered with dust and dirt. So -far as work went I enjoyed a complete sinecure; I had nothing to do but -to walk about the valley, to eat, and to sleep. With one thing and -another I grew accustomed, to the life, and managed to make myself -pretty comfortable, and by degrees I began to venture farther away from -the house, and to explore the country. One day I had contrived to get -into a neighboring valley, and suddenly I came upon a group of men -sawing timber. I went up to them, hoping that perhaps some of them might -be Englishmen; at all events they were human beings, and I should hear -articulate speech, for the old man I have mentioned, besides being half -blind and stone deaf, was wholly dumb so far as I was concerned. I was -prepared to be welcomed in a rough and ready fashion, without much, of -the forms of politeness, but the grim glances and the short gruff -answers I received astonished me. I saw the men glancing oddly at each -other, and one of them who had stopped work began fingering a gun, and I -was obliged to return on my path uttering curses on the fate which had -brought me into a land where men were more brutish than the very brutes. -The solitude of the life began to oppress me as with a nightmare, and a -few days later I determined to walk to a kind of station some miles -distant, where a rough inn was kept for the accommodation of hunters and -tourists. English gentlemen occasionally stopped there for the night, -and I thought I might perhaps fall in with some one of better manners -than the inhabitants of the country. I found as I had expected a group -of men lounging about the door of the log-house that served as a hotel, -and as I came nearer I could see that heads were put together and looks -interchanged, and when I walked up the six or seven trappers stared at -me in stony ferocity, and with something of the disgust that one eyes a -loathsome and venomous snake. I felt that I could bear it no longer, and -I called out:—</p> - -<p>"Is there such a thing as an Englishman here, or any one with a little -civilization?"</p> - -<p>One of the men put his hand to his belt, but his neighbor checked him -and answered me.</p> - -<p>"You'll find we've got some of the resources of civilization before very -long, mister, and I expect you'll not fancy them extremely. But anyway, -there's an Englishman tarrying here, and I've no doubt he'll be glad to -see you. There you are, that's Mr. D'Aubernoun."</p> - -<p>A young man, dressed like an English country squire, came and stood at -the door, and looked at me. One of the men pointed to me and said:—</p> - -<p>"That's the individual we were talking about last night. Thought you -might like to have a look at him, squire, and here he is."</p> - -<p>The young fellow's good-natured English face clouded over, and he -glanced sternly at me, and turned away with a gesture of contempt and -aversion.</p> - -<p>"Sir," I cried, "I do not know what I have done to be treated in this -manner. You are my fellow-countryman, and I expected some courtesy."</p> - -<p>He gave me a black look and made as if he would go in, but he changed -his mind, and faced me.</p> - -<p>"You are rather imprudent, I think, to behave in this manner. You must -be counting on a forbearance which cannot last very long; which may last -a very short time, indeed. And let me tell you this, sir, you may call -yourself an Englishman and drag the name of England through the dirt, -but you need not count on any English influence to help you. If I were -you, I would not stay here much longer."</p> - -<p>He went into the inn, and the men quietly watched my face, as I stood -there, wondering whether I was going mad. The woman of the house came -out and stared at me as if I were a wild beast or a savage, and I turned -to her, and spoke quietly.</p> - -<p>"I am very hungry and thirsty, I have walked a long way. I have plenty -of money. Will you give me something to eat and drink?"</p> - -<p>"No, I won't," she said. "You had better quit this."</p> - -<p>I crawled home like a wounded beast, and lay down on my bed. It was all -a hopeless puzzle to me. I knew nothing but rage and shame and terror, -and I suffered little more when I passed by a house in an adjacent -valley, and some children who were playing outside ran from me -shrieking. I was forced to walk to find some occupation. I should have -died if I had sat down quietly in Blue Rock Park and looked all day at -the mountains; but wherever I saw a human being I saw the same glance of -hatred and aversion, and once as I was crossing a thick brake I heard a -shot, and the venomous hiss of a bullet close to my ear.</p> - -<p>One day I heard a conversation which astounded me; I was sitting behind -a rock resting, and two men came along the track and halted. One of them -had got his feet entangled in some wild vines, and swore fiercely, but -the other laughed, and said they were useful things sometimes.</p> - -<p>"What the hell do you mean?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, nothing much. But they 're uncommon tough, these here vines, and -sometimes rope is skerse and dear."</p> - -<p>The man who had sworn chuckled at this, and I heard them sit down and -light their pipes.</p> - -<p>"Have you seen him lately?" asked the humorist.</p> - -<p>"I sighted him the other day, but the darned bullet went high. He's got -his master's luck, I expect, sir, but it can't last much longer. You -heard about him going to Jinks's and trying his brass, but the young -Britisher downed him pretty considerable, I can tell you."</p> - -<p>"What the devil is the meaning of it?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know, but I believe it'll have to be finished, and done in the -old style, too. You know how they fix the niggers?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir, I've seen a little of that. A couple of gallons of -kerosene'll cost a dollar at Brown's store, but I should say it's cheap -anyway."</p> - -<p>They moved off after this, and I lay still behind the rock, the sweat -pouring down my face. I was so sick that I could barely stand, and I -walked home as slowly as an old man, leaning on my stick. I knew that -the two men had been talking about me, and I knew that some terrible -death was in store for me. That night I could not sleep. I tossed on the -rough bed and tortured myself to find out the meaning of it all. At last -in the very dead of night I rose from the bed, and put on my clothes, -and went out. I did not care where I went, but I felt that I must walk -till I had tired myself out. It was a clear moonlight night, and in a -couple of hours I found I was approaching a place of dismal reputation -in the mountains, a deep cleft in the rocks, known as Black Gulf Cañon. -Many years before, an unfortunate party of Englishmen and Englishwomen -had camped here and had been surrounded by Indians. They were captured, -outraged, and put to death with almost inconceivable tortures, and the -roughest of the trappers or woodsmen gave the cañon a wide berth even in -the day-time. As I crushed through the dense brushwood which grew above -the cañon, I heard voices, and wondering who could be in such a place at -such a time, I went on, walking more carefully and making as little -noise as possible. There was a great tree growing on the very edge of -the rocks, and I lay down and looked out from behind the trunk. Black -Gulf Cañon was below me, the moonlight shining bright into its very -depths from midheaven, and casting shadows as black as death from the -pointed rock, and all the sheer rock on the other side, overhanging the -cañon, was in darkness. At intervals a light veil obscured the -moonlight, as a filmy cloud fleeted across the moon; and a bitter wind -blew shrill across the gulf. I looked down as I have said, and saw -twenty men standing in a semicircle round a rock; I counted them one by -one, and knew most of them. They were the very vilest of the vile, more -vile than any den in London could show, and there was murder and worse -than murder on the heads of not a few. Facing them and me stood Mr. -Smith with the rock before him, and on the rock was a great pair of -scales, such, as are used in the stores. I heard his voice ringing down -the cañon as I lay beside the tree, and my heart turned cold as I heard -it.</p> - -<p>"Life for gold," he cried, "a life for gold. The blood and the life of -an enemy for every pound of gold."</p> - -<p>A man stepped out and raised one hand, and with the other flung a bright -lump of something into the pan of the scales, which clanged down, and -Smith muttered something in his ear. Then he cried again:—</p> - -<p>"Blood for gold; for a pound of gold, the life of an enemy. For every -pound of gold upon the scales, a life."</p> - -<p>One by one the men came forward, each lifting up his right hand; and the -gold was weighed in the scales, and each time Smith leaned forward and -spoke to each man in his ear. Then he cried again:—</p> - -<p>"Desire and lust, for gold on the scales. For every pound of gold, -enjoyment of desire."</p> - -<p>I saw the same thing happen as before; the uplifted hand, and the metal -weighed, and the mouth whispering, and black passion on every face.</p> - -<p>Then, one by one, I saw the men again step up to Smith. A muttered -conversation seemed to take place; I could see that Smith was explaining -and directing, and I noticed that he gesticulated a little as one who -points out the way, and once or twice he moved his hands quickly as if -he would show that the path was clear and could not be missed. I kept my -eyes so intently on his figure that I noted little else, and at last it -was with a start that I realized that the cañon was empty. A moment -before I thought I had seen the group of villainous faces, and the two -standing, a little apart by the rock; I had looked down a moment, and -when I glanced again into the cañon there was no one there. In dumb -terror I made my way home, and I fell asleep in an instant from -exhaustion. No doubt I should have slept on for many hours, but when I -woke up, the sun was only rising, and the light shone in on my bed. I -had started up from sleep with the sensation of having received a -violent shock, and as I looked in confusion about me I saw to my -amazement that there were three men in the room. One of them had his -hand on my shoulder and spoke to me.</p> - -<p>"Come, mister, wake up. Your time's up now, I reckon, and the boys are -waiting for you outside, and they 're in a big hurry. Come on; you can -put on your clothes, it's kind of chilly this morning."</p> - -<p>I saw the other two men smiling sourly at each other, but I understood -nothing. I simply pulled on my clothes, and said I was ready.</p> - -<p>"All right, come on then. You go first, Nichols, and Jim and I will give -the gentleman an arm."</p> - -<p>They took me out into the sunlight, and then I understood the meaning of -a dull murmur that had vaguely perplexed me while I was dressing. There -were about two hundred men waiting outside, and some women too, and when -they saw me there was a low muttering growl. I did not know what I had -done, but that noise made my heart beat and the sweat come out on my -face. I saw confusedly, as through a veil, the tumult and tossing of the -crowd, discordant voices were speaking, and amongst all those faces -there was not one glance of mercy, but a fury of lust that I did not -understand. I found myself presently walking in a sort of procession up -the slope of the valley, and on every side of me there were men with -revolvers in their hands. Now and then a voice struck me, and I heard -words and sentences of which I could form no connected story. But I -understood that there was one sentence of execration; I heard scraps of -stories that seemed strange and improbable. Some one was talking of men, -lured by cunning devices from their homes and murdered with hideous -tortures, found writhing like wounded snakes in dark and lonely places, -only crying for some one to stab them to the heart, and so end their -torments; and I heard another voice speaking of innocent girls who had -vanished for a day or two, and then had come back and died, blushing red -with shame even in the agonies of death. I wondered what it all meant, -and what was to happen, but I was so weary that I walked on in a dream, -scarcely longing for anything but sleep. At last we stopped. We had -reached the summit of the hill, overlooking Blue Rock Valley, and I saw -that I was standing beneath a clump of trees where I had often sat. I -was in the midst of a ring of armed men, and I saw that two or three men -were very busy with piles of wood, while others were fingering a rope. -Then there was a stir in the crowd, and a man was pushed forward. His -hands and feet were tightly bound with cord, and though his face was -unutterably villainous I pitied him for the agony that worked his -features and twisted his lips. I knew him; he was amongst those that had -gathered round Smith in Black Gulf Cañon. In an instant he was unbound, -and stripped naked; and borne beneath one of the trees, and his neck -encircled by a noose that went around the trunk. A hoarse voice gave -some kind of order; there was a rush of feet, and the rope tightened; -and there before me I saw the blackened face and the writhing limbs and -the shameful agony of death. One after another, half a dozen men, all of -whom I had seen in the cañon the night before, were strangled before me, -and their bodies were flung forth on the ground. Then there was a pause, -and the man who had roused me a short while before, came up to me and -said:—</p> - -<p>"Now, mister, it's your turn. We give you five minutes to cast up your -accounts, and when that's clocked, by the living God we will burn you -alive at that tree."</p> - -<p>It was then I awoke and understood. I cried out:—</p> - -<p>"Why, what have I done? Why should you hurt me? I am a harmless man, I -never did you any wrong." I covered my face with my hands; it seemed so -pitiful, and it was such a terrible death.</p> - -<p>"What have I done?" I cried again. "You must take me for some other man. -You cannot know me."</p> - -<p>"You black-hearted devil," said the man at my side, "we know you well -enough. There's not a man within thirty miles of this that won't curse -Jack Smith when you are burning in hell."</p> - -<p>"My name is not Smith," I said, with some hope left in me. "My name is -Wilkins. I was Mr. Smith's secretary, but I knew nothing of him."</p> - -<p>"Hark at the black liar," said the man. "Secretary be damned! You were -clever enough, I dare say, to slink out at night, and keep your face in -the dark, but we've tracked you out at last. But your time's up. Come -along."</p> - -<p>I was dragged to the tree and bound to it with chains, and I saw the -piles of wood heaped all about me, and shut my eyes. Then I felt myself -drenched all over with some liquid, and looked again, and a woman -grinned at me. She had just emptied a great can of petroleum over me and -over the wood. A voice shouted, "Fire away," and I fainted and knew -nothing more.</p> - -<p>When I opened my eyes I was lying on a bed in a bare comfortless room. A -doctor was holding some strong salts to my nostrils, and a gentleman -standing by the bed, whom I afterwards found to be the sheriff, -addressed me:—</p> - -<p>"Say, mister," he began, "you've had an uncommon narrow squeak for it. -The boys were just about lighting up when I came along with the posse, -and I had as much as I could do to bring you off, I can tell you. And, -mind you, I don't blame, them; they had made up their minds, you see, -that you were the head of the Black Gulf gang, and at first nothing I -could say would persuade them you weren't Jack Smith. Luckily, a man -from here named Evans, that came along with us, allowed he had seen you -with Jack Smith, and that you were yourself. So we brought you along and -jailed you, but you can go if you like, when you're through with this -faint turn."</p> - -<p>I got on the cars the next day, and in three weeks I was in London; -again almost penniless. But from that time my fortune seemed to change. -I made influential friends in all directions; bank directors courted my -company, and editors positively flung themselves into my arms. I had -only to choose my career, and after a while I determined that I was -meant by nature for a life of comparative leisure. With an ease that -seemed almost ridiculous I obtained a well-paid position in connection -with a prosperous political club. I have charming chambers in a central -neighborhood close to the parks; the club <i>chef</i> exerts himself when I -lunch or dine, and the rarest vintages in the cellar are always at my -disposal. Yet, since my return to London, I have never known a day's -security or peace; I tremble when I awake lest Smith should be standing -at my bed, and every step I take seems to bring me nearer to the edge of -the precipice. Smith, I knew, had escaped free from the raid of the -vigilantes, and I grew faint at the thought that he would in all -probability return to London, and that suddenly and unprepared I should -meet him face to face. Every morning as I left my house, I would peer up -and down the street, expecting to see that dreaded figure awaiting me; I -have delayed at street corners, my heart in my mouth, sickening at the -thought that a few quick steps might bring us together; I could not bear -to frequent the theatres or music halls, lest by some bizarre chance he -should prove to be my neighbor. Sometimes, I have been forced, against -my will, to walk out at night, and then in silent squares the shadows -have made me shudder, and in the medley of meetings in the crowded -thoroughfares, I have said to myself, "It must come sooner or later; he -will surely return to town, and I shall see him when I feel most -secure." I scanned the newspapers for hint or intimation of approaching -danger, and no small type nor report of trivial interest was allowed to -pass unread. Especially I read and re-read the advertisement columns, -but without result. Months passed by and I was undisturbed till, though -I felt far from safe, I no longer suffered from the intolerable -oppression of instant and ever present terror. This afternoon as I was -walking quietly along Oxford Street, I raised my eyes, and looked across -the road, and then at last I saw the man who had so long haunted my -thoughts.</p> - -<hr style="width: 45%;" /> - -<p>Mr. Wilkins finished his wine, and leaned back in his chair, looking -sadly at Dyson; and then, as if a thought struck him, fished out of an -inner pocket a leather letter case, and handed a newspaper cutting -across the table.</p> - -<p>Dyson glanced closely at the slip, and saw that it had been extracted -from the columns of an evening paper. It ran as follows:—</p> - -<p class="center"> -WHOLESALE LYNCHING.<br /> -<br /> -SHOCKING STORY.<br /> -</p> - -<p>A Dalziel telegram from Reading (Colorado) states that advices received -there from Blue Rock Park report a frightful instance of popular -vengeance. For some time the neighborhood has been terrorized by the -crimes of a gang of desperadoes, who, under the cover of a carefully -planned organization, have perpetrated the most infamous cruelties on -men and women. A Vigilance Committee was formed, and it was found that -the leader of the gang was a person named Smith, living in Blue Rock -Park. Action was taken, and six of the worst in the band were summarily -strangled in the presence of two or three hundred men and women. Smith -is said to have escaped.</p> - -<hr style="width: 45%;" /> - -<p>"This is a terrible story," said Dyson; "I can well believe that your -days and nights are haunted by such fearful scenes as you have -described. But surely you have no need to fear Smith? He has much, more -cause to fear you. Consider, you have only to lay your information -before the police, and a warrant would be immediately issued for his -arrest. Besides, you will, I am sure, excuse me for what I am going to -say."</p> - -<p>"My dear sir," said Mr. Wilkins, "I hope you will speak to me with -perfect freedom."</p> - -<p>"Well, then, I must confess that my impression was that you were rather -disappointed at not being able to stop the man before he drove off. I -thought you seemed annoyed that you could not get across the street."</p> - -<p>"Sir, I did not know what I was about. I caught sight of the man, but it -was only for a moment, and the agony you witnessed was the agony of -suspense. I was not perfectly certain of the face; and the horrible -thought that Smith was again in London overwhelmed me. I shuddered at -the idea of this incarnate fiend, whose soul is black with shocking -crimes, mingling free and unobserved amongst the harmless crowds, -meditating perhaps a new and more fearful cycle of infamies. I tell -you, sir, that an awful being stalks through the streets, a being before -whom the sunlight itself should blacken, and the summer air grow chill -and dank. Such thoughts as these rushed upon me with the force of a -whirlwind; I lost my senses."</p> - -<p>"I see. I partly understand your feelings, but I would impress on you -that you have nothing really to fear. Depend upon it, Smith will not -molest you in any way. You must remember he himself has had a warning; -and indeed from the brief glance I had of him, he seemed to me to be a -frightened-looking man. However, I see it is getting late, and if you -will excuse me, Mr. Wilkins, I think I will be going. I dare say we -shall often meet here."</p> - -<p>Dyson walked off smartly, pondering the strange story chance had brought -him, and finding on cool reflection that there was something a little -strange in Mr. Wilkins's manner, for which not even so weird a catalogue -of experiences could altogether account.</p> - - - -<hr style="width: 65%;" /> -<h3><a name="ADVENTURE_OF_THE_MISSING_BROTHER" id="ADVENTURE_OF_THE_MISSING_BROTHER"></a>ADVENTURE OF THE MISSING BROTHER.</h3> - - -<p>Mr. Charles Phillipps was, as has been hinted, a gentleman of pronounced -scientific tastes. In his early days he had devoted himself with fond -enthusiasm to the agreeable study of biology, and a brief monograph on -the Embryology of the Microscopic Holothuria had formed his first -contribution to the belles lettres. Later, he had somewhat relaxed the -severity of his pursuits, and had dabbled in the more frivolous subjects -of palæontology and ethnology; he had a cabinet in his sitting-room -whose drawers were stuffed with rude flint implements, and a charming -fetish from the South Seas was the dominant note in the decorative -scheme of the apartment. Flattering himself with the title of -materialist, he was in truth one of the most credulous of men, but he -required a marvel to be neatly draped in the robes of science before he -would give it any credit, and the wildest dreams took solid shape to him -if only the nomenclature were severe and irreproachable; he laughed at -the witch, but quailed before the powers of the hypnotist, lifting his -eyebrows when Christianity was mentioned, but adoring protyle and the -ether. For the rest, he prided himself on a boundless scepticism; the -average tale of wonder he heard with nothing but contempt, and he would -certainly not have credited a word or syllable of Dyson's story of the -pursuer and pursued unless the gold coin had been produced as visible -and tangible evidence. As it was he half suspected that Dyson had -imposed on him; he knew his friend's disordered fancies, and his habit -of conjuring up the marvellous to account for the entirely commonplace; -and on the whole he was inclined to think that the so-called facts in -the odd adventure had been gravely distorted in the telling. Since the -evening on which he had listened to the tale, he had paid Dyson a visit, -and had delivered himself of some serious talk on the necessity of -accurate observation, and the folly, as he put it, of using a -kaleidoscope instead of a telescope in the view of things, to which -remarks his friend had listened with a smile that was extremely sardonic -"My dear fellow," Dyson had remarked at last, "you will allow me to tell -you that I see your drift perfectly. However, you will be astonished to -hear that I consider you to be the visionary, while I am a sober and -serious spectator of human life. You have gone round the circle, and -while you fancy yourself far in the golden land of new philosophies, you -are in reality a dweller in a metaphorical Clapham; your scepticism has -defeated itself and become a monstrous credulity; you are in fact in the -position of the bat or owl, I forget which it was, who denied the -existence of the sun at noonday, and I shall be astonished if you do not -one day come to me full of contrition for your manifold intellectual -errors, with a humble resolution to see things in their true light for -the future." This tirade had left Mr. Phillipps unimpressed; he -considered Dyson as hopeless, and he went home to gloat over some -primitive stone implements that a friend had sent him from India. He -found that his landlady, seeing them displayed in all their rude -formlessness upon the table, had removed the collection to the dustbin, -and had replaced it by lunch; and the afternoon was spent in malodorous -research. Mrs. Brown, hearing these stones spoken of as very valuable -knives, had called him in his hearing "poor Mr. Phillipps," and between -rage and evil odors he spent a sorry afternoon. It was four o'clock -before he had completed his work of rescue; and, overpowered with the -flavors of decaying cabbage-leaves, Phillipps felt that he must have a -walk to gain an appetite for the evening meal. Unlike Dyson, he walked -fast, with his eyes on the pavement, absorbed in his thoughts and -oblivious of the life around him; and he could not have told by what -streets he had passed, when he suddenly lifted up his eyes and found -himself in Leicester Square. The grass and flowers pleased him, and he -welcomed the opportunity of resting for a few minutes, and glancing -round, he saw a bench which had only one occupant, a lady, and as she -was seated at one end, Phillipps took up a position at the other -extremity, and began to pass in angry review the events of the -afternoon. He had noticed as he came up to the bench that the person -already there was neatly dressed, and to all appearance young; her face -he could not see, as it was turned away in apparent contemplation of the -shrubs, and moreover shielded with her hand; but it would be doing -wrong to Mr. Phillipps to imagine that his choice of a seat was dictated -by any hopes of an affair of the heart; he had simply preferred the -company of one lady to that of five dirty children, and having seated -himself was immersed directly in thoughts of his misfortunes. He had -meditated changing his lodgings; but now, on a judicial review of the -case in all its bearings, his calmer judgment told him that the race of -landladies is like to the race of the leaves, and that there was but -little to choose between them. He resolved, however, to talk to Mrs. -Brown, the offender, very coolly and yet severely, to point out the -extreme indiscretion of her conduct, and to express a hope for better -things in the future. With this decision registered in his mind, -Phillipps was about to get up from the seat and move off, when he was -intensely annoyed to hear a stifled sob, evidently from the lady, who -still continued her contemplation of the shrubs and flower-beds. He -clutched his stick desperately, and in a moment would have been in full -retreat, when the lady turned her face towards him, and with a mute -entreaty bespoke his attention. She was a young girl with a quaint and -piquant rather than a beautiful face, and she was evidently in the -bitterest distress, and Mr. Phillipps sat down again, and cursed his -chances heartily. The young lady looked at him with a pair of charming -eyes of a shining hazel, which showed no trace of tears, though a -handkerchief was in her hand; she bit her lip, and seemed to struggle -with some overpowering grief, and her whole attitude was all beseeching -and imploring. Phillipps sat on the edge of the bench gazing awkwardly -at her, and wondering what was to come next, and she looked at him still -without speaking.</p> - -<p>"Well, madam," he said at last, "I understood from your gesture that you -wished to speak to me. Is there anything I can do for you? Though, if -you will pardon me, I cannot help saying that that seems highly -improbable."</p> - -<p>"Ah, sir," she said in a low murmuring voice, "do not speak harshly to -me. I am in sore straits, and I thought from your face that I could -safely ask your sympathy, if not your help."</p> - -<p>"Would you kindly tell me what is the matter?" said Phillipps. "Perhaps -you would like some tea?"</p> - -<p>"I knew I could not be mistaken," the lady replied. "That offer of -refreshment bespeaks a generous mind. But tea, alas! is powerless to -console me. If you will let me, I will endeavor to explain my trouble."</p> - -<p>"I should be glad if you would."</p> - -<p>"I will do so, and I will try and be brief, in spite of the numerous -complications which have made me, young as I am, tremble before what -seems the profound and terrible mystery of existence. Yet the grief -which now racks my very soul is but too simple; I have lost my brother."</p> - -<p>"Lost your brother! How on earth can that be?"</p> - -<p>"I see I must trouble you with a few particulars. My brother, then, who -is by some years my elder, is a tutor in a private school in the extreme -north of London. The want of means deprived him of the advantages of a -University education; and lacking the stamp of a degree, he could not -hope for that position which his scholarship and his talents entitled -him to claim. He was thus forced to accept the post of classical master -at Dr. Saunderson's Highgate Academy for the sons of gentlemen, and he -has performed his duties with perfect satisfaction to his principal for -some years. My personal history need not trouble you; if will be enough -if I tell you that for the last month I have been governess in a family -residing at Tooting. My brother and I have always cherished the warmest -mutual affection; and though circumstances into which I need not enter -have kept us apart for some time, yet we have never lost sight of one -another. We made up our minds that unless one of us was absolutely -unable to rise from a bed of sickness, we would never let a week pass by -without meeting, and some time ago we chose this square as our -rendezvous on account of its central position and its convenience of -access. And indeed, after a week of distasteful toil, my brother felt -little inclination for much walking, and we have often spent two or -three hours on this bench, speaking of our prospects and of happier -days, when we were children. In the early spring it was cold and chilly; -still we enjoyed the short respite, and I think that we were often taken -for a pair of lovers, as we sat close together, eagerly talking. -Saturday after Saturday we have met each other here, and though the -doctor told him it was madness, my brother would not allow the influenza -to break the appointment. That was some time ago; last Saturday we had -a long and happy afternoon, and separated more cheerfully than usual, -feeling that the coming week would be bearable, and resolving that our -next meeting should be if possible still more pleasant. I arrived here -at the time agreed upon, four o'clock, and sat down and watched for my -brother, expecting every moment to see him advancing towards me from -that gate at the north side of the square. Five minutes passed by, and -he had not arrived; I thought he must have missed his train, and the -idea that our interview would be cut short by twenty minutes, or perhaps -half an hour, saddened me; I had hoped we should be so happy together -to-day. Suddenly, moved by I know not what impulse, I turned abruptly -round, and how can I describe to you my astonishment when I saw my -brother advancing slowly towards me from the southern side of the -square, accompanied by another person. My first thought, I remember, had -in it something of resentment that this man, whoever he was, should -intrude himself into our meeting; I wondered who it could possibly be, -for my brother had, I may say, no intimate friends. Then as I looked -still at the advancing figures, another feeling took possession of me; -it was a sensation of bristling fear, the fear of the child in the dark, -unreasonable and unreasoning, but terrible, clutching at my heart as -with the cold grip of a dead man's hands. Yet I overcame the feeling, -and looked steadily at my brother, waiting for him to speak, and more -closely at his companion. Then I noticed that this man was leading my -brother rather than walking arm-in-arm with him; he was a tall man, -dressed in quite ordinary fashion. He wore a high bowler hat, and, in -spite of the warmth of the day, a plain black overcoat, tightly -buttoned, and I noticed his trousers, of a quiet black and gray stripe. -The face was commonplace too, and indeed I cannot recall any special -features, or any trick of expression; for though I looked at him as he -came near, curiously enough his face made no impression on me, it was as -though I had seen a well-made mask. They passed in front of me, and to -my unutterable astonishment I heard my brother's voice speaking to me, -though his lips did not move, nor his eyes look into mine. It was a -voice I cannot describe, though I knew it, but the words came to my ears -as if mingled with plashing water and the sound of a shallow brook -flowing amidst stones. I heard, then, the words, 'I cannot stay,' and -for a moment the heavens and the earth seemed to rush together with the -sound of thunder, and I was thrust forth from the world into a black -void without beginning and without end. For, as my brother passed me, I -saw the hand that held him by the arm, and seemed to guide him, and in -one moment of horror I realized that it was as a formless thing that has -mouldered for many years in the grave. The flesh was peeled in strips -from the bones, and hung apart dry and granulated, and the fingers that -encircled my brother's arm were all unshapen, claw-like things, and one -was but a stump from which the end had rotted off. When I recovered my -senses I saw the two passing out by that gate. I paused for a moment, -and then with a rush as of fire to my heart I knew that no horror -could, stay me, but that I must follow my brother and save him, even -though all hell rose up against me. I ran out and looked up the -pavement, and saw the two figures walking amidst the crowd. I ran across -the road, and saw them turn up that side street, and I reached the -corner a moment later. In vain I looked to right and left, for neither -my brother nor his strange guardian was in sight; two elderly men were -coming down arm-in-arm, and a telegraph boy was walking lustily along -whistling. I remained there a moment horror-struck, and then I bowed my -head and returned to this seat, where you found me. Now, sir, do you -wonder at my grief? Oh, tell me what has happened to my brother, or I -feel I shall go mad."</p> - -<p>Mr. Phillipps, who had listened with exemplary patience to this tale, -hesitated a moment before he spoke.</p> - -<p>"My dear madam," he said at length, "you have known how to engage me in -your service, not only as a man, but as a student of science. As a -fellow-creature I pity you most profoundly; you must have suffered -extremely from what you saw, or rather from what you fancied you saw. -For, as a scientific observer, it is my duty to tell you the plain -truth, which, indeed, besides being true, must also console you. Allow -me to ask you then to describe your brother."</p> - -<p>"Certainly," said the lady, eagerly; "I can describe him accurately. My -brother is a somewhat young-looking man; he is pale, has small black -whiskers, and wears spectacles. He has rather a timid, almost a -frightened expression, and looks about him nervously from side to side. -Think, think! Surely you must have seen him. Perhaps you are an -<i>habitué</i> of this engaging quarter; you may have met him on some -previous Saturday. I may have been mistaken in supposing that he turned -up that side street; he may have gone on, and you may have passed each -other. Oh, tell me, sir, whether you have not seen him?"</p> - -<p>"I am afraid I do not keep a very sharp lookout when I am walking," said -Phillipps, who would have passed his mother unnoticed; "but I am sure -your description is admirable. And now will you describe the person, -who, you say, held your brother by the arm?"</p> - -<p>"I cannot do so. I told you, his face seemed devoid of expression or -salient feature. It was like a mask."</p> - -<p>"Exactly; you cannot describe what you have never seen. I need hardly -point out to you the conclusion to be drawn; you have been the victim of -an hallucination. You expected to see your brother, you were alarmed -because you did not see him, and unconsciously, no doubt, your brain -went to work, and finally you saw a mere projection of your own morbid -thoughts; a vision of your absent brother, and a mere confusion of -terrors incorporated in a figure which you can't describe. Of course -your brother has been in some way prevented from coming to meet you as -usual. I expect you will hear from him in a day or two."</p> - -<p>The lady looked seriously at Mr. Phillipps, and then for a second there -seemed almost a twinkling as of mirth about her eyes, but her face -clouded sadly at the dogmatic conclusions to which the scientist was -led so irresistibly.</p> - -<p>"Ah," she said, "you do not know. I cannot doubt the evidence of my -waking senses. Besides, perhaps I have had experiences even more -terrible. I acknowledge the force of your arguments, but a woman has -intuitions which never deceive her. Believe me, I am not hysterical; -feel my pulse, it is quite regular."</p> - -<p>She stretched out her hand with a dainty gesture, and a glance that -enraptured Phillipps in spite of himself. The hand held out to him was -soft and white and warm, and as, in some confusion, he placed his -fingers on the purple vein, he felt profoundly touched by the spectacle -of love and grief before him.</p> - -<p>"No," he said, as he released her wrist, "as you say, you are evidently -quite yourself. Still, you must be aware that living men do not possess -dead hands. That sort of thing doesn't happen. It is, of course, barely -possible that you did see your brother with another gentleman, and that -important business prevented him from stopping. As for the wonderful -hand, there may have been some deformity, a finger shot off by accident, -or something of that sort."</p> - -<p>The lady shook her head mournfully.</p> - -<p>"I see you are a determined rationalist," she said. "Did you not hear me -say that I have had experiences even more terrible? I too was once a -sceptic, but after what I have known I can no longer affect to doubt."</p> - -<p>"Madam," replied Mr. Phillipps, "no one shall make me deny my faith. I -will never believe, nor will I pretend to believe, that two and two make -five, nor will I on any pretences admit the existence of two-sided -triangles."</p> - -<p>"You are a little hasty," rejoined the lady. "But may I ask you if you -ever heard the name of Professor Gregg, the authority on ethnology and -kindred subjects?"</p> - -<p>"I have done much more than merely hear of Professor Gregg," said -Phillipps. "I always regarded him as one of our most acute and -clear-headed observers; and his last publication, the 'Text-book of -Ethnology,' struck me as being quite admirable in its kind. Indeed, the -book had but come into my hands when I heard of the terrible accident -which cut short Gregg's career. He had, I think, taken a country house -in the West of England for the summer, and is supposed to have fallen -into a river. So far as I remember, his body was never recovered."</p> - -<p>"Sir, I am sure that you are discreet. Your conversation seems to -declare as much, and the very title of that little work of yours which -you mentioned, assures me that you are no empty trifler. In a word, I -feel that I may depend on you. You appear to be under the impression -that Professor Gregg is dead; I have no reason to believe that that is -the case."</p> - -<p>"What?" cried Phillipps, astonished and perturbed. "You do not hint that -there was anything disgraceful? I cannot believe it. Gregg was a man of -clearest character; his private life was one of great benevolence; and -though I myself am free from delusions, I believe him to have been a -sincere and devout Christian. Surely you cannot mean to insinuate that -some disreputable history forced him to flee the country?"</p> - -<p>"Again you are in a hurry," replied the lady. "I said nothing of all -this. Briefly, then, I must tell you that Professor Gregg left his house -one morning in full health both of mind and body. He never returned, but -his watch and chain, a purse containing three sovereigns in gold and -some loose silver, with a ring that he wore habitually, were found three -days later on a wild and savage hillside, many miles from the river. -These articles were placed beside a limestone rock of fantastic form; -they had been wrapped into a parcel with a kind of rough parchment which -was secured with gut. The parcel was opened, and the inner side of the -parchment bore an inscription done with some red substance; the -characters were undecipherable, but seemed to be a corrupt cuneiform."</p> - -<p>"You interest me intensely," said Phillips. "Would you mind continuing -your story? The circumstance you have mentioned seems to me of the most -inexplicable character, and I thirst for an elucidation."</p> - -<p>The young lady seemed to meditate for a moment, and she then proceeded -to relate the</p> - - - -<hr style="width: 65%;" /> -<h3><a name="NOVEL_OF_THE_BLACK_SEAL" id="NOVEL_OF_THE_BLACK_SEAL"></a>NOVEL OF THE BLACK SEAL.</h3> - - -<p>I must now give you some fuller particulars of my history. I am the -daughter of a civil engineer, Steven Lally by name, who was so -unfortunate as to die suddenly at the outset of his career, and before -he had accumulated sufficient means to support his wife and her two -children. My mother contrived to keep the small household going on -resources which must have been incredibly small; we lived in a remote -country village, because most of the necessaries of life were cheaper -than in a town, but even so we were brought up with the severest -economy. My father was a clever and well-read man, and left behind him a -small but select collection of books, containing the best Greek, Latin, -and English classics, and these books were the only amusement we -possessed. My brother, I remember, learned Latin out of Descartes' -"Meditationes," and I, in place of the little tales which children are -usually told to read, had nothing more charming than a translation of -the "Gesta Romanorum." We grew up thus, quiet and studious children, and -in course of time my brother provided for himself in the manner I have -mentioned. I continued to live at home; my poor mother had become an -invalid, and demanded my continual care, and about two years ago she -died after many months of painful illness. My situation was a terrible -one; the shabby furniture barely sufficed to pay the debts I had been -forced to contract, and the books I despatched to my brother, knowing -how he would value them. I was absolutely alone. I was aware how poorly -my brother was paid; and though I came up to London in the hope of -finding employment, with the understanding that he would defray my -expenses, I swore it should only be for a month, and that if I could not -in that time find some work, I would starve rather than deprive him of -the few miserable pounds he had laid by for his day of trouble. I took a -little room in a distant suburb, the cheapest that I could find. I lived -on bread and tea, and I spent my time in vain answering of -advertisements, and vainer walks to addresses I had noted. Day followed -on day, and week on week, and still I was unsuccessful, till at last the -term I had appointed drew to a close, and I saw before me the grim -prospect of slowly dying of starvation. My landlady was good-natured in -her way; she knew the slenderness of my means, and I am sure that she -would not have turned me out of doors. It remained for me then to go -away, and to try and die in some quiet place. It was winter then, and a -thick white fog gathered in the early part of the afternoon, becoming -more dense as the day wore on; it was a Sunday, I remember, and the -people of the house were at chapel. At about three o'clock I crept out -and walked away as quickly as I could, for I was weak from abstinence. -The white mist wrapped all the streets in silence, and a hard frost had -gathered thick upon the bare branches of the trees, and frost crystals -glittered on the wooden fences, and on the cold cruel ground beneath my -feet. I walked on, turning to right and left in utter haphazard, without -caring to look up at the names of the streets, and all that I remember -of my walk on that Sunday afternoon seems but the broken fragments of an -evil dream. In a confused vision I stumbled on, through roads half town -and half country; gray fields melting into the cloudy world of mist on -one side of me, and on the other comfortable villas with a glow of -firelight flickering on the walls; but all unreal, red brick walls, and -lighted windows, vague trees, and glimmering country, gas-lamps -beginning to star the white shadows, the vanishing perspectives of the -railway line beneath high embankments, the green and red of the signal -lamps,—all these were but momentary pictures flashed on my tired brain -and senses numbed by hunger. Now and then I would hear a quick step -ringing on the iron road, and men would pass me well wrapped up, walking -fast for the sake of warmth, and no doubt eagerly foretasting the -pleasures of a glowing hearth, with curtains tightly drawn about the -frosted panes, and the welcomes of their friends; but as the early -evening darkened and night approached, foot-passengers got fewer and -fewer, and I passed through street after street alone. In the white -silence I stumbled on, as desolate as if I trod the streets of a buried -city; and as I grew more weak and exhausted, something of the horror of -death was folding thickly round my heart. Suddenly, as I turned a -corner, some one accosted me courteously beneath the lamp-post, and I -heard a voice asking if I could kindly point the way to Avon Road. At -the sudden shock of human accents I was prostrated and my strength gave -way, and I fell all huddled on the side-walk and wept and sobbed and -laughed in violent hysteria. I had gone out prepared to die, and as I -stepped across the threshold that had sheltered me, I consciously bade -adieu to all hopes and all remembrances; the door clanged behind me with -the noise of thunder, and I felt that an iron curtain had fallen on the -brief passages of my life, and that henceforth I was to walk a little -way in a world, of gloom and shadow; I entered on the stage of the first -act of death. Then came my wandering in the mist, the whiteness wrapping -all things, the void streets, and muffled silence, till when that voice -spoke to me, it was as if I had died and life returned to me. In a few -minutes I was able to compose my feelings, and as I rose I saw that I -was confronted by a middle-aged gentleman of specious appearance, neatly -and correctly dressed. He looked at me with an expression of great pity, -but before I could stammer out my ignorance of the neighborhood, for -indeed I had not the slightest notion of where I had wandered, he spoke.</p> - -<p>"My dear madam," he said, "you seem in some terrible distress. You -cannot think how you alarmed me. But may I inquire the nature of your -trouble? I assure you that you can safely confide in me."</p> - -<p>"You are very kind," I replied; "but, I fear there is nothing to be -done. My condition seems a hopeless one."</p> - -<p>"Oh, nonsense, nonsense! You are too young to talk like that. Come, let -us walk down here, and you must tell me your difficulty. Perhaps I may -be able to help you."</p> - -<p>There was something very soothing and persuasive in his manner, and as -we walked together, I gave him an outline of my story, and told of the -despair that had oppressed me almost to death.</p> - -<p>"You were wrong to give in so completely," he said, when I was silent. -"A month is too short a time in which to feel one's way in London. -London, let me tell you, Miss Lally, does not lie open and undefended; -it is a fortified place, fossed and double-moated with curious -intricacies. As must always happen in large towns, the conditions of -life have become hugely artificial; no mere simple palisade is run up to -oppose the man or woman who would take the place by storm, but serried -lines of subtle contrivances, mines, and pitfalls which it needs a -strange skill to overcome. You, in your simplicity, fancied you had only -to shout for these walls to sink into nothingness, but the time is gone -for such startling victories as these. Take courage; you will learn the -secret of success before very long."</p> - -<p>"Alas, sir," I replied, "I have no doubt your conclusions are correct, -but at the present moment I seem to be in a fair way to die of -starvation. You spoke of a secret; for heaven's sake, tell it me, if you -have any pity for my distress."</p> - -<p>He laughed genially. "There lies the strangeness of it all. Those who -know the secret cannot tell it if they would; it is positively as -ineffable as the central doctrine of Freemasonry. But I may say this, -that you yourself have penetrated at least the outer husk of the -mystery," and he laughed again.</p> - -<p>"Pray do not jest with me," I said. "What have I done, <i>que sais-je</i>? I -am so far ignorant that I have not the slightest idea of how my next -meal is to be provided."</p> - -<p>"Excuse me. You ask what you have done? You have met me. Come, we will -fence no longer. I see you have self-education, the only education -which is not infinitely pernicious, and I am in want of a governess for -my two children. I have been a widower for some years; my name is Gregg. -I offer you the post I have named, and shall we say a salary of a -hundred a year?"</p> - -<p>I could only stutter out my thanks, and slipping a card with his address -and a bank-note by way of earnest into my hand, Mr. Gregg bade me -good-bye, asking me to call in a day or two.</p> - -<p>Such was my introduction to Professor Gregg, and can you wonder that the -remembrance of despair and the cold blast that had blown from the gates -of death upon me, made me regard him as a second father? Before the -close of the week. I was installed in my new duties; the professor had -leased an old brick manor house in a western suburb of London, and here, -surrounded by pleasant lawns and orchards, and soothed with the murmur -of the ancient elms that rocked their boughs above the roof, the new -chapter of my life began. Knowing as you do the nature of the -professor's occupations, you will not be surprised to hear that the -house teemed with books; and cabinets full of strange and even hideous -objects filled every available nook in the vast low rooms. Gregg was a -man whose one thought was for knowledge, and I too before long caught -something of his enthusiasm, and strove to enter into his passion for -research. In a few months I was perhaps more his secretary than the -governess of the two children, and many a night I have sat at the desk -in the glow of the shaded lamp while he, pacing up and down in the rich, -gloom of the firelight, dictated to me the substance of his "Text-book -of Ethnology." But amidst these more sober and accurate studies I always -detected a something hidden, a longing and desire for some object to -which he did not allude, and now and then he would break short in what -he was saying and lapse into revery, entranced, as it seemed to me, by -some distant prospect of adventurous discovery. The text-book was at -last finished, and we began to receive proofs from the printers, which -were intrusted to me for a first reading, and then underwent the final -revision of the professor. All the while his weariness of the actual -business he was engaged on increased, and it was with the joyous laugh -of a schoolboy when term is over that he one day handed me a copy of the -book. "There," he said, "I have kept my word; I promised to write it, -and it is done with. Now I shall be free to live for stranger things; I -confess it, Miss Lally, I covet the renown of Columbus. You will, I -hope, see me play the part of an explorer."</p> - -<p>"Surely," I said, "there is little left to explore. You have been born a -few hundred years too late for that."</p> - -<p>"I think you are wrong," he replied; "there are still, depend upon it, -quaint undiscovered countries and continents of strange extent. Ah, Miss -Lally, believe me, we stand amidst sacraments and mysteries full of awe, -and it doth not yet appear what we shall be. Life, believe me, is no -simple thing, no mass of gray matter and congeries of veins and muscles -to be laid naked by the surgeon's knife; man is the secret which I am -about to explore, and before I can discover him I must cross over -weltering seas indeed, and oceans and the mists of many thousand years. -You know the myth of the lost Atlantis; what if it be true, and I am -destined to be called the discoverer of that wonderful land?"</p> - -<p>I could see excitement boiling beneath his words, and in his face was -the heat of the hunter; before me stood a man who believed himself -summoned to tourney with the unknown. A pang of joy possessed me when I -reflected that I was to be in a way associated with him in the -adventure, and I too burned with the lust of the chase, not pausing to -consider that I knew not what we were to unshadow.</p> - -<p>The next morning Professor Gregg took me into his inner study, where -ranged against the wall stood a nest of pigeon-holes, every drawer -neatly labelled, and the results of years of toil classified in a few -feet of space.</p> - -<p>"Here," he said, "is my life; here are all the facts which I have -gathered together with so much pains, and yet it is all nothing. No, -nothing to what I am about to attempt. Look at this;" and he took me to -an old bureau, a piece fantastic and faded, which stood in a corner of -the room. He unlocked the front and opened one of the drawers.</p> - -<p>"A few scraps of paper," he went on, pointing to the drawer, "and a lump -of black stone, rudely annotated with queer marks and scratches,—that -is all that drawer holds. Here you see is an old envelope with the dark -red stamp of twenty years ago, but I have pencilled a few lines at the -back; here is a sheet of manuscript, and here some cuttings from -obscure local journals. And if you ask me the subject matter of the -collection, it will not seem extraordinary. A servant girl at a -farmhouse, who disappeared from her place and has never been heard of, a -child supposed to have slipped down some old working on the mountains, -some queer scribbling on a limestone rock, a man murdered with a blow -from a strange weapon; such is the scent I have to go upon. Yes, as you -say, there is a ready explanation for all this; the girl may have run -away to London, or Liverpool, or New York; the child may be at the -bottom of the disused shaft; and the letters on the rock may be the idle -whims of some vagrant. Yes, yes, I admit all that; but I know I hold the -true key. Look!" and he held me out a slip of yellow paper.</p> - -<p>"Characters found inscribed on a limestone rock on the Gray Hills," I -read, and then there was a word erased, presumably the name of a county, -and a date some fifteen years back. Beneath was traced a number of -uncouth characters, shaped somewhat like wedges or daggers, as strange -and outlandish as the Hebrew alphabet.</p> - -<p>"Now the seal," said Professor Gregg, and he handed me the black stone, -a thing about two inches long, and something like an old-fashioned -tobacco stopper, much enlarged.</p> - -<p>I held it up to the light, and saw to my surprise the characters on the -paper repeated on the seal.</p> - -<p>"Yes," said the professor, "they are the same. And the marks on the -limestone rock were made fifteen years ago, with some red substance. And -the characters on the seal are four thousand years old at least. Perhaps -much more."</p> - -<p>"Is it a hoax?" I said.</p> - -<p>"No, I anticipated that. I was not to be led to give my life to a -practical joke. I have tested the matter very carefully. Only one person -besides myself knows of the mere existence of that black seal. Besides, -there are other reasons which I cannot enter into now."</p> - -<p>"But what does it all mean?" I said. "I cannot understand to what -conclusion all this leads."</p> - -<p>"My dear Miss Lally, that is a question I would rather leave unanswered -for some little time. Perhaps I shall never be able to say what secrets -are held here in solution; a few vague hints, the outlines of village -tragedies, a few marks done with red earth upon a rock, and an ancient -seal. A queer set of data to go upon? Half-a-dozen pieces of evidence, -and twenty years before even so much could be got together; and who -knows what mirage or terra incognita may be beyond all this? I look -across deep waters, Miss Lally, and the land beyond may be but a haze -after all. But still I believe it is not so, and a few months will show -whether I am right or wrong."</p> - -<p>He left me, and alone I endeavored to fathom the mystery, wondering to -what goal such eccentric odds and ends of evidence could lead. I myself -am not wholly devoid of imagination, and I had reason to respect the -professor's solidity of intellect; yet I saw in the contents of the -drawer but the materials of fantasy, and vainly tried to conceive what -theory could be founded on the fragments that had been placed before me. -Indeed, I could discover in what I had heard and seen but the first -chapter of an extravagant romance; and yet deep in my heart I burned -with curiosity, and day after day I looked eagerly in Professor Gregg's -face for some hint of what was to happen.</p> - -<p>It was one evening after dinner that the word came.</p> - -<p>"I hope you can make your preparations without much trouble," he said -suddenly to me. "We shall be leaving here in a week's time."</p> - -<p>"Really!" I said in astonishment. "Where are we going?"</p> - -<p>"I have taken a country house in the west of England, not far from -Caermaen, a quiet little town, once a city, and the headquarters of a -Roman legion. It is very dull there, but the country is pretty, and the -air is wholesome."</p> - -<p>I detected a glint in his eyes, and guessed that this sudden move had -some relation to our conversation of a few days before.</p> - -<p>"I shall just take a few books with me," said Professor Gregg, "that is -all. Everything else will remain here for our return. I have got a -holiday," he went on, smiling at me, "and I shan't be sorry to be quit -for a time of my old bones and stones and rubbish. Do you know," he went -on, "I have been grinding away at facts for thirty years; it is time for -fancies."</p> - -<p>The days passed quickly; I could see that the professor was all -quivering with suppressed excitement, and I could scarce credit the -eager appetence of his glance as we left the old manor house behind us, -and began our journey. We set out at mid-day, and it was in the dusk of -the evening that we arrived at a little country station. I was tired, -and excited, and the drive through, the lanes seems all a dream. First -the deserted streets of a forgotten village, while I heard Professor -Gregg's voice talking of the Augustan Legion and the clash of arms, and -all the tremendous pomp that followed the eagles; then the broad river -swimming to full tide with the last afterglow glimmering duskily in the -yellow water, the wide meadows, and the cornfields whitening, and the -deep lane winding on the slope between the hills and the water. At last -we began to ascend, and the air grew rarer; I looked down and saw the -pure white mist tracking the outline of the river like a shroud, and a -vague and shadowy country, imaginations and fantasy of swelling hills -and hanging woods, and half-shaped outlines of hills beyond, stand in -the distance the glare of the furnace fire on the mountain, growing by -turns a pillar of shining flame, and fading to a dull point of red. We -were slowly mounting a carriage drive, and then there came to me the -cool breath and the scent of the great wood that was above us; I seemed -to wander in its deepest depths, and there was the sound of trickling -water, the scent of the green leaves, and the breath of the summer -night. The carriage stopped at last, and I could scarcely distinguish -the form of the house as I waited a moment at the pillared porch; and -the rest of the evening seemed a dream of strange things bounded by the -great silence of the wood and the valley and the river.</p> - -<p>The next morning when I awoke and looked out of the bow window of the -big old-fashioned bedroom, I saw under a gray sky a country that was -still all mystery. The long, lovely valley, with the river winding in -and out below, crossed, in mid vision by a mediæval bridge of vaulted -and buttressed stone, the clear presence of the rising ground beyond, -and the woods that I had only seen in shadow the night before, seemed -tinged with enchantment, and the soft breath, of air that sighed in at -the opened pane was like no other wind. I looked across the valley, and -beyond, hill followed on hill as wave on wave, and here a faint blue -pillar of smoke rose still in the morning air from the chimney of an -ancient gray farmhouse, there was a rugged height crowned with dark -firs, and in the distance I saw the white streak of a road that climbed -and vanished into some unimagined country. But the boundary of all was a -great wall of mountain, vast in the west, and ending like a fortress -with a steep ascent and a domed tumulus clear against the sky.</p> - -<p>I saw Professor Gregg walking up and down the terrace path below the -windows, and it was evident that he was revelling in the sense of -liberty, and the thought that he had, for a while, bidden good-bye to -task-work. When I joined him there was exultation in his voice as he -pointed out the sweep of valley and the river that wound beneath the -lovely hills.</p> - -<p>"Yes," he said, "it is a strangely beautiful country; and to me, at -least, it seems full of mystery. You have not forgotten the drawer I -showed you, Miss Lally? No; and you have guessed that I have come here -not merely for the sake of the children and the fresh air?"</p> - -<p>"I think I have guessed as much as that," I replied; "but you must -remember I do not know the mere nature of your investigations; and as -for the connection between the search and this wonderful valley, it is -past my guessing."</p> - -<p>He smiled queerly at me. "You must not think I am making a mystery for -the sake of mystery," he said. "I do not speak out because, so far, -there is nothing to be spoken, nothing definite I mean, nothing that can -be set down in hard black and white, as dull and sure and irreproachable -as any blue book. And then I have another reason: many years ago a -chance paragraph in a newspaper caught my attention, and focussed in an -instant the vagrant thoughts and half-formed fancies of many idle and -speculative hours into a certain hypothesis. I saw at once that I was -treading on a thin crust; my theory was wild and fantastic in the -extreme, and I would not for any consideration have written a hint of it -for publication. But I thought that in the company of scientific men -like myself, men who knew the course of discovery, and were aware that -the gas that blazes and flares in the gin-palace was once a wild -hypothesis; I thought that with such men as these I might hazard my -dream—let us say Atlantis, or the philosopher's stone, or what you -like—without danger of ridicule. I found I was grossly mistaken; my -friends looked blankly at me and at one another, and I could see -something of pity, and something also of insolent contempt, in the -glances they exchanged. One of them called on me next day, and hinted -that I must be suffering from overwork and brain exhaustion. 'In plain -terms,' I said, 'you think I am going mad. I think not;' and I showed -him out with some little appearance of heat. Since that day I vowed that -I would never whisper the nature of my theory to any living soul; to no -one but yourself have I ever shown the contents of that drawer. After -all, I may be following a rainbow; I may have been misled by the play of -coincidence; but as I stand here in this mystic hush and silence amidst -the woods and wild hills, I am more than ever sure that I am hot on the -scent. Come, it is time we went in."</p> - -<p>To me in all this there was something both of wonder and excitement; I -knew how in his ordinary work Professor Gregg moved step by step, -testing every inch of the way, and never venturing on assertion without -proof that was impregnable. Yet I divined more from his glance and the -vehemence of his tone than from the spoken word that he had in his every -thought the vision of the almost incredible continually with him; and I, -who was with some share of imagination no little of a sceptic, offended -at a hint of the marvellous, could not help asking myself whether he was -cherishing a monomania, and barring out from this one subject all the -scientific method of his other life.</p> - -<p>Yet, with, this image of mystery haunting my thoughts, I surrendered -wholly to the charm of the country. Above the faded house on the -hillside began the great forest; a long dark line seen from the opposing -hills, stretching above the river for many a mile from north to south, -and yielding in the north to even wilder country, barren and savage -hills, and ragged common land, a territory all strange and unvisited, -and more unknown to Englishmen than the very heart of Africa. The space -of a couple of steep fields alone separated the house from the wood, and -the children were delighted to follow me up the long alleys of -undergrowth, between smooth pleached walls of shining beech, to the -highest point in the wood, whence one looked on one side across the -river and the rise and fall of the country to the great western mountain -wall, and on the other, over the surge and dip of the myriad trees of -the forest, over level meadows and the shining yellow sea to the faint -coast beyond. I used to sit at this point on the warm sunlit turf which -marked the track of the Roman Road, while the two children raced about -hunting for the whinberries that grew here and there on the banks. Here -beneath the deep blue sky and the great clouds rolling, like olden -galleons with sails full-bellied, from the sea to the hills, as I -listened to the whispered charm of the great and ancient wood, I lived -solely for delight, and only remembered strange things when we would -return to the house, and find Professor Gregg either shut up in the -little room he had made his study, or else pacing the terrace with the -look, patient and enthusiastic, of the determined seeker.</p> - -<p>One morning, some eight or nine days after our arrival, I looked out of -my window and saw the whole landscape transmuted before me. The clouds -had dipped low and hidden the mountain in the west, and a southern wind -was driving the rain in shifting pillars up the valley, and the little -brooklet that burst the hill below the house now raged, a red torrent, -down to the river. We were perforce obliged to keep snug within doors, -and when I had attended to my pupils, I sat down in the morning-room -where the ruins of a library still encumbered an old-fashioned bookcase. -I had inspected the shelves once or twice, but their contents had failed -to attract me; volumes of eighteenth century sermons, an old book on -farriery, a collection of "Poems" by "persons of quality," Prideaux's -"Connection," and an odd volume of Pope were the boundaries of the -library, and there seemed little doubt that everything of interest or -value had been removed. Now, however, in desperation, I began to -re-examine the musty sheepskin and calf bindings, and found, much to my -delight, a fine old quarto printed by the Stephani, containing the three -books of Pomponius Mela, "De Situ Orbis," and other of the ancient -geographers. I knew enough of Latin to steer my way through an ordinary -sentence, and I soon became absorbed in the odd mixture of fact and -fancy; light shining on a little of the space of the world, and beyond -mist and shadow and awful forms. Glancing over the clear-printed pages, -my attention was caught by the heading of a chapter in Solinus, and I -read the words:—</p> - -<p class="center"> -MIRA DE INTIMIS GENTIBUS LIBYAE, DE LAPIDE<br /> -HEXECONTALITHO.<br /> -</p> - -<p>"The wonders of the people that inhabit the inner parts of Libya, and of -the stone called Sixtystone."</p> - -<p>The odd title attracted me and I read on:—</p> - -<p>"Gens ista avia et secreta habitat, in montibus horrendis fÅ“da -mysteria celebrat. De hominibus nihil aliud illi præferunt quam -figuram, ab humano ritu prorsus exulant, oderunt deum lucis. Stridunt -potius quam loquuntur; vox absona nec sine horrore auditur. Lapide -quodam gloriantur, quem Hexecontalithon vocant, dicunt enim hunc lapidem -sexaginta notas ostendere. Cujus lapidis nomen secretum ineffabile -colunt: quod Ixaxar."</p> - -<p>"This folk," I translated to myself, "dwells in remote and secret -places, and celebrates foul mysteries on savage hills. Nothing have they -in common with men save the face, and the customs of humanity are wholly -strange to them; and they hate the sun. They hiss rather than speak; -their voices are harsh, and not to be heard without fear. They boast of -a certain stone, which they call Sixtystone; for they say that it -displays sixty characters. And this stone has a secret unspeakable name; -which is Ixaxar."</p> - -<p>I laughed at the queer inconsequence of all this, and thought it fit for -Sinbad the Sailor or other of the supplementary Nights. When I saw -Professor Gregg in the course of the day, I told him of my find in the -bookcase, and the fantastic rubbish I had been reading. To my surprise, -he looked up at me with an expression of great interest.</p> - -<p>"That is really very curious," he said. "I have never thought it worth -while to look into the old geographers, and I daresay I have missed a -good deal. Ah, that is the passage, is it. It seems a shame to rob you -of your entertainment, but I really think I must carry off the book."</p> - -<p>The next day the professor called to me to come to the study. I found -him sitting at a table in the full light of the window, scrutinizing -something very attentively with a magnifying-glass.</p> - -<p>"Ah, Miss Lally," he began, "I want to use your eyes. This glass is -pretty good, but not like my old one that I left in town. Would you -mind examining the thing yourself, and telling me how many characters -are cut on it?"</p> - -<p>He handed me the object in his hand, and I saw that it was the black -seal he had shown me in London, and my heart began to beat with the -thought that I was presently to know something. I took the seal, and -holding it up to the light checked off the grotesque dagger-shaped -characters one by one.</p> - -<p>"I make sixty-two," I said at last.</p> - -<p>"Sixty-two? Nonsense; it's impossible. Ah, I see what you have done, you -have counted that and that," and he pointed to two marks which I had -certainly taken as letters with the rest.</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes," Professor Gregg went on; "but those are obvious scratches, -done accidentally; I saw that at once. Yes, then that's quite right. -Thank you very much, Miss Lally."</p> - -<p>I was going away, rather disappointed at my having been called in merely -to count a number of marks on the black seal, when suddenly there -flashed into my mind what I had read in the morning.</p> - -<p>"But, Professor Gregg, I cried, breathless, the seal, the seal. Why, it -is the stone Hexecontalithos that Solinus writes of; it is Ixaxar."</p> - -<p>"Yes," he said, "I suppose it is. Or it maybe a mere coincidence. It -never does to be too sure, you know, in these matters. Coincidence -killed the professor."</p> - -<p>I went away puzzled by what I had heard, and as much as ever at a loss -to find the ruling clew in this maze of strange evidence. For three days -the bad weather lasted, changing from driving rain to a dense mist, fine -and dripping, and we seemed to be shut up in a white cloud that veiled -all the world away from us. All the while Professor Gregg was darkling -in his room, unwilling, it appeared, to dispense confidences or talk of -any kind, and I heard him walking to and fro with a quick, impatient -step, as if he were in some way wearied of inaction. The fourth morning -was fine, and at breakfast the professor said briskly:—</p> - -<p>"We want some extra help about the house; a boy of fifteen or sixteen, -you know. There are a lot of little odd jobs that take up the maids' -time, which a boy could do much better."</p> - -<p>"The girls have not complained to me in any way," I replied. "Indeed, -Anne said there was much less work than in London, owing to there being -so little dust."</p> - -<p>"Ah, yes, they are very good girls. But I think we shall do much better -with a boy. In fact, that is what has been bothering me for the last two -days."</p> - -<p>"Bothering you?" I said in astonishment, for as a matter of fact the -professor never took the slightest interest in the affairs of the house.</p> - -<p>"Yes," he said, "the weather, you know. I really couldn't go out in that -Scotch mist; I don't know the country very well, and I should have lost -my way. But I am going to get the boy this morning."</p> - -<p>"But how do you know there is such a boy as you want anywhere about?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, I have no doubt as to that. I may have to walk a mile or two at the -most, but I am sure to find just the boy I require."</p> - -<p>I thought the professor was poking, but though his tone was airy enough -there was something grim and set about his features that puzzled me. He -got his stick, and stood at the door looking meditatively before him, -and as I passed through the hall he called to me.</p> - -<p>"By the way, Miss Lally, there was one thing I wanted to say to you. I -daresay you may have heard that some of these country lads are not over -bright; idiotic would be a harsh word to use, and they are usually -called 'naturals,' or something of the kind, I hope you won't mind if -the boy I am after should turn out not too keen-witted; he will be -perfectly harmless, of course, and blacking boots doesn't need much -mental effort."</p> - -<p>With that he was gone, striding up the road that led to the wood; and I -remained stupefied, and then for the first time my astonishment was -mingled with a sudden note of terror, arising I knew not whence, and all -unexplained even to myself, and yet I felt about my heart for an instant -something of the chill of death, and that shapeless, formless dread of -the unknown that is worse than death itself. I tried to find courage in -the sweet air that blew up from the sea, and in the sunlight after rain, -but the mystic woods seemed to darken around me; and the vision of the -river coiling between the reeds, and the silver gray of the ancient -bridge, fashioned in my mind symbols of vague dread, as the mind of a -child fashions terror from things harmless and familiar.</p> - -<p>Two hours later Professor Gregg returned. I met him as he came down the -road, and asked quietly if he had been able to find a boy.</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes," he answered; "I found one easily enough. His name is Jervase -Cradock, and I expect he will make himself very useful. His father has -been dead for many years, and the mother, whom I saw, seemed very glad -at the prospect of a few shillings extra coming in on Saturday nights. -As I expected, he is not too sharp, has fits at times, the mother said; -but as he will not be trusted with the china, that doesn't much matter, -does it? And he is not in any way dangerous, you know, merely a little -weak."</p> - -<p>"When is he coming?"</p> - -<p>"To-morrow morning at eight o'clock. Anne will show him what he has to -do, and how to do it. At first he will go home every night, but perhaps -it may ultimately turn out more convenient for him to sleep here, and -only go home for Sundays."</p> - -<p>I found nothing to say to all this. Professor Gregg spoke in a quiet -tone of matter-of-fact, as indeed was warranted by the circumstance; and -yet I could not quell my sensation of astonishment at the whole affair. -I knew that in reality no assistance was wanted in the housework, and -the professor's prediction that the boy he was to engage might prove a -little "simple," followed by so exact a fulfilment, struck me as bizarre -in the extreme. The next morning I heard from, the housemaid that the -boy Cradock had come at eight, and that she had been trying to make him -useful. "He doesn't seem quite all there, I don't think, miss," was her -comment; and later in the day I saw him helping the old man who worked -in the garden. He was a youth of about fourteen, with black hair and -black eyes, and an olive skin, and I saw at once from the curious -vacancy of his expression that he was mentally weak. He touched his -forehead awkwardly as I went by, and I heard him answering the gardener -in a queer, harsh voice that caught my attention; it gave me the -impression of some one speaking deep below under the earth, and there -was a strange sibilance, like the hissing of the phonograph as the -pointer travels over the cylinder. I heard that he seemed anxious to do -what he could, and was quite docile and obedient, and Morgan the -gardener, who knew his mother, assured me he was perfectly harmless. -"He's always been a bit queer," he said, "and no wonder, after what his -mother went through before he was born. I did know his father, Thomas -Cradock, well, and a very fine workman he was too, indeed. He got -something wrong with his lungs owing to working in the wet woods, and -never got over it, and went off quite sudden like. And they do say as -how Mrs. Cradock was quite off her head; anyhow, she was found by Mr. -Hillyer, Ty Coch, all crouched up on the Gray Hills, over there, crying -and weeping like a lost soul. And Jervase he was born about eight months -afterwards, and as I was saying, he was a bit queer always; and they do -say when he could scarcely walk he would frighten the other children -into fits with the noises he would make."</p> - -<p>A word in the story had stirred up some remembrance within me, and -vaguely curious, I asked the old man where the Gray Hills were.</p> - -<p>"Up there," he said, with the same gesture he had used before; "you go -past the Fox and Hounds, and through the forest, by the old ruins. It's -a good five mile from here, and a strange sort of a place. The poorest -soil between this and Monmouth, they do say, though it's good feed for -sheep. Yes, it was a sad thing for poor Mrs. Cradock."</p> - -<p>The old man turned to his work, and I strolled on down the path between -the espaliers, gnarled and gouty with age, thinking of the story I had -heard, and groping for the point in it that had some key to my memory. -In an instant it came before me; I had seen the phrase "Gray Hills" on -the slip of yellowed paper that Professor Gregg had taken from the -drawer in his cabinet. Again I was seized with pangs of mingled -curiosity and fear; I remembered the strange characters copied from the -limestone rock, and then again their identity with the inscription on -the age-old seal, and the fantastic fables of the Latin geographer. I -saw beyond doubt that, unless coincidence had set all the scene and -disposed all these bizarre events with curious art, I was to be a -spectator of things far removed from the usual and customary traffic and -jostle of life. Professor Gregg I noted day by day. He was hot on his -trail, growing lean with eagerness; and in the evenings, when the sun -was swimming on the verge of the mountain, he would pace the terrace to -and fro with his eyes on the ground, while the mist grew white in the -valley, and the stillness of the evening brought far voices near, and -the blue smoke rose a straight column from the diamond-shaped chimney of -the gray farmhouse, just as I had seen it on the first morning. I have -told you I was of sceptical habit; but though I understood little or -nothing, I began to dread, vainly proposing to myself the iterated -dogmas of science that all life is material, and that in the system of -things there is no undiscovered land even beyond the remotest stars, -where the supernatural can find a footing. Yet there struck in on this -the thought that matter is as really awful and unknown as spirit, that -science itself but dallies on the threshold, scarcely gaining more than -a glimpse of the wonders of the inner place.</p> - -<p>There is one day that stands up from amidst the others as a grim red -beacon, betokening evil to come. I was sitting on a bench in the garden, -watching the boy Cradock weeding, when I was suddenly alarmed by a harsh -and choking sound, like the cry of a wild beast in anguish, and I was -unspeakably shocked to see the unfortunate lad standing in full view -before me, his whole body quivering and shaking at short intervals as -though shocks of electricity were passing through him, and his teeth -grinding, and foam gathering on his lips, and his face all swollen and -blackened to a hideous mask of humanity. I shrieked with terror, and -Professor Gregg came running; and as I pointed to Cradock, the boy with -one convulsive shudder fell face forward, and lay on the wet earth, his -body writhing like a wounded blind-worm, and an inconceivable babble of -sounds bursting and rattling and hissing from his lips; he seemed to -pour forth an infamous jargon, with words, or what seemed words, that -might have belonged to a tongue dead since untold ages, and buried deep -beneath Nilotic mud, or in the inmost recesses of the Mexican forest. -For a moment the thought passed through my mind, as my ears were still -revolted with that infernal clamor, "Surely this is the very speech of -hell," and then I cried out again and again, and ran away shuddering to -my inmost soul. I had seen Professor Gregg's face as he stooped over the -wretched boy and raised him, and I was appalled by the glow of -exultation that shone on every lineament and feature. As I sat in my -room with drawn blinds, and my eyes hidden in my hands, I heard heavy -steps beneath, and I was told afterwards that Professor Gregg had -carried Cradock to his study, and had locked the door. I heard voices -murmur indistinctly, and I trembled to think of what might be passing -within a few feet of where I sat; I longed to escape to the woods and -sunshine, and yet I dreaded the sights that might confront me on the -way. And at last, as I held the handle of the door nervously, I heard -Professor Gregg's voice calling to me with a cheerful ring: "It's all -right now, Miss Lally," he said. "The poor fellow has got over it, and I -have been arranging for him to sleep here after to-morrow. Perhaps I may -be able to do something for him."</p> - -<p>"Yes," he said later, "it was a very painful sight, and I don't wonder -you were alarmed. We may hope that good food will build him up a little, -but I am afraid he will never be really cured;" and he affected the -dismal and conventional air with which one speaks of hopeless illness, -and yet beneath it I detected the delight that leapt up rampant within -him, and fought and struggled to find utterance. It was as if one -glanced down on the even surface of the sea, clear and immobile, and saw -beneath raging depths, and a storm of contending billows. It was indeed -to me a torturing and offensive problem that this man, who had so -bounteously rescued me from the sharpness of death, and showed himself -in all the relations of life full of benevolence and pity and kindly -forethought, should so manifestly be for once on the side of the demons, -and take a ghastly pleasure in the torments of an afflicted -fellow-creature. Apart, I struggled with the horned difficulty, and -strove to find the solution, but without the hint of a clue; beset by -mystery and contradiction, I saw nothing that might help me, and began -to wonder whether, after all, I had not escaped from the white mist of -the suburb at too dear a rate. I hinted something of my thought to the -professor; I said enough to let him know that I was in the most acute -perplexity, but the moment after regretted what I had done, when I saw -his face contort with a spasm of pain.</p> - -<p>"My dear Miss Lally," he said, "you surely do not wish to leave us? No, -no, you would not do it. You do not know how I rely on you; how -confidently I go forward, assured that you are here to watch over my -children. You, Miss Lally, are my rear-guard; for, let me tell you, that -the business in which I am engaged is not wholly devoid of peril. You -have not forgotten what I said the first morning here; my lips are shut -by an old and firm resolve, till they can open to utter no ingenious -hypothesis or vague surmise but irrefragable fact, as certain as a -demonstration in mathematics. Think over it, Miss Lally, not for a -moment would I endeavor to keep you here against your own instincts, and -yet I tell you frankly that I am persuaded that it is here, here amidst -the woods, that your duty lies."</p> - -<p>I was touched by the eloquence of his tone, and by the remembrance that -the man, after all, had been my salvation, and I gave him my hand on a -promise to serve him loyally and without question. A few days later the -rector of our church, a little church, gray and severe and quaint, that -hovered on the very banks of the river and watched the tides swim and -return, came to see us, and Professor Gregg easily persuaded him to stay -and share our dinner. Mr. Meyrick was a member of an antique family of -squires, whose old manor house stood amongst the hills some seven miles -away, and thus rooted in the soil, the rector was a living store of all -the old fading customs and lore of the country. His manner, genial with -a deal of retired oddity, won on Professor Gregg; and towards the -cheese, when a curious Burgundy had begun its incantations, the two men -glowed like the wine, and talked of philology with the enthusiasm of a -burgess over the peerage. The parson was expounding the pronunciation of -the Welsh <i>ll</i>, and producing sounds like the gurgle of his native -brooks, when Professor Gregg struck in.</p> - -<p>"By the way," he said, "that was a very odd word I met with the other -day. You know my boy, poor Jervase Cradock. Well, he has got the bad -habit of talking to himself, and the day before yesterday I was walking -in the garden here and heard him; he was evidently quite unconscious of -my presence. A lot of what he said I couldn't make out, but one word, -struck me distinctly. It was such an odd sound; half-sibilant, -half-guttural, and as quaint as those double <i>ll</i>'s you have been -demonstrating. I do not know whether I can give you an idea of the -sound. "Ishakshar" is perhaps as near as I can get; but the <i>k</i> ought to -be a Greek <i>chi</i> or a Spanish <i>j</i>. Now what does it mean in Welsh?"</p> - -<p>"In Welsh?" said the parson. "There is no such word in Welsh, nor any -word remotely resembling it. I know the book-Welsh, as they call it, and -the colloquial dialects as well as any man, but there's no word like -that from Anglesea to Usk. Besides, none of the Cradocks speak a word of -Welsh; it's dying out about here."</p> - -<p>"Really. You interest me extremely, Mr. Meyrick. I confess the word -didn't strike me as having the Welsh ring. But I thought it might be -some local corruption."</p> - -<p>"No, I never heard such a word, or anything like it. Indeed," he added, -smiling whimsically, "if it belongs to any language, I should say it -must be that of the fairies,—the Tylwydd Têg, as we call them."</p> - -<p>The talk went on to the discovery of a Roman villa in the neighborhood; -and soon after I left the room, and sat down apart to wonder at the -drawing together of such strange clues of evidence. As the professor had -spoken of the curious word, I had caught the glint of his eye upon me; -and though the pronunciation he gave was grotesque in the extreme, I -recognized the name of the stone of sixty characters mentioned by -Solinus, the black seal shut up in some secret drawer of the study, -stamped forever by a vanished race with signs that no man could read, -signs that might, for all I knew, be the veils of awful things done long -ago, and forgotten before the hills were moulded into form.</p> - -<p>When, the next morning, I came down, I found Professor Gregg pacing the -terrace in his eternal walk.</p> - -<p>"Look at that bridge," he said when he saw me, "observe the quaint and -Gothic design, the angles between the arches, and the silvery gray of -the stone in the awe of the morning light. I confess it seems to me -symbolic; it should illustrate a mystical allegory of the passage from -one world to another."</p> - -<p>"Professor Gregg," I said quietly, "it is time that I knew something of -what has happened, and of what is to happen."</p> - -<p>For the moment he put me off, but I returned again with the same -question in the evening, and then Professor Gregg flamed with -excitement. "Don't you understand yet?" he cried. "But I have told you a -good deal; yes, and shown you a good deal. You have heard pretty nearly -all that I have heard, and seen what I have seen; or at least," and his -voice chilled as he spoke, "enough to make a good deal clear as noonday. -The servants told you, I have no doubt, that the wretched boy Cradock -had another seizure the night before last; he awoke me with cries in -that voice you heard in the garden, and I went to him, and God forbid -you should see what I saw that night. But all this is useless; my time -here is drawing to a close; I must be back in town in three weeks, as I -have a course of lectures to prepare, and need all my books about me. In -a very few days it will be all over, and I shall no longer hint, and no -longer be liable to ridicule as a madman and a quack. No, I shall speak -plainly, and I shall be heard with such emotions as perhaps no other man -has ever drawn from the breasts of his fellows."</p> - -<p>He paused, and seemed to grow radiant with the joy of great and -wonderful discovery.</p> - -<p>"But all that is for the future, the near future certainly, but still -the future," he went on at length. "There is something to be done yet; -you will remember my telling you that my researches were not altogether -devoid of peril? Yes, there is a certain amount of danger to be faced; I -did not know how much when I spoke on the subject before, and to a -certain extent I am still in the dark. But it will be a strange -adventure, the last of all, the last demonstration in the chain."</p> - -<p>He was walking up and down the room as he spoke, and I could hear in his -voice the contending tones of exultation and despondence, or perhaps I -should say awe, the awe of a man who goes forth on unknown waters, and I -thought of his allusion to Columbus on the night he had laid his book -before me. The evening was a little chilly, and a fire of logs had been -lighted in the study where we were, and the remittent flame and the glow -on the walls reminded me of the old days. I was sitting silent in an -armchair by the fire, wondering over all I had heard, and still vainly -speculating as to the secret springs concealed from me under all the -phantasmagoria I had witnessed, when I became suddenly aware of a -sensation that change of some sort had been at work in the room, and -that there was something unfamiliar in its aspect. For some time I -looked about me, trying in vain to localize the alteration that I knew -had been made; the table by the window, the chairs, the faded settee -were all as I had known them. Suddenly, as a sought-for recollection -flashes into the mind, I knew what was amiss. I was facing the -professor's desk, which stood on the other side of the fire, and above -the desk was a grimy looking bust of Pitt, that I had never seen there -before. And then I remembered the true position of this work of art; in -the furthest corner by the door was an old cupboard, projecting into the -room, and on the top of the cupboard, fifteen feet from the floor, the -bust had been, and there no doubt it had delayed, accumulating dirt -since the early years of the century.</p> - -<p>I was utterly amazed, and sat silent still, in a confusion of thought. -There was, so far as I knew, no such thing as a step-ladder in the -house, for I had asked for one to make some alterations in the curtains -of my room; and a tall man standing on a chair would have found it -impossible to take down the bust. It had been placed not on the edge of -the cupboard, but far back against the wall; and Professor Gregg was, if -anything, under the average height.</p> - -<p>"How on earth did you manage to get down Pitt?" I said at last.</p> - -<p>The professor looked curiously at me, and seemed to hesitate a little.</p> - -<p>"They must have found you a step-ladder, or perhaps the gardener brought -in a short ladder from outside."</p> - -<p>"No, I have had no ladder of any kind. Now, Miss Lally," he went on with -an awkward simulation of jest, "there is a little puzzle for you; a -problem in the manner of the inimitable Holmes; there are the facts, -plain and patent; summon your acuteness to the solution of the puzzle. -For Heaven's sake," he cried with a breaking voice, "say no more about -it. I tell you, I never touched the thing," and he went out of the room -with horror manifest on his face, and his hand shook and jarred the door -behind him.</p> - -<p>I looked round the room in vague surprise, not at all realizing what had -happened, making vain and idle surmises by way of explanation, and -wondering at the stirring of black waters by an idle word, and the -trivial change of an ornament. "This is some petty business, some whim -on which I have jarred," I reflected; "the professor is perhaps -scrupulous and superstitious over trifles, and my question may have -outraged unacknowledged fears, as though one killed a spider or spilled -the salt before the very eyes of a practical Scotchwoman." I was -immersed in these fond suspicions, and began to plume myself a little on -my immunity from such empty fears, when the truth fell heavily as lead -upon my heart, and I recognized with cold terror that some awful -influence had been at work. The bust was simply inaccessible; without a -ladder no one could have touched it.</p> - -<p>I went out to the kitchen and spoke as quietly as I could to the -housemaid.</p> - -<p>"Who moved that bust from the top of the cupboard, Anne?" I said to her. -"Professor Gregg says he has not touched it. Did you find an old -step-ladder in one of the outhouses?"</p> - -<p>The girl looked at me blankly.</p> - -<p>"I never touched it," she said. "I found it where it is now the other -morning when I dusted the room. I remember now, it, was Wednesday -morning, because it was the morning after Cradock was taken bad in the -night. My room is next to his, you know, miss," the girl went on -piteously; "and it was awful to hear how he cried and called out names -that I couldn't understand. It made me feel all afraid, and then master -came, and I heard him speak, and he took down Cradock to the study and -gave him something."</p> - -<p>"And you found that bust moved the next morning?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, miss, there was a queer sort of a smell in the study when I came -down and opened the windows; a bad smell it was, and I wondered what it -could be. Do you know, miss, I went a long time ago to the Zoo in London -with my cousin Thomas Barker, one afternoon that I had off, when I was -at Mrs. Prince's in Stanhope Gate, and we went into the snake-house to -see the snakes, and it was just the same sort of a smell, very sick it -made me feel, I remember, and I got Barker to take me out. And it was -just the same kind of a smell in the study, as I was saying, and I was -wondering what it could be from, when I see that bust with Pitt cut in -it standing on the master's desk, and I thought to myself, now who has -done that, and how have they done it? And when I came to dust the -things, I looked at the bust, and I saw a great mark on it where the -dust was gone, for I don't think it can have been touched with a duster -for years and years, and it wasn't like finger-marks, but a large patch -like, broad and spread out. So I passed my hand over it, without -thinking what I was doing, and where that patch was it was all sticky -and slimy, as if a snail had crawled over it. Very strange, isn't it, -miss? and I wonder who can have done it, and how that mess was made."</p> - -<p>The well-meant gabble of the servant touched me to the quick. I lay down -upon my bed, and bit my lip that I should not cry out loud in the sharp -anguish of my terror and bewilderment. Indeed, I was almost mad with -dread; I believe that if it had been daylight I should have fled hot -foot, forgetting all courage and all the debt of gratitude that was due -to Professor Gregg, not caring whether my fate were that I must starve -slowly so long as I might escape from the net of blind and panic fear -that every day seemed to draw a little closer round me. If I knew, I -thought, if I knew what there were to dread, I could guard against it; -but here, in this lonely house, shut in on all sides by the olden woods -and the vaulted hills, terror seems to spring inconsequent from every -covert, and the flesh is aghast at the half-heard murmurs of horrible -things. All in vain I strove to summon scepticism to my aid, and -endeavored by cool common-sense to buttress my belief in a world of -natural order, for the air that blew in at the open window was a mystic -breath, and in the darkness I felt the silence go heavy and sorrowful -as a mass of requiem, and I conjured images of strange shapes gathering -fast amidst the reeds, beside the wash of the river.</p> - -<p>In the morning, from the moment that I set foot in the breakfast-room I -felt that the unknown plot was drawing to a crisis; the professor's face -was firm and set, and he seemed hardly to hear our voices when we spoke.</p> - -<p>"I am going out for rather a long walk," he said, when the meal was -over. "You mustn't be expecting me, now, or thinking anything has -happened if I don't turn up to dinner. I have been getting stupid -lately, and I dare say a miniature walking tour will do me good. Perhaps -I may even spend the night in some little inn, if I find any place that -looks clean and comfortable."</p> - -<p>I heard this, and knew by my experience of Professor Gregg's manner that -it was no ordinary business or pleasure that impelled him. I knew not, -nor even remotely guessed, where he was bound, nor had I the vaguest -notion of his errand, but all the fear of the night before returned; and -as he stood, smiling, on the terrace, ready to set out, I implored him -to stay, and to forget all his dreams of the undiscovered continent.</p> - -<p>"No, no, Miss Lally," he replied, still smiling, "it's too late now. -<i>Vestigia nulla retrorsum</i>, you know, is the device of all true -explorers, though I hope it won't be literally true in my ease. But, -indeed, you are wrong to alarm yourself so; I look upon my little -expedition as quite commonplace; no more exciting than a day with the -geological hammers. There is a risk, of course, but so there is on the -commonest excursion. I can afford to be jaunty; I am doing nothing so -hazardous as 'Arry does a hundred times over in the course of every Bank -Holiday. Well, then, you must look more cheerfully; and so good-by till -to-morrow at latest."</p> - -<p>He walked briskly up the road, and I saw him open the gate that marks -the entrance of the wood, and then he vanished in the gloom of the -trees.</p> - -<p>All the day passed heavily with a strange darkness in the air, and again -I felt as if imprisoned amidst the ancient woods, shut in an olden land -of mystery and dread, and as if all was long ago and forgotten by the -living outside. I hoped and dreaded, and when the dinner-hour came, I -waited expecting to hear the professor's step in the hall, and his voice -exulting at I knew not what triumph. I composed my face to welcome him -gladly, but the night descended dark, and he did not come.</p> - -<p>In the morning when the maid knocked at my door, I called out to her, -and asked if her master had returned; and when she replied that his -bedroom stood open and empty, I felt the cold clasp of despair. Still, I -fancied he might have discovered genial company, and would return for -luncheon, or perhaps in the afternoon, and I took the children for a -walk in the forest, and tried my best to play and laugh with them, and -to shut out the thoughts of mystery and veiled terror. Hour after hour I -waited, and my thoughts grew darker; again the night came and found me -watching, and at last, as I was making much ado to finish my dinner, I -heard steps outside and the sound of a man's voice.</p> - -<p>The maid came in and looked oddly at me.</p> - -<p>"Please, miss," she began, "Mr. Morgan the gardener wants to speak to -you for a minute, if you didn't mind."</p> - -<p>"Show him in, please," I answered, and I set my lips tight.</p> - -<p>The old man came slowly into the room, and the servant shut the door -behind him.</p> - -<p>"Sit down, Mr. Morgan," I said; "what is it that you want to say to me?"</p> - -<p>"Well, miss, Mr. Gregg he gave me something for you yesterday morning, -just before he went off; and he told me particular not to hand it up -before eight o'clock this evening exactly, if so be as he wasn't back -again home before, and if he should come home before I was just to -return it to him in his own hands. So, you see, as Mr. Gregg isn't here -yet, I suppose I'd better give you the parcel directly."</p> - -<p>He pulled out something from his pocket, and gave it to me, half rising. -I took it silently, and seeing that Morgan seemed doubtful as to what he -was to do next, I thanked him and bade him good-night, and he went out. -I was left alone in the room with the parcel in my hand,—a paper parcel -neatly sealed and directed to me, with the instructions Morgan had -quoted all written in the professor's large loose hand. I broke the -seals with a choking at my heart, and found an envelope inside, -addressed also, but open, and I took the letter out.</p> - -<hr style="width: 45%;" /> - -<p>"MY DEAR MISS LALLY," it began, "To quote the old logic manual, the case -of your reading this note is a case of my having made a blunder of some -sort, and, I am afraid, a blunder that turns these lines into a -farewell. It is practically certain that neither you nor anyone else -will ever see me again. I have made my will with provision for this -eventuality, and I hope you will consent to accept the small remembrance -addressed to you, and my sincere thanks for the way in which you joined -your fortunes to mine. The fate which has come upon me is desperate and -terrible beyond the remotest dreams of man; but this fate you have a -right to know—if you please. If you look in the left-hand drawer of my -dressing-table, you will find the key of the escritoire, properly -labelled. In the well of the escritoire is a large envelope sealed and -addressed to your name. I advise you to throw it forthwith into the -fire; you will sleep better of nights if you do so. But if you must know -the history of what has happened, it is all written down for you to -read."</p> - -<hr style="width: 45%;" /> - -<p>The signature was firmly written below, and again I turned the page and -read out the words one by one, aghast and white to the lips, my hands -cold as ice, and sickness choking me. The dead silence of the room, and -the thought of the dark woods and hills closing me in on every side, -oppressed me, helpless and without capacity, and not knowing where to -turn for counsel. At last I resolved that though knowledge should haunt -my whole life and all the days to come, I must know the meaning of the -strange terrors that had so long tormented me, rising gray, dim, and -awful, like the shadows in the wood at dusk. I carefully carried out -Professor Gregg's directions, and not without reluctance broke the seal -of the envelope, and spread out his manuscript before me. That -manuscript I always carry with me, and I see that I cannot deny your -unspoken request to read it. This, then, was what I read that night, -sitting at the desk, with a shaded lamp beside me.</p> - -<p>The young lady who called herself Miss Lally then proceeded to recite:—</p> - -<hr style="width: 45%;" /> - -<p><i>The Statement of William Gregg, F.R.S., etc.</i></p> - -<p>It is many years since the first glimmer of the theory which is now -almost, if not quite, reduced to fact dawned first on my mind. A -somewhat extensive course of miscellaneous and obsolete reading had done -a good deal to prepare the way, and, later, when I became somewhat of a -specialist and immersed myself in the studies known as ethnological, I -was now and then startled by facts that would not square with orthodox -scientific opinion, and by discoveries that seemed to hint at something -still hidden for all our research. More particularly I became convinced -that much of the folk-lore of the world is but an exaggerated account of -events that really happened, and I was especially drawn to consider the -stories of the fairies, the good folk of the Celtic races. Here I -thought I could detect the fringe of embroidery and exaggeration, the -fantastic guise, the little people dressed in green and gold sporting in -the flowers, and I thought I saw a distinct analogy between the name -given to this race (supposed to be imaginary) and the description of -their appearance and manners. Just as our remote ancestors called the -dreaded beings "fair" and "good" precisely because they dreaded them, so -they had dressed them up in charming forms, knowing the truth to be the -very reverse. Literature, too, had gone early to work, and had lent a -powerful hand in the transformation, so that the playful elves of -Shakespeare are already far removed from the true original, and the real -horror is disguised in a form of prankish mischief. But in the older -tales, the stories that used to make men cross themselves as they sat -round the burning logs, we tread a different stage; I saw a widely -opposed spirit in certain histories of children and of men and women who -vanished strangely from the earth. They would be seen by a peasant in -the fields walking towards some green and rounded hillock, and seen no -more on earth; and there are stories of mothers who have left a child -quietly sleeping with the cottage door rudely barred with a piece of -wood, and have returned, not to find the plump and rosy little Saxon, -but a thin and wizened creature, with sallow skin and black piercing -eyes, the child of another race. Then, again, there were myths darker -still; the dread of witch and wizard, the lurid evil of the Sabbath, and -the hint of demons who mingled with the daughters of men. And just as we -have turned the terrible "fair folk" into a company of benignant, if -freakish, elves, so we have hidden from us the black foulness of the -witch and her companions under a popular <i>diablerie</i> of old women and -broomsticks and a comic cat with tail on end. So the Greeks called the -hideous furies benevolent ladies, and thus the northern nations have -followed their example. I pursued my investigations, stealing odd hours -from other and more imperative labors, and I asked myself the question: -Supposing these traditions to be true, who were the demons who are -reported to have attended the Sabbaths? I need not say that I laid aside -what I may call the supernatural hypothesis of the middle ages, and came -to the conclusion that fairies and devils were of one and the same race -and origin; invention, no doubt, and the Gothic fancy of old days had -done much in the way of exaggeration and distortion; yet I firmly -believed that beneath all this imagery there was a black background of -truth. As for some of the alleged wonders, I hesitated. While I should -be very loth to receive any one specific instance of modern spiritualism -as containing even a grain of the genuine, yet I was not wholly prepared -to deny that human flesh may now and then, once perhaps in ten million -cases, be the veil of powers which seem magical to us; powers which, so -far from proceeding from the heights and leading men thither, are in -reality survivals from the depths of being. The amÅ“ba and the snail -have powers which we do not possess; and I thought it possible that the -theory of reversion might explain many things which seem wholly -inexplicable. Thus stood my position; I saw good reason to believe that -much of the tradition, a vast deal of the earliest and uncorrupted -tradition of the so-called fairies, represented solid fact, and I -thought that the purely supernatural element in these traditions, was to -be accounted for on the hypothesis that a race which had fallen out of -the grand march of evolution might have retained, as a survival, certain -powers which would be to us wholly miraculous. Such was my theory as it -stood conceived in my mind; and working with, this in view, I seemed to -gather confirmation from every side, from the spoils of a tumulus or a -barrow, from a local paper reporting an antiquarian meeting in the -country, and from general literature of all kinds. Amongst other -instances, I remember being struck by the phrase "articulate-speaking -men" in Homer, as if the writer knew or had heard of men whose speech -was so rude that it could hardly be termed articulate; and on my -hypothesis of a race who had lagged far behind the rest, I could easily -conceive that such a folk would speak a jargon but little removed from -the inarticulate noises of brute-beasts.</p> - -<p>Thus I stood, satisfied that my conjecture was at all events not far -removed from fact, when a chance paragraph in a small country print one -day arrested my attention. It was a short account of what was to all -appearance the usual sordid tragedy of the village; a young girl -unaccountably missing, and evil rumor blatant and busy with her -reputation. Yet I could read between the lines that all this scandal was -purely hypothetical, and in all probability invented to account for what -was in any other manner unaccountable. A flight to London or Liverpool, -or an undiscovered body lying with a weight about its neck in the foul -depths of a woodland pool, of perhaps murder,—such were the theories of -the wretched girl's neighbors. But as I idly scanned the paragraph, a -flash of thought passed through me with the violence of an electric -shock: What if the obscure and horrible race of the hills still -survived, still remained haunting wild places, and barren hills, and now -and then repeating the evil of Gothic legend, unchanged and -unchangeable as the Turanian Shelta, or the Basques of Spain. I have -said that the thought came with violence; and indeed I drew in my breath -sharply, and clung with both hands to my elbow-chair, in a strange -confusion of horror and elation. It was as if one of my <i>confrères</i> of -physical science, roaming in a quiet English wood, had been suddenly -stricken aghast by the presence of the slimy and loathsome terror of the -ichthyosaurus, the original of the stories of the awful worms killed by -valorous knights, or had seen the sun darkened by the pterodactyl, the -dragon of tradition. Yet as a resolute explorer of knowledge, the -thought of such a discovery threw me into a passion of joy, and I cut -out the slip from the paper, and put it in a drawer in my old bureau, -resolved that it should be but the first piece in a collection of the -strangest significance. I sat long that evening dreaming of the -conclusions I should establish, nor did cooler reflection at first dash -my confidence. Yet as I began to put the case fairly, I saw that I might -be building on an unstable foundation; the facts might possibly be in -accordance with local opinion; and I regarded the affair with a mood of -some reserve. Yet I resolved to remain perched on the look-out, and I -hugged to myself the thought that I alone was watching and wakeful, -while the great crowd of thinkers and searchers stood heedless and -indifferent, perhaps letting the most prerogative facts pass by -unnoticed.</p> - -<p>Several years elapsed before I was enabled to add to the contents of the -drawer; and the second find was in reality not a valuable one, for it -was a mere repetition of the first, with only the variation of another -and distant locality. Yet I gained something; for in the second case, as -in the first, the tragedy took place in a desolate and lonely country, -and so far my theory seemed justified. But the third piece was to me far -more decisive. Again, amongst outland hills, far even from a main road -of traffic, an old man was found done to death, and the instrument of -execution was left beside him. Here, indeed, there was rumor and -conjecture, for the deadly tool was a primitive stone axe, bound by gut -to the wooden handle, and surmises the most extravagant and improbable -were indulged in. Yet, as I thought with a kind of glee, the wildest -conjectures went far astray; and I took the pains to enter into -correspondence with the local doctor, who was called at the inquest. He, -a man of some acuteness, was dumfoundered. "It will not do to speak of -these things in country places, he wrote to me; but, frankly, Professor -Gregg, there is some hideous mystery here. I have obtained possession of -the stone axe, and have been so curious as to test its powers. I took it -into the back-garden of my house one Sunday afternoon when my family and -the servants were all out, and there, sheltered by the poplar hedges, I -made my experiments. I found the thing utterly unmanageable. Whether -there is some peculiar balance, some nice adjustment of weights, which -require incessant practice, or whether an effectual blow can be struck -only by a certain trick of the muscles, I do not know; but I assure you -that I went into the house with but a sorry opinion of my athletic -capacities. It was like an inexperienced man trying 'putting the -hammer;' the force exerted seemed to return on oneself, and I found -myself hurled backwards with violence, while the axe fell harmless to -the ground. On another occasion I tried the experiment with a clever -woodman of the place; but this man, who had handled his axe for forty -years, could do nothing with the stone implement, and missed every -stroke most ludicrously. In short, if it were not so supremely absurd, I -should say that for four thousand years no one on earth could have -struck an effective blow with the tool that undoubtedly was used to -murder the old man." This, as may be imagined, was to me rare news; and -afterwards, when I heard the whole story, and learned that the -unfortunate old man had babbled tales of what might be seen at night on -a certain wild hillside, hinting at unheard-of wonders, and that he had -been found cold one morning on the very hill in question, my exultation -was extreme, for I felt I was leaving conjecture far behind me. But the -next step was of still greater importance. I had possessed for many -years an extraordinary stone seal,—a piece of dull black stone, two -inches long from the handle to the stamp, and the stamping end a rough -hexagon an inch and a quarter in diameter. Altogether, it presented the -appearance of an enlarged tobacco-stopper of an old-fashioned make. It -had been sent to me by an agent in the East, who informed me that it had -been found near the site of the ancient Babylon. But the characters -engraved on the seal were to me an intolerable puzzle. Somewhat of the -cuneiform pattern, there were yet striking differences, which I -detected at the first glance, and all efforts to read the inscription on -the hypothesis that the rules for deciphering the arrow-headed writing -would apply proved futile. A riddle such as this stung my pride, and at -odd moments I would take the Black Seal out of the cabinet, and -scrutinize it with so much idle perseverance that every letter was -familiar to my mind, and I could have drawn the inscription from memory -without the slightest error. Judge then of my surprise, when I one day -received from a correspondent in the west of England a letter and an -enclosure that positively left me thunderstruck. I saw carefully traced -on a large piece of paper the very characters of the Black Seal, without -alteration of any kind, and above the inscription my friend had written: -<i>Inscription found on a limestone rock on the Grey Hills, Monmouthshire. -Done in some red earth and quite recent</i>. I turned to the letter. My -friend wrote: "I send you the enclosed inscription with all due reserve. -A shepherd who passed by the stone a week ago swears that there was then -no mark of any kind. The characters, as I have noted, are formed by -drawing some red earth over the stone, and are of an average height of -one inch. They look to me like a kind of cuneiform character, a good -deal altered, but this of course is impossible. It may be either a hoax -or more probably some scribble of the gypsies, who are plentiful enough -in this wild country. They have, as you are aware, many hieroglyphics -which they use in communicating with one another. I happened to visit -the stone in question two days ago in connection with a rather painful -incident which has occurred here."</p> - -<p>As may be supposed, I wrote immediately to my friend, thanking him for -the copy of the inscription, and asking him in a casual manner, the -history of the incident he mentioned. To be brief, I heard that a woman -named Cradock, who had lost her husband a day before, had set out to -communicate the sad news to a cousin who lived some five miles away. She -took a short cut which led by the Gray Hills. Mrs. Cradock, who was then -quite a young woman, never arrived at her relative's house. Late that -night a farmer who had lost a couple of sheep, supposed to have wandered -from the flock, was walking over the Gray Hills, with a lantern and his -dog. His attention was attracted by a noise, which he described as a -kind of wailing, mournful and pitiable to hear; and, guided by the -sound, he found the unfortunate Mrs. Cradock crouched on the ground by -the limestone rock, swaying her body to and fro, and lamenting and -crying in so heart-rending a manner that the farmer was, as he says, at -first obliged to stop his ears, or he would have run away. The woman -allowed herself to be taken home, and a neighbor came to see to her -necessities. All the night she never ceased her crying, mixing her -lament with words of some unintelligible jargon, and when the doctor -arrived he pronounced her insane. She lay on her bed for a week, now -wailing, as people said, like one lost and damned for eternity, and now -sunk in a heavy coma; it was thought that grief at the loss of her -husband had unsettled her mind, and the medical man did not at one time -expect her to live. I need not say that I was deeply interested in this -story, and I made my friend write to me at intervals with all the -particulars of the case. I heard then that in the course of six weeks -the woman gradually recovered the use of her faculties and some months -later she gave birth to a son, christened Jervase, who unhappily proved -to be of weak intellect. Such were the facts known to the village; but -to me while I whitened at the suggested thought of the hideous -enormities that had doubtless been committed, all this was nothing short -of conviction, and I incautiously hazarded a hint of something like the -truth to some scientific friends. The moment the words had left my lips -I bitterly regretted having spoken, and thus given away the great secret -of my life, but with a good deal of relief mixed with indignation, I -found my fears altogether misplaced, for my friends ridiculed me to my -face, and I was regarded as a madman; and beneath a natural anger I -chuckled to myself, feeling as secure amidst these blockheads, as if I -had confided what I knew to the desert sands.</p> - -<p>But now, knowing so much, I resolved I would know all, and I -concentrated my efforts on the task of deciphering the inscription on -the Black Seal. For many years I made this puzzle the sole object of my -leisure moments; for the greater portion of my time was, of course, -devoted to other duties, and it was only now and then that I could -snatch a week of clear research. If I were to tell the full history of -this curious investigation, this statement would be wearisome in the -extreme, for it would contain simply the account of long and tedious -failure. By what I knew already of ancient scripts I was well-equipped -for the chase, as I always termed it to myself. I had correspondents -amongst all the scientific men in Europe, and, indeed, in the world, and -I could not believe that in these days any character, however ancient -and however perplexed, could long resist the search-light I should bring -to bear upon it. Yet, in point of fact, it was fully fourteen years -before I succeeded. With every year my professional duties increased, -and my leisure became smaller. This no doubt retarded me a good deal; -and yet, when I look back on those years I am astonished at the vast -scope of my investigation of the Black Seal. I made my bureau a centre, -and from all the world and from all the ages I gathered transcripts of -ancient writing. Nothing, I resolved, should pass me unawares, and the -faintest hint should be welcomed and followed up. But as one covert -after another was tried and proved empty of result, I began in the -course of years to despair, and to wonder whether the Black Seal were -the sole relic of some race that had vanished from the world and left no -other trace of its existence,—had perished, in fine, as Atlantis is -said to have done, in some great cataclysm, its secrets perhaps drowned -beneath the ocean or moulded into the heart of the hills. The thought -chilled my warmth a little, and though I still persevered, it was no -longer with the same certainty of faith. A chance came to the rescue. I -was staying in a considerable town in the north of England, and took the -opportunity of going over the very creditable museum that had for some -time been established in the place. The curator was one of my -correspondents; and, as we were looking through one of the mineral -cases, my attention was struck by a specimen, a piece of black stone -some four inches square, the appearance of which reminded me in a -measure of the Black Seal. I took it up carelessly, and was turning it -over in my hand, when I saw, to my astonishment, that the under side was -inscribed. I said, quietly enough, to my friend the curator that the -specimen interested me, and that I should be much obliged if he would -allow me to take it with me to my hotel for a couple of days. He, of -course, made no objection, and I hurried to my rooms, and found that my -first glance had not deceived me. There were two inscriptions; one in -the regular cuneiform character, another in the character of the Black -Seal, and I realized that my task was accomplished. I made an exact copy -of the two inscriptions; and when I got to my London study, and had the -Seal before me, I was able seriously to grapple with the great problem. -The interpreting inscription on the museum specimen, though in itself -curious enough, did not bear on my quest, but the transliteration made -me master of the secret of the Black Seal. Conjecture, of course, had to -enter into my calculations; there was here and there uncertainty about a -particular ideograph, and one sign recurring again and again on the Seal -baffled me for many successive nights. But at last the secret stood open -before me in plain English, and I read the key of the awful -transmutation of the hills. The last word was hardly written, when with -fingers all trembling and unsteady I tore the scrap of paper into the -minutest fragments, and saw them flame and blacken in the red hollow of -the fire, and then I crushed the gray films that remained into finest -powder. Never since then have I written those words; never will I write -the phrases which tell me how man can be reduced to the slime from which -he came, and be forced to put on the flesh of the reptile and the snake. -There was now but one thing remaining. I knew; but I desired to see, and -I was after some time able to take a house in the neighborhood of the -Gray Hills, and not far from the cottage where Mrs. Cradock and her son -Jervase resided. I need not go into a full and detailed account of the -apparently inexplicable events which have occurred here, where I am -writing this. I knew that I should find in Jervase Cradock something of -the blood of the "Little People," and I found later that he had more -than once encountered his kinsmen in lonely places in that lonely land. -When I was summoned one day to the garden, and found him in a seizure -speaking or hissing the ghastly jargon of the Black Seal, I am afraid -that exultation prevailed over pity. I heard bursting from his lips the -secrets of the underworld, and the word of dread, "Ishakshar," the -signification of which I must be excused from giving.</p> - -<p>But there is one incident I cannot pass over unnoticed. In the waste -hollow of the night I awoke at the sound of those hissing syllables I -knew so well; and on going to the wretched boy's room, I found him -convulsed and foaming at the mouth, struggling on the bed as if he -strove to escape the grasp of writhing demons. I took him down to my -room and lit the lamp, while he lay twisting on the floor, calling on -the power within his flesh to leave him. I saw his body swell and become -distended as a bladder, while the face blackened before my eyes; and -then at the crisis I did what was necessary according to the directions -on the Seal, and putting all scruple on one side, I became a man of -science, observant of what was passing. Yet the sight I had to witness -was horrible, almost beyond the power of human conception and the most -fearful fantasy; something pushed out from the body there on the floor, -and stretched forth, a slimy wavering tentacle, across the room, and -grasped the bust upon the cupboard, and laid it down on my desk.</p> - -<p>When it was over, and I was left to walk up and down all the rest of the -night, white and shuddering, with sweat pouring from my flesh, I vainly -tried to reason with myself; I said, truly enough, that I had seen -nothing really supernatural, that a snail pushing out his horns and -drawing them in was but an instance on a smaller scale of what I had -witnessed; and yet horror broke through all such reasonings and left me -shattered and loathing myself for the share I had taken in the night's -work.</p> - -<p>There is little more to be said. I am going now to the final trial and -encounter; for I have determined that there shall be nothing wanting, -and I shall meet the "Little People" face to face. I shall have the -Black Seal and the knowledge of its secrets to help me, and if I -unhappily do not return from my journey, there is no need to conjure up -here a picture of the awfulness of my fate.</p> - -<p>Pausing a little at the end of Professor Gregg's statement, Miss Lally -continued her tale in the following words:—</p> - -<p>Such was the almost incredible story that the professor had left behind -him. When I had finished reading it, it was late at night, but the next -morning I took Morgan with me, and we proceeded to search the Gray Hills -for some trace of the lost professor. I will not weary you with a -description of the savage desolation of that tract of country, a tract -of utterest loneliness, of bare green hills dotted over with gray -limestone boulders, worn by the ravage of time into fantastic semblances -of men and beasts. Finally, after many hours of weary searching, we -found what I told you—the watch and chain, the purse, and the -ring—wrapped in a piece of coarse parchment. When Morgan cut the gut -that bound the parcel together, and I saw the professor's property, I -burst into tears, but the sight of the dreaded characters of the Black -Seal repeated on the parchment froze me to silent horror, and I think I -understood for the first time the awful fate that had come upon my late -employer.</p> - -<p>I have only to add that Professor Gregg's lawyer treated my account of -what had happened as a fairy tale, and refused even to glance at the -documents I laid before him. It was he who was responsible for the -statement that appeared in the public press, to the effect that -Professor Gregg had been drowned, and that his body must have been swept -into the open sea.</p> - -<p>Miss Lally stopped speaking and looked at Mr. Phillipps, with a glance -of some enquiry. He, for his part, was sunken in a deep revery of -thought; and when he looked up and saw the bustle of the evening -gathering in the square, men and women hurrying to partake of dinner, -and crowds already besetting the music-halls, all the hum and press of -actual life seemed unreal and visionary, a dream in the morning after an -awakening.</p> - -<p>"I thank you," he said at last, "for your most interesting story, -interesting to me, because I feel fully convinced of its exact truth."</p> - -<p>"Sir," said the lady, with some energy of indignation, "you grieve and -offend me. Do you think I should waste my time and yours by concocting -fictions on a bench in Leicester Square?"</p> - -<p>"Pardon me, Miss Lally, you have a little misunderstood me. Before you -began I knew that whatever you told would be told in good faith, but -your experiences have a far higher value than that of <i>bona fides</i>. The -most extraordinary circumstances in your account are in perfect harmony -with the very latest scientific theories. Professor Lodge would, I am -sure, value a communication from you extremely; I was charmed from the -first by his daring hypothesis in explanation of the wonders of -Spiritualism (so called), but your narrative puts the whole matter out -of the range of mere hypothesis."</p> - -<p>"Alas, sir, all this will not help me. You forget, I have lost my -brother under the most startling and dreadful circumstances. Again, I -ask you, did you not see him as you came here? His black whiskers, his -spectacles, his timid glance to right and left; think, do not these -particulars recall his face to your memory?"</p> - -<p>"I am sorry to say I have never seen any one of the kind," said -Phillipps, who had forgotten all about the missing brother. "But let me -ask you a few questions. Did you notice whether Professor Gregg—"</p> - -<p>"Pardon me, sir, I have stayed too long. My employers will be expecting -me. I thank you for your sympathy. Good bye."</p> - -<p>Before Mr. Phillipps had recovered from his amazement at this abrupt -departure, Miss Lally had disappeared from his gaze, passing into the -crowd that now thronged the approaches to the Empire. He walked home in -a pensive frame of mind, and drank too much tea. At ten o'clock he had -made his third brew, and had sketched out the outlines of a little work -to be called <i>Protoplasmic Reversion</i>.</p> - - - -<hr style="width: 65%;" /> -<h3><a name="INCIDENT_OF_THE_PRIVATE_BAR" id="INCIDENT_OF_THE_PRIVATE_BAR"></a>INCIDENT OF THE PRIVATE BAR.</h3> - - -<p>Mr. Dyson often meditated at odd moments over the singular tale he had -listened to at the Café de la Touraine. In the first place he cherished -a profound conviction that the words of truth were scattered with a too -niggardly and sparing hand over the agreeable history of Mr. Smith and -the Black Gulf Cañon; and, secondly, there was the undeniable fact of -the profound agitation of the narrator, and his gestures on the -pavement, too violent to be simulated. The idea of a man going about -London haunted by the fear of meeting a young man with spectacles struck -Dyson as supremely ridiculous; he searched his memory for some precedent -in romance, but without success; he paid visits at odd times to the -little café, hoping to find Mr. Wilkins there; and he kept a sharp watch -on the great generation of the spectacled men without much doubt that he -would remember the face of the individual whom he had seen dart out of -the Aerated Bread Shop. All his peregrinations and researches, however, -seemed to lead to nothing of value, and Dyson needed all his warm -conviction of his innate detective powers and his strong scent for -mystery to sustain him in his endeavors. In fact, he had two affairs on -hand; and every day, as he passed through streets crowded or deserted, -and lurked in the obscure districts, and watched at corners, he was more -than surprised to find that the affair of the gold coin persistently -avoided him; while the ingenious Wilkins, and the young man with -spectacles whom he dreaded, seemed to have vanished from the pavements.</p> - -<p>He was pondering these problems one evening in a house of call in the -Strand, and the obstinacy with which the persons he so ardently desired -to meet hung back gave the modest tankard before him an additional touch -of bitter. As it happened, he was alone in his compartment, and, without -thinking, he uttered aloud the burden of his meditations. "How bizarre -it all is!" he said, "a man walking the pavement with the dread of a -timid-looking young man with spectacles continually hovering before his -eyes. And there was some tremendous feeling at work, I could swear to -that." Quick as thought, before he had finished the sentence, a head -popped round the barrier, and was withdrawn again; and while Dyson was -wondering what this could mean, the door of the compartment was swung -open, and a smooth, clean-shaven, and smiling gentleman entered.</p> - -<p>"You will excuse me, sir," he said politely, "for intruding on your -thoughts, but you made a remark a minute ago."</p> - -<p>"I did," said Dyson; "I have been puzzling over a foolish matter, and I -thought aloud. As you heard what I said, and seem interested, perhaps -you may be able to relieve my perplexity?"</p> - -<p>"Indeed. I scarcely know; it is an odd coincidence. One has to be -cautions. I suppose, sir, that you would have no repulsion in assisting -the ends of justice."</p> - -<p>"Justice," replied Dyson, "is a term of such wide meaning, that I too -feel doubtful about giving an answer. But this place is not altogether -fit for such a discussion; perhaps you would come to my rooms?"</p> - -<p>"You are very kind; my name is Burton, but I am sorry to say I have not -a card with me. Do you live near here?"</p> - -<p>"Within ten minutes' walk."</p> - -<p>Mr. Burton took out his watch and seemed to be making a rapid -calculation.</p> - -<p>"I have a train to catch," he said; "but after all, it is a late one. -So, if you don't mind, I think I will come with you. I am sure we should -have a little talk together. We turn up here?"</p> - -<p>The theatres were filling as they crossed the Strand, the street seemed -alive with voices, and Dyson looked fondly about him. The glittering -lines of gas-lamps, with here and there the blinding radiance of an -electric light, the hansoms that flashed to and fro with ringing bells, -the laden buses, and the eager hurrying east and west of the foot -passengers, made his most enchanting picture; and the graceful spire of -St. Mary le Strand, on the one hand, and the last flush of sunset on the -other, were to him a cause of thanksgiving, as the gorse blossom to -Linnæus. Mr. Burton caught his look of fondness as they crossed the -street.</p> - -<p>"I see you can find the picturesque in London," he said. "To me this -great town is as I see it is to you, the study and the love of life. Yet -how few there are that can pierce the veils of apparent monotony and -meanness! I have read in a paper which is said to have the largest -circulation in the world, a comparison between the aspects of London and -Paris, a comparison which should be positively laureat, as the great -masterpiece of fatuous stupidity. Conceive if you can a human being of -ordinary intelligence preferring the Boulevards to our London streets; -imagine a man calling for the wholesale destruction of our most charming -city, in order that the dull uniformity of that whited sepulchre called -Paris should be reproduced here in London. Is it not positively -incredible?"</p> - -<p>"My dear sir," said Dyson, regarding Burton with a good deal of -interest. "I agree most heartily with your opinions, but I really cannot -share your wonder. Have you heard how much George Eliot received for -'Romola'? Do you know what the circulation of 'Robert Elsmere' was? Do -you read 'Tit Bits' regularly? To me, on the contrary, it is constant -matter both for wonder and thanksgiving that London was not -boulevardized twenty years ago. I praise that exquisite jagged sky line -that stands up against the pale greens and fading blues and flushing -clouds of sunset, but I wonder even more than I praise. As for St. Mary -le Strand, its preservation is a miracle, nothing more or less. A thing -of exquisite beauty <i>versus</i> four buses abreast! Really, the conclusion -is too obvious. Didn't you read the letter of the man who proposed that -the whole mysterious system, the immemorial plan of computing Easter, -should, be abolished off-hand because he doesn't like his son having his -holidays as early as March 20th? But shall we be going on?"</p> - -<p>They had lingered at the corner of a street on the north side of the -Strand, enjoying the contrasts and the glamour of the scene. Dyson -pointed the way with a gesture, and they strolled up the comparatively -deserted streets, slanting a little to the right, and thus arriving at -Dyson's lodging on the verge of Bloomsbury. Mr. Burton took a -comfortable armchair by the open window, while Dyson lit the candles and -produced the whiskey and soda and cigarettes.</p> - -<p>"They tell me these cigarettes are very good," he said, "but I know -nothing about it myself. I hold at last that there is only one tobacco, -and that is shag. I suppose I could not tempt you to try a pipeful?"</p> - -<p>Mr. Burton smilingly refused the offer, and picked out a cigarette from -the box. When he had smoked it half through, he said with some -hesitation:—</p> - -<p>"It is really kind of you to have me here, Mr. Dyson; the fact is that -the interests at issue are far too serious to be discussed in a bar, -where, as you found for yourself, there may be listeners, voluntary or -involuntary, on each side. I think the remark I heard you make was -something about the oddity of an individual going about London in deadly -fear of a young man with spectacles."</p> - -<p>"Yes, that was it."</p> - -<p>"Well, would you mind confiding to me the circumstances that gave rise -to the reflection?"</p> - -<p>"Not in the least; it was like this." And he ran over in brief outline -the adventure in Oxford Street, dwelling on the violence of Mr. -Wilkins's gestures, but wholly suppressing the tale told in the café. -"He told me he lived in constant terror of meeting this man; and I left -him when I thought he was cool enough to look after himself," said -Dyson, ending his narrative.</p> - -<p>"Really," said Mr. Burton. "And you actually saw this mysterious -person."</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"And could you describe him?"</p> - -<p>"Well, he looked to me a youngish man, pale and nervous. He had small -black side whiskers, and wore rather large spectacles."</p> - -<p>"But this is simply marvellous! You astonish me. For I must tell you -that my interest in the matter is this. I am not in the least in terror -of meeting a dark young man with spectacles, but I shrewdly suspect a -person of that description would much rather not meet me. And yet the -account you give of the man tallies exactly. A nervous glance to right -and left—is it not so? And, as you observed, he wears prominent -spectacles, and has small black whiskers. There cannot be surely two -people exactly identical—one a cause of terror, and the other, I should -imagine, extremely anxious to get out of the way. But have you seen this -man since?"</p> - -<p>"No, I have not; and I have been looking out for him pretty keenly. But, -of course, he may have left London, and England too for the matter of -that."</p> - -<p>Hardly, I think. Well, Mr. Dyson, it is only fair that I should explain -my story, now that I have listened, to yours. I must tell you, then, -that I am an agent for curiosities and precious things of all kinds. An -odd employment, isn't it? Of course I wasn't brought up to the business; -I gradually fell into it. I have always been fond of things queer and -rare, and by the time I was twenty I had made half a dozen collections. -It is not generally known how often farm laborers come upon rarities; -you would be astonished if I told you what I have seen turned up by the -plough. I lived in the country in those days, and I used to buy anything -the men on the farms brought me; and I had the queerest set of rubbish, -as my friends called my collection. But that's how I got the scent of -the business, which means everything; and, later on, it struck me that I -might very well turn my knowledge to account and add to my income. Since -those early days I have been in most quarters of the world, and some -very valuable things have passed through my hands, and I have had to -engage in difficult and delicate negotiations. You have possibly heard -of the Khan opal—called in the East 'The Stone of a Thousand and One -Colors'? Well, perhaps the conquest of that stone was my greatest -achievement. I call it myself the stone of the thousand and one lies, -for I assure you that I had to invent a cycle of folk-lore before the -Rajah who owned it would consent to sell the thing. I subsidized -wandering story-tellers, who told tales in which the opal played a -frightful part; I hired a holy man, a great ascetic, to prophesy against -the thing in the language of Eastern symbolism; in short, I frightened -the Rajah out of his wits. So you see there is room for diplomacy in -the traffic I am engaged in. I have to be ever on my guard, and I have -often been sensible that unless I watched every step and weighed every -word my life would not last me much longer. Last April I became aware of -the existence of a highly valuable antique gem. It was in Southern -Italy, and in the possession of persons who were ignorant of its real -value. It has always been my experience that it is precisely the -ignorant who are most difficult to deal with. I have met farmers who -were under the impression that a shilling of George I. was a find of -almost incalculable value; and all the defeats I have sustained have -been at the hands of people of this description. Reflecting on these -facts, I saw that the acquisition of the gem I have mentioned would be -an affair demanding the nicest diplomacy; I might possibly have got it -by offering a sum approaching its real value, but I need not point out -to you that such a proceeding would be most unbusinesslike. Indeed, I -doubt whether it would have been successful, for the cupidity of such -persons is aroused by a sum which seems enormous, and the low cunning -which serves them in place of intelligence immediately suggests that the -object for which such an amount is offered must be worth at least -double. Of course, when it is a matter of an ordinary curiosity—an old -jug, a carved chest, or a queer brass lantern—one does not much care; -the cupidity of the owner defeats its object, the collector laughs, and -goes away, for he is aware that such things are by no means unique. But -this gem I fervently desired to possess; and as I did not see my way to -giving more than a hundredth part of its value, I was conscious that -all my, let us say, imaginative and diplomatic powers would have to be -exerted. I am sorry to say that I came to the conclusion that I could -not undertake to carry the matter through single-handed, and I -determined to confide in my assistant, a young man named William -Robbins, whom I judged to be by no means devoid of capacity. My idea was -that Robbins should get himself up as a low-class dealer in precious -stones; he could patter a little Italian, and would go to the town in -question and manage to see the gem we were after, possibly by offering -some trifling articles of jewelry for sale, but that I left to be -decided, then my work was to begin, but I will not trouble you with a -tale told twice over. In due course, then, Robbins went off to Italy -with an assortment of uncut stones and a few rings, and some jewelry I -bought in Birmingham, on purpose for his expedition. A week later I -followed him, travelling leisurely, so that I was a fortnight later in -arriving at our common destination. There was a decent hotel in the -town, and on my inquiring of the landlord whether there were many -strangers in the place, he told me very few; he had heard there was an -Englishman staying in a small tavern, a pedlar he said, who sold -beautiful trinkets very cheaply, and wanted to buy old rubbish. For five -or six days I took life leisurely, and I must say I enjoyed myself. It -was part of my plan to make the people think I was an enormously rich -man; and I knew that such items as the extravagance of my meals, and the -price of every bottle of wine I drank, would not be suffered, as Sancho -Panza puts it, to rot in the landlord's breast. At the end of the week I -was fortunate enough to make the acquaintance of Signor Melini, the -owner of the gem I coveted, at the café, and with his ready hospitality -and my geniality I was soon established as a friend of the house. On my -third or fourth visit I managed to make the Italians talk about the -English pedlar, who, they said, spoke a most detestable Italian. 'But -that does not matter,' said the Signora Melini, 'for he has beautiful -things, which he sells very very cheap.' 'I hope you may not find he has -cheated you,' I said, 'for I must tell you that English people give -these fellows a very wide berth. They usually make a great parade of the -cheapness of their goods, which often turn out to be double the price of -better articles in the shops,' They would not hear of this, and Signora -Melini insisted on showing me the three rings and the bracelet she had -bought of the pedlar. She told me the price she had paid; and after -scrutinizing the articles carefully, I had to confess that she had made -a bargain, and indeed Robbins had sold her the things at about fifty per -cent below market value. I admired the trinkets as I gave them back to -the lady, and I hinted that the pedlar must be a somewhat foolish -specimen of his class. Two days later, as I was taking my vermouth at -the café with Signor Melini, he led the conversation back to the pedlar, -and mentioned casually that he had shown the man a little curiosity, for -which he had made rather a handsome offer. 'My dear sir,' I said, 'I -hope you will be careful. I told you that the travelling tradesman does -not bear a very high reputation in England; and notwithstanding his -apparent simplicity, this fellow may turn out to be an arrant cheat. May -I ask you what is the nature of the curiosity you have shown him?' He -told me it was a little thing, a pretty little stone with some figures -cut on it: people said it was old. 'I should like to examine it,' I -replied; 'as it happens I have, seen a good deal of these gems. We have -a fine collection of them in our museum at London.' In due course I was -shown the article, and I held the gem I so coveted between my fingers. I -looked at it coolly, and put it down carelessly on the table. 'Would you -mind telling me, signor,' I said, 'how much my fellow-countryman offered -you for this?' 'Well,' he said, 'my wife says the man must be mad; he -said he would give me twenty lire for it.'</p> - -<p>"I looked at him quietly, and took up the gem and pretended to examine -it in the light more carefully; I turned it over and over, and finally -pulled out a magnifying glass from my pocket, and seemed to search every -line in the cutting with minutest scrutiny. 'My dear sir,' I said at -last, 'I am inclined to agree with Signora Melini. If this gem were -genuine, it would be worth some money; but as it happens to be a rather -bad forgery, it is not worth twenty centesimi. It was sophisticated, I -should imagine, some time in the last century, and by a very unskilful -hand.' 'Then we had better get rid of it,' said Melini. 'I never thought -it was worth anything myself. Of course I am sorry for the pedlar, but -one must let a man know his own trade. I shall tell him we will take the -twenty lire.' 'Excuse me,' I said, 'the man wants a lesson. It would be -a charity to give him one. Tell him that you will not take anything -under eighty lire, and I shall be much surprised if he does not close -with you at once.</p> - -<p>"A day or two later I heard that the English pedlar had gone away, after -debasing the minds of the country people with Birmingham art jewelry; -for I admit that the gold sleeve links like kidney beans, the silver -chains made apparently after the pattern of a dog-chain, and the initial -brooches, have always been heavy on my conscience. I cannot acquit -myself of having indirectly contributed to debauch the taste of a simple -folk; but I hope that the end I had in view may finally outbalance this -heavy charge. Soon afterwards, I paid a farewell visit at the Melinis, -and the signor informed me with an oily chuckle that the plan I had -suggested had been completely successful. I congratulated him on his -bargain, and went away after expressing a wish that heaven might send -many such pedlars in his path.</p> - -<p>"Nothing of interest occurred on my return journey. I had arranged that -Robbins was to meet me at a certain place on a certain day, and I went -to the appointment full of the coolest confidence; the gem had been -conquered, and I had only to reap the fruits of victory. I am sorry to -shake that trust in our common human nature which I am sure you possess, -but I am compelled to tell you that up to the present date I have never -set eyes on my man Robbins, or on the antique gem in his custody. I have -found out that he actually arrived in London, for he was seen three -days before my arrival in England by a pawnbroker of my acquaintance -consuming his favorite beverage, four ale, in the tavern where we met -to-night. Since then he has not been heard of. I hope you will now -pardon my curiosity as to the history and adventures of dark young men -with spectacles. You will, I am sure, feel for me in my position; the -savor of life has disappeared for me; it is a bitter thought that I have -rescued one of the most perfect and exquisite specimens of antique art -from the hands of ignorant, and indeed unscrupulous persons, only to -deliver it into the keeping of a man who is evidently utterly devoid of -the very elements of commercial morality."</p> - -<p>"My dear sir," said Dyson, "you will allow me to compliment you on your -style; your adventures have interested me exceedingly. But, forgive me, -you just now used the word morality; would not some persons take -exception to your own methods of business? I can conceive, myself, flaws -of a moral kind being found in the very original conception you have -described to me. I can imagine the Puritan shrinking in dismay from your -scheme, pronouncing it unscrupulous, nay, dishonest."</p> - -<p>Mr. Burton helped himself, very frankly, to some more whiskey.</p> - -<p>"Your scruples entertain me," he said. "Perhaps you have not gone very -deeply into these questions of ethics. I have been compelled to do so -myself, just as I was forced to master a simple system of book-keeping. -Without book-keeping, and still more without a system of ethics, it is -impossible to conduct a business such as mine. But I assure you that I -am often profoundly saddened as I pass through the crowded streets and -watch the world at work by the thought of how few amongst all these -hurrying individuals, black hatted, well dressed, educated we may -presume sufficiently,—how few amongst them have any reasoned system of -morality. Even you have not weighed the question; although you study -life and affairs, and to a certain extent penetrate the veils and masks -of the comedy of man, even you judge by empty conventions, and the false -money which is allowed to pass current as sterling coin. Allow me to -play the part of Socrates; I shall teach you nothing that you do not -know. I shall merely lay aside the wrappings of prejudice and bad logic, -and show you the real image which you possess in your soul. Come then. -Do you allow that happiness is anything?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly," said Dyson.</p> - -<p>"And happiness is desirable or undesirable?"</p> - -<p>"Desirable of course."</p> - -<p>"And what shall we call the man who gives happiness? Is he not a -philanthropist?"</p> - -<p>"I think so."</p> - -<p>"And such a person is praiseworthy, and the more praiseworthy in the -proportion of the persons whom he makes happy?"</p> - -<p>"By all means."</p> - -<p>"So that he who makes a whole nation happy, is praiseworthy in the -extreme, and the action by which he gives happiness is the highest -virtue?"</p> - -<p>"It appears so, O Burton," said Dyson, who found something very -exquisite in the character of his visitor.</p> - -<p>"Quite so; you find the several conclusions inevitable. Well, apply them -to the story I have told, you. I conferred happiness on myself by -obtaining (as I thought) possession of the gem; I conferred happiness on -the Melinis by getting them eighty lire instead of an object for which -they had not the slightest value, and I intended to confer happiness on -the whole British nation by selling the thing to the British Museum, to -say nothing of the happiness a profit of about nine thousand per cent -would have conferred on me. I assure you I regard Robbins as an -interferer with the cosmos and fair order of things. But that is -nothing; you perceive that I am an apostle of the very highest morality; -you have been forced to yield to argument."</p> - -<p>"There certainly seems a great deal in what you advance," said Dyson. "I -admit that I am a mere amateur of ethics, while you, as you say, have -brought the most acute scrutiny to bear on these perplexed and doubtful -questions. I can well understand your anxiety to meet the fallacious -Robbins, and I congratulate myself on the chance which has made us -acquainted. But you will pardon my seeming inhospitality, I see it is -half past eleven, and I think you mentioned a train."</p> - -<p>"A thousand thanks, Mr. Dyson, I have just time, I see. I will look you -up some evening if I may. Good-night."</p> - - - -<hr style="width: 65%;" /> -<h3><a name="THE_DECORATIVE_IMAGINATION" id="THE_DECORATIVE_IMAGINATION"></a>THE DECORATIVE IMAGINATION.</h3> - - -<p>In the course of a few weeks Dyson became accustomed, to the constant -incursions of the ingenious Mr. Burton, who showed himself ready to drop -in at all hours, not averse to refreshment, and a profound guide in the -complicated questions of life. His visits at once terrified and -delighted Dyson, who could no longer seat himself at his bureau secure -from interruption while he embarked on literary undertakings, each one -of which was to be a masterpiece. On the other hand, it was a vivid -pleasure to be confronted with views so highly original; and if here and -there Mr. Burton's reasonings seemed tinged with fallacy, yet Dyson -freely yielded to the joy of strangeness, and never failed to give his -visitor a frank and hearty welcome. Mr. Burton's first inquiry was -always after the unprincipled Robbins, and he seemed to feel the stings -of disappointment when Dyson told him that he had failed to meet this -outrage on all morality, as Burton styled him, vowing that sooner or -later he would take vengeance on such a shameless betrayal of trust.</p> - -<p>One evening they had sat together for some time discussing the -possibility of laying down for this present generation and our modern -and intensely complicated order of society, some rules of social -diplomacy, such as Lord Bacon gave to the courtiers of King James I. "It -is a book to make," said Mr. Burton, "but who is there capable of making -it? I tell you people are longing for such a book; it would bring -fortune to its publisher. Bacon's Essays are exquisite, but they have -now no practical application; the modern strategist can find but little -use in a treatise 'De Re Militari,' written by a Florentine in the -fifteenth century. Scarcely more dissimilar are the social conditions of -Bacon's time and our own; the rules that he lays down so exquisitely for -the courtier and diplomatist of James the First's age will avail us -little in the rough-and-tumble struggle of to-day. Life, I am afraid, -has deteriorated; it gives little play for fine strokes such as formerly -advanced men in the state. Except in such businesses as mine, where a -chance does occur now and then, it has all become, as I said, an affair -of rough and tumble; men still desire to attain, it is true, but what is -their <i>moyen de parvenir</i>? A mere imitation, and not a gracious one, of -the arts of the soap-vender and the proprietor of baking powder. When I -think of these things, my dear Dyson, I confess that I am tempted to -despair of my century."</p> - -<p>"You are too pessimistic, my dear fellow; you set up too high a -standard. Certainly, I agree with you that the times are decadent in -many ways. I admit a general appearance of squalor; it needs much -philosophy to extract the wonderful and the beautiful from the Cromwell -Road or the Nonconformist conscience. Australian wines of fine Burgundy -character, the novels alike of the old women and the new women, popular -journalism,—these things indeed make for depression. Yet we have our -advantages. Before us is unfolded the greatest spectacle the world has -ever seen,—the mystery of the innumerable unending streets, the strange -adventures that must infallibly arise from so complicated a press of -interests. Nay, I will say that he who has stood in the ways of a suburb -and has seen them stretch before him all shining, void, and desolate at -noonday, has not lived in vain. Such a sight is in reality more -wonderful than any perspective of Bagdad or Grand Cairo. And, to set on -one side the entertaining history of the gem which you told me, surely -you must have had many singular adventures in your own career?"</p> - -<p>"Perhaps not so many as you would think; a good deal—the larger -part—of my business has been as commonplace as linen-drapery. But of -course things happen now and then. It is ten years since I have -established my agency, and I suppose that a house and estate agent who -had been in trade for an equal time could tell you some queer stories. -But I must give you a sample of my experiences some night.</p> - -<p>"Why not to-night?" said Dyson. "This evening seems to me admirably -adapted for an odd chapter. Look out into the street; you can catch a -view of it, if you crane your neck from that chair of yours. Is it not -charming? The double row of lamps growing closer in the distance, the -hazy outline of the plane-tree in the square, and the lights of the -hansoms swimming to and fro, gliding and vanishing; and above, the sky -all clear and blue and shining. Come, let us have one of your <i>cent -nouvelles nouvelles</i>."</p> - -<p>"My dear Dyson, I am delighted to amuse you." With these words Mr. -Burton prefaced the</p> - - - -<hr style="width: 65%;" /> -<h3><a name="NOVEL_OF_THE_IRON_MAID" id="NOVEL_OF_THE_IRON_MAID"></a>NOVEL OF THE IRON MAID.</h3> - - -<p>I think the most extraordinary event which I can recall took place about -five years ago. I was then still feeling my way; I had declared for -business, and attended regularly at my office, but I had not succeeded -in establishing a really profitable connection, and consequently I had a -good deal of leisure time on my hands. I have never thought fit to -trouble you with the details of my private life; they would be entirely -devoid of interest. I must briefly say, however, that I had a numerous -circle of acquaintance, and was never at a loss as to how to spend my -evenings. I was so fortunate as to have friends in most of the ranks of -the social order; there is nothing so unfortunate, to my mind, as a -specialized circle, wherein a certain round of ideas is continually -traversed and retraversed. I have always tried to find out new types and -persons whose brains contained something fresh to me; one may chance to -gain information even from the conversation of city men on an omnibus. -Amongst my acquaintance I knew a young doctor who lived in a far -outlying suburb, and I used often to brave the intolerably slow railway -journey, to have the pleasure of listening to his talk. One night we -conversed so eagerly together over our pipes and whiskey that the clock -passed unnoticed, and when I glanced up I realized with a shock that I -had just five minutes in which to catch the last tram. I made a dash for -my hat and stick, and jumped out of the house and down the steps, and -tore at full speed up the street. It was no good, however; there was a -shriek of the engine whistle, and I stood there at the station door and -saw far on the long dark line of the embankment a red light shine and -vanish, and a porter came down and shut the door with a bang.</p> - -<p>"How far to London?" I asked him.</p> - -<p>"A good nine miles to Waterloo Bridge;" and with that he went off.</p> - -<p>Before me was the long suburban street, its dreary distance marked by -rows of twinkling lamps, and the air was poisoned by the faint sickly -smell of burning bricks; it was not a cheerful prospect by any means, -and I had to walk through nine miles of such streets, deserted as those -of Pompeii. I knew pretty well what direction to take; so I set out -wearily, looking at the stretch of lamps vanishing in perspective; and -as I walked, street after street branched off to right and left,—some -far reaching to distances that seemed endless, communicating with, other -systems of thoroughfare; and some mere protoplasmic streets, beginning -in orderly fashion with serried two-storied houses, and ending suddenly -in waste, and pits, and rubbish heaps, and fields whence the magic had -departed. I have spoken of systems of thoroughfare, and I assure you -that, walking alone through these silent places, I felt phantasy growing -on me, and some glamour of the infinite. There was here. I felt, an -immensity as in the outer void, of the universe. I passed from unknown -to unknown, my way marked by lamps like stars, and on either band was an -unknown world where myriads of men dwelt and slept, street leading into -street, as it seemed to world's end. At first the road by which I was -travelling was lined with houses of unutterable monotony,—a wall of -gray brick pierced by two stories of windows, drawn close to the very -pavement. But by degrees I noticed an improvement: there were gardens, -and these grew larger. The suburban builder began to allow himself a -wider scope; and for a certain distance each flight of steps was guarded -by twin lions of plaster, and scents of flowers prevailed over the fume -of heated bricks. The road began to climb a hill, and, looking up a side -street, I saw the half moon rise over plane-trees, and there on the -other side was as if a white cloud had fallen, and the air around it was -sweetened as with incense; it was a may-tree in full bloom. I pressed on -stubbornly, listening for the wheels and the clatter of some belated -hansom; but into that land of men who go to the city in the morning and -return in the evening, the hansom rarely enters, and I had resigned -myself once more to the walk, when I suddenly became aware that some one -was advancing to meet me along the sidewalk. The man was strolling -rather aimlessly; and though the time and the place would have allowed -an unconventional style of dress, he was vested in the ordinary frock -coat, black tie, and silk hat of civilization. We met each other under -the lamp, and, as often happens in this great town, two casual -passengers brought face to face found, each in the other an -acquaintance.</p> - -<p>"Mr. Mathias, I think?" I said.</p> - -<p>"Quite so. And you are Frank Burton. You know you are a man with a -Christian name, so I won't apologize for my familiarity. But may I ask -where you are going?"</p> - -<p>I explained the situation to him, saying I had traversed a region as -unknown to me as the darkest recesses of Africa. "I think I have only -about five miles farther," I concluded.</p> - -<p>"Nonsense; you must come home with me. My house is close by; in fact, I -was just taking my evening walk when we met. Come along; I dare say you -will find a makeshift bed easier than a five-mile walk."</p> - -<p>I let him take my arm and lead me along, though I was a good deal -surprised at so much geniality from a man who was, after all, a mere -casual club acquaintance. I suppose I had not spoken to Mr. Mathias -half-a-dozen times; he was a man who would sit silent in an armchair -for hours, neither reading nor smoking, but now and again moistening his -lips with his tongue and smiling queerly to himself. I confess he had -never attracted me, and on the whole I should have preferred to continue -my walk. But he took my arm and led me up a side street, and stopped at -a door in a high wall. We passed through the still moonlit garden, -beneath the black shadow of an old cedar, and into an old red brick -house with many gables. I was tired enough, and I sighed with relief as -I let myself fall into a great leather armchair. You know the infernal -grit with which they strew the sidewalk in those suburban districts; it -makes walking a penance, and I felt my four-mile tramp had made me more -weary than ten miles on an honest country road. I looked about the room -with some curiosity. There was a shaded lamp which threw a circle of -brilliant light on a heap of papers lying on an old brass-bound -secretaire of the last century; but the room was all vague and shadowy, -and I could only see that it was long and low, and that it was filled -with indistinct objects which might be furniture. Mr. Mathias sat down -in a second armchair, and looked about him with that odd smile of his. -He was a queer-looking man, clean-shaven, and white to the lips. I -should think his age was something between fifty and sixty.</p> - -<p>"Now I have got you here," he began, "I must inflict my hobby on you. -You knew I was a collector? Oh, yes, I have devoted many years to -collecting curiosities, which I think are really curious. But we must -have a better light."</p> - -<p>He advanced into the middle of the room, and lit a lamp which hung from -the ceiling; and as the bright light flashed round the wick, from every -corner and space there seemed to start a horror. Great wooden frames -with complicated apparatus of ropes and pulleys stood against the wall; -a wheel of strange shape had a place beside a thing that looked like a -gigantic gridiron. Little tables glittered with bright steel instruments -carelessly put down as if ready for use; a screw and vice loomed out, -casting ugly shadows; and in another nook was a saw with cruel jagged -teeth.</p> - -<p>"Yes," said Mr. Mathias; "they are, as you suggest, instruments of -torture,—of torture and death. Some—many, I may say—have been used; a -few are reproductions after ancient examples. Those knives were used for -flaying; that frame is a rack, and a very fine specimen. Look at this; -it comes from Venice. You see that sort of collar, something like a big -horse-shoe? Well, the patient, let us call him, sat down quite -comfortably, and the horse-shoe was neatly fitted round his neck. Then -the two ends were joined with a silken band, and the executioner began -to turn a handle connected with the band. The horse-shoe contracted very -gradually as the band tightened, and the turning continued till the man -was strangled. It all took place quietly, in one of those queer garrets -under the leads. But these things are all European; the Orientals are, -of course, much more ingenious. These are the Chinese contrivances. You -have heard of the 'heavy death'? It is my hobby, this sort of thing. Do -you know, I often sit here, hour after hour, and meditate over the -collection. I fancy I see the faces of the men who have suffered—faces -lean with agony and wet with sweats of death—growing distinct out of -the gloom, and I hear the echoes of their cries for mercy. But I must -show you my latest acquisition. Come into the next room."</p> - -<p>I followed Mr. Mathias out. The weariness of the walk, the late hour, -and the strangeness of it all, made me feel like a man in a dream; -nothing would have surprised me very much. The second room was as the -first, crowded with ghastly instruments; but beneath the lamp was a -wooden platform, and a figure stood on it. It was a large statue of a -naked woman, fashioned in green bronze; the arms were stretched out, and -there was a smile on the lips; it might well have been intended for a -Venus, and yet there was about the thing an evil and a deadly look.</p> - -<p>Mr. Mathias looked at it complacently. "Quite a work of art, isn't it?" -he said. "It's made of bronze, as you see, but it has long had the name -of the Iron Maid. I got it from Germany, and it was only unpacked this -afternoon; indeed, I have not yet had time to open the letter of advice. -You see that very small knob between the breasts? Well, the victim was -bound to the Maid, the knob was pressed, and the arms slowly tightened -round the neck. You can imagine the result."</p> - -<p>As Mr. Mathias talked, he patted the figure affectionately. I had turned -away, for I sickened at the sight of the man and his loathsome treasure. -There was a slight click, of which I took no notice,—it was not much -louder than the tick of a clock; and then I heard a sudden whir, the -noise of machinery in motion, and I faced round. I have never forgotten -the hideous agony on Mathias's face as those relentless arms tightened -about his neck; there was a wild struggle as of a beast in the toils, -and then a shriek that ended in a choking groan. The whirring noise had -suddenly changed into a heavy droning. I tore with all my might at the -bronze arms, and strove to wrench them apart, but I could do nothing. -The head had slowly bent down, and the green lips were on the lips of -Mathias.</p> - -<p>Of course I had to attend at the inquest. The letter which had -accompanied the figure was found unopened on the study table. The German -firm of dealers cautioned their client to be most careful in touching -the Iron Maid, as the machinery had been put in thorough working order.</p> - -<p>For many revolving weeks Mr. Burton delighted Dyson by his agreeable -conversation, diversified by anecdote, and interspersed with the -narration of singular adventures. Finally, however, he vanished as -suddenly as he had appeared, and on the occasion of his last visit he -contrived to loot a copy of his namesake's Anatomy. Dyson, considering -this violent attack on the rights of property, and certain glaring -inconsistencies in the talk of his late friend, arrived at the -conclusion that his stories were fabulous, and that the Iron Maid only -existed in the sphere of a decorative imagination.</p> - - - -<hr style="width: 65%;" /> -<h3><a name="THE_RECLUSE_OF_BAYSWATER" id="THE_RECLUSE_OF_BAYSWATER"></a>THE RECLUSE OF BAYSWATER.</h3> - - -<p>Amongst the many friends who were favored with the occasional pleasure -of Mr. Dyson's society was Mr. Edgar Russell, realist and obscure -struggler, who occupied a small back room on the second floor of a house -in Abingdon Grove, Notting Hill. Turning off from the main street and -walking a few paces onward, one was conscious of a certain calm, a -drowsy peace, which made the feet inclined to loiter; and this was ever -the atmosphere of Abingdon Grove. The houses stood a little back, with -gardens where the lilac and laburnum and blood-red may blossomed gayly -in their seasons, and there was a corner where an older house in another -street had managed to keep a back garden of real extent; a walled-in -garden whence there came a pleasant scent of greenness after the rains -of early summer, where old elms held memories of the open fields, where -there was yet sweet grass to walk on. The houses in Abingdon Grove -belonged chiefly to the nondescript stucco period of thirty-five years -ago, tolerably built with passable accommodation for moderate incomes; -they had largely passed into the state of lodgings, and cards bearing -the inscription "Furnished Apartments" were not infrequent over the -doors. Here, then, in a house of sufficiently good appearance, Mr. -Russell had established himself; for he looked upon the traditional -dirt and squalor of Grub Street as a false and obsolete convention, and -preferred, as he said, to live within sight of green leaves. Indeed, -from his room one had a magnificent view of a long line of gardens, and -a screen of poplars shut out the melancholy back premises of Wilton -Street during the summer months. Mr. Russell lived chiefly on bread and -tea, for his means were of the smallest; but when Dyson came to see him, -he would send out the slavey for six-ale, and Dyson was always at -liberty to smoke as much of his own tobacco as he pleased. The landlady -had been so unfortunate as to have her drawing-room floor vacant for -many months; a card had long proclaimed the void within; and Dyson, when -he walked up the steps one evening in early autumn, had a sense that -something was missing, and, looking at the fanlight, saw the appealing -card had disappeared.</p> - -<p>"You have let your first floor, have you?" he said, as he greeted Mr. -Russell.</p> - -<p>"Yes; it was taken about a fortnight ago by a lady."</p> - -<p>"Indeed," said Dyson, always curious; "a young lady?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I believe so. She is a widow, and wears a thick crape veil. I have -met her once or twice on the stairs and in the street, but I should not -know her face."</p> - -<p>"Well," said Dyson, when the beer had arrived, and the pipes were in -full blast, "and what have you been doing? Do you find the work getting -any easier?"</p> - -<p>"Alas!" said the young man, with an expression of great gloom, "the life -is a purgatory, and all but a hell. I write, picking out my words, -weighing and balancing the force of every syllable, calculating the -minutest effects that language can produce, erasing and rewriting, and -spending a whole evening over a page of manuscript. And then in the -morning when I read what I have written—Well, there is nothing to be -done but to throw it in the waste-paper basket if the verso has been -already written on, or to put it in the drawer if the other side happens -to be clean. When I have written a phrase which undoubtedly embodies a -happy turn of thought, I find it dressed up in feeble commonplace; and -when the style is good, it serves only to conceal the baldness of -superannuated fancies. I sweat over my work, Dyson,—every finished line -means so much agony. I envy the lot of the carpenter in the side street -who has a craft which he understands. When he gets an order for a table, -he does not writhe with anguish; but if I were so unlucky as to get an -order for a book, I think I should go mad."</p> - -<p>"My dear fellow, you take it all too seriously. You should let the ink -flow more readily. Above all, firmly believe, when you sit down to -write, that you are an artist, and that whatever you are about is a -masterpiece. Suppose ideas fail you, say; as I heard one of our most -exquisite artists say, "It's of no consequence; the ideas are all there, -at the bottom of that box of cigarettes." You, indeed, smoke tobacco, -but the application is the same. Besides, you must have some happy -moments, and these should be ample consolation."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps you are right. But such moments are so few; and then there is -the torture of a glorious conception matched, with execution beneath the -standard of the Family Story Paper. For instance, I was happy for two -hours a night or two ago; I lay awake and saw visions. But then the -morning!"</p> - -<p>"What was your idea?"</p> - -<p>"It seemed to me a splendid one; I thought of Balzac and the 'Comédie -Humaine,' of Zola and the Rougon-Macquart family. It dawned upon me that -I would write the history of a street. Every house should form a volume. -I fixed upon the street, I saw each house, and read, as clearly as in -letters, the physiology and psychology of each. The little by-way -stretched before me in its actual shape,—a street that I know and have -passed down a hundred times; with some twenty houses, prosperous and -mean, and lilac bushes in purple blossom; and yet it was at the same -time a symbol, a <i>via dolorosa</i> of hopes cherished and disappointed, of -years of monotonous existence without content or discontent, of -tragedies and obscure sorrows; and on the door of one of those houses I -saw the red stain of blood, and behind a window two shadows, blackened -and faded, on the blind, as they swayed on tightened cords,—the shadows -of a man and a woman hanging in a vulgar, gas-lit parlor. These were my -fancies; but when pen touched paper, they shrivelled and vanished away,"</p> - -<p>"Yes," said. Dyson, "there is a lot in that. I envy you the pains of -transmuting vision into reality, and still more I envy you the day when -you will look at your bookshelf and see twenty goodly books upon the -shelves,—the series complete and done forever. Let me entreat you to -have them bound in solid parchment, with gold lettering. It is the only -real cover for a valiant book. When I look in at the windows of some -choice shop, and see the bindings of Levant morocco, with pretty tools -and panellings, and your sweet contrasts of red and green, I say to -myself, 'These are not books, but bibelots.' A book bound so—a true -book, mind you—is like a Gothic statue draped in brocade of Lyons."</p> - -<p>"Alas!" said Russell, "we need not discuss the binding,—the books are -not begun."</p> - -<p>The talk went on as usual till eleven o'clock, when Dyson bade his -friend good-night. He knew the way downstairs, and walked down by -himself; but greatly to his surprise, as he crossed the first-floor -landing, the door opened slightly, and a hand was stretched out, -beckoning.</p> - -<p>Dyson was not the man to hesitate under such circumstances. In a moment -he saw himself involved in adventure; and, as he told himself, the -Dysons had never disobeyed a lady's summons. Softly, then, with due -regard for the lady's honor, he would have entered the room, when a low -but clear voice spoke to him,—</p> - -<p>"Go downstairs and open the door, and shut it again rather loudly. Then -come up to me; and for heaven's sake, walk softly."</p> - -<p>Dyson obeyed her commands,—not without some hesitation, for he was -afraid of meeting the landlady or the maid on his return journey. But -walking like a cat, and making each step he trod on crack loudly, he -flattered himself that he had escaped observation; and as he gained the -top of the stairs, the door opened wide before him, and he found himself -in the lady's drawing-room, bowing awkwardly.</p> - -<p>"Pray be seated, sir. Perhaps this chair will be the best; it was the -favored chair of my landlady's deceased husband. I would ask you to -smoke, but the odor would betray me. I know my proceedings must seem to -you unconventional; but I saw you arrive this evening, and I do not -think you would refuse to help a woman who is so unfortunate as I am."</p> - -<p>Mr. Dyson looked shyly at the young lady before him. She was dressed in -deep mourning; but the piquant smiling face and charming hazel eyes ill -accorded with the heavy garments, and the mouldering surface of the -crape.</p> - -<p>"Madam," he said gallantly, "your instinct has served you well. We will -not trouble, if you please, about the question of social conventions; -the chivalrous gentleman knows nothing of such matters. I hope I may be -privileged to serve you."</p> - -<p>"You are very kind to me, but I knew it would be so. Alas, sir, I have -had experience of life, and I am rarely mistaken. Yet man is too often -so vile and so misjudging that I trembled even as I resolved to take -this step, which, for all I knew, might prove to be both desperate and -ruinous."</p> - -<p>"With me you have nothing to fear," said Dyson. "I was nurtured in the -faith of chivalry, and I have always endeavored to remember the proud -traditions of my race. Confide in me then, and count upon my secrecy, -and, if it prove possible, you may rely on my help."</p> - -<p>"Sir, I will not waste your time, which I am sure is valuable, by idle -parleyings. Learn, then, that I am a fugitive, and in hiding here. I -place myself in your power; you have but to describe my features, and I -fall into the hands of my relentless enemy."</p> - -<p>Mr. Dyson wondered for a passing instant how this could be; but he only -renewed his promise of silence, repeating that he would be the embodied -spirit of dark concealment.</p> - -<p>"Good," said the lady; "the Oriental fervor of your style is delightful. -In the first place, I must disabuse your mind of the conviction that I -am a widow. These gloomy vestments have been forced on me by strange -circumstance; in plain language, I have deemed it expedient to go -disguised. You have a friend, I think, in the house,—Mr. Russell? He -seems of a coy and retiring nature."</p> - -<p>"Excuse me, madam," said Dyson, "he is not coy, but he is a realist; and -perhaps you are aware that no Carthusian monk can emulate the cloistral -seclusion in which a realistic novelist loves to shroud himself. It is -his way of observing human, nature."</p> - -<p>"Well, well," said the lady; "all this, though deeply interesting is not -germane to our affair. I must tell you my history."</p> - -<p>With these words the young lady proceeded to relate the</p> - - - -<hr style="width: 65%;" /> -<h3><a name="NOVEL_OF_THE_WHITE_POWDER" id="NOVEL_OF_THE_WHITE_POWDER"></a>NOVEL OF THE WHITE POWDER.</h3> - - -<p>My name is Leicester; my father. Major General Wyn Leicester, a -distinguished officer of artillery, succumbed five years ago to a -complicated liver complaint acquired in the deadly climate of India. A -year later my only brother, Francis, came home after an exceptionally -brilliant career at the University, and settled down with the resolution -of a hermit to master what has been well called the great legend of the -law. He was a man who seemed to live in utter indifference to everything -that is called pleasure; and though he was handsomer than most men, and -could talk as merrily and wittily as if he were a mere vagabond, he -avoided society, and shut himself up in a large room at the top of the -house to make himself a lawyer. Ten hours a day of hard reading was at -first his allotted portion; from the first light in the east to the late -afternoon he remained shut up with his books, taking a hasty half-hour's -lunch with me as if he grudged the wasting of the moments, and going out -for a short walk when it began to grow dusk. I thought that such -relentless application must be injurious, and tried to cajole him from -the crabbed text-books; but his ardor seemed to grow rather than -diminish, and his daily tale of hours increased. I spoke to him -seriously, suggesting some occasional relaxation, if it were but an idle -afternoon with a harmless novel; but he laughed, and said that he read -about feudal tenures when he felt in need of amusement, and scoffed at -the notion of theatres, or a month's fresh confessed that he looked -well, and seemed not to suffer from his labors; but I knew that such -unnatural toil would take revenge at last, and I was not mistaken. A -look of anxiety began to lurk about his eyes, and he seemed languid, and -at last he avowed that he was no longer in perfect health; he was -troubled, he said, with a sensation of dizziness, and awoke now and then -of nights from fearful dreams, terrified and cold with icy sweats. "I am -taking care of myself," he said; "so you must not trouble. I passed the -whole of yesterday afternoon in idleness, leaning back in that -comfortable chair you gave me, and scribbling nonsense on a sheet of -paper. No, no; I will not overdo my work. I shall be well enough in a -week or two, depend upon it."</p> - -<p>Yet, in spite of his assurances, I could see that he grew no better, but -rather worse; he would enter the drawing-room with a face all miserably -wrinkled and despondent, and endeavor to look gayly when my eyes fell on -him, and I thought such symptoms of evil omen, and was frightened -sometimes at the nervous irritation of his movements, and at glances -which I could not decipher. Much against his will, I prevailed on him to -have medical advice, and with an ill grace he called in our old doctor.</p> - -<p>Dr. Haberden cheered me after his examination of his patient.</p> - -<p>"There is nothing really much amiss," he said to me. "No doubt he reads -too hard, and eats hastily, and then goes back again to his books in too -great a hurry; and the natural consequence is some digestive trouble, -and a little mischief in the nervous system. But I think—I do, indeed, -Miss Leicester—that we shall be able to set this all right. I have -written him a prescription which ought to do great things. So you have -no cause for anxiety."</p> - -<p>My brother insisted on having the prescription made up by a chemist in -the neighborhood; it was an odd old-fashioned shop, devoid of the -studied coquetry and calculated glitter that make so gay a show on the -counters and shelves of the modern apothecary; but Francis liked the old -chemist, and believed in the scrupulous purity of his drugs. The -medicine was sent in due course, and I saw that my brother took it -regularly after lunch and dinner. It was an innocent-looking white -powder, of which a little was dissolved, in a glass of cold water. I -stirred it in, and it seemed to disappear, leaving the water clear and -colorless. At first Francis seemed to benefit greatly; the weariness -vanished from his face, and he became more cheerful than he had ever -been since the time when he left school; he talked gayly of reforming -himself, and avowed to me that he had wasted his time.</p> - -<p>"I have given too many hours to law," he said, laughing; "I think you -have saved me in the nick of time. Come, I shall be Lord Chancellor yet, -but I must not forget life. You and I will have a holiday together -before long; we will go to Paris and enjoy ourselves, and keep away from -the Bibliothèque Nationale."</p> - -<p>I confessed myself delighted with the prospect.</p> - -<p>"When shall we go?" I said. "I can start the day after to-morrow, if you -like."</p> - -<p>"Ah, that is perhaps a little too soon; after all, I do not know London -yet, and I suppose a man ought to give the pleasures of his own country -the first choice. But we will go off together in a week or two, so try -and furbish up your French. I only know law French myself, and I am -afraid that wouldn't do."</p> - -<p>We were just finishing dinner, and he quaffed off his medicine with a -parade of carousal as if it had been wine from some choicest bin.</p> - -<p>"Has it any particular taste?" I said.</p> - -<p>"No; I should not know I was not drinking water," and he got up from his -chair, and began to pace up and down the room as if he were undecided as -to what he should do next.</p> - -<p>"Shall we have coffee in the drawing-room," I said, "or would you like -to smoke?"</p> - -<p>"No; I think I will take a turn, it seems a pleasant evening. Look at -the afterglow; why, it is as if a great city were burning in flames, and -down there between the dark houses it is raining blood fast, fast. Yes, -I will go out. I may be in soon, but I shall take my key, so good-night, -dear, if I don't see you again."</p> - -<p>The door slammed behind him, and I saw him walk lightly down the street, -swinging his malacca cane, and I felt grateful to Dr. Haberden for such -an improvement.</p> - -<p>I believe my brother came home very late that night; but he was in a -merry mood the next morning.</p> - -<p>"I walked on without thinking where I was going," he said, "enjoying the -freshness of the air, and livened by the crowds as I reached more -frequented quarters. And then I met an old college friend, Orford, in -the press of the pavement, and then—well, we enjoyed ourselves. I have -felt what it is to be young and a man, I find I have blood in my veins, -as other men have. I made an appointment with Orford for to-night; there -will be a little party of us at the restaurant. Yes, I shall enjoy -myself for a week or two, and hear the chimes at midnight, and then we -will go for our little trip together."</p> - -<p>Such was the transmutation of my brother's character that in a few days -he became a lover of pleasure, a careless and merry idler of western -pavements, a hunter out of snug restaurants, and a fine critic of -fantastic dancing; he grew fat before my eyes, and said no more of -Paris, for he had clearly found his Paradise in London. I rejoiced, and -yet wondered a little, for there was, I thought, something in his gayety -that indefinitely displeased me, though I could not have defined my -feeling. But by degrees there came a change; he returned still in the -cold, hours of the morning, but I heard no more about his pleasures, and -one morning as we sat at breakfast together, I looked suddenly into his -eyes and saw a stranger before me.</p> - -<p>"Oh, Francis!" I cried; "Oh, Francis, Francis, what have you done?" and -rending sobs cut the words short, and I went weeping out of the room, -for though I knew nothing, yet I knew all, and by some odd play of -thought I remembered the evening when he first went abroad to prove his -manhood, and the picture of the sunset sky glowed before me; the clouds -like a city in burning flames, and the rain of blood. Yet I did battle -with such thoughts, resolving that perhaps, after all, no great harm -had been done, and in the evening at dinner I resolved to press him to -fix a day for our holiday in Paris. We had talked easily enough, and my -brother had just taken his medicine, which he had continued all the -while. I was about to begin my topic, when the words forming in my mind -vanished, and I wondered for a second what icy and intolerable weight -oppressed my heart and suffocated me as with the unutterable horror of -the coffin-lid nailed down on the living.</p> - -<p>We had dined without candles, and the room had slowly grown from -twilight to gloom, and the walls and corners were indistinct in the -shadow. But from where I sat I looked out into the street; and as I -thought of what I would say to Francis, the sky began to flush and -shine, as it had done on a well-remembered evening, and in the gap -between two dark masses that were houses an awful pageantry of flame -appeared. Lurid whorls of writhed cloud, and utter depths burning, and -gray masses like the fume blown from a smoking city, and an evil glory -blazing far above shot with tongues of more ardent fire, and below as if -there were a deep pool of blood. I looked down to where my brother sat -facing me, and the words were shaped on my lips, when I saw his hand -resting on the table. Between the thumb and forefinger of the closed -hand, there was a mark, a small patch about the size of a sixpence, and -somewhat of the color of a bad bruise. Yet, by some sense I cannot -define, I knew that what I saw was no bruise at all. Oh, if human flesh -could burn with flame, and if flame could be black as pitch, such was -that before me! Without thought or fashioning of words, gray horror -shaped within me at the sight, and in an inner cell it was known to be a -brand. For a moment the stained sky became dark as midnight, and when -the light returned to me, I was alone in the silent room, and soon after -I heard my brother go out.</p> - -<p>Late as it was, I put on my bonnet and went to Dr. Haberden, and in his -great consulting-room, ill-lighted by a candle which the doctor brought -in with him, with stammering lips, and a voice that would break in spite -of my resolve, I told him all; from the day on which my brother began to -take the medicine down to the dreadful thing I had seen scarcely half an -hour before.</p> - -<p>When I had done, the doctor looked at me for a minute with an expression -of great pity on his face.</p> - -<p>"My dear Miss Leicester," he said, "you have evidently been anxious -about your brother; you have been worrying over him, I am sure. Come, -now, is it not so?</p> - -<p>"I have certainly been anxious," I said. "For the last week or two I -have not felt at ease."</p> - -<p>"Quite so; you know, of course, what a queer thing the brain is?"</p> - -<p>"I understand what you mean; but I was not deceived. I saw what I have -told you with my own eyes."</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes, of course. But your eyes had been staring at that very -curious sunset we had to-night. That is the only explanation. You will -see it in the proper light to-morrow, I am sure. But, remember, I am -always ready to give any help that is in my power; do not scruple to -come to me, or to send for me if you are in any distress."</p> - -<p>I went away but little comforted, all confusion and terror and sorrow, -not knowing where to turn. When my brother and I met the next day, I -looked quickly at him, and noticed, with a sickening at heart, that the -right hand, the hand on which I had clearly seen the patch as of a black -fire, was wrapped up with a handkerchief.</p> - -<p>"What is the matter with your hand, Francis?" I said in a steady voice.</p> - -<p>"Nothing of consequence. I cut a finger last night, and it bled rather -awkwardly, so I did it up roughly to the best of my ability."</p> - -<p>"I will do it neatly for you, if you like."</p> - -<p>"No, thank you, dear, this will answer very well. Suppose we have -breakfast; I am quite hungry."</p> - -<p>We sat down, and I watched him. He scarcely ate or drank at all, but -tossed his meat to the dog when he thought my eyes were turned away; and -there was a look in his eyes that I had never yet seen, and the thought -fled across my mind that it was a look that was scarcely human. I was -firmly convinced that awful and incredible as was the thing I had seen -the night before, yet it was no illusion, no glamour of bewildered -sense, and in the course of the morning I went again to the doctor's -house.</p> - -<p>He shook his head with an air puzzled and incredulous, and seemed to -reflect for a few minutes.</p> - -<p>"And you say he still keeps up the medicine? But why? As I understand, -all the symptoms he complained of have disappeared long ago; why should -he go on taking the stuff when he is quite well? And by the bye where -did he get it made up? At Sayce's? I never send any one there; the old -man is getting careless. Suppose you come with me to the chemist's; I -should like to have some talk with him."</p> - -<p>We walked together to the shop. Old Sayce knew Dr. Haberden, and was -quite ready to give any information.</p> - -<p>"You have been sending that in to Mr. Leicester for some weeks, I think, -on my prescription," said the doctor, giving the old man a pencilled -scrap of paper.</p> - -<p>The chemist put on his great spectacles with trembling uncertainty, and -held up the paper with a shaking hand.</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes," he said, "I have very little of it left; it is rather an -uncommon drug, and I have had it in stock some time. I must get in some -more, if Mr. Leicester goes on with it."</p> - -<p>"Kindly let me have a look at the stuff," said Haberden; and the chemist -gave him a glass bottle. He took out the stopper and smelt the contents, -and looked strangely at the old man.</p> - -<p>"Where did you get this?" he said, "and what is it? For one thing, Mr. -Sayce, it is not what I prescribed. Yes, yes, I see the label is right -enough, but I tell you this is not the drug."</p> - -<p>"I have had it a long time," said the old man, in feeble terror. "I got -it from Burbage's in the usual way. It is not prescribed often, and I -have had it on the shelf for some years. You see there is very little -left."</p> - -<p>"You had better give it to me," said Haberden. "I am afraid something -wrong has happened."</p> - -<p>We went out of the shop in silence, the doctor carrying the bottle -neatly wrapped in paper under his arm.</p> - -<p>"Dr. Haberden," I said when we had walked a little way—"Dr. Haberden."</p> - -<p>"Yes," he said, looking at me gloomily enough.</p> - -<p>"I should like you to tell me what my brother has been taking twice a -day for the last month or so."</p> - -<p>"Frankly, Miss Leicester, I don't know. We will speak of this when we -get to my house,"</p> - -<p>We walked on quickly without another word till we reached Dr. -Haberden's. He asked me to sit down, and began pacing up and down the -room, his face clouded over, as I could see, with no common fears.</p> - -<p>"Well," he said at length, "this is all very strange; it is only natural -that you should feel alarmed, and I must confess that my mind is far -from easy. We will put aside, if you please, what you told me last night -and this morning, but the fact remains that for the last few weeks Mr. -Leicester has been impregnating his system with a drug which is -completely unknown to me. I tell you, it is not what I ordered; and what -that stuff in the bottle really is remains to be seen."</p> - -<p>He undid the wrapper, and cautiously tilted a few grains of the white -powder on to a piece of paper, and peered curiously at it.</p> - -<p>"Yes," he said, "it is like the sulphate of quinine, as you say; it is -flaky. But smell it."</p> - -<p>He held the bottle to me, and I bent over it. It was a strange sickly -smell, vaporous and overpowering, like some strong anæsthetic.</p> - -<p>"I shall have it analyzed," said Haberden. "I have a friend who has -devoted his whole life to chemistry as a science. Then we shall have -something to go upon. No, no, say no more about that other matter; I -cannot listen to that, and take my advice and think no more about it -yourself."</p> - -<p>That evening my brother did not go out as usual after dinner.</p> - -<p>"I have had my fling," he said with a queer laugh; "and I must go back -to my old ways. A little law will be quite a relaxation after so sharp a -dose of pleasure," and he grinned to himself, and soon after went up to -his room. His hand was still all bandaged.</p> - -<p>Dr. Haberden called a few days later.</p> - -<p>"I have no special news to give you," he said. "Chambers is out of town, -so I know no more about that stuff than you do. But I should like to see -Mr. Leicester if he is in."</p> - -<p>"He is in his room," I said; "I will tell him you are here."</p> - -<p>"No, no, I will go up to him; we will have a little quiet talk together. -I dare say that we have made a good deal of fuss about very little; for, -after all, whatever the white powder may be, it seems to have done him -good."</p> - -<p>The doctor went upstairs, and standing in the hall I heard his knock, -and the opening and shutting of the door; and then I waited in the -silent house for an hour, and the stillness grew more and more intense -as the hands of the clock crept round. Then there sounded from above the -noise of a door shut sharply, and the doctor was coming down the stairs. -His footsteps crossed the hall, and there was a pause at the door. I -drew a long sick breath with difficulty, and saw my face white in a -little mirror, and he came in and stood at the door. There was an -unutterable horror shining in his eyes; he steadied himself by holding -the back of a chair with one hand, and his lower lip trembled like a -horse's, and he gulped and stammered unintelligible sounds before he -spoke.</p> - -<p>"I have seen that man," he began in a dry whisper. "I have been sitting -in his presence for the last hour. My God! and I am alive and in my -senses! I, who have dealt with death all my life, and have dabbled with -the melting ruins of the earthly tabernacle. But not this! Oh, not this," -and he covered his face with his hands as if to shut out the sight -of something before him.</p> - -<p>"Do not send for me again, Miss Leicester," he said with more composure. -"I can do nothing in this house. Good-bye."</p> - -<p>As I watched him totter down the steps and along the pavement towards -his house, it seemed to me that he had aged by ten years since the -morning.</p> - -<p>My brother remained in his room. He called out to me in a voice I hardly -recognized, that he was very busy, and would like his meals brought to -his door and left there, and I gave the order to the servants. From that -day it seemed as if the arbitrary conception we call time had been -annihilated for me. I lived in an ever present sense of horror, going -through the routine of the house mechanically, and only speaking a few -necessary words to the servants. Now and then I went out and paced the -streets for an hour or two and came home again; but whether I were -without or within, my spirit delayed before the closed door of the upper -room, and, shuddering, waited for it to open. I have said that I -scarcely reckoned time, but I suppose it must have been a fortnight -after Dr. Haberden's visit that I came home from my stroll a little -refreshed and lightened. The air was sweet and pleasant, and the hazy -form of green leaves, floating cloud-like in the square, and the smell -of blossoms, had charmed my senses, and I felt happier and walked more -briskly. As I delayed a moment at the verge of the pavement, waiting for -a van to pass by before crossing over to the house, I happened to look -up at the windows, and instantly there was the rush and swirl of deep -cold waters in my ears, and my heart leapt up, and fell down, down as -into a deep hollow, and I was amazed with a dread and terror without -form or shape. I stretched out a hand blindly through folds of thick -darkness, from the black and shadowy valley, and held myself from -falling, while the stones beneath my feet rocked and swayed and tilted, -and the sense of solid things seemed to sink away from under me. I had -glanced up at the window of my brother's study, and at that moment the -blind was drawn aside, and something that had life stared out into the -world. Nay, I cannot say I saw a face or any human likeness; a living -thing, two eyes of burning flame glared at me, and they were in the -midst of something as formless as my fear, the symbol and presence of -all evil and all hideous corruption. I stood shuddering and quaking as -with the grip of ague, sick with unspeakable agonies of fear and -loathing, and for five minutes I could not summon force or motion to my -limbs. When I was within the door, I ran up the stairs to my brother's -room, and knocked.</p> - -<p>"Francis, Francis," I cried, "for heaven's sake answer me. What is the -horrible thing in your room? Cast it out, Francis, cast it from you!"</p> - -<p>I heard a noise as of feet shuffling slowly and awkwardly, and a -choking, gurgling sound, as if some one was struggling to find -utterance, and then the noise of a voice, broken and stifled, and words -that I could scarcely understand.</p> - -<p>"There is nothing here," the voice said, "Pray do not disturb me. I am -not very well to-day."</p> - -<p>I turned away, horrified and yet helpless. I could do nothing, and I -wondered why Francis had lied to me, for I had seen the appearance -beyond the glass too plainly to be deceived, though it was but the sight -of a moment. And I sat still, conscious that there had been something -else, something I had seen in the first flash of terror before those -burning eyes had looked at me. Suddenly I remembered; as I lifted my -face the blind was being drawn back, and I had had an instant's glance -of the thing that was moving it, and in my recollection I knew that a -hideous image was engraved forever on my brain. It was not a hand: there -were no fingers that held the blind, but a black stump pushed it aside; -the mouldering outline and the clumsy movement as of a beast's paw had -glowed into my senses before the darkling waves of terror had -overwhelmed me as I went down quick into the pit. My mind was aghast at -the thought of this, and of the awful presence that dwelt with my -brother in his room; I went to his door and cried to him again, but no -answer came. That night one of the servants came up to me and told me in -a whisper that for three days food had been regularly placed at the door -and left untouched; the maid had knocked, but had received no answer; -she had heard the noise of shuffling feet that I had noticed. Day after -day went by, and still my brother's meals were brought to his door and -left untouched; and though I knocked and called again and again, I could -get no answer. The servants began to talk to me; it appeared they were -as alarmed as I. The cook said that when my brother first shut himself -up in his room, she used to hear him come out at night and go about the -house; and once, she said, the hall door had opened and closed again, -but for several nights she had heard no sound. The climax came at last. -It was in the dusk of the evening, and I was sitting in the darkening -dreary room when a terrible shriek jarred and rang harshly out of the -silence, and I heard a frightened scurry of feet dashing down the -stairs. I waited, and the servant maid staggered into the room and faced -me, white and trembling.</p> - -<p>"O Miss Helen," she whispered. "Oh, for the Lord's sake, Miss Helen, -what has happened? Look at my hand, miss; look at that hand!" I drew her -to the window, and saw there was a black wet stain upon her hand.</p> - -<p>"I do not understand you," I said. "Will you explain to me?"</p> - -<p>"I was doing your room just now," she began. "I was turning down the -bedclothes, and all of a sudden there was something fell upon my hand -wet, and I looked up, and the ceiling was black and dripping on me."</p> - -<p>I looked bard at her, and bit my lip. "Come with me," I said. "Bring -your candle with you."</p> - -<p>The room I slept in was beneath my brother's, and as I went in I felt I -was trembling. I looked up at the ceiling, and saw a patch, all black -and wet and a dew of black drops upon it, and a pool of horrible liquor -soaking into the white bedclothes.</p> - -<p>I ran upstairs and knocked loudly.</p> - -<p>"O Francis, Francis, my dear brother," I cried, "what has happened to -you?"</p> - -<p>And I listened. There was a sound of choking, and a noise like water -bubbling and regurgitating, but nothing else, and I called louder, but -no answer came.</p> - -<p>In spite of what Dr. Haberden had said, I went to him, and with tears -streaming down my cheeks, I told him of all that had happened, and he -listened to me with a face set hard and grim.</p> - -<p>"For your father's sake," he said at last, "I will go with you, though I -can do nothing."</p> - -<p>We went out together; the streets were dark and silent, and heavy with -heat and a drought of many weeks. I saw the doctor's face white under -the gas-lamps, and when we reached the house his hand was shaking. We -did not hesitate, but went upstairs directly. I held the lamp, and he -called out in a loud, determined voice:—</p> - -<p>"Mr. Leicester, do you hear me? I insist on seeing you. Answer me at -once."</p> - -<p>There was no answer, but we both heard that choking noise I have -mentioned.</p> - -<p>"Mr. Leicester, I am waiting for you. Open the door this instant, or I -shall break it down." And he called a third time in a voice that rang -and echoed from the walls.</p> - -<p>"Mr. Leicester! For the last time I order you to open the door."</p> - -<p>"Ah!" he said, after a pause of heavy silence, "we are wasting time -here. Will you be so kind as to get me a poker, or something of the -kind?"</p> - -<p>I ran into a little room at the back where odd articles were kept, and -found a heavy adze-like tool that I thought might serve the doctor's -purpose.</p> - -<p>"Very good," he said, "that will do, I dare say. I give you notice, Mr. -Leicester," he cried loudly at the keyhole, "that I am now about to break -into your room."</p> - -<p>Then I heard the wrench of the adze, and the woodwork split and cracked -under it, and with a loud crash the door suddenly burst open; and for a -moment we started back aghast at a fearful screaming cry, no human -voice, but as the roar of a monster, that burst forth inarticulate and -struck at us out of the darkness.</p> - -<p>"Hold the lamp," said the doctor, and we went in and glanced quickly -round the room. "There it is," said Dr. Haberden, drawing a quick -breath; "look, in that corner."</p> - -<p>I looked, and a pang of horror seized my heart as with a white-hot iron. -There upon the floor was a dark and putrid mass, seething with -corruption and hideous rottenness, neither liquid nor solid, but -melting and changing before our eyes, and bubbling with unctuous oily -bubbles like boiling pitch. And out of the midst of it shone two burning -points like eyes, and I saw a writhing and stirring as of limbs, and -something moved and lifted up that might have been an arm. The doctor -took a step forward, and raised the iron bar and struck at the burning -points, and drove in the weapon, and struck again and again in a fury of -loathing. At last the thing was quiet.</p> - -<hr style="width: 45%;" /> - -<p>A week or two later, when I had to some extent recovered from the -terrible shock, Dr. Haberden came to see me.</p> - -<p>"I have sold my practice," he began, "and to-morrow I am sailing on a -long voyage. I do not know whether I shall ever return to England; in -all probability I shall buy a little land in California, and settle -there for the remainder of my life. I have brought you this packet, -which you may open and read when you feel able to do so. It contains the -report of Dr. Chambers on what I submitted to him. Good-bye, Miss -Leicester, good-bye."</p> - -<p>When he was gone, I opened the envelope; I could not wait, and proceeded -to read the papers within. Here is the manuscript; and if you will allow -me, I will read you the astounding story it contains.</p> - -<p>"My dear Haberden," the letter began, "I have delayed inexcusably in -answering your questions as to the white substance you sent me. To tell -you the truth, I have hesitated for some time as to what course I should -adopt, for there is a bigotry and an orthodox standard in physical -science as in theology, and I knew that if I told you the truth I -should offend rooted prejudices which I once held dear myself. However, -I have determined to be plain with you, and first I must enter into a -short personal explanation.</p> - -<p>"You have known me, Haberden, for many years as a scientific man; you -and I have often talked of our profession together, and discussed the -hopeless gulf that opens before the feet of those who think to attain to -truth by any means whatsoever, except the beaten way of experiment and -observation, in the sphere of material things. I remember the scorn with -which you have spoken to me of men of science who have dabbled a little -in the unseen, and have timidly hinted that perhaps the senses are not, -after all, the eternal, impenetrable bounds of all knowledge, the -everlasting walls beyond which no human being has ever passed. We have -laughed together heartily, and I think justly, at the "occult" follies -of the day, disguised under various names,—the mesmerisms, -spiritualisms, materializations, theosophies, all the rabble rant of -imposture, with their machinery of poor tricks and feeble conjuring, the -true back-parlor magic of shabby London streets. Yet, in spite of what I -have said, I must confess to you that I am no materialist, taking the -word of course in its usual signification. It is now many years since I -have convinced myself, convinced myself a sceptic remember, that the old -iron-bound theory is utterly and entirely false. Perhaps this confession -will not wound you so sharply as it would have done twenty years ago; -for I think you cannot have failed to notice that for some time -hypotheses have been advanced by men of pure science which are nothing -less than transcendental, and I suspect that most modern chemists and -biologists of repute would not hesitate to subscribe the <i>dictum</i> of the -old Schoolman, <i>Omnia exeunt in mysterium</i>, which means, I take it, that -every branch of human knowledge if traced up to its source and final -principles vanishes into mystery. I need not trouble you now with a -detailed account of the painful steps which led me to my conclusions; a -few simple experiments suggested a doubt as to my then standpoint, and a -train of thought that rose from circumstances comparatively trifling -brought me far. My old conception of the universe has been swept away, -and I stand in a world that seems as strange and awful to me as the -endless waves of the ocean seen for the first time, shining, from a Peak -in Darien. Now I know that the walls of sense that seemed so -impenetrable, that seemed to loom up above the heavens and to be founded -below the depths, and to shut us in forevermore, are no such everlasting -impassable barriers as we fancied, but thinnest and most airy veils that -melt away before the seeker, and dissolve as the early mist of the -morning about the brooks. I know that you never adopted the extreme -materialistic position: you did not go about trying to prove a universal -negative, for your logical sense withheld you from that crowning -absurdity; yet I am sure that you will find all that I am saying strange -and repellent to your habits of thought. Yet, Haberden, what I tell you -is the truth, nay, to adopt our common language, the sole and scientific -truth, verified by experience; and the universe is verily more splendid -and more awful than we used to dream. The whole universe, my friend, is -a tremendous sacrament; a mystic, ineffable force and energy, veiled by -an outward form of matter; and man, and the sun and the other stars, and -the flower of the grass, and the crystal in the test-tube, are each and -every one as spiritual, as material, and subject to an inner working.</p> - -<p>"You will perhaps wonder, Haberden, whence all this tends; but I think a -little thought will make it clear. You will understand that from such a -standpoint the whole view of things is changed, and what we thought -incredible and absurd may be possible enough. In short, we must look at -legend and belief with other eyes, and be prepared to accept tales that -had become mere fables. Indeed, this is no such great demand. After all, -modern science will concede as much, in a hypocritical manner. You must -not, it is true, believe in witchcraft, but you may credit hypnotism; -ghosts are out of date, but there is a good deal to be said for the -theory of telepathy. Give a superstition a Greek name, and believe in -it, should almost be a proverb.</p> - -<p>"So much for my personal explanation. You sent me, Haberden, a phial, -stoppered and sealed, containing a small quantity of a flaky white -powder, obtained from a chemist who has been dispensing it to one of -your patients. I am not surprised to hear that this powder refused to -yield any results to your analysis. It is a substance which was known to -a few many hundred years ago, but which I never expected to have -submitted to me from the shop of a modern apothecary. There seems no -reason to doubt the truth of the man's tale; he no doubt got, as he -says, the rather uncommon salt you prescribed from the wholesale -chemist's; and it has probably remained on his shelf for twenty years, -or perhaps longer. Here what we call chance and coincidence begins to -work; during all these years the salt in the bottle was exposed to -certain recurring variations of temperature, variations probably ranging -from 40° to 80°. And, as it happens, such changes, recurring year after -year at irregular intervals, and with varying degrees of intensity and -duration, have constituted a process, and a process so complicated and -so delicate, that I question whether modern scientific apparatus -directed with the utmost precision could produce the same result. The -white powder you sent me is something very different from the drug you -prescribed; it is the powder from which the wine of the Sabbath, the -<i>Vinum Sabbati</i> was prepared. No doubt you have read of the Witches' -Sabbath, and have laughed at the tales which terrified our ancestors; -the black cats, and the broomsticks, and dooms pronounced against some -old woman's cow. Since I have known the truth I have often reflected -that it is on the whole a happy thing that such burlesque as this is -believed, for it serves to conceal much that it is better should not be -known generally. However, if you care to read the appendix to Payne -Knight's monograph, you will find that the true Sabbath was something -very different, though the writer has very nicely refrained from -printing all he knew. The secrets of the true Sabbath were the secrets -of remote times surviving into the Middle Ages, secrets of an evil -science which existed long before Aryan man entered Europe. Men and -women, seduced from their homes on specious pretences, were met by -beings well qualified to assume, as they did assume, the part of devils, -and taken by their guides to some, desolate and lonely place, known to -the initiate by long tradition and unknown to all else. Perhaps it was a -cave in some bare and wind-swept hill; perhaps some inmost recess of a -great forest, and there the Sabbath was held. There, in the blackest -hour of night, the <i>Vinum Sabbati</i> was prepared, and this evil graal was -poured forth and offered to the neophytes, and they partook of an -infernal sacrament; <i>sumentes calicem principis inferorum,</i> as an old -author well expresses it. And suddenly, each one that had drunk found -himself attended by a companion, a shape of glamour and unearthly -allurement, beckoning him apart to share in joys more exquisite, more -piercing than the thrill of any dream, to the consummation of the -marriage of the Sabbath. It is hard to write of such things as these, -and chiefly because that shape that allured with loveliness was no -hallucination, but, awful as it is to express, the man himself. By the -power of that Sabbath wine, a few grains of white powder thrown into a -glass of water, the house of life was riven asunder, and the human -trinity dissolved, and the worm which never dies, that which lies -sleeping within us all, was made tangible and an external thing, and -clothed with a garment of flesh. And then in the hour of midnight, the -primal fall was repeated and represented, and the awful thing veiled in -the mythos of the Tree in the Garden was done anew. Such was the -<i>nuptiæ Sabbati</i>.</p> - -<p>"I prefer to say no more; you, Haberden, know as well as I do that the -most trivial laws of life are not to be broken with impunity; and for so -terrible an act as this, in which the very inmost place of the temple -was broken open and defiled, a terrible vengeance followed. What began -with corruption ended also with corruption."</p> - -<hr style="width: 45%;" /> - -<p>Underneath is the following in Dr. Haberden's writing:—</p> - -<p>"The whole of the above is unfortunately strictly and entirely true. -Your brother confessed all to me on that morning when I saw him in his -room. My attention was first attracted to the bandaged hand, and I -forced him to show it me. What I saw made me, a medical man of many -years standing, grow sick with loathing; and the story I was forced to -listen to was infinitely more frightful than I could have believed -possible. It has tempted me to doubt the Eternal Goodness which can -permit nature to offer such hideous possibilities; and if you had not -with your own eyes seen the end, I should have said to you—disbelieve -it all. I have not, I think, many more weeks to live, but you are young, -and may forget all this.</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 12em;">"JOSEPH HABERDEN, M.D."</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>In the course of two or three months I heard that Dr. Haberden had died -at sea, shortly after the ship left England.</p> - -<p>Miss Leicester ceased speaking, and looked pathetically at Dyson, who -could not refrain from exhibiting some symptoms of uneasiness.</p> - -<p>He stuttered out some broken phrases expressive of his deep interest in -her extraordinary history, and then said with a better grace—</p> - -<p>"But, pardon me, Miss Leicester, I understood you were in some -difficulty. You were kind enough to ask me to assist you in some way."</p> - -<p>"Ah," she said, "I had forgotten that. My own present trouble seems of -such little consequence in comparison with what I have told you. But as -you are so good to me, I will go on. You will scarcely believe it, but I -found that certain persons suspected, or rather pretended to suspect -that I had murdered my brother. These persons were relatives of mine, -and their motives were extremely sordid ones; but I actually found -myself subject to the shameful indignity of being watched. Yes, sir, my -steps were dogged when I went abroad, and at home I found myself exposed -to constant if artful observation. With my high spirit this was more -than I could brook, and I resolved to set my wits to work and elude the -persons who were shadowing me. I was so fortunate as to succeed. I -assumed this disguise, and for some time have lain snug and unsuspected. -But of late I have reason to believe that the pursuer is on my track; -unless I am greatly deceived, I saw yesterday the detective who is -charged with the odious duty of observing my movements. You, sir, are -watchful and keen-sighted; tell me, did you see any one lurking about -this evening?"</p> - -<p>"I hardly think so," said Dyson, "but perhaps you would give me some -description of the detective in question."</p> - -<p>"Certainly; he is a youngish man, dark, with dark whiskers. He has -adopted spectacles of large size in the hope of disguising himself -effectually, but he cannot disguise his uneasy manner, and the quick, -nervous glances he casts to right and left."</p> - -<p>This piece of description was the last straw for the unhappy Dyson, who -was foaming with impatience to get out of the house, and would gladly -have sworn eighteenth century oaths if propriety had not frowned on such -a course.</p> - -<p>"Excuse me, Miss Leicester," he said with cold politeness, "I cannot -assist you."</p> - -<p>"Ah!" she said sadly, "I have offended you in some way. Tell me what I -have done, and I will ask you to forgive me."</p> - -<p>"You are mistaken," said Dyson, grabbing his hat, but speaking with some -difficulty; "you have done nothing. But, as I say, I cannot help you. -Perhaps," he added, with some tinge of sarcasm, "my friend Russell might -be of service."</p> - -<p>"Thank you," she replied; "I will try him," and the lady went off into a -shriek of laughter, which filled up Mr. Dyson's cup of scandal and -confusion.</p> - -<p>He left the house shortly afterwards, and had the peculiar delight of a -five-mile walk, through streets which slowly changed from black to gray, -and from gray to shining passages of glory for the sun to brighten. Here -and there he met or overtook strayed revellers, but he reflected that no -one could have spent the night in a more futile fashion than himself; -and when he reached his home he had made resolves for reformation. He -decided that he would abjure all Milesian and Arabian methods of -entertainment, and subscribe to Mudie's for a regular supply of mild and -innocuous romance.</p> - - - -<hr style="width: 65%;" /> -<h3><a name="STRANGE_OCCURRENCE_IN_CLERKENWELL" id="STRANGE_OCCURRENCE_IN_CLERKENWELL"></a>STRANGE OCCURRENCE IN CLERKENWELL.</h3> - - -<p>Mr. Dyson had inhabited for some years a couple of rooms in a moderately -quiet street in Bloomsbury, where, as he somewhat pompously expressed -it, he held his finger on the pulse of life without being deafened with -the thousand rumors of the main arteries of London. It was to him a -source of peculiar, if esoteric gratification, that from the adjacent -corner of Tottenham Court Road a hundred lines of omnibuses went to the -four quarters of the town; he would dilate on the facilities for -visiting Dalston, and dwell on the admirable line that knew extremest -Ealing and the streets beyond Whitechapel. His rooms, which had been -originally "furnished apartments," he had gradually purged of their more -peccant parts; and though one would not find here the glowing splendors -of his old chambers in the street off the Strand, there was something of -severe grace about the appointments which did credit to his taste. The -rugs were old, and of the true faded beauty; the etchings, nearly all of -them proofs printed by the artist, made a good show with broad white -margins and black frames, and there was no spurious black oak. Indeed, -there was but little furniture of any kind: a plain and honest table, -square and sturdy, stood in one corner; a seventeenth century settle -fronted the hearth; and two wooden elbow-chairs, and a bookshelf of the -Empire made up the equipment, with an exception worthy of note. For -Dyson cared for none of these things. His place was at his own bureau, a -quaint old piece of lacquered-work at which he would sit for hour after -hour, with his back to the room, engaged in the desperate pursuit of -literature, or, as he termed his profession, the chase of the phrase. -The neat array of pigeon-holes and drawers teemed and overflowed with -manuscript and note-books, the experiments and efforts of many years; -and the inner well, a vast and cavernous receptacle, was stuffed with -accumulated ideas. Dyson was a craftsman who gloved all the detail and -the technique of his work intensely; and if, as has been hinted, he -deluded himself a little with the name of artist, yet his amusements -were eminently harmless, and, so far as can be ascertained, he (or the -publishers) had chosen the good part of not tiring the world with -printed matter.</p> - -<p>Here, then, Dyson would shut himself up with his fancies, experimenting -with words, and striving, as his friend the recluse of Bayswater strove, -with the almost invincible problem of style, but always with a fine -confidence, extremely different from the chronic depression of the -realist. He had been almost continuously at work on some scheme that -struck him as well-nigh magical in its possibilities since the night of -his adventure with the ingenious tenant of the first floor in Abingdon -Grove; and as he laid down the pen with a glow of triumph, he reflected -that he had not viewed, the streets for five days in succession. With -all the enthusiasm of his accomplished labor still working in his brain, -he put away his papers, and went out, pacing the pavement at first in -that rare mood of exultation which finds in every stone upon the way the -possibilities of a masterpiece. It was growing late, and the autumn -evening was drawing to a close amidst veils of haze and mist, and in the -stilled air the voices, and the roaring traffic, and incessant feet -seemed, to Dyson like the noise upon the stage when all the house is -silent. In the square, the leaves rippled down as quick as summer rain, -and the street beyond was beginning to flare with the lights in the -butcher's shops and the vivid illumination of the green-grocer. It was a -Saturday night, and the swarming populations of the slums were turning -out in force; the battered women in rusty black had begun to paw the -lumps of cagmag, and others gloated over unwholesome cabbages, and there -was a brisk demand for four-ale. Dyson passed through these night-fires -with some relief; he loved to meditate, but his thoughts were not as De -Quincey's after his dose; he cared not two straws whether onions were -dear or cheap, and would not have exulted if meat had fallen to twopence -a pound. Absorbed in the wilderness of the tale he had been writing, -weighing nicely the points of plot and construction, relishing the -recollection of this and that happy phrase, and dreading failure here -and there, he left the rush and the whistle of the gas-flares behind -him, and began to touch upon pavements more deserted.</p> - -<p>He had turned, without taking note, to the northward, and was passing -through an ancient fallen street, where now notices of floors and -offices to let hung out, but still about it there was the grace and the -stiffness of the Age of Wigs; a broad roadway, a broad pavement, and on -each side a grave line of houses with long and narrow windows flush with -the walls, all of mellowed brick-work. Dyson walked with quick steps, as -he resolved that short work must be made of a certain episode; but he -was in that happy humor of invention, and another chapter rose in the -inner chamber of his brain, and he dwelt on the circumstances he was to -write down with curious pleasure. It was charming to have the quiet -streets to walk in, and in his thought he made a whole district the -cabinet of his studies, and vowed he would come again. Heedless of his -course, he struck off to the east again, and soon found himself involved -in a squalid network of gray two-storied houses, and then in the waste -void and elements of brick-work, the passages and unmade roads behind -great factory walls, encumbered with the refuse of the neighborhood, -forlorn, ill-lighted, and desperate. A brief turn, and there rose before -him the unexpected, a hill suddenly lifted from the level ground, its -steep ascent marked by the lighted lamps, and eager as an explorer Dyson -found his way to the place, wondering where his crooked paths had -brought him. Here all was again decorous, but hideous in the extreme. -The builder, some one lost in the deep gloom of the early 'twenties, had -conceived the idea of twin villas in gray brick, shaped in a manner to -recall the outlines of the Parthenon, each with its classic form -broadly marked with raised bands of stucco. The name of the street was -all strange, and for a further surprise, the top of the hill was crowned -with an irregular plot of grass and fading trees, called a square, and -here again the Parthenon-motive had persisted. Beyond the streets were -curious, wild in their irregularities, here a row of sordid, dingy -dwellings, dirty and disreputable in appearance, and there, without -warning, stood a house genteel and prim with wire blinds and brazen -knocker, as clean and trim as if it had been the doctor's house in some -benighted little country town. These surprises and discoveries began to -exhaust Dyson, and he hailed with delight the blazing windows of a -public-house, and went in with the intention of testing the beverage -provided for the dwellers in this region, as remote as Libya and -Pamphylia and the parts about Mesopotamia. The babble of voices from -within warned him that he was about to assist at the true parliament of -the London workman, and he looked about him for that more retired -entrance called private. When he had settled himself on an exiguous -bench, and had ordered some beer, he began to listen to the jangling -talk in the public bar beyond; it was a senseless argument, alternately -furious and maudlin, with appeals to Bill and Tom, and mediæval -survivals of speech, words that Chaucer wrote belched out with zeal and -relish, and the din of pots jerked down and coppers rapped smartly on -the zinc counter made a thorough bass for it all. Dyson was calmly -smoking his pipe between the sips of beer, when an indefinite looking -figure slid rather than walked into the compartment. The man started -violently when he saw Dyson placidly sitting in the corner, and glanced -keenly about him. He seemed to be on wires, controlled by some electric -machine, for he almost bolted out of the door when the barman asked with -what he could serve him, and his hand shivered as he took the glass. -Dyson inspected him with a little curiosity; he was muffled up almost to -the lips, and a soft felt hat was drawn down over his eyes; he looked as -if he shrank from every glance, and a more raucous voice suddenly -uplifted in the public bar seemed to find in him a sympathy that made -him shake and quiver like a jelly. It was pitiable to see any one so -thrilled with nervousness, and Dyson was about to address some trivial -remark of casual inquiry to the man, when another person came into the -compartment, and, laying a hand on his arm, muttered something in an -undertone, and vanished as he came. But Dyson had recognized him as the -smooth-tongued and smooth-shaven Burton, who had displayed so sumptuous -a gift in lying; and yet he thought little of it, for his whole faculty -of observation was absorbed in the lamentable and yet grotesque -spectacle before him. At the first touch of the hand on his arm, the -unfortunate man had wheeled round as if spun on a pivot, and shrank back -with a low, piteous cry, as if some dumb beast were caught in the toils. -The blood fled away from the wretch's face, and the skin became gray as -if a shadow of death had passed in the air and fallen on it, and Dyson -caught a choking whisper—</p> - -<p>"Mr. Davies! For God's sake, have pity on me, Mr. Davies. On my oath, I -say—" and his voice sank to silence as he heard the message, and strove -in vain to bite his lip; and summon up to his aid some tinge of manhood. -He stood there a moment, wavering as the leaves of an aspen, and then he -was gone out into the street, as Dyson thought silently, with his doom -upon his head. He had not been gone a minute when it suddenly flashed -into Dyson's mind that he knew the man; it was undoubtedly the young man -with spectacles for whom so many ingenious persons were searching; the -spectacles indeed were missing, but the pale face, the dark whiskers, -and the timid glances were enough to identify him, Dyson saw at once -that by a succession of hazards he had unawares hit upon the scent of -some desperate conspiracy, wavering as the track of a loathsome snake in -and out of the highways and byways of the London cosmos; the truth was -instantly pictured before him, and he divined that all unconscious and -unheeding he had been privileged to see the shadows of hidden forms, -chasing and hurrying, and grasping and vanishing across the bright -curtain of common life, soundless and silent, or only babbling fables -and pretences. For him in an instant the jargoning of voices, the garish -splendor, and all the vulgar tumult of the public-house became part of -magic; for here before his eyes a scene in this grim mystery play had -been enacted, and he had seen human flesh grow gray with a palsy of -fear; the very hell of cowardice and terror had gaped wide within an -arm's breadth. In the midst of these reflections, the barman came up and -stared at him as if to hint that he had exhausted his right to take his -ease, and Dyson bought another lease of the seat by an order for more -beer. As he pondered the brief glimpse of tragedy, he recollected that -with his first start of haunted fear the young man with whiskers had -drawn his hand swiftly from his great coat pocket, and that he had heard -something fall to the ground; and pretending to have dropped his pipe, -Dyson began to grope in the corner, searching with his fingers. He -touched some thing, and drew it gently to him, and with one brief -glance, as he put it quietly in his pocket, he saw it was a little -old-fashioned note book, bound in faded green morocco.</p> - -<p>He drank down his beer at a gulp, and left the place, overjoyed at his -fortunate discovery, and busy with conjecture as to the possible -importance of the find. By turns he dreaded to find perhaps mere blank -leaves, or the labored follies of a betting-book, but the faded morocco -cover seemed to promise better things, and hint at mysteries. He piloted -himself with no little difficulty out of the sour and squalid quarter he -had entered with a light heart, and emerging at Gray's Inn Road, struck -off down Guilford Street, and hastened home, only anxious for a lighted -candle and solitude.</p> - -<p>Dyson sat down at his bureau, and placed the little book before him; it -was an effort to open the leaves and dare disappointment. But in -desperation at last he laid his finger between the pages at haphazard, -and rejoiced to see a compact range of writing with a margin, and as it -chanced, three words caught his glance, and stood out apart from the -mass. Dyson read:</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 7em;">THE GOLD TIBERIUS,</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>and his face flushed with fortune and the lust of the hunter.</p> - -<p>He turned at once to the first leaf of the pocket-book, and proceeded to -read with rapt interest the</p> - - - -<hr style="width: 65%;" /> -<h3><a name="HISTORY_OF_THE_YOUNG_MAN_WITH_SPECTACLES" id="HISTORY_OF_THE_YOUNG_MAN_WITH_SPECTACLES"></a>HISTORY OF THE YOUNG MAN WITH SPECTACLES</h3> - - -<p>From the filthy and obscure lodging, situated, I verily believe, in one -of the foulest slums of Clerkenwell, I indite this history of a life -which, daily threatened, cannot last for very much longer. Every day, -nay, every hour, I know too well my enemies are drawing their nets -closer about me; even now, I am condemned to be a close prisoner in my -squalid room, and I know that when I go out I shall go to my -destruction. This history, if it chance to fall into good hands, may, -perhaps, be of service in warning young men of the dangers and pitfalls -that most surely must accompany any deviation from the ways of -rectitude.</p> - -<p>My name is Joseph Walters. When I came of age I found myself in -possession of a small but sufficient income, and I determined that I -would devote my life to scholarship. I do not mean the scholarship of -these days; I had no intention of associating myself with men whose -lives are spent in the unspeakably degrading occupation of "editing" -classics, befouling the fair margins of the fairest books with idle and -superfluous annotation, and doing their utmost to give a lasting -disgust of all that is beautiful. An abbey church turned to the base use -of a stable or a bake-house is a sorry sight; but more pitiable still is -a masterpiece spluttered over with the commentator's pen, and his -hideous mark "cf."</p> - -<p>For my part I chose the glorious career of scholar in its ancient sense; -I longed to possess encyclopædic learning, to grow old amongst books, to -distil day by day, and year after year, the inmost sweetness of all -worthy writings. I was not rich enough to collect a library, and I was -therefore forced to betake myself to the Reading-Room of the British -Museum.</p> - -<p>O dim, far-lifted and mighty dome, Mecca of many minds, mausoleum of -many hopes, sad house where all desires fail. For there men enter in -with hearts uplifted, and dreaming minds, seeing in those exalted stairs -a ladder to fame, in that pompous portico the gate of knowledge; and -going in, find but vain vanity, and all but in vain. There, when the -long streets are ringing, is silence, there eternal twilight, and the -odor of heaviness. But there the blood flows thin and cold, and the -brain burns adust; there is the hunt of shadows, and the chase of -embattled phantoms; a striving against ghosts, and a war that has no -victory. O dome, tomb of the quick; surely in thy galleries where no -reverberant voice can call, sighs whisper ever, and mutterings of dead -hopes; and there men's souls mount like moths towards the flame, and -fall scorched and blackened beneath thee, O dim, far-lifted, and mighty -dome.</p> - -<p>Bitterly do I now regret the day when I took my place at a desk for the -first time, and began my studies. I had not been an habitué of the place -for many months, when I became acquainted with a serene and benevolent -gentleman, a man somewhat past middle age, who nearly always occupied a -desk next to mine. In the Reading-Room it takes little to make an -acquaintance, a casual offer of assistance, a hint as to the search in -the catalogue, and the ordinary politeness of men who constantly sit -near each other; it was thus I came to know the man calling himself Dr. -Lipsius. By degrees I grew to look for his presence, and to miss him -when he was away, as was sometimes the case, and so a friendship sprang -up between us. His immense range of learning was placed freely at my -service; he would often astonish me by the way in which he would sketch -out in a few minutes the bibliography of a given subject, and before -long I had confided to him my ambitions.</p> - -<p>"Ah," he said, "you should have been a German. I was like that myself -when I was a boy. It is a wonderful resolve, an infinite career. 'I will -know all things;' yes, it is a device indeed. But it means this—a life -of labor without end, and a desire unsatisfied at last. The scholar has -to die, and die saying, 'I know very little.'"</p> - -<p>Gradually, by speeches such as these, Lipsius seduced me: he would -praise the career, and at the same time hint that it was as hopeless as -the search for the philosopher's stone, and so by artful suggestions, -insinuated with infinite address, he by degrees succeeded in undermining -all my principles. "After all," he used to say, "the greatest of all -sciences, the key to all knowledge, is the science and art of pleasure. -Rabelais was perhaps the greatest of all the encyclopædic scholars; and -he, as you know, wrote the most remarkable book that has ever been -written. And what does he teach men in this book? Surely, the joy of -living. I need not remind you of the words, suppressed in most of the -editions, the key of all the Rabelaisian mythology, of all the enigmas -of his grand philosophy, <i>Vivez joyeux</i>. There you have all his -learning; his work is the institutes of pleasure as the fine art; the -finest art there is; the art of all arts. Rabelais had all science, but -he had all life too. And we have gone a long way since his time. You are -enlightened, I think; you do not consider all the petty rules and -by-laws that a corrupt society has made for its own selfish convenience -as the immutable decrees of the eternal."</p> - -<p>Such were the doctrines that he preached; and it was by such insidious -arguments, line upon line, here a little and there a little, that he at -last succeeded in making me a man at war with the whole social system. I -used to long for some opportunity to break the chains and to live a free -life, to be my own rule and measure. I viewed existence with the eyes of -a pagan, and Lipsius understood to perfection the art of stimulating the -natural inclinations of a young man hitherto a hermit. As I gazed up at -the great dome I saw it flushed with the flames and colors of a world of -enticement, unknown to me, my imagination played me a thousand wanton -tricks, and the forbidden drew me as surely as a loadstone draws on -iron. At last my resolution was taken, and I boldly asked Lipsius to be -my guide.</p> - -<p>He told me to leave the Museum at my usual hour, half past four, to walk -slowly along the northern pavement of Great Russell Street, and to wait -at the corner of the street till I was addressed, and then to obey in -all things the instructions of the person who came up to me. I carried -out these directions, and stood at the corner looking about me -anxiously, my heart beating fast, and my breath coming in gasps. I -waited there for some time, and had begun to fear I had been made the -object of a joke, when I suddenly became conscious of a gentleman who -was looking at me with evident amusement from the opposite pavement of -Tottenham Court Road. He came over, and raising his hat, politely begged -me to follow him, and I did so without a word, wondering where we were -going, and what was to happen. I was taken to a house of quiet and -respectable aspect in a street lying to the north of Oxford Street, and -my guide rang the bell, and a servant showed us into a large room, -quietly furnished, on the ground floor. We sat there in silence for some -time, and I noticed that the furniture, though unpretending, was -extremely valuable. There were large oak-presses, two book-cases of -extreme elegance, and in one corner a carved chest which must have been -mediæval. Presently Dr. Lipsius came in and welcomed me with his usual -manner, and after some desultory conversation, my guide left the room. -Then an elderly man dropped in and began talking to Lipsius; and from -their conversation I understood that my friend was a dealer in antiques; -they spoke of the Hittite seal, and of the prospects of further -discoveries, and later, when two or three more persons had joined us, -there was an argument as to the possibility of a systematic exploration -of the pre-celtic monuments in England I was; in fact, present at an -archæological reception of an informal kind; and at nine o'clock, when -the antiquaries were gone, I stared at Lipsius in a manner that showed I -was puzzled, and sought an explanation.</p> - -<p>"Now," he said, "we will go upstairs."</p> - -<p>As we passed up the stairs, Lipsius lighting the way with a hand-lamp, I -heard the sound of a jarring lock and bolts and bars shot on at the -front door. My guide drew back a baize door, and we went down a passage, -and I began to hear odd sounds, a noise of curious mirth, and then he -pushed me through a second door, and my initiation began. I cannot write -down what I witnessed that night; I cannot bear to recall what went on -in those secret rooms fast shuttered and curtained so that no light -should escape into the quiet street; they gave me red wine to drink, and -a woman told me as I sipped it that it was wine of the Red Jar that -Avallaunius had made. Another asked me how I liked the Wine of the -Fauns, and I heard a dozen fantastic names, while the stuff boiled in my -veins, and stirred, I think, something that had slept within me from the -moment I was born. It seemed as if my self-consciousness deserted me; I -was no longer a thinking agent, but at once subject and object. I -mingled in the horrible sport and watched the mystery of the Greek -groves and fountains enacted before me, saw the reeling dance, and heard -the music calling as I sat beside my mate, and yet I was outside it all, -and viewed my own part an idle spectator. Thus with strange rites they -made me drink the cup, and when I woke up in the morning I was one of -them, and had sworn to be faithful. At first I was shown the enticing -side of things. I was bidden to enjoy myself and care for nothing but -pleasure, and Lipsius himself indicated to me as the acutest enjoyment -the spectacle of the terrors of the unfortunate persons who were from -time to time decoyed into the evil house. But after a time it was -pointed out to me that I must take my share in the work, and so I found -myself compelled to be in my turn a seducer; and thus it is on my -conscience that I have led many to the depths of the pit.</p> - -<p>One day Lipsius summoned me to his private room, and told me that he had -a difficult task to give me. He unlocked a drawer, and gave me a sheet -of type-written paper, and had me read it. It was without place, or -date, or signature, and ran as follows:—</p> - -<p>"Mr. James Headley, F.S.A., will receive from his agent in Armenia, on -the 12th inst., a unique coin, the gold Tiberius. It hears on the -reverse a faun, with the legend VICTORIA. It is believed that this coin -is of immense value. Mr. Headley will come up to town to show the coin -to his friend, Professor Memys, of Chenies Street, Oxford Street, on -some date between the 13th and the 18th."</p> - -<p>Dr. Lipsius chuckled at my face of blank surprise when I laid down this -singular communication.</p> - -<p>"You will have a good chance of showing your discretion," he said. "This -is not a common case; it requires great management and infinite tact. I -am sure I wish I had a Panurge in my service, but we will see what you -can do."</p> - -<p>"But is it not a joke?" I asked him. "How can you know, or rather how -can this correspondent of yours know that a coin has been despatched -from Armenia to Mr. Headley? And how is it possible to fix the period in -which Mr. Headley will take it into his head to come up to town? It -seems to me a lot of guess work."</p> - -<p>"My dear Mr. Walters," he replied; "we do not deal in guess work here. -It would bore you if I went into all these little details, the cogs and -wheels, if I may say so, which move the machine. Don't you think it is -much more amusing to sit in front of the house and be astonished, than -to be behind the scenes and see the mechanism? Better tremble at the -thunder, believe me, than see the man rolling the cannon ball. But, -after all, you needn't bother about the how and why; you have your share -to do. Of course, I shall give you full instructions, but a great deal -depends on the way the thing is carried out. I have often heard very -young men maintain that style is everything in literature, and I can -assure you that the same maxim holds good in our far more delicate -profession. With us style is absolutely everything, and that is why we -have friends like yourself."</p> - -<p>I went away in some perturbation; he had no doubt designedly left -everything in mystery, and I did not know what part I should have to -play. Though I had assisted at scenes of hideous revelry, I was not yet -dead to all echo of human feeling, and I trembled lest I should receive -the order to be Mr. Headley's executioner.</p> - -<p>A week later, it was on the sixteenth of the month, Dr. Lipsius made me -a sign to come into his room.</p> - -<p>"It is for to-night," he began. "Please to attend carefully to what I am -going to say, Mr. Walters, and on peril of your life, for it is a -dangerous matter,—on peril of your life I say, follow these -instructions to the letter. You understand? Well, to-night at about -half-past seven you will stroll quietly up the Hampstead Road till you -come to Vincent Street. Turn down here and walk along, taking the third -turning to your right, which is Lambert Terrace. Then follow the -terrace, cross the road, and go along Hertford Street, and so into -Lillington Square. The second turning you will come to in the square is -called Sheen Street; but in reality it is more a passage between blank -walls than a street. Whatever you do, take care to be at the corner of -this street at eight o'clock precisely. You will walk along it, and just -at the bend, where you lose sight of the square, you will find an old -gentleman with white beard and whiskers. He will in all probability be -abusing a cabman for having brought him to Sheen Street instead of -Chenies Street. You will go up to him quietly and offer your services; -he will tell you where he wants to go, and you will be so courteous as -to offer to show him the way. I may say that Professor Memys moved, -into Chenies Street a month ago; thus Mr. Headley has never been to see -him there, and moreover he is very short-sighted, and knows little of -the topography of London. Indeed he has quite lived the life of a -learned hermit at Audley Hall.</p> - -<p>"Well, need I say more to a man of your intelligence? You will bring him -to this house; he will ring the bell, and a servant in quiet livery will -let him in. Then your work will be done, and I am sure done well. You -will leave Mr. Headley at the door, and simply continue your walk, and I -shall hope to see you the next day. I really don't think there is -anything more I can tell you."</p> - -<p>These minute instructions I took care to carry out to the letter. I -confess that I walked up the Tottenham Court Road by no means blindly, -but with an uneasy sense that I was coming to a decisive point in my -life. The noise and rumor of the crowded pavements were to me but -dumb-show. I revolved again and again in ceaseless iteration the task -that had been laid on me, and I questioned myself as to the possible -results. As I got near the point of turning, I asked myself whether -danger were not about my steps; the cold thought struck me that I was -suspected and observed, and every chance foot-passenger who gave me a -second glance seemed to me an officer of police. My time was running -out, the sky had darkened, and I hesitated, half resolved to go no -farther, but to abandon Lipsius and his friends forever. I had almost -determined to take this course, when the conviction suddenly came to me -that the whole thing was a gigantic joke, a fabrication of rank -improbability. Who could have procured the information about the -Armenian agent, I asked myself. By what means could Lipsius have known -the particular day, and the very train that Mr. Headley was to take? How -engage him to enter one special cab amongst the dozens waiting at -Paddington? I vowed it a mere Milesian tale, and went forward merrily, -and turned down Vincent Street, and threaded out the route that Lipsius -had so carefully impressed upon me. The various streets he had named -were all places of silence and an oppressive cheap gentility; it was -dark, and I felt alone in the musty squares and crescents, where people -pattered by at intervals, and the shadows were growing blacker. I -entered Sheen Street, and found it, as Lipsius had said, more a passage -than a street; it was a by-way, on one side a low wall and neglected -gardens and grim backs of a line of houses, and on the other a timber -yard. I turned the corner, and lost sight of the square, and then to my -astonishment I saw the scene of which I had been told. A hansom cab had -come to a stop beside the pavement, and an old man carrying a handbag -was fiercely abusing the cabman, who sat on his perch the image of -bewilderment.</p> - -<p>"Yes, but I'm sure you said Sheen Street, and that's where I brought -you," I heard him saying, as I came up, and the old gentleman boiled in -a fury, and threatened police and suits at law.</p> - -<p>The sight gave me a shock; and in an instant I resolved to go through -with it. I strolled on, and without noticing the cabman, lifted my hat -politely to old Mr. Headley.</p> - -<p>"Pardon me, sir," I said, "but is there any difficulty? I see you are a -traveller; perhaps the cabman has made a mistake. Can I direct you?"</p> - -<p>The old fellow turned to me, and I noticed that he snarled and showed -his teeth like an ill-tempered cur as he spoke.</p> - -<p>"This drunken fool has brought me here," he said. "I told him to drive -to Chenies Street, and he brings me to this infernal place. I won't pay -him a farthing, and I meant to have given him a handsome sum. I am going -to call for the police and give him in charge."</p> - -<p>At this threat the cabman seemed to take alarm. He glanced round as if -to make sure that no policeman was in sight and drove off grumbling -loudly, and Mr. Headley grinned, savagely with satisfaction at having -saved his fare, and put back one and sixpence into his pocket, the -"handsome sum" the cabman had lost.</p> - -<p>"My dear sir," I said, "I am afraid this piece of stupidity has annoyed -you a great deal. It is a long way to Chenies Street, and you will have -some difficulty in finding the place unless you know London pretty -well."</p> - -<p>"I know it very little," he replied. "I never come up except on -important business, and I've never been to Chenies Street in my life."</p> - -<p>"Really? I should be happy to show you the way. I have been for a -stroll, and it will not at all inconvenience me to take you to your -destination."</p> - -<p>"I want to go to Professor Memys, at number 15. It's most annoying to -me. I'm short-sighted, and I can never make out the numbers on the -doors."</p> - -<p>"This way if you please," I said, and we set out.</p> - -<p>I did not find Mr. Headley an agreeable man; indeed, he grumbled the -whole way. He informed me of his name, and I took care to say, "The -well-known antiquary?" and thenceforth I was compelled to listen to the -history of his complicated squabbles with publishers, who had treated -him, as he said, disgracefully. The man was a chapter in the -Irritability of Authors. He told me that he had been on the point of -making the fortune of several firms, but had been compelled to abandon -the design owing to their rank ingratitude. Besides these ancient -histories of wrong and the more recent misadventure of the cabman, he -had another grievous complaint to make. As he came along in the train, -he had been sharpening a pencil, and the sudden jolt of the engine as it -drew up at a station had driven the penknife against his face, -inflicting a small triangular wound just on the cheek-bone, which he -showed me. He denounced the railway company, and heaped imprecations on -the head of the driver, and talked of claiming damages. Thus he grumbled -all the way, not noticing in the least where he was going, and so -inamiable did his conduct appear to me that I began to enjoy the trick I -was playing on him.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless my heart beat a little faster as we turned into the street -where Lipsius was waiting. A thousand accidents, I thought, might -happen. Some chance might bring one of Headley's friends to meet us; -perhaps, though he knew not Chenies Street, he might know the street -where I was taking him; in spite of his short-sight he might possibly -make out the number, or in a sudden fit of suspicion he might make an -inquiry of the policeman at the corner. Thus every step upon the -pavement, as we drew nearer to the goal, was to me a pang and a terror, -and every approaching passenger carried a certain threat of danger. I -gulped down my excitement with an effort, and made shift to say pretty -quietly:—</p> - -<p>"No. 15, I think you said? That is the third house from this. If you -will allow me, I will leave you now; I have been delayed a little, and -my way lies on the other side of Tottenham Court Road."</p> - -<p>He snarled out some kind of thanks, and I turned my back and walked -swiftly in the opposite direction. A minute or two later, I looked round -and saw Mr. Headley standing on the doorstep, and then the door opened -and he went in. For my part I gave a sigh of relief, and hastened to get -away from the neighborhood and endeavored to enjoy myself in merry -company.</p> - -<p>The whole of the next day I kept away from Lipsius. I felt anxious, but -I did not know what had happened or what was happening, and a reasonable -regard for my own safety told me that I should do well to remain quietly -at home. My curiosity, however, to learn the end of the odd drama in -which I had played a part stung me to the quick, and late in the evening -I made up my mind to go and see how events had turned out. Lipsius -nodded when I came in, and asked me if I could give him five minutes' -talk. We went into his room, and he began to walk up and down, and I sat -waiting for him to speak.</p> - -<p>"My dear Mr. Walters," he said at length, "I congratulate you warmly. -Your work was done in the most thorough and artistic manner. You will go -far. Look."</p> - -<p>He went to his escritoire and pressed a secret spring, and a drawer flew -out, and he laid something on the table. It was a gold coin, and I took -it up and examined it eagerly, and read the legend about the figure of -the faun.</p> - -<p>"Victoria," I said, smiling.</p> - -<p>"Yes, it was a great capture, which we owe to you. I had great -difficulty in persuading Mr. Headley that a little mistake had been -made; that was how I put it. He was very disagreeable, and indeed -ungentlemanly about it; didn't he strike you as a very cross old man?"</p> - -<p>I held the coin, admiring the choice and rare design, clear cut as if -from the mint; and I thought the fine gold glowed and burned like a -lamp.</p> - -<p>"And what finally became of Mr. Headley?" I said at last.</p> - -<p>Lipsius smiled and shrugged his shoulders.</p> - -<p>"What on earth does it matter?" he said. "He might be here, or there, or -anywhere; but what possible consequence could it be? Besides, your -question rather surprises me. You are an intelligent man, Mr. Walters. -Just think it over, and I'm sure you won't repeat the question."</p> - -<p>"My dear sir," I said, "I hardly think you are treating me fairly. You -have paid me some handsome compliments on my share in the capture, and I -naturally wish to know how the matter ended. From what I saw of Mr. -Headley, I should think you must have had some difficulty with him."</p> - -<p>He gave me no answer for the moment, but began again to walk up and down -the room, apparently absorbed in thought.</p> - -<p>"Well," he said at last, "I suppose there is something in what you say. -We are certainly indebted to you. I have said, that I have a high -opinion of your intelligence, Mr. Walters. Just look here, will you."</p> - -<p>He opened a door communicating with another room and pointed.</p> - -<p>There was a great box lying on the floor; a queer coffin-shaped thing. I -looked at it and saw it was a mummy case like those in the British -Museum, vividly painted in the brilliant Egyptian colors, with I knew -not what proclamation of dignity or hopes of life immortal. The mummy, -swathed about in the robes of death, was lying within, and the face had -been uncovered.</p> - -<p>"You are going to send this away?" I said, forgetting the question I had -put.</p> - -<p>"Yes; I have an order from a local museum. Look a little more closely, -Mr. Walters."</p> - -<p>Puzzled by his manner, I peered into the face, while he held up the -lamp. The flesh was black with the passing of the centuries; but as I -looked I saw upon the right cheek-bone a small triangular scar, and the -secret of the mummy flashed upon me. I was looking at the dead body of -the man whom I had decoyed into that house.</p> - -<p>There was no thought or design of action in my mind. I held the accursed -coin in my hand, burning me with a foretaste of hell, and I fled as I -would have fled from pestilence and death, and dashed into the street -in blind horror, not knowing where I went. I felt the gold coin grasped -in my clenched list, and threw it away, I knew not where, and ran on and -on through by-streets and dark ways, till at last I issued out into a -crowded thoroughfare, and checked myself. Then, as consciousness -returned, I realized my instant peril, and understood what would happen -if I fell into the hands of Lipsius. I knew that I had put forth my -finger to thwart a relentless mechanism rather than a man; my recent -adventure with the unfortunate Mr. Headley had taught me that Lipsius -had agents in all quarters, and I foresaw that if I fell into his hands, -he would remain true to his doctrine of style, and cause me to die a -death of some horrible and ingenious torture. I bent my whole mind to -the task of outwitting him and his emissaries, three of whom I knew to -have proved their ability for tracking down persons who for various -reasons preferred to remain obscure. These servants of Lipsius were two -men and a woman, and the woman was incomparably the most subtle and the -most deadly. Yet I considered that I too had some portion of craft, and -I took my resolve. Since then I have matched myself day by day and hour -by hour against the ingenuity of Lipsius and his myrmidons. For a time I -was successful; though they beat furiously after me in the covert of -London, I remained <i>perdu</i>, and watched with some amusement their -frantic efforts to recover the scent lost in two or three minutes. Every -lure and wile was put forth to entice me from my hiding-place. I was -informed by the medium of the public prints that what I had taken had -been recovered, and meetings were proposed in which I might hope to -gain a great deal without the slightest risk. I laughed at their -endeavors, and began a little to despise the organization I had so -dreaded, and ventured more abroad. Not once or twice, but several times, -I recognized the two men who were charged with my capture, and I -succeeded in eluding them easily at close quarters; and a little hastily -I decided that I had nothing to dread, and that my craft was greater -than theirs. But in the mean while, while I congratulated myself on my -cunning, the third of Lipsius's emissaries was weaving her nets, and in -an evil hour I paid a visit to an old friend, a literary man named -Russell, who lived in a quiet street in Bayswater. The woman, as I found -out too late, a day or two ago, occupied rooms in the same house, and I -was followed and tracked down. Too late, as I have said, I recognized -that I had made a fatal mistake, and that I was besieged. Sooner or -later I shall find myself in the power of an enemy without pity; and so -surely as I leave this house I shall go to receive doom. I hardly dare -to guess how it will at last fall upon me. My imagination, always a -vivid one, paints to me appalling pictures of the unspeakable torture -which I shall probably endure; and I know that I shall die with Lipsius -standing near and gloating over the refinements of my suffering and my -shame.</p> - -<p>Hours, nay, minutes, have become very precious to me. I sometimes pause -in the midst of anticipating my tortures, to wonder whether even now I -cannot hit upon some supreme stroke, some design of infinite subtlety, -to free myself from the toils. But I find that the faculty of -combination has left me. I am as the scholar in the old myth, deserted -by the power which has helped, me hitherto. I do not know when the -supreme moment will come, but sooner or later it is inevitable, and -before long I shall receive sentence, and from the sentence to execution -will not be long.</p> - -<hr style="width: 45%;" /> - -<p>I cannot remain here a prisoner any longer. I shall go out to-night when -the streets are full of crowds and clamors, and make a last effort to -escape.</p> - -<hr style="width: 45%;" /> - -<p>It was with profound astonishment that Dyson closed the little book, and -thought of the strange series of incidents which had brought him into -touch with the plots and counterplots connected with the Gold Tiberius. -He had bestowed the coin carefully away, and he shuddered at the bare -possibility of its place of deposit becoming known to the evil band who -seemed to possess such extraordinary sources of information.</p> - -<p>It had grown late while he read, and he put the pocket-book away, hoping -with all his heart that the unhappy Walters might even at the eleventh -hour escape the doom he dreaded.</p> - - - -<hr style="width: 65%;" /> -<h3><a name="ADVENTURE_OF_THE_DESERTED_RESIDENCE" id="ADVENTURE_OF_THE_DESERTED_RESIDENCE"></a>ADVENTURE OF THE DESERTED RESIDENCE.</h3> - - -<p>"A wonderful story, as you say; an extraordinary sequence and play of -coincidence. I confess that your expressions when you first showed me -the Gold Tiberius were not exaggerated. But do you think that Walters -has really some fearful fate to dread?"</p> - -<p>"I cannot say. Who can presume to predict events when life itself puts -on the robe of coincidence and plays at drama? Perhaps we have not yet -reached the last chapter in the queer story. But, look, we are drawing -near to the verge of London; there are gaps, you see, in the serried -ranks of brick, and a vision of green fields beyond."</p> - -<p>Dyson had persuaded the ingenious Mr. Phillipps to accompany him on one -of those aimless walks to which he was himself so addicted. Starting -from the very heart of London, they had made their way westward through -the stony avenues, and were now just emerging from the red lines of an -extreme suburb, and presently the half-finished road ended, a quiet lane -began, and they were beneath the shade of elm-trees. The yellow autumn -sunlight that had lit up the bare distance of the suburban street now -filtered down through the boughs of the trees and shone on the glowing -carpet of fallen leaves, and the pools of rain glittered and shot back -the gleam of light. Over all the broad pastures there was peace and the -happy rest of autumn before the great winds begin, and afar off, London -lay all vague and immense amidst the veiling mist; here and there a -distant window catching the sun and kindling with fire, and a spire -gleaming high, and below the streets in shadow, and the turmoil of life. -Dyson and Phillipps walked on in silence beneath the high hedges, till -at a turn of the lane they saw a mouldering and ancient gate standing -open, and the prospect of a house at the end of a moss-grown carriage -drive.</p> - -<p>"There is a survival for you," said Dyson; "it has come to its last -days, I imagine. Look how the laurels have grown gaunt, and weedy, and -black, and bare, beneath; look at the house, covered with yellow wash -and patched with green damp. Why, the very notice-board which informs -all and singular that the place is to be let has cracked and half -fallen."</p> - -<p>"Suppose we go in and see it," said Phillipps. "I don't think there is -anybody about."</p> - -<p>They turned up the drive, and walked slowly, towards this remnant of old -days. It was a large straggling house, with curved wings at either end, -and behind a series of irregular roofs and projections, showing that the -place had been added to at divers dates; the two wings were roofed in -cupola fashion, and at one side, as they came nearer, they could see a -stable-yard, and a clock turret with a bell, and the dark masses of -gloomy cedars. Amidst all the lineaments of dissolution, there was but -one note of contrast: the sun was setting beyond the elm-trees, and all -the west and the south were in flames, and on the upper windows of the -house the glow shone reflected, and it seemed as if blood and fire were -mingled. Before the yellow front of the mansion, stained, as Dyson had -remarked, with gangrenous patches, green and blackening, stretched what -once had been, no doubt, a well-kept lawn, but it was now rough and -ragged, and nettles and great docks, and all manner of coarse weeds, -struggled in the places of the flower-beds. The urns had fallen from -their pillars beside the walk, and lay broken in shards upon the ground, -and everywhere from grass-plot and path a fungoid growth had sprung up -and multiplied, and lay dank and slimy like a festering sore upon the -earth. In the middle of the rank grass of the lawn was a desolate -fountain; the rim of the basin was crumbling and pulverized with decay, -and within, the water stood stagnant, with green scum for the lilies -that had once bloomed there; and rust had eaten into the bronze flesh of -the Triton that stood in the middle, and the conch-shell he held was -broken.</p> - -<p>"Here," said Dyson, "one might moralize over decay and death. Here all -the stage is decked out with the symbols of dissolution; the cedarn -gloom and twilight hangs heavy around us, and everywhere within the pale -dankness has found a harbor, and the very air is changed and brought to -accord with the scene. To me, I confess, this deserted house is as moral -as a graveyard, and I find something sublime in that lonely Triton, -deserted in the midst of his water-pool. He is the last of the gods; -they have left him and he remembers the sound of water falling on water, -and the days that were sweet."</p> - -<p>"I like your reflections extremely," said Phillipps, "but I may mention -that the door of the house is open.".</p> - -<p>"Let us go in then."</p> - -<p>The door was just ajar, and they passed into the mouldy hall, and looked -in at a room on one side. It was a large room, going far back, and the -rich old red flock paper was peeling from the walls in long strips, and -blackened with vague patches of rising damp; the ancient clay, the dank -reeking earth rising up again, and subduing all the work of men's hands -after the conquest of many years. And the floor was thick with the dust -of decay, and the painted ceiling fading from all gay colors and light -fancies of cupids in a career, and disfigured with sores of dampness, -seemed transmuted into other work. No longer the amorini chased one -another pleasantly, with limbs that sought not to advance, and hands -that merely simulated the act of grasping at the wreathed flowers, but -it appeared some savage burlesque of the old careless world and of its -cherished conventions, and the dance of the loves had become a dance of -Death; black pustules and festering sores swelled and clustered on fair -limbs, and smiling faces showed corruption, and the fairy blood had -boiled with the germs of foul disease; it was a parable of the leaven -working, and worms devouring for a banquet the heart of the rose.</p> - -<p>Strangely, under the painted ceiling, against the decaying walls, two -old chairs still stood alone, the sole furniture of the empty place. -High-backed, with curving arms and twisted legs, covered with faded gold -leaf, and upholstered in tattered damask, they too were a part of the -symbolism, and struck Dyson with surprise. "What have we here?" he said. -"Who has sat in these chairs? Who, clad in peach-bloom satin, with lace -ruffles and diamond buckles, all golden, <i>a conté fleurettes</i> to his -companion? Phillipps, we are in another age. I wish I had some snuff to -offer you, but failing that, I beg to offer you a seat, and we will sit -and smoke tobacco. A horrid practice, but I am no pedant."</p> - -<p>They sat down on the queer old chairs, and looked out of the dim and -grimy panes to the ruined lawn, and the fallen urns, and the deserted -Triton.</p> - -<p>Presently Dyson ceased his imitation of eighteenth century airs; he no -longer pulled forward imaginary ruffles, or tapped a ghostly snuff-box.</p> - -<p>"It's a foolish fancy," he said at last, "but I keep thinking I hear a -noise like some one groaning. Listen; no, I can't hear it now. There it -is again! Did you notice it, Phillipps?</p> - -<p>"No, I can't say I heard anything. But I believe that old places like -this are like shells from the shore, ever echoing with noises. The old -beams, mouldering piecemeal, yield a little and groan, and such a house -as this I can fancy all resonant at night with voices, the voices of -matter so slowly and so surely transformed into other shapes; the voice -of the worm that gnaws at last the very heart of the oak; the voice of -stone grinding on stone, and the voice of the conquest of time."</p> - -<p>They sat still in the old armchairs and grew graver in the musty ancient -air,—the air of a hundred years ago.</p> - -<p>"I don't like the place," said Phillipps, after a long pause. "To me it -seems, as if there were a sickly, unwholesome smell about it, a smell of -something burning."</p> - -<p>"You are right; there is an evil odor here. I wonder what it is! Hark! -Did you hear that?"</p> - -<p>A hollow sound, a noise of infinite sadness and infinite pain broke in -upon the silence; and the two men looked fearfully at one another, -horror and the sense of unknown things glimmering in their eyes.</p> - -<p>"Come," said Dyson, "we must see into this," and they went into the hall -and listened in the silence.</p> - -<p>"Do you know," said Phillipps, "it seems absurd, but I could almost -fancy that the smell is that of burning flesh."</p> - -<p>They went up the hollow-sounding stairs, and the the odor became thick -and noisome, stifling the breath; and a vapor, sickening as the smell of -the chamber of death, choked them. A door was open and they entered the -large upper room, and clung hard to one another, shuddering at the sight -they saw.</p> - -<p>A naked man was lying on the floor, his arms and legs stretched wide -apart, and bound to pegs that had been hammered into the boards. The -body was torn and mutilated in the most hideous fashion, scarred with -the marks of red-hot irons, a shameful ruin of the human shape. But upon -the middle of the body a fire of coals was smouldering; the flesh had -been burned through. The man was dead, but the smoke of his torment -mounted still, a black vapor.</p> - -<p>"The young man with spectacles," said Mr. Dyson.</p> - - -<p>THE END.</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Three Impostors, by Arthur Machen - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE THREE IMPOSTORS *** - -***** This file should be named 35517-h.htm or 35517-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - https://www.gutenberg.org/3/5/5/1/35517/ - -Produced by Marc D'Hooghe at http://www.freeliterature.org - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Three Impostors - or The Transmutations - -Author: Arthur Machen - -Release Date: March 8, 2011 [EBook #35517] -[Last updated: July 16, 2011] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE THREE IMPOSTORS *** - - - - -Produced by Marc D'Hooghe at http://www.freeliterature.org - - - - -THE THREE IMPOSTORS - -or The Transmutations - -by - -ARTHUR MACHEN - - - -TRANSLATOR OF 'L'HEPTAMERON' AND 'LE MOYEN DE PARVENIR'; - -AUTHOR OF 'THE CHRONICLE OF CLEMENDY' AND 'THE GREAT GOD PAN' - - - -BOSTON: Roberts Bros, 1895 - -LONDON: John Lane, Vigo st. - - - - -CONTENTS - - PROLOGUE - ADVENTURE OF THE GOLD TIBERIUS - THE ENCOUNTER OF THE PAVEMENT - NOVEL OF THE DARK VALLEY - ADVENTURE OF THE MISSING BROTHER - NOVEL OF THE BLACK SEAL - INCIDENT OF THE PRIVATE BAR - THE DECORATIVE IMAGINATION - NOVEL OF THE IRON MAID - THE RECLUSE OF BAYSWATER - NOVEL OF THE WHITE POWDER - STRANGE OCCURRENCE IN CLERKENWELL - HISTORY OF THE YOUNG MAN WITH SPECTACLES - ADVENTURE OF THE DESERTED RESIDENCE - - - - -THE THREE IMPOSTORS. - - - - -PROLOGUE. - - -"And Mr. Joseph Walters is going to stay the night?" said the smooth -clean-shaven man to his companion, an individual not of the most -charming appearance, who had chosen to make his ginger-colored mustache -merge into a pair of short chin-whiskers. - -The two stood at the hall door, grinning evilly at each other; and -presently a girl ran quickly down, the stairs, and joined them. She was -quite young, with a quaint and piquant rather than a beautiful face, and -her eyes were of a shining hazel. She held a neat paper parcel in one -hand, and laughed with her friends. - -"Leave the door open," said the smooth man to the other, as they were -going out. "Yes, by----," he went on with an ugly oath. "We'll leave the -front door on the jar. He may like to see company, you know." - -The other man looked doubtfully about him. "Is it quite prudent do you -think, Davies?" he said, pausing with his hand on the mouldering -knocker. "I don't think Lipsius would like it. What do you say, Helen?" - -"I agree with Davies. Davies is an artist, and you are commonplace, -Richmond, and a bit of a coward. Let the door stand open, of course. But -what a pity Lipsius had to go away! He would have enjoyed himself." - -"Yes," replied the smooth Mr. Davies, "that summons to the west was very -hard on the doctor." - -The three passed out, leaving the hall door, cracked and riven with -frost and wet, half open, and they stood silent for a moment under the -ruinous shelter of the porch. - -"Well," said the girl, "it is done at last. I shall hurry no more on the -track of the young man with spectacles." - -"We owe a great deal to you," said Mr. Davies politely; "the doctor said -so before he left. But have we not all three some farewells to make? I, -for my part, propose to say good-by, here, before this picturesque but -mouldy residence, to my friend Mr. Burton, dealer in the antique and -curious," and the man lifted his hat with an exaggerated bow. - -"And I," said Richmond, "bid adieu to Mr. Wilkins, the private -secretary, whose company has, I confess, become a little tedious." - -"Farewell to Miss Lally, and to Miss Leicester also," said the girl, -making as she spoke a delicious courtesy. "Farewell to all occult -adventure; the farce is played." - -Mr. Davies and the lady seemed full of grim enjoyment, but Richmond -tugged at his whiskers nervously. - -"I feel a bit shaken up," he said. "I've seen rougher things in the -States, but that crying noise he made gave me a sickish feeling. And -then the smell--But my stomach was never very strong." - -The three friends moved away from the door, and began to walk slowly up -and down what had been a gravel path, but now lay green and pulpy with -damp mosses. It was a fine autumn evening, and a faint sunlight shone on -the yellow walls of the old deserted house, and showed the patches of -gangrenous decay, and all the stains, the black drift of rain from the -broken pipes, the scabrous blots where the bare bricks were exposed, the -green weeping of a gaunt laburnum that stood beside the porch, and -ragged marks near the ground where the reeking clay was gaining on the -worn foundations. It was a queer rambling old place, the centre perhaps -two hundred years old, with dormer windows sloping from the tiled roof, -and on each side there were Georgian wings; bow windows had been carried -up to the first floor, and two dome-like cupolas that had once been -painted a bright green were now gray and neutral. Broken urns lay upon -the path, and a heavy mist seemed to rise from the unctuous clay; the -neglected shrubberies, grown all tangled and unshapen, smelt dank and -evil, and there was an atmosphere all about the deserted mansion that -proposed thoughts of an opened grave. The three friends looked dismally -at the rough grasses and the nettles that grew thick over lawn and -flower-beds; and at the sad water-pool in the midst of the weeds. There, -above green and oily scum instead of lilies, stood a rusting Triton on -the rocks, sounding a dirge through a shattered horn; and beyond, beyond -the sunk fence and the far meadows; the sun slid down and shone red -through the bars of the elm trees. - -Richmond shivered and stamped his foot. "We had better be going soon," -he said; "there is nothing else to be done here." - -"No," said Davies, "it is finished at last. I thought for some time we -should never get hold of the gentleman with the spectacles. He was a -clever fellow, but, Lord! he broke up badly at last. I can tell you he -looked white at me when I touched him on the arm in the bar. But where -could he have hidden the thing? We can all swear it was not on him." - -The girl laughed, and they turned away, when Richmond gave a violent -start. "Ah!" he cried, turning to the girl, "what have you got there? -Look, Davies, look! it's all oozing and dripping." - -The young woman glanced down at the little parcel she was carrying, and -partially unfolded the paper. - -"Yes, look both of you," she said; "it's my own idea. Don't you think it -will do nicely for the doctor's museum? It comes from the right hand, -the hand that took the gold Tiberius." - -Mr. Davies nodded with a good deal of approbation, and Richmond lifted -his ugly high-crowned bowler, and wiped his forehead with a dingy -handkerchief. - -"I'm going," he said; "you two can stay if you like." - -The three went round by the stable path, past the withered wilderness of -the old kitchen garden, and struck off by a hedge at the back, making -for a particular point in the road. About five minutes later two -gentlemen, whom idleness had led to explore these forgotten outskirts of -London, came sauntering up the shadowy carriage drive. They had spied -the deserted house from the road, and as they observed all the heavy -desolation of the place they began to moralize in the great style, with -considerable debts to Jeremy Taylor. - -"Look, Dyson," said the one as they drew nearer, "look at those upper -windows; the sun is setting, and though the panes are dusty, yet - - "The grimy sash an oriel burns." - -"Phillipps," replied the elder and (it must be said) the more pompous of -the two, "I yield to fantasy, I cannot withstand the influence of the -grotesque. Here, where all is falling into dimness and dissolution, and -we walk in cedarn gloom, and the very air of heaven goes mouldering to -the lungs, I cannot remain commonplace. I look at that deep glow on the -panes, and the house lies all enchanted; that very room, I tell you, is -within all blood and fire." - - - - -ADVENTURE OF THE GOLD TIBERIUS. - - -The acquaintance between Mr. Dyson and Mr. Charles Phillipps arose from -one of those myriad chances which are every day doing their work in the -streets of London. Mr. Dyson was a man of letters, and an unhappy -instance of talents misapplied. With gifts that might have placed him in -the flower of his youth among the most favored of Bentley's favorite -novelists, he had chosen to be perverse; he was, it is true, familiar -with scholastic logic, but he knew nothing of the logic of life, and he -flattered himself with the title of artist, when he was in fact but an -idle and curious spectator of other men's endeavors. Amongst many -delusions, he cherished one most fondly, that he was a strenuous worker; -and it was with a gesture of supreme weariness that he would enter his -favorite resort, a small tobacco shop in Great Queen Street, and -proclaim to any one who cared to listen that he had seen the rising and -setting of two successive suns. The proprietor of the shop, a -middle-aged man of singular civility, tolerated Dyson partly out of good -nature, and partly because he was a regular customer; he was allowed to -sit on an empty cask, and to express his sentiments on literary and -artistic matters till he was tired or the time for closing came; and if -no fresh customers were attracted, it is believed that none were turned -away by his eloquence. Dyson, was addicted to wild experiments in -tobacco; he never wearied of trying new combinations, and one evening he -had just entered the shop and given utterance to his last preposterous -formula, when a young fellow, of about his own age, who had come in a -moment later, asked the shopman to duplicate the order on his account, -smiling politely, as he spoke, to Mr. Dyson's address. Dyson felt -profoundly flattered, and after a few phrases the two entered into -conversation, and in an hour's time the tobacconist saw the new friends -sitting side by side on a couple of casks, deep in talk. - -"My dear sir," said Dyson, "I will give you the task of the literary man -in a phrase. He has got to do simply this: to invent a wonderful story, -and to tell it in a wonderful manner." - -"I will grant you that," said Mr. Phillipps, "but you will allow me to -insist that in the hands of the true artist in words all stories are -marvellous, and every circumstance has its peculiar wonder. The matter -is of little consequence, the manner is everything. Indeed, the highest -skill is shown in taking matter apparently commonplace and transmuting -it by the high alchemy of style into the pure gold of art." - -"That is indeed a proof of great skill, but it is great skill exerted -foolishly, or at least unadvisedly. It is as if a great violinist were -to show us what marvellous harmonies he could draw from a child's -banjo." - -"No, no, you are really wrong. I see you take a radically mistaken view -of life. But we must thresh this out. Come to my rooms; I live not far -from here." - -It was thus that Mr. Dyson became the associate of Mr. Charles -Phillipps, who lived in a quiet square not far from Holborn. Thenceforth -they haunted each other's rooms at intervals, sometimes regular, and -occasionally the reverse, and made appointments to meet at the shop in -Queen Street, where their talk robbed the tobacconist's profit of half -its charm. There was a constant jarring of literary formulas, Dyson -exalting the claims of the pure imagination, while Phillipps, who was a -student of physical science and something of an ethnologist, insisted -that all literature ought to have a scientific basis. By the mistaken -benevolence of deceased relatives both young men were placed out of -reach of hunger, and so, meditating high achievements, idled their time -pleasantly away, and revelled in the careless joys of a Bohemianism -devoid of the sharp seasoning of adversity. - -One night in June Mr. Phillipps was sitting in his room in the calm -retirement of Red Lion Square. He had opened the window, and was smoking -placidly, while he watched the movement of life below. The sky was -clear, and the afterglow of sunset had lingered long about it; and the -flushing twilight of a summer evening, vying with the gas-lamps in the -square, had fashioned a chiaroscuro that had in it something unearthly; -and the children, racing to and fro upon the pavement, the lounging -idlers by the public, and the casual passers-by rather flickered, and -hovered in the play of lights than stood out substantial things. By -degrees in the houses opposite one window after another leaped out a -square of light, now and again a figure would shape itself against a -blind and vanish, and to all this semi-theatrical magic the runs and -flourishes of brave Italian opera played a little distance off on a -piano-organ seemed an appropriate accompaniment, while the deep-muttered -bass of the traffic of Holborn never ceased. Phillipps enjoyed the scene -and its effects; the light in the sky faded and turned to darkness, and -the square gradually grew silent, and still he sat dreaming at the -window, till the sharp peal of the house bell roused him, and looking at -his watch he found that it was past ten o'clock. There was a knock at -the door, and his friend Mr. Dyson entered, and, according to his -custom, sat down in an armchair and began to smoke in silence. - -"You know, Phillipps," he said at length, "that I have always battled -for the marvellous. I remember your maintaining in that chair that one -has no business to make use of the wonderful, the improbable, the odd -coincidence in literature, and you took the ground that it was wrong to -do so, because, as a matter of fact, the wonderful and the improbable -don't happen, and men's lives are not really shaped by odd coincidence. -Now, mind you, if that were so, I would not grant your conclusion, -because I think the "criticism-of-life" theory is all nonsense; but I -deny your premise. A most singular thing has happened to me to-night." - -"Really, Dyson, I am very glad to hear it. Of course I oppose your -argument, whatever it may be; but if you would be good enough to tell me -of your adventure I should be delighted." - -"Well, it came about like this. I have had a very hard day's work; -indeed, I have scarcely moved from my old bureau since seven o'clock -last night. I wanted to work out that idea we discussed last Tuesday, -you know, the notion of the fetish-worshipper." - -"Yes, I remember. Have you been able to do anything with it?" - -"Yes; it came out better than I expected; but there were great -difficulties, the usual agony between the conception and the execution. -Anyhow I got it done at about seven o'clock to-night, and I thought I -should like a little of the fresh air. I went out and wandered rather -aimlessly about the streets; my head was full of my tale, and I didn't -much notice where I was going. I got into those quiet places to the -north of Oxford Street as you go west, the genteel residential -neighborhood of stucco and prosperity. I turned east again without -knowing it, and it was quite dark when I passed along a sombre little -by-street, ill lighted and empty. I did not know at the time in the -least where I was, but I found out afterwards that it was not very far -from Tottenham Court Road. I strolled idly along, enjoying the -stillness; on one side there seemed to be the back premises of some -great shop; tier after tier of dusty windows lifted up into the night, -with gibbet-like contrivances for raising heavy goods, and below large -doors, fast closed and bolted, all dark and desolate. Then there came a -huge pantechnicon warehouse; and over the way a grim blank wall, as -forbidding as the wall of a jail, and then the headquarters of some -volunteer regiment, and afterwards a passage leading to a court where -wagons were standing to be hired. It was, one might almost say, a street -devoid of inhabitants, and scarce a window showed the glimmer of a -light. I was wondering at the strange peace and dimness there, where it -must be close to some roaring main artery of London life, when suddenly -I heard the noise of dashing feet tearing along the pavement at full -speed, and from a narrow passage, a mews or something of that kind, a -man was discharged as from a catapult under my very nose and rushed past -me, flinging something from him as he ran. He was gone and down another -street in an instant, almost before I knew what had happened, but I -didn't much bother about him, I was watching something else. I told you -he had thrown something away; well, I watched what seemed a line of -flame flash through the air and fly quivering over the pavement, and in -spite of myself I could not help tearing after it. The impetus lessened, -and I saw something like a bright half-penny roll slower and slower, and -then deflect towards the gutter, hover for a moment on the edge, and -dance down into a drain. I believe I cried out in positive despair, -though I hadn't the least notion what I was hunting; and then to my joy -I saw that, instead of dropping into the sewer, it had fallen flat -across two bars. I stooped down and picked it up and whipped it into my -pocket, and I was just about to walk on when I heard again that sound of -dashing footsteps. I don't know why I did it, but as a matter of fact I -dived down into the mews, or whatever it was, and stood as much in the -shadow as possible. A man went by with a rush a few paces from where I -was standing, and I felt uncommonly pleased that I was in hiding. I -couldn't make out much feature, but I saw his eyes gleaming and his -teeth showing, and he had an ugly-looking knife in one hand, and I -thought things would be very unpleasant for gentleman number one if the -second robber, or robbed, or what you like, caught him up. I can tell -you, Phillipps, a fox hunt is exciting enough, when the horn blows clear -on a winter morning, and the hounds give tongue, and the red-coats -charge away, but it's nothing to a man hunt, and that's what I had a -slight glimpse of to-night. There was murder in the fellow's eyes as he -went by, and I don't think there was much more than fifty seconds -between the two. I only hope it was enough." - -Dyson leant back in his armchair and relit his pipe, and puffed -thoughtfully. Phillipps began to walk up and down the room, musing over -the story of violent death fleeting in chase along the pavement, the -knife shining in the lamplight, the fury of the pursuer, and the terror -of the pursued. - -"Well," he said at last, "and what was it, after all, that you rescued -from the gutter?" - -Dyson jumped up, evidently quite startled. "I really haven't a notion. I -didn't think of looking. But we shall see." - -He fumbled in his waistcoat pocket and drew out a small and shining -object, and laid it on the table. It glowed there beneath the lamp with -the radiant glory of rare old gold; and the image and the letters stood -out in high relief, clear and sharp, as if it had but left the mint a -month before. The two men bent over it, and Phillipps took it up and -examined it closely. - -"Imp. Tiberius Caesar Augustus," he read the legend, and then, looking at -the reverse of the coin, he stared in amazement, and at last turned to -Dyson with a look of exultation. - -"Do you know what you have found?" he said. - -"Apparently a gold coin of some antiquity," said Dyson, coolly. - -"Quite so, a gold Tiberius. No, that is wrong. You have found _the_ gold -Tiberius. Look at the reverse." - -Dyson looked and saw the coin was stamped with the figure of a faun -standing amidst reeds and flowing water. The features, minute as they -were, stood out in delicate outline; it was a face lovely and yet -terrible, and Dyson thought of the well-known passage of the lad's -playmate, gradually growing with his growth and increasing with his -stature, till the air was filled with the rank fume of the goat. - -"Yes," he said, "it is a curious coin. Do you know it?" - -"I know about it. It is one of the comparatively few historical objects -in existence; it is all storied like those jewels we have read of. A -whole cycle of legend has gathered round the thing; the tale goes that -it formed part of an issue struck by Tiberius to commemorate an infamous -excess. You see the legend on the reverse: 'Victoria.' It is said that -by an extraordinary accident the whole issue was thrown into the melting -pot, and that only this one coin escaped. It glints through history and -legend, appearing and disappearing, with intervals of a hundred years in -time and continents in place. It was discovered by an Italian humanist, -and lost and rediscovered. It has not been heard of since 1727, when Sir -Joshua Byrde, a Turkey merchant, brought it home from Aleppo, and -vanished with it a month after he had shown it to the virtuosi, no man -knew or knows where. And here it is!" - -"Put it into your pocket, Dyson," he said, after a pause. "I would not -let any one have a glimpse of the thing, if I were you. I would not talk -about it. Did either of the men you saw see you?" - -"Well, I think not. I don't think the first man, the man who was vomited -out of the dark passage, saw anything at all; and I am sure that the -second could not have seen me." - -"And you didn't really see them. You couldn't recognize either the one -or the other if you met him in the street to-morrow?" - -"No, I don't think I could. The street, as I said, was dimly lighted, -and they ran like mad-men." - -The two men sat silent for some time, each weaving his own fancies of -the story; but lust of the marvellous was slowly overpowering Dyson's -more sober thoughts. - -"It is all more strange than I fancied," he said at last. "It was queer -enough what I saw; a man is sauntering along a quiet, sober, every-day -London street, a street of gray houses and blank walls, and there, for a -moment, a veil seems drawn aside, and the very fume of the pit steams up -through the flagstones, the ground glows, red hot, beneath his feet, and -he seems to hear the hiss of the infernal caldron. A man flying in mad -terror for his life, and furious hate pressing hot on his steps with -knife drawn ready; here indeed is horror. But what is all that to what -you have told me? I tell you, Phillipps, I see the plot thicken, our -steps will henceforth be dogged with mystery, and the most ordinary -incidents will teem with significance. You may stand out against it, and -shut your eyes, but they will be forced open; mark my words, you will -have to yield to the inevitable. A clue, tangled if you like, has been -placed by chance in our hands; it will be our business to follow it up. -As for the guilty person or persons in this strange case, they will be -unable to escape us, our nets will be spread far and wide over this -great city, and suddenly, in the streets and places of public resort, we -shall in some way or other be made aware that we are in touch with the -unknown criminal. Indeed, I almost fancy I see him slowly approaching -this quiet square of yours; he is loitering at street corners, -wandering, apparently without aim, down far-reaching thoroughfares, but -all the while coming nearer and nearer, drawn by an irresistible -magnetism, as ships were drawn to the Loadstone Rock in the Eastern -tale." - -"I certainly think," replied Phillipps, "that, if you pull out that coin -and flourish it under people's noses as you are doing at the present -moment, you will very probably find yourself in touch with the criminal, -or a criminal. You will undoubtedly be robbed with violence. Otherwise, -I see no reason why either of us should be troubled. No one saw you -secure the coin, and no one knows you have it. I, for my part, shall -sleep peacefully, and go about my business with a sense of security and -a firm dependence on the natural order of things. The events of the -evening, the adventure in the street, have been odd, I grant you, but I -resolutely decline to have any more to do with the matter, and, if -necessary, I shall consult the police. I will not be enslaved by a gold -Tiberius, even though it swims into my ken in a manner which is somewhat -melodramatic." - -"And I for my part," said Dyson, "go forth like a knight-errant in -search of adventure. Not that I shall need to seek; rather adventure -will seek me; I shall be like a spider in the midst of his web, -responsive to every movement, and ever on the alert." - -Shortly afterwards Dyson took his leave, and Mr. Phillipps spent the -rest of the night in examining some flint arrow-heads which he had -purchased. He had every reason to believe that they were the work of a -modern and not a palaeolithic man, still he was far from gratified when a -close scrutiny showed him that his suspicions were well founded. In his -anger at the turpitude which would impose on an ethnologist, he -completely forgot Dyson and the gold Tiberius; and when he went to bed -at first sunlight, the whole tale had faded utterly from his thoughts. - - - - -THE ENCOUNTER OF THE PAVEMENT. - - -Mr. Dyson, walking leisurely along Oxford. Street, and staring with -bland inquiry at whatever caught his attention, enjoyed in all its rare -flavors the sensation that he was really very hard at work. His -observation of mankind, the traffic, and the shop-windows tickled his -faculties with an exquisite bouquet; he looked serious, as one looks on -whom charges of weight and moment are laid, and he was attentive in his -glances to right and left, for fear lest he should miss some -circumstance of more acute significance. He had narrowly escaped being -run over at a crossing by a charging van, for he hated to hurry his -steps, and indeed the afternoon was warm; and he had just halted by a -place of popular refreshment, when the astounding gestures of a well -dressed individual on the opposite pavement held him enchanted and -gasping like a fish. A treble line of hansoms, carriages, vans, cabs, -and omnibuses, was tearing east and west, and not the most daring -adventurer of the crossings would have cared to try his fortune; but the -person who had attracted Dyson's attention seemed to rage on the very -edge of the pavement, now and then darting forward at the hazard of -instant death, and at each repulse absolutely dancing with excitement, -to the rich amusement of the passers-by. At last, a gap that would, have -tried the courage of a street-boy appeared between the serried lines of -vehicles, and the man rushed across in a frenzy, and escaping by a -hair's breadth pounced upon Dyson as a tiger pounces on her prey. "I saw -you looking about you," he said, sputtering out his words in his intense -eagerness; "would you mind telling me this? Was the man who came out of -the Aerated Bread Shop and jumped, into the hansom three minutes ago a -youngish looking man with dark whiskers and spectacles? Can't you speak, -man? For Heaven's sake can't you speak? Answer me; it's a matter of life -and death." - -The words bubbled and boiled out of the man's mouth in the fury of his -emotion, his face went from red to white, and the beads of sweat stood -out on his forehead, and he stamped his feet as he spoke and tore with -his hand at his coat, as if something swelled and choked him, stopping -the passage of his breath. - -"My dear sir," said Dyson, "I always like to be accurate. Your -observation was perfectly correct. As you say, a youngish man, a man, I -should say, of somewhat timid bearing, ran rapidly out of the shop here, -and bounced into a hansom that must have been waiting for him, as it -went eastwards at once. Your friend also wore spectacles, as you say. -Perhaps you would like me to call a hansom for you to follow the -gentleman?" - -"No, thank you; it would be waste of time." The man gulped down -something which appeared to rise in his throat, and Dyson was alarmed to -see him shaking with hysterical laughter, and he clung hard to a -lamp-post and swayed and staggered like a ship in a heavy gale. - -"How shall I face the doctor?" he murmured to himself. "It is too hard -to fail at the last moment." Then he seemed to recollect himself, and -stood straight again, and looked quietly at Dyson. I owe you an apology -for my violence, he said at last. "Many men would not be so patient as -you have been. Would you mind adding to your kindness by walking with me -a little way? I feel a little sick; I think it's the sun." - -Dyson nodded assent, and devoted himself to a quiet scrutiny of this -strange personage as they moved on together. The man was dressed in -quiet taste, and the most scrupulous observer could find nothing amiss -with the fashion or make of his clothes, yet, from his hat to his boots, -everything seemed inappropriate. His silk hat, Dyson thought, should -have been a high bowler of odious pattern worn with a baggy -morning-coat, and an instinct told him that the fellow did not commonly -carry a clean pocket-handkerchief. The face was not of the most -agreeable pattern, and was in no way improved by a pair of bulbous -chin-whiskers of a ginger hue, into which mustaches of light color -merged imperceptibly. Yet in spite of these signals hung out by nature, -Dyson felt that the individual beside him was something more than -compact of vulgarity. He was struggling with himself, holding his -feelings in check, but now and again passion would mount black to his -face, and it was evidently by a supreme effort that he kept himself -from raging like a madman. Dyson found something curious and a little -terrible in the spectacle of an occult emotion thus striving for the -mastery, and threatening to break out at every instant with violence, -and they had gone some distance before the person whom he had met by so -odd a hazard was able to speak quietly. - -"You are really very good," he said. "I apologize again; my rudeness was -really most unjustifiable. I feel my conduct demands an explanation, and -I shall be happy to give it you. Do you happen to know of any place near -here where one could sit down? I should really be very glad." - -"My dear sir," said Dyson, solemnly, "the only cafe in London is close -by. Pray do not consider yourself as bound to offer me any explanation, -but at the same time I should be most happy to listen to you. Let us -turn down here." - -They walked down a sober street and turned into what seemed a narrow -passage past an iron-barred gate thrown back. The passage was paved with -flagstones, and decorated with handsome shrubs in pots on either side, -and the shadow of the high walls made a coolness which was very -agreeable after the hot breath of the sunny street. Presently the -passage opened out into a tiny square, a charming place, a morsel of -France transplanted into the heart of London. High walls rose on either -side, covered with glossy creepers, flower-beds beneath were gay with -nasturtiums, geraniums, and marigolds, and odorous with mignonette, and -in the centre of the square a fountain hidden by greenery sent a cool -shower continually plashing into the basin beneath, and the very noise -made this retreat delightful. Chairs and tables were disposed at -convenient intervals, and at the other end of the court broad doors had -been thrown back; beyond was a long, dark room, and the turmoil of -traffic had become a distant murmur. Within the room one or two men were -sitting at the tables, writing and sipping, but the courtyard was empty. - -"You see, we shall be quiet," said Dyson. "Pray sit down here, Mr.--?" - -"Wilkins. My name is Henry Wilkins." - -"Sit here, Mr. Wilkins. I think you will find that a comfortable seat. I -suppose you have not been here before? This is the quiet time; the place -will be like a hive at six o'clock, and the chairs and tables will -overflow into that little alley there." - -A waiter came in response to the bell; and after Dyson had politely -inquired after the health of M. Annibault, the proprietor, he ordered a -bottle of the wine of Champigny. - -"The wine of Champigny," he observed to Mr. Wilkins, who was evidently a -good deal composed by the influence of the place, "is a Tourainian wine -of great merit. Ah, here it is; let me fill your glass. How do you find -it?" - -"Indeed," said Mr. Wilkins, "I should have pronounced it a fine -Burgundy. The bouquet is very exquisite. I am fortunate in lighting upon -such a good Samaritan as yourself. I wonder you did not think me mad. -But if you knew the terrors that assailed me, I am sure you would no -longer be surprised at conduct which was certainly most unjustifiable." - -He sipped his wine, and leant back in his chair, relishing the drip and -trickle of the fountain, and the cool greenness that hedged in this -little port of refuge. - -"Yes," he said at last, "that is indeed an admirable wine. Thank you; -you will allow me to offer you another bottle?" - -The waiter was summoned, and descended through a trap-door in the floor -of the dark apartment, and brought up the wine. Mr. Wilkins lit a -cigarette, and Dyson pulled out his pipe. - -"Now," said Mr. Wilkins, "I promised to give you an explanation of my -strange behavior. It is rather a long story, but I see, sir, that you -are no mere cold observer of the ebb and flow of life. You take, I -think, a warm and an intelligent interest in the chances of your -fellow-creatures, and I believe you will find what I have to tell not -devoid of interest." - -Mr. Dyson signified his assent to these propositions, and though he -thought Mr. Wilkins's diction a little pompous, prepared to interest -himself in his tale. The other, who had so raged with passion half an -hour before, was now perfectly cool, and when he had smoked out his -cigarette, he began in an even voice to relate the - - - - -NOVEL OF THE DARK VALLEY. - - -I am the son of a poor but learned clergyman in the West of -England,--but I am forgetting, these details are not of special -interest. I will briefly state, then, that my father, who was, as I -have said, a learned man, had never learnt the specious arts by which -the great are flattered, and would never condescend to the despicable -pursuit of self-advertisement. Though his fondness for ancient -ceremonies and quaint customs, combined with a kindness of heart that -was unequalled and a primitive and fervent piety, endeared him to his -moor-land parishioners, such were not the steps by which clergy then -rose in the Church, and at sixty my father was still incumbent of the -little benefice he had accepted in his thirtieth year. The income of the -living was barely sufficient to support life in the decencies which are -expected of the Anglican parson; and when my father died a few years -ago, I, his only child, found myself thrown upon the world with a -slender capital of less than a hundred pounds, and all the problem of -existence before me. I felt that there was nothing for me to do in the -country, and as usually happens in such eases, London drew me like a -magnet. One day in August, in the early morning, while the dew still -glittered on the turf, and on the high green banks of the lane, a -neighbor drove me to the railway station, and I bade good-bye to the -land of the broad moors and unearthly battlements of the wild tors. It -was six o'clock as we neared London; the faint sickly fume of the -brickfields about Acton came in puffs through the open window, and a -mist was rising from the ground. Presently the brief view of successive -streets, prim and uniform, struck me with a sense of monotony; the hot -air seemed to grow hotter; and when we had rolled beneath the dismal and -squalid houses, whose dirty and neglected back yards border the line -near Paddington, I felt as if I should be stifled in this fainting -breath of London. I got a hansom and drove off, and every street -increased my gloom; gray houses with blinds drawn down, whole -thoroughfares almost desolate, and the foot-passengers who seemed to -stagger wearily along rather than walk, all made me feel a sinking at -heart. I put up for the night at a small hotel in a street leading from -the Strand, where my father had stayed on his few brief visits to town; -and when I went out after dinner, the real gayety and bustle of the -Strand and Fleet Street could cheer me but little, for in all this great -city there was no single human being whom I could claim even as an -acquaintance. I will not weary you with the history of the next year, -for the adventures of a man who sinks are too trite to be worth -recalling. My money did not last me long; I found that I must be neatly -dressed, or no one to whom I applied would so much as listen to me; and -I must live in a street of decent reputation if I wished to be treated -with common civility. I applied for various posts, for which, as I now -see, I was completely devoid of qualification; I tried to become a clerk -without having the smallest notion of business habits, and I found, to -my cost, that a general knowledge of literature and an execrable style -of penmanship are far from being looked upon with favor in commercial -circles. I had read one of the most charming of the works of a famous -novelist of the present day, and I frequented the Fleet Street taverns -in the hope of making literary friends, and so getting the -introductions which I understood were indispensable in the career of -letters. I was disappointed; I once or twice ventured to address -gentlemen who were sitting in adjoining boxes, and I was answered, -politely indeed, but in a manner that told me my advances were unusual. -Pound by pound, my small resources melted; I could no longer think of -appearances; I migrated to a shy quarter, and my meals became mere -observances. I went out at one and returned to my room at two, but -nothing but a milk-cake had occurred in the interval. In short, I became -acquainted with misfortune; and as I sat amidst slush and ice on a seat -in Hyde Park, munching a piece of bread, I realized the bitterness of -poverty, and the feelings of a gentleman reduced to something far below -the condition of a vagrant. In spite of all discouragement I did not -desist in my efforts to earn a living. I consulted advertisement -columns, I kept my eyes open for a chance, I looked in at the windows of -stationers' shops, but all in vain. One evening I was sitting in a Free -Library, and I saw an advertisement in one of the papers. It was -something like this: "Wanted, by a gentleman a person of literary taste -and abilities as secretary and amanuensis. Must not object to travel." -Of course I knew that such an advertisement would have answers by the -hundred, and I thought my own chances of securing the post extremely -small; however, I applied at the address given, and wrote to Mr. Smith, -who was staying at a large hotel at the West End. I must confess that my -heart gave a jump when I received a note a couple of days later, asking -me to call at the Cosmopole at my earliest convenience. I do not know, -sir, what your experiences of life may have been, and so I cannot tell -whether you have known such moments. A slight sickness, my heart beating -rather more rapidly than usual, a choking in the throat, and a -difficulty of utterance; such were my sensations as I walked to the -Cosmopole. I had to mention the name twice before the hall porter could -understand me, and as I went upstairs my hands were wet. I was a good -deal struck by Mr. Smith's appearance; he looked younger than I did, and -there was something mild and hesitating about his expression. He was -reading when I came in, and he looked up when I gave my name. "My dear -sir," he said, "I am really delighted to see you. I have read very -carefully the letter you were good enough to send me. Am I to understand -that this document is in your own handwriting?" He showed me the letter -I had written, and I told him I was not so fortunate as to be able to -keep a secretary myself. "Then, sir," he went on, "the post I advertised -is at your service. You have no objection to travel, I presume?" As you -may imagine, I closed pretty eagerly with the offer he made, and thus I -entered the service of Mr. Smith. For the first few weeks I had no -special duties; I had received a quarter's salary, and a handsome -allowance was made me in lieu of board and lodging. One morning, -however, when I called at the hotel according to instructions, my master -informed me that I must hold myself in readiness for a sea-voyage, and, -to spare unnecessary detail, in the course of a fortnight we had landed -at New York. Mr. Smith told me that he was engaged on a work of a -special nature, in the compilation of which some peculiar researches had -to be made; in short, I was given to understand that we were to travel -to the far West. - -After about a week had been spent in New York we took our seats in the -cars, and began a journey tedious beyond all conception. Day after day, -and night after night, the great train rolled on, threading its way -through cities the very names of which were strange to me, passing at -slow speed over perilous viaducts, skirting mountain ranges and pine -forests, and plunging into dense tracts of wood, where mile after mile -and hour after hour the same monotonous growth of brushwood met the eye, -and all along the continual clatter and rattle of the wheels upon the -ill-laid lines made it difficult to hear the voices of our -fellow-passengers. We were a heterogeneous and ever-changing company; -often I woke up in the dead of night with the sudden grinding jar of the -brakes, and looking out found that we had stopped in the shabby street -of some frame-built town, lighted chiefly by the flaring windows of the -saloon. A few rough-looking fellows would often come out to stare at the -cars, and sometimes passengers got down, and sometimes there was a party -of two or three waiting on the wooden sidewalk to get on board. Many of -the passengers were English; humble households torn up from the moorings -of a thousand years, and bound for some problematical paradise in the -alkali desert or the Rockies. I heard the men talking to one another of -the great profits to be made on the virgin soil of America, and two or -three, who were mechanics, expatiated on the wonderful wages given to -skilled labor on the railways and in the factories of the States. This -talk usually fell dead after a few minutes, and I could see a sickness -and dismay in the faces of these men as they looked at the ugly brush or -at the desolate expanse of the prairie, dotted here and there with -frame-houses, devoid of garden, or flowers or trees, standing all alone -in what might have been a great gray sea frozen into stillness. Day -after day the waving sky line, and the desolation of a land without form -or color or variety, appalled the hearts of such of us as were -Englishmen, and once in the night as I lay awake I heard a woman weeping -and sobbing, and asking what she had done to come to such a place. Her -husband tried to comfort her in the broad speech of Gloucestershire, -telling her the ground was so rich that one had only to plough it up and -it would grow sunflowers of itself, but she cried for her mother and -their old cottage and the beehives, like a little child. The sadness of -it all overwhelmed me, and I had no heart to think of other matters; the -question of what Mr. Smith could have to do in such a country, and of -what manner of literary research could be carried on in the wilderness, -hardly troubled me. Now and again my situation struck me as peculiar; I -had been engaged as a literary assistant at a handsome salary, and yet -my master was still almost a stranger to me; sometimes he would come to -where I was sitting in the cars and make a few banal remarks about the -country, but for the most part of the journey he sat by himself, not -speaking to any one, and so far as I could judge, deep in his thoughts. -It was I think on the fifth day from New York when I received, the -intimation that we should shortly leave the cars; I had been watching -some distant mountains which rose wild and savage before us, and I was -wondering if there were human beings so unhappy as to speak of home in -connection with those piles of lumbered rock, when Mr. Smith touched me -lightly on the shoulder. "You will be glad to be done with, the cars, I -have no doubt, Mr. Wilkins," he said. "You were looking at the -mountains, I think? Well, I hope we shall be there to-night. The train -stops at Reading, and I dare say we shall manage to find our way." - -A few hours later the brakeman brought the tram to a standstill at the -Reading depot and we got out. I noticed that the town, though of course -built almost entirely of frame-houses, was larger and busier than any we -had passed for the last two days. The depot was crowded, and as the bell -and whistle sounded, I saw that a number of persons were preparing to -leave the cars, while an even greater number were waiting to get on -board. Besides the passengers, there was a pretty dense crowd of people, -some of whom had come to meet or to see off their friends and relatives, -while others were mere loafers. Several of our English fellow passengers -got down at Reading, but the confusion was so great that they were lost -to my sight almost immediately. Mr. Smith beckoned to me to follow him, -and we were soon in the thick of the mass; and the continual ringing of -bells, the hubbub of voices, the shrieking of whistles, and the hiss of -escaping steam, confused my senses, and I wondered dimly as I struggled -after my employer, where we were going, and how we should be able to -find our way through an unknown country. Mr. Smith had put on a -wide-brimmed hat, which he had sloped over his eyes, and as all the men -wore hats of the same pattern, it was with some difficulty that I -distinguished him in the crowd. We got free at last, and he struck down -a side street, and made one or two sharp turns to right and left. It was -getting dusk, and we seemed to be passing through a shy portion of the -town, there were few people about in the ill-lighted streets, and these -few were men of the most unprepossessing pattern. Suddenly we stopped -before a corner house, a man was standing at the door, apparently on the -look-out for some one, and I noticed that he and Smith gave sharp -glances one to the other. - -"From New York City, I expect, mister?" - -"From New York!" - -"All right; they 're ready, and you can have 'em when you choose. I know -my orders, you see, and I mean to run this business through." - -"Very well, Mr. Evans, that is what we want. Our money is good, you -know. Bring them round." - -I had stood silent, listening to this dialogue, and wondering what it -meant. Smith began to walk impatiently up and down the street, and the -man Evans was still standing at his door. He had given a sharp whistle, -and I saw him looking me over in a quiet leisurely way, as if to make -sure of my face for another time. I was thinking what all this could -mean, when an ugly, slouching lad came up a side passage, leading two -raw-boned horses. - -"Get up, Mr. Wilkins, and be quick about it," said Smith. "We ought to -be on our way." - -We rode off together into the gathering darkness, and before long I -looked back and saw the far plain behind us, with the lights of the town -glimmering faintly; and in front rose the mountains. Smith guided his -horse on the rough track as surely as if he had been riding along -Piccadilly, and I followed him as well as I could. I was weary and -exhausted, and scarcely took note of anything; I felt that the track was -a gradual ascent, and here and there I saw great boulders by the road. -The ride made but little impression on me; I have a faint recollection -of passing through a dense black pine forest, where our horses had to -pick their way among the rocks, and I remember the peculiar effect of -the rarefied air as we kept still mounting higher and higher. I think I -must have been half asleep for the latter half of the ride, and it was -with a shock that I heard Smith saying-- - -"Here we are, Wilkins. This is Blue-Rock Park. You will enjoy the view -to-morrow. To-night we will have something to eat, and then go to bed." - -A man came out of a rough-looking house and took the horses, and we -found some fried steak and coarse whiskey awaiting us inside. I had come -to a strange place. There were three rooms,--the room in which we had -supper, Smith's room and my own. The deaf old man who did the work slept -in a sort of shed, and when I woke up the next morning and walked out I -found that the house stood in a sort of hollow amongst the mountains; -the clumps of pines and some enormous bluish-gray rocks that stood here -and there between the trees had given the place the name of Blue-Rock -Park. On every side the snow-covered mountains surrounded us, the breath -of the air was as wine, and when I climbed the slope and looked down, I -could see that, so far as any human fellowship was concerned I might as -well have been wrecked on some small island in mid-Pacific. The only -trace of man I could see was the rough log-house where I had slept, and -in my ignorance I did not know that there were similar houses within -comparatively easy distance, as distance is reckoned in the Rockies. But -at the moment, the utter, dreadful loneliness rushed upon me, and the -thought of the great plain and the great sea that parted me from the -world I knew, caught me by the throat, and I wondered if I should die -there in that mountain hollow. It was a terrible instant, and I have not -yet forgotten it. Of course I managed to conquer my horror; I said I -should be all the stronger for the experience, and I made up my mind to -make the best of everything. It was a rough life enough, and rough -enough board and lodging. I was left entirely to myself. Smith I -scarcely ever saw, nor did I know when he was in the house. I have often -thought he was far away, and have been surprised to see him walking out -of his room, locking the door behind him and putting the key in his -pocket; and on several occasions when I fancied he was busy in his room, -I have seen him come in with his boots covered with dust and dirt. So -far as work went I enjoyed a complete sinecure; I had nothing to do but -to walk about the valley, to eat, and to sleep. With one thing and -another I grew accustomed, to the life, and managed to make myself -pretty comfortable, and by degrees I began to venture farther away from -the house, and to explore the country. One day I had contrived to get -into a neighboring valley, and suddenly I came upon a group of men -sawing timber. I went up to them, hoping that perhaps some of them might -be Englishmen; at all events they were human beings, and I should hear -articulate speech, for the old man I have mentioned, besides being half -blind and stone deaf, was wholly dumb so far as I was concerned. I was -prepared to be welcomed in a rough and ready fashion, without much, of -the forms of politeness, but the grim glances and the short gruff -answers I received astonished me. I saw the men glancing oddly at each -other, and one of them who had stopped work began fingering a gun, and I -was obliged to return on my path uttering curses on the fate which had -brought me into a land where men were more brutish than the very brutes. -The solitude of the life began to oppress me as with a nightmare, and a -few days later I determined to walk to a kind of station some miles -distant, where a rough inn was kept for the accommodation of hunters and -tourists. English gentlemen occasionally stopped there for the night, -and I thought I might perhaps fall in with some one of better manners -than the inhabitants of the country. I found as I had expected a group -of men lounging about the door of the log-house that served as a hotel, -and as I came nearer I could see that heads were put together and looks -interchanged, and when I walked up the six or seven trappers stared at -me in stony ferocity, and with something of the disgust that one eyes a -loathsome and venomous snake. I felt that I could bear it no longer, and -I called out:-- - -"Is there such a thing as an Englishman here, or any one with a little -civilization?" - -One of the men put his hand to his belt, but his neighbor checked him -and answered me. - -"You'll find we've got some of the resources of civilization before very -long, mister, and I expect you'll not fancy them extremely. But anyway, -there's an Englishman tarrying here, and I've no doubt he'll be glad to -see you. There you are, that's Mr. D'Aubernoun." - -A young man, dressed like an English country squire, came and stood at -the door, and looked at me. One of the men pointed to me and said:-- - -"That's the individual we were talking about last night. Thought you -might like to have a look at him, squire, and here he is." - -The young fellow's good-natured English face clouded over, and he -glanced sternly at me, and turned away with a gesture of contempt and -aversion. - -"Sir," I cried, "I do not know what I have done to be treated in this -manner. You are my fellow-countryman, and I expected some courtesy." - -He gave me a black look and made as if he would go in, but he changed -his mind, and faced me. - -"You are rather imprudent, I think, to behave in this manner. You must -be counting on a forbearance which cannot last very long; which may last -a very short time, indeed. And let me tell you this, sir, you may call -yourself an Englishman and drag the name of England through the dirt, -but you need not count on any English influence to help you. If I were -you, I would not stay here much longer." - -He went into the inn, and the men quietly watched my face, as I stood -there, wondering whether I was going mad. The woman of the house came -out and stared at me as if I were a wild beast or a savage, and I turned -to her, and spoke quietly. - -"I am very hungry and thirsty, I have walked a long way. I have plenty -of money. Will you give me something to eat and drink?" - -"No, I won't," she said. "You had better quit this." - -I crawled home like a wounded beast, and lay down on my bed. It was all -a hopeless puzzle to me. I knew nothing but rage and shame and terror, -and I suffered little more when I passed by a house in an adjacent -valley, and some children who were playing outside ran from me -shrieking. I was forced to walk to find some occupation. I should have -died if I had sat down quietly in Blue Rock Park and looked all day at -the mountains; but wherever I saw a human being I saw the same glance of -hatred and aversion, and once as I was crossing a thick brake I heard a -shot, and the venomous hiss of a bullet close to my ear. - -One day I heard a conversation which astounded me; I was sitting behind -a rock resting, and two men came along the track and halted. One of them -had got his feet entangled in some wild vines, and swore fiercely, but -the other laughed, and said they were useful things sometimes. - -"What the hell do you mean?" - -"Oh, nothing much. But they 're uncommon tough, these here vines, and -sometimes rope is skerse and dear." - -The man who had sworn chuckled at this, and I heard them sit down and -light their pipes. - -"Have you seen him lately?" asked the humorist. - -"I sighted him the other day, but the darned bullet went high. He's got -his master's luck, I expect, sir, but it can't last much longer. You -heard about him going to Jinks's and trying his brass, but the young -Britisher downed him pretty considerable, I can tell you." - -"What the devil is the meaning of it?" - -"I don't know, but I believe it'll have to be finished, and done in the -old style, too. You know how they fix the niggers?" - -"Yes, sir, I've seen a little of that. A couple of gallons of -kerosene'll cost a dollar at Brown's store, but I should say it's cheap -anyway." - -They moved off after this, and I lay still behind the rock, the sweat -pouring down my face. I was so sick that I could barely stand, and I -walked home as slowly as an old man, leaning on my stick. I knew that -the two men had been talking about me, and I knew that some terrible -death was in store for me. That night I could not sleep. I tossed on the -rough bed and tortured myself to find out the meaning of it all. At last -in the very dead of night I rose from the bed, and put on my clothes, -and went out. I did not care where I went, but I felt that I must walk -till I had tired myself out. It was a clear moonlight night, and in a -couple of hours I found I was approaching a place of dismal reputation -in the mountains, a deep cleft in the rocks, known as Black Gulf Canyon. -Many years before, an unfortunate party of Englishmen and Englishwomen -had camped here and had been surrounded by Indians. They were captured, -outraged, and put to death with almost inconceivable tortures, and the -roughest of the trappers or woodsmen gave the canyon a wide berth even in -the day-time. As I crushed through the dense brushwood which grew above -the canyon, I heard voices, and wondering who could be in such a place at -such a time, I went on, walking more carefully and making as little -noise as possible. There was a great tree growing on the very edge of -the rocks, and I lay down and looked out from behind the trunk. Black -Gulf Canyon was below me, the moonlight shining bright into its very -depths from midheaven, and casting shadows as black as death from the -pointed rock, and all the sheer rock on the other side, overhanging the -canyon, was in darkness. At intervals a light veil obscured the -moonlight, as a filmy cloud fleeted across the moon; and a bitter wind -blew shrill across the gulf. I looked down as I have said, and saw -twenty men standing in a semicircle round a rock; I counted them one by -one, and knew most of them. They were the very vilest of the vile, more -vile than any den in London could show, and there was murder and worse -than murder on the heads of not a few. Facing them and me stood Mr. -Smith with the rock before him, and on the rock was a great pair of -scales, such, as are used in the stores. I heard his voice ringing down -the canyon as I lay beside the tree, and my heart turned cold as I heard -it. - -"Life for gold," he cried, "a life for gold. The blood and the life of -an enemy for every pound of gold." - -A man stepped out and raised one hand, and with the other flung a bright -lump of something into the pan of the scales, which clanged down, and -Smith muttered something in his ear. Then he cried again:-- - -"Blood for gold; for a pound of gold, the life of an enemy. For every -pound of gold upon the scales, a life." - -One by one the men came forward, each lifting up his right hand; and the -gold was weighed in the scales, and each time Smith leaned forward and -spoke to each man in his ear. Then he cried again:-- - -"Desire and lust, for gold on the scales. For every pound of gold, -enjoyment of desire." - -I saw the same thing happen as before; the uplifted hand, and the metal -weighed, and the mouth whispering, and black passion on every face. - -Then, one by one, I saw the men again step up to Smith. A muttered -conversation seemed to take place; I could see that Smith was explaining -and directing, and I noticed that he gesticulated a little as one who -points out the way, and once or twice he moved his hands quickly as if -he would show that the path was clear and could not be missed. I kept my -eyes so intently on his figure that I noted little else, and at last it -was with a start that I realized that the canyon was empty. A moment -before I thought I had seen the group of villainous faces, and the two -standing, a little apart by the rock; I had looked down a moment, and -when I glanced again into the canyon there was no one there. In dumb -terror I made my way home, and I fell asleep in an instant from -exhaustion. No doubt I should have slept on for many hours, but when I -woke up, the sun was only rising, and the light shone in on my bed. I -had started up from sleep with the sensation of having received a -violent shock, and as I looked in confusion about me I saw to my -amazement that there were three men in the room. One of them had his -hand on my shoulder and spoke to me. - -"Come, mister, wake up. Your time's up now, I reckon, and the boys are -waiting for you outside, and they 're in a big hurry. Come on; you can -put on your clothes, it's kind of chilly this morning." - -I saw the other two men smiling sourly at each other, but I understood -nothing. I simply pulled on my clothes, and said I was ready. - -"All right, come on then. You go first, Nichols, and Jim and I will give -the gentleman an arm." - -They took me out into the sunlight, and then I understood the meaning of -a dull murmur that had vaguely perplexed me while I was dressing. There -were about two hundred men waiting outside, and some women too, and when -they saw me there was a low muttering growl. I did not know what I had -done, but that noise made my heart beat and the sweat come out on my -face. I saw confusedly, as through a veil, the tumult and tossing of the -crowd, discordant voices were speaking, and amongst all those faces -there was not one glance of mercy, but a fury of lust that I did not -understand. I found myself presently walking in a sort of procession up -the slope of the valley, and on every side of me there were men with -revolvers in their hands. Now and then a voice struck me, and I heard -words and sentences of which I could form no connected story. But I -understood that there was one sentence of execration; I heard scraps of -stories that seemed strange and improbable. Some one was talking of men, -lured by cunning devices from their homes and murdered with hideous -tortures, found writhing like wounded snakes in dark and lonely places, -only crying for some one to stab them to the heart, and so end their -torments; and I heard another voice speaking of innocent girls who had -vanished for a day or two, and then had come back and died, blushing red -with shame even in the agonies of death. I wondered what it all meant, -and what was to happen, but I was so weary that I walked on in a dream, -scarcely longing for anything but sleep. At last we stopped. We had -reached the summit of the hill, overlooking Blue Rock Valley, and I saw -that I was standing beneath a clump of trees where I had often sat. I -was in the midst of a ring of armed men, and I saw that two or three men -were very busy with piles of wood, while others were fingering a rope. -Then there was a stir in the crowd, and a man was pushed forward. His -hands and feet were tightly bound with cord, and though his face was -unutterably villainous I pitied him for the agony that worked his -features and twisted his lips. I knew him; he was amongst those that had -gathered round Smith in Black Gulf Canyon. In an instant he was unbound, -and stripped naked; and borne beneath one of the trees, and his neck -encircled by a noose that went around the trunk. A hoarse voice gave -some kind of order; there was a rush of feet, and the rope tightened; -and there before me I saw the blackened face and the writhing limbs and -the shameful agony of death. One after another, half a dozen men, all of -whom I had seen in the canyon the night before, were strangled before me, -and their bodies were flung forth on the ground. Then there was a pause, -and the man who had roused me a short while before, came up to me and -said:-- - -"Now, mister, it's your turn. We give you five minutes to cast up your -accounts, and when that's clocked, by the living God we will burn you -alive at that tree." - -It was then I awoke and understood. I cried out:-- - -"Why, what have I done? Why should you hurt me? I am a harmless man, I -never did you any wrong." I covered my face with my hands; it seemed so -pitiful, and it was such a terrible death. - -"What have I done?" I cried again. "You must take me for some other man. -You cannot know me." - -"You black-hearted devil," said the man at my side, "we know you well -enough. There's not a man within thirty miles of this that won't curse -Jack Smith when you are burning in hell." - -"My name is not Smith," I said, with some hope left in me. "My name is -Wilkins. I was Mr. Smith's secretary, but I knew nothing of him." - -"Hark at the black liar," said the man. "Secretary be damned! You were -clever enough, I dare say, to slink out at night, and keep your face in -the dark, but we've tracked you out at last. But your time's up. Come -along." - -I was dragged to the tree and bound to it with chains, and I saw the -piles of wood heaped all about me, and shut my eyes. Then I felt myself -drenched all over with some liquid, and looked again, and a woman -grinned at me. She had just emptied a great can of petroleum over me and -over the wood. A voice shouted, "Fire away," and I fainted and knew -nothing more. - -When I opened my eyes I was lying on a bed in a bare comfortless room. A -doctor was holding some strong salts to my nostrils, and a gentleman -standing by the bed, whom I afterwards found to be the sheriff, -addressed me:-- - -"Say, mister," he began, "you've had an uncommon narrow squeak for it. -The boys were just about lighting up when I came along with the posse, -and I had as much as I could do to bring you off, I can tell you. And, -mind you, I don't blame, them; they had made up their minds, you see, -that you were the head of the Black Gulf gang, and at first nothing I -could say would persuade them you weren't Jack Smith. Luckily, a man -from here named Evans, that came along with us, allowed he had seen you -with Jack Smith, and that you were yourself. So we brought you along and -jailed you, but you can go if you like, when you're through with this -faint turn." - -I got on the cars the next day, and in three weeks I was in London; -again almost penniless. But from that time my fortune seemed to change. -I made influential friends in all directions; bank directors courted my -company, and editors positively flung themselves into my arms. I had -only to choose my career, and after a while I determined that I was -meant by nature for a life of comparative leisure. With an ease that -seemed almost ridiculous I obtained a well-paid position in connection -with a prosperous political club. I have charming chambers in a central -neighborhood close to the parks; the club _chef_ exerts himself when I -lunch or dine, and the rarest vintages in the cellar are always at my -disposal. Yet, since my return to London, I have never known a day's -security or peace; I tremble when I awake lest Smith should be standing -at my bed, and every step I take seems to bring me nearer to the edge of -the precipice. Smith, I knew, had escaped free from the raid of the -vigilantes, and I grew faint at the thought that he would in all -probability return to London, and that suddenly and unprepared I should -meet him face to face. Every morning as I left my house, I would peer up -and down the street, expecting to see that dreaded figure awaiting me; I -have delayed at street corners, my heart in my mouth, sickening at the -thought that a few quick steps might bring us together; I could not bear -to frequent the theatres or music halls, lest by some bizarre chance he -should prove to be my neighbor. Sometimes, I have been forced, against -my will, to walk out at night, and then in silent squares the shadows -have made me shudder, and in the medley of meetings in the crowded -thoroughfares, I have said to myself, "It must come sooner or later; he -will surely return to town, and I shall see him when I feel most -secure." I scanned the newspapers for hint or intimation of approaching -danger, and no small type nor report of trivial interest was allowed to -pass unread. Especially I read and re-read the advertisement columns, -but without result. Months passed by and I was undisturbed till, though -I felt far from safe, I no longer suffered from the intolerable -oppression of instant and ever present terror. This afternoon as I was -walking quietly along Oxford Street, I raised my eyes, and looked across -the road, and then at last I saw the man who had so long haunted my -thoughts. - - * * * * * - -Mr. Wilkins finished his wine, and leaned back in his chair, looking -sadly at Dyson; and then, as if a thought struck him, fished out of an -inner pocket a leather letter case, and handed a newspaper cutting -across the table. - -Dyson glanced closely at the slip, and saw that it had been extracted -from the columns of an evening paper. It ran as follows:-- - - WHOLESALE LYNCHING. - - SHOCKING STORY. - -A Dalziel telegram from Reading (Colorado) states that advices received -there from Blue Rock Park report a frightful instance of popular -vengeance. For some time the neighborhood has been terrorized by the -crimes of a gang of desperadoes, who, under the cover of a carefully -planned organization, have perpetrated the most infamous cruelties on -men and women. A Vigilance Committee was formed, and it was found that -the leader of the gang was a person named Smith, living in Blue Rock -Park. Action was taken, and six of the worst in the band were summarily -strangled in the presence of two or three hundred men and women. Smith -is said to have escaped. - - * * * * * - -"This is a terrible story," said Dyson; "I can well believe that your -days and nights are haunted by such fearful scenes as you have -described. But surely you have no need to fear Smith? He has much, more -cause to fear you. Consider, you have only to lay your information -before the police, and a warrant would be immediately issued for his -arrest. Besides, you will, I am sure, excuse me for what I am going to -say." - -"My dear sir," said Mr. Wilkins, "I hope you will speak to me with -perfect freedom." - -"Well, then, I must confess that my impression was that you were rather -disappointed at not being able to stop the man before he drove off. I -thought you seemed annoyed that you could not get across the street." - -"Sir, I did not know what I was about. I caught sight of the man, but it -was only for a moment, and the agony you witnessed was the agony of -suspense. I was not perfectly certain of the face; and the horrible -thought that Smith was again in London overwhelmed me. I shuddered at -the idea of this incarnate fiend, whose soul is black with shocking -crimes, mingling free and unobserved amongst the harmless crowds, -meditating perhaps a new and more fearful cycle of infamies. I tell -you, sir, that an awful being stalks through the streets, a being before -whom the sunlight itself should blacken, and the summer air grow chill -and dank. Such thoughts as these rushed upon me with the force of a -whirlwind; I lost my senses." - -"I see. I partly understand your feelings, but I would impress on you -that you have nothing really to fear. Depend upon it, Smith will not -molest you in any way. You must remember he himself has had a warning; -and indeed from the brief glance I had of him, he seemed to me to be a -frightened-looking man. However, I see it is getting late, and if you -will excuse me, Mr. Wilkins, I think I will be going. I dare say we -shall often meet here." - -Dyson walked off smartly, pondering the strange story chance had brought -him, and finding on cool reflection that there was something a little -strange in Mr. Wilkins's manner, for which not even so weird a catalogue -of experiences could altogether account. - - - - -ADVENTURE OF THE MISSING BROTHER. - - -Mr. Charles Phillipps was, as has been hinted, a gentleman of pronounced -scientific tastes. In his early days he had devoted himself with fond -enthusiasm to the agreeable study of biology, and a brief monograph on -the Embryology of the Microscopic Holothuria had formed his first -contribution to the belles lettres. Later, he had somewhat relaxed the -severity of his pursuits, and had dabbled in the more frivolous subjects -of palaeontology and ethnology; he had a cabinet in his sitting-room -whose drawers were stuffed with rude flint implements, and a charming -fetish from the South Seas was the dominant note in the decorative -scheme of the apartment. Flattering himself with the title of -materialist, he was in truth one of the most credulous of men, but he -required a marvel to be neatly draped in the robes of science before he -would give it any credit, and the wildest dreams took solid shape to him -if only the nomenclature were severe and irreproachable; he laughed at -the witch, but quailed before the powers of the hypnotist, lifting his -eyebrows when Christianity was mentioned, but adoring protyle and the -ether. For the rest, he prided himself on a boundless scepticism; the -average tale of wonder he heard with nothing but contempt, and he would -certainly not have credited a word or syllable of Dyson's story of the -pursuer and pursued unless the gold coin had been produced as visible -and tangible evidence. As it was he half suspected that Dyson had -imposed on him; he knew his friend's disordered fancies, and his habit -of conjuring up the marvellous to account for the entirely commonplace; -and on the whole he was inclined to think that the so-called facts in -the odd adventure had been gravely distorted in the telling. Since the -evening on which he had listened to the tale, he had paid Dyson a visit, -and had delivered himself of some serious talk on the necessity of -accurate observation, and the folly, as he put it, of using a -kaleidoscope instead of a telescope in the view of things, to which -remarks his friend had listened with a smile that was extremely sardonic -"My dear fellow," Dyson had remarked at last, "you will allow me to tell -you that I see your drift perfectly. However, you will be astonished to -hear that I consider you to be the visionary, while I am a sober and -serious spectator of human life. You have gone round the circle, and -while you fancy yourself far in the golden land of new philosophies, you -are in reality a dweller in a metaphorical Clapham; your scepticism has -defeated itself and become a monstrous credulity; you are in fact in the -position of the bat or owl, I forget which it was, who denied the -existence of the sun at noonday, and I shall be astonished if you do not -one day come to me full of contrition for your manifold intellectual -errors, with a humble resolution to see things in their true light for -the future." This tirade had left Mr. Phillipps unimpressed; he -considered Dyson as hopeless, and he went home to gloat over some -primitive stone implements that a friend had sent him from India. He -found that his landlady, seeing them displayed in all their rude -formlessness upon the table, had removed the collection to the dustbin, -and had replaced it by lunch; and the afternoon was spent in malodorous -research. Mrs. Brown, hearing these stones spoken of as very valuable -knives, had called him in his hearing "poor Mr. Phillipps," and between -rage and evil odors he spent a sorry afternoon. It was four o'clock -before he had completed his work of rescue; and, overpowered with the -flavors of decaying cabbage-leaves, Phillipps felt that he must have a -walk to gain an appetite for the evening meal. Unlike Dyson, he walked -fast, with his eyes on the pavement, absorbed in his thoughts and -oblivious of the life around him; and he could not have told by what -streets he had passed, when he suddenly lifted up his eyes and found -himself in Leicester Square. The grass and flowers pleased him, and he -welcomed the opportunity of resting for a few minutes, and glancing -round, he saw a bench which had only one occupant, a lady, and as she -was seated at one end, Phillipps took up a position at the other -extremity, and began to pass in angry review the events of the -afternoon. He had noticed as he came up to the bench that the person -already there was neatly dressed, and to all appearance young; her face -he could not see, as it was turned away in apparent contemplation of the -shrubs, and moreover shielded with her hand; but it would be doing -wrong to Mr. Phillipps to imagine that his choice of a seat was dictated -by any hopes of an affair of the heart; he had simply preferred the -company of one lady to that of five dirty children, and having seated -himself was immersed directly in thoughts of his misfortunes. He had -meditated changing his lodgings; but now, on a judicial review of the -case in all its bearings, his calmer judgment told him that the race of -landladies is like to the race of the leaves, and that there was but -little to choose between them. He resolved, however, to talk to Mrs. -Brown, the offender, very coolly and yet severely, to point out the -extreme indiscretion of her conduct, and to express a hope for better -things in the future. With this decision registered in his mind, -Phillipps was about to get up from the seat and move off, when he was -intensely annoyed to hear a stifled sob, evidently from the lady, who -still continued her contemplation of the shrubs and flower-beds. He -clutched his stick desperately, and in a moment would have been in full -retreat, when the lady turned her face towards him, and with a mute -entreaty bespoke his attention. She was a young girl with a quaint and -piquant rather than a beautiful face, and she was evidently in the -bitterest distress, and Mr. Phillipps sat down again, and cursed his -chances heartily. The young lady looked at him with a pair of charming -eyes of a shining hazel, which showed no trace of tears, though a -handkerchief was in her hand; she bit her lip, and seemed to struggle -with some overpowering grief, and her whole attitude was all beseeching -and imploring. Phillipps sat on the edge of the bench gazing awkwardly -at her, and wondering what was to come next, and she looked at him still -without speaking. - -"Well, madam," he said at last, "I understood from your gesture that you -wished to speak to me. Is there anything I can do for you? Though, if -you will pardon me, I cannot help saying that that seems highly -improbable." - -"Ah, sir," she said in a low murmuring voice, "do not speak harshly to -me. I am in sore straits, and I thought from your face that I could -safely ask your sympathy, if not your help." - -"Would you kindly tell me what is the matter?" said Phillipps. "Perhaps -you would like some tea?" - -"I knew I could not be mistaken," the lady replied. "That offer of -refreshment bespeaks a generous mind. But tea, alas! is powerless to -console me. If you will let me, I will endeavor to explain my trouble." - -"I should be glad if you would." - -"I will do so, and I will try and be brief, in spite of the numerous -complications which have made me, young as I am, tremble before what -seems the profound and terrible mystery of existence. Yet the grief -which now racks my very soul is but too simple; I have lost my brother." - -"Lost your brother! How on earth can that be?" - -"I see I must trouble you with a few particulars. My brother, then, who -is by some years my elder, is a tutor in a private school in the extreme -north of London. The want of means deprived him of the advantages of a -University education; and lacking the stamp of a degree, he could not -hope for that position which his scholarship and his talents entitled -him to claim. He was thus forced to accept the post of classical master -at Dr. Saunderson's Highgate Academy for the sons of gentlemen, and he -has performed his duties with perfect satisfaction to his principal for -some years. My personal history need not trouble you; if will be enough -if I tell you that for the last month I have been governess in a family -residing at Tooting. My brother and I have always cherished the warmest -mutual affection; and though circumstances into which I need not enter -have kept us apart for some time, yet we have never lost sight of one -another. We made up our minds that unless one of us was absolutely -unable to rise from a bed of sickness, we would never let a week pass by -without meeting, and some time ago we chose this square as our -rendezvous on account of its central position and its convenience of -access. And indeed, after a week of distasteful toil, my brother felt -little inclination for much walking, and we have often spent two or -three hours on this bench, speaking of our prospects and of happier -days, when we were children. In the early spring it was cold and chilly; -still we enjoyed the short respite, and I think that we were often taken -for a pair of lovers, as we sat close together, eagerly talking. -Saturday after Saturday we have met each other here, and though the -doctor told him it was madness, my brother would not allow the influenza -to break the appointment. That was some time ago; last Saturday we had -a long and happy afternoon, and separated more cheerfully than usual, -feeling that the coming week would be bearable, and resolving that our -next meeting should be if possible still more pleasant. I arrived here -at the time agreed upon, four o'clock, and sat down and watched for my -brother, expecting every moment to see him advancing towards me from -that gate at the north side of the square. Five minutes passed by, and -he had not arrived; I thought he must have missed his train, and the -idea that our interview would be cut short by twenty minutes, or perhaps -half an hour, saddened me; I had hoped we should be so happy together -to-day. Suddenly, moved by I know not what impulse, I turned abruptly -round, and how can I describe to you my astonishment when I saw my -brother advancing slowly towards me from the southern side of the -square, accompanied by another person. My first thought, I remember, had -in it something of resentment that this man, whoever he was, should -intrude himself into our meeting; I wondered who it could possibly be, -for my brother had, I may say, no intimate friends. Then as I looked -still at the advancing figures, another feeling took possession of me; -it was a sensation of bristling fear, the fear of the child in the dark, -unreasonable and unreasoning, but terrible, clutching at my heart as -with the cold grip of a dead man's hands. Yet I overcame the feeling, -and looked steadily at my brother, waiting for him to speak, and more -closely at his companion. Then I noticed that this man was leading my -brother rather than walking arm-in-arm with him; he was a tall man, -dressed in quite ordinary fashion. He wore a high bowler hat, and, in -spite of the warmth of the day, a plain black overcoat, tightly -buttoned, and I noticed his trousers, of a quiet black and gray stripe. -The face was commonplace too, and indeed I cannot recall any special -features, or any trick of expression; for though I looked at him as he -came near, curiously enough his face made no impression on me, it was as -though I had seen a well-made mask. They passed in front of me, and to -my unutterable astonishment I heard my brother's voice speaking to me, -though his lips did not move, nor his eyes look into mine. It was a -voice I cannot describe, though I knew it, but the words came to my ears -as if mingled with plashing water and the sound of a shallow brook -flowing amidst stones. I heard, then, the words, 'I cannot stay,' and -for a moment the heavens and the earth seemed to rush together with the -sound of thunder, and I was thrust forth from the world into a black -void without beginning and without end. For, as my brother passed me, I -saw the hand that held him by the arm, and seemed to guide him, and in -one moment of horror I realized that it was as a formless thing that has -mouldered for many years in the grave. The flesh was peeled in strips -from the bones, and hung apart dry and granulated, and the fingers that -encircled my brother's arm were all unshapen, claw-like things, and one -was but a stump from which the end had rotted off. When I recovered my -senses I saw the two passing out by that gate. I paused for a moment, -and then with a rush as of fire to my heart I knew that no horror -could, stay me, but that I must follow my brother and save him, even -though all hell rose up against me. I ran out and looked up the -pavement, and saw the two figures walking amidst the crowd. I ran across -the road, and saw them turn up that side street, and I reached the -corner a moment later. In vain I looked to right and left, for neither -my brother nor his strange guardian was in sight; two elderly men were -coming down arm-in-arm, and a telegraph boy was walking lustily along -whistling. I remained there a moment horror-struck, and then I bowed my -head and returned to this seat, where you found me. Now, sir, do you -wonder at my grief? Oh, tell me what has happened to my brother, or I -feel I shall go mad." - -Mr. Phillipps, who had listened with exemplary patience to this tale, -hesitated a moment before he spoke. - -"My dear madam," he said at length, "you have known how to engage me in -your service, not only as a man, but as a student of science. As a -fellow-creature I pity you most profoundly; you must have suffered -extremely from what you saw, or rather from what you fancied you saw. -For, as a scientific observer, it is my duty to tell you the plain -truth, which, indeed, besides being true, must also console you. Allow -me to ask you then to describe your brother." - -"Certainly," said the lady, eagerly; "I can describe him accurately. My -brother is a somewhat young-looking man; he is pale, has small black -whiskers, and wears spectacles. He has rather a timid, almost a -frightened expression, and looks about him nervously from side to side. -Think, think! Surely you must have seen him. Perhaps you are an -_habitue_ of this engaging quarter; you may have met him on some -previous Saturday. I may have been mistaken in supposing that he turned -up that side street; he may have gone on, and you may have passed each -other. Oh, tell me, sir, whether you have not seen him?" - -"I am afraid I do not keep a very sharp lookout when I am walking," said -Phillipps, who would have passed his mother unnoticed; "but I am sure -your description is admirable. And now will you describe the person, -who, you say, held your brother by the arm?" - -"I cannot do so. I told you, his face seemed devoid of expression or -salient feature. It was like a mask." - -"Exactly; you cannot describe what you have never seen. I need hardly -point out to you the conclusion to be drawn; you have been the victim of -an hallucination. You expected to see your brother, you were alarmed -because you did not see him, and unconsciously, no doubt, your brain -went to work, and finally you saw a mere projection of your own morbid -thoughts; a vision of your absent brother, and a mere confusion of -terrors incorporated in a figure which you can't describe. Of course -your brother has been in some way prevented from coming to meet you as -usual. I expect you will hear from him in a day or two." - -The lady looked seriously at Mr. Phillipps, and then for a second there -seemed almost a twinkling as of mirth about her eyes, but her face -clouded sadly at the dogmatic conclusions to which the scientist was -led so irresistibly. - -"Ah," she said, "you do not know. I cannot doubt the evidence of my -waking senses. Besides, perhaps I have had experiences even more -terrible. I acknowledge the force of your arguments, but a woman has -intuitions which never deceive her. Believe me, I am not hysterical; -feel my pulse, it is quite regular." - -She stretched out her hand with a dainty gesture, and a glance that -enraptured Phillipps in spite of himself. The hand held out to him was -soft and white and warm, and as, in some confusion, he placed his -fingers on the purple vein, he felt profoundly touched by the spectacle -of love and grief before him. - -"No," he said, as he released her wrist, "as you say, you are evidently -quite yourself. Still, you must be aware that living men do not possess -dead hands. That sort of thing doesn't happen. It is, of course, barely -possible that you did see your brother with another gentleman, and that -important business prevented him from stopping. As for the wonderful -hand, there may have been some deformity, a finger shot off by accident, -or something of that sort." - -The lady shook her head mournfully. - -"I see you are a determined rationalist," she said. "Did you not hear me -say that I have had experiences even more terrible? I too was once a -sceptic, but after what I have known I can no longer affect to doubt." - -"Madam," replied Mr. Phillipps, "no one shall make me deny my faith. I -will never believe, nor will I pretend to believe, that two and two make -five, nor will I on any pretences admit the existence of two-sided -triangles." - -"You are a little hasty," rejoined the lady. "But may I ask you if you -ever heard the name of Professor Gregg, the authority on ethnology and -kindred subjects?" - -"I have done much more than merely hear of Professor Gregg," said -Phillipps. "I always regarded him as one of our most acute and -clear-headed observers; and his last publication, the 'Text-book of -Ethnology,' struck me as being quite admirable in its kind. Indeed, the -book had but come into my hands when I heard of the terrible accident -which cut short Gregg's career. He had, I think, taken a country house -in the West of England for the summer, and is supposed to have fallen -into a river. So far as I remember, his body was never recovered." - -"Sir, I am sure that you are discreet. Your conversation seems to -declare as much, and the very title of that little work of yours which -you mentioned, assures me that you are no empty trifler. In a word, I -feel that I may depend on you. You appear to be under the impression -that Professor Gregg is dead; I have no reason to believe that that is -the case." - -"What?" cried Phillipps, astonished and perturbed. "You do not hint that -there was anything disgraceful? I cannot believe it. Gregg was a man of -clearest character; his private life was one of great benevolence; and -though I myself am free from delusions, I believe him to have been a -sincere and devout Christian. Surely you cannot mean to insinuate that -some disreputable history forced him to flee the country?" - -"Again you are in a hurry," replied the lady. "I said nothing of all -this. Briefly, then, I must tell you that Professor Gregg left his house -one morning in full health both of mind and body. He never returned, but -his watch and chain, a purse containing three sovereigns in gold and -some loose silver, with a ring that he wore habitually, were found three -days later on a wild and savage hillside, many miles from the river. -These articles were placed beside a limestone rock of fantastic form; -they had been wrapped into a parcel with a kind of rough parchment which -was secured with gut. The parcel was opened, and the inner side of the -parchment bore an inscription done with some red substance; the -characters were undecipherable, but seemed to be a corrupt cuneiform." - -"You interest me intensely," said Phillips. "Would you mind continuing -your story? The circumstance you have mentioned seems to me of the most -inexplicable character, and I thirst for an elucidation." - -The young lady seemed to meditate for a moment, and she then proceeded -to relate the - - - - -NOVEL OF THE BLACK SEAL. - - -I must now give you some fuller particulars of my history. I am the -daughter of a civil engineer, Steven Lally by name, who was so -unfortunate as to die suddenly at the outset of his career, and before -he had accumulated sufficient means to support his wife and her two -children. My mother contrived to keep the small household going on -resources which must have been incredibly small; we lived in a remote -country village, because most of the necessaries of life were cheaper -than in a town, but even so we were brought up with the severest -economy. My father was a clever and well-read man, and left behind him a -small but select collection of books, containing the best Greek, Latin, -and English classics, and these books were the only amusement we -possessed. My brother, I remember, learned Latin out of Descartes' -"Meditationes," and I, in place of the little tales which children are -usually told to read, had nothing more charming than a translation of -the "Gesta Romanorum." We grew up thus, quiet and studious children, and -in course of time my brother provided for himself in the manner I have -mentioned. I continued to live at home; my poor mother had become an -invalid, and demanded my continual care, and about two years ago she -died after many months of painful illness. My situation was a terrible -one; the shabby furniture barely sufficed to pay the debts I had been -forced to contract, and the books I despatched to my brother, knowing -how he would value them. I was absolutely alone. I was aware how poorly -my brother was paid; and though I came up to London in the hope of -finding employment, with the understanding that he would defray my -expenses, I swore it should only be for a month, and that if I could not -in that time find some work, I would starve rather than deprive him of -the few miserable pounds he had laid by for his day of trouble. I took a -little room in a distant suburb, the cheapest that I could find. I lived -on bread and tea, and I spent my time in vain answering of -advertisements, and vainer walks to addresses I had noted. Day followed -on day, and week on week, and still I was unsuccessful, till at last the -term I had appointed drew to a close, and I saw before me the grim -prospect of slowly dying of starvation. My landlady was good-natured in -her way; she knew the slenderness of my means, and I am sure that she -would not have turned me out of doors. It remained for me then to go -away, and to try and die in some quiet place. It was winter then, and a -thick white fog gathered in the early part of the afternoon, becoming -more dense as the day wore on; it was a Sunday, I remember, and the -people of the house were at chapel. At about three o'clock I crept out -and walked away as quickly as I could, for I was weak from abstinence. -The white mist wrapped all the streets in silence, and a hard frost had -gathered thick upon the bare branches of the trees, and frost crystals -glittered on the wooden fences, and on the cold cruel ground beneath my -feet. I walked on, turning to right and left in utter haphazard, without -caring to look up at the names of the streets, and all that I remember -of my walk on that Sunday afternoon seems but the broken fragments of an -evil dream. In a confused vision I stumbled on, through roads half town -and half country; gray fields melting into the cloudy world of mist on -one side of me, and on the other comfortable villas with a glow of -firelight flickering on the walls; but all unreal, red brick walls, and -lighted windows, vague trees, and glimmering country, gas-lamps -beginning to star the white shadows, the vanishing perspectives of the -railway line beneath high embankments, the green and red of the signal -lamps,--all these were but momentary pictures flashed on my tired brain -and senses numbed by hunger. Now and then I would hear a quick step -ringing on the iron road, and men would pass me well wrapped up, walking -fast for the sake of warmth, and no doubt eagerly foretasting the -pleasures of a glowing hearth, with curtains tightly drawn about the -frosted panes, and the welcomes of their friends; but as the early -evening darkened and night approached, foot-passengers got fewer and -fewer, and I passed through street after street alone. In the white -silence I stumbled on, as desolate as if I trod the streets of a buried -city; and as I grew more weak and exhausted, something of the horror of -death was folding thickly round my heart. Suddenly, as I turned a -corner, some one accosted me courteously beneath the lamp-post, and I -heard a voice asking if I could kindly point the way to Avon Road. At -the sudden shock of human accents I was prostrated and my strength gave -way, and I fell all huddled on the side-walk and wept and sobbed and -laughed in violent hysteria. I had gone out prepared to die, and as I -stepped across the threshold that had sheltered me, I consciously bade -adieu to all hopes and all remembrances; the door clanged behind me with -the noise of thunder, and I felt that an iron curtain had fallen on the -brief passages of my life, and that henceforth I was to walk a little -way in a world, of gloom and shadow; I entered on the stage of the first -act of death. Then came my wandering in the mist, the whiteness wrapping -all things, the void streets, and muffled silence, till when that voice -spoke to me, it was as if I had died and life returned to me. In a few -minutes I was able to compose my feelings, and as I rose I saw that I -was confronted by a middle-aged gentleman of specious appearance, neatly -and correctly dressed. He looked at me with an expression of great pity, -but before I could stammer out my ignorance of the neighborhood, for -indeed I had not the slightest notion of where I had wandered, he spoke. - -"My dear madam," he said, "you seem in some terrible distress. You -cannot think how you alarmed me. But may I inquire the nature of your -trouble? I assure you that you can safely confide in me." - -"You are very kind," I replied; "but, I fear there is nothing to be -done. My condition seems a hopeless one." - -"Oh, nonsense, nonsense! You are too young to talk like that. Come, let -us walk down here, and you must tell me your difficulty. Perhaps I may -be able to help you." - -There was something very soothing and persuasive in his manner, and as -we walked together, I gave him an outline of my story, and told of the -despair that had oppressed me almost to death. - -"You were wrong to give in so completely," he said, when I was silent. -"A month is too short a time in which to feel one's way in London. -London, let me tell you, Miss Lally, does not lie open and undefended; -it is a fortified place, fossed and double-moated with curious -intricacies. As must always happen in large towns, the conditions of -life have become hugely artificial; no mere simple palisade is run up to -oppose the man or woman who would take the place by storm, but serried -lines of subtle contrivances, mines, and pitfalls which it needs a -strange skill to overcome. You, in your simplicity, fancied you had only -to shout for these walls to sink into nothingness, but the time is gone -for such startling victories as these. Take courage; you will learn the -secret of success before very long." - -"Alas, sir," I replied, "I have no doubt your conclusions are correct, -but at the present moment I seem to be in a fair way to die of -starvation. You spoke of a secret; for heaven's sake, tell it me, if you -have any pity for my distress." - -He laughed genially. "There lies the strangeness of it all. Those who -know the secret cannot tell it if they would; it is positively as -ineffable as the central doctrine of Freemasonry. But I may say this, -that you yourself have penetrated at least the outer husk of the -mystery," and he laughed again. - -"Pray do not jest with me," I said. "What have I done, _que sais-je_? I -am so far ignorant that I have not the slightest idea of how my next -meal is to be provided." - -"Excuse me. You ask what you have done? You have met me. Come, we will -fence no longer. I see you have self-education, the only education -which is not infinitely pernicious, and I am in want of a governess for -my two children. I have been a widower for some years; my name is Gregg. -I offer you the post I have named, and shall we say a salary of a -hundred a year?" - -I could only stutter out my thanks, and slipping a card with his address -and a bank-note by way of earnest into my hand, Mr. Gregg bade me -good-bye, asking me to call in a day or two. - -Such was my introduction to Professor Gregg, and can you wonder that the -remembrance of despair and the cold blast that had blown from the gates -of death upon me, made me regard him as a second father? Before the -close of the week. I was installed in my new duties; the professor had -leased an old brick manor house in a western suburb of London, and here, -surrounded by pleasant lawns and orchards, and soothed with the murmur -of the ancient elms that rocked their boughs above the roof, the new -chapter of my life began. Knowing as you do the nature of the -professor's occupations, you will not be surprised to hear that the -house teemed with books; and cabinets full of strange and even hideous -objects filled every available nook in the vast low rooms. Gregg was a -man whose one thought was for knowledge, and I too before long caught -something of his enthusiasm, and strove to enter into his passion for -research. In a few months I was perhaps more his secretary than the -governess of the two children, and many a night I have sat at the desk -in the glow of the shaded lamp while he, pacing up and down in the rich, -gloom of the firelight, dictated to me the substance of his "Text-book -of Ethnology." But amidst these more sober and accurate studies I always -detected a something hidden, a longing and desire for some object to -which he did not allude, and now and then he would break short in what -he was saying and lapse into revery, entranced, as it seemed to me, by -some distant prospect of adventurous discovery. The text-book was at -last finished, and we began to receive proofs from the printers, which -were intrusted to me for a first reading, and then underwent the final -revision of the professor. All the while his weariness of the actual -business he was engaged on increased, and it was with the joyous laugh -of a schoolboy when term is over that he one day handed me a copy of the -book. "There," he said, "I have kept my word; I promised to write it, -and it is done with. Now I shall be free to live for stranger things; I -confess it, Miss Lally, I covet the renown of Columbus. You will, I -hope, see me play the part of an explorer." - -"Surely," I said, "there is little left to explore. You have been born a -few hundred years too late for that." - -"I think you are wrong," he replied; "there are still, depend upon it, -quaint undiscovered countries and continents of strange extent. Ah, Miss -Lally, believe me, we stand amidst sacraments and mysteries full of awe, -and it doth not yet appear what we shall be. Life, believe me, is no -simple thing, no mass of gray matter and congeries of veins and muscles -to be laid naked by the surgeon's knife; man is the secret which I am -about to explore, and before I can discover him I must cross over -weltering seas indeed, and oceans and the mists of many thousand years. -You know the myth of the lost Atlantis; what if it be true, and I am -destined to be called the discoverer of that wonderful land?" - -I could see excitement boiling beneath his words, and in his face was -the heat of the hunter; before me stood a man who believed himself -summoned to tourney with the unknown. A pang of joy possessed me when I -reflected that I was to be in a way associated with him in the -adventure, and I too burned with the lust of the chase, not pausing to -consider that I knew not what we were to unshadow. - -The next morning Professor Gregg took me into his inner study, where -ranged against the wall stood a nest of pigeon-holes, every drawer -neatly labelled, and the results of years of toil classified in a few -feet of space. - -"Here," he said, "is my life; here are all the facts which I have -gathered together with so much pains, and yet it is all nothing. No, -nothing to what I am about to attempt. Look at this;" and he took me to -an old bureau, a piece fantastic and faded, which stood in a corner of -the room. He unlocked the front and opened one of the drawers. - -"A few scraps of paper," he went on, pointing to the drawer, "and a lump -of black stone, rudely annotated with queer marks and scratches,--that -is all that drawer holds. Here you see is an old envelope with the dark -red stamp of twenty years ago, but I have pencilled a few lines at the -back; here is a sheet of manuscript, and here some cuttings from -obscure local journals. And if you ask me the subject matter of the -collection, it will not seem extraordinary. A servant girl at a -farmhouse, who disappeared from her place and has never been heard of, a -child supposed to have slipped down some old working on the mountains, -some queer scribbling on a limestone rock, a man murdered with a blow -from a strange weapon; such is the scent I have to go upon. Yes, as you -say, there is a ready explanation for all this; the girl may have run -away to London, or Liverpool, or New York; the child may be at the -bottom of the disused shaft; and the letters on the rock may be the idle -whims of some vagrant. Yes, yes, I admit all that; but I know I hold the -true key. Look!" and he held me out a slip of yellow paper. - -"Characters found inscribed on a limestone rock on the Gray Hills," I -read, and then there was a word erased, presumably the name of a county, -and a date some fifteen years back. Beneath was traced a number of -uncouth characters, shaped somewhat like wedges or daggers, as strange -and outlandish as the Hebrew alphabet. - -"Now the seal," said Professor Gregg, and he handed me the black stone, -a thing about two inches long, and something like an old-fashioned -tobacco stopper, much enlarged. - -I held it up to the light, and saw to my surprise the characters on the -paper repeated on the seal. - -"Yes," said the professor, "they are the same. And the marks on the -limestone rock were made fifteen years ago, with some red substance. And -the characters on the seal are four thousand years old at least. Perhaps -much more." - -"Is it a hoax?" I said. - -"No, I anticipated that. I was not to be led to give my life to a -practical joke. I have tested the matter very carefully. Only one person -besides myself knows of the mere existence of that black seal. Besides, -there are other reasons which I cannot enter into now." - -"But what does it all mean?" I said. "I cannot understand to what -conclusion all this leads." - -"My dear Miss Lally, that is a question I would rather leave unanswered -for some little time. Perhaps I shall never be able to say what secrets -are held here in solution; a few vague hints, the outlines of village -tragedies, a few marks done with red earth upon a rock, and an ancient -seal. A queer set of data to go upon? Half-a-dozen pieces of evidence, -and twenty years before even so much could be got together; and who -knows what mirage or terra incognita may be beyond all this? I look -across deep waters, Miss Lally, and the land beyond may be but a haze -after all. But still I believe it is not so, and a few months will show -whether I am right or wrong." - -He left me, and alone I endeavored to fathom the mystery, wondering to -what goal such eccentric odds and ends of evidence could lead. I myself -am not wholly devoid of imagination, and I had reason to respect the -professor's solidity of intellect; yet I saw in the contents of the -drawer but the materials of fantasy, and vainly tried to conceive what -theory could be founded on the fragments that had been placed before me. -Indeed, I could discover in what I had heard and seen but the first -chapter of an extravagant romance; and yet deep in my heart I burned -with curiosity, and day after day I looked eagerly in Professor Gregg's -face for some hint of what was to happen. - -It was one evening after dinner that the word came. - -"I hope you can make your preparations without much trouble," he said -suddenly to me. "We shall be leaving here in a week's time." - -"Really!" I said in astonishment. "Where are we going?" - -"I have taken a country house in the west of England, not far from -Caermaen, a quiet little town, once a city, and the headquarters of a -Roman legion. It is very dull there, but the country is pretty, and the -air is wholesome." - -I detected a glint in his eyes, and guessed that this sudden move had -some relation to our conversation of a few days before. - -"I shall just take a few books with me," said Professor Gregg, "that is -all. Everything else will remain here for our return. I have got a -holiday," he went on, smiling at me, "and I shan't be sorry to be quit -for a time of my old bones and stones and rubbish. Do you know," he went -on, "I have been grinding away at facts for thirty years; it is time for -fancies." - -The days passed quickly; I could see that the professor was all -quivering with suppressed excitement, and I could scarce credit the -eager appetence of his glance as we left the old manor house behind us, -and began our journey. We set out at mid-day, and it was in the dusk of -the evening that we arrived at a little country station. I was tired, -and excited, and the drive through, the lanes seems all a dream. First -the deserted streets of a forgotten village, while I heard Professor -Gregg's voice talking of the Augustan Legion and the clash of arms, and -all the tremendous pomp that followed the eagles; then the broad river -swimming to full tide with the last afterglow glimmering duskily in the -yellow water, the wide meadows, and the cornfields whitening, and the -deep lane winding on the slope between the hills and the water. At last -we began to ascend, and the air grew rarer; I looked down and saw the -pure white mist tracking the outline of the river like a shroud, and a -vague and shadowy country, imaginations and fantasy of swelling hills -and hanging woods, and half-shaped outlines of hills beyond, stand in -the distance the glare of the furnace fire on the mountain, growing by -turns a pillar of shining flame, and fading to a dull point of red. We -were slowly mounting a carriage drive, and then there came to me the -cool breath and the scent of the great wood that was above us; I seemed -to wander in its deepest depths, and there was the sound of trickling -water, the scent of the green leaves, and the breath of the summer -night. The carriage stopped at last, and I could scarcely distinguish -the form of the house as I waited a moment at the pillared porch; and -the rest of the evening seemed a dream of strange things bounded by the -great silence of the wood and the valley and the river. - -The next morning when I awoke and looked out of the bow window of the -big old-fashioned bedroom, I saw under a gray sky a country that was -still all mystery. The long, lovely valley, with the river winding in -and out below, crossed, in mid vision by a mediaeval bridge of vaulted -and buttressed stone, the clear presence of the rising ground beyond, -and the woods that I had only seen in shadow the night before, seemed -tinged with enchantment, and the soft breath, of air that sighed in at -the opened pane was like no other wind. I looked across the valley, and -beyond, hill followed on hill as wave on wave, and here a faint blue -pillar of smoke rose still in the morning air from the chimney of an -ancient gray farmhouse, there was a rugged height crowned with dark -firs, and in the distance I saw the white streak of a road that climbed -and vanished into some unimagined country. But the boundary of all was a -great wall of mountain, vast in the west, and ending like a fortress -with a steep ascent and a domed tumulus clear against the sky. - -I saw Professor Gregg walking up and down the terrace path below the -windows, and it was evident that he was revelling in the sense of -liberty, and the thought that he had, for a while, bidden good-bye to -task-work. When I joined him there was exultation in his voice as he -pointed out the sweep of valley and the river that wound beneath the -lovely hills. - -"Yes," he said, "it is a strangely beautiful country; and to me, at -least, it seems full of mystery. You have not forgotten the drawer I -showed you, Miss Lally? No; and you have guessed that I have come here -not merely for the sake of the children and the fresh air?" - -"I think I have guessed as much as that," I replied; "but you must -remember I do not know the mere nature of your investigations; and as -for the connection between the search and this wonderful valley, it is -past my guessing." - -He smiled queerly at me. "You must not think I am making a mystery for -the sake of mystery," he said. "I do not speak out because, so far, -there is nothing to be spoken, nothing definite I mean, nothing that can -be set down in hard black and white, as dull and sure and irreproachable -as any blue book. And then I have another reason: many years ago a -chance paragraph in a newspaper caught my attention, and focussed in an -instant the vagrant thoughts and half-formed fancies of many idle and -speculative hours into a certain hypothesis. I saw at once that I was -treading on a thin crust; my theory was wild and fantastic in the -extreme, and I would not for any consideration have written a hint of it -for publication. But I thought that in the company of scientific men -like myself, men who knew the course of discovery, and were aware that -the gas that blazes and flares in the gin-palace was once a wild -hypothesis; I thought that with such men as these I might hazard my -dream--let us say Atlantis, or the philosopher's stone, or what you -like--without danger of ridicule. I found I was grossly mistaken; my -friends looked blankly at me and at one another, and I could see -something of pity, and something also of insolent contempt, in the -glances they exchanged. One of them called on me next day, and hinted -that I must be suffering from overwork and brain exhaustion. 'In plain -terms,' I said, 'you think I am going mad. I think not;' and I showed -him out with some little appearance of heat. Since that day I vowed that -I would never whisper the nature of my theory to any living soul; to no -one but yourself have I ever shown the contents of that drawer. After -all, I may be following a rainbow; I may have been misled by the play of -coincidence; but as I stand here in this mystic hush and silence amidst -the woods and wild hills, I am more than ever sure that I am hot on the -scent. Come, it is time we went in." - -To me in all this there was something both of wonder and excitement; I -knew how in his ordinary work Professor Gregg moved step by step, -testing every inch of the way, and never venturing on assertion without -proof that was impregnable. Yet I divined more from his glance and the -vehemence of his tone than from the spoken word that he had in his every -thought the vision of the almost incredible continually with him; and I, -who was with some share of imagination no little of a sceptic, offended -at a hint of the marvellous, could not help asking myself whether he was -cherishing a monomania, and barring out from this one subject all the -scientific method of his other life. - -Yet, with, this image of mystery haunting my thoughts, I surrendered -wholly to the charm of the country. Above the faded house on the -hillside began the great forest; a long dark line seen from the opposing -hills, stretching above the river for many a mile from north to south, -and yielding in the north to even wilder country, barren and savage -hills, and ragged common land, a territory all strange and unvisited, -and more unknown to Englishmen than the very heart of Africa. The space -of a couple of steep fields alone separated the house from the wood, and -the children were delighted to follow me up the long alleys of -undergrowth, between smooth pleached walls of shining beech, to the -highest point in the wood, whence one looked on one side across the -river and the rise and fall of the country to the great western mountain -wall, and on the other, over the surge and dip of the myriad trees of -the forest, over level meadows and the shining yellow sea to the faint -coast beyond. I used to sit at this point on the warm sunlit turf which -marked the track of the Roman Road, while the two children raced about -hunting for the whinberries that grew here and there on the banks. Here -beneath the deep blue sky and the great clouds rolling, like olden -galleons with sails full-bellied, from the sea to the hills, as I -listened to the whispered charm of the great and ancient wood, I lived -solely for delight, and only remembered strange things when we would -return to the house, and find Professor Gregg either shut up in the -little room he had made his study, or else pacing the terrace with the -look, patient and enthusiastic, of the determined seeker. - -One morning, some eight or nine days after our arrival, I looked out of -my window and saw the whole landscape transmuted before me. The clouds -had dipped low and hidden the mountain in the west, and a southern wind -was driving the rain in shifting pillars up the valley, and the little -brooklet that burst the hill below the house now raged, a red torrent, -down to the river. We were perforce obliged to keep snug within doors, -and when I had attended to my pupils, I sat down in the morning-room -where the ruins of a library still encumbered an old-fashioned bookcase. -I had inspected the shelves once or twice, but their contents had failed -to attract me; volumes of eighteenth century sermons, an old book on -farriery, a collection of "Poems" by "persons of quality," Prideaux's -"Connection," and an odd volume of Pope were the boundaries of the -library, and there seemed little doubt that everything of interest or -value had been removed. Now, however, in desperation, I began to -re-examine the musty sheepskin and calf bindings, and found, much to my -delight, a fine old quarto printed by the Stephani, containing the three -books of Pomponius Mela, "De Situ Orbis," and other of the ancient -geographers. I knew enough of Latin to steer my way through an ordinary -sentence, and I soon became absorbed in the odd mixture of fact and -fancy; light shining on a little of the space of the world, and beyond -mist and shadow and awful forms. Glancing over the clear-printed pages, -my attention was caught by the heading of a chapter in Solinus, and I -read the words:-- - -MIRA DE INTIMIS GENTIBUS LIBYAE, DE LAPIDE - HEXECONTALITHO. - -"The wonders of the people that inhabit the inner parts of Libya, and of -the stone called Sixtystone." - -The odd title attracted me and I read on:-- - -"Gens ista avia et secreta habitat, in montibus horrendis foeda -mysteria celebrat. De hominibus nihil aliud illi praeferunt quam -figuram, ab humano ritu prorsus exulant, oderunt deum lucis. Stridunt -potius quam loquuntur; vox absona nec sine horrore auditur. Lapide -quodam gloriantur, quem Hexecontalithon vocant, dicunt enim hunc lapidem -sexaginta notas ostendere. Cujus lapidis nomen secretum ineffabile -colunt: quod Ixaxar." - -"This folk," I translated to myself, "dwells in remote and secret -places, and celebrates foul mysteries on savage hills. Nothing have they -in common with men save the face, and the customs of humanity are wholly -strange to them; and they hate the sun. They hiss rather than speak; -their voices are harsh, and not to be heard without fear. They boast of -a certain stone, which they call Sixtystone; for they say that it -displays sixty characters. And this stone has a secret unspeakable name; -which is Ixaxar." - -I laughed at the queer inconsequence of all this, and thought it fit for -Sinbad the Sailor or other of the supplementary Nights. When I saw -Professor Gregg in the course of the day, I told him of my find in the -bookcase, and the fantastic rubbish I had been reading. To my surprise, -he looked up at me with an expression of great interest. - -"That is really very curious," he said. "I have never thought it worth -while to look into the old geographers, and I daresay I have missed a -good deal. Ah, that is the passage, is it. It seems a shame to rob you -of your entertainment, but I really think I must carry off the book." - -The next day the professor called to me to come to the study. I found -him sitting at a table in the full light of the window, scrutinizing -something very attentively with a magnifying-glass. - -"Ah, Miss Lally," he began, "I want to use your eyes. This glass is -pretty good, but not like my old one that I left in town. Would you -mind examining the thing yourself, and telling me how many characters -are cut on it?" - -He handed me the object in his hand, and I saw that it was the black -seal he had shown me in London, and my heart began to beat with the -thought that I was presently to know something. I took the seal, and -holding it up to the light checked off the grotesque dagger-shaped -characters one by one. - -"I make sixty-two," I said at last. - -"Sixty-two? Nonsense; it's impossible. Ah, I see what you have done, you -have counted that and that," and he pointed to two marks which I had -certainly taken as letters with the rest. - -"Yes, yes," Professor Gregg went on; "but those are obvious scratches, -done accidentally; I saw that at once. Yes, then that's quite right. -Thank you very much, Miss Lally." - -I was going away, rather disappointed at my having been called in merely -to count a number of marks on the black seal, when suddenly there -flashed into my mind what I had read in the morning. - -"But, Professor Gregg, I cried, breathless, the seal, the seal. Why, it -is the stone Hexecontalithos that Solinus writes of; it is Ixaxar." - -"Yes," he said, "I suppose it is. Or it maybe a mere coincidence. It -never does to be too sure, you know, in these matters. Coincidence -killed the professor." - -I went away puzzled by what I had heard, and as much as ever at a loss -to find the ruling clew in this maze of strange evidence. For three days -the bad weather lasted, changing from driving rain to a dense mist, fine -and dripping, and we seemed to be shut up in a white cloud that veiled -all the world away from us. All the while Professor Gregg was darkling -in his room, unwilling, it appeared, to dispense confidences or talk of -any kind, and I heard him walking to and fro with a quick, impatient -step, as if he were in some way wearied of inaction. The fourth morning -was fine, and at breakfast the professor said briskly:-- - -"We want some extra help about the house; a boy of fifteen or sixteen, -you know. There are a lot of little odd jobs that take up the maids' -time, which a boy could do much better." - -"The girls have not complained to me in any way," I replied. "Indeed, -Anne said there was much less work than in London, owing to there being -so little dust." - -"Ah, yes, they are very good girls. But I think we shall do much better -with a boy. In fact, that is what has been bothering me for the last two -days." - -"Bothering you?" I said in astonishment, for as a matter of fact the -professor never took the slightest interest in the affairs of the house. - -"Yes," he said, "the weather, you know. I really couldn't go out in that -Scotch mist; I don't know the country very well, and I should have lost -my way. But I am going to get the boy this morning." - -"But how do you know there is such a boy as you want anywhere about?" - -"Oh, I have no doubt as to that. I may have to walk a mile or two at the -most, but I am sure to find just the boy I require." - -I thought the professor was poking, but though his tone was airy enough -there was something grim and set about his features that puzzled me. He -got his stick, and stood at the door looking meditatively before him, -and as I passed through the hall he called to me. - -"By the way, Miss Lally, there was one thing I wanted to say to you. I -daresay you may have heard that some of these country lads are not over -bright; idiotic would be a harsh word to use, and they are usually -called 'naturals,' or something of the kind, I hope you won't mind if -the boy I am after should turn out not too keen-witted; he will be -perfectly harmless, of course, and blacking boots doesn't need much -mental effort." - -With that he was gone, striding up the road that led to the wood; and I -remained stupefied, and then for the first time my astonishment was -mingled with a sudden note of terror, arising I knew not whence, and all -unexplained even to myself, and yet I felt about my heart for an instant -something of the chill of death, and that shapeless, formless dread of -the unknown that is worse than death itself. I tried to find courage in -the sweet air that blew up from the sea, and in the sunlight after rain, -but the mystic woods seemed to darken around me; and the vision of the -river coiling between the reeds, and the silver gray of the ancient -bridge, fashioned in my mind symbols of vague dread, as the mind of a -child fashions terror from things harmless and familiar. - -Two hours later Professor Gregg returned. I met him as he came down the -road, and asked quietly if he had been able to find a boy. - -"Oh, yes," he answered; "I found one easily enough. His name is Jervase -Cradock, and I expect he will make himself very useful. His father has -been dead for many years, and the mother, whom I saw, seemed very glad -at the prospect of a few shillings extra coming in on Saturday nights. -As I expected, he is not too sharp, has fits at times, the mother said; -but as he will not be trusted with the china, that doesn't much matter, -does it? And he is not in any way dangerous, you know, merely a little -weak." - -"When is he coming?" - -"To-morrow morning at eight o'clock. Anne will show him what he has to -do, and how to do it. At first he will go home every night, but perhaps -it may ultimately turn out more convenient for him to sleep here, and -only go home for Sundays." - -I found nothing to say to all this. Professor Gregg spoke in a quiet -tone of matter-of-fact, as indeed was warranted by the circumstance; and -yet I could not quell my sensation of astonishment at the whole affair. -I knew that in reality no assistance was wanted in the housework, and -the professor's prediction that the boy he was to engage might prove a -little "simple," followed by so exact a fulfilment, struck me as bizarre -in the extreme. The next morning I heard from, the housemaid that the -boy Cradock had come at eight, and that she had been trying to make him -useful. "He doesn't seem quite all there, I don't think, miss," was her -comment; and later in the day I saw him helping the old man who worked -in the garden. He was a youth of about fourteen, with black hair and -black eyes, and an olive skin, and I saw at once from the curious -vacancy of his expression that he was mentally weak. He touched his -forehead awkwardly as I went by, and I heard him answering the gardener -in a queer, harsh voice that caught my attention; it gave me the -impression of some one speaking deep below under the earth, and there -was a strange sibilance, like the hissing of the phonograph as the -pointer travels over the cylinder. I heard that he seemed anxious to do -what he could, and was quite docile and obedient, and Morgan the -gardener, who knew his mother, assured me he was perfectly harmless. -"He's always been a bit queer," he said, "and no wonder, after what his -mother went through before he was born. I did know his father, Thomas -Cradock, well, and a very fine workman he was too, indeed. He got -something wrong with his lungs owing to working in the wet woods, and -never got over it, and went off quite sudden like. And they do say as -how Mrs. Cradock was quite off her head; anyhow, she was found by Mr. -Hillyer, Ty Coch, all crouched up on the Gray Hills, over there, crying -and weeping like a lost soul. And Jervase he was born about eight months -afterwards, and as I was saying, he was a bit queer always; and they do -say when he could scarcely walk he would frighten the other children -into fits with the noises he would make." - -A word in the story had stirred up some remembrance within me, and -vaguely curious, I asked the old man where the Gray Hills were. - -"Up there," he said, with the same gesture he had used before; "you go -past the Fox and Hounds, and through the forest, by the old ruins. It's -a good five mile from here, and a strange sort of a place. The poorest -soil between this and Monmouth, they do say, though it's good feed for -sheep. Yes, it was a sad thing for poor Mrs. Cradock." - -The old man turned to his work, and I strolled on down the path between -the espaliers, gnarled and gouty with age, thinking of the story I had -heard, and groping for the point in it that had some key to my memory. -In an instant it came before me; I had seen the phrase "Gray Hills" on -the slip of yellowed paper that Professor Gregg had taken from the -drawer in his cabinet. Again I was seized with pangs of mingled -curiosity and fear; I remembered the strange characters copied from the -limestone rock, and then again their identity with the inscription on -the age-old seal, and the fantastic fables of the Latin geographer. I -saw beyond doubt that, unless coincidence had set all the scene and -disposed all these bizarre events with curious art, I was to be a -spectator of things far removed from the usual and customary traffic and -jostle of life. Professor Gregg I noted day by day. He was hot on his -trail, growing lean with eagerness; and in the evenings, when the sun -was swimming on the verge of the mountain, he would pace the terrace to -and fro with his eyes on the ground, while the mist grew white in the -valley, and the stillness of the evening brought far voices near, and -the blue smoke rose a straight column from the diamond-shaped chimney of -the gray farmhouse, just as I had seen it on the first morning. I have -told you I was of sceptical habit; but though I understood little or -nothing, I began to dread, vainly proposing to myself the iterated -dogmas of science that all life is material, and that in the system of -things there is no undiscovered land even beyond the remotest stars, -where the supernatural can find a footing. Yet there struck in on this -the thought that matter is as really awful and unknown as spirit, that -science itself but dallies on the threshold, scarcely gaining more than -a glimpse of the wonders of the inner place. - -There is one day that stands up from amidst the others as a grim red -beacon, betokening evil to come. I was sitting on a bench in the garden, -watching the boy Cradock weeding, when I was suddenly alarmed by a harsh -and choking sound, like the cry of a wild beast in anguish, and I was -unspeakably shocked to see the unfortunate lad standing in full view -before me, his whole body quivering and shaking at short intervals as -though shocks of electricity were passing through him, and his teeth -grinding, and foam gathering on his lips, and his face all swollen and -blackened to a hideous mask of humanity. I shrieked with terror, and -Professor Gregg came running; and as I pointed to Cradock, the boy with -one convulsive shudder fell face forward, and lay on the wet earth, his -body writhing like a wounded blind-worm, and an inconceivable babble of -sounds bursting and rattling and hissing from his lips; he seemed to -pour forth an infamous jargon, with words, or what seemed words, that -might have belonged to a tongue dead since untold ages, and buried deep -beneath Nilotic mud, or in the inmost recesses of the Mexican forest. -For a moment the thought passed through my mind, as my ears were still -revolted with that infernal clamor, "Surely this is the very speech of -hell," and then I cried out again and again, and ran away shuddering to -my inmost soul. I had seen Professor Gregg's face as he stooped over the -wretched boy and raised him, and I was appalled by the glow of -exultation that shone on every lineament and feature. As I sat in my -room with drawn blinds, and my eyes hidden in my hands, I heard heavy -steps beneath, and I was told afterwards that Professor Gregg had -carried Cradock to his study, and had locked the door. I heard voices -murmur indistinctly, and I trembled to think of what might be passing -within a few feet of where I sat; I longed to escape to the woods and -sunshine, and yet I dreaded the sights that might confront me on the -way. And at last, as I held the handle of the door nervously, I heard -Professor Gregg's voice calling to me with a cheerful ring: "It's all -right now, Miss Lally," he said. "The poor fellow has got over it, and I -have been arranging for him to sleep here after to-morrow. Perhaps I may -be able to do something for him." - -"Yes," he said later, "it was a very painful sight, and I don't wonder -you were alarmed. We may hope that good food will build him up a little, -but I am afraid he will never be really cured;" and he affected the -dismal and conventional air with which one speaks of hopeless illness, -and yet beneath it I detected the delight that leapt up rampant within -him, and fought and struggled to find utterance. It was as if one -glanced down on the even surface of the sea, clear and immobile, and saw -beneath raging depths, and a storm of contending billows. It was indeed -to me a torturing and offensive problem that this man, who had so -bounteously rescued me from the sharpness of death, and showed himself -in all the relations of life full of benevolence and pity and kindly -forethought, should so manifestly be for once on the side of the demons, -and take a ghastly pleasure in the torments of an afflicted -fellow-creature. Apart, I struggled with the horned difficulty, and -strove to find the solution, but without the hint of a clue; beset by -mystery and contradiction, I saw nothing that might help me, and began -to wonder whether, after all, I had not escaped from the white mist of -the suburb at too dear a rate. I hinted something of my thought to the -professor; I said enough to let him know that I was in the most acute -perplexity, but the moment after regretted what I had done, when I saw -his face contort with a spasm of pain. - -"My dear Miss Lally," he said, "you surely do not wish to leave us? No, -no, you would not do it. You do not know how I rely on you; how -confidently I go forward, assured that you are here to watch over my -children. You, Miss Lally, are my rear-guard; for, let me tell you, that -the business in which I am engaged is not wholly devoid of peril. You -have not forgotten what I said the first morning here; my lips are shut -by an old and firm resolve, till they can open to utter no ingenious -hypothesis or vague surmise but irrefragable fact, as certain as a -demonstration in mathematics. Think over it, Miss Lally, not for a -moment would I endeavor to keep you here against your own instincts, and -yet I tell you frankly that I am persuaded that it is here, here amidst -the woods, that your duty lies." - -I was touched by the eloquence of his tone, and by the remembrance that -the man, after all, had been my salvation, and I gave him my hand on a -promise to serve him loyally and without question. A few days later the -rector of our church, a little church, gray and severe and quaint, that -hovered on the very banks of the river and watched the tides swim and -return, came to see us, and Professor Gregg easily persuaded him to stay -and share our dinner. Mr. Meyrick was a member of an antique family of -squires, whose old manor house stood amongst the hills some seven miles -away, and thus rooted in the soil, the rector was a living store of all -the old fading customs and lore of the country. His manner, genial with -a deal of retired oddity, won on Professor Gregg; and towards the -cheese, when a curious Burgundy had begun its incantations, the two men -glowed like the wine, and talked of philology with the enthusiasm of a -burgess over the peerage. The parson was expounding the pronunciation of -the Welsh _ll_, and producing sounds like the gurgle of his native -brooks, when Professor Gregg struck in. - -"By the way," he said, "that was a very odd word I met with the other -day. You know my boy, poor Jervase Cradock. Well, he has got the bad -habit of talking to himself, and the day before yesterday I was walking -in the garden here and heard him; he was evidently quite unconscious of -my presence. A lot of what he said I couldn't make out, but one word, -struck me distinctly. It was such an odd sound; half-sibilant, -half-guttural, and as quaint as those double _ll_'s you have been -demonstrating. I do not know whether I can give you an idea of the -sound. "Ishakshar" is perhaps as near as I can get; but the _k_ ought to -be a Greek _chi_ or a Spanish _j_. Now what does it mean in Welsh?" - -"In Welsh?" said the parson. "There is no such word in Welsh, nor any -word remotely resembling it. I know the book-Welsh, as they call it, and -the colloquial dialects as well as any man, but there's no word like -that from Anglesea to Usk. Besides, none of the Cradocks speak a word of -Welsh; it's dying out about here." - -"Really. You interest me extremely, Mr. Meyrick. I confess the word -didn't strike me as having the Welsh ring. But I thought it might be -some local corruption." - -"No, I never heard such a word, or anything like it. Indeed," he added, -smiling whimsically, "if it belongs to any language, I should say it -must be that of the fairies,--the Tylwydd Teg, as we call them." - -The talk went on to the discovery of a Roman villa in the neighborhood; -and soon after I left the room, and sat down apart to wonder at the -drawing together of such strange clues of evidence. As the professor had -spoken of the curious word, I had caught the glint of his eye upon me; -and though the pronunciation he gave was grotesque in the extreme, I -recognized the name of the stone of sixty characters mentioned by -Solinus, the black seal shut up in some secret drawer of the study, -stamped forever by a vanished race with signs that no man could read, -signs that might, for all I knew, be the veils of awful things done long -ago, and forgotten before the hills were moulded into form. - -When, the next morning, I came down, I found Professor Gregg pacing the -terrace in his eternal walk. - -"Look at that bridge," he said when he saw me, "observe the quaint and -Gothic design, the angles between the arches, and the silvery gray of -the stone in the awe of the morning light. I confess it seems to me -symbolic; it should illustrate a mystical allegory of the passage from -one world to another." - -"Professor Gregg," I said quietly, "it is time that I knew something of -what has happened, and of what is to happen." - -For the moment he put me off, but I returned again with the same -question in the evening, and then Professor Gregg flamed with -excitement. "Don't you understand yet?" he cried. "But I have told you a -good deal; yes, and shown you a good deal. You have heard pretty nearly -all that I have heard, and seen what I have seen; or at least," and his -voice chilled as he spoke, "enough to make a good deal clear as noonday. -The servants told you, I have no doubt, that the wretched boy Cradock -had another seizure the night before last; he awoke me with cries in -that voice you heard in the garden, and I went to him, and God forbid -you should see what I saw that night. But all this is useless; my time -here is drawing to a close; I must be back in town in three weeks, as I -have a course of lectures to prepare, and need all my books about me. In -a very few days it will be all over, and I shall no longer hint, and no -longer be liable to ridicule as a madman and a quack. No, I shall speak -plainly, and I shall be heard with such emotions as perhaps no other man -has ever drawn from the breasts of his fellows." - -He paused, and seemed to grow radiant with the joy of great and -wonderful discovery. - -"But all that is for the future, the near future certainly, but still -the future," he went on at length. "There is something to be done yet; -you will remember my telling you that my researches were not altogether -devoid of peril? Yes, there is a certain amount of danger to be faced; I -did not know how much when I spoke on the subject before, and to a -certain extent I am still in the dark. But it will be a strange -adventure, the last of all, the last demonstration in the chain." - -He was walking up and down the room as he spoke, and I could hear in his -voice the contending tones of exultation and despondence, or perhaps I -should say awe, the awe of a man who goes forth on unknown waters, and I -thought of his allusion to Columbus on the night he had laid his book -before me. The evening was a little chilly, and a fire of logs had been -lighted in the study where we were, and the remittent flame and the glow -on the walls reminded me of the old days. I was sitting silent in an -armchair by the fire, wondering over all I had heard, and still vainly -speculating as to the secret springs concealed from me under all the -phantasmagoria I had witnessed, when I became suddenly aware of a -sensation that change of some sort had been at work in the room, and -that there was something unfamiliar in its aspect. For some time I -looked about me, trying in vain to localize the alteration that I knew -had been made; the table by the window, the chairs, the faded settee -were all as I had known them. Suddenly, as a sought-for recollection -flashes into the mind, I knew what was amiss. I was facing the -professor's desk, which stood on the other side of the fire, and above -the desk was a grimy looking bust of Pitt, that I had never seen there -before. And then I remembered the true position of this work of art; in -the furthest corner by the door was an old cupboard, projecting into the -room, and on the top of the cupboard, fifteen feet from the floor, the -bust had been, and there no doubt it had delayed, accumulating dirt -since the early years of the century. - -I was utterly amazed, and sat silent still, in a confusion of thought. -There was, so far as I knew, no such thing as a step-ladder in the -house, for I had asked for one to make some alterations in the curtains -of my room; and a tall man standing on a chair would have found it -impossible to take down the bust. It had been placed not on the edge of -the cupboard, but far back against the wall; and Professor Gregg was, if -anything, under the average height. - -"How on earth did you manage to get down Pitt?" I said at last. - -The professor looked curiously at me, and seemed to hesitate a little. - -"They must have found you a step-ladder, or perhaps the gardener brought -in a short ladder from outside." - -"No, I have had no ladder of any kind. Now, Miss Lally," he went on with -an awkward simulation of jest, "there is a little puzzle for you; a -problem in the manner of the inimitable Holmes; there are the facts, -plain and patent; summon your acuteness to the solution of the puzzle. -For Heaven's sake," he cried with a breaking voice, "say no more about -it. I tell you, I never touched the thing," and he went out of the room -with horror manifest on his face, and his hand shook and jarred the door -behind him. - -I looked round the room in vague surprise, not at all realizing what had -happened, making vain and idle surmises by way of explanation, and -wondering at the stirring of black waters by an idle word, and the -trivial change of an ornament. "This is some petty business, some whim -on which I have jarred," I reflected; "the professor is perhaps -scrupulous and superstitious over trifles, and my question may have -outraged unacknowledged fears, as though one killed a spider or spilled -the salt before the very eyes of a practical Scotchwoman." I was -immersed in these fond suspicions, and began to plume myself a little on -my immunity from such empty fears, when the truth fell heavily as lead -upon my heart, and I recognized with cold terror that some awful -influence had been at work. The bust was simply inaccessible; without a -ladder no one could have touched it. - -I went out to the kitchen and spoke as quietly as I could to the -housemaid. - -"Who moved that bust from the top of the cupboard, Anne?" I said to her. -"Professor Gregg says he has not touched it. Did you find an old -step-ladder in one of the outhouses?" - -The girl looked at me blankly. - -"I never touched it," she said. "I found it where it is now the other -morning when I dusted the room. I remember now, it, was Wednesday -morning, because it was the morning after Cradock was taken bad in the -night. My room is next to his, you know, miss," the girl went on -piteously; "and it was awful to hear how he cried and called out names -that I couldn't understand. It made me feel all afraid, and then master -came, and I heard him speak, and he took down Cradock to the study and -gave him something." - -"And you found that bust moved the next morning?" - -"Yes, miss, there was a queer sort of a smell in the study when I came -down and opened the windows; a bad smell it was, and I wondered what it -could be. Do you know, miss, I went a long time ago to the Zoo in London -with my cousin Thomas Barker, one afternoon that I had off, when I was -at Mrs. Prince's in Stanhope Gate, and we went into the snake-house to -see the snakes, and it was just the same sort of a smell, very sick it -made me feel, I remember, and I got Barker to take me out. And it was -just the same kind of a smell in the study, as I was saying, and I was -wondering what it could be from, when I see that bust with Pitt cut in -it standing on the master's desk, and I thought to myself, now who has -done that, and how have they done it? And when I came to dust the -things, I looked at the bust, and I saw a great mark on it where the -dust was gone, for I don't think it can have been touched with a duster -for years and years, and it wasn't like finger-marks, but a large patch -like, broad and spread out. So I passed my hand over it, without -thinking what I was doing, and where that patch was it was all sticky -and slimy, as if a snail had crawled over it. Very strange, isn't it, -miss? and I wonder who can have done it, and how that mess was made." - -The well-meant gabble of the servant touched me to the quick. I lay down -upon my bed, and bit my lip that I should not cry out loud in the sharp -anguish of my terror and bewilderment. Indeed, I was almost mad with -dread; I believe that if it had been daylight I should have fled hot -foot, forgetting all courage and all the debt of gratitude that was due -to Professor Gregg, not caring whether my fate were that I must starve -slowly so long as I might escape from the net of blind and panic fear -that every day seemed to draw a little closer round me. If I knew, I -thought, if I knew what there were to dread, I could guard against it; -but here, in this lonely house, shut in on all sides by the olden woods -and the vaulted hills, terror seems to spring inconsequent from every -covert, and the flesh is aghast at the half-heard murmurs of horrible -things. All in vain I strove to summon scepticism to my aid, and -endeavored by cool common-sense to buttress my belief in a world of -natural order, for the air that blew in at the open window was a mystic -breath, and in the darkness I felt the silence go heavy and sorrowful -as a mass of requiem, and I conjured images of strange shapes gathering -fast amidst the reeds, beside the wash of the river. - -In the morning, from the moment that I set foot in the breakfast-room I -felt that the unknown plot was drawing to a crisis; the professor's face -was firm and set, and he seemed hardly to hear our voices when we spoke. - -"I am going out for rather a long walk," he said, when the meal was -over. "You mustn't be expecting me, now, or thinking anything has -happened if I don't turn up to dinner. I have been getting stupid -lately, and I dare say a miniature walking tour will do me good. Perhaps -I may even spend the night in some little inn, if I find any place that -looks clean and comfortable." - -I heard this, and knew by my experience of Professor Gregg's manner that -it was no ordinary business or pleasure that impelled him. I knew not, -nor even remotely guessed, where he was bound, nor had I the vaguest -notion of his errand, but all the fear of the night before returned; and -as he stood, smiling, on the terrace, ready to set out, I implored him -to stay, and to forget all his dreams of the undiscovered continent. - -"No, no, Miss Lally," he replied, still smiling, "it's too late now. -_Vestigia nulla retrorsum_, you know, is the device of all true -explorers, though I hope it won't be literally true in my ease. But, -indeed, you are wrong to alarm yourself so; I look upon my little -expedition as quite commonplace; no more exciting than a day with the -geological hammers. There is a risk, of course, but so there is on the -commonest excursion. I can afford to be jaunty; I am doing nothing so -hazardous as 'Arry does a hundred times over in the course of every Bank -Holiday. Well, then, you must look more cheerfully; and so good-by till -to-morrow at latest." - -He walked briskly up the road, and I saw him open the gate that marks -the entrance of the wood, and then he vanished in the gloom of the -trees. - -All the day passed heavily with a strange darkness in the air, and again -I felt as if imprisoned amidst the ancient woods, shut in an olden land -of mystery and dread, and as if all was long ago and forgotten by the -living outside. I hoped and dreaded, and when the dinner-hour came, I -waited expecting to hear the professor's step in the hall, and his voice -exulting at I knew not what triumph. I composed my face to welcome him -gladly, but the night descended dark, and he did not come. - -In the morning when the maid knocked at my door, I called out to her, -and asked if her master had returned; and when she replied that his -bedroom stood open and empty, I felt the cold clasp of despair. Still, I -fancied he might have discovered genial company, and would return for -luncheon, or perhaps in the afternoon, and I took the children for a -walk in the forest, and tried my best to play and laugh with them, and -to shut out the thoughts of mystery and veiled terror. Hour after hour I -waited, and my thoughts grew darker; again the night came and found me -watching, and at last, as I was making much ado to finish my dinner, I -heard steps outside and the sound of a man's voice. - -The maid came in and looked oddly at me. - -"Please, miss," she began, "Mr. Morgan the gardener wants to speak to -you for a minute, if you didn't mind." - -"Show him in, please," I answered, and I set my lips tight. - -The old man came slowly into the room, and the servant shut the door -behind him. - -"Sit down, Mr. Morgan," I said; "what is it that you want to say to me?" - -"Well, miss, Mr. Gregg he gave me something for you yesterday morning, -just before he went off; and he told me particular not to hand it up -before eight o'clock this evening exactly, if so be as he wasn't back -again home before, and if he should come home before I was just to -return it to him in his own hands. So, you see, as Mr. Gregg isn't here -yet, I suppose I'd better give you the parcel directly." - -He pulled out something from his pocket, and gave it to me, half rising. -I took it silently, and seeing that Morgan seemed doubtful as to what he -was to do next, I thanked him and bade him good-night, and he went out. -I was left alone in the room with the parcel in my hand,--a paper parcel -neatly sealed and directed to me, with the instructions Morgan had -quoted all written in the professor's large loose hand. I broke the -seals with a choking at my heart, and found an envelope inside, -addressed also, but open, and I took the letter out. - - * * * * * - -"MY DEAR MISS LALLY," it began, "To quote the old logic manual, the case -of your reading this note is a case of my having made a blunder of some -sort, and, I am afraid, a blunder that turns these lines into a -farewell. It is practically certain that neither you nor anyone else -will ever see me again. I have made my will with provision for this -eventuality, and I hope you will consent to accept the small remembrance -addressed to you, and my sincere thanks for the way in which you joined -your fortunes to mine. The fate which has come upon me is desperate and -terrible beyond the remotest dreams of man; but this fate you have a -right to know--if you please. If you look in the left-hand drawer of my -dressing-table, you will find the key of the escritoire, properly -labelled. In the well of the escritoire is a large envelope sealed and -addressed to your name. I advise you to throw it forthwith into the -fire; you will sleep better of nights if you do so. But if you must know -the history of what has happened, it is all written down for you to -read." - - * * * * * - -The signature was firmly written below, and again I turned the page and -read out the words one by one, aghast and white to the lips, my hands -cold as ice, and sickness choking me. The dead silence of the room, and -the thought of the dark woods and hills closing me in on every side, -oppressed me, helpless and without capacity, and not knowing where to -turn for counsel. At last I resolved that though knowledge should haunt -my whole life and all the days to come, I must know the meaning of the -strange terrors that had so long tormented me, rising gray, dim, and -awful, like the shadows in the wood at dusk. I carefully carried out -Professor Gregg's directions, and not without reluctance broke the seal -of the envelope, and spread out his manuscript before me. That -manuscript I always carry with me, and I see that I cannot deny your -unspoken request to read it. This, then, was what I read that night, -sitting at the desk, with a shaded lamp beside me. - -The young lady who called herself Miss Lally then proceeded to recite:-- - - * * * * * - -_The Statement of William Gregg, F.R.S., etc._ - -It is many years since the first glimmer of the theory which is now -almost, if not quite, reduced to fact dawned first on my mind. A -somewhat extensive course of miscellaneous and obsolete reading had done -a good deal to prepare the way, and, later, when I became somewhat of a -specialist and immersed myself in the studies known as ethnological, I -was now and then startled by facts that would not square with orthodox -scientific opinion, and by discoveries that seemed to hint at something -still hidden for all our research. More particularly I became convinced -that much of the folk-lore of the world is but an exaggerated account of -events that really happened, and I was especially drawn to consider the -stories of the fairies, the good folk of the Celtic races. Here I -thought I could detect the fringe of embroidery and exaggeration, the -fantastic guise, the little people dressed in green and gold sporting in -the flowers, and I thought I saw a distinct analogy between the name -given to this race (supposed to be imaginary) and the description of -their appearance and manners. Just as our remote ancestors called the -dreaded beings "fair" and "good" precisely because they dreaded them, so -they had dressed them up in charming forms, knowing the truth to be the -very reverse. Literature, too, had gone early to work, and had lent a -powerful hand in the transformation, so that the playful elves of -Shakespeare are already far removed from the true original, and the real -horror is disguised in a form of prankish mischief. But in the older -tales, the stories that used to make men cross themselves as they sat -round the burning logs, we tread a different stage; I saw a widely -opposed spirit in certain histories of children and of men and women who -vanished strangely from the earth. They would be seen by a peasant in -the fields walking towards some green and rounded hillock, and seen no -more on earth; and there are stories of mothers who have left a child -quietly sleeping with the cottage door rudely barred with a piece of -wood, and have returned, not to find the plump and rosy little Saxon, -but a thin and wizened creature, with sallow skin and black piercing -eyes, the child of another race. Then, again, there were myths darker -still; the dread of witch and wizard, the lurid evil of the Sabbath, and -the hint of demons who mingled with the daughters of men. And just as we -have turned the terrible "fair folk" into a company of benignant, if -freakish, elves, so we have hidden from us the black foulness of the -witch and her companions under a popular _diablerie_ of old women and -broomsticks and a comic cat with tail on end. So the Greeks called the -hideous furies benevolent ladies, and thus the northern nations have -followed their example. I pursued my investigations, stealing odd hours -from other and more imperative labors, and I asked myself the question: -Supposing these traditions to be true, who were the demons who are -reported to have attended the Sabbaths? I need not say that I laid aside -what I may call the supernatural hypothesis of the middle ages, and came -to the conclusion that fairies and devils were of one and the same race -and origin; invention, no doubt, and the Gothic fancy of old days had -done much in the way of exaggeration and distortion; yet I firmly -believed that beneath all this imagery there was a black background of -truth. As for some of the alleged wonders, I hesitated. While I should -be very loth to receive any one specific instance of modern spiritualism -as containing even a grain of the genuine, yet I was not wholly prepared -to deny that human flesh may now and then, once perhaps in ten million -cases, be the veil of powers which seem magical to us; powers which, so -far from proceeding from the heights and leading men thither, are in -reality survivals from the depths of being. The amoeba and the snail -have powers which we do not possess; and I thought it possible that the -theory of reversion might explain many things which seem wholly -inexplicable. Thus stood my position; I saw good reason to believe that -much of the tradition, a vast deal of the earliest and uncorrupted -tradition of the so-called fairies, represented solid fact, and I -thought that the purely supernatural element in these traditions, was to -be accounted for on the hypothesis that a race which had fallen out of -the grand march of evolution might have retained, as a survival, certain -powers which would be to us wholly miraculous. Such was my theory as it -stood conceived in my mind; and working with, this in view, I seemed to -gather confirmation from every side, from the spoils of a tumulus or a -barrow, from a local paper reporting an antiquarian meeting in the -country, and from general literature of all kinds. Amongst other -instances, I remember being struck by the phrase "articulate-speaking -men" in Homer, as if the writer knew or had heard of men whose speech -was so rude that it could hardly be termed articulate; and on my -hypothesis of a race who had lagged far behind the rest, I could easily -conceive that such a folk would speak a jargon but little removed from -the inarticulate noises of brute-beasts. - -Thus I stood, satisfied that my conjecture was at all events not far -removed from fact, when a chance paragraph in a small country print one -day arrested my attention. It was a short account of what was to all -appearance the usual sordid tragedy of the village; a young girl -unaccountably missing, and evil rumor blatant and busy with her -reputation. Yet I could read between the lines that all this scandal was -purely hypothetical, and in all probability invented to account for what -was in any other manner unaccountable. A flight to London or Liverpool, -or an undiscovered body lying with a weight about its neck in the foul -depths of a woodland pool, of perhaps murder,--such were the theories of -the wretched girl's neighbors. But as I idly scanned the paragraph, a -flash of thought passed through me with the violence of an electric -shock: What if the obscure and horrible race of the hills still -survived, still remained haunting wild places, and barren hills, and now -and then repeating the evil of Gothic legend, unchanged and -unchangeable as the Turanian Shelta, or the Basques of Spain. I have -said that the thought came with violence; and indeed I drew in my breath -sharply, and clung with both hands to my elbow-chair, in a strange -confusion of horror and elation. It was as if one of my _confreres_ of -physical science, roaming in a quiet English wood, had been suddenly -stricken aghast by the presence of the slimy and loathsome terror of the -ichthyosaurus, the original of the stories of the awful worms killed by -valorous knights, or had seen the sun darkened by the pterodactyl, the -dragon of tradition. Yet as a resolute explorer of knowledge, the -thought of such a discovery threw me into a passion of joy, and I cut -out the slip from the paper, and put it in a drawer in my old bureau, -resolved that it should be but the first piece in a collection of the -strangest significance. I sat long that evening dreaming of the -conclusions I should establish, nor did cooler reflection at first dash -my confidence. Yet as I began to put the case fairly, I saw that I might -be building on an unstable foundation; the facts might possibly be in -accordance with local opinion; and I regarded the affair with a mood of -some reserve. Yet I resolved to remain perched on the look-out, and I -hugged to myself the thought that I alone was watching and wakeful, -while the great crowd of thinkers and searchers stood heedless and -indifferent, perhaps letting the most prerogative facts pass by -unnoticed. - -Several years elapsed before I was enabled to add to the contents of the -drawer; and the second find was in reality not a valuable one, for it -was a mere repetition of the first, with only the variation of another -and distant locality. Yet I gained something; for in the second case, as -in the first, the tragedy took place in a desolate and lonely country, -and so far my theory seemed justified. But the third piece was to me far -more decisive. Again, amongst outland hills, far even from a main road -of traffic, an old man was found done to death, and the instrument of -execution was left beside him. Here, indeed, there was rumor and -conjecture, for the deadly tool was a primitive stone axe, bound by gut -to the wooden handle, and surmises the most extravagant and improbable -were indulged in. Yet, as I thought with a kind of glee, the wildest -conjectures went far astray; and I took the pains to enter into -correspondence with the local doctor, who was called at the inquest. He, -a man of some acuteness, was dumfoundered. "It will not do to speak of -these things in country places, he wrote to me; but, frankly, Professor -Gregg, there is some hideous mystery here. I have obtained possession of -the stone axe, and have been so curious as to test its powers. I took it -into the back-garden of my house one Sunday afternoon when my family and -the servants were all out, and there, sheltered by the poplar hedges, I -made my experiments. I found the thing utterly unmanageable. Whether -there is some peculiar balance, some nice adjustment of weights, which -require incessant practice, or whether an effectual blow can be struck -only by a certain trick of the muscles, I do not know; but I assure you -that I went into the house with but a sorry opinion of my athletic -capacities. It was like an inexperienced man trying 'putting the -hammer;' the force exerted seemed to return on oneself, and I found -myself hurled backwards with violence, while the axe fell harmless to -the ground. On another occasion I tried the experiment with a clever -woodman of the place; but this man, who had handled his axe for forty -years, could do nothing with the stone implement, and missed every -stroke most ludicrously. In short, if it were not so supremely absurd, I -should say that for four thousand years no one on earth could have -struck an effective blow with the tool that undoubtedly was used to -murder the old man." This, as may be imagined, was to me rare news; and -afterwards, when I heard the whole story, and learned that the -unfortunate old man had babbled tales of what might be seen at night on -a certain wild hillside, hinting at unheard-of wonders, and that he had -been found cold one morning on the very hill in question, my exultation -was extreme, for I felt I was leaving conjecture far behind me. But the -next step was of still greater importance. I had possessed for many -years an extraordinary stone seal,--a piece of dull black stone, two -inches long from the handle to the stamp, and the stamping end a rough -hexagon an inch and a quarter in diameter. Altogether, it presented the -appearance of an enlarged tobacco-stopper of an old-fashioned make. It -had been sent to me by an agent in the East, who informed me that it had -been found near the site of the ancient Babylon. But the characters -engraved on the seal were to me an intolerable puzzle. Somewhat of the -cuneiform pattern, there were yet striking differences, which I -detected at the first glance, and all efforts to read the inscription on -the hypothesis that the rules for deciphering the arrow-headed writing -would apply proved futile. A riddle such as this stung my pride, and at -odd moments I would take the Black Seal out of the cabinet, and -scrutinize it with so much idle perseverance that every letter was -familiar to my mind, and I could have drawn the inscription from memory -without the slightest error. Judge then of my surprise, when I one day -received from a correspondent in the west of England a letter and an -enclosure that positively left me thunderstruck. I saw carefully traced -on a large piece of paper the very characters of the Black Seal, without -alteration of any kind, and above the inscription my friend had written: -_Inscription found on a limestone rock on the Grey Hills, Monmouthshire. -Done in some red earth and quite recent_. I turned to the letter. My -friend wrote: "I send you the enclosed inscription with all due reserve. -A shepherd who passed by the stone a week ago swears that there was then -no mark of any kind. The characters, as I have noted, are formed by -drawing some red earth over the stone, and are of an average height of -one inch. They look to me like a kind of cuneiform character, a good -deal altered, but this of course is impossible. It may be either a hoax -or more probably some scribble of the gypsies, who are plentiful enough -in this wild country. They have, as you are aware, many hieroglyphics -which they use in communicating with one another. I happened to visit -the stone in question two days ago in connection with a rather painful -incident which has occurred here." - -As may be supposed, I wrote immediately to my friend, thanking him for -the copy of the inscription, and asking him in a casual manner, the -history of the incident he mentioned. To be brief, I heard that a woman -named Cradock, who had lost her husband a day before, had set out to -communicate the sad news to a cousin who lived some five miles away. She -took a short cut which led by the Gray Hills. Mrs. Cradock, who was then -quite a young woman, never arrived at her relative's house. Late that -night a farmer who had lost a couple of sheep, supposed to have wandered -from the flock, was walking over the Gray Hills, with a lantern and his -dog. His attention was attracted by a noise, which he described as a -kind of wailing, mournful and pitiable to hear; and, guided by the -sound, he found the unfortunate Mrs. Cradock crouched on the ground by -the limestone rock, swaying her body to and fro, and lamenting and -crying in so heart-rending a manner that the farmer was, as he says, at -first obliged to stop his ears, or he would have run away. The woman -allowed herself to be taken home, and a neighbor came to see to her -necessities. All the night she never ceased her crying, mixing her -lament with words of some unintelligible jargon, and when the doctor -arrived he pronounced her insane. She lay on her bed for a week, now -wailing, as people said, like one lost and damned for eternity, and now -sunk in a heavy coma; it was thought that grief at the loss of her -husband had unsettled her mind, and the medical man did not at one time -expect her to live. I need not say that I was deeply interested in this -story, and I made my friend write to me at intervals with all the -particulars of the case. I heard then that in the course of six weeks -the woman gradually recovered the use of her faculties and some months -later she gave birth to a son, christened Jervase, who unhappily proved -to be of weak intellect. Such were the facts known to the village; but -to me while I whitened at the suggested thought of the hideous -enormities that had doubtless been committed, all this was nothing short -of conviction, and I incautiously hazarded a hint of something like the -truth to some scientific friends. The moment the words had left my lips -I bitterly regretted having spoken, and thus given away the great secret -of my life, but with a good deal of relief mixed with indignation, I -found my fears altogether misplaced, for my friends ridiculed me to my -face, and I was regarded as a madman; and beneath a natural anger I -chuckled to myself, feeling as secure amidst these blockheads, as if I -had confided what I knew to the desert sands. - -But now, knowing so much, I resolved I would know all, and I -concentrated my efforts on the task of deciphering the inscription on -the Black Seal. For many years I made this puzzle the sole object of my -leisure moments; for the greater portion of my time was, of course, -devoted to other duties, and it was only now and then that I could -snatch a week of clear research. If I were to tell the full history of -this curious investigation, this statement would be wearisome in the -extreme, for it would contain simply the account of long and tedious -failure. By what I knew already of ancient scripts I was well-equipped -for the chase, as I always termed it to myself. I had correspondents -amongst all the scientific men in Europe, and, indeed, in the world, and -I could not believe that in these days any character, however ancient -and however perplexed, could long resist the search-light I should bring -to bear upon it. Yet, in point of fact, it was fully fourteen years -before I succeeded. With every year my professional duties increased, -and my leisure became smaller. This no doubt retarded me a good deal; -and yet, when I look back on those years I am astonished at the vast -scope of my investigation of the Black Seal. I made my bureau a centre, -and from all the world and from all the ages I gathered transcripts of -ancient writing. Nothing, I resolved, should pass me unawares, and the -faintest hint should be welcomed and followed up. But as one covert -after another was tried and proved empty of result, I began in the -course of years to despair, and to wonder whether the Black Seal were -the sole relic of some race that had vanished from the world and left no -other trace of its existence,--had perished, in fine, as Atlantis is -said to have done, in some great cataclysm, its secrets perhaps drowned -beneath the ocean or moulded into the heart of the hills. The thought -chilled my warmth a little, and though I still persevered, it was no -longer with the same certainty of faith. A chance came to the rescue. I -was staying in a considerable town in the north of England, and took the -opportunity of going over the very creditable museum that had for some -time been established in the place. The curator was one of my -correspondents; and, as we were looking through one of the mineral -cases, my attention was struck by a specimen, a piece of black stone -some four inches square, the appearance of which reminded me in a -measure of the Black Seal. I took it up carelessly, and was turning it -over in my hand, when I saw, to my astonishment, that the under side was -inscribed. I said, quietly enough, to my friend the curator that the -specimen interested me, and that I should be much obliged if he would -allow me to take it with me to my hotel for a couple of days. He, of -course, made no objection, and I hurried to my rooms, and found that my -first glance had not deceived me. There were two inscriptions; one in -the regular cuneiform character, another in the character of the Black -Seal, and I realized that my task was accomplished. I made an exact copy -of the two inscriptions; and when I got to my London study, and had the -Seal before me, I was able seriously to grapple with the great problem. -The interpreting inscription on the museum specimen, though in itself -curious enough, did not bear on my quest, but the transliteration made -me master of the secret of the Black Seal. Conjecture, of course, had to -enter into my calculations; there was here and there uncertainty about a -particular ideograph, and one sign recurring again and again on the Seal -baffled me for many successive nights. But at last the secret stood open -before me in plain English, and I read the key of the awful -transmutation of the hills. The last word was hardly written, when with -fingers all trembling and unsteady I tore the scrap of paper into the -minutest fragments, and saw them flame and blacken in the red hollow of -the fire, and then I crushed the gray films that remained into finest -powder. Never since then have I written those words; never will I write -the phrases which tell me how man can be reduced to the slime from which -he came, and be forced to put on the flesh of the reptile and the snake. -There was now but one thing remaining. I knew; but I desired to see, and -I was after some time able to take a house in the neighborhood of the -Gray Hills, and not far from the cottage where Mrs. Cradock and her son -Jervase resided. I need not go into a full and detailed account of the -apparently inexplicable events which have occurred here, where I am -writing this. I knew that I should find in Jervase Cradock something of -the blood of the "Little People," and I found later that he had more -than once encountered his kinsmen in lonely places in that lonely land. -When I was summoned one day to the garden, and found him in a seizure -speaking or hissing the ghastly jargon of the Black Seal, I am afraid -that exultation prevailed over pity. I heard bursting from his lips the -secrets of the underworld, and the word of dread, "Ishakshar," the -signification of which I must be excused from giving. - -But there is one incident I cannot pass over unnoticed. In the waste -hollow of the night I awoke at the sound of those hissing syllables I -knew so well; and on going to the wretched boy's room, I found him -convulsed and foaming at the mouth, struggling on the bed as if he -strove to escape the grasp of writhing demons. I took him down to my -room and lit the lamp, while he lay twisting on the floor, calling on -the power within his flesh to leave him. I saw his body swell and become -distended as a bladder, while the face blackened before my eyes; and -then at the crisis I did what was necessary according to the directions -on the Seal, and putting all scruple on one side, I became a man of -science, observant of what was passing. Yet the sight I had to witness -was horrible, almost beyond the power of human conception and the most -fearful fantasy; something pushed out from the body there on the floor, -and stretched forth, a slimy wavering tentacle, across the room, and -grasped the bust upon the cupboard, and laid it down on my desk. - -When it was over, and I was left to walk up and down all the rest of the -night, white and shuddering, with sweat pouring from my flesh, I vainly -tried to reason with myself; I said, truly enough, that I had seen -nothing really supernatural, that a snail pushing out his horns and -drawing them in was but an instance on a smaller scale of what I had -witnessed; and yet horror broke through all such reasonings and left me -shattered and loathing myself for the share I had taken in the night's -work. - -There is little more to be said. I am going now to the final trial and -encounter; for I have determined that there shall be nothing wanting, -and I shall meet the "Little People" face to face. I shall have the -Black Seal and the knowledge of its secrets to help me, and if I -unhappily do not return from my journey, there is no need to conjure up -here a picture of the awfulness of my fate. - -Pausing a little at the end of Professor Gregg's statement, Miss Lally -continued her tale in the following words:-- - -Such was the almost incredible story that the professor had left behind -him. When I had finished reading it, it was late at night, but the next -morning I took Morgan with me, and we proceeded to search the Gray Hills -for some trace of the lost professor. I will not weary you with a -description of the savage desolation of that tract of country, a tract -of utterest loneliness, of bare green hills dotted over with gray -limestone boulders, worn by the ravage of time into fantastic semblances -of men and beasts. Finally, after many hours of weary searching, we -found what I told you--the watch and chain, the purse, and the -ring--wrapped in a piece of coarse parchment. When Morgan cut the gut -that bound the parcel together, and I saw the professor's property, I -burst into tears, but the sight of the dreaded characters of the Black -Seal repeated on the parchment froze me to silent horror, and I think I -understood for the first time the awful fate that had come upon my late -employer. - -I have only to add that Professor Gregg's lawyer treated my account of -what had happened as a fairy tale, and refused even to glance at the -documents I laid before him. It was he who was responsible for the -statement that appeared in the public press, to the effect that -Professor Gregg had been drowned, and that his body must have been swept -into the open sea. - -Miss Lally stopped speaking and looked at Mr. Phillipps, with a glance -of some enquiry. He, for his part, was sunken in a deep revery of -thought; and when he looked up and saw the bustle of the evening -gathering in the square, men and women hurrying to partake of dinner, -and crowds already besetting the music-halls, all the hum and press of -actual life seemed unreal and visionary, a dream in the morning after an -awakening. - -"I thank you," he said at last, "for your most interesting story, -interesting to me, because I feel fully convinced of its exact truth." - -"Sir," said the lady, with some energy of indignation, "you grieve and -offend me. Do you think I should waste my time and yours by concocting -fictions on a bench in Leicester Square?" - -"Pardon me, Miss Lally, you have a little misunderstood me. Before you -began I knew that whatever you told would be told in good faith, but -your experiences have a far higher value than that of _bona fides_. The -most extraordinary circumstances in your account are in perfect harmony -with the very latest scientific theories. Professor Lodge would, I am -sure, value a communication from you extremely; I was charmed from the -first by his daring hypothesis in explanation of the wonders of -Spiritualism (so called), but your narrative puts the whole matter out -of the range of mere hypothesis." - -"Alas, sir, all this will not help me. You forget, I have lost my -brother under the most startling and dreadful circumstances. Again, I -ask you, did you not see him as you came here? His black whiskers, his -spectacles, his timid glance to right and left; think, do not these -particulars recall his face to your memory?" - -"I am sorry to say I have never seen any one of the kind," said -Phillipps, who had forgotten all about the missing brother. "But let me -ask you a few questions. Did you notice whether Professor Gregg--" - -"Pardon me, sir, I have stayed too long. My employers will be expecting -me. I thank you for your sympathy. Good bye." - -Before Mr. Phillipps had recovered from his amazement at this abrupt -departure, Miss Lally had disappeared from his gaze, passing into the -crowd that now thronged the approaches to the Empire. He walked home in -a pensive frame of mind, and drank too much tea. At ten o'clock he had -made his third brew, and had sketched out the outlines of a little work -to be called _Protoplasmic Reversion_. - - - - -INCIDENT OF THE PRIVATE BAR. - - -Mr. Dyson often meditated at odd moments over the singular tale he had -listened to at the Cafe de la Touraine. In the first place he cherished -a profound conviction that the words of truth were scattered with a too -niggardly and sparing hand over the agreeable history of Mr. Smith and -the Black Gulf Canyon; and, secondly, there was the undeniable fact of -the profound agitation of the narrator, and his gestures on the -pavement, too violent to be simulated. The idea of a man going about -London haunted by the fear of meeting a young man with spectacles struck -Dyson as supremely ridiculous; he searched his memory for some precedent -in romance, but without success; he paid visits at odd times to the -little cafe, hoping to find Mr. Wilkins there; and he kept a sharp watch -on the great generation of the spectacled men without much doubt that he -would remember the face of the individual whom he had seen dart out of -the Aerated Bread Shop. All his peregrinations and researches, however, -seemed to lead to nothing of value, and Dyson needed all his warm -conviction of his innate detective powers and his strong scent for -mystery to sustain him in his endeavors. In fact, he had two affairs on -hand; and every day, as he passed through streets crowded or deserted, -and lurked in the obscure districts, and watched at corners, he was more -than surprised to find that the affair of the gold coin persistently -avoided him; while the ingenious Wilkins, and the young man with -spectacles whom he dreaded, seemed to have vanished from the pavements. - -He was pondering these problems one evening in a house of call in the -Strand, and the obstinacy with which the persons he so ardently desired -to meet hung back gave the modest tankard before him an additional touch -of bitter. As it happened, he was alone in his compartment, and, without -thinking, he uttered aloud the burden of his meditations. "How bizarre -it all is!" he said, "a man walking the pavement with the dread of a -timid-looking young man with spectacles continually hovering before his -eyes. And there was some tremendous feeling at work, I could swear to -that." Quick as thought, before he had finished the sentence, a head -popped round the barrier, and was withdrawn again; and while Dyson was -wondering what this could mean, the door of the compartment was swung -open, and a smooth, clean-shaven, and smiling gentleman entered. - -"You will excuse me, sir," he said politely, "for intruding on your -thoughts, but you made a remark a minute ago." - -"I did," said Dyson; "I have been puzzling over a foolish matter, and I -thought aloud. As you heard what I said, and seem interested, perhaps -you may be able to relieve my perplexity?" - -"Indeed. I scarcely know; it is an odd coincidence. One has to be -cautions. I suppose, sir, that you would have no repulsion in assisting -the ends of justice." - -"Justice," replied Dyson, "is a term of such wide meaning, that I too -feel doubtful about giving an answer. But this place is not altogether -fit for such a discussion; perhaps you would come to my rooms?" - -"You are very kind; my name is Burton, but I am sorry to say I have not -a card with me. Do you live near here?" - -"Within ten minutes' walk." - -Mr. Burton took out his watch and seemed to be making a rapid -calculation. - -"I have a train to catch," he said; "but after all, it is a late one. -So, if you don't mind, I think I will come with you. I am sure we should -have a little talk together. We turn up here?" - -The theatres were filling as they crossed the Strand, the street seemed -alive with voices, and Dyson looked fondly about him. The glittering -lines of gas-lamps, with here and there the blinding radiance of an -electric light, the hansoms that flashed to and fro with ringing bells, -the laden buses, and the eager hurrying east and west of the foot -passengers, made his most enchanting picture; and the graceful spire of -St. Mary le Strand, on the one hand, and the last flush of sunset on the -other, were to him a cause of thanksgiving, as the gorse blossom to -Linnaeus. Mr. Burton caught his look of fondness as they crossed the -street. - -"I see you can find the picturesque in London," he said. "To me this -great town is as I see it is to you, the study and the love of life. Yet -how few there are that can pierce the veils of apparent monotony and -meanness! I have read in a paper which is said to have the largest -circulation in the world, a comparison between the aspects of London and -Paris, a comparison which should be positively laureat, as the great -masterpiece of fatuous stupidity. Conceive if you can a human being of -ordinary intelligence preferring the Boulevards to our London streets; -imagine a man calling for the wholesale destruction of our most charming -city, in order that the dull uniformity of that whited sepulchre called -Paris should be reproduced here in London. Is it not positively -incredible?" - -"My dear sir," said Dyson, regarding Burton with a good deal of -interest. "I agree most heartily with your opinions, but I really cannot -share your wonder. Have you heard how much George Eliot received for -'Romola'? Do you know what the circulation of 'Robert Elsmere' was? Do -you read 'Tit Bits' regularly? To me, on the contrary, it is constant -matter both for wonder and thanksgiving that London was not -boulevardized twenty years ago. I praise that exquisite jagged sky line -that stands up against the pale greens and fading blues and flushing -clouds of sunset, but I wonder even more than I praise. As for St. Mary -le Strand, its preservation is a miracle, nothing more or less. A thing -of exquisite beauty _versus_ four buses abreast! Really, the conclusion -is too obvious. Didn't you read the letter of the man who proposed that -the whole mysterious system, the immemorial plan of computing Easter, -should, be abolished off-hand because he doesn't like his son having his -holidays as early as March 20th? But shall we be going on?" - -They had lingered at the corner of a street on the north side of the -Strand, enjoying the contrasts and the glamour of the scene. Dyson -pointed the way with a gesture, and they strolled up the comparatively -deserted streets, slanting a little to the right, and thus arriving at -Dyson's lodging on the verge of Bloomsbury. Mr. Burton took a -comfortable armchair by the open window, while Dyson lit the candles and -produced the whiskey and soda and cigarettes. - -"They tell me these cigarettes are very good," he said, "but I know -nothing about it myself. I hold at last that there is only one tobacco, -and that is shag. I suppose I could not tempt you to try a pipeful?" - -Mr. Burton smilingly refused the offer, and picked out a cigarette from -the box. When he had smoked it half through, he said with some -hesitation:-- - -"It is really kind of you to have me here, Mr. Dyson; the fact is that -the interests at issue are far too serious to be discussed in a bar, -where, as you found for yourself, there may be listeners, voluntary or -involuntary, on each side. I think the remark I heard you make was -something about the oddity of an individual going about London in deadly -fear of a young man with spectacles." - -"Yes, that was it." - -"Well, would you mind confiding to me the circumstances that gave rise -to the reflection?" - -"Not in the least; it was like this." And he ran over in brief outline -the adventure in Oxford Street, dwelling on the violence of Mr. -Wilkins's gestures, but wholly suppressing the tale told in the cafe. -"He told me he lived in constant terror of meeting this man; and I left -him when I thought he was cool enough to look after himself," said -Dyson, ending his narrative. - -"Really," said Mr. Burton. "And you actually saw this mysterious -person." - -"Yes." - -"And could you describe him?" - -"Well, he looked to me a youngish man, pale and nervous. He had small -black side whiskers, and wore rather large spectacles." - -"But this is simply marvellous! You astonish me. For I must tell you -that my interest in the matter is this. I am not in the least in terror -of meeting a dark young man with spectacles, but I shrewdly suspect a -person of that description would much rather not meet me. And yet the -account you give of the man tallies exactly. A nervous glance to right -and left--is it not so? And, as you observed, he wears prominent -spectacles, and has small black whiskers. There cannot be surely two -people exactly identical--one a cause of terror, and the other, I should -imagine, extremely anxious to get out of the way. But have you seen this -man since?" - -"No, I have not; and I have been looking out for him pretty keenly. But, -of course, he may have left London, and England too for the matter of -that." - -Hardly, I think. Well, Mr. Dyson, it is only fair that I should explain -my story, now that I have listened, to yours. I must tell you, then, -that I am an agent for curiosities and precious things of all kinds. An -odd employment, isn't it? Of course I wasn't brought up to the business; -I gradually fell into it. I have always been fond of things queer and -rare, and by the time I was twenty I had made half a dozen collections. -It is not generally known how often farm laborers come upon rarities; -you would be astonished if I told you what I have seen turned up by the -plough. I lived in the country in those days, and I used to buy anything -the men on the farms brought me; and I had the queerest set of rubbish, -as my friends called my collection. But that's how I got the scent of -the business, which means everything; and, later on, it struck me that I -might very well turn my knowledge to account and add to my income. Since -those early days I have been in most quarters of the world, and some -very valuable things have passed through my hands, and I have had to -engage in difficult and delicate negotiations. You have possibly heard -of the Khan opal--called in the East 'The Stone of a Thousand and One -Colors'? Well, perhaps the conquest of that stone was my greatest -achievement. I call it myself the stone of the thousand and one lies, -for I assure you that I had to invent a cycle of folk-lore before the -Rajah who owned it would consent to sell the thing. I subsidized -wandering story-tellers, who told tales in which the opal played a -frightful part; I hired a holy man, a great ascetic, to prophesy against -the thing in the language of Eastern symbolism; in short, I frightened -the Rajah out of his wits. So you see there is room for diplomacy in -the traffic I am engaged in. I have to be ever on my guard, and I have -often been sensible that unless I watched every step and weighed every -word my life would not last me much longer. Last April I became aware of -the existence of a highly valuable antique gem. It was in Southern -Italy, and in the possession of persons who were ignorant of its real -value. It has always been my experience that it is precisely the -ignorant who are most difficult to deal with. I have met farmers who -were under the impression that a shilling of George I. was a find of -almost incalculable value; and all the defeats I have sustained have -been at the hands of people of this description. Reflecting on these -facts, I saw that the acquisition of the gem I have mentioned would be -an affair demanding the nicest diplomacy; I might possibly have got it -by offering a sum approaching its real value, but I need not point out -to you that such a proceeding would be most unbusinesslike. Indeed, I -doubt whether it would have been successful, for the cupidity of such -persons is aroused by a sum which seems enormous, and the low cunning -which serves them in place of intelligence immediately suggests that the -object for which such an amount is offered must be worth at least -double. Of course, when it is a matter of an ordinary curiosity--an old -jug, a carved chest, or a queer brass lantern--one does not much care; -the cupidity of the owner defeats its object, the collector laughs, and -goes away, for he is aware that such things are by no means unique. But -this gem I fervently desired to possess; and as I did not see my way to -giving more than a hundredth part of its value, I was conscious that -all my, let us say, imaginative and diplomatic powers would have to be -exerted. I am sorry to say that I came to the conclusion that I could -not undertake to carry the matter through single-handed, and I -determined to confide in my assistant, a young man named William -Robbins, whom I judged to be by no means devoid of capacity. My idea was -that Robbins should get himself up as a low-class dealer in precious -stones; he could patter a little Italian, and would go to the town in -question and manage to see the gem we were after, possibly by offering -some trifling articles of jewelry for sale, but that I left to be -decided, then my work was to begin, but I will not trouble you with a -tale told twice over. In due course, then, Robbins went off to Italy -with an assortment of uncut stones and a few rings, and some jewelry I -bought in Birmingham, on purpose for his expedition. A week later I -followed him, travelling leisurely, so that I was a fortnight later in -arriving at our common destination. There was a decent hotel in the -town, and on my inquiring of the landlord whether there were many -strangers in the place, he told me very few; he had heard there was an -Englishman staying in a small tavern, a pedlar he said, who sold -beautiful trinkets very cheaply, and wanted to buy old rubbish. For five -or six days I took life leisurely, and I must say I enjoyed myself. It -was part of my plan to make the people think I was an enormously rich -man; and I knew that such items as the extravagance of my meals, and the -price of every bottle of wine I drank, would not be suffered, as Sancho -Panza puts it, to rot in the landlord's breast. At the end of the week I -was fortunate enough to make the acquaintance of Signor Melini, the -owner of the gem I coveted, at the cafe, and with his ready hospitality -and my geniality I was soon established as a friend of the house. On my -third or fourth visit I managed to make the Italians talk about the -English pedlar, who, they said, spoke a most detestable Italian. 'But -that does not matter,' said the Signora Melini, 'for he has beautiful -things, which he sells very very cheap.' 'I hope you may not find he has -cheated you,' I said, 'for I must tell you that English people give -these fellows a very wide berth. They usually make a great parade of the -cheapness of their goods, which often turn out to be double the price of -better articles in the shops,' They would not hear of this, and Signora -Melini insisted on showing me the three rings and the bracelet she had -bought of the pedlar. She told me the price she had paid; and after -scrutinizing the articles carefully, I had to confess that she had made -a bargain, and indeed Robbins had sold her the things at about fifty per -cent below market value. I admired the trinkets as I gave them back to -the lady, and I hinted that the pedlar must be a somewhat foolish -specimen of his class. Two days later, as I was taking my vermouth at -the cafe with Signor Melini, he led the conversation back to the pedlar, -and mentioned casually that he had shown the man a little curiosity, for -which he had made rather a handsome offer. 'My dear sir,' I said, 'I -hope you will be careful. I told you that the travelling tradesman does -not bear a very high reputation in England; and notwithstanding his -apparent simplicity, this fellow may turn out to be an arrant cheat. May -I ask you what is the nature of the curiosity you have shown him?' He -told me it was a little thing, a pretty little stone with some figures -cut on it: people said it was old. 'I should like to examine it,' I -replied; 'as it happens I have, seen a good deal of these gems. We have -a fine collection of them in our museum at London.' In due course I was -shown the article, and I held the gem I so coveted between my fingers. I -looked at it coolly, and put it down carelessly on the table. 'Would you -mind telling me, signor,' I said, 'how much my fellow-countryman offered -you for this?' 'Well,' he said, 'my wife says the man must be mad; he -said he would give me twenty lire for it.' - -"I looked at him quietly, and took up the gem and pretended to examine -it in the light more carefully; I turned it over and over, and finally -pulled out a magnifying glass from my pocket, and seemed to search every -line in the cutting with minutest scrutiny. 'My dear sir,' I said at -last, 'I am inclined to agree with Signora Melini. If this gem were -genuine, it would be worth some money; but as it happens to be a rather -bad forgery, it is not worth twenty centesimi. It was sophisticated, I -should imagine, some time in the last century, and by a very unskilful -hand.' 'Then we had better get rid of it,' said Melini. 'I never thought -it was worth anything myself. Of course I am sorry for the pedlar, but -one must let a man know his own trade. I shall tell him we will take the -twenty lire.' 'Excuse me,' I said, 'the man wants a lesson. It would be -a charity to give him one. Tell him that you will not take anything -under eighty lire, and I shall be much surprised if he does not close -with you at once. - -"A day or two later I heard that the English pedlar had gone away, after -debasing the minds of the country people with Birmingham art jewelry; -for I admit that the gold sleeve links like kidney beans, the silver -chains made apparently after the pattern of a dog-chain, and the initial -brooches, have always been heavy on my conscience. I cannot acquit -myself of having indirectly contributed to debauch the taste of a simple -folk; but I hope that the end I had in view may finally outbalance this -heavy charge. Soon afterwards, I paid a farewell visit at the Melinis, -and the signor informed me with an oily chuckle that the plan I had -suggested had been completely successful. I congratulated him on his -bargain, and went away after expressing a wish that heaven might send -many such pedlars in his path. - -"Nothing of interest occurred on my return journey. I had arranged that -Robbins was to meet me at a certain place on a certain day, and I went -to the appointment full of the coolest confidence; the gem had been -conquered, and I had only to reap the fruits of victory. I am sorry to -shake that trust in our common human nature which I am sure you possess, -but I am compelled to tell you that up to the present date I have never -set eyes on my man Robbins, or on the antique gem in his custody. I have -found out that he actually arrived in London, for he was seen three -days before my arrival in England by a pawnbroker of my acquaintance -consuming his favorite beverage, four ale, in the tavern where we met -to-night. Since then he has not been heard of. I hope you will now -pardon my curiosity as to the history and adventures of dark young men -with spectacles. You will, I am sure, feel for me in my position; the -savor of life has disappeared for me; it is a bitter thought that I have -rescued one of the most perfect and exquisite specimens of antique art -from the hands of ignorant, and indeed unscrupulous persons, only to -deliver it into the keeping of a man who is evidently utterly devoid of -the very elements of commercial morality." - -"My dear sir," said Dyson, "you will allow me to compliment you on your -style; your adventures have interested me exceedingly. But, forgive me, -you just now used the word morality; would not some persons take -exception to your own methods of business? I can conceive, myself, flaws -of a moral kind being found in the very original conception you have -described to me. I can imagine the Puritan shrinking in dismay from your -scheme, pronouncing it unscrupulous, nay, dishonest." - -Mr. Burton helped himself, very frankly, to some more whiskey. - -"Your scruples entertain me," he said. "Perhaps you have not gone very -deeply into these questions of ethics. I have been compelled to do so -myself, just as I was forced to master a simple system of book-keeping. -Without book-keeping, and still more without a system of ethics, it is -impossible to conduct a business such as mine. But I assure you that I -am often profoundly saddened as I pass through the crowded streets and -watch the world at work by the thought of how few amongst all these -hurrying individuals, black hatted, well dressed, educated we may -presume sufficiently,--how few amongst them have any reasoned system of -morality. Even you have not weighed the question; although you study -life and affairs, and to a certain extent penetrate the veils and masks -of the comedy of man, even you judge by empty conventions, and the false -money which is allowed to pass current as sterling coin. Allow me to -play the part of Socrates; I shall teach you nothing that you do not -know. I shall merely lay aside the wrappings of prejudice and bad logic, -and show you the real image which you possess in your soul. Come then. -Do you allow that happiness is anything?" - -"Certainly," said Dyson. - -"And happiness is desirable or undesirable?" - -"Desirable of course." - -"And what shall we call the man who gives happiness? Is he not a -philanthropist?" - -"I think so." - -"And such a person is praiseworthy, and the more praiseworthy in the -proportion of the persons whom he makes happy?" - -"By all means." - -"So that he who makes a whole nation happy, is praiseworthy in the -extreme, and the action by which he gives happiness is the highest -virtue?" - -"It appears so, O Burton," said Dyson, who found something very -exquisite in the character of his visitor. - -"Quite so; you find the several conclusions inevitable. Well, apply them -to the story I have told, you. I conferred happiness on myself by -obtaining (as I thought) possession of the gem; I conferred happiness on -the Melinis by getting them eighty lire instead of an object for which -they had not the slightest value, and I intended to confer happiness on -the whole British nation by selling the thing to the British Museum, to -say nothing of the happiness a profit of about nine thousand per cent -would have conferred on me. I assure you I regard Robbins as an -interferer with the cosmos and fair order of things. But that is -nothing; you perceive that I am an apostle of the very highest morality; -you have been forced to yield to argument." - -"There certainly seems a great deal in what you advance," said Dyson. "I -admit that I am a mere amateur of ethics, while you, as you say, have -brought the most acute scrutiny to bear on these perplexed and doubtful -questions. I can well understand your anxiety to meet the fallacious -Robbins, and I congratulate myself on the chance which has made us -acquainted. But you will pardon my seeming inhospitality, I see it is -half past eleven, and I think you mentioned a train." - -"A thousand thanks, Mr. Dyson, I have just time, I see. I will look you -up some evening if I may. Good-night." - - - - -THE DECORATIVE IMAGINATION. - - -In the course of a few weeks Dyson became accustomed, to the constant -incursions of the ingenious Mr. Burton, who showed himself ready to drop -in at all hours, not averse to refreshment, and a profound guide in the -complicated questions of life. His visits at once terrified and -delighted Dyson, who could no longer seat himself at his bureau secure -from interruption while he embarked on literary undertakings, each one -of which was to be a masterpiece. On the other hand, it was a vivid -pleasure to be confronted with views so highly original; and if here and -there Mr. Burton's reasonings seemed tinged with fallacy, yet Dyson -freely yielded to the joy of strangeness, and never failed to give his -visitor a frank and hearty welcome. Mr. Burton's first inquiry was -always after the unprincipled Robbins, and he seemed to feel the stings -of disappointment when Dyson told him that he had failed to meet this -outrage on all morality, as Burton styled him, vowing that sooner or -later he would take vengeance on such a shameless betrayal of trust. - -One evening they had sat together for some time discussing the -possibility of laying down for this present generation and our modern -and intensely complicated order of society, some rules of social -diplomacy, such as Lord Bacon gave to the courtiers of King James I. "It -is a book to make," said Mr. Burton, "but who is there capable of making -it? I tell you people are longing for such a book; it would bring -fortune to its publisher. Bacon's Essays are exquisite, but they have -now no practical application; the modern strategist can find but little -use in a treatise 'De Re Militari,' written by a Florentine in the -fifteenth century. Scarcely more dissimilar are the social conditions of -Bacon's time and our own; the rules that he lays down so exquisitely for -the courtier and diplomatist of James the First's age will avail us -little in the rough-and-tumble struggle of to-day. Life, I am afraid, -has deteriorated; it gives little play for fine strokes such as formerly -advanced men in the state. Except in such businesses as mine, where a -chance does occur now and then, it has all become, as I said, an affair -of rough and tumble; men still desire to attain, it is true, but what is -their _moyen de parvenir_? A mere imitation, and not a gracious one, of -the arts of the soap-vender and the proprietor of baking powder. When I -think of these things, my dear Dyson, I confess that I am tempted to -despair of my century." - -"You are too pessimistic, my dear fellow; you set up too high a -standard. Certainly, I agree with you that the times are decadent in -many ways. I admit a general appearance of squalor; it needs much -philosophy to extract the wonderful and the beautiful from the Cromwell -Road or the Nonconformist conscience. Australian wines of fine Burgundy -character, the novels alike of the old women and the new women, popular -journalism,--these things indeed make for depression. Yet we have our -advantages. Before us is unfolded the greatest spectacle the world has -ever seen,--the mystery of the innumerable unending streets, the strange -adventures that must infallibly arise from so complicated a press of -interests. Nay, I will say that he who has stood in the ways of a suburb -and has seen them stretch before him all shining, void, and desolate at -noonday, has not lived in vain. Such a sight is in reality more -wonderful than any perspective of Bagdad or Grand Cairo. And, to set on -one side the entertaining history of the gem which you told me, surely -you must have had many singular adventures in your own career?" - -"Perhaps not so many as you would think; a good deal--the larger -part--of my business has been as commonplace as linen-drapery. But of -course things happen now and then. It is ten years since I have -established my agency, and I suppose that a house and estate agent who -had been in trade for an equal time could tell you some queer stories. -But I must give you a sample of my experiences some night. - -"Why not to-night?" said Dyson. "This evening seems to me admirably -adapted for an odd chapter. Look out into the street; you can catch a -view of it, if you crane your neck from that chair of yours. Is it not -charming? The double row of lamps growing closer in the distance, the -hazy outline of the plane-tree in the square, and the lights of the -hansoms swimming to and fro, gliding and vanishing; and above, the sky -all clear and blue and shining. Come, let us have one of your _cent -nouvelles nouvelles_." - -"My dear Dyson, I am delighted to amuse you." With these words Mr. -Burton prefaced the - - - - -NOVEL OF THE IRON MAID. - - -I think the most extraordinary event which I can recall took place about -five years ago. I was then still feeling my way; I had declared for -business, and attended regularly at my office, but I had not succeeded -in establishing a really profitable connection, and consequently I had a -good deal of leisure time on my hands. I have never thought fit to -trouble you with the details of my private life; they would be entirely -devoid of interest. I must briefly say, however, that I had a numerous -circle of acquaintance, and was never at a loss as to how to spend my -evenings. I was so fortunate as to have friends in most of the ranks of -the social order; there is nothing so unfortunate, to my mind, as a -specialized circle, wherein a certain round of ideas is continually -traversed and retraversed. I have always tried to find out new types and -persons whose brains contained something fresh to me; one may chance to -gain information even from the conversation of city men on an omnibus. -Amongst my acquaintance I knew a young doctor who lived in a far -outlying suburb, and I used often to brave the intolerably slow railway -journey, to have the pleasure of listening to his talk. One night we -conversed so eagerly together over our pipes and whiskey that the clock -passed unnoticed, and when I glanced up I realized with a shock that I -had just five minutes in which to catch the last tram. I made a dash for -my hat and stick, and jumped out of the house and down the steps, and -tore at full speed up the street. It was no good, however; there was a -shriek of the engine whistle, and I stood there at the station door and -saw far on the long dark line of the embankment a red light shine and -vanish, and a porter came down and shut the door with a bang. - -"How far to London?" I asked him. - -"A good nine miles to Waterloo Bridge;" and with that he went off. - -Before me was the long suburban street, its dreary distance marked by -rows of twinkling lamps, and the air was poisoned by the faint sickly -smell of burning bricks; it was not a cheerful prospect by any means, -and I had to walk through nine miles of such streets, deserted as those -of Pompeii. I knew pretty well what direction to take; so I set out -wearily, looking at the stretch of lamps vanishing in perspective; and -as I walked, street after street branched off to right and left,--some -far reaching to distances that seemed endless, communicating with, other -systems of thoroughfare; and some mere protoplasmic streets, beginning -in orderly fashion with serried two-storied houses, and ending suddenly -in waste, and pits, and rubbish heaps, and fields whence the magic had -departed. I have spoken of systems of thoroughfare, and I assure you -that, walking alone through these silent places, I felt phantasy growing -on me, and some glamour of the infinite. There was here. I felt, an -immensity as in the outer void, of the universe. I passed from unknown -to unknown, my way marked by lamps like stars, and on either band was an -unknown world where myriads of men dwelt and slept, street leading into -street, as it seemed to world's end. At first the road by which I was -travelling was lined with houses of unutterable monotony,--a wall of -gray brick pierced by two stories of windows, drawn close to the very -pavement. But by degrees I noticed an improvement: there were gardens, -and these grew larger. The suburban builder began to allow himself a -wider scope; and for a certain distance each flight of steps was guarded -by twin lions of plaster, and scents of flowers prevailed over the fume -of heated bricks. The road began to climb a hill, and, looking up a side -street, I saw the half moon rise over plane-trees, and there on the -other side was as if a white cloud had fallen, and the air around it was -sweetened as with incense; it was a may-tree in full bloom. I pressed on -stubbornly, listening for the wheels and the clatter of some belated -hansom; but into that land of men who go to the city in the morning and -return in the evening, the hansom rarely enters, and I had resigned -myself once more to the walk, when I suddenly became aware that some one -was advancing to meet me along the sidewalk. The man was strolling -rather aimlessly; and though the time and the place would have allowed -an unconventional style of dress, he was vested in the ordinary frock -coat, black tie, and silk hat of civilization. We met each other under -the lamp, and, as often happens in this great town, two casual -passengers brought face to face found, each in the other an -acquaintance. - -"Mr. Mathias, I think?" I said. - -"Quite so. And you are Frank Burton. You know you are a man with a -Christian name, so I won't apologize for my familiarity. But may I ask -where you are going?" - -I explained the situation to him, saying I had traversed a region as -unknown to me as the darkest recesses of Africa. "I think I have only -about five miles farther," I concluded. - -"Nonsense; you must come home with me. My house is close by; in fact, I -was just taking my evening walk when we met. Come along; I dare say you -will find a makeshift bed easier than a five-mile walk." - -I let him take my arm and lead me along, though I was a good deal -surprised at so much geniality from a man who was, after all, a mere -casual club acquaintance. I suppose I had not spoken to Mr. Mathias -half-a-dozen times; he was a man who would sit silent in an armchair -for hours, neither reading nor smoking, but now and again moistening his -lips with his tongue and smiling queerly to himself. I confess he had -never attracted me, and on the whole I should have preferred to continue -my walk. But he took my arm and led me up a side street, and stopped at -a door in a high wall. We passed through the still moonlit garden, -beneath the black shadow of an old cedar, and into an old red brick -house with many gables. I was tired enough, and I sighed with relief as -I let myself fall into a great leather armchair. You know the infernal -grit with which they strew the sidewalk in those suburban districts; it -makes walking a penance, and I felt my four-mile tramp had made me more -weary than ten miles on an honest country road. I looked about the room -with some curiosity. There was a shaded lamp which threw a circle of -brilliant light on a heap of papers lying on an old brass-bound -secretaire of the last century; but the room was all vague and shadowy, -and I could only see that it was long and low, and that it was filled -with indistinct objects which might be furniture. Mr. Mathias sat down -in a second armchair, and looked about him with that odd smile of his. -He was a queer-looking man, clean-shaven, and white to the lips. I -should think his age was something between fifty and sixty. - -"Now I have got you here," he began, "I must inflict my hobby on you. -You knew I was a collector? Oh, yes, I have devoted many years to -collecting curiosities, which I think are really curious. But we must -have a better light." - -He advanced into the middle of the room, and lit a lamp which hung from -the ceiling; and as the bright light flashed round the wick, from every -corner and space there seemed to start a horror. Great wooden frames -with complicated apparatus of ropes and pulleys stood against the wall; -a wheel of strange shape had a place beside a thing that looked like a -gigantic gridiron. Little tables glittered with bright steel instruments -carelessly put down as if ready for use; a screw and vice loomed out, -casting ugly shadows; and in another nook was a saw with cruel jagged -teeth. - -"Yes," said Mr. Mathias; "they are, as you suggest, instruments of -torture,--of torture and death. Some--many, I may say--have been used; a -few are reproductions after ancient examples. Those knives were used for -flaying; that frame is a rack, and a very fine specimen. Look at this; -it comes from Venice. You see that sort of collar, something like a big -horse-shoe? Well, the patient, let us call him, sat down quite -comfortably, and the horse-shoe was neatly fitted round his neck. Then -the two ends were joined with a silken band, and the executioner began -to turn a handle connected with the band. The horse-shoe contracted very -gradually as the band tightened, and the turning continued till the man -was strangled. It all took place quietly, in one of those queer garrets -under the leads. But these things are all European; the Orientals are, -of course, much more ingenious. These are the Chinese contrivances. You -have heard of the 'heavy death'? It is my hobby, this sort of thing. Do -you know, I often sit here, hour after hour, and meditate over the -collection. I fancy I see the faces of the men who have suffered--faces -lean with agony and wet with sweats of death--growing distinct out of -the gloom, and I hear the echoes of their cries for mercy. But I must -show you my latest acquisition. Come into the next room." - -I followed Mr. Mathias out. The weariness of the walk, the late hour, -and the strangeness of it all, made me feel like a man in a dream; -nothing would have surprised me very much. The second room was as the -first, crowded with ghastly instruments; but beneath the lamp was a -wooden platform, and a figure stood on it. It was a large statue of a -naked woman, fashioned in green bronze; the arms were stretched out, and -there was a smile on the lips; it might well have been intended for a -Venus, and yet there was about the thing an evil and a deadly look. - -Mr. Mathias looked at it complacently. "Quite a work of art, isn't it?" -he said. "It's made of bronze, as you see, but it has long had the name -of the Iron Maid. I got it from Germany, and it was only unpacked this -afternoon; indeed, I have not yet had time to open the letter of advice. -You see that very small knob between the breasts? Well, the victim was -bound to the Maid, the knob was pressed, and the arms slowly tightened -round the neck. You can imagine the result." - -As Mr. Mathias talked, he patted the figure affectionately. I had turned -away, for I sickened at the sight of the man and his loathsome treasure. -There was a slight click, of which I took no notice,--it was not much -louder than the tick of a clock; and then I heard a sudden whir, the -noise of machinery in motion, and I faced round. I have never forgotten -the hideous agony on Mathias's face as those relentless arms tightened -about his neck; there was a wild struggle as of a beast in the toils, -and then a shriek that ended in a choking groan. The whirring noise had -suddenly changed into a heavy droning. I tore with all my might at the -bronze arms, and strove to wrench them apart, but I could do nothing. -The head had slowly bent down, and the green lips were on the lips of -Mathias. - -Of course I had to attend at the inquest. The letter which had -accompanied the figure was found unopened on the study table. The German -firm of dealers cautioned their client to be most careful in touching -the Iron Maid, as the machinery had been put in thorough working order. - -For many revolving weeks Mr. Burton delighted Dyson by his agreeable -conversation, diversified by anecdote, and interspersed with the -narration of singular adventures. Finally, however, he vanished as -suddenly as he had appeared, and on the occasion of his last visit he -contrived to loot a copy of his namesake's Anatomy. Dyson, considering -this violent attack on the rights of property, and certain glaring -inconsistencies in the talk of his late friend, arrived at the -conclusion that his stories were fabulous, and that the Iron Maid only -existed in the sphere of a decorative imagination. - - - - -THE RECLUSE OF BAYSWATER. - - -Amongst the many friends who were favored with the occasional pleasure -of Mr. Dyson's society was Mr. Edgar Russell, realist and obscure -struggler, who occupied a small back room on the second floor of a house -in Abingdon Grove, Notting Hill. Turning off from the main street and -walking a few paces onward, one was conscious of a certain calm, a -drowsy peace, which made the feet inclined to loiter; and this was ever -the atmosphere of Abingdon Grove. The houses stood a little back, with -gardens where the lilac and laburnum and blood-red may blossomed gayly -in their seasons, and there was a corner where an older house in another -street had managed to keep a back garden of real extent; a walled-in -garden whence there came a pleasant scent of greenness after the rains -of early summer, where old elms held memories of the open fields, where -there was yet sweet grass to walk on. The houses in Abingdon Grove -belonged chiefly to the nondescript stucco period of thirty-five years -ago, tolerably built with passable accommodation for moderate incomes; -they had largely passed into the state of lodgings, and cards bearing -the inscription "Furnished Apartments" were not infrequent over the -doors. Here, then, in a house of sufficiently good appearance, Mr. -Russell had established himself; for he looked upon the traditional -dirt and squalor of Grub Street as a false and obsolete convention, and -preferred, as he said, to live within sight of green leaves. Indeed, -from his room one had a magnificent view of a long line of gardens, and -a screen of poplars shut out the melancholy back premises of Wilton -Street during the summer months. Mr. Russell lived chiefly on bread and -tea, for his means were of the smallest; but when Dyson came to see him, -he would send out the slavey for six-ale, and Dyson was always at -liberty to smoke as much of his own tobacco as he pleased. The landlady -had been so unfortunate as to have her drawing-room floor vacant for -many months; a card had long proclaimed the void within; and Dyson, when -he walked up the steps one evening in early autumn, had a sense that -something was missing, and, looking at the fanlight, saw the appealing -card had disappeared. - -"You have let your first floor, have you?" he said, as he greeted Mr. -Russell. - -"Yes; it was taken about a fortnight ago by a lady." - -"Indeed," said Dyson, always curious; "a young lady?" - -"Yes, I believe so. She is a widow, and wears a thick crape veil. I have -met her once or twice on the stairs and in the street, but I should not -know her face." - -"Well," said Dyson, when the beer had arrived, and the pipes were in -full blast, "and what have you been doing? Do you find the work getting -any easier?" - -"Alas!" said the young man, with an expression of great gloom, "the life -is a purgatory, and all but a hell. I write, picking out my words, -weighing and balancing the force of every syllable, calculating the -minutest effects that language can produce, erasing and rewriting, and -spending a whole evening over a page of manuscript. And then in the -morning when I read what I have written--Well, there is nothing to be -done but to throw it in the waste-paper basket if the verso has been -already written on, or to put it in the drawer if the other side happens -to be clean. When I have written a phrase which undoubtedly embodies a -happy turn of thought, I find it dressed up in feeble commonplace; and -when the style is good, it serves only to conceal the baldness of -superannuated fancies. I sweat over my work, Dyson,--every finished line -means so much agony. I envy the lot of the carpenter in the side street -who has a craft which he understands. When he gets an order for a table, -he does not writhe with anguish; but if I were so unlucky as to get an -order for a book, I think I should go mad." - -"My dear fellow, you take it all too seriously. You should let the ink -flow more readily. Above all, firmly believe, when you sit down to -write, that you are an artist, and that whatever you are about is a -masterpiece. Suppose ideas fail you, say; as I heard one of our most -exquisite artists say, "It's of no consequence; the ideas are all there, -at the bottom of that box of cigarettes." You, indeed, smoke tobacco, -but the application is the same. Besides, you must have some happy -moments, and these should be ample consolation." - -"Perhaps you are right. But such moments are so few; and then there is -the torture of a glorious conception matched, with execution beneath the -standard of the Family Story Paper. For instance, I was happy for two -hours a night or two ago; I lay awake and saw visions. But then the -morning!" - -"What was your idea?" - -"It seemed to me a splendid one; I thought of Balzac and the 'Comedie -Humaine,' of Zola and the Rougon-Macquart family. It dawned upon me that -I would write the history of a street. Every house should form a volume. -I fixed upon the street, I saw each house, and read, as clearly as in -letters, the physiology and psychology of each. The little by-way -stretched before me in its actual shape,--a street that I know and have -passed down a hundred times; with some twenty houses, prosperous and -mean, and lilac bushes in purple blossom; and yet it was at the same -time a symbol, a _via dolorosa_ of hopes cherished and disappointed, of -years of monotonous existence without content or discontent, of -tragedies and obscure sorrows; and on the door of one of those houses I -saw the red stain of blood, and behind a window two shadows, blackened -and faded, on the blind, as they swayed on tightened cords,--the shadows -of a man and a woman hanging in a vulgar, gas-lit parlor. These were my -fancies; but when pen touched paper, they shrivelled and vanished away," - -"Yes," said. Dyson, "there is a lot in that. I envy you the pains of -transmuting vision into reality, and still more I envy you the day when -you will look at your bookshelf and see twenty goodly books upon the -shelves,--the series complete and done forever. Let me entreat you to -have them bound in solid parchment, with gold lettering. It is the only -real cover for a valiant book. When I look in at the windows of some -choice shop, and see the bindings of Levant morocco, with pretty tools -and panellings, and your sweet contrasts of red and green, I say to -myself, 'These are not books, but bibelots.' A book bound so--a true -book, mind you--is like a Gothic statue draped in brocade of Lyons." - -"Alas!" said Russell, "we need not discuss the binding,--the books are -not begun." - -The talk went on as usual till eleven o'clock, when Dyson bade his -friend good-night. He knew the way downstairs, and walked down by -himself; but greatly to his surprise, as he crossed the first-floor -landing, the door opened slightly, and a hand was stretched out, -beckoning. - -Dyson was not the man to hesitate under such circumstances. In a moment -he saw himself involved in adventure; and, as he told himself, the -Dysons had never disobeyed a lady's summons. Softly, then, with due -regard for the lady's honor, he would have entered the room, when a low -but clear voice spoke to him,-- - -"Go downstairs and open the door, and shut it again rather loudly. Then -come up to me; and for heaven's sake, walk softly." - -Dyson obeyed her commands,--not without some hesitation, for he was -afraid of meeting the landlady or the maid on his return journey. But -walking like a cat, and making each step he trod on crack loudly, he -flattered himself that he had escaped observation; and as he gained the -top of the stairs, the door opened wide before him, and he found himself -in the lady's drawing-room, bowing awkwardly. - -"Pray be seated, sir. Perhaps this chair will be the best; it was the -favored chair of my landlady's deceased husband. I would ask you to -smoke, but the odor would betray me. I know my proceedings must seem to -you unconventional; but I saw you arrive this evening, and I do not -think you would refuse to help a woman who is so unfortunate as I am." - -Mr. Dyson looked shyly at the young lady before him. She was dressed in -deep mourning; but the piquant smiling face and charming hazel eyes ill -accorded with the heavy garments, and the mouldering surface of the -crape. - -"Madam," he said gallantly, "your instinct has served you well. We will -not trouble, if you please, about the question of social conventions; -the chivalrous gentleman knows nothing of such matters. I hope I may be -privileged to serve you." - -"You are very kind to me, but I knew it would be so. Alas, sir, I have -had experience of life, and I am rarely mistaken. Yet man is too often -so vile and so misjudging that I trembled even as I resolved to take -this step, which, for all I knew, might prove to be both desperate and -ruinous." - -"With me you have nothing to fear," said Dyson. "I was nurtured in the -faith of chivalry, and I have always endeavored to remember the proud -traditions of my race. Confide in me then, and count upon my secrecy, -and, if it prove possible, you may rely on my help." - -"Sir, I will not waste your time, which I am sure is valuable, by idle -parleyings. Learn, then, that I am a fugitive, and in hiding here. I -place myself in your power; you have but to describe my features, and I -fall into the hands of my relentless enemy." - -Mr. Dyson wondered for a passing instant how this could be; but he only -renewed his promise of silence, repeating that he would be the embodied -spirit of dark concealment. - -"Good," said the lady; "the Oriental fervor of your style is delightful. -In the first place, I must disabuse your mind of the conviction that I -am a widow. These gloomy vestments have been forced on me by strange -circumstance; in plain language, I have deemed it expedient to go -disguised. You have a friend, I think, in the house,--Mr. Russell? He -seems of a coy and retiring nature." - -"Excuse me, madam," said Dyson, "he is not coy, but he is a realist; and -perhaps you are aware that no Carthusian monk can emulate the cloistral -seclusion in which a realistic novelist loves to shroud himself. It is -his way of observing human, nature." - -"Well, well," said the lady; "all this, though deeply interesting is not -germane to our affair. I must tell you my history." - -With these words the young lady proceeded to relate the - - - - -NOVEL OF THE WHITE POWDER. - - -My name is Leicester; my father. Major General Wyn Leicester, a -distinguished officer of artillery, succumbed five years ago to a -complicated liver complaint acquired in the deadly climate of India. A -year later my only brother, Francis, came home after an exceptionally -brilliant career at the University, and settled down with the resolution -of a hermit to master what has been well called the great legend of the -law. He was a man who seemed to live in utter indifference to everything -that is called pleasure; and though he was handsomer than most men, and -could talk as merrily and wittily as if he were a mere vagabond, he -avoided society, and shut himself up in a large room at the top of the -house to make himself a lawyer. Ten hours a day of hard reading was at -first his allotted portion; from the first light in the east to the late -afternoon he remained shut up with his books, taking a hasty half-hour's -lunch with me as if he grudged the wasting of the moments, and going out -for a short walk when it began to grow dusk. I thought that such -relentless application must be injurious, and tried to cajole him from -the crabbed text-books; but his ardor seemed to grow rather than -diminish, and his daily tale of hours increased. I spoke to him -seriously, suggesting some occasional relaxation, if it were but an idle -afternoon with a harmless novel; but he laughed, and said that he read -about feudal tenures when he felt in need of amusement, and scoffed at -the notion of theatres, or a month's fresh confessed that he looked -well, and seemed not to suffer from his labors; but I knew that such -unnatural toil would take revenge at last, and I was not mistaken. A -look of anxiety began to lurk about his eyes, and he seemed languid, and -at last he avowed that he was no longer in perfect health; he was -troubled, he said, with a sensation of dizziness, and awoke now and then -of nights from fearful dreams, terrified and cold with icy sweats. "I am -taking care of myself," he said; "so you must not trouble. I passed the -whole of yesterday afternoon in idleness, leaning back in that -comfortable chair you gave me, and scribbling nonsense on a sheet of -paper. No, no; I will not overdo my work. I shall be well enough in a -week or two, depend upon it." - -Yet, in spite of his assurances, I could see that he grew no better, but -rather worse; he would enter the drawing-room with a face all miserably -wrinkled and despondent, and endeavor to look gayly when my eyes fell on -him, and I thought such symptoms of evil omen, and was frightened -sometimes at the nervous irritation of his movements, and at glances -which I could not decipher. Much against his will, I prevailed on him to -have medical advice, and with an ill grace he called in our old doctor. - -Dr. Haberden cheered me after his examination of his patient. - -"There is nothing really much amiss," he said to me. "No doubt he reads -too hard, and eats hastily, and then goes back again to his books in too -great a hurry; and the natural consequence is some digestive trouble, -and a little mischief in the nervous system. But I think--I do, indeed, -Miss Leicester--that we shall be able to set this all right. I have -written him a prescription which ought to do great things. So you have -no cause for anxiety." - -My brother insisted on having the prescription made up by a chemist in -the neighborhood; it was an odd old-fashioned shop, devoid of the -studied coquetry and calculated glitter that make so gay a show on the -counters and shelves of the modern apothecary; but Francis liked the old -chemist, and believed in the scrupulous purity of his drugs. The -medicine was sent in due course, and I saw that my brother took it -regularly after lunch and dinner. It was an innocent-looking white -powder, of which a little was dissolved, in a glass of cold water. I -stirred it in, and it seemed to disappear, leaving the water clear and -colorless. At first Francis seemed to benefit greatly; the weariness -vanished from his face, and he became more cheerful than he had ever -been since the time when he left school; he talked gayly of reforming -himself, and avowed to me that he had wasted his time. - -"I have given too many hours to law," he said, laughing; "I think you -have saved me in the nick of time. Come, I shall be Lord Chancellor yet, -but I must not forget life. You and I will have a holiday together -before long; we will go to Paris and enjoy ourselves, and keep away from -the Bibliotheque Nationale." - -I confessed myself delighted with the prospect. - -"When shall we go?" I said. "I can start the day after to-morrow, if you -like." - -"Ah, that is perhaps a little too soon; after all, I do not know London -yet, and I suppose a man ought to give the pleasures of his own country -the first choice. But we will go off together in a week or two, so try -and furbish up your French. I only know law French myself, and I am -afraid that wouldn't do." - -We were just finishing dinner, and he quaffed off his medicine with a -parade of carousal as if it had been wine from some choicest bin. - -"Has it any particular taste?" I said. - -"No; I should not know I was not drinking water," and he got up from his -chair, and began to pace up and down the room as if he were undecided as -to what he should do next. - -"Shall we have coffee in the drawing-room," I said, "or would you like -to smoke?" - -"No; I think I will take a turn, it seems a pleasant evening. Look at -the afterglow; why, it is as if a great city were burning in flames, and -down there between the dark houses it is raining blood fast, fast. Yes, -I will go out. I may be in soon, but I shall take my key, so good-night, -dear, if I don't see you again." - -The door slammed behind him, and I saw him walk lightly down the street, -swinging his malacca cane, and I felt grateful to Dr. Haberden for such -an improvement. - -I believe my brother came home very late that night; but he was in a -merry mood the next morning. - -"I walked on without thinking where I was going," he said, "enjoying the -freshness of the air, and livened by the crowds as I reached more -frequented quarters. And then I met an old college friend, Orford, in -the press of the pavement, and then--well, we enjoyed ourselves. I have -felt what it is to be young and a man, I find I have blood in my veins, -as other men have. I made an appointment with Orford for to-night; there -will be a little party of us at the restaurant. Yes, I shall enjoy -myself for a week or two, and hear the chimes at midnight, and then we -will go for our little trip together." - -Such was the transmutation of my brother's character that in a few days -he became a lover of pleasure, a careless and merry idler of western -pavements, a hunter out of snug restaurants, and a fine critic of -fantastic dancing; he grew fat before my eyes, and said no more of -Paris, for he had clearly found his Paradise in London. I rejoiced, and -yet wondered a little, for there was, I thought, something in his gayety -that indefinitely displeased me, though I could not have defined my -feeling. But by degrees there came a change; he returned still in the -cold, hours of the morning, but I heard no more about his pleasures, and -one morning as we sat at breakfast together, I looked suddenly into his -eyes and saw a stranger before me. - -"Oh, Francis!" I cried; "Oh, Francis, Francis, what have you done?" and -rending sobs cut the words short, and I went weeping out of the room, -for though I knew nothing, yet I knew all, and by some odd play of -thought I remembered the evening when he first went abroad to prove his -manhood, and the picture of the sunset sky glowed before me; the clouds -like a city in burning flames, and the rain of blood. Yet I did battle -with such thoughts, resolving that perhaps, after all, no great harm -had been done, and in the evening at dinner I resolved to press him to -fix a day for our holiday in Paris. We had talked easily enough, and my -brother had just taken his medicine, which he had continued all the -while. I was about to begin my topic, when the words forming in my mind -vanished, and I wondered for a second what icy and intolerable weight -oppressed my heart and suffocated me as with the unutterable horror of -the coffin-lid nailed down on the living. - -We had dined without candles, and the room had slowly grown from -twilight to gloom, and the walls and corners were indistinct in the -shadow. But from where I sat I looked out into the street; and as I -thought of what I would say to Francis, the sky began to flush and -shine, as it had done on a well-remembered evening, and in the gap -between two dark masses that were houses an awful pageantry of flame -appeared. Lurid whorls of writhed cloud, and utter depths burning, and -gray masses like the fume blown from a smoking city, and an evil glory -blazing far above shot with tongues of more ardent fire, and below as if -there were a deep pool of blood. I looked down to where my brother sat -facing me, and the words were shaped on my lips, when I saw his hand -resting on the table. Between the thumb and forefinger of the closed -hand, there was a mark, a small patch about the size of a sixpence, and -somewhat of the color of a bad bruise. Yet, by some sense I cannot -define, I knew that what I saw was no bruise at all. Oh, if human flesh -could burn with flame, and if flame could be black as pitch, such was -that before me! Without thought or fashioning of words, gray horror -shaped within me at the sight, and in an inner cell it was known to be a -brand. For a moment the stained sky became dark as midnight, and when -the light returned to me, I was alone in the silent room, and soon after -I heard my brother go out. - -Late as it was, I put on my bonnet and went to Dr. Haberden, and in his -great consulting-room, ill-lighted by a candle which the doctor brought -in with him, with stammering lips, and a voice that would break in spite -of my resolve, I told him all; from the day on which my brother began to -take the medicine down to the dreadful thing I had seen scarcely half an -hour before. - -When I had done, the doctor looked at me for a minute with an expression -of great pity on his face. - -"My dear Miss Leicester," he said, "you have evidently been anxious -about your brother; you have been worrying over him, I am sure. Come, -now, is it not so? - -"I have certainly been anxious," I said. "For the last week or two I -have not felt at ease." - -"Quite so; you know, of course, what a queer thing the brain is?" - -"I understand what you mean; but I was not deceived. I saw what I have -told you with my own eyes." - -"Yes, yes, of course. But your eyes had been staring at that very -curious sunset we had to-night. That is the only explanation. You will -see it in the proper light to-morrow, I am sure. But, remember, I am -always ready to give any help that is in my power; do not scruple to -come to me, or to send for me if you are in any distress." - -I went away but little comforted, all confusion and terror and sorrow, -not knowing where to turn. When my brother and I met the next day, I -looked quickly at him, and noticed, with a sickening at heart, that the -right hand, the hand on which I had clearly seen the patch as of a black -fire, was wrapped up with a handkerchief. - -"What is the matter with your hand, Francis?" I said in a steady voice. - -"Nothing of consequence. I cut a finger last night, and it bled rather -awkwardly, so I did it up roughly to the best of my ability." - -"I will do it neatly for you, if you like." - -"No, thank you, dear, this will answer very well. Suppose we have -breakfast; I am quite hungry." - -We sat down, and I watched him. He scarcely ate or drank at all, but -tossed his meat to the dog when he thought my eyes were turned away; and -there was a look in his eyes that I had never yet seen, and the thought -fled across my mind that it was a look that was scarcely human. I was -firmly convinced that awful and incredible as was the thing I had seen -the night before, yet it was no illusion, no glamour of bewildered -sense, and in the course of the morning I went again to the doctor's -house. - -He shook his head with an air puzzled and incredulous, and seemed to -reflect for a few minutes. - -"And you say he still keeps up the medicine? But why? As I understand, -all the symptoms he complained of have disappeared long ago; why should -he go on taking the stuff when he is quite well? And by the bye where -did he get it made up? At Sayce's? I never send any one there; the old -man is getting careless. Suppose you come with me to the chemist's; I -should like to have some talk with him." - -We walked together to the shop. Old Sayce knew Dr. Haberden, and was -quite ready to give any information. - -"You have been sending that in to Mr. Leicester for some weeks, I think, -on my prescription," said the doctor, giving the old man a pencilled -scrap of paper. - -The chemist put on his great spectacles with trembling uncertainty, and -held up the paper with a shaking hand. - -"Oh, yes," he said, "I have very little of it left; it is rather an -uncommon drug, and I have had it in stock some time. I must get in some -more, if Mr. Leicester goes on with it." - -"Kindly let me have a look at the stuff," said Haberden; and the chemist -gave him a glass bottle. He took out the stopper and smelt the contents, -and looked strangely at the old man. - -"Where did you get this?" he said, "and what is it? For one thing, Mr. -Sayce, it is not what I prescribed. Yes, yes, I see the label is right -enough, but I tell you this is not the drug." - -"I have had it a long time," said the old man, in feeble terror. "I got -it from Burbage's in the usual way. It is not prescribed often, and I -have had it on the shelf for some years. You see there is very little -left." - -"You had better give it to me," said Haberden. "I am afraid something -wrong has happened." - -We went out of the shop in silence, the doctor carrying the bottle -neatly wrapped in paper under his arm. - -"Dr. Haberden," I said when we had walked a little way--"Dr. Haberden." - -"Yes," he said, looking at me gloomily enough. - -"I should like you to tell me what my brother has been taking twice a -day for the last month or so." - -"Frankly, Miss Leicester, I don't know. We will speak of this when we -get to my house," - -We walked on quickly without another word till we reached Dr. -Haberden's. He asked me to sit down, and began pacing up and down the -room, his face clouded over, as I could see, with no common fears. - -"Well," he said at length, "this is all very strange; it is only natural -that you should feel alarmed, and I must confess that my mind is far -from easy. We will put aside, if you please, what you told me last night -and this morning, but the fact remains that for the last few weeks Mr. -Leicester has been impregnating his system with a drug which is -completely unknown to me. I tell you, it is not what I ordered; and what -that stuff in the bottle really is remains to be seen." - -He undid the wrapper, and cautiously tilted a few grains of the white -powder on to a piece of paper, and peered curiously at it. - -"Yes," he said, "it is like the sulphate of quinine, as you say; it is -flaky. But smell it." - -He held the bottle to me, and I bent over it. It was a strange sickly -smell, vaporous and overpowering, like some strong anaesthetic. - -"I shall have it analyzed," said Haberden. "I have a friend who has -devoted his whole life to chemistry as a science. Then we shall have -something to go upon. No, no, say no more about that other matter; I -cannot listen to that, and take my advice and think no more about it -yourself." - -That evening my brother did not go out as usual after dinner. - -"I have had my fling," he said with a queer laugh; "and I must go back -to my old ways. A little law will be quite a relaxation after so sharp a -dose of pleasure," and he grinned to himself, and soon after went up to -his room. His hand was still all bandaged. - -Dr. Haberden called a few days later. - -"I have no special news to give you," he said. "Chambers is out of town, -so I know no more about that stuff than you do. But I should like to see -Mr. Leicester if he is in." - -"He is in his room," I said; "I will tell him you are here." - -"No, no, I will go up to him; we will have a little quiet talk together. -I dare say that we have made a good deal of fuss about very little; for, -after all, whatever the white powder may be, it seems to have done him -good." - -The doctor went upstairs, and standing in the hall I heard his knock, -and the opening and shutting of the door; and then I waited in the -silent house for an hour, and the stillness grew more and more intense -as the hands of the clock crept round. Then there sounded from above the -noise of a door shut sharply, and the doctor was coming down the stairs. -His footsteps crossed the hall, and there was a pause at the door. I -drew a long sick breath with difficulty, and saw my face white in a -little mirror, and he came in and stood at the door. There was an -unutterable horror shining in his eyes; he steadied himself by holding -the back of a chair with one hand, and his lower lip trembled like a -horse's, and he gulped and stammered unintelligible sounds before he -spoke. - -"I have seen that man," he began in a dry whisper. "I have been sitting -in his presence for the last hour. My God! and I am alive and in my -senses! I, who have dealt with death all my life, and have dabbled with -the melting ruins of the earthly tabernacle. But not this! Oh, not this," -and he covered his face with his hands as if to shut out the sight -of something before him. - -"Do not send for me again, Miss Leicester," he said with more composure. -"I can do nothing in this house. Good-bye." - -As I watched him totter down the steps and along the pavement towards -his house, it seemed to me that he had aged by ten years since the -morning. - -My brother remained in his room. He called out to me in a voice I hardly -recognized, that he was very busy, and would like his meals brought to -his door and left there, and I gave the order to the servants. From that -day it seemed as if the arbitrary conception we call time had been -annihilated for me. I lived in an ever present sense of horror, going -through the routine of the house mechanically, and only speaking a few -necessary words to the servants. Now and then I went out and paced the -streets for an hour or two and came home again; but whether I were -without or within, my spirit delayed before the closed door of the upper -room, and, shuddering, waited for it to open. I have said that I -scarcely reckoned time, but I suppose it must have been a fortnight -after Dr. Haberden's visit that I came home from my stroll a little -refreshed and lightened. The air was sweet and pleasant, and the hazy -form of green leaves, floating cloud-like in the square, and the smell -of blossoms, had charmed my senses, and I felt happier and walked more -briskly. As I delayed a moment at the verge of the pavement, waiting for -a van to pass by before crossing over to the house, I happened to look -up at the windows, and instantly there was the rush and swirl of deep -cold waters in my ears, and my heart leapt up, and fell down, down as -into a deep hollow, and I was amazed with a dread and terror without -form or shape. I stretched out a hand blindly through folds of thick -darkness, from the black and shadowy valley, and held myself from -falling, while the stones beneath my feet rocked and swayed and tilted, -and the sense of solid things seemed to sink away from under me. I had -glanced up at the window of my brother's study, and at that moment the -blind was drawn aside, and something that had life stared out into the -world. Nay, I cannot say I saw a face or any human likeness; a living -thing, two eyes of burning flame glared at me, and they were in the -midst of something as formless as my fear, the symbol and presence of -all evil and all hideous corruption. I stood shuddering and quaking as -with the grip of ague, sick with unspeakable agonies of fear and -loathing, and for five minutes I could not summon force or motion to my -limbs. When I was within the door, I ran up the stairs to my brother's -room, and knocked. - -"Francis, Francis," I cried, "for heaven's sake answer me. What is the -horrible thing in your room? Cast it out, Francis, cast it from you!" - -I heard a noise as of feet shuffling slowly and awkwardly, and a -choking, gurgling sound, as if some one was struggling to find -utterance, and then the noise of a voice, broken and stifled, and words -that I could scarcely understand. - -"There is nothing here," the voice said, "Pray do not disturb me. I am -not very well to-day." - -I turned away, horrified and yet helpless. I could do nothing, and I -wondered why Francis had lied to me, for I had seen the appearance -beyond the glass too plainly to be deceived, though it was but the sight -of a moment. And I sat still, conscious that there had been something -else, something I had seen in the first flash of terror before those -burning eyes had looked at me. Suddenly I remembered; as I lifted my -face the blind was being drawn back, and I had had an instant's glance -of the thing that was moving it, and in my recollection I knew that a -hideous image was engraved forever on my brain. It was not a hand: there -were no fingers that held the blind, but a black stump pushed it aside; -the mouldering outline and the clumsy movement as of a beast's paw had -glowed into my senses before the darkling waves of terror had -overwhelmed me as I went down quick into the pit. My mind was aghast at -the thought of this, and of the awful presence that dwelt with my -brother in his room; I went to his door and cried to him again, but no -answer came. That night one of the servants came up to me and told me in -a whisper that for three days food had been regularly placed at the door -and left untouched; the maid had knocked, but had received no answer; -she had heard the noise of shuffling feet that I had noticed. Day after -day went by, and still my brother's meals were brought to his door and -left untouched; and though I knocked and called again and again, I could -get no answer. The servants began to talk to me; it appeared they were -as alarmed as I. The cook said that when my brother first shut himself -up in his room, she used to hear him come out at night and go about the -house; and once, she said, the hall door had opened and closed again, -but for several nights she had heard no sound. The climax came at last. -It was in the dusk of the evening, and I was sitting in the darkening -dreary room when a terrible shriek jarred and rang harshly out of the -silence, and I heard a frightened scurry of feet dashing down the -stairs. I waited, and the servant maid staggered into the room and faced -me, white and trembling. - -"O Miss Helen," she whispered. "Oh, for the Lord's sake, Miss Helen, -what has happened? Look at my hand, miss; look at that hand!" I drew her -to the window, and saw there was a black wet stain upon her hand. - -"I do not understand you," I said. "Will you explain to me?" - -"I was doing your room just now," she began. "I was turning down the -bedclothes, and all of a sudden there was something fell upon my hand -wet, and I looked up, and the ceiling was black and dripping on me." - -I looked bard at her, and bit my lip. "Come with me," I said. "Bring -your candle with you." - -The room I slept in was beneath my brother's, and as I went in I felt I -was trembling. I looked up at the ceiling, and saw a patch, all black -and wet and a dew of black drops upon it, and a pool of horrible liquor -soaking into the white bedclothes. - -I ran upstairs and knocked loudly. - -"O Francis, Francis, my dear brother," I cried, "what has happened to -you?" - -And I listened. There was a sound of choking, and a noise like water -bubbling and regurgitating, but nothing else, and I called louder, but -no answer came. - -In spite of what Dr. Haberden had said, I went to him, and with tears -streaming down my cheeks, I told him of all that had happened, and he -listened to me with a face set hard and grim. - -"For your father's sake," he said at last, "I will go with you, though I -can do nothing." - -We went out together; the streets were dark and silent, and heavy with -heat and a drought of many weeks. I saw the doctor's face white under -the gas-lamps, and when we reached the house his hand was shaking. We -did not hesitate, but went upstairs directly. I held the lamp, and he -called out in a loud, determined voice:-- - -"Mr. Leicester, do you hear me? I insist on seeing you. Answer me at -once." - -There was no answer, but we both heard that choking noise I have -mentioned. - -"Mr. Leicester, I am waiting for you. Open the door this instant, or I -shall break it down." And he called a third time in a voice that rang -and echoed from the walls. - -"Mr. Leicester! For the last time I order you to open the door." - -"Ah!" he said, after a pause of heavy silence, "we are wasting time -here. Will you be so kind as to get me a poker, or something of the -kind?" - -I ran into a little room at the back where odd articles were kept, and -found a heavy adze-like tool that I thought might serve the doctor's -purpose. - -"Very good," he said, "that will do, I dare say. I give you notice, Mr. -Leicester," he cried loudly at the keyhole, "that I am now about to break -into your room." - -Then I heard the wrench of the adze, and the woodwork split and cracked -under it, and with a loud crash the door suddenly burst open; and for a -moment we started back aghast at a fearful screaming cry, no human -voice, but as the roar of a monster, that burst forth inarticulate and -struck at us out of the darkness. - -"Hold the lamp," said the doctor, and we went in and glanced quickly -round the room. "There it is," said Dr. Haberden, drawing a quick -breath; "look, in that corner." - -I looked, and a pang of horror seized my heart as with a white-hot iron. -There upon the floor was a dark and putrid mass, seething with -corruption and hideous rottenness, neither liquid nor solid, but -melting and changing before our eyes, and bubbling with unctuous oily -bubbles like boiling pitch. And out of the midst of it shone two burning -points like eyes, and I saw a writhing and stirring as of limbs, and -something moved and lifted up that might have been an arm. The doctor -took a step forward, and raised the iron bar and struck at the burning -points, and drove in the weapon, and struck again and again in a fury of -loathing. At last the thing was quiet. - - * * * * * - -A week or two later, when I had to some extent recovered from the -terrible shock, Dr. Haberden came to see me. - -"I have sold my practice," he began, "and to-morrow I am sailing on a -long voyage. I do not know whether I shall ever return to England; in -all probability I shall buy a little land in California, and settle -there for the remainder of my life. I have brought you this packet, -which you may open and read when you feel able to do so. It contains the -report of Dr. Chambers on what I submitted to him. Good-bye, Miss -Leicester, good-bye." - -When he was gone, I opened the envelope; I could not wait, and proceeded -to read the papers within. Here is the manuscript; and if you will allow -me, I will read you the astounding story it contains. - -"My dear Haberden," the letter began, "I have delayed inexcusably in -answering your questions as to the white substance you sent me. To tell -you the truth, I have hesitated for some time as to what course I should -adopt, for there is a bigotry and an orthodox standard in physical -science as in theology, and I knew that if I told you the truth I -should offend rooted prejudices which I once held dear myself. However, -I have determined to be plain with you, and first I must enter into a -short personal explanation. - -"You have known me, Haberden, for many years as a scientific man; you -and I have often talked of our profession together, and discussed the -hopeless gulf that opens before the feet of those who think to attain to -truth by any means whatsoever, except the beaten way of experiment and -observation, in the sphere of material things. I remember the scorn with -which you have spoken to me of men of science who have dabbled a little -in the unseen, and have timidly hinted that perhaps the senses are not, -after all, the eternal, impenetrable bounds of all knowledge, the -everlasting walls beyond which no human being has ever passed. We have -laughed together heartily, and I think justly, at the "occult" follies -of the day, disguised under various names,--the mesmerisms, -spiritualisms, materializations, theosophies, all the rabble rant of -imposture, with their machinery of poor tricks and feeble conjuring, the -true back-parlor magic of shabby London streets. Yet, in spite of what I -have said, I must confess to you that I am no materialist, taking the -word of course in its usual signification. It is now many years since I -have convinced myself, convinced myself a sceptic remember, that the old -iron-bound theory is utterly and entirely false. Perhaps this confession -will not wound you so sharply as it would have done twenty years ago; -for I think you cannot have failed to notice that for some time -hypotheses have been advanced by men of pure science which are nothing -less than transcendental, and I suspect that most modern chemists and -biologists of repute would not hesitate to subscribe the _dictum_ of the -old Schoolman, _Omnia exeunt in mysterium_, which means, I take it, that -every branch of human knowledge if traced up to its source and final -principles vanishes into mystery. I need not trouble you now with a -detailed account of the painful steps which led me to my conclusions; a -few simple experiments suggested a doubt as to my then standpoint, and a -train of thought that rose from circumstances comparatively trifling -brought me far. My old conception of the universe has been swept away, -and I stand in a world that seems as strange and awful to me as the -endless waves of the ocean seen for the first time, shining, from a Peak -in Darien. Now I know that the walls of sense that seemed so -impenetrable, that seemed to loom up above the heavens and to be founded -below the depths, and to shut us in forevermore, are no such everlasting -impassable barriers as we fancied, but thinnest and most airy veils that -melt away before the seeker, and dissolve as the early mist of the -morning about the brooks. I know that you never adopted the extreme -materialistic position: you did not go about trying to prove a universal -negative, for your logical sense withheld you from that crowning -absurdity; yet I am sure that you will find all that I am saying strange -and repellent to your habits of thought. Yet, Haberden, what I tell you -is the truth, nay, to adopt our common language, the sole and scientific -truth, verified by experience; and the universe is verily more splendid -and more awful than we used to dream. The whole universe, my friend, is -a tremendous sacrament; a mystic, ineffable force and energy, veiled by -an outward form of matter; and man, and the sun and the other stars, and -the flower of the grass, and the crystal in the test-tube, are each and -every one as spiritual, as material, and subject to an inner working. - -"You will perhaps wonder, Haberden, whence all this tends; but I think a -little thought will make it clear. You will understand that from such a -standpoint the whole view of things is changed, and what we thought -incredible and absurd may be possible enough. In short, we must look at -legend and belief with other eyes, and be prepared to accept tales that -had become mere fables. Indeed, this is no such great demand. After all, -modern science will concede as much, in a hypocritical manner. You must -not, it is true, believe in witchcraft, but you may credit hypnotism; -ghosts are out of date, but there is a good deal to be said for the -theory of telepathy. Give a superstition a Greek name, and believe in -it, should almost be a proverb. - -"So much for my personal explanation. You sent me, Haberden, a phial, -stoppered and sealed, containing a small quantity of a flaky white -powder, obtained from a chemist who has been dispensing it to one of -your patients. I am not surprised to hear that this powder refused to -yield any results to your analysis. It is a substance which was known to -a few many hundred years ago, but which I never expected to have -submitted to me from the shop of a modern apothecary. There seems no -reason to doubt the truth of the man's tale; he no doubt got, as he -says, the rather uncommon salt you prescribed from the wholesale -chemist's; and it has probably remained on his shelf for twenty years, -or perhaps longer. Here what we call chance and coincidence begins to -work; during all these years the salt in the bottle was exposed to -certain recurring variations of temperature, variations probably ranging -from 40 deg. to 80 deg. And, as it happens, such changes, recurring year after -year at irregular intervals, and with varying degrees of intensity and -duration, have constituted a process, and a process so complicated and -so delicate, that I question whether modern scientific apparatus -directed with the utmost precision could produce the same result. The -white powder you sent me is something very different from the drug you -prescribed; it is the powder from which the wine of the Sabbath, the -_Vinum Sabbati_ was prepared. No doubt you have read of the Witches' -Sabbath, and have laughed at the tales which terrified our ancestors; -the black cats, and the broomsticks, and dooms pronounced against some -old woman's cow. Since I have known the truth I have often reflected -that it is on the whole a happy thing that such burlesque as this is -believed, for it serves to conceal much that it is better should not be -known generally. However, if you care to read the appendix to Payne -Knight's monograph, you will find that the true Sabbath was something -very different, though the writer has very nicely refrained from -printing all he knew. The secrets of the true Sabbath were the secrets -of remote times surviving into the Middle Ages, secrets of an evil -science which existed long before Aryan man entered Europe. Men and -women, seduced from their homes on specious pretences, were met by -beings well qualified to assume, as they did assume, the part of devils, -and taken by their guides to some, desolate and lonely place, known to -the initiate by long tradition and unknown to all else. Perhaps it was a -cave in some bare and wind-swept hill; perhaps some inmost recess of a -great forest, and there the Sabbath was held. There, in the blackest -hour of night, the _Vinum Sabbati_ was prepared, and this evil graal was -poured forth and offered to the neophytes, and they partook of an -infernal sacrament; _sumentes calicem principis inferorum,_ as an old -author well expresses it. And suddenly, each one that had drunk found -himself attended by a companion, a shape of glamour and unearthly -allurement, beckoning him apart to share in joys more exquisite, more -piercing than the thrill of any dream, to the consummation of the -marriage of the Sabbath. It is hard to write of such things as these, -and chiefly because that shape that allured with loveliness was no -hallucination, but, awful as it is to express, the man himself. By the -power of that Sabbath wine, a few grains of white powder thrown into a -glass of water, the house of life was riven asunder, and the human -trinity dissolved, and the worm which never dies, that which lies -sleeping within us all, was made tangible and an external thing, and -clothed with a garment of flesh. And then in the hour of midnight, the -primal fall was repeated and represented, and the awful thing veiled in -the mythos of the Tree in the Garden was done anew. Such was the -_nuptiae Sabbati_. - -"I prefer to say no more; you, Haberden, know as well as I do that the -most trivial laws of life are not to be broken with impunity; and for so -terrible an act as this, in which the very inmost place of the temple -was broken open and defiled, a terrible vengeance followed. What began -with corruption ended also with corruption." - - * * * * * - -Underneath is the following in Dr. Haberden's writing:-- - -"The whole of the above is unfortunately strictly and entirely true. -Your brother confessed all to me on that morning when I saw him in his -room. My attention was first attracted to the bandaged hand, and I -forced him to show it me. What I saw made me, a medical man of many -years standing, grow sick with loathing; and the story I was forced to -listen to was infinitely more frightful than I could have believed -possible. It has tempted me to doubt the Eternal Goodness which can -permit nature to offer such hideous possibilities; and if you had not -with your own eyes seen the end, I should have said to you--disbelieve -it all. I have not, I think, many more weeks to live, but you are young, -and may forget all this. - - "JOSEPH HABERDEN, M.D." - -In the course of two or three months I heard that Dr. Haberden had died -at sea, shortly after the ship left England. - -Miss Leicester ceased speaking, and looked pathetically at Dyson, who -could not refrain from exhibiting some symptoms of uneasiness. - -He stuttered out some broken phrases expressive of his deep interest in -her extraordinary history, and then said with a better grace-- - -"But, pardon me, Miss Leicester, I understood you were in some -difficulty. You were kind enough to ask me to assist you in some way." - -"Ah," she said, "I had forgotten that. My own present trouble seems of -such little consequence in comparison with what I have told you. But as -you are so good to me, I will go on. You will scarcely believe it, but I -found that certain persons suspected, or rather pretended to suspect -that I had murdered my brother. These persons were relatives of mine, -and their motives were extremely sordid ones; but I actually found -myself subject to the shameful indignity of being watched. Yes, sir, my -steps were dogged when I went abroad, and at home I found myself exposed -to constant if artful observation. With my high spirit this was more -than I could brook, and I resolved to set my wits to work and elude the -persons who were shadowing me. I was so fortunate as to succeed. I -assumed this disguise, and for some time have lain snug and unsuspected. -But of late I have reason to believe that the pursuer is on my track; -unless I am greatly deceived, I saw yesterday the detective who is -charged with the odious duty of observing my movements. You, sir, are -watchful and keen-sighted; tell me, did you see any one lurking about -this evening?" - -"I hardly think so," said Dyson, "but perhaps you would give me some -description of the detective in question." - -"Certainly; he is a youngish man, dark, with dark whiskers. He has -adopted spectacles of large size in the hope of disguising himself -effectually, but he cannot disguise his uneasy manner, and the quick, -nervous glances he casts to right and left." - -This piece of description was the last straw for the unhappy Dyson, who -was foaming with impatience to get out of the house, and would gladly -have sworn eighteenth century oaths if propriety had not frowned on such -a course. - -"Excuse me, Miss Leicester," he said with cold politeness, "I cannot -assist you." - -"Ah!" she said sadly, "I have offended you in some way. Tell me what I -have done, and I will ask you to forgive me." - -"You are mistaken," said Dyson, grabbing his hat, but speaking with some -difficulty; "you have done nothing. But, as I say, I cannot help you. -Perhaps," he added, with some tinge of sarcasm, "my friend Russell might -be of service." - -"Thank you," she replied; "I will try him," and the lady went off into a -shriek of laughter, which filled up Mr. Dyson's cup of scandal and -confusion. - -He left the house shortly afterwards, and had the peculiar delight of a -five-mile walk, through streets which slowly changed from black to gray, -and from gray to shining passages of glory for the sun to brighten. Here -and there he met or overtook strayed revellers, but he reflected that no -one could have spent the night in a more futile fashion than himself; -and when he reached his home he had made resolves for reformation. He -decided that he would abjure all Milesian and Arabian methods of -entertainment, and subscribe to Mudie's for a regular supply of mild and -innocuous romance. - - - - -STRANGE OCCURRENCE IN CLERKENWELL. - - -Mr. Dyson had inhabited for some years a couple of rooms in a moderately -quiet street in Bloomsbury, where, as he somewhat pompously expressed -it, he held his finger on the pulse of life without being deafened with -the thousand rumors of the main arteries of London. It was to him a -source of peculiar, if esoteric gratification, that from the adjacent -corner of Tottenham Court Road a hundred lines of omnibuses went to the -four quarters of the town; he would dilate on the facilities for -visiting Dalston, and dwell on the admirable line that knew extremest -Ealing and the streets beyond Whitechapel. His rooms, which had been -originally "furnished apartments," he had gradually purged of their more -peccant parts; and though one would not find here the glowing splendors -of his old chambers in the street off the Strand, there was something of -severe grace about the appointments which did credit to his taste. The -rugs were old, and of the true faded beauty; the etchings, nearly all of -them proofs printed by the artist, made a good show with broad white -margins and black frames, and there was no spurious black oak. Indeed, -there was but little furniture of any kind: a plain and honest table, -square and sturdy, stood in one corner; a seventeenth century settle -fronted the hearth; and two wooden elbow-chairs, and a bookshelf of the -Empire made up the equipment, with an exception worthy of note. For -Dyson cared for none of these things. His place was at his own bureau, a -quaint old piece of lacquered-work at which he would sit for hour after -hour, with his back to the room, engaged in the desperate pursuit of -literature, or, as he termed his profession, the chase of the phrase. -The neat array of pigeon-holes and drawers teemed and overflowed with -manuscript and note-books, the experiments and efforts of many years; -and the inner well, a vast and cavernous receptacle, was stuffed with -accumulated ideas. Dyson was a craftsman who gloved all the detail and -the technique of his work intensely; and if, as has been hinted, he -deluded himself a little with the name of artist, yet his amusements -were eminently harmless, and, so far as can be ascertained, he (or the -publishers) had chosen the good part of not tiring the world with -printed matter. - -Here, then, Dyson would shut himself up with his fancies, experimenting -with words, and striving, as his friend the recluse of Bayswater strove, -with the almost invincible problem of style, but always with a fine -confidence, extremely different from the chronic depression of the -realist. He had been almost continuously at work on some scheme that -struck him as well-nigh magical in its possibilities since the night of -his adventure with the ingenious tenant of the first floor in Abingdon -Grove; and as he laid down the pen with a glow of triumph, he reflected -that he had not viewed, the streets for five days in succession. With -all the enthusiasm of his accomplished labor still working in his brain, -he put away his papers, and went out, pacing the pavement at first in -that rare mood of exultation which finds in every stone upon the way the -possibilities of a masterpiece. It was growing late, and the autumn -evening was drawing to a close amidst veils of haze and mist, and in the -stilled air the voices, and the roaring traffic, and incessant feet -seemed, to Dyson like the noise upon the stage when all the house is -silent. In the square, the leaves rippled down as quick as summer rain, -and the street beyond was beginning to flare with the lights in the -butcher's shops and the vivid illumination of the green-grocer. It was a -Saturday night, and the swarming populations of the slums were turning -out in force; the battered women in rusty black had begun to paw the -lumps of cagmag, and others gloated over unwholesome cabbages, and there -was a brisk demand for four-ale. Dyson passed through these night-fires -with some relief; he loved to meditate, but his thoughts were not as De -Quincey's after his dose; he cared not two straws whether onions were -dear or cheap, and would not have exulted if meat had fallen to twopence -a pound. Absorbed in the wilderness of the tale he had been writing, -weighing nicely the points of plot and construction, relishing the -recollection of this and that happy phrase, and dreading failure here -and there, he left the rush and the whistle of the gas-flares behind -him, and began to touch upon pavements more deserted. - -He had turned, without taking note, to the northward, and was passing -through an ancient fallen street, where now notices of floors and -offices to let hung out, but still about it there was the grace and the -stiffness of the Age of Wigs; a broad roadway, a broad pavement, and on -each side a grave line of houses with long and narrow windows flush with -the walls, all of mellowed brick-work. Dyson walked with quick steps, as -he resolved that short work must be made of a certain episode; but he -was in that happy humor of invention, and another chapter rose in the -inner chamber of his brain, and he dwelt on the circumstances he was to -write down with curious pleasure. It was charming to have the quiet -streets to walk in, and in his thought he made a whole district the -cabinet of his studies, and vowed he would come again. Heedless of his -course, he struck off to the east again, and soon found himself involved -in a squalid network of gray two-storied houses, and then in the waste -void and elements of brick-work, the passages and unmade roads behind -great factory walls, encumbered with the refuse of the neighborhood, -forlorn, ill-lighted, and desperate. A brief turn, and there rose before -him the unexpected, a hill suddenly lifted from the level ground, its -steep ascent marked by the lighted lamps, and eager as an explorer Dyson -found his way to the place, wondering where his crooked paths had -brought him. Here all was again decorous, but hideous in the extreme. -The builder, some one lost in the deep gloom of the early 'twenties, had -conceived the idea of twin villas in gray brick, shaped in a manner to -recall the outlines of the Parthenon, each with its classic form -broadly marked with raised bands of stucco. The name of the street was -all strange, and for a further surprise, the top of the hill was crowned -with an irregular plot of grass and fading trees, called a square, and -here again the Parthenon-motive had persisted. Beyond the streets were -curious, wild in their irregularities, here a row of sordid, dingy -dwellings, dirty and disreputable in appearance, and there, without -warning, stood a house genteel and prim with wire blinds and brazen -knocker, as clean and trim as if it had been the doctor's house in some -benighted little country town. These surprises and discoveries began to -exhaust Dyson, and he hailed with delight the blazing windows of a -public-house, and went in with the intention of testing the beverage -provided for the dwellers in this region, as remote as Libya and -Pamphylia and the parts about Mesopotamia. The babble of voices from -within warned him that he was about to assist at the true parliament of -the London workman, and he looked about him for that more retired -entrance called private. When he had settled himself on an exiguous -bench, and had ordered some beer, he began to listen to the jangling -talk in the public bar beyond; it was a senseless argument, alternately -furious and maudlin, with appeals to Bill and Tom, and mediaeval -survivals of speech, words that Chaucer wrote belched out with zeal and -relish, and the din of pots jerked down and coppers rapped smartly on -the zinc counter made a thorough bass for it all. Dyson was calmly -smoking his pipe between the sips of beer, when an indefinite looking -figure slid rather than walked into the compartment. The man started -violently when he saw Dyson placidly sitting in the corner, and glanced -keenly about him. He seemed to be on wires, controlled by some electric -machine, for he almost bolted out of the door when the barman asked with -what he could serve him, and his hand shivered as he took the glass. -Dyson inspected him with a little curiosity; he was muffled up almost to -the lips, and a soft felt hat was drawn down over his eyes; he looked as -if he shrank from every glance, and a more raucous voice suddenly -uplifted in the public bar seemed to find in him a sympathy that made -him shake and quiver like a jelly. It was pitiable to see any one so -thrilled with nervousness, and Dyson was about to address some trivial -remark of casual inquiry to the man, when another person came into the -compartment, and, laying a hand on his arm, muttered something in an -undertone, and vanished as he came. But Dyson had recognized him as the -smooth-tongued and smooth-shaven Burton, who had displayed so sumptuous -a gift in lying; and yet he thought little of it, for his whole faculty -of observation was absorbed in the lamentable and yet grotesque -spectacle before him. At the first touch of the hand on his arm, the -unfortunate man had wheeled round as if spun on a pivot, and shrank back -with a low, piteous cry, as if some dumb beast were caught in the toils. -The blood fled away from the wretch's face, and the skin became gray as -if a shadow of death had passed in the air and fallen on it, and Dyson -caught a choking whisper-- - -"Mr. Davies! For God's sake, have pity on me, Mr. Davies. On my oath, I -say--" and his voice sank to silence as he heard the message, and strove -in vain to bite his lip; and summon up to his aid some tinge of manhood. -He stood there a moment, wavering as the leaves of an aspen, and then he -was gone out into the street, as Dyson thought silently, with his doom -upon his head. He had not been gone a minute when it suddenly flashed -into Dyson's mind that he knew the man; it was undoubtedly the young man -with spectacles for whom so many ingenious persons were searching; the -spectacles indeed were missing, but the pale face, the dark whiskers, -and the timid glances were enough to identify him, Dyson saw at once -that by a succession of hazards he had unawares hit upon the scent of -some desperate conspiracy, wavering as the track of a loathsome snake in -and out of the highways and byways of the London cosmos; the truth was -instantly pictured before him, and he divined that all unconscious and -unheeding he had been privileged to see the shadows of hidden forms, -chasing and hurrying, and grasping and vanishing across the bright -curtain of common life, soundless and silent, or only babbling fables -and pretences. For him in an instant the jargoning of voices, the garish -splendor, and all the vulgar tumult of the public-house became part of -magic; for here before his eyes a scene in this grim mystery play had -been enacted, and he had seen human flesh grow gray with a palsy of -fear; the very hell of cowardice and terror had gaped wide within an -arm's breadth. In the midst of these reflections, the barman came up and -stared at him as if to hint that he had exhausted his right to take his -ease, and Dyson bought another lease of the seat by an order for more -beer. As he pondered the brief glimpse of tragedy, he recollected that -with his first start of haunted fear the young man with whiskers had -drawn his hand swiftly from his great coat pocket, and that he had heard -something fall to the ground; and pretending to have dropped his pipe, -Dyson began to grope in the corner, searching with his fingers. He -touched some thing, and drew it gently to him, and with one brief -glance, as he put it quietly in his pocket, he saw it was a little -old-fashioned note book, bound in faded green morocco. - -He drank down his beer at a gulp, and left the place, overjoyed at his -fortunate discovery, and busy with conjecture as to the possible -importance of the find. By turns he dreaded to find perhaps mere blank -leaves, or the labored follies of a betting-book, but the faded morocco -cover seemed to promise better things, and hint at mysteries. He piloted -himself with no little difficulty out of the sour and squalid quarter he -had entered with a light heart, and emerging at Gray's Inn Road, struck -off down Guilford Street, and hastened home, only anxious for a lighted -candle and solitude. - -Dyson sat down at his bureau, and placed the little book before him; it -was an effort to open the leaves and dare disappointment. But in -desperation at last he laid his finger between the pages at haphazard, -and rejoiced to see a compact range of writing with a margin, and as it -chanced, three words caught his glance, and stood out apart from the -mass. Dyson read: - - THE GOLD TIBERIUS, - -and his face flushed with fortune and the lust of the hunter. - -He turned at once to the first leaf of the pocket-book, and proceeded to -read with rapt interest the - - - - -HISTORY OF THE YOUNG MAN WITH SPECTACLES - - -From the filthy and obscure lodging, situated, I verily believe, in one -of the foulest slums of Clerkenwell, I indite this history of a life -which, daily threatened, cannot last for very much longer. Every day, -nay, every hour, I know too well my enemies are drawing their nets -closer about me; even now, I am condemned to be a close prisoner in my -squalid room, and I know that when I go out I shall go to my -destruction. This history, if it chance to fall into good hands, may, -perhaps, be of service in warning young men of the dangers and pitfalls -that most surely must accompany any deviation from the ways of -rectitude. - -My name is Joseph Walters. When I came of age I found myself in -possession of a small but sufficient income, and I determined that I -would devote my life to scholarship. I do not mean the scholarship of -these days; I had no intention of associating myself with men whose -lives are spent in the unspeakably degrading occupation of "editing" -classics, befouling the fair margins of the fairest books with idle and -superfluous annotation, and doing their utmost to give a lasting -disgust of all that is beautiful. An abbey church turned to the base use -of a stable or a bake-house is a sorry sight; but more pitiable still is -a masterpiece spluttered over with the commentator's pen, and his -hideous mark "cf." - -For my part I chose the glorious career of scholar in its ancient sense; -I longed to possess encyclopaedic learning, to grow old amongst books, to -distil day by day, and year after year, the inmost sweetness of all -worthy writings. I was not rich enough to collect a library, and I was -therefore forced to betake myself to the Reading-Room of the British -Museum. - -O dim, far-lifted and mighty dome, Mecca of many minds, mausoleum of -many hopes, sad house where all desires fail. For there men enter in -with hearts uplifted, and dreaming minds, seeing in those exalted stairs -a ladder to fame, in that pompous portico the gate of knowledge; and -going in, find but vain vanity, and all but in vain. There, when the -long streets are ringing, is silence, there eternal twilight, and the -odor of heaviness. But there the blood flows thin and cold, and the -brain burns adust; there is the hunt of shadows, and the chase of -embattled phantoms; a striving against ghosts, and a war that has no -victory. O dome, tomb of the quick; surely in thy galleries where no -reverberant voice can call, sighs whisper ever, and mutterings of dead -hopes; and there men's souls mount like moths towards the flame, and -fall scorched and blackened beneath thee, O dim, far-lifted, and mighty -dome. - -Bitterly do I now regret the day when I took my place at a desk for the -first time, and began my studies. I had not been an habitue of the place -for many months, when I became acquainted with a serene and benevolent -gentleman, a man somewhat past middle age, who nearly always occupied a -desk next to mine. In the Reading-Room it takes little to make an -acquaintance, a casual offer of assistance, a hint as to the search in -the catalogue, and the ordinary politeness of men who constantly sit -near each other; it was thus I came to know the man calling himself Dr. -Lipsius. By degrees I grew to look for his presence, and to miss him -when he was away, as was sometimes the case, and so a friendship sprang -up between us. His immense range of learning was placed freely at my -service; he would often astonish me by the way in which he would sketch -out in a few minutes the bibliography of a given subject, and before -long I had confided to him my ambitions. - -"Ah," he said, "you should have been a German. I was like that myself -when I was a boy. It is a wonderful resolve, an infinite career. 'I will -know all things;' yes, it is a device indeed. But it means this--a life -of labor without end, and a desire unsatisfied at last. The scholar has -to die, and die saying, 'I know very little.'" - -Gradually, by speeches such as these, Lipsius seduced me: he would -praise the career, and at the same time hint that it was as hopeless as -the search for the philosopher's stone, and so by artful suggestions, -insinuated with infinite address, he by degrees succeeded in undermining -all my principles. "After all," he used to say, "the greatest of all -sciences, the key to all knowledge, is the science and art of pleasure. -Rabelais was perhaps the greatest of all the encyclopaedic scholars; and -he, as you know, wrote the most remarkable book that has ever been -written. And what does he teach men in this book? Surely, the joy of -living. I need not remind you of the words, suppressed in most of the -editions, the key of all the Rabelaisian mythology, of all the enigmas -of his grand philosophy, _Vivez joyeux_. There you have all his -learning; his work is the institutes of pleasure as the fine art; the -finest art there is; the art of all arts. Rabelais had all science, but -he had all life too. And we have gone a long way since his time. You are -enlightened, I think; you do not consider all the petty rules and -by-laws that a corrupt society has made for its own selfish convenience -as the immutable decrees of the eternal." - -Such were the doctrines that he preached; and it was by such insidious -arguments, line upon line, here a little and there a little, that he at -last succeeded in making me a man at war with the whole social system. I -used to long for some opportunity to break the chains and to live a free -life, to be my own rule and measure. I viewed existence with the eyes of -a pagan, and Lipsius understood to perfection the art of stimulating the -natural inclinations of a young man hitherto a hermit. As I gazed up at -the great dome I saw it flushed with the flames and colors of a world of -enticement, unknown to me, my imagination played me a thousand wanton -tricks, and the forbidden drew me as surely as a loadstone draws on -iron. At last my resolution was taken, and I boldly asked Lipsius to be -my guide. - -He told me to leave the Museum at my usual hour, half past four, to walk -slowly along the northern pavement of Great Russell Street, and to wait -at the corner of the street till I was addressed, and then to obey in -all things the instructions of the person who came up to me. I carried -out these directions, and stood at the corner looking about me -anxiously, my heart beating fast, and my breath coming in gasps. I -waited there for some time, and had begun to fear I had been made the -object of a joke, when I suddenly became conscious of a gentleman who -was looking at me with evident amusement from the opposite pavement of -Tottenham Court Road. He came over, and raising his hat, politely begged -me to follow him, and I did so without a word, wondering where we were -going, and what was to happen. I was taken to a house of quiet and -respectable aspect in a street lying to the north of Oxford Street, and -my guide rang the bell, and a servant showed us into a large room, -quietly furnished, on the ground floor. We sat there in silence for some -time, and I noticed that the furniture, though unpretending, was -extremely valuable. There were large oak-presses, two book-cases of -extreme elegance, and in one corner a carved chest which must have been -mediaeval. Presently Dr. Lipsius came in and welcomed me with his usual -manner, and after some desultory conversation, my guide left the room. -Then an elderly man dropped in and began talking to Lipsius; and from -their conversation I understood that my friend was a dealer in antiques; -they spoke of the Hittite seal, and of the prospects of further -discoveries, and later, when two or three more persons had joined us, -there was an argument as to the possibility of a systematic exploration -of the pre-celtic monuments in England I was; in fact, present at an -archaeological reception of an informal kind; and at nine o'clock, when -the antiquaries were gone, I stared at Lipsius in a manner that showed I -was puzzled, and sought an explanation. - -"Now," he said, "we will go upstairs." - -As we passed up the stairs, Lipsius lighting the way with a hand-lamp, I -heard the sound of a jarring lock and bolts and bars shot on at the -front door. My guide drew back a baize door, and we went down a passage, -and I began to hear odd sounds, a noise of curious mirth, and then he -pushed me through a second door, and my initiation began. I cannot write -down what I witnessed that night; I cannot bear to recall what went on -in those secret rooms fast shuttered and curtained so that no light -should escape into the quiet street; they gave me red wine to drink, and -a woman told me as I sipped it that it was wine of the Red Jar that -Avallaunius had made. Another asked me how I liked the Wine of the -Fauns, and I heard a dozen fantastic names, while the stuff boiled in my -veins, and stirred, I think, something that had slept within me from the -moment I was born. It seemed as if my self-consciousness deserted me; I -was no longer a thinking agent, but at once subject and object. I -mingled in the horrible sport and watched the mystery of the Greek -groves and fountains enacted before me, saw the reeling dance, and heard -the music calling as I sat beside my mate, and yet I was outside it all, -and viewed my own part an idle spectator. Thus with strange rites they -made me drink the cup, and when I woke up in the morning I was one of -them, and had sworn to be faithful. At first I was shown the enticing -side of things. I was bidden to enjoy myself and care for nothing but -pleasure, and Lipsius himself indicated to me as the acutest enjoyment -the spectacle of the terrors of the unfortunate persons who were from -time to time decoyed into the evil house. But after a time it was -pointed out to me that I must take my share in the work, and so I found -myself compelled to be in my turn a seducer; and thus it is on my -conscience that I have led many to the depths of the pit. - -One day Lipsius summoned me to his private room, and told me that he had -a difficult task to give me. He unlocked a drawer, and gave me a sheet -of type-written paper, and had me read it. It was without place, or -date, or signature, and ran as follows:-- - -"Mr. James Headley, F.S.A., will receive from his agent in Armenia, on -the 12th inst., a unique coin, the gold Tiberius. It hears on the -reverse a faun, with the legend VICTORIA. It is believed that this coin -is of immense value. Mr. Headley will come up to town to show the coin -to his friend, Professor Memys, of Chenies Street, Oxford Street, on -some date between the 13th and the 18th." - -Dr. Lipsius chuckled at my face of blank surprise when I laid down this -singular communication. - -"You will have a good chance of showing your discretion," he said. "This -is not a common case; it requires great management and infinite tact. I -am sure I wish I had a Panurge in my service, but we will see what you -can do." - -"But is it not a joke?" I asked him. "How can you know, or rather how -can this correspondent of yours know that a coin has been despatched -from Armenia to Mr. Headley? And how is it possible to fix the period in -which Mr. Headley will take it into his head to come up to town? It -seems to me a lot of guess work." - -"My dear Mr. Walters," he replied; "we do not deal in guess work here. -It would bore you if I went into all these little details, the cogs and -wheels, if I may say so, which move the machine. Don't you think it is -much more amusing to sit in front of the house and be astonished, than -to be behind the scenes and see the mechanism? Better tremble at the -thunder, believe me, than see the man rolling the cannon ball. But, -after all, you needn't bother about the how and why; you have your share -to do. Of course, I shall give you full instructions, but a great deal -depends on the way the thing is carried out. I have often heard very -young men maintain that style is everything in literature, and I can -assure you that the same maxim holds good in our far more delicate -profession. With us style is absolutely everything, and that is why we -have friends like yourself." - -I went away in some perturbation; he had no doubt designedly left -everything in mystery, and I did not know what part I should have to -play. Though I had assisted at scenes of hideous revelry, I was not yet -dead to all echo of human feeling, and I trembled lest I should receive -the order to be Mr. Headley's executioner. - -A week later, it was on the sixteenth of the month, Dr. Lipsius made me -a sign to come into his room. - -"It is for to-night," he began. "Please to attend carefully to what I am -going to say, Mr. Walters, and on peril of your life, for it is a -dangerous matter,--on peril of your life I say, follow these -instructions to the letter. You understand? Well, to-night at about -half-past seven you will stroll quietly up the Hampstead Road till you -come to Vincent Street. Turn down here and walk along, taking the third -turning to your right, which is Lambert Terrace. Then follow the -terrace, cross the road, and go along Hertford Street, and so into -Lillington Square. The second turning you will come to in the square is -called Sheen Street; but in reality it is more a passage between blank -walls than a street. Whatever you do, take care to be at the corner of -this street at eight o'clock precisely. You will walk along it, and just -at the bend, where you lose sight of the square, you will find an old -gentleman with white beard and whiskers. He will in all probability be -abusing a cabman for having brought him to Sheen Street instead of -Chenies Street. You will go up to him quietly and offer your services; -he will tell you where he wants to go, and you will be so courteous as -to offer to show him the way. I may say that Professor Memys moved, -into Chenies Street a month ago; thus Mr. Headley has never been to see -him there, and moreover he is very short-sighted, and knows little of -the topography of London. Indeed he has quite lived the life of a -learned hermit at Audley Hall. - -"Well, need I say more to a man of your intelligence? You will bring him -to this house; he will ring the bell, and a servant in quiet livery will -let him in. Then your work will be done, and I am sure done well. You -will leave Mr. Headley at the door, and simply continue your walk, and I -shall hope to see you the next day. I really don't think there is -anything more I can tell you." - -These minute instructions I took care to carry out to the letter. I -confess that I walked up the Tottenham Court Road by no means blindly, -but with an uneasy sense that I was coming to a decisive point in my -life. The noise and rumor of the crowded pavements were to me but -dumb-show. I revolved again and again in ceaseless iteration the task -that had been laid on me, and I questioned myself as to the possible -results. As I got near the point of turning, I asked myself whether -danger were not about my steps; the cold thought struck me that I was -suspected and observed, and every chance foot-passenger who gave me a -second glance seemed to me an officer of police. My time was running -out, the sky had darkened, and I hesitated, half resolved to go no -farther, but to abandon Lipsius and his friends forever. I had almost -determined to take this course, when the conviction suddenly came to me -that the whole thing was a gigantic joke, a fabrication of rank -improbability. Who could have procured the information about the -Armenian agent, I asked myself. By what means could Lipsius have known -the particular day, and the very train that Mr. Headley was to take? How -engage him to enter one special cab amongst the dozens waiting at -Paddington? I vowed it a mere Milesian tale, and went forward merrily, -and turned down Vincent Street, and threaded out the route that Lipsius -had so carefully impressed upon me. The various streets he had named -were all places of silence and an oppressive cheap gentility; it was -dark, and I felt alone in the musty squares and crescents, where people -pattered by at intervals, and the shadows were growing blacker. I -entered Sheen Street, and found it, as Lipsius had said, more a passage -than a street; it was a by-way, on one side a low wall and neglected -gardens and grim backs of a line of houses, and on the other a timber -yard. I turned the corner, and lost sight of the square, and then to my -astonishment I saw the scene of which I had been told. A hansom cab had -come to a stop beside the pavement, and an old man carrying a handbag -was fiercely abusing the cabman, who sat on his perch the image of -bewilderment. - -"Yes, but I'm sure you said Sheen Street, and that's where I brought -you," I heard him saying, as I came up, and the old gentleman boiled in -a fury, and threatened police and suits at law. - -The sight gave me a shock; and in an instant I resolved to go through -with it. I strolled on, and without noticing the cabman, lifted my hat -politely to old Mr. Headley. - -"Pardon me, sir," I said, "but is there any difficulty? I see you are a -traveller; perhaps the cabman has made a mistake. Can I direct you?" - -The old fellow turned to me, and I noticed that he snarled and showed -his teeth like an ill-tempered cur as he spoke. - -"This drunken fool has brought me here," he said. "I told him to drive -to Chenies Street, and he brings me to this infernal place. I won't pay -him a farthing, and I meant to have given him a handsome sum. I am going -to call for the police and give him in charge." - -At this threat the cabman seemed to take alarm. He glanced round as if -to make sure that no policeman was in sight and drove off grumbling -loudly, and Mr. Headley grinned, savagely with satisfaction at having -saved his fare, and put back one and sixpence into his pocket, the -"handsome sum" the cabman had lost. - -"My dear sir," I said, "I am afraid this piece of stupidity has annoyed -you a great deal. It is a long way to Chenies Street, and you will have -some difficulty in finding the place unless you know London pretty -well." - -"I know it very little," he replied. "I never come up except on -important business, and I've never been to Chenies Street in my life." - -"Really? I should be happy to show you the way. I have been for a -stroll, and it will not at all inconvenience me to take you to your -destination." - -"I want to go to Professor Memys, at number 15. It's most annoying to -me. I'm short-sighted, and I can never make out the numbers on the -doors." - -"This way if you please," I said, and we set out. - -I did not find Mr. Headley an agreeable man; indeed, he grumbled the -whole way. He informed me of his name, and I took care to say, "The -well-known antiquary?" and thenceforth I was compelled to listen to the -history of his complicated squabbles with publishers, who had treated -him, as he said, disgracefully. The man was a chapter in the -Irritability of Authors. He told me that he had been on the point of -making the fortune of several firms, but had been compelled to abandon -the design owing to their rank ingratitude. Besides these ancient -histories of wrong and the more recent misadventure of the cabman, he -had another grievous complaint to make. As he came along in the train, -he had been sharpening a pencil, and the sudden jolt of the engine as it -drew up at a station had driven the penknife against his face, -inflicting a small triangular wound just on the cheek-bone, which he -showed me. He denounced the railway company, and heaped imprecations on -the head of the driver, and talked of claiming damages. Thus he grumbled -all the way, not noticing in the least where he was going, and so -inamiable did his conduct appear to me that I began to enjoy the trick I -was playing on him. - -Nevertheless my heart beat a little faster as we turned into the street -where Lipsius was waiting. A thousand accidents, I thought, might -happen. Some chance might bring one of Headley's friends to meet us; -perhaps, though he knew not Chenies Street, he might know the street -where I was taking him; in spite of his short-sight he might possibly -make out the number, or in a sudden fit of suspicion he might make an -inquiry of the policeman at the corner. Thus every step upon the -pavement, as we drew nearer to the goal, was to me a pang and a terror, -and every approaching passenger carried a certain threat of danger. I -gulped down my excitement with an effort, and made shift to say pretty -quietly:-- - -"No. 15, I think you said? That is the third house from this. If you -will allow me, I will leave you now; I have been delayed a little, and -my way lies on the other side of Tottenham Court Road." - -He snarled out some kind of thanks, and I turned my back and walked -swiftly in the opposite direction. A minute or two later, I looked round -and saw Mr. Headley standing on the doorstep, and then the door opened -and he went in. For my part I gave a sigh of relief, and hastened to get -away from the neighborhood and endeavored to enjoy myself in merry -company. - -The whole of the next day I kept away from Lipsius. I felt anxious, but -I did not know what had happened or what was happening, and a reasonable -regard for my own safety told me that I should do well to remain quietly -at home. My curiosity, however, to learn the end of the odd drama in -which I had played a part stung me to the quick, and late in the evening -I made up my mind to go and see how events had turned out. Lipsius -nodded when I came in, and asked me if I could give him five minutes' -talk. We went into his room, and he began to walk up and down, and I sat -waiting for him to speak. - -"My dear Mr. Walters," he said at length, "I congratulate you warmly. -Your work was done in the most thorough and artistic manner. You will go -far. Look." - -He went to his escritoire and pressed a secret spring, and a drawer flew -out, and he laid something on the table. It was a gold coin, and I took -it up and examined it eagerly, and read the legend about the figure of -the faun. - -"Victoria," I said, smiling. - -"Yes, it was a great capture, which we owe to you. I had great -difficulty in persuading Mr. Headley that a little mistake had been -made; that was how I put it. He was very disagreeable, and indeed -ungentlemanly about it; didn't he strike you as a very cross old man?" - -I held the coin, admiring the choice and rare design, clear cut as if -from the mint; and I thought the fine gold glowed and burned like a -lamp. - -"And what finally became of Mr. Headley?" I said at last. - -Lipsius smiled and shrugged his shoulders. - -"What on earth does it matter?" he said. "He might be here, or there, or -anywhere; but what possible consequence could it be? Besides, your -question rather surprises me. You are an intelligent man, Mr. Walters. -Just think it over, and I'm sure you won't repeat the question." - -"My dear sir," I said, "I hardly think you are treating me fairly. You -have paid me some handsome compliments on my share in the capture, and I -naturally wish to know how the matter ended. From what I saw of Mr. -Headley, I should think you must have had some difficulty with him." - -He gave me no answer for the moment, but began again to walk up and down -the room, apparently absorbed in thought. - -"Well," he said at last, "I suppose there is something in what you say. -We are certainly indebted to you. I have said, that I have a high -opinion of your intelligence, Mr. Walters. Just look here, will you." - -He opened a door communicating with another room and pointed. - -There was a great box lying on the floor; a queer coffin-shaped thing. I -looked at it and saw it was a mummy case like those in the British -Museum, vividly painted in the brilliant Egyptian colors, with I knew -not what proclamation of dignity or hopes of life immortal. The mummy, -swathed about in the robes of death, was lying within, and the face had -been uncovered. - -"You are going to send this away?" I said, forgetting the question I had -put. - -"Yes; I have an order from a local museum. Look a little more closely, -Mr. Walters." - -Puzzled by his manner, I peered into the face, while he held up the -lamp. The flesh was black with the passing of the centuries; but as I -looked I saw upon the right cheek-bone a small triangular scar, and the -secret of the mummy flashed upon me. I was looking at the dead body of -the man whom I had decoyed into that house. - -There was no thought or design of action in my mind. I held the accursed -coin in my hand, burning me with a foretaste of hell, and I fled as I -would have fled from pestilence and death, and dashed into the street -in blind horror, not knowing where I went. I felt the gold coin grasped -in my clenched list, and threw it away, I knew not where, and ran on and -on through by-streets and dark ways, till at last I issued out into a -crowded thoroughfare, and checked myself. Then, as consciousness -returned, I realized my instant peril, and understood what would happen -if I fell into the hands of Lipsius. I knew that I had put forth my -finger to thwart a relentless mechanism rather than a man; my recent -adventure with the unfortunate Mr. Headley had taught me that Lipsius -had agents in all quarters, and I foresaw that if I fell into his hands, -he would remain true to his doctrine of style, and cause me to die a -death of some horrible and ingenious torture. I bent my whole mind to -the task of outwitting him and his emissaries, three of whom I knew to -have proved their ability for tracking down persons who for various -reasons preferred to remain obscure. These servants of Lipsius were two -men and a woman, and the woman was incomparably the most subtle and the -most deadly. Yet I considered that I too had some portion of craft, and -I took my resolve. Since then I have matched myself day by day and hour -by hour against the ingenuity of Lipsius and his myrmidons. For a time I -was successful; though they beat furiously after me in the covert of -London, I remained _perdu_, and watched with some amusement their -frantic efforts to recover the scent lost in two or three minutes. Every -lure and wile was put forth to entice me from my hiding-place. I was -informed by the medium of the public prints that what I had taken had -been recovered, and meetings were proposed in which I might hope to -gain a great deal without the slightest risk. I laughed at their -endeavors, and began a little to despise the organization I had so -dreaded, and ventured more abroad. Not once or twice, but several times, -I recognized the two men who were charged with my capture, and I -succeeded in eluding them easily at close quarters; and a little hastily -I decided that I had nothing to dread, and that my craft was greater -than theirs. But in the mean while, while I congratulated myself on my -cunning, the third of Lipsius's emissaries was weaving her nets, and in -an evil hour I paid a visit to an old friend, a literary man named -Russell, who lived in a quiet street in Bayswater. The woman, as I found -out too late, a day or two ago, occupied rooms in the same house, and I -was followed and tracked down. Too late, as I have said, I recognized -that I had made a fatal mistake, and that I was besieged. Sooner or -later I shall find myself in the power of an enemy without pity; and so -surely as I leave this house I shall go to receive doom. I hardly dare -to guess how it will at last fall upon me. My imagination, always a -vivid one, paints to me appalling pictures of the unspeakable torture -which I shall probably endure; and I know that I shall die with Lipsius -standing near and gloating over the refinements of my suffering and my -shame. - -Hours, nay, minutes, have become very precious to me. I sometimes pause -in the midst of anticipating my tortures, to wonder whether even now I -cannot hit upon some supreme stroke, some design of infinite subtlety, -to free myself from the toils. But I find that the faculty of -combination has left me. I am as the scholar in the old myth, deserted -by the power which has helped, me hitherto. I do not know when the -supreme moment will come, but sooner or later it is inevitable, and -before long I shall receive sentence, and from the sentence to execution -will not be long. - - * * * * * - -I cannot remain here a prisoner any longer. I shall go out to-night when -the streets are full of crowds and clamors, and make a last effort to -escape. - - * * * * * - -It was with profound astonishment that Dyson closed the little book, and -thought of the strange series of incidents which had brought him into -touch with the plots and counterplots connected with the Gold Tiberius. -He had bestowed the coin carefully away, and he shuddered at the bare -possibility of its place of deposit becoming known to the evil band who -seemed to possess such extraordinary sources of information. - -It had grown late while he read, and he put the pocket-book away, hoping -with all his heart that the unhappy Walters might even at the eleventh -hour escape the doom he dreaded. - - - - -ADVENTURE OF THE DESERTED RESIDENCE. - - -"A wonderful story, as you say; an extraordinary sequence and play of -coincidence. I confess that your expressions when you first showed me -the Gold Tiberius were not exaggerated. But do you think that Walters -has really some fearful fate to dread?" - -"I cannot say. Who can presume to predict events when life itself puts -on the robe of coincidence and plays at drama? Perhaps we have not yet -reached the last chapter in the queer story. But, look, we are drawing -near to the verge of London; there are gaps, you see, in the serried -ranks of brick, and a vision of green fields beyond." - -Dyson had persuaded the ingenious Mr. Phillipps to accompany him on one -of those aimless walks to which he was himself so addicted. Starting -from the very heart of London, they had made their way westward through -the stony avenues, and were now just emerging from the red lines of an -extreme suburb, and presently the half-finished road ended, a quiet lane -began, and they were beneath the shade of elm-trees. The yellow autumn -sunlight that had lit up the bare distance of the suburban street now -filtered down through the boughs of the trees and shone on the glowing -carpet of fallen leaves, and the pools of rain glittered and shot back -the gleam of light. Over all the broad pastures there was peace and the -happy rest of autumn before the great winds begin, and afar off, London -lay all vague and immense amidst the veiling mist; here and there a -distant window catching the sun and kindling with fire, and a spire -gleaming high, and below the streets in shadow, and the turmoil of life. -Dyson and Phillipps walked on in silence beneath the high hedges, till -at a turn of the lane they saw a mouldering and ancient gate standing -open, and the prospect of a house at the end of a moss-grown carriage -drive. - -"There is a survival for you," said Dyson; "it has come to its last -days, I imagine. Look how the laurels have grown gaunt, and weedy, and -black, and bare, beneath; look at the house, covered with yellow wash -and patched with green damp. Why, the very notice-board which informs -all and singular that the place is to be let has cracked and half -fallen." - -"Suppose we go in and see it," said Phillipps. "I don't think there is -anybody about." - -They turned up the drive, and walked slowly, towards this remnant of old -days. It was a large straggling house, with curved wings at either end, -and behind a series of irregular roofs and projections, showing that the -place had been added to at divers dates; the two wings were roofed in -cupola fashion, and at one side, as they came nearer, they could see a -stable-yard, and a clock turret with a bell, and the dark masses of -gloomy cedars. Amidst all the lineaments of dissolution, there was but -one note of contrast: the sun was setting beyond the elm-trees, and all -the west and the south were in flames, and on the upper windows of the -house the glow shone reflected, and it seemed as if blood and fire were -mingled. Before the yellow front of the mansion, stained, as Dyson had -remarked, with gangrenous patches, green and blackening, stretched what -once had been, no doubt, a well-kept lawn, but it was now rough and -ragged, and nettles and great docks, and all manner of coarse weeds, -struggled in the places of the flower-beds. The urns had fallen from -their pillars beside the walk, and lay broken in shards upon the ground, -and everywhere from grass-plot and path a fungoid growth had sprung up -and multiplied, and lay dank and slimy like a festering sore upon the -earth. In the middle of the rank grass of the lawn was a desolate -fountain; the rim of the basin was crumbling and pulverized with decay, -and within, the water stood stagnant, with green scum for the lilies -that had once bloomed there; and rust had eaten into the bronze flesh of -the Triton that stood in the middle, and the conch-shell he held was -broken. - -"Here," said Dyson, "one might moralize over decay and death. Here all -the stage is decked out with the symbols of dissolution; the cedarn -gloom and twilight hangs heavy around us, and everywhere within the pale -dankness has found a harbor, and the very air is changed and brought to -accord with the scene. To me, I confess, this deserted house is as moral -as a graveyard, and I find something sublime in that lonely Triton, -deserted in the midst of his water-pool. He is the last of the gods; -they have left him and he remembers the sound of water falling on water, -and the days that were sweet." - -"I like your reflections extremely," said Phillipps, "but I may mention -that the door of the house is open.". - -"Let us go in then." - -The door was just ajar, and they passed into the mouldy hall, and looked -in at a room on one side. It was a large room, going far back, and the -rich old red flock paper was peeling from the walls in long strips, and -blackened with vague patches of rising damp; the ancient clay, the dank -reeking earth rising up again, and subduing all the work of men's hands -after the conquest of many years. And the floor was thick with the dust -of decay, and the painted ceiling fading from all gay colors and light -fancies of cupids in a career, and disfigured with sores of dampness, -seemed transmuted into other work. No longer the amorini chased one -another pleasantly, with limbs that sought not to advance, and hands -that merely simulated the act of grasping at the wreathed flowers, but -it appeared some savage burlesque of the old careless world and of its -cherished conventions, and the dance of the loves had become a dance of -Death; black pustules and festering sores swelled and clustered on fair -limbs, and smiling faces showed corruption, and the fairy blood had -boiled with the germs of foul disease; it was a parable of the leaven -working, and worms devouring for a banquet the heart of the rose. - -Strangely, under the painted ceiling, against the decaying walls, two -old chairs still stood alone, the sole furniture of the empty place. -High-backed, with curving arms and twisted legs, covered with faded gold -leaf, and upholstered in tattered damask, they too were a part of the -symbolism, and struck Dyson with surprise. "What have we here?" he said. -"Who has sat in these chairs? Who, clad in peach-bloom satin, with lace -ruffles and diamond buckles, all golden, _a conte fleurettes_ to his -companion? Phillipps, we are in another age. I wish I had some snuff to -offer you, but failing that, I beg to offer you a seat, and we will sit -and smoke tobacco. A horrid practice, but I am no pedant." - -They sat down on the queer old chairs, and looked out of the dim and -grimy panes to the ruined lawn, and the fallen urns, and the deserted -Triton. - -Presently Dyson ceased his imitation of eighteenth century airs; he no -longer pulled forward imaginary ruffles, or tapped a ghostly snuff-box. - -"It's a foolish fancy," he said at last, "but I keep thinking I hear a -noise like some one groaning. Listen; no, I can't hear it now. There it -is again! Did you notice it, Phillipps? - -"No, I can't say I heard anything. But I believe that old places like -this are like shells from the shore, ever echoing with noises. The old -beams, mouldering piecemeal, yield a little and groan, and such a house -as this I can fancy all resonant at night with voices, the voices of -matter so slowly and so surely transformed into other shapes; the voice -of the worm that gnaws at last the very heart of the oak; the voice of -stone grinding on stone, and the voice of the conquest of time." - -They sat still in the old armchairs and grew graver in the musty ancient -air,--the air of a hundred years ago. - -"I don't like the place," said Phillipps, after a long pause. "To me it -seems, as if there were a sickly, unwholesome smell about it, a smell of -something burning." - -"You are right; there is an evil odor here. I wonder what it is! Hark! -Did you hear that?" - -A hollow sound, a noise of infinite sadness and infinite pain broke in -upon the silence; and the two men looked fearfully at one another, -horror and the sense of unknown things glimmering in their eyes. - -"Come," said Dyson, "we must see into this," and they went into the hall -and listened in the silence. - -"Do you know," said Phillipps, "it seems absurd, but I could almost -fancy that the smell is that of burning flesh." - -They went up the hollow-sounding stairs, and the the odor became thick -and noisome, stifling the breath; and a vapor, sickening as the smell of -the chamber of death, choked them. A door was open and they entered the -large upper room, and clung hard to one another, shuddering at the sight -they saw. - -A naked man was lying on the floor, his arms and legs stretched wide -apart, and bound to pegs that had been hammered into the boards. The -body was torn and mutilated in the most hideous fashion, scarred with -the marks of red-hot irons, a shameful ruin of the human shape. But upon -the middle of the body a fire of coals was smouldering; the flesh had -been burned through. The man was dead, but the smoke of his torment -mounted still, a black vapor. - -"The young man with spectacles," said Mr. Dyson. - - -THE END. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Three Impostors, by Arthur Machen - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE THREE IMPOSTORS *** - -***** This file should be named 35517.txt or 35517.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - https://www.gutenberg.org/3/5/5/1/35517/ - -Produced by Marc D'Hooghe at http://www.freeliterature.org - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - https://www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/old/35517.zip b/old/35517.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 0144d2a..0000000 --- a/old/35517.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/old-2024-12-14/35517-0.txt b/old/old-2024-12-14/35517-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index cb376f6..0000000 --- a/old/old-2024-12-14/35517-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5569 +0,0 @@ -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 35517 *** - -THE THREE IMPOSTORS - -or The Transmutations - -by - -ARTHUR MACHEN - - - -TRANSLATOR OF 'L'HEPTAMERON' AND 'LE MOYEN DE PARVENIR'; - -AUTHOR OF 'THE CHRONICLE OF CLEMENDY' AND 'THE GREAT GOD PAN' - - - -BOSTON: Roberts Bros, 1895 - -LONDON: John Lane, Vigo st. - - - - -CONTENTS - - PROLOGUE - ADVENTURE OF THE GOLD TIBERIUS - THE ENCOUNTER OF THE PAVEMENT - NOVEL OF THE DARK VALLEY - ADVENTURE OF THE MISSING BROTHER - NOVEL OF THE BLACK SEAL - INCIDENT OF THE PRIVATE BAR - THE DECORATIVE IMAGINATION - NOVEL OF THE IRON MAID - THE RECLUSE OF BAYSWATER - NOVEL OF THE WHITE POWDER - STRANGE OCCURRENCE IN CLERKENWELL - HISTORY OF THE YOUNG MAN WITH SPECTACLES - ADVENTURE OF THE DESERTED RESIDENCE - - - - -THE THREE IMPOSTORS. - - - - -PROLOGUE. - - -"And Mr. Joseph Walters is going to stay the night?" said the smooth -clean-shaven man to his companion, an individual not of the most -charming appearance, who had chosen to make his ginger-colored mustache -merge into a pair of short chin-whiskers. - -The two stood at the hall door, grinning evilly at each other; and -presently a girl ran quickly down, the stairs, and joined them. She was -quite young, with a quaint and piquant rather than a beautiful face, and -her eyes were of a shining hazel. She held a neat paper parcel in one -hand, and laughed with her friends. - -"Leave the door open," said the smooth man to the other, as they were -going out. "Yes, by----," he went on with an ugly oath. "We'll leave the -front door on the jar. He may like to see company, you know." - -The other man looked doubtfully about him. "Is it quite prudent do you -think, Davies?" he said, pausing with his hand on the mouldering -knocker. "I don't think Lipsius would like it. What do you say, Helen?" - -"I agree with Davies. Davies is an artist, and you are commonplace, -Richmond, and a bit of a coward. Let the door stand open, of course. But -what a pity Lipsius had to go away! He would have enjoyed himself." - -"Yes," replied the smooth Mr. Davies, "that summons to the west was very -hard on the doctor." - -The three passed out, leaving the hall door, cracked and riven with -frost and wet, half open, and they stood silent for a moment under the -ruinous shelter of the porch. - -"Well," said the girl, "it is done at last. I shall hurry no more on the -track of the young man with spectacles." - -"We owe a great deal to you," said Mr. Davies politely; "the doctor said -so before he left. But have we not all three some farewells to make? I, -for my part, propose to say good-by, here, before this picturesque but -mouldy residence, to my friend Mr. Burton, dealer in the antique and -curious," and the man lifted his hat with an exaggerated bow. - -"And I," said Richmond, "bid adieu to Mr. Wilkins, the private -secretary, whose company has, I confess, become a little tedious." - -"Farewell to Miss Lally, and to Miss Leicester also," said the girl, -making as she spoke a delicious courtesy. "Farewell to all occult -adventure; the farce is played." - -Mr. Davies and the lady seemed full of grim enjoyment, but Richmond -tugged at his whiskers nervously. - -"I feel a bit shaken up," he said. "I've seen rougher things in the -States, but that crying noise he made gave me a sickish feeling. And -then the smell--But my stomach was never very strong." - -The three friends moved away from the door, and began to walk slowly up -and down what had been a gravel path, but now lay green and pulpy with -damp mosses. It was a fine autumn evening, and a faint sunlight shone on -the yellow walls of the old deserted house, and showed the patches of -gangrenous decay, and all the stains, the black drift of rain from the -broken pipes, the scabrous blots where the bare bricks were exposed, the -green weeping of a gaunt laburnum that stood beside the porch, and -ragged marks near the ground where the reeking clay was gaining on the -worn foundations. It was a queer rambling old place, the centre perhaps -two hundred years old, with dormer windows sloping from the tiled roof, -and on each side there were Georgian wings; bow windows had been carried -up to the first floor, and two dome-like cupolas that had once been -painted a bright green were now gray and neutral. Broken urns lay upon -the path, and a heavy mist seemed to rise from the unctuous clay; the -neglected shrubberies, grown all tangled and unshapen, smelt dank and -evil, and there was an atmosphere all about the deserted mansion that -proposed thoughts of an opened grave. The three friends looked dismally -at the rough grasses and the nettles that grew thick over lawn and -flower-beds; and at the sad water-pool in the midst of the weeds. There, -above green and oily scum instead of lilies, stood a rusting Triton on -the rocks, sounding a dirge through a shattered horn; and beyond, beyond -the sunk fence and the far meadows; the sun slid down and shone red -through the bars of the elm trees. - -Richmond shivered and stamped his foot. "We had better be going soon," -he said; "there is nothing else to be done here." - -"No," said Davies, "it is finished at last. I thought for some time we -should never get hold of the gentleman with the spectacles. He was a -clever fellow, but, Lord! he broke up badly at last. I can tell you he -looked white at me when I touched him on the arm in the bar. But where -could he have hidden the thing? We can all swear it was not on him." - -The girl laughed, and they turned away, when Richmond gave a violent -start. "Ah!" he cried, turning to the girl, "what have you got there? -Look, Davies, look! it's all oozing and dripping." - -The young woman glanced down at the little parcel she was carrying, and -partially unfolded the paper. - -"Yes, look both of you," she said; "it's my own idea. Don't you think it -will do nicely for the doctor's museum? It comes from the right hand, -the hand that took the gold Tiberius." - -Mr. Davies nodded with a good deal of approbation, and Richmond lifted -his ugly high-crowned bowler, and wiped his forehead with a dingy -handkerchief. - -"I'm going," he said; "you two can stay if you like." - -The three went round by the stable path, past the withered wilderness of -the old kitchen garden, and struck off by a hedge at the back, making -for a particular point in the road. About five minutes later two -gentlemen, whom idleness had led to explore these forgotten outskirts of -London, came sauntering up the shadowy carriage drive. They had spied -the deserted house from the road, and as they observed all the heavy -desolation of the place they began to moralize in the great style, with -considerable debts to Jeremy Taylor. - -"Look, Dyson," said the one as they drew nearer, "look at those upper -windows; the sun is setting, and though the panes are dusty, yet - - "The grimy sash an oriel burns." - -"Phillipps," replied the elder and (it must be said) the more pompous of -the two, "I yield to fantasy, I cannot withstand the influence of the -grotesque. Here, where all is falling into dimness and dissolution, and -we walk in cedarn gloom, and the very air of heaven goes mouldering to -the lungs, I cannot remain commonplace. I look at that deep glow on the -panes, and the house lies all enchanted; that very room, I tell you, is -within all blood and fire." - - - - -ADVENTURE OF THE GOLD TIBERIUS. - - -The acquaintance between Mr. Dyson and Mr. Charles Phillipps arose from -one of those myriad chances which are every day doing their work in the -streets of London. Mr. Dyson was a man of letters, and an unhappy -instance of talents misapplied. With gifts that might have placed him in -the flower of his youth among the most favored of Bentley's favorite -novelists, he had chosen to be perverse; he was, it is true, familiar -with scholastic logic, but he knew nothing of the logic of life, and he -flattered himself with the title of artist, when he was in fact but an -idle and curious spectator of other men's endeavors. Amongst many -delusions, he cherished one most fondly, that he was a strenuous worker; -and it was with a gesture of supreme weariness that he would enter his -favorite resort, a small tobacco shop in Great Queen Street, and -proclaim to any one who cared to listen that he had seen the rising and -setting of two successive suns. The proprietor of the shop, a -middle-aged man of singular civility, tolerated Dyson partly out of good -nature, and partly because he was a regular customer; he was allowed to -sit on an empty cask, and to express his sentiments on literary and -artistic matters till he was tired or the time for closing came; and if -no fresh customers were attracted, it is believed that none were turned -away by his eloquence. Dyson, was addicted to wild experiments in -tobacco; he never wearied of trying new combinations, and one evening he -had just entered the shop and given utterance to his last preposterous -formula, when a young fellow, of about his own age, who had come in a -moment later, asked the shopman to duplicate the order on his account, -smiling politely, as he spoke, to Mr. Dyson's address. Dyson felt -profoundly flattered, and after a few phrases the two entered into -conversation, and in an hour's time the tobacconist saw the new friends -sitting side by side on a couple of casks, deep in talk. - -"My dear sir," said Dyson, "I will give you the task of the literary man -in a phrase. He has got to do simply this: to invent a wonderful story, -and to tell it in a wonderful manner." - -"I will grant you that," said Mr. Phillipps, "but you will allow me to -insist that in the hands of the true artist in words all stories are -marvellous, and every circumstance has its peculiar wonder. The matter -is of little consequence, the manner is everything. Indeed, the highest -skill is shown in taking matter apparently commonplace and transmuting -it by the high alchemy of style into the pure gold of art." - -"That is indeed a proof of great skill, but it is great skill exerted -foolishly, or at least unadvisedly. It is as if a great violinist were -to show us what marvellous harmonies he could draw from a child's -banjo." - -"No, no, you are really wrong. I see you take a radically mistaken view -of life. But we must thresh this out. Come to my rooms; I live not far -from here." - -It was thus that Mr. Dyson became the associate of Mr. Charles -Phillipps, who lived in a quiet square not far from Holborn. Thenceforth -they haunted each other's rooms at intervals, sometimes regular, and -occasionally the reverse, and made appointments to meet at the shop in -Queen Street, where their talk robbed the tobacconist's profit of half -its charm. There was a constant jarring of literary formulas, Dyson -exalting the claims of the pure imagination, while Phillipps, who was a -student of physical science and something of an ethnologist, insisted -that all literature ought to have a scientific basis. By the mistaken -benevolence of deceased relatives both young men were placed out of -reach of hunger, and so, meditating high achievements, idled their time -pleasantly away, and revelled in the careless joys of a Bohemianism -devoid of the sharp seasoning of adversity. - -One night in June Mr. Phillipps was sitting in his room in the calm -retirement of Red Lion Square. He had opened the window, and was smoking -placidly, while he watched the movement of life below. The sky was -clear, and the afterglow of sunset had lingered long about it; and the -flushing twilight of a summer evening, vying with the gas-lamps in the -square, had fashioned a chiaroscuro that had in it something unearthly; -and the children, racing to and fro upon the pavement, the lounging -idlers by the public, and the casual passers-by rather flickered, and -hovered in the play of lights than stood out substantial things. By -degrees in the houses opposite one window after another leaped out a -square of light, now and again a figure would shape itself against a -blind and vanish, and to all this semi-theatrical magic the runs and -flourishes of brave Italian opera played a little distance off on a -piano-organ seemed an appropriate accompaniment, while the deep-muttered -bass of the traffic of Holborn never ceased. Phillipps enjoyed the scene -and its effects; the light in the sky faded and turned to darkness, and -the square gradually grew silent, and still he sat dreaming at the -window, till the sharp peal of the house bell roused him, and looking at -his watch he found that it was past ten o'clock. There was a knock at -the door, and his friend Mr. Dyson entered, and, according to his -custom, sat down in an armchair and began to smoke in silence. - -"You know, Phillipps," he said at length, "that I have always battled -for the marvellous. I remember your maintaining in that chair that one -has no business to make use of the wonderful, the improbable, the odd -coincidence in literature, and you took the ground that it was wrong to -do so, because, as a matter of fact, the wonderful and the improbable -don't happen, and men's lives are not really shaped by odd coincidence. -Now, mind you, if that were so, I would not grant your conclusion, -because I think the "criticism-of-life" theory is all nonsense; but I -deny your premise. A most singular thing has happened to me to-night." - -"Really, Dyson, I am very glad to hear it. Of course I oppose your -argument, whatever it may be; but if you would be good enough to tell me -of your adventure I should be delighted." - -"Well, it came about like this. I have had a very hard day's work; -indeed, I have scarcely moved from my old bureau since seven o'clock -last night. I wanted to work out that idea we discussed last Tuesday, -you know, the notion of the fetish-worshipper." - -"Yes, I remember. Have you been able to do anything with it?" - -"Yes; it came out better than I expected; but there were great -difficulties, the usual agony between the conception and the execution. -Anyhow I got it done at about seven o'clock to-night, and I thought I -should like a little of the fresh air. I went out and wandered rather -aimlessly about the streets; my head was full of my tale, and I didn't -much notice where I was going. I got into those quiet places to the -north of Oxford Street as you go west, the genteel residential -neighborhood of stucco and prosperity. I turned east again without -knowing it, and it was quite dark when I passed along a sombre little -by-street, ill lighted and empty. I did not know at the time in the -least where I was, but I found out afterwards that it was not very far -from Tottenham Court Road. I strolled idly along, enjoying the -stillness; on one side there seemed to be the back premises of some -great shop; tier after tier of dusty windows lifted up into the night, -with gibbet-like contrivances for raising heavy goods, and below large -doors, fast closed and bolted, all dark and desolate. Then there came a -huge pantechnicon warehouse; and over the way a grim blank wall, as -forbidding as the wall of a jail, and then the headquarters of some -volunteer regiment, and afterwards a passage leading to a court where -wagons were standing to be hired. It was, one might almost say, a street -devoid of inhabitants, and scarce a window showed the glimmer of a -light. I was wondering at the strange peace and dimness there, where it -must be close to some roaring main artery of London life, when suddenly -I heard the noise of dashing feet tearing along the pavement at full -speed, and from a narrow passage, a mews or something of that kind, a -man was discharged as from a catapult under my very nose and rushed past -me, flinging something from him as he ran. He was gone and down another -street in an instant, almost before I knew what had happened, but I -didn't much bother about him, I was watching something else. I told you -he had thrown something away; well, I watched what seemed a line of -flame flash through the air and fly quivering over the pavement, and in -spite of myself I could not help tearing after it. The impetus lessened, -and I saw something like a bright half-penny roll slower and slower, and -then deflect towards the gutter, hover for a moment on the edge, and -dance down into a drain. I believe I cried out in positive despair, -though I hadn't the least notion what I was hunting; and then to my joy -I saw that, instead of dropping into the sewer, it had fallen flat -across two bars. I stooped down and picked it up and whipped it into my -pocket, and I was just about to walk on when I heard again that sound of -dashing footsteps. I don't know why I did it, but as a matter of fact I -dived down into the mews, or whatever it was, and stood as much in the -shadow as possible. A man went by with a rush a few paces from where I -was standing, and I felt uncommonly pleased that I was in hiding. I -couldn't make out much feature, but I saw his eyes gleaming and his -teeth showing, and he had an ugly-looking knife in one hand, and I -thought things would be very unpleasant for gentleman number one if the -second robber, or robbed, or what you like, caught him up. I can tell -you, Phillipps, a fox hunt is exciting enough, when the horn blows clear -on a winter morning, and the hounds give tongue, and the red-coats -charge away, but it's nothing to a man hunt, and that's what I had a -slight glimpse of to-night. There was murder in the fellow's eyes as he -went by, and I don't think there was much more than fifty seconds -between the two. I only hope it was enough." - -Dyson leant back in his armchair and relit his pipe, and puffed -thoughtfully. Phillipps began to walk up and down the room, musing over -the story of violent death fleeting in chase along the pavement, the -knife shining in the lamplight, the fury of the pursuer, and the terror -of the pursued. - -"Well," he said at last, "and what was it, after all, that you rescued -from the gutter?" - -Dyson jumped up, evidently quite startled. "I really haven't a notion. I -didn't think of looking. But we shall see." - -He fumbled in his waistcoat pocket and drew out a small and shining -object, and laid it on the table. It glowed there beneath the lamp with -the radiant glory of rare old gold; and the image and the letters stood -out in high relief, clear and sharp, as if it had but left the mint a -month before. The two men bent over it, and Phillipps took it up and -examined it closely. - -"Imp. Tiberius Cæsar Augustus," he read the legend, and then, looking at -the reverse of the coin, he stared in amazement, and at last turned to -Dyson with a look of exultation. - -"Do you know what you have found?" he said. - -"Apparently a gold coin of some antiquity," said Dyson, coolly. - -"Quite so, a gold Tiberius. No, that is wrong. You have found _the_ gold -Tiberius. Look at the reverse." - -Dyson looked and saw the coin was stamped with the figure of a faun -standing amidst reeds and flowing water. The features, minute as they -were, stood out in delicate outline; it was a face lovely and yet -terrible, and Dyson thought of the well-known passage of the lad's -playmate, gradually growing with his growth and increasing with his -stature, till the air was filled with the rank fume of the goat. - -"Yes," he said, "it is a curious coin. Do you know it?" - -"I know about it. It is one of the comparatively few historical objects -in existence; it is all storied like those jewels we have read of. A -whole cycle of legend has gathered round the thing; the tale goes that -it formed part of an issue struck by Tiberius to commemorate an infamous -excess. You see the legend on the reverse: 'Victoria.' It is said that -by an extraordinary accident the whole issue was thrown into the melting -pot, and that only this one coin escaped. It glints through history and -legend, appearing and disappearing, with intervals of a hundred years in -time and continents in place. It was discovered by an Italian humanist, -and lost and rediscovered. It has not been heard of since 1727, when Sir -Joshua Byrde, a Turkey merchant, brought it home from Aleppo, and -vanished with it a month after he had shown it to the virtuosi, no man -knew or knows where. And here it is!" - -"Put it into your pocket, Dyson," he said, after a pause. "I would not -let any one have a glimpse of the thing, if I were you. I would not talk -about it. Did either of the men you saw see you?" - -"Well, I think not. I don't think the first man, the man who was vomited -out of the dark passage, saw anything at all; and I am sure that the -second could not have seen me." - -"And you didn't really see them. You couldn't recognize either the one -or the other if you met him in the street to-morrow?" - -"No, I don't think I could. The street, as I said, was dimly lighted, -and they ran like mad-men." - -The two men sat silent for some time, each weaving his own fancies of -the story; but lust of the marvellous was slowly overpowering Dyson's -more sober thoughts. - -"It is all more strange than I fancied," he said at last. "It was queer -enough what I saw; a man is sauntering along a quiet, sober, every-day -London street, a street of gray houses and blank walls, and there, for a -moment, a veil seems drawn aside, and the very fume of the pit steams up -through the flagstones, the ground glows, red hot, beneath his feet, and -he seems to hear the hiss of the infernal caldron. A man flying in mad -terror for his life, and furious hate pressing hot on his steps with -knife drawn ready; here indeed is horror. But what is all that to what -you have told me? I tell you, Phillipps, I see the plot thicken, our -steps will henceforth be dogged with mystery, and the most ordinary -incidents will teem with significance. You may stand out against it, and -shut your eyes, but they will be forced open; mark my words, you will -have to yield to the inevitable. A clue, tangled if you like, has been -placed by chance in our hands; it will be our business to follow it up. -As for the guilty person or persons in this strange case, they will be -unable to escape us, our nets will be spread far and wide over this -great city, and suddenly, in the streets and places of public resort, we -shall in some way or other be made aware that we are in touch with the -unknown criminal. Indeed, I almost fancy I see him slowly approaching -this quiet square of yours; he is loitering at street corners, -wandering, apparently without aim, down far-reaching thoroughfares, but -all the while coming nearer and nearer, drawn by an irresistible -magnetism, as ships were drawn to the Loadstone Rock in the Eastern -tale." - -"I certainly think," replied Phillipps, "that, if you pull out that coin -and flourish it under people's noses as you are doing at the present -moment, you will very probably find yourself in touch with the criminal, -or a criminal. You will undoubtedly be robbed with violence. Otherwise, -I see no reason why either of us should be troubled. No one saw you -secure the coin, and no one knows you have it. I, for my part, shall -sleep peacefully, and go about my business with a sense of security and -a firm dependence on the natural order of things. The events of the -evening, the adventure in the street, have been odd, I grant you, but I -resolutely decline to have any more to do with the matter, and, if -necessary, I shall consult the police. I will not be enslaved by a gold -Tiberius, even though it swims into my ken in a manner which is somewhat -melodramatic." - -"And I for my part," said Dyson, "go forth like a knight-errant in -search of adventure. Not that I shall need to seek; rather adventure -will seek me; I shall be like a spider in the midst of his web, -responsive to every movement, and ever on the alert." - -Shortly afterwards Dyson took his leave, and Mr. Phillipps spent the -rest of the night in examining some flint arrow-heads which he had -purchased. He had every reason to believe that they were the work of a -modern and not a palæolithic man, still he was far from gratified when a -close scrutiny showed him that his suspicions were well founded. In his -anger at the turpitude which would impose on an ethnologist, he -completely forgot Dyson and the gold Tiberius; and when he went to bed -at first sunlight, the whole tale had faded utterly from his thoughts. - - - - -THE ENCOUNTER OF THE PAVEMENT. - - -Mr. Dyson, walking leisurely along Oxford. Street, and staring with -bland inquiry at whatever caught his attention, enjoyed in all its rare -flavors the sensation that he was really very hard at work. His -observation of mankind, the traffic, and the shop-windows tickled his -faculties with an exquisite bouquet; he looked serious, as one looks on -whom charges of weight and moment are laid, and he was attentive in his -glances to right and left, for fear lest he should miss some -circumstance of more acute significance. He had narrowly escaped being -run over at a crossing by a charging van, for he hated to hurry his -steps, and indeed the afternoon was warm; and he had just halted by a -place of popular refreshment, when the astounding gestures of a well -dressed individual on the opposite pavement held him enchanted and -gasping like a fish. A treble line of hansoms, carriages, vans, cabs, -and omnibuses, was tearing east and west, and not the most daring -adventurer of the crossings would have cared to try his fortune; but the -person who had attracted Dyson's attention seemed to rage on the very -edge of the pavement, now and then darting forward at the hazard of -instant death, and at each repulse absolutely dancing with excitement, -to the rich amusement of the passers-by. At last, a gap that would, have -tried the courage of a street-boy appeared between the serried lines of -vehicles, and the man rushed across in a frenzy, and escaping by a -hair's breadth pounced upon Dyson as a tiger pounces on her prey. "I saw -you looking about you," he said, sputtering out his words in his intense -eagerness; "would you mind telling me this? Was the man who came out of -the Aerated Bread Shop and jumped, into the hansom three minutes ago a -youngish looking man with dark whiskers and spectacles? Can't you speak, -man? For Heaven's sake can't you speak? Answer me; it's a matter of life -and death." - -The words bubbled and boiled out of the man's mouth in the fury of his -emotion, his face went from red to white, and the beads of sweat stood -out on his forehead, and he stamped his feet as he spoke and tore with -his hand at his coat, as if something swelled and choked him, stopping -the passage of his breath. - -"My dear sir," said Dyson, "I always like to be accurate. Your -observation was perfectly correct. As you say, a youngish man, a man, I -should say, of somewhat timid bearing, ran rapidly out of the shop here, -and bounced into a hansom that must have been waiting for him, as it -went eastwards at once. Your friend also wore spectacles, as you say. -Perhaps you would like me to call a hansom for you to follow the -gentleman?" - -"No, thank you; it would be waste of time." The man gulped down -something which appeared to rise in his throat, and Dyson was alarmed to -see him shaking with hysterical laughter, and he clung hard to a -lamp-post and swayed and staggered like a ship in a heavy gale. - -"How shall I face the doctor?" he murmured to himself. "It is too hard -to fail at the last moment." Then he seemed to recollect himself, and -stood straight again, and looked quietly at Dyson. I owe you an apology -for my violence, he said at last. "Many men would not be so patient as -you have been. Would you mind adding to your kindness by walking with me -a little way? I feel a little sick; I think it's the sun." - -Dyson nodded assent, and devoted himself to a quiet scrutiny of this -strange personage as they moved on together. The man was dressed in -quiet taste, and the most scrupulous observer could find nothing amiss -with the fashion or make of his clothes, yet, from his hat to his boots, -everything seemed inappropriate. His silk hat, Dyson thought, should -have been a high bowler of odious pattern worn with a baggy -morning-coat, and an instinct told him that the fellow did not commonly -carry a clean pocket-handkerchief. The face was not of the most -agreeable pattern, and was in no way improved by a pair of bulbous -chin-whiskers of a ginger hue, into which mustaches of light color -merged imperceptibly. Yet in spite of these signals hung out by nature, -Dyson felt that the individual beside him was something more than -compact of vulgarity. He was struggling with himself, holding his -feelings in check, but now and again passion would mount black to his -face, and it was evidently by a supreme effort that he kept himself -from raging like a madman. Dyson found something curious and a little -terrible in the spectacle of an occult emotion thus striving for the -mastery, and threatening to break out at every instant with violence, -and they had gone some distance before the person whom he had met by so -odd a hazard was able to speak quietly. - -"You are really very good," he said. "I apologize again; my rudeness was -really most unjustifiable. I feel my conduct demands an explanation, and -I shall be happy to give it you. Do you happen to know of any place near -here where one could sit down? I should really be very glad." - -"My dear sir," said Dyson, solemnly, "the only café in London is close -by. Pray do not consider yourself as bound to offer me any explanation, -but at the same time I should be most happy to listen to you. Let us -turn down here." - -They walked down a sober street and turned into what seemed a narrow -passage past an iron-barred gate thrown back. The passage was paved with -flagstones, and decorated with handsome shrubs in pots on either side, -and the shadow of the high walls made a coolness which was very -agreeable after the hot breath of the sunny street. Presently the -passage opened out into a tiny square, a charming place, a morsel of -France transplanted into the heart of London. High walls rose on either -side, covered with glossy creepers, flower-beds beneath were gay with -nasturtiums, geraniums, and marigolds, and odorous with mignonette, and -in the centre of the square a fountain hidden by greenery sent a cool -shower continually plashing into the basin beneath, and the very noise -made this retreat delightful. Chairs and tables were disposed at -convenient intervals, and at the other end of the court broad doors had -been thrown back; beyond was a long, dark room, and the turmoil of -traffic had become a distant murmur. Within the room one or two men were -sitting at the tables, writing and sipping, but the courtyard was empty. - -"You see, we shall be quiet," said Dyson. "Pray sit down here, Mr.--?" - -"Wilkins. My name is Henry Wilkins." - -"Sit here, Mr. Wilkins. I think you will find that a comfortable seat. I -suppose you have not been here before? This is the quiet time; the place -will be like a hive at six o'clock, and the chairs and tables will -overflow into that little alley there." - -A waiter came in response to the bell; and after Dyson had politely -inquired after the health of M. Annibault, the proprietor, he ordered a -bottle of the wine of Champigny. - -"The wine of Champigny," he observed to Mr. Wilkins, who was evidently a -good deal composed by the influence of the place, "is a Tourainian wine -of great merit. Ah, here it is; let me fill your glass. How do you find -it?" - -"Indeed," said Mr. Wilkins, "I should have pronounced it a fine -Burgundy. The bouquet is very exquisite. I am fortunate in lighting upon -such a good Samaritan as yourself. I wonder you did not think me mad. -But if you knew the terrors that assailed me, I am sure you would no -longer be surprised at conduct which was certainly most unjustifiable." - -He sipped his wine, and leant back in his chair, relishing the drip and -trickle of the fountain, and the cool greenness that hedged in this -little port of refuge. - -"Yes," he said at last, "that is indeed an admirable wine. Thank you; -you will allow me to offer you another bottle?" - -The waiter was summoned, and descended through a trap-door in the floor -of the dark apartment, and brought up the wine. Mr. Wilkins lit a -cigarette, and Dyson pulled out his pipe. - -"Now," said Mr. Wilkins, "I promised to give you an explanation of my -strange behavior. It is rather a long story, but I see, sir, that you -are no mere cold observer of the ebb and flow of life. You take, I -think, a warm and an intelligent interest in the chances of your -fellow-creatures, and I believe you will find what I have to tell not -devoid of interest." - -Mr. Dyson signified his assent to these propositions, and though he -thought Mr. Wilkins's diction a little pompous, prepared to interest -himself in his tale. The other, who had so raged with passion half an -hour before, was now perfectly cool, and when he had smoked out his -cigarette, he began in an even voice to relate the - - - - -NOVEL OF THE DARK VALLEY. - - -I am the son of a poor but learned clergyman in the West of -England,--but I am forgetting, these details are not of special -interest. I will briefly state, then, that my father, who was, as I -have said, a learned man, had never learnt the specious arts by which -the great are flattered, and would never condescend to the despicable -pursuit of self-advertisement. Though his fondness for ancient -ceremonies and quaint customs, combined with a kindness of heart that -was unequalled and a primitive and fervent piety, endeared him to his -moor-land parishioners, such were not the steps by which clergy then -rose in the Church, and at sixty my father was still incumbent of the -little benefice he had accepted in his thirtieth year. The income of the -living was barely sufficient to support life in the decencies which are -expected of the Anglican parson; and when my father died a few years -ago, I, his only child, found myself thrown upon the world with a -slender capital of less than a hundred pounds, and all the problem of -existence before me. I felt that there was nothing for me to do in the -country, and as usually happens in such eases, London drew me like a -magnet. One day in August, in the early morning, while the dew still -glittered on the turf, and on the high green banks of the lane, a -neighbor drove me to the railway station, and I bade good-bye to the -land of the broad moors and unearthly battlements of the wild tors. It -was six o'clock as we neared London; the faint sickly fume of the -brickfields about Acton came in puffs through the open window, and a -mist was rising from the ground. Presently the brief view of successive -streets, prim and uniform, struck me with a sense of monotony; the hot -air seemed to grow hotter; and when we had rolled beneath the dismal and -squalid houses, whose dirty and neglected back yards border the line -near Paddington, I felt as if I should be stifled in this fainting -breath of London. I got a hansom and drove off, and every street -increased my gloom; gray houses with blinds drawn down, whole -thoroughfares almost desolate, and the foot-passengers who seemed to -stagger wearily along rather than walk, all made me feel a sinking at -heart. I put up for the night at a small hotel in a street leading from -the Strand, where my father had stayed on his few brief visits to town; -and when I went out after dinner, the real gayety and bustle of the -Strand and Fleet Street could cheer me but little, for in all this great -city there was no single human being whom I could claim even as an -acquaintance. I will not weary you with the history of the next year, -for the adventures of a man who sinks are too trite to be worth -recalling. My money did not last me long; I found that I must be neatly -dressed, or no one to whom I applied would so much as listen to me; and -I must live in a street of decent reputation if I wished to be treated -with common civility. I applied for various posts, for which, as I now -see, I was completely devoid of qualification; I tried to become a clerk -without having the smallest notion of business habits, and I found, to -my cost, that a general knowledge of literature and an execrable style -of penmanship are far from being looked upon with favor in commercial -circles. I had read one of the most charming of the works of a famous -novelist of the present day, and I frequented the Fleet Street taverns -in the hope of making literary friends, and so getting the -introductions which I understood were indispensable in the career of -letters. I was disappointed; I once or twice ventured to address -gentlemen who were sitting in adjoining boxes, and I was answered, -politely indeed, but in a manner that told me my advances were unusual. -Pound by pound, my small resources melted; I could no longer think of -appearances; I migrated to a shy quarter, and my meals became mere -observances. I went out at one and returned to my room at two, but -nothing but a milk-cake had occurred in the interval. In short, I became -acquainted with misfortune; and as I sat amidst slush and ice on a seat -in Hyde Park, munching a piece of bread, I realized the bitterness of -poverty, and the feelings of a gentleman reduced to something far below -the condition of a vagrant. In spite of all discouragement I did not -desist in my efforts to earn a living. I consulted advertisement -columns, I kept my eyes open for a chance, I looked in at the windows of -stationers' shops, but all in vain. One evening I was sitting in a Free -Library, and I saw an advertisement in one of the papers. It was -something like this: "Wanted, by a gentleman a person of literary taste -and abilities as secretary and amanuensis. Must not object to travel." -Of course I knew that such an advertisement would have answers by the -hundred, and I thought my own chances of securing the post extremely -small; however, I applied at the address given, and wrote to Mr. Smith, -who was staying at a large hotel at the West End. I must confess that my -heart gave a jump when I received a note a couple of days later, asking -me to call at the Cosmopole at my earliest convenience. I do not know, -sir, what your experiences of life may have been, and so I cannot tell -whether you have known such moments. A slight sickness, my heart beating -rather more rapidly than usual, a choking in the throat, and a -difficulty of utterance; such were my sensations as I walked to the -Cosmopole. I had to mention the name twice before the hall porter could -understand me, and as I went upstairs my hands were wet. I was a good -deal struck by Mr. Smith's appearance; he looked younger than I did, and -there was something mild and hesitating about his expression. He was -reading when I came in, and he looked up when I gave my name. "My dear -sir," he said, "I am really delighted to see you. I have read very -carefully the letter you were good enough to send me. Am I to understand -that this document is in your own handwriting?" He showed me the letter -I had written, and I told him I was not so fortunate as to be able to -keep a secretary myself. "Then, sir," he went on, "the post I advertised -is at your service. You have no objection to travel, I presume?" As you -may imagine, I closed pretty eagerly with the offer he made, and thus I -entered the service of Mr. Smith. For the first few weeks I had no -special duties; I had received a quarter's salary, and a handsome -allowance was made me in lieu of board and lodging. One morning, -however, when I called at the hotel according to instructions, my master -informed me that I must hold myself in readiness for a sea-voyage, and, -to spare unnecessary detail, in the course of a fortnight we had landed -at New York. Mr. Smith told me that he was engaged on a work of a -special nature, in the compilation of which some peculiar researches had -to be made; in short, I was given to understand that we were to travel -to the far West. - -After about a week had been spent in New York we took our seats in the -cars, and began a journey tedious beyond all conception. Day after day, -and night after night, the great train rolled on, threading its way -through cities the very names of which were strange to me, passing at -slow speed over perilous viaducts, skirting mountain ranges and pine -forests, and plunging into dense tracts of wood, where mile after mile -and hour after hour the same monotonous growth of brushwood met the eye, -and all along the continual clatter and rattle of the wheels upon the -ill-laid lines made it difficult to hear the voices of our -fellow-passengers. We were a heterogeneous and ever-changing company; -often I woke up in the dead of night with the sudden grinding jar of the -brakes, and looking out found that we had stopped in the shabby street -of some frame-built town, lighted chiefly by the flaring windows of the -saloon. A few rough-looking fellows would often come out to stare at the -cars, and sometimes passengers got down, and sometimes there was a party -of two or three waiting on the wooden sidewalk to get on board. Many of -the passengers were English; humble households torn up from the moorings -of a thousand years, and bound for some problematical paradise in the -alkali desert or the Rockies. I heard the men talking to one another of -the great profits to be made on the virgin soil of America, and two or -three, who were mechanics, expatiated on the wonderful wages given to -skilled labor on the railways and in the factories of the States. This -talk usually fell dead after a few minutes, and I could see a sickness -and dismay in the faces of these men as they looked at the ugly brush or -at the desolate expanse of the prairie, dotted here and there with -frame-houses, devoid of garden, or flowers or trees, standing all alone -in what might have been a great gray sea frozen into stillness. Day -after day the waving sky line, and the desolation of a land without form -or color or variety, appalled the hearts of such of us as were -Englishmen, and once in the night as I lay awake I heard a woman weeping -and sobbing, and asking what she had done to come to such a place. Her -husband tried to comfort her in the broad speech of Gloucestershire, -telling her the ground was so rich that one had only to plough it up and -it would grow sunflowers of itself, but she cried for her mother and -their old cottage and the beehives, like a little child. The sadness of -it all overwhelmed me, and I had no heart to think of other matters; the -question of what Mr. Smith could have to do in such a country, and of -what manner of literary research could be carried on in the wilderness, -hardly troubled me. Now and again my situation struck me as peculiar; I -had been engaged as a literary assistant at a handsome salary, and yet -my master was still almost a stranger to me; sometimes he would come to -where I was sitting in the cars and make a few banal remarks about the -country, but for the most part of the journey he sat by himself, not -speaking to any one, and so far as I could judge, deep in his thoughts. -It was I think on the fifth day from New York when I received, the -intimation that we should shortly leave the cars; I had been watching -some distant mountains which rose wild and savage before us, and I was -wondering if there were human beings so unhappy as to speak of home in -connection with those piles of lumbered rock, when Mr. Smith touched me -lightly on the shoulder. "You will be glad to be done with, the cars, I -have no doubt, Mr. Wilkins," he said. "You were looking at the -mountains, I think? Well, I hope we shall be there to-night. The train -stops at Reading, and I dare say we shall manage to find our way." - -A few hours later the brakeman brought the tram to a standstill at the -Reading depot and we got out. I noticed that the town, though of course -built almost entirely of frame-houses, was larger and busier than any we -had passed for the last two days. The depot was crowded, and as the bell -and whistle sounded, I saw that a number of persons were preparing to -leave the cars, while an even greater number were waiting to get on -board. Besides the passengers, there was a pretty dense crowd of people, -some of whom had come to meet or to see off their friends and relatives, -while others were mere loafers. Several of our English fellow passengers -got down at Reading, but the confusion was so great that they were lost -to my sight almost immediately. Mr. Smith beckoned to me to follow him, -and we were soon in the thick of the mass; and the continual ringing of -bells, the hubbub of voices, the shrieking of whistles, and the hiss of -escaping steam, confused my senses, and I wondered dimly as I struggled -after my employer, where we were going, and how we should be able to -find our way through an unknown country. Mr. Smith had put on a -wide-brimmed hat, which he had sloped over his eyes, and as all the men -wore hats of the same pattern, it was with some difficulty that I -distinguished him in the crowd. We got free at last, and he struck down -a side street, and made one or two sharp turns to right and left. It was -getting dusk, and we seemed to be passing through a shy portion of the -town, there were few people about in the ill-lighted streets, and these -few were men of the most unprepossessing pattern. Suddenly we stopped -before a corner house, a man was standing at the door, apparently on the -look-out for some one, and I noticed that he and Smith gave sharp -glances one to the other. - -"From New York City, I expect, mister?" - -"From New York!" - -"All right; they 're ready, and you can have 'em when you choose. I know -my orders, you see, and I mean to run this business through." - -"Very well, Mr. Evans, that is what we want. Our money is good, you -know. Bring them round." - -I had stood silent, listening to this dialogue, and wondering what it -meant. Smith began to walk impatiently up and down the street, and the -man Evans was still standing at his door. He had given a sharp whistle, -and I saw him looking me over in a quiet leisurely way, as if to make -sure of my face for another time. I was thinking what all this could -mean, when an ugly, slouching lad came up a side passage, leading two -raw-boned horses. - -"Get up, Mr. Wilkins, and be quick about it," said Smith. "We ought to -be on our way." - -We rode off together into the gathering darkness, and before long I -looked back and saw the far plain behind us, with the lights of the town -glimmering faintly; and in front rose the mountains. Smith guided his -horse on the rough track as surely as if he had been riding along -Piccadilly, and I followed him as well as I could. I was weary and -exhausted, and scarcely took note of anything; I felt that the track was -a gradual ascent, and here and there I saw great boulders by the road. -The ride made but little impression on me; I have a faint recollection -of passing through a dense black pine forest, where our horses had to -pick their way among the rocks, and I remember the peculiar effect of -the rarefied air as we kept still mounting higher and higher. I think I -must have been half asleep for the latter half of the ride, and it was -with a shock that I heard Smith saying-- - -"Here we are, Wilkins. This is Blue-Rock Park. You will enjoy the view -to-morrow. To-night we will have something to eat, and then go to bed." - -A man came out of a rough-looking house and took the horses, and we -found some fried steak and coarse whiskey awaiting us inside. I had come -to a strange place. There were three rooms,--the room in which we had -supper, Smith's room and my own. The deaf old man who did the work slept -in a sort of shed, and when I woke up the next morning and walked out I -found that the house stood in a sort of hollow amongst the mountains; -the clumps of pines and some enormous bluish-gray rocks that stood here -and there between the trees had given the place the name of Blue-Rock -Park. On every side the snow-covered mountains surrounded us, the breath -of the air was as wine, and when I climbed the slope and looked down, I -could see that, so far as any human fellowship was concerned I might as -well have been wrecked on some small island in mid-Pacific. The only -trace of man I could see was the rough log-house where I had slept, and -in my ignorance I did not know that there were similar houses within -comparatively easy distance, as distance is reckoned in the Rockies. But -at the moment, the utter, dreadful loneliness rushed upon me, and the -thought of the great plain and the great sea that parted me from the -world I knew, caught me by the throat, and I wondered if I should die -there in that mountain hollow. It was a terrible instant, and I have not -yet forgotten it. Of course I managed to conquer my horror; I said I -should be all the stronger for the experience, and I made up my mind to -make the best of everything. It was a rough life enough, and rough -enough board and lodging. I was left entirely to myself. Smith I -scarcely ever saw, nor did I know when he was in the house. I have often -thought he was far away, and have been surprised to see him walking out -of his room, locking the door behind him and putting the key in his -pocket; and on several occasions when I fancied he was busy in his room, -I have seen him come in with his boots covered with dust and dirt. So -far as work went I enjoyed a complete sinecure; I had nothing to do but -to walk about the valley, to eat, and to sleep. With one thing and -another I grew accustomed, to the life, and managed to make myself -pretty comfortable, and by degrees I began to venture farther away from -the house, and to explore the country. One day I had contrived to get -into a neighboring valley, and suddenly I came upon a group of men -sawing timber. I went up to them, hoping that perhaps some of them might -be Englishmen; at all events they were human beings, and I should hear -articulate speech, for the old man I have mentioned, besides being half -blind and stone deaf, was wholly dumb so far as I was concerned. I was -prepared to be welcomed in a rough and ready fashion, without much, of -the forms of politeness, but the grim glances and the short gruff -answers I received astonished me. I saw the men glancing oddly at each -other, and one of them who had stopped work began fingering a gun, and I -was obliged to return on my path uttering curses on the fate which had -brought me into a land where men were more brutish than the very brutes. -The solitude of the life began to oppress me as with a nightmare, and a -few days later I determined to walk to a kind of station some miles -distant, where a rough inn was kept for the accommodation of hunters and -tourists. English gentlemen occasionally stopped there for the night, -and I thought I might perhaps fall in with some one of better manners -than the inhabitants of the country. I found as I had expected a group -of men lounging about the door of the log-house that served as a hotel, -and as I came nearer I could see that heads were put together and looks -interchanged, and when I walked up the six or seven trappers stared at -me in stony ferocity, and with something of the disgust that one eyes a -loathsome and venomous snake. I felt that I could bear it no longer, and -I called out:-- - -"Is there such a thing as an Englishman here, or any one with a little -civilization?" - -One of the men put his hand to his belt, but his neighbor checked him -and answered me. - -"You'll find we've got some of the resources of civilization before very -long, mister, and I expect you'll not fancy them extremely. But anyway, -there's an Englishman tarrying here, and I've no doubt he'll be glad to -see you. There you are, that's Mr. D'Aubernoun." - -A young man, dressed like an English country squire, came and stood at -the door, and looked at me. One of the men pointed to me and said:-- - -"That's the individual we were talking about last night. Thought you -might like to have a look at him, squire, and here he is." - -The young fellow's good-natured English face clouded over, and he -glanced sternly at me, and turned away with a gesture of contempt and -aversion. - -"Sir," I cried, "I do not know what I have done to be treated in this -manner. You are my fellow-countryman, and I expected some courtesy." - -He gave me a black look and made as if he would go in, but he changed -his mind, and faced me. - -"You are rather imprudent, I think, to behave in this manner. You must -be counting on a forbearance which cannot last very long; which may last -a very short time, indeed. And let me tell you this, sir, you may call -yourself an Englishman and drag the name of England through the dirt, -but you need not count on any English influence to help you. If I were -you, I would not stay here much longer." - -He went into the inn, and the men quietly watched my face, as I stood -there, wondering whether I was going mad. The woman of the house came -out and stared at me as if I were a wild beast or a savage, and I turned -to her, and spoke quietly. - -"I am very hungry and thirsty, I have walked a long way. I have plenty -of money. Will you give me something to eat and drink?" - -"No, I won't," she said. "You had better quit this." - -I crawled home like a wounded beast, and lay down on my bed. It was all -a hopeless puzzle to me. I knew nothing but rage and shame and terror, -and I suffered little more when I passed by a house in an adjacent -valley, and some children who were playing outside ran from me -shrieking. I was forced to walk to find some occupation. I should have -died if I had sat down quietly in Blue Rock Park and looked all day at -the mountains; but wherever I saw a human being I saw the same glance of -hatred and aversion, and once as I was crossing a thick brake I heard a -shot, and the venomous hiss of a bullet close to my ear. - -One day I heard a conversation which astounded me; I was sitting behind -a rock resting, and two men came along the track and halted. One of them -had got his feet entangled in some wild vines, and swore fiercely, but -the other laughed, and said they were useful things sometimes. - -"What the hell do you mean?" - -"Oh, nothing much. But they 're uncommon tough, these here vines, and -sometimes rope is skerse and dear." - -The man who had sworn chuckled at this, and I heard them sit down and -light their pipes. - -"Have you seen him lately?" asked the humorist. - -"I sighted him the other day, but the darned bullet went high. He's got -his master's luck, I expect, sir, but it can't last much longer. You -heard about him going to Jinks's and trying his brass, but the young -Britisher downed him pretty considerable, I can tell you." - -"What the devil is the meaning of it?" - -"I don't know, but I believe it'll have to be finished, and done in the -old style, too. You know how they fix the niggers?" - -"Yes, sir, I've seen a little of that. A couple of gallons of -kerosene'll cost a dollar at Brown's store, but I should say it's cheap -anyway." - -They moved off after this, and I lay still behind the rock, the sweat -pouring down my face. I was so sick that I could barely stand, and I -walked home as slowly as an old man, leaning on my stick. I knew that -the two men had been talking about me, and I knew that some terrible -death was in store for me. That night I could not sleep. I tossed on the -rough bed and tortured myself to find out the meaning of it all. At last -in the very dead of night I rose from the bed, and put on my clothes, -and went out. I did not care where I went, but I felt that I must walk -till I had tired myself out. It was a clear moonlight night, and in a -couple of hours I found I was approaching a place of dismal reputation -in the mountains, a deep cleft in the rocks, known as Black Gulf Cañon. -Many years before, an unfortunate party of Englishmen and Englishwomen -had camped here and had been surrounded by Indians. They were captured, -outraged, and put to death with almost inconceivable tortures, and the -roughest of the trappers or woodsmen gave the cañon a wide berth even in -the day-time. As I crushed through the dense brushwood which grew above -the cañon, I heard voices, and wondering who could be in such a place at -such a time, I went on, walking more carefully and making as little -noise as possible. There was a great tree growing on the very edge of -the rocks, and I lay down and looked out from behind the trunk. Black -Gulf Cañon was below me, the moonlight shining bright into its very -depths from midheaven, and casting shadows as black as death from the -pointed rock, and all the sheer rock on the other side, overhanging the -cañon, was in darkness. At intervals a light veil obscured the -moonlight, as a filmy cloud fleeted across the moon; and a bitter wind -blew shrill across the gulf. I looked down as I have said, and saw -twenty men standing in a semicircle round a rock; I counted them one by -one, and knew most of them. They were the very vilest of the vile, more -vile than any den in London could show, and there was murder and worse -than murder on the heads of not a few. Facing them and me stood Mr. -Smith with the rock before him, and on the rock was a great pair of -scales, such, as are used in the stores. I heard his voice ringing down -the cañon as I lay beside the tree, and my heart turned cold as I heard -it. - -"Life for gold," he cried, "a life for gold. The blood and the life of -an enemy for every pound of gold." - -A man stepped out and raised one hand, and with the other flung a bright -lump of something into the pan of the scales, which clanged down, and -Smith muttered something in his ear. Then he cried again:-- - -"Blood for gold; for a pound of gold, the life of an enemy. For every -pound of gold upon the scales, a life." - -One by one the men came forward, each lifting up his right hand; and the -gold was weighed in the scales, and each time Smith leaned forward and -spoke to each man in his ear. Then he cried again:-- - -"Desire and lust, for gold on the scales. For every pound of gold, -enjoyment of desire." - -I saw the same thing happen as before; the uplifted hand, and the metal -weighed, and the mouth whispering, and black passion on every face. - -Then, one by one, I saw the men again step up to Smith. A muttered -conversation seemed to take place; I could see that Smith was explaining -and directing, and I noticed that he gesticulated a little as one who -points out the way, and once or twice he moved his hands quickly as if -he would show that the path was clear and could not be missed. I kept my -eyes so intently on his figure that I noted little else, and at last it -was with a start that I realized that the cañon was empty. A moment -before I thought I had seen the group of villainous faces, and the two -standing, a little apart by the rock; I had looked down a moment, and -when I glanced again into the cañon there was no one there. In dumb -terror I made my way home, and I fell asleep in an instant from -exhaustion. No doubt I should have slept on for many hours, but when I -woke up, the sun was only rising, and the light shone in on my bed. I -had started up from sleep with the sensation of having received a -violent shock, and as I looked in confusion about me I saw to my -amazement that there were three men in the room. One of them had his -hand on my shoulder and spoke to me. - -"Come, mister, wake up. Your time's up now, I reckon, and the boys are -waiting for you outside, and they 're in a big hurry. Come on; you can -put on your clothes, it's kind of chilly this morning." - -I saw the other two men smiling sourly at each other, but I understood -nothing. I simply pulled on my clothes, and said I was ready. - -"All right, come on then. You go first, Nichols, and Jim and I will give -the gentleman an arm." - -They took me out into the sunlight, and then I understood the meaning of -a dull murmur that had vaguely perplexed me while I was dressing. There -were about two hundred men waiting outside, and some women too, and when -they saw me there was a low muttering growl. I did not know what I had -done, but that noise made my heart beat and the sweat come out on my -face. I saw confusedly, as through a veil, the tumult and tossing of the -crowd, discordant voices were speaking, and amongst all those faces -there was not one glance of mercy, but a fury of lust that I did not -understand. I found myself presently walking in a sort of procession up -the slope of the valley, and on every side of me there were men with -revolvers in their hands. Now and then a voice struck me, and I heard -words and sentences of which I could form no connected story. But I -understood that there was one sentence of execration; I heard scraps of -stories that seemed strange and improbable. Some one was talking of men, -lured by cunning devices from their homes and murdered with hideous -tortures, found writhing like wounded snakes in dark and lonely places, -only crying for some one to stab them to the heart, and so end their -torments; and I heard another voice speaking of innocent girls who had -vanished for a day or two, and then had come back and died, blushing red -with shame even in the agonies of death. I wondered what it all meant, -and what was to happen, but I was so weary that I walked on in a dream, -scarcely longing for anything but sleep. At last we stopped. We had -reached the summit of the hill, overlooking Blue Rock Valley, and I saw -that I was standing beneath a clump of trees where I had often sat. I -was in the midst of a ring of armed men, and I saw that two or three men -were very busy with piles of wood, while others were fingering a rope. -Then there was a stir in the crowd, and a man was pushed forward. His -hands and feet were tightly bound with cord, and though his face was -unutterably villainous I pitied him for the agony that worked his -features and twisted his lips. I knew him; he was amongst those that had -gathered round Smith in Black Gulf Cañon. In an instant he was unbound, -and stripped naked; and borne beneath one of the trees, and his neck -encircled by a noose that went around the trunk. A hoarse voice gave -some kind of order; there was a rush of feet, and the rope tightened; -and there before me I saw the blackened face and the writhing limbs and -the shameful agony of death. One after another, half a dozen men, all of -whom I had seen in the cañon the night before, were strangled before me, -and their bodies were flung forth on the ground. Then there was a pause, -and the man who had roused me a short while before, came up to me and -said:-- - -"Now, mister, it's your turn. We give you five minutes to cast up your -accounts, and when that's clocked, by the living God we will burn you -alive at that tree." - -It was then I awoke and understood. I cried out:-- - -"Why, what have I done? Why should you hurt me? I am a harmless man, I -never did you any wrong." I covered my face with my hands; it seemed so -pitiful, and it was such a terrible death. - -"What have I done?" I cried again. "You must take me for some other man. -You cannot know me." - -"You black-hearted devil," said the man at my side, "we know you well -enough. There's not a man within thirty miles of this that won't curse -Jack Smith when you are burning in hell." - -"My name is not Smith," I said, with some hope left in me. "My name is -Wilkins. I was Mr. Smith's secretary, but I knew nothing of him." - -"Hark at the black liar," said the man. "Secretary be damned! You were -clever enough, I dare say, to slink out at night, and keep your face in -the dark, but we've tracked you out at last. But your time's up. Come -along." - -I was dragged to the tree and bound to it with chains, and I saw the -piles of wood heaped all about me, and shut my eyes. Then I felt myself -drenched all over with some liquid, and looked again, and a woman -grinned at me. She had just emptied a great can of petroleum over me and -over the wood. A voice shouted, "Fire away," and I fainted and knew -nothing more. - -When I opened my eyes I was lying on a bed in a bare comfortless room. A -doctor was holding some strong salts to my nostrils, and a gentleman -standing by the bed, whom I afterwards found to be the sheriff, -addressed me:-- - -"Say, mister," he began, "you've had an uncommon narrow squeak for it. -The boys were just about lighting up when I came along with the posse, -and I had as much as I could do to bring you off, I can tell you. And, -mind you, I don't blame, them; they had made up their minds, you see, -that you were the head of the Black Gulf gang, and at first nothing I -could say would persuade them you weren't Jack Smith. Luckily, a man -from here named Evans, that came along with us, allowed he had seen you -with Jack Smith, and that you were yourself. So we brought you along and -jailed you, but you can go if you like, when you're through with this -faint turn." - -I got on the cars the next day, and in three weeks I was in London; -again almost penniless. But from that time my fortune seemed to change. -I made influential friends in all directions; bank directors courted my -company, and editors positively flung themselves into my arms. I had -only to choose my career, and after a while I determined that I was -meant by nature for a life of comparative leisure. With an ease that -seemed almost ridiculous I obtained a well-paid position in connection -with a prosperous political club. I have charming chambers in a central -neighborhood close to the parks; the club _chef_ exerts himself when I -lunch or dine, and the rarest vintages in the cellar are always at my -disposal. Yet, since my return to London, I have never known a day's -security or peace; I tremble when I awake lest Smith should be standing -at my bed, and every step I take seems to bring me nearer to the edge of -the precipice. Smith, I knew, had escaped free from the raid of the -vigilantes, and I grew faint at the thought that he would in all -probability return to London, and that suddenly and unprepared I should -meet him face to face. Every morning as I left my house, I would peer up -and down the street, expecting to see that dreaded figure awaiting me; I -have delayed at street corners, my heart in my mouth, sickening at the -thought that a few quick steps might bring us together; I could not bear -to frequent the theatres or music halls, lest by some bizarre chance he -should prove to be my neighbor. Sometimes, I have been forced, against -my will, to walk out at night, and then in silent squares the shadows -have made me shudder, and in the medley of meetings in the crowded -thoroughfares, I have said to myself, "It must come sooner or later; he -will surely return to town, and I shall see him when I feel most -secure." I scanned the newspapers for hint or intimation of approaching -danger, and no small type nor report of trivial interest was allowed to -pass unread. Especially I read and re-read the advertisement columns, -but without result. Months passed by and I was undisturbed till, though -I felt far from safe, I no longer suffered from the intolerable -oppression of instant and ever present terror. This afternoon as I was -walking quietly along Oxford Street, I raised my eyes, and looked across -the road, and then at last I saw the man who had so long haunted my -thoughts. - - * * * * * - -Mr. Wilkins finished his wine, and leaned back in his chair, looking -sadly at Dyson; and then, as if a thought struck him, fished out of an -inner pocket a leather letter case, and handed a newspaper cutting -across the table. - -Dyson glanced closely at the slip, and saw that it had been extracted -from the columns of an evening paper. It ran as follows:-- - - WHOLESALE LYNCHING. - - SHOCKING STORY. - -A Dalziel telegram from Reading (Colorado) states that advices received -there from Blue Rock Park report a frightful instance of popular -vengeance. For some time the neighborhood has been terrorized by the -crimes of a gang of desperadoes, who, under the cover of a carefully -planned organization, have perpetrated the most infamous cruelties on -men and women. A Vigilance Committee was formed, and it was found that -the leader of the gang was a person named Smith, living in Blue Rock -Park. Action was taken, and six of the worst in the band were summarily -strangled in the presence of two or three hundred men and women. Smith -is said to have escaped. - - * * * * * - -"This is a terrible story," said Dyson; "I can well believe that your -days and nights are haunted by such fearful scenes as you have -described. But surely you have no need to fear Smith? He has much, more -cause to fear you. Consider, you have only to lay your information -before the police, and a warrant would be immediately issued for his -arrest. Besides, you will, I am sure, excuse me for what I am going to -say." - -"My dear sir," said Mr. Wilkins, "I hope you will speak to me with -perfect freedom." - -"Well, then, I must confess that my impression was that you were rather -disappointed at not being able to stop the man before he drove off. I -thought you seemed annoyed that you could not get across the street." - -"Sir, I did not know what I was about. I caught sight of the man, but it -was only for a moment, and the agony you witnessed was the agony of -suspense. I was not perfectly certain of the face; and the horrible -thought that Smith was again in London overwhelmed me. I shuddered at -the idea of this incarnate fiend, whose soul is black with shocking -crimes, mingling free and unobserved amongst the harmless crowds, -meditating perhaps a new and more fearful cycle of infamies. I tell -you, sir, that an awful being stalks through the streets, a being before -whom the sunlight itself should blacken, and the summer air grow chill -and dank. Such thoughts as these rushed upon me with the force of a -whirlwind; I lost my senses." - -"I see. I partly understand your feelings, but I would impress on you -that you have nothing really to fear. Depend upon it, Smith will not -molest you in any way. You must remember he himself has had a warning; -and indeed from the brief glance I had of him, he seemed to me to be a -frightened-looking man. However, I see it is getting late, and if you -will excuse me, Mr. Wilkins, I think I will be going. I dare say we -shall often meet here." - -Dyson walked off smartly, pondering the strange story chance had brought -him, and finding on cool reflection that there was something a little -strange in Mr. Wilkins's manner, for which not even so weird a catalogue -of experiences could altogether account. - - - - -ADVENTURE OF THE MISSING BROTHER. - - -Mr. Charles Phillipps was, as has been hinted, a gentleman of pronounced -scientific tastes. In his early days he had devoted himself with fond -enthusiasm to the agreeable study of biology, and a brief monograph on -the Embryology of the Microscopic Holothuria had formed his first -contribution to the belles lettres. Later, he had somewhat relaxed the -severity of his pursuits, and had dabbled in the more frivolous subjects -of palæontology and ethnology; he had a cabinet in his sitting-room -whose drawers were stuffed with rude flint implements, and a charming -fetish from the South Seas was the dominant note in the decorative -scheme of the apartment. Flattering himself with the title of -materialist, he was in truth one of the most credulous of men, but he -required a marvel to be neatly draped in the robes of science before he -would give it any credit, and the wildest dreams took solid shape to him -if only the nomenclature were severe and irreproachable; he laughed at -the witch, but quailed before the powers of the hypnotist, lifting his -eyebrows when Christianity was mentioned, but adoring protyle and the -ether. For the rest, he prided himself on a boundless scepticism; the -average tale of wonder he heard with nothing but contempt, and he would -certainly not have credited a word or syllable of Dyson's story of the -pursuer and pursued unless the gold coin had been produced as visible -and tangible evidence. As it was he half suspected that Dyson had -imposed on him; he knew his friend's disordered fancies, and his habit -of conjuring up the marvellous to account for the entirely commonplace; -and on the whole he was inclined to think that the so-called facts in -the odd adventure had been gravely distorted in the telling. Since the -evening on which he had listened to the tale, he had paid Dyson a visit, -and had delivered himself of some serious talk on the necessity of -accurate observation, and the folly, as he put it, of using a -kaleidoscope instead of a telescope in the view of things, to which -remarks his friend had listened with a smile that was extremely sardonic -"My dear fellow," Dyson had remarked at last, "you will allow me to tell -you that I see your drift perfectly. However, you will be astonished to -hear that I consider you to be the visionary, while I am a sober and -serious spectator of human life. You have gone round the circle, and -while you fancy yourself far in the golden land of new philosophies, you -are in reality a dweller in a metaphorical Clapham; your scepticism has -defeated itself and become a monstrous credulity; you are in fact in the -position of the bat or owl, I forget which it was, who denied the -existence of the sun at noonday, and I shall be astonished if you do not -one day come to me full of contrition for your manifold intellectual -errors, with a humble resolution to see things in their true light for -the future." This tirade had left Mr. Phillipps unimpressed; he -considered Dyson as hopeless, and he went home to gloat over some -primitive stone implements that a friend had sent him from India. He -found that his landlady, seeing them displayed in all their rude -formlessness upon the table, had removed the collection to the dustbin, -and had replaced it by lunch; and the afternoon was spent in malodorous -research. Mrs. Brown, hearing these stones spoken of as very valuable -knives, had called him in his hearing "poor Mr. Phillipps," and between -rage and evil odors he spent a sorry afternoon. It was four o'clock -before he had completed his work of rescue; and, overpowered with the -flavors of decaying cabbage-leaves, Phillipps felt that he must have a -walk to gain an appetite for the evening meal. Unlike Dyson, he walked -fast, with his eyes on the pavement, absorbed in his thoughts and -oblivious of the life around him; and he could not have told by what -streets he had passed, when he suddenly lifted up his eyes and found -himself in Leicester Square. The grass and flowers pleased him, and he -welcomed the opportunity of resting for a few minutes, and glancing -round, he saw a bench which had only one occupant, a lady, and as she -was seated at one end, Phillipps took up a position at the other -extremity, and began to pass in angry review the events of the -afternoon. He had noticed as he came up to the bench that the person -already there was neatly dressed, and to all appearance young; her face -he could not see, as it was turned away in apparent contemplation of the -shrubs, and moreover shielded with her hand; but it would be doing -wrong to Mr. Phillipps to imagine that his choice of a seat was dictated -by any hopes of an affair of the heart; he had simply preferred the -company of one lady to that of five dirty children, and having seated -himself was immersed directly in thoughts of his misfortunes. He had -meditated changing his lodgings; but now, on a judicial review of the -case in all its bearings, his calmer judgment told him that the race of -landladies is like to the race of the leaves, and that there was but -little to choose between them. He resolved, however, to talk to Mrs. -Brown, the offender, very coolly and yet severely, to point out the -extreme indiscretion of her conduct, and to express a hope for better -things in the future. With this decision registered in his mind, -Phillipps was about to get up from the seat and move off, when he was -intensely annoyed to hear a stifled sob, evidently from the lady, who -still continued her contemplation of the shrubs and flower-beds. He -clutched his stick desperately, and in a moment would have been in full -retreat, when the lady turned her face towards him, and with a mute -entreaty bespoke his attention. She was a young girl with a quaint and -piquant rather than a beautiful face, and she was evidently in the -bitterest distress, and Mr. Phillipps sat down again, and cursed his -chances heartily. The young lady looked at him with a pair of charming -eyes of a shining hazel, which showed no trace of tears, though a -handkerchief was in her hand; she bit her lip, and seemed to struggle -with some overpowering grief, and her whole attitude was all beseeching -and imploring. Phillipps sat on the edge of the bench gazing awkwardly -at her, and wondering what was to come next, and she looked at him still -without speaking. - -"Well, madam," he said at last, "I understood from your gesture that you -wished to speak to me. Is there anything I can do for you? Though, if -you will pardon me, I cannot help saying that that seems highly -improbable." - -"Ah, sir," she said in a low murmuring voice, "do not speak harshly to -me. I am in sore straits, and I thought from your face that I could -safely ask your sympathy, if not your help." - -"Would you kindly tell me what is the matter?" said Phillipps. "Perhaps -you would like some tea?" - -"I knew I could not be mistaken," the lady replied. "That offer of -refreshment bespeaks a generous mind. But tea, alas! is powerless to -console me. If you will let me, I will endeavor to explain my trouble." - -"I should be glad if you would." - -"I will do so, and I will try and be brief, in spite of the numerous -complications which have made me, young as I am, tremble before what -seems the profound and terrible mystery of existence. Yet the grief -which now racks my very soul is but too simple; I have lost my brother." - -"Lost your brother! How on earth can that be?" - -"I see I must trouble you with a few particulars. My brother, then, who -is by some years my elder, is a tutor in a private school in the extreme -north of London. The want of means deprived him of the advantages of a -University education; and lacking the stamp of a degree, he could not -hope for that position which his scholarship and his talents entitled -him to claim. He was thus forced to accept the post of classical master -at Dr. Saunderson's Highgate Academy for the sons of gentlemen, and he -has performed his duties with perfect satisfaction to his principal for -some years. My personal history need not trouble you; if will be enough -if I tell you that for the last month I have been governess in a family -residing at Tooting. My brother and I have always cherished the warmest -mutual affection; and though circumstances into which I need not enter -have kept us apart for some time, yet we have never lost sight of one -another. We made up our minds that unless one of us was absolutely -unable to rise from a bed of sickness, we would never let a week pass by -without meeting, and some time ago we chose this square as our -rendezvous on account of its central position and its convenience of -access. And indeed, after a week of distasteful toil, my brother felt -little inclination for much walking, and we have often spent two or -three hours on this bench, speaking of our prospects and of happier -days, when we were children. In the early spring it was cold and chilly; -still we enjoyed the short respite, and I think that we were often taken -for a pair of lovers, as we sat close together, eagerly talking. -Saturday after Saturday we have met each other here, and though the -doctor told him it was madness, my brother would not allow the influenza -to break the appointment. That was some time ago; last Saturday we had -a long and happy afternoon, and separated more cheerfully than usual, -feeling that the coming week would be bearable, and resolving that our -next meeting should be if possible still more pleasant. I arrived here -at the time agreed upon, four o'clock, and sat down and watched for my -brother, expecting every moment to see him advancing towards me from -that gate at the north side of the square. Five minutes passed by, and -he had not arrived; I thought he must have missed his train, and the -idea that our interview would be cut short by twenty minutes, or perhaps -half an hour, saddened me; I had hoped we should be so happy together -to-day. Suddenly, moved by I know not what impulse, I turned abruptly -round, and how can I describe to you my astonishment when I saw my -brother advancing slowly towards me from the southern side of the -square, accompanied by another person. My first thought, I remember, had -in it something of resentment that this man, whoever he was, should -intrude himself into our meeting; I wondered who it could possibly be, -for my brother had, I may say, no intimate friends. Then as I looked -still at the advancing figures, another feeling took possession of me; -it was a sensation of bristling fear, the fear of the child in the dark, -unreasonable and unreasoning, but terrible, clutching at my heart as -with the cold grip of a dead man's hands. Yet I overcame the feeling, -and looked steadily at my brother, waiting for him to speak, and more -closely at his companion. Then I noticed that this man was leading my -brother rather than walking arm-in-arm with him; he was a tall man, -dressed in quite ordinary fashion. He wore a high bowler hat, and, in -spite of the warmth of the day, a plain black overcoat, tightly -buttoned, and I noticed his trousers, of a quiet black and gray stripe. -The face was commonplace too, and indeed I cannot recall any special -features, or any trick of expression; for though I looked at him as he -came near, curiously enough his face made no impression on me, it was as -though I had seen a well-made mask. They passed in front of me, and to -my unutterable astonishment I heard my brother's voice speaking to me, -though his lips did not move, nor his eyes look into mine. It was a -voice I cannot describe, though I knew it, but the words came to my ears -as if mingled with plashing water and the sound of a shallow brook -flowing amidst stones. I heard, then, the words, 'I cannot stay,' and -for a moment the heavens and the earth seemed to rush together with the -sound of thunder, and I was thrust forth from the world into a black -void without beginning and without end. For, as my brother passed me, I -saw the hand that held him by the arm, and seemed to guide him, and in -one moment of horror I realized that it was as a formless thing that has -mouldered for many years in the grave. The flesh was peeled in strips -from the bones, and hung apart dry and granulated, and the fingers that -encircled my brother's arm were all unshapen, claw-like things, and one -was but a stump from which the end had rotted off. When I recovered my -senses I saw the two passing out by that gate. I paused for a moment, -and then with a rush as of fire to my heart I knew that no horror -could, stay me, but that I must follow my brother and save him, even -though all hell rose up against me. I ran out and looked up the -pavement, and saw the two figures walking amidst the crowd. I ran across -the road, and saw them turn up that side street, and I reached the -corner a moment later. In vain I looked to right and left, for neither -my brother nor his strange guardian was in sight; two elderly men were -coming down arm-in-arm, and a telegraph boy was walking lustily along -whistling. I remained there a moment horror-struck, and then I bowed my -head and returned to this seat, where you found me. Now, sir, do you -wonder at my grief? Oh, tell me what has happened to my brother, or I -feel I shall go mad." - -Mr. Phillipps, who had listened with exemplary patience to this tale, -hesitated a moment before he spoke. - -"My dear madam," he said at length, "you have known how to engage me in -your service, not only as a man, but as a student of science. As a -fellow-creature I pity you most profoundly; you must have suffered -extremely from what you saw, or rather from what you fancied you saw. -For, as a scientific observer, it is my duty to tell you the plain -truth, which, indeed, besides being true, must also console you. Allow -me to ask you then to describe your brother." - -"Certainly," said the lady, eagerly; "I can describe him accurately. My -brother is a somewhat young-looking man; he is pale, has small black -whiskers, and wears spectacles. He has rather a timid, almost a -frightened expression, and looks about him nervously from side to side. -Think, think! Surely you must have seen him. Perhaps you are an -_habitué_ of this engaging quarter; you may have met him on some -previous Saturday. I may have been mistaken in supposing that he turned -up that side street; he may have gone on, and you may have passed each -other. Oh, tell me, sir, whether you have not seen him?" - -"I am afraid I do not keep a very sharp lookout when I am walking," said -Phillipps, who would have passed his mother unnoticed; "but I am sure -your description is admirable. And now will you describe the person, -who, you say, held your brother by the arm?" - -"I cannot do so. I told you, his face seemed devoid of expression or -salient feature. It was like a mask." - -"Exactly; you cannot describe what you have never seen. I need hardly -point out to you the conclusion to be drawn; you have been the victim of -an hallucination. You expected to see your brother, you were alarmed -because you did not see him, and unconsciously, no doubt, your brain -went to work, and finally you saw a mere projection of your own morbid -thoughts; a vision of your absent brother, and a mere confusion of -terrors incorporated in a figure which you can't describe. Of course -your brother has been in some way prevented from coming to meet you as -usual. I expect you will hear from him in a day or two." - -The lady looked seriously at Mr. Phillipps, and then for a second there -seemed almost a twinkling as of mirth about her eyes, but her face -clouded sadly at the dogmatic conclusions to which the scientist was -led so irresistibly. - -"Ah," she said, "you do not know. I cannot doubt the evidence of my -waking senses. Besides, perhaps I have had experiences even more -terrible. I acknowledge the force of your arguments, but a woman has -intuitions which never deceive her. Believe me, I am not hysterical; -feel my pulse, it is quite regular." - -She stretched out her hand with a dainty gesture, and a glance that -enraptured Phillipps in spite of himself. The hand held out to him was -soft and white and warm, and as, in some confusion, he placed his -fingers on the purple vein, he felt profoundly touched by the spectacle -of love and grief before him. - -"No," he said, as he released her wrist, "as you say, you are evidently -quite yourself. Still, you must be aware that living men do not possess -dead hands. That sort of thing doesn't happen. It is, of course, barely -possible that you did see your brother with another gentleman, and that -important business prevented him from stopping. As for the wonderful -hand, there may have been some deformity, a finger shot off by accident, -or something of that sort." - -The lady shook her head mournfully. - -"I see you are a determined rationalist," she said. "Did you not hear me -say that I have had experiences even more terrible? I too was once a -sceptic, but after what I have known I can no longer affect to doubt." - -"Madam," replied Mr. Phillipps, "no one shall make me deny my faith. I -will never believe, nor will I pretend to believe, that two and two make -five, nor will I on any pretences admit the existence of two-sided -triangles." - -"You are a little hasty," rejoined the lady. "But may I ask you if you -ever heard the name of Professor Gregg, the authority on ethnology and -kindred subjects?" - -"I have done much more than merely hear of Professor Gregg," said -Phillipps. "I always regarded him as one of our most acute and -clear-headed observers; and his last publication, the 'Text-book of -Ethnology,' struck me as being quite admirable in its kind. Indeed, the -book had but come into my hands when I heard of the terrible accident -which cut short Gregg's career. He had, I think, taken a country house -in the West of England for the summer, and is supposed to have fallen -into a river. So far as I remember, his body was never recovered." - -"Sir, I am sure that you are discreet. Your conversation seems to -declare as much, and the very title of that little work of yours which -you mentioned, assures me that you are no empty trifler. In a word, I -feel that I may depend on you. You appear to be under the impression -that Professor Gregg is dead; I have no reason to believe that that is -the case." - -"What?" cried Phillipps, astonished and perturbed. "You do not hint that -there was anything disgraceful? I cannot believe it. Gregg was a man of -clearest character; his private life was one of great benevolence; and -though I myself am free from delusions, I believe him to have been a -sincere and devout Christian. Surely you cannot mean to insinuate that -some disreputable history forced him to flee the country?" - -"Again you are in a hurry," replied the lady. "I said nothing of all -this. Briefly, then, I must tell you that Professor Gregg left his house -one morning in full health both of mind and body. He never returned, but -his watch and chain, a purse containing three sovereigns in gold and -some loose silver, with a ring that he wore habitually, were found three -days later on a wild and savage hillside, many miles from the river. -These articles were placed beside a limestone rock of fantastic form; -they had been wrapped into a parcel with a kind of rough parchment which -was secured with gut. The parcel was opened, and the inner side of the -parchment bore an inscription done with some red substance; the -characters were undecipherable, but seemed to be a corrupt cuneiform." - -"You interest me intensely," said Phillips. "Would you mind continuing -your story? The circumstance you have mentioned seems to me of the most -inexplicable character, and I thirst for an elucidation." - -The young lady seemed to meditate for a moment, and she then proceeded -to relate the - - - - -NOVEL OF THE BLACK SEAL. - - -I must now give you some fuller particulars of my history. I am the -daughter of a civil engineer, Steven Lally by name, who was so -unfortunate as to die suddenly at the outset of his career, and before -he had accumulated sufficient means to support his wife and her two -children. My mother contrived to keep the small household going on -resources which must have been incredibly small; we lived in a remote -country village, because most of the necessaries of life were cheaper -than in a town, but even so we were brought up with the severest -economy. My father was a clever and well-read man, and left behind him a -small but select collection of books, containing the best Greek, Latin, -and English classics, and these books were the only amusement we -possessed. My brother, I remember, learned Latin out of Descartes' -"Meditationes," and I, in place of the little tales which children are -usually told to read, had nothing more charming than a translation of -the "Gesta Romanorum." We grew up thus, quiet and studious children, and -in course of time my brother provided for himself in the manner I have -mentioned. I continued to live at home; my poor mother had become an -invalid, and demanded my continual care, and about two years ago she -died after many months of painful illness. My situation was a terrible -one; the shabby furniture barely sufficed to pay the debts I had been -forced to contract, and the books I despatched to my brother, knowing -how he would value them. I was absolutely alone. I was aware how poorly -my brother was paid; and though I came up to London in the hope of -finding employment, with the understanding that he would defray my -expenses, I swore it should only be for a month, and that if I could not -in that time find some work, I would starve rather than deprive him of -the few miserable pounds he had laid by for his day of trouble. I took a -little room in a distant suburb, the cheapest that I could find. I lived -on bread and tea, and I spent my time in vain answering of -advertisements, and vainer walks to addresses I had noted. Day followed -on day, and week on week, and still I was unsuccessful, till at last the -term I had appointed drew to a close, and I saw before me the grim -prospect of slowly dying of starvation. My landlady was good-natured in -her way; she knew the slenderness of my means, and I am sure that she -would not have turned me out of doors. It remained for me then to go -away, and to try and die in some quiet place. It was winter then, and a -thick white fog gathered in the early part of the afternoon, becoming -more dense as the day wore on; it was a Sunday, I remember, and the -people of the house were at chapel. At about three o'clock I crept out -and walked away as quickly as I could, for I was weak from abstinence. -The white mist wrapped all the streets in silence, and a hard frost had -gathered thick upon the bare branches of the trees, and frost crystals -glittered on the wooden fences, and on the cold cruel ground beneath my -feet. I walked on, turning to right and left in utter haphazard, without -caring to look up at the names of the streets, and all that I remember -of my walk on that Sunday afternoon seems but the broken fragments of an -evil dream. In a confused vision I stumbled on, through roads half town -and half country; gray fields melting into the cloudy world of mist on -one side of me, and on the other comfortable villas with a glow of -firelight flickering on the walls; but all unreal, red brick walls, and -lighted windows, vague trees, and glimmering country, gas-lamps -beginning to star the white shadows, the vanishing perspectives of the -railway line beneath high embankments, the green and red of the signal -lamps,--all these were but momentary pictures flashed on my tired brain -and senses numbed by hunger. Now and then I would hear a quick step -ringing on the iron road, and men would pass me well wrapped up, walking -fast for the sake of warmth, and no doubt eagerly foretasting the -pleasures of a glowing hearth, with curtains tightly drawn about the -frosted panes, and the welcomes of their friends; but as the early -evening darkened and night approached, foot-passengers got fewer and -fewer, and I passed through street after street alone. In the white -silence I stumbled on, as desolate as if I trod the streets of a buried -city; and as I grew more weak and exhausted, something of the horror of -death was folding thickly round my heart. Suddenly, as I turned a -corner, some one accosted me courteously beneath the lamp-post, and I -heard a voice asking if I could kindly point the way to Avon Road. At -the sudden shock of human accents I was prostrated and my strength gave -way, and I fell all huddled on the side-walk and wept and sobbed and -laughed in violent hysteria. I had gone out prepared to die, and as I -stepped across the threshold that had sheltered me, I consciously bade -adieu to all hopes and all remembrances; the door clanged behind me with -the noise of thunder, and I felt that an iron curtain had fallen on the -brief passages of my life, and that henceforth I was to walk a little -way in a world, of gloom and shadow; I entered on the stage of the first -act of death. Then came my wandering in the mist, the whiteness wrapping -all things, the void streets, and muffled silence, till when that voice -spoke to me, it was as if I had died and life returned to me. In a few -minutes I was able to compose my feelings, and as I rose I saw that I -was confronted by a middle-aged gentleman of specious appearance, neatly -and correctly dressed. He looked at me with an expression of great pity, -but before I could stammer out my ignorance of the neighborhood, for -indeed I had not the slightest notion of where I had wandered, he spoke. - -"My dear madam," he said, "you seem in some terrible distress. You -cannot think how you alarmed me. But may I inquire the nature of your -trouble? I assure you that you can safely confide in me." - -"You are very kind," I replied; "but, I fear there is nothing to be -done. My condition seems a hopeless one." - -"Oh, nonsense, nonsense! You are too young to talk like that. Come, let -us walk down here, and you must tell me your difficulty. Perhaps I may -be able to help you." - -There was something very soothing and persuasive in his manner, and as -we walked together, I gave him an outline of my story, and told of the -despair that had oppressed me almost to death. - -"You were wrong to give in so completely," he said, when I was silent. -"A month is too short a time in which to feel one's way in London. -London, let me tell you, Miss Lally, does not lie open and undefended; -it is a fortified place, fossed and double-moated with curious -intricacies. As must always happen in large towns, the conditions of -life have become hugely artificial; no mere simple palisade is run up to -oppose the man or woman who would take the place by storm, but serried -lines of subtle contrivances, mines, and pitfalls which it needs a -strange skill to overcome. You, in your simplicity, fancied you had only -to shout for these walls to sink into nothingness, but the time is gone -for such startling victories as these. Take courage; you will learn the -secret of success before very long." - -"Alas, sir," I replied, "I have no doubt your conclusions are correct, -but at the present moment I seem to be in a fair way to die of -starvation. You spoke of a secret; for heaven's sake, tell it me, if you -have any pity for my distress." - -He laughed genially. "There lies the strangeness of it all. Those who -know the secret cannot tell it if they would; it is positively as -ineffable as the central doctrine of Freemasonry. But I may say this, -that you yourself have penetrated at least the outer husk of the -mystery," and he laughed again. - -"Pray do not jest with me," I said. "What have I done, _que sais-je_? I -am so far ignorant that I have not the slightest idea of how my next -meal is to be provided." - -"Excuse me. You ask what you have done? You have met me. Come, we will -fence no longer. I see you have self-education, the only education -which is not infinitely pernicious, and I am in want of a governess for -my two children. I have been a widower for some years; my name is Gregg. -I offer you the post I have named, and shall we say a salary of a -hundred a year?" - -I could only stutter out my thanks, and slipping a card with his address -and a bank-note by way of earnest into my hand, Mr. Gregg bade me -good-bye, asking me to call in a day or two. - -Such was my introduction to Professor Gregg, and can you wonder that the -remembrance of despair and the cold blast that had blown from the gates -of death upon me, made me regard him as a second father? Before the -close of the week. I was installed in my new duties; the professor had -leased an old brick manor house in a western suburb of London, and here, -surrounded by pleasant lawns and orchards, and soothed with the murmur -of the ancient elms that rocked their boughs above the roof, the new -chapter of my life began. Knowing as you do the nature of the -professor's occupations, you will not be surprised to hear that the -house teemed with books; and cabinets full of strange and even hideous -objects filled every available nook in the vast low rooms. Gregg was a -man whose one thought was for knowledge, and I too before long caught -something of his enthusiasm, and strove to enter into his passion for -research. In a few months I was perhaps more his secretary than the -governess of the two children, and many a night I have sat at the desk -in the glow of the shaded lamp while he, pacing up and down in the rich, -gloom of the firelight, dictated to me the substance of his "Text-book -of Ethnology." But amidst these more sober and accurate studies I always -detected a something hidden, a longing and desire for some object to -which he did not allude, and now and then he would break short in what -he was saying and lapse into revery, entranced, as it seemed to me, by -some distant prospect of adventurous discovery. The text-book was at -last finished, and we began to receive proofs from the printers, which -were intrusted to me for a first reading, and then underwent the final -revision of the professor. All the while his weariness of the actual -business he was engaged on increased, and it was with the joyous laugh -of a schoolboy when term is over that he one day handed me a copy of the -book. "There," he said, "I have kept my word; I promised to write it, -and it is done with. Now I shall be free to live for stranger things; I -confess it, Miss Lally, I covet the renown of Columbus. You will, I -hope, see me play the part of an explorer." - -"Surely," I said, "there is little left to explore. You have been born a -few hundred years too late for that." - -"I think you are wrong," he replied; "there are still, depend upon it, -quaint undiscovered countries and continents of strange extent. Ah, Miss -Lally, believe me, we stand amidst sacraments and mysteries full of awe, -and it doth not yet appear what we shall be. Life, believe me, is no -simple thing, no mass of gray matter and congeries of veins and muscles -to be laid naked by the surgeon's knife; man is the secret which I am -about to explore, and before I can discover him I must cross over -weltering seas indeed, and oceans and the mists of many thousand years. -You know the myth of the lost Atlantis; what if it be true, and I am -destined to be called the discoverer of that wonderful land?" - -I could see excitement boiling beneath his words, and in his face was -the heat of the hunter; before me stood a man who believed himself -summoned to tourney with the unknown. A pang of joy possessed me when I -reflected that I was to be in a way associated with him in the -adventure, and I too burned with the lust of the chase, not pausing to -consider that I knew not what we were to unshadow. - -The next morning Professor Gregg took me into his inner study, where -ranged against the wall stood a nest of pigeon-holes, every drawer -neatly labelled, and the results of years of toil classified in a few -feet of space. - -"Here," he said, "is my life; here are all the facts which I have -gathered together with so much pains, and yet it is all nothing. No, -nothing to what I am about to attempt. Look at this;" and he took me to -an old bureau, a piece fantastic and faded, which stood in a corner of -the room. He unlocked the front and opened one of the drawers. - -"A few scraps of paper," he went on, pointing to the drawer, "and a lump -of black stone, rudely annotated with queer marks and scratches,--that -is all that drawer holds. Here you see is an old envelope with the dark -red stamp of twenty years ago, but I have pencilled a few lines at the -back; here is a sheet of manuscript, and here some cuttings from -obscure local journals. And if you ask me the subject matter of the -collection, it will not seem extraordinary. A servant girl at a -farmhouse, who disappeared from her place and has never been heard of, a -child supposed to have slipped down some old working on the mountains, -some queer scribbling on a limestone rock, a man murdered with a blow -from a strange weapon; such is the scent I have to go upon. Yes, as you -say, there is a ready explanation for all this; the girl may have run -away to London, or Liverpool, or New York; the child may be at the -bottom of the disused shaft; and the letters on the rock may be the idle -whims of some vagrant. Yes, yes, I admit all that; but I know I hold the -true key. Look!" and he held me out a slip of yellow paper. - -"Characters found inscribed on a limestone rock on the Gray Hills," I -read, and then there was a word erased, presumably the name of a county, -and a date some fifteen years back. Beneath was traced a number of -uncouth characters, shaped somewhat like wedges or daggers, as strange -and outlandish as the Hebrew alphabet. - -"Now the seal," said Professor Gregg, and he handed me the black stone, -a thing about two inches long, and something like an old-fashioned -tobacco stopper, much enlarged. - -I held it up to the light, and saw to my surprise the characters on the -paper repeated on the seal. - -"Yes," said the professor, "they are the same. And the marks on the -limestone rock were made fifteen years ago, with some red substance. And -the characters on the seal are four thousand years old at least. Perhaps -much more." - -"Is it a hoax?" I said. - -"No, I anticipated that. I was not to be led to give my life to a -practical joke. I have tested the matter very carefully. Only one person -besides myself knows of the mere existence of that black seal. Besides, -there are other reasons which I cannot enter into now." - -"But what does it all mean?" I said. "I cannot understand to what -conclusion all this leads." - -"My dear Miss Lally, that is a question I would rather leave unanswered -for some little time. Perhaps I shall never be able to say what secrets -are held here in solution; a few vague hints, the outlines of village -tragedies, a few marks done with red earth upon a rock, and an ancient -seal. A queer set of data to go upon? Half-a-dozen pieces of evidence, -and twenty years before even so much could be got together; and who -knows what mirage or terra incognita may be beyond all this? I look -across deep waters, Miss Lally, and the land beyond may be but a haze -after all. But still I believe it is not so, and a few months will show -whether I am right or wrong." - -He left me, and alone I endeavored to fathom the mystery, wondering to -what goal such eccentric odds and ends of evidence could lead. I myself -am not wholly devoid of imagination, and I had reason to respect the -professor's solidity of intellect; yet I saw in the contents of the -drawer but the materials of fantasy, and vainly tried to conceive what -theory could be founded on the fragments that had been placed before me. -Indeed, I could discover in what I had heard and seen but the first -chapter of an extravagant romance; and yet deep in my heart I burned -with curiosity, and day after day I looked eagerly in Professor Gregg's -face for some hint of what was to happen. - -It was one evening after dinner that the word came. - -"I hope you can make your preparations without much trouble," he said -suddenly to me. "We shall be leaving here in a week's time." - -"Really!" I said in astonishment. "Where are we going?" - -"I have taken a country house in the west of England, not far from -Caermaen, a quiet little town, once a city, and the headquarters of a -Roman legion. It is very dull there, but the country is pretty, and the -air is wholesome." - -I detected a glint in his eyes, and guessed that this sudden move had -some relation to our conversation of a few days before. - -"I shall just take a few books with me," said Professor Gregg, "that is -all. Everything else will remain here for our return. I have got a -holiday," he went on, smiling at me, "and I shan't be sorry to be quit -for a time of my old bones and stones and rubbish. Do you know," he went -on, "I have been grinding away at facts for thirty years; it is time for -fancies." - -The days passed quickly; I could see that the professor was all -quivering with suppressed excitement, and I could scarce credit the -eager appetence of his glance as we left the old manor house behind us, -and began our journey. We set out at mid-day, and it was in the dusk of -the evening that we arrived at a little country station. I was tired, -and excited, and the drive through, the lanes seems all a dream. First -the deserted streets of a forgotten village, while I heard Professor -Gregg's voice talking of the Augustan Legion and the clash of arms, and -all the tremendous pomp that followed the eagles; then the broad river -swimming to full tide with the last afterglow glimmering duskily in the -yellow water, the wide meadows, and the cornfields whitening, and the -deep lane winding on the slope between the hills and the water. At last -we began to ascend, and the air grew rarer; I looked down and saw the -pure white mist tracking the outline of the river like a shroud, and a -vague and shadowy country, imaginations and fantasy of swelling hills -and hanging woods, and half-shaped outlines of hills beyond, stand in -the distance the glare of the furnace fire on the mountain, growing by -turns a pillar of shining flame, and fading to a dull point of red. We -were slowly mounting a carriage drive, and then there came to me the -cool breath and the scent of the great wood that was above us; I seemed -to wander in its deepest depths, and there was the sound of trickling -water, the scent of the green leaves, and the breath of the summer -night. The carriage stopped at last, and I could scarcely distinguish -the form of the house as I waited a moment at the pillared porch; and -the rest of the evening seemed a dream of strange things bounded by the -great silence of the wood and the valley and the river. - -The next morning when I awoke and looked out of the bow window of the -big old-fashioned bedroom, I saw under a gray sky a country that was -still all mystery. The long, lovely valley, with the river winding in -and out below, crossed, in mid vision by a mediæval bridge of vaulted -and buttressed stone, the clear presence of the rising ground beyond, -and the woods that I had only seen in shadow the night before, seemed -tinged with enchantment, and the soft breath, of air that sighed in at -the opened pane was like no other wind. I looked across the valley, and -beyond, hill followed on hill as wave on wave, and here a faint blue -pillar of smoke rose still in the morning air from the chimney of an -ancient gray farmhouse, there was a rugged height crowned with dark -firs, and in the distance I saw the white streak of a road that climbed -and vanished into some unimagined country. But the boundary of all was a -great wall of mountain, vast in the west, and ending like a fortress -with a steep ascent and a domed tumulus clear against the sky. - -I saw Professor Gregg walking up and down the terrace path below the -windows, and it was evident that he was revelling in the sense of -liberty, and the thought that he had, for a while, bidden good-bye to -task-work. When I joined him there was exultation in his voice as he -pointed out the sweep of valley and the river that wound beneath the -lovely hills. - -"Yes," he said, "it is a strangely beautiful country; and to me, at -least, it seems full of mystery. You have not forgotten the drawer I -showed you, Miss Lally? No; and you have guessed that I have come here -not merely for the sake of the children and the fresh air?" - -"I think I have guessed as much as that," I replied; "but you must -remember I do not know the mere nature of your investigations; and as -for the connection between the search and this wonderful valley, it is -past my guessing." - -He smiled queerly at me. "You must not think I am making a mystery for -the sake of mystery," he said. "I do not speak out because, so far, -there is nothing to be spoken, nothing definite I mean, nothing that can -be set down in hard black and white, as dull and sure and irreproachable -as any blue book. And then I have another reason: many years ago a -chance paragraph in a newspaper caught my attention, and focussed in an -instant the vagrant thoughts and half-formed fancies of many idle and -speculative hours into a certain hypothesis. I saw at once that I was -treading on a thin crust; my theory was wild and fantastic in the -extreme, and I would not for any consideration have written a hint of it -for publication. But I thought that in the company of scientific men -like myself, men who knew the course of discovery, and were aware that -the gas that blazes and flares in the gin-palace was once a wild -hypothesis; I thought that with such men as these I might hazard my -dream--let us say Atlantis, or the philosopher's stone, or what you -like--without danger of ridicule. I found I was grossly mistaken; my -friends looked blankly at me and at one another, and I could see -something of pity, and something also of insolent contempt, in the -glances they exchanged. One of them called on me next day, and hinted -that I must be suffering from overwork and brain exhaustion. 'In plain -terms,' I said, 'you think I am going mad. I think not;' and I showed -him out with some little appearance of heat. Since that day I vowed that -I would never whisper the nature of my theory to any living soul; to no -one but yourself have I ever shown the contents of that drawer. After -all, I may be following a rainbow; I may have been misled by the play of -coincidence; but as I stand here in this mystic hush and silence amidst -the woods and wild hills, I am more than ever sure that I am hot on the -scent. Come, it is time we went in." - -To me in all this there was something both of wonder and excitement; I -knew how in his ordinary work Professor Gregg moved step by step, -testing every inch of the way, and never venturing on assertion without -proof that was impregnable. Yet I divined more from his glance and the -vehemence of his tone than from the spoken word that he had in his every -thought the vision of the almost incredible continually with him; and I, -who was with some share of imagination no little of a sceptic, offended -at a hint of the marvellous, could not help asking myself whether he was -cherishing a monomania, and barring out from this one subject all the -scientific method of his other life. - -Yet, with, this image of mystery haunting my thoughts, I surrendered -wholly to the charm of the country. Above the faded house on the -hillside began the great forest; a long dark line seen from the opposing -hills, stretching above the river for many a mile from north to south, -and yielding in the north to even wilder country, barren and savage -hills, and ragged common land, a territory all strange and unvisited, -and more unknown to Englishmen than the very heart of Africa. The space -of a couple of steep fields alone separated the house from the wood, and -the children were delighted to follow me up the long alleys of -undergrowth, between smooth pleached walls of shining beech, to the -highest point in the wood, whence one looked on one side across the -river and the rise and fall of the country to the great western mountain -wall, and on the other, over the surge and dip of the myriad trees of -the forest, over level meadows and the shining yellow sea to the faint -coast beyond. I used to sit at this point on the warm sunlit turf which -marked the track of the Roman Road, while the two children raced about -hunting for the whinberries that grew here and there on the banks. Here -beneath the deep blue sky and the great clouds rolling, like olden -galleons with sails full-bellied, from the sea to the hills, as I -listened to the whispered charm of the great and ancient wood, I lived -solely for delight, and only remembered strange things when we would -return to the house, and find Professor Gregg either shut up in the -little room he had made his study, or else pacing the terrace with the -look, patient and enthusiastic, of the determined seeker. - -One morning, some eight or nine days after our arrival, I looked out of -my window and saw the whole landscape transmuted before me. The clouds -had dipped low and hidden the mountain in the west, and a southern wind -was driving the rain in shifting pillars up the valley, and the little -brooklet that burst the hill below the house now raged, a red torrent, -down to the river. We were perforce obliged to keep snug within doors, -and when I had attended to my pupils, I sat down in the morning-room -where the ruins of a library still encumbered an old-fashioned bookcase. -I had inspected the shelves once or twice, but their contents had failed -to attract me; volumes of eighteenth century sermons, an old book on -farriery, a collection of "Poems" by "persons of quality," Prideaux's -"Connection," and an odd volume of Pope were the boundaries of the -library, and there seemed little doubt that everything of interest or -value had been removed. Now, however, in desperation, I began to -re-examine the musty sheepskin and calf bindings, and found, much to my -delight, a fine old quarto printed by the Stephani, containing the three -books of Pomponius Mela, "De Situ Orbis," and other of the ancient -geographers. I knew enough of Latin to steer my way through an ordinary -sentence, and I soon became absorbed in the odd mixture of fact and -fancy; light shining on a little of the space of the world, and beyond -mist and shadow and awful forms. Glancing over the clear-printed pages, -my attention was caught by the heading of a chapter in Solinus, and I -read the words:-- - -MIRA DE INTIMIS GENTIBUS LIBYAE, DE LAPIDE - HEXECONTALITHO. - -"The wonders of the people that inhabit the inner parts of Libya, and of -the stone called Sixtystone." - -The odd title attracted me and I read on:-- - -"Gens ista avia et secreta habitat, in montibus horrendis foeda -mysteria celebrat. De hominibus nihil aliud illi præferunt quam -figuram, ab humano ritu prorsus exulant, oderunt deum lucis. Stridunt -potius quam loquuntur; vox absona nec sine horrore auditur. Lapide -quodam gloriantur, quem Hexecontalithon vocant, dicunt enim hunc lapidem -sexaginta notas ostendere. Cujus lapidis nomen secretum ineffabile -colunt: quod Ixaxar." - -"This folk," I translated to myself, "dwells in remote and secret -places, and celebrates foul mysteries on savage hills. Nothing have they -in common with men save the face, and the customs of humanity are wholly -strange to them; and they hate the sun. They hiss rather than speak; -their voices are harsh, and not to be heard without fear. They boast of -a certain stone, which they call Sixtystone; for they say that it -displays sixty characters. And this stone has a secret unspeakable name; -which is Ixaxar." - -I laughed at the queer inconsequence of all this, and thought it fit for -Sinbad the Sailor or other of the supplementary Nights. When I saw -Professor Gregg in the course of the day, I told him of my find in the -bookcase, and the fantastic rubbish I had been reading. To my surprise, -he looked up at me with an expression of great interest. - -"That is really very curious," he said. "I have never thought it worth -while to look into the old geographers, and I daresay I have missed a -good deal. Ah, that is the passage, is it. It seems a shame to rob you -of your entertainment, but I really think I must carry off the book." - -The next day the professor called to me to come to the study. I found -him sitting at a table in the full light of the window, scrutinizing -something very attentively with a magnifying-glass. - -"Ah, Miss Lally," he began, "I want to use your eyes. This glass is -pretty good, but not like my old one that I left in town. Would you -mind examining the thing yourself, and telling me how many characters -are cut on it?" - -He handed me the object in his hand, and I saw that it was the black -seal he had shown me in London, and my heart began to beat with the -thought that I was presently to know something. I took the seal, and -holding it up to the light checked off the grotesque dagger-shaped -characters one by one. - -"I make sixty-two," I said at last. - -"Sixty-two? Nonsense; it's impossible. Ah, I see what you have done, you -have counted that and that," and he pointed to two marks which I had -certainly taken as letters with the rest. - -"Yes, yes," Professor Gregg went on; "but those are obvious scratches, -done accidentally; I saw that at once. Yes, then that's quite right. -Thank you very much, Miss Lally." - -I was going away, rather disappointed at my having been called in merely -to count a number of marks on the black seal, when suddenly there -flashed into my mind what I had read in the morning. - -"But, Professor Gregg, I cried, breathless, the seal, the seal. Why, it -is the stone Hexecontalithos that Solinus writes of; it is Ixaxar." - -"Yes," he said, "I suppose it is. Or it maybe a mere coincidence. It -never does to be too sure, you know, in these matters. Coincidence -killed the professor." - -I went away puzzled by what I had heard, and as much as ever at a loss -to find the ruling clew in this maze of strange evidence. For three days -the bad weather lasted, changing from driving rain to a dense mist, fine -and dripping, and we seemed to be shut up in a white cloud that veiled -all the world away from us. All the while Professor Gregg was darkling -in his room, unwilling, it appeared, to dispense confidences or talk of -any kind, and I heard him walking to and fro with a quick, impatient -step, as if he were in some way wearied of inaction. The fourth morning -was fine, and at breakfast the professor said briskly:-- - -"We want some extra help about the house; a boy of fifteen or sixteen, -you know. There are a lot of little odd jobs that take up the maids' -time, which a boy could do much better." - -"The girls have not complained to me in any way," I replied. "Indeed, -Anne said there was much less work than in London, owing to there being -so little dust." - -"Ah, yes, they are very good girls. But I think we shall do much better -with a boy. In fact, that is what has been bothering me for the last two -days." - -"Bothering you?" I said in astonishment, for as a matter of fact the -professor never took the slightest interest in the affairs of the house. - -"Yes," he said, "the weather, you know. I really couldn't go out in that -Scotch mist; I don't know the country very well, and I should have lost -my way. But I am going to get the boy this morning." - -"But how do you know there is such a boy as you want anywhere about?" - -"Oh, I have no doubt as to that. I may have to walk a mile or two at the -most, but I am sure to find just the boy I require." - -I thought the professor was poking, but though his tone was airy enough -there was something grim and set about his features that puzzled me. He -got his stick, and stood at the door looking meditatively before him, -and as I passed through the hall he called to me. - -"By the way, Miss Lally, there was one thing I wanted to say to you. I -daresay you may have heard that some of these country lads are not over -bright; idiotic would be a harsh word to use, and they are usually -called 'naturals,' or something of the kind, I hope you won't mind if -the boy I am after should turn out not too keen-witted; he will be -perfectly harmless, of course, and blacking boots doesn't need much -mental effort." - -With that he was gone, striding up the road that led to the wood; and I -remained stupefied, and then for the first time my astonishment was -mingled with a sudden note of terror, arising I knew not whence, and all -unexplained even to myself, and yet I felt about my heart for an instant -something of the chill of death, and that shapeless, formless dread of -the unknown that is worse than death itself. I tried to find courage in -the sweet air that blew up from the sea, and in the sunlight after rain, -but the mystic woods seemed to darken around me; and the vision of the -river coiling between the reeds, and the silver gray of the ancient -bridge, fashioned in my mind symbols of vague dread, as the mind of a -child fashions terror from things harmless and familiar. - -Two hours later Professor Gregg returned. I met him as he came down the -road, and asked quietly if he had been able to find a boy. - -"Oh, yes," he answered; "I found one easily enough. His name is Jervase -Cradock, and I expect he will make himself very useful. His father has -been dead for many years, and the mother, whom I saw, seemed very glad -at the prospect of a few shillings extra coming in on Saturday nights. -As I expected, he is not too sharp, has fits at times, the mother said; -but as he will not be trusted with the china, that doesn't much matter, -does it? And he is not in any way dangerous, you know, merely a little -weak." - -"When is he coming?" - -"To-morrow morning at eight o'clock. Anne will show him what he has to -do, and how to do it. At first he will go home every night, but perhaps -it may ultimately turn out more convenient for him to sleep here, and -only go home for Sundays." - -I found nothing to say to all this. Professor Gregg spoke in a quiet -tone of matter-of-fact, as indeed was warranted by the circumstance; and -yet I could not quell my sensation of astonishment at the whole affair. -I knew that in reality no assistance was wanted in the housework, and -the professor's prediction that the boy he was to engage might prove a -little "simple," followed by so exact a fulfilment, struck me as bizarre -in the extreme. The next morning I heard from, the housemaid that the -boy Cradock had come at eight, and that she had been trying to make him -useful. "He doesn't seem quite all there, I don't think, miss," was her -comment; and later in the day I saw him helping the old man who worked -in the garden. He was a youth of about fourteen, with black hair and -black eyes, and an olive skin, and I saw at once from the curious -vacancy of his expression that he was mentally weak. He touched his -forehead awkwardly as I went by, and I heard him answering the gardener -in a queer, harsh voice that caught my attention; it gave me the -impression of some one speaking deep below under the earth, and there -was a strange sibilance, like the hissing of the phonograph as the -pointer travels over the cylinder. I heard that he seemed anxious to do -what he could, and was quite docile and obedient, and Morgan the -gardener, who knew his mother, assured me he was perfectly harmless. -"He's always been a bit queer," he said, "and no wonder, after what his -mother went through before he was born. I did know his father, Thomas -Cradock, well, and a very fine workman he was too, indeed. He got -something wrong with his lungs owing to working in the wet woods, and -never got over it, and went off quite sudden like. And they do say as -how Mrs. Cradock was quite off her head; anyhow, she was found by Mr. -Hillyer, Ty Coch, all crouched up on the Gray Hills, over there, crying -and weeping like a lost soul. And Jervase he was born about eight months -afterwards, and as I was saying, he was a bit queer always; and they do -say when he could scarcely walk he would frighten the other children -into fits with the noises he would make." - -A word in the story had stirred up some remembrance within me, and -vaguely curious, I asked the old man where the Gray Hills were. - -"Up there," he said, with the same gesture he had used before; "you go -past the Fox and Hounds, and through the forest, by the old ruins. It's -a good five mile from here, and a strange sort of a place. The poorest -soil between this and Monmouth, they do say, though it's good feed for -sheep. Yes, it was a sad thing for poor Mrs. Cradock." - -The old man turned to his work, and I strolled on down the path between -the espaliers, gnarled and gouty with age, thinking of the story I had -heard, and groping for the point in it that had some key to my memory. -In an instant it came before me; I had seen the phrase "Gray Hills" on -the slip of yellowed paper that Professor Gregg had taken from the -drawer in his cabinet. Again I was seized with pangs of mingled -curiosity and fear; I remembered the strange characters copied from the -limestone rock, and then again their identity with the inscription on -the age-old seal, and the fantastic fables of the Latin geographer. I -saw beyond doubt that, unless coincidence had set all the scene and -disposed all these bizarre events with curious art, I was to be a -spectator of things far removed from the usual and customary traffic and -jostle of life. Professor Gregg I noted day by day. He was hot on his -trail, growing lean with eagerness; and in the evenings, when the sun -was swimming on the verge of the mountain, he would pace the terrace to -and fro with his eyes on the ground, while the mist grew white in the -valley, and the stillness of the evening brought far voices near, and -the blue smoke rose a straight column from the diamond-shaped chimney of -the gray farmhouse, just as I had seen it on the first morning. I have -told you I was of sceptical habit; but though I understood little or -nothing, I began to dread, vainly proposing to myself the iterated -dogmas of science that all life is material, and that in the system of -things there is no undiscovered land even beyond the remotest stars, -where the supernatural can find a footing. Yet there struck in on this -the thought that matter is as really awful and unknown as spirit, that -science itself but dallies on the threshold, scarcely gaining more than -a glimpse of the wonders of the inner place. - -There is one day that stands up from amidst the others as a grim red -beacon, betokening evil to come. I was sitting on a bench in the garden, -watching the boy Cradock weeding, when I was suddenly alarmed by a harsh -and choking sound, like the cry of a wild beast in anguish, and I was -unspeakably shocked to see the unfortunate lad standing in full view -before me, his whole body quivering and shaking at short intervals as -though shocks of electricity were passing through him, and his teeth -grinding, and foam gathering on his lips, and his face all swollen and -blackened to a hideous mask of humanity. I shrieked with terror, and -Professor Gregg came running; and as I pointed to Cradock, the boy with -one convulsive shudder fell face forward, and lay on the wet earth, his -body writhing like a wounded blind-worm, and an inconceivable babble of -sounds bursting and rattling and hissing from his lips; he seemed to -pour forth an infamous jargon, with words, or what seemed words, that -might have belonged to a tongue dead since untold ages, and buried deep -beneath Nilotic mud, or in the inmost recesses of the Mexican forest. -For a moment the thought passed through my mind, as my ears were still -revolted with that infernal clamor, "Surely this is the very speech of -hell," and then I cried out again and again, and ran away shuddering to -my inmost soul. I had seen Professor Gregg's face as he stooped over the -wretched boy and raised him, and I was appalled by the glow of -exultation that shone on every lineament and feature. As I sat in my -room with drawn blinds, and my eyes hidden in my hands, I heard heavy -steps beneath, and I was told afterwards that Professor Gregg had -carried Cradock to his study, and had locked the door. I heard voices -murmur indistinctly, and I trembled to think of what might be passing -within a few feet of where I sat; I longed to escape to the woods and -sunshine, and yet I dreaded the sights that might confront me on the -way. And at last, as I held the handle of the door nervously, I heard -Professor Gregg's voice calling to me with a cheerful ring: "It's all -right now, Miss Lally," he said. "The poor fellow has got over it, and I -have been arranging for him to sleep here after to-morrow. Perhaps I may -be able to do something for him." - -"Yes," he said later, "it was a very painful sight, and I don't wonder -you were alarmed. We may hope that good food will build him up a little, -but I am afraid he will never be really cured;" and he affected the -dismal and conventional air with which one speaks of hopeless illness, -and yet beneath it I detected the delight that leapt up rampant within -him, and fought and struggled to find utterance. It was as if one -glanced down on the even surface of the sea, clear and immobile, and saw -beneath raging depths, and a storm of contending billows. It was indeed -to me a torturing and offensive problem that this man, who had so -bounteously rescued me from the sharpness of death, and showed himself -in all the relations of life full of benevolence and pity and kindly -forethought, should so manifestly be for once on the side of the demons, -and take a ghastly pleasure in the torments of an afflicted -fellow-creature. Apart, I struggled with the horned difficulty, and -strove to find the solution, but without the hint of a clue; beset by -mystery and contradiction, I saw nothing that might help me, and began -to wonder whether, after all, I had not escaped from the white mist of -the suburb at too dear a rate. I hinted something of my thought to the -professor; I said enough to let him know that I was in the most acute -perplexity, but the moment after regretted what I had done, when I saw -his face contort with a spasm of pain. - -"My dear Miss Lally," he said, "you surely do not wish to leave us? No, -no, you would not do it. You do not know how I rely on you; how -confidently I go forward, assured that you are here to watch over my -children. You, Miss Lally, are my rear-guard; for, let me tell you, that -the business in which I am engaged is not wholly devoid of peril. You -have not forgotten what I said the first morning here; my lips are shut -by an old and firm resolve, till they can open to utter no ingenious -hypothesis or vague surmise but irrefragable fact, as certain as a -demonstration in mathematics. Think over it, Miss Lally, not for a -moment would I endeavor to keep you here against your own instincts, and -yet I tell you frankly that I am persuaded that it is here, here amidst -the woods, that your duty lies." - -I was touched by the eloquence of his tone, and by the remembrance that -the man, after all, had been my salvation, and I gave him my hand on a -promise to serve him loyally and without question. A few days later the -rector of our church, a little church, gray and severe and quaint, that -hovered on the very banks of the river and watched the tides swim and -return, came to see us, and Professor Gregg easily persuaded him to stay -and share our dinner. Mr. Meyrick was a member of an antique family of -squires, whose old manor house stood amongst the hills some seven miles -away, and thus rooted in the soil, the rector was a living store of all -the old fading customs and lore of the country. His manner, genial with -a deal of retired oddity, won on Professor Gregg; and towards the -cheese, when a curious Burgundy had begun its incantations, the two men -glowed like the wine, and talked of philology with the enthusiasm of a -burgess over the peerage. The parson was expounding the pronunciation of -the Welsh _ll_, and producing sounds like the gurgle of his native -brooks, when Professor Gregg struck in. - -"By the way," he said, "that was a very odd word I met with the other -day. You know my boy, poor Jervase Cradock. Well, he has got the bad -habit of talking to himself, and the day before yesterday I was walking -in the garden here and heard him; he was evidently quite unconscious of -my presence. A lot of what he said I couldn't make out, but one word, -struck me distinctly. It was such an odd sound; half-sibilant, -half-guttural, and as quaint as those double _ll_'s you have been -demonstrating. I do not know whether I can give you an idea of the -sound. "Ishakshar" is perhaps as near as I can get; but the _k_ ought to -be a Greek _chi_ or a Spanish _j_. Now what does it mean in Welsh?" - -"In Welsh?" said the parson. "There is no such word in Welsh, nor any -word remotely resembling it. I know the book-Welsh, as they call it, and -the colloquial dialects as well as any man, but there's no word like -that from Anglesea to Usk. Besides, none of the Cradocks speak a word of -Welsh; it's dying out about here." - -"Really. You interest me extremely, Mr. Meyrick. I confess the word -didn't strike me as having the Welsh ring. But I thought it might be -some local corruption." - -"No, I never heard such a word, or anything like it. Indeed," he added, -smiling whimsically, "if it belongs to any language, I should say it -must be that of the fairies,--the Tylwydd Têg, as we call them." - -The talk went on to the discovery of a Roman villa in the neighborhood; -and soon after I left the room, and sat down apart to wonder at the -drawing together of such strange clues of evidence. As the professor had -spoken of the curious word, I had caught the glint of his eye upon me; -and though the pronunciation he gave was grotesque in the extreme, I -recognized the name of the stone of sixty characters mentioned by -Solinus, the black seal shut up in some secret drawer of the study, -stamped forever by a vanished race with signs that no man could read, -signs that might, for all I knew, be the veils of awful things done long -ago, and forgotten before the hills were moulded into form. - -When, the next morning, I came down, I found Professor Gregg pacing the -terrace in his eternal walk. - -"Look at that bridge," he said when he saw me, "observe the quaint and -Gothic design, the angles between the arches, and the silvery gray of -the stone in the awe of the morning light. I confess it seems to me -symbolic; it should illustrate a mystical allegory of the passage from -one world to another." - -"Professor Gregg," I said quietly, "it is time that I knew something of -what has happened, and of what is to happen." - -For the moment he put me off, but I returned again with the same -question in the evening, and then Professor Gregg flamed with -excitement. "Don't you understand yet?" he cried. "But I have told you a -good deal; yes, and shown you a good deal. You have heard pretty nearly -all that I have heard, and seen what I have seen; or at least," and his -voice chilled as he spoke, "enough to make a good deal clear as noonday. -The servants told you, I have no doubt, that the wretched boy Cradock -had another seizure the night before last; he awoke me with cries in -that voice you heard in the garden, and I went to him, and God forbid -you should see what I saw that night. But all this is useless; my time -here is drawing to a close; I must be back in town in three weeks, as I -have a course of lectures to prepare, and need all my books about me. In -a very few days it will be all over, and I shall no longer hint, and no -longer be liable to ridicule as a madman and a quack. No, I shall speak -plainly, and I shall be heard with such emotions as perhaps no other man -has ever drawn from the breasts of his fellows." - -He paused, and seemed to grow radiant with the joy of great and -wonderful discovery. - -"But all that is for the future, the near future certainly, but still -the future," he went on at length. "There is something to be done yet; -you will remember my telling you that my researches were not altogether -devoid of peril? Yes, there is a certain amount of danger to be faced; I -did not know how much when I spoke on the subject before, and to a -certain extent I am still in the dark. But it will be a strange -adventure, the last of all, the last demonstration in the chain." - -He was walking up and down the room as he spoke, and I could hear in his -voice the contending tones of exultation and despondence, or perhaps I -should say awe, the awe of a man who goes forth on unknown waters, and I -thought of his allusion to Columbus on the night he had laid his book -before me. The evening was a little chilly, and a fire of logs had been -lighted in the study where we were, and the remittent flame and the glow -on the walls reminded me of the old days. I was sitting silent in an -armchair by the fire, wondering over all I had heard, and still vainly -speculating as to the secret springs concealed from me under all the -phantasmagoria I had witnessed, when I became suddenly aware of a -sensation that change of some sort had been at work in the room, and -that there was something unfamiliar in its aspect. For some time I -looked about me, trying in vain to localize the alteration that I knew -had been made; the table by the window, the chairs, the faded settee -were all as I had known them. Suddenly, as a sought-for recollection -flashes into the mind, I knew what was amiss. I was facing the -professor's desk, which stood on the other side of the fire, and above -the desk was a grimy looking bust of Pitt, that I had never seen there -before. And then I remembered the true position of this work of art; in -the furthest corner by the door was an old cupboard, projecting into the -room, and on the top of the cupboard, fifteen feet from the floor, the -bust had been, and there no doubt it had delayed, accumulating dirt -since the early years of the century. - -I was utterly amazed, and sat silent still, in a confusion of thought. -There was, so far as I knew, no such thing as a step-ladder in the -house, for I had asked for one to make some alterations in the curtains -of my room; and a tall man standing on a chair would have found it -impossible to take down the bust. It had been placed not on the edge of -the cupboard, but far back against the wall; and Professor Gregg was, if -anything, under the average height. - -"How on earth did you manage to get down Pitt?" I said at last. - -The professor looked curiously at me, and seemed to hesitate a little. - -"They must have found you a step-ladder, or perhaps the gardener brought -in a short ladder from outside." - -"No, I have had no ladder of any kind. Now, Miss Lally," he went on with -an awkward simulation of jest, "there is a little puzzle for you; a -problem in the manner of the inimitable Holmes; there are the facts, -plain and patent; summon your acuteness to the solution of the puzzle. -For Heaven's sake," he cried with a breaking voice, "say no more about -it. I tell you, I never touched the thing," and he went out of the room -with horror manifest on his face, and his hand shook and jarred the door -behind him. - -I looked round the room in vague surprise, not at all realizing what had -happened, making vain and idle surmises by way of explanation, and -wondering at the stirring of black waters by an idle word, and the -trivial change of an ornament. "This is some petty business, some whim -on which I have jarred," I reflected; "the professor is perhaps -scrupulous and superstitious over trifles, and my question may have -outraged unacknowledged fears, as though one killed a spider or spilled -the salt before the very eyes of a practical Scotchwoman." I was -immersed in these fond suspicions, and began to plume myself a little on -my immunity from such empty fears, when the truth fell heavily as lead -upon my heart, and I recognized with cold terror that some awful -influence had been at work. The bust was simply inaccessible; without a -ladder no one could have touched it. - -I went out to the kitchen and spoke as quietly as I could to the -housemaid. - -"Who moved that bust from the top of the cupboard, Anne?" I said to her. -"Professor Gregg says he has not touched it. Did you find an old -step-ladder in one of the outhouses?" - -The girl looked at me blankly. - -"I never touched it," she said. "I found it where it is now the other -morning when I dusted the room. I remember now, it, was Wednesday -morning, because it was the morning after Cradock was taken bad in the -night. My room is next to his, you know, miss," the girl went on -piteously; "and it was awful to hear how he cried and called out names -that I couldn't understand. It made me feel all afraid, and then master -came, and I heard him speak, and he took down Cradock to the study and -gave him something." - -"And you found that bust moved the next morning?" - -"Yes, miss, there was a queer sort of a smell in the study when I came -down and opened the windows; a bad smell it was, and I wondered what it -could be. Do you know, miss, I went a long time ago to the Zoo in London -with my cousin Thomas Barker, one afternoon that I had off, when I was -at Mrs. Prince's in Stanhope Gate, and we went into the snake-house to -see the snakes, and it was just the same sort of a smell, very sick it -made me feel, I remember, and I got Barker to take me out. And it was -just the same kind of a smell in the study, as I was saying, and I was -wondering what it could be from, when I see that bust with Pitt cut in -it standing on the master's desk, and I thought to myself, now who has -done that, and how have they done it? And when I came to dust the -things, I looked at the bust, and I saw a great mark on it where the -dust was gone, for I don't think it can have been touched with a duster -for years and years, and it wasn't like finger-marks, but a large patch -like, broad and spread out. So I passed my hand over it, without -thinking what I was doing, and where that patch was it was all sticky -and slimy, as if a snail had crawled over it. Very strange, isn't it, -miss? and I wonder who can have done it, and how that mess was made." - -The well-meant gabble of the servant touched me to the quick. I lay down -upon my bed, and bit my lip that I should not cry out loud in the sharp -anguish of my terror and bewilderment. Indeed, I was almost mad with -dread; I believe that if it had been daylight I should have fled hot -foot, forgetting all courage and all the debt of gratitude that was due -to Professor Gregg, not caring whether my fate were that I must starve -slowly so long as I might escape from the net of blind and panic fear -that every day seemed to draw a little closer round me. If I knew, I -thought, if I knew what there were to dread, I could guard against it; -but here, in this lonely house, shut in on all sides by the olden woods -and the vaulted hills, terror seems to spring inconsequent from every -covert, and the flesh is aghast at the half-heard murmurs of horrible -things. All in vain I strove to summon scepticism to my aid, and -endeavored by cool common-sense to buttress my belief in a world of -natural order, for the air that blew in at the open window was a mystic -breath, and in the darkness I felt the silence go heavy and sorrowful -as a mass of requiem, and I conjured images of strange shapes gathering -fast amidst the reeds, beside the wash of the river. - -In the morning, from the moment that I set foot in the breakfast-room I -felt that the unknown plot was drawing to a crisis; the professor's face -was firm and set, and he seemed hardly to hear our voices when we spoke. - -"I am going out for rather a long walk," he said, when the meal was -over. "You mustn't be expecting me, now, or thinking anything has -happened if I don't turn up to dinner. I have been getting stupid -lately, and I dare say a miniature walking tour will do me good. Perhaps -I may even spend the night in some little inn, if I find any place that -looks clean and comfortable." - -I heard this, and knew by my experience of Professor Gregg's manner that -it was no ordinary business or pleasure that impelled him. I knew not, -nor even remotely guessed, where he was bound, nor had I the vaguest -notion of his errand, but all the fear of the night before returned; and -as he stood, smiling, on the terrace, ready to set out, I implored him -to stay, and to forget all his dreams of the undiscovered continent. - -"No, no, Miss Lally," he replied, still smiling, "it's too late now. -_Vestigia nulla retrorsum_, you know, is the device of all true -explorers, though I hope it won't be literally true in my ease. But, -indeed, you are wrong to alarm yourself so; I look upon my little -expedition as quite commonplace; no more exciting than a day with the -geological hammers. There is a risk, of course, but so there is on the -commonest excursion. I can afford to be jaunty; I am doing nothing so -hazardous as 'Arry does a hundred times over in the course of every Bank -Holiday. Well, then, you must look more cheerfully; and so good-by till -to-morrow at latest." - -He walked briskly up the road, and I saw him open the gate that marks -the entrance of the wood, and then he vanished in the gloom of the -trees. - -All the day passed heavily with a strange darkness in the air, and again -I felt as if imprisoned amidst the ancient woods, shut in an olden land -of mystery and dread, and as if all was long ago and forgotten by the -living outside. I hoped and dreaded, and when the dinner-hour came, I -waited expecting to hear the professor's step in the hall, and his voice -exulting at I knew not what triumph. I composed my face to welcome him -gladly, but the night descended dark, and he did not come. - -In the morning when the maid knocked at my door, I called out to her, -and asked if her master had returned; and when she replied that his -bedroom stood open and empty, I felt the cold clasp of despair. Still, I -fancied he might have discovered genial company, and would return for -luncheon, or perhaps in the afternoon, and I took the children for a -walk in the forest, and tried my best to play and laugh with them, and -to shut out the thoughts of mystery and veiled terror. Hour after hour I -waited, and my thoughts grew darker; again the night came and found me -watching, and at last, as I was making much ado to finish my dinner, I -heard steps outside and the sound of a man's voice. - -The maid came in and looked oddly at me. - -"Please, miss," she began, "Mr. Morgan the gardener wants to speak to -you for a minute, if you didn't mind." - -"Show him in, please," I answered, and I set my lips tight. - -The old man came slowly into the room, and the servant shut the door -behind him. - -"Sit down, Mr. Morgan," I said; "what is it that you want to say to me?" - -"Well, miss, Mr. Gregg he gave me something for you yesterday morning, -just before he went off; and he told me particular not to hand it up -before eight o'clock this evening exactly, if so be as he wasn't back -again home before, and if he should come home before I was just to -return it to him in his own hands. So, you see, as Mr. Gregg isn't here -yet, I suppose I'd better give you the parcel directly." - -He pulled out something from his pocket, and gave it to me, half rising. -I took it silently, and seeing that Morgan seemed doubtful as to what he -was to do next, I thanked him and bade him good-night, and he went out. -I was left alone in the room with the parcel in my hand,--a paper parcel -neatly sealed and directed to me, with the instructions Morgan had -quoted all written in the professor's large loose hand. I broke the -seals with a choking at my heart, and found an envelope inside, -addressed also, but open, and I took the letter out. - - * * * * * - -"MY DEAR MISS LALLY," it began, "To quote the old logic manual, the case -of your reading this note is a case of my having made a blunder of some -sort, and, I am afraid, a blunder that turns these lines into a -farewell. It is practically certain that neither you nor anyone else -will ever see me again. I have made my will with provision for this -eventuality, and I hope you will consent to accept the small remembrance -addressed to you, and my sincere thanks for the way in which you joined -your fortunes to mine. The fate which has come upon me is desperate and -terrible beyond the remotest dreams of man; but this fate you have a -right to know--if you please. If you look in the left-hand drawer of my -dressing-table, you will find the key of the escritoire, properly -labelled. In the well of the escritoire is a large envelope sealed and -addressed to your name. I advise you to throw it forthwith into the -fire; you will sleep better of nights if you do so. But if you must know -the history of what has happened, it is all written down for you to -read." - - * * * * * - -The signature was firmly written below, and again I turned the page and -read out the words one by one, aghast and white to the lips, my hands -cold as ice, and sickness choking me. The dead silence of the room, and -the thought of the dark woods and hills closing me in on every side, -oppressed me, helpless and without capacity, and not knowing where to -turn for counsel. At last I resolved that though knowledge should haunt -my whole life and all the days to come, I must know the meaning of the -strange terrors that had so long tormented me, rising gray, dim, and -awful, like the shadows in the wood at dusk. I carefully carried out -Professor Gregg's directions, and not without reluctance broke the seal -of the envelope, and spread out his manuscript before me. That -manuscript I always carry with me, and I see that I cannot deny your -unspoken request to read it. This, then, was what I read that night, -sitting at the desk, with a shaded lamp beside me. - -The young lady who called herself Miss Lally then proceeded to recite:-- - - * * * * * - -_The Statement of William Gregg, F.R.S., etc._ - -It is many years since the first glimmer of the theory which is now -almost, if not quite, reduced to fact dawned first on my mind. A -somewhat extensive course of miscellaneous and obsolete reading had done -a good deal to prepare the way, and, later, when I became somewhat of a -specialist and immersed myself in the studies known as ethnological, I -was now and then startled by facts that would not square with orthodox -scientific opinion, and by discoveries that seemed to hint at something -still hidden for all our research. More particularly I became convinced -that much of the folk-lore of the world is but an exaggerated account of -events that really happened, and I was especially drawn to consider the -stories of the fairies, the good folk of the Celtic races. Here I -thought I could detect the fringe of embroidery and exaggeration, the -fantastic guise, the little people dressed in green and gold sporting in -the flowers, and I thought I saw a distinct analogy between the name -given to this race (supposed to be imaginary) and the description of -their appearance and manners. Just as our remote ancestors called the -dreaded beings "fair" and "good" precisely because they dreaded them, so -they had dressed them up in charming forms, knowing the truth to be the -very reverse. Literature, too, had gone early to work, and had lent a -powerful hand in the transformation, so that the playful elves of -Shakespeare are already far removed from the true original, and the real -horror is disguised in a form of prankish mischief. But in the older -tales, the stories that used to make men cross themselves as they sat -round the burning logs, we tread a different stage; I saw a widely -opposed spirit in certain histories of children and of men and women who -vanished strangely from the earth. They would be seen by a peasant in -the fields walking towards some green and rounded hillock, and seen no -more on earth; and there are stories of mothers who have left a child -quietly sleeping with the cottage door rudely barred with a piece of -wood, and have returned, not to find the plump and rosy little Saxon, -but a thin and wizened creature, with sallow skin and black piercing -eyes, the child of another race. Then, again, there were myths darker -still; the dread of witch and wizard, the lurid evil of the Sabbath, and -the hint of demons who mingled with the daughters of men. And just as we -have turned the terrible "fair folk" into a company of benignant, if -freakish, elves, so we have hidden from us the black foulness of the -witch and her companions under a popular _diablerie_ of old women and -broomsticks and a comic cat with tail on end. So the Greeks called the -hideous furies benevolent ladies, and thus the northern nations have -followed their example. I pursued my investigations, stealing odd hours -from other and more imperative labors, and I asked myself the question: -Supposing these traditions to be true, who were the demons who are -reported to have attended the Sabbaths? I need not say that I laid aside -what I may call the supernatural hypothesis of the middle ages, and came -to the conclusion that fairies and devils were of one and the same race -and origin; invention, no doubt, and the Gothic fancy of old days had -done much in the way of exaggeration and distortion; yet I firmly -believed that beneath all this imagery there was a black background of -truth. As for some of the alleged wonders, I hesitated. While I should -be very loth to receive any one specific instance of modern spiritualism -as containing even a grain of the genuine, yet I was not wholly prepared -to deny that human flesh may now and then, once perhaps in ten million -cases, be the veil of powers which seem magical to us; powers which, so -far from proceeding from the heights and leading men thither, are in -reality survivals from the depths of being. The amoeba and the snail -have powers which we do not possess; and I thought it possible that the -theory of reversion might explain many things which seem wholly -inexplicable. Thus stood my position; I saw good reason to believe that -much of the tradition, a vast deal of the earliest and uncorrupted -tradition of the so-called fairies, represented solid fact, and I -thought that the purely supernatural element in these traditions, was to -be accounted for on the hypothesis that a race which had fallen out of -the grand march of evolution might have retained, as a survival, certain -powers which would be to us wholly miraculous. Such was my theory as it -stood conceived in my mind; and working with, this in view, I seemed to -gather confirmation from every side, from the spoils of a tumulus or a -barrow, from a local paper reporting an antiquarian meeting in the -country, and from general literature of all kinds. Amongst other -instances, I remember being struck by the phrase "articulate-speaking -men" in Homer, as if the writer knew or had heard of men whose speech -was so rude that it could hardly be termed articulate; and on my -hypothesis of a race who had lagged far behind the rest, I could easily -conceive that such a folk would speak a jargon but little removed from -the inarticulate noises of brute-beasts. - -Thus I stood, satisfied that my conjecture was at all events not far -removed from fact, when a chance paragraph in a small country print one -day arrested my attention. It was a short account of what was to all -appearance the usual sordid tragedy of the village; a young girl -unaccountably missing, and evil rumor blatant and busy with her -reputation. Yet I could read between the lines that all this scandal was -purely hypothetical, and in all probability invented to account for what -was in any other manner unaccountable. A flight to London or Liverpool, -or an undiscovered body lying with a weight about its neck in the foul -depths of a woodland pool, of perhaps murder,--such were the theories of -the wretched girl's neighbors. But as I idly scanned the paragraph, a -flash of thought passed through me with the violence of an electric -shock: What if the obscure and horrible race of the hills still -survived, still remained haunting wild places, and barren hills, and now -and then repeating the evil of Gothic legend, unchanged and -unchangeable as the Turanian Shelta, or the Basques of Spain. I have -said that the thought came with violence; and indeed I drew in my breath -sharply, and clung with both hands to my elbow-chair, in a strange -confusion of horror and elation. It was as if one of my _confrères_ of -physical science, roaming in a quiet English wood, had been suddenly -stricken aghast by the presence of the slimy and loathsome terror of the -ichthyosaurus, the original of the stories of the awful worms killed by -valorous knights, or had seen the sun darkened by the pterodactyl, the -dragon of tradition. Yet as a resolute explorer of knowledge, the -thought of such a discovery threw me into a passion of joy, and I cut -out the slip from the paper, and put it in a drawer in my old bureau, -resolved that it should be but the first piece in a collection of the -strangest significance. I sat long that evening dreaming of the -conclusions I should establish, nor did cooler reflection at first dash -my confidence. Yet as I began to put the case fairly, I saw that I might -be building on an unstable foundation; the facts might possibly be in -accordance with local opinion; and I regarded the affair with a mood of -some reserve. Yet I resolved to remain perched on the look-out, and I -hugged to myself the thought that I alone was watching and wakeful, -while the great crowd of thinkers and searchers stood heedless and -indifferent, perhaps letting the most prerogative facts pass by -unnoticed. - -Several years elapsed before I was enabled to add to the contents of the -drawer; and the second find was in reality not a valuable one, for it -was a mere repetition of the first, with only the variation of another -and distant locality. Yet I gained something; for in the second case, as -in the first, the tragedy took place in a desolate and lonely country, -and so far my theory seemed justified. But the third piece was to me far -more decisive. Again, amongst outland hills, far even from a main road -of traffic, an old man was found done to death, and the instrument of -execution was left beside him. Here, indeed, there was rumor and -conjecture, for the deadly tool was a primitive stone axe, bound by gut -to the wooden handle, and surmises the most extravagant and improbable -were indulged in. Yet, as I thought with a kind of glee, the wildest -conjectures went far astray; and I took the pains to enter into -correspondence with the local doctor, who was called at the inquest. He, -a man of some acuteness, was dumfoundered. "It will not do to speak of -these things in country places, he wrote to me; but, frankly, Professor -Gregg, there is some hideous mystery here. I have obtained possession of -the stone axe, and have been so curious as to test its powers. I took it -into the back-garden of my house one Sunday afternoon when my family and -the servants were all out, and there, sheltered by the poplar hedges, I -made my experiments. I found the thing utterly unmanageable. Whether -there is some peculiar balance, some nice adjustment of weights, which -require incessant practice, or whether an effectual blow can be struck -only by a certain trick of the muscles, I do not know; but I assure you -that I went into the house with but a sorry opinion of my athletic -capacities. It was like an inexperienced man trying 'putting the -hammer;' the force exerted seemed to return on oneself, and I found -myself hurled backwards with violence, while the axe fell harmless to -the ground. On another occasion I tried the experiment with a clever -woodman of the place; but this man, who had handled his axe for forty -years, could do nothing with the stone implement, and missed every -stroke most ludicrously. In short, if it were not so supremely absurd, I -should say that for four thousand years no one on earth could have -struck an effective blow with the tool that undoubtedly was used to -murder the old man." This, as may be imagined, was to me rare news; and -afterwards, when I heard the whole story, and learned that the -unfortunate old man had babbled tales of what might be seen at night on -a certain wild hillside, hinting at unheard-of wonders, and that he had -been found cold one morning on the very hill in question, my exultation -was extreme, for I felt I was leaving conjecture far behind me. But the -next step was of still greater importance. I had possessed for many -years an extraordinary stone seal,--a piece of dull black stone, two -inches long from the handle to the stamp, and the stamping end a rough -hexagon an inch and a quarter in diameter. Altogether, it presented the -appearance of an enlarged tobacco-stopper of an old-fashioned make. It -had been sent to me by an agent in the East, who informed me that it had -been found near the site of the ancient Babylon. But the characters -engraved on the seal were to me an intolerable puzzle. Somewhat of the -cuneiform pattern, there were yet striking differences, which I -detected at the first glance, and all efforts to read the inscription on -the hypothesis that the rules for deciphering the arrow-headed writing -would apply proved futile. A riddle such as this stung my pride, and at -odd moments I would take the Black Seal out of the cabinet, and -scrutinize it with so much idle perseverance that every letter was -familiar to my mind, and I could have drawn the inscription from memory -without the slightest error. Judge then of my surprise, when I one day -received from a correspondent in the west of England a letter and an -enclosure that positively left me thunderstruck. I saw carefully traced -on a large piece of paper the very characters of the Black Seal, without -alteration of any kind, and above the inscription my friend had written: -_Inscription found on a limestone rock on the Grey Hills, Monmouthshire. -Done in some red earth and quite recent_. I turned to the letter. My -friend wrote: "I send you the enclosed inscription with all due reserve. -A shepherd who passed by the stone a week ago swears that there was then -no mark of any kind. The characters, as I have noted, are formed by -drawing some red earth over the stone, and are of an average height of -one inch. They look to me like a kind of cuneiform character, a good -deal altered, but this of course is impossible. It may be either a hoax -or more probably some scribble of the gypsies, who are plentiful enough -in this wild country. They have, as you are aware, many hieroglyphics -which they use in communicating with one another. I happened to visit -the stone in question two days ago in connection with a rather painful -incident which has occurred here." - -As may be supposed, I wrote immediately to my friend, thanking him for -the copy of the inscription, and asking him in a casual manner, the -history of the incident he mentioned. To be brief, I heard that a woman -named Cradock, who had lost her husband a day before, had set out to -communicate the sad news to a cousin who lived some five miles away. She -took a short cut which led by the Gray Hills. Mrs. Cradock, who was then -quite a young woman, never arrived at her relative's house. Late that -night a farmer who had lost a couple of sheep, supposed to have wandered -from the flock, was walking over the Gray Hills, with a lantern and his -dog. His attention was attracted by a noise, which he described as a -kind of wailing, mournful and pitiable to hear; and, guided by the -sound, he found the unfortunate Mrs. Cradock crouched on the ground by -the limestone rock, swaying her body to and fro, and lamenting and -crying in so heart-rending a manner that the farmer was, as he says, at -first obliged to stop his ears, or he would have run away. The woman -allowed herself to be taken home, and a neighbor came to see to her -necessities. All the night she never ceased her crying, mixing her -lament with words of some unintelligible jargon, and when the doctor -arrived he pronounced her insane. She lay on her bed for a week, now -wailing, as people said, like one lost and damned for eternity, and now -sunk in a heavy coma; it was thought that grief at the loss of her -husband had unsettled her mind, and the medical man did not at one time -expect her to live. I need not say that I was deeply interested in this -story, and I made my friend write to me at intervals with all the -particulars of the case. I heard then that in the course of six weeks -the woman gradually recovered the use of her faculties and some months -later she gave birth to a son, christened Jervase, who unhappily proved -to be of weak intellect. Such were the facts known to the village; but -to me while I whitened at the suggested thought of the hideous -enormities that had doubtless been committed, all this was nothing short -of conviction, and I incautiously hazarded a hint of something like the -truth to some scientific friends. The moment the words had left my lips -I bitterly regretted having spoken, and thus given away the great secret -of my life, but with a good deal of relief mixed with indignation, I -found my fears altogether misplaced, for my friends ridiculed me to my -face, and I was regarded as a madman; and beneath a natural anger I -chuckled to myself, feeling as secure amidst these blockheads, as if I -had confided what I knew to the desert sands. - -But now, knowing so much, I resolved I would know all, and I -concentrated my efforts on the task of deciphering the inscription on -the Black Seal. For many years I made this puzzle the sole object of my -leisure moments; for the greater portion of my time was, of course, -devoted to other duties, and it was only now and then that I could -snatch a week of clear research. If I were to tell the full history of -this curious investigation, this statement would be wearisome in the -extreme, for it would contain simply the account of long and tedious -failure. By what I knew already of ancient scripts I was well-equipped -for the chase, as I always termed it to myself. I had correspondents -amongst all the scientific men in Europe, and, indeed, in the world, and -I could not believe that in these days any character, however ancient -and however perplexed, could long resist the search-light I should bring -to bear upon it. Yet, in point of fact, it was fully fourteen years -before I succeeded. With every year my professional duties increased, -and my leisure became smaller. This no doubt retarded me a good deal; -and yet, when I look back on those years I am astonished at the vast -scope of my investigation of the Black Seal. I made my bureau a centre, -and from all the world and from all the ages I gathered transcripts of -ancient writing. Nothing, I resolved, should pass me unawares, and the -faintest hint should be welcomed and followed up. But as one covert -after another was tried and proved empty of result, I began in the -course of years to despair, and to wonder whether the Black Seal were -the sole relic of some race that had vanished from the world and left no -other trace of its existence,--had perished, in fine, as Atlantis is -said to have done, in some great cataclysm, its secrets perhaps drowned -beneath the ocean or moulded into the heart of the hills. The thought -chilled my warmth a little, and though I still persevered, it was no -longer with the same certainty of faith. A chance came to the rescue. I -was staying in a considerable town in the north of England, and took the -opportunity of going over the very creditable museum that had for some -time been established in the place. The curator was one of my -correspondents; and, as we were looking through one of the mineral -cases, my attention was struck by a specimen, a piece of black stone -some four inches square, the appearance of which reminded me in a -measure of the Black Seal. I took it up carelessly, and was turning it -over in my hand, when I saw, to my astonishment, that the under side was -inscribed. I said, quietly enough, to my friend the curator that the -specimen interested me, and that I should be much obliged if he would -allow me to take it with me to my hotel for a couple of days. He, of -course, made no objection, and I hurried to my rooms, and found that my -first glance had not deceived me. There were two inscriptions; one in -the regular cuneiform character, another in the character of the Black -Seal, and I realized that my task was accomplished. I made an exact copy -of the two inscriptions; and when I got to my London study, and had the -Seal before me, I was able seriously to grapple with the great problem. -The interpreting inscription on the museum specimen, though in itself -curious enough, did not bear on my quest, but the transliteration made -me master of the secret of the Black Seal. Conjecture, of course, had to -enter into my calculations; there was here and there uncertainty about a -particular ideograph, and one sign recurring again and again on the Seal -baffled me for many successive nights. But at last the secret stood open -before me in plain English, and I read the key of the awful -transmutation of the hills. The last word was hardly written, when with -fingers all trembling and unsteady I tore the scrap of paper into the -minutest fragments, and saw them flame and blacken in the red hollow of -the fire, and then I crushed the gray films that remained into finest -powder. Never since then have I written those words; never will I write -the phrases which tell me how man can be reduced to the slime from which -he came, and be forced to put on the flesh of the reptile and the snake. -There was now but one thing remaining. I knew; but I desired to see, and -I was after some time able to take a house in the neighborhood of the -Gray Hills, and not far from the cottage where Mrs. Cradock and her son -Jervase resided. I need not go into a full and detailed account of the -apparently inexplicable events which have occurred here, where I am -writing this. I knew that I should find in Jervase Cradock something of -the blood of the "Little People," and I found later that he had more -than once encountered his kinsmen in lonely places in that lonely land. -When I was summoned one day to the garden, and found him in a seizure -speaking or hissing the ghastly jargon of the Black Seal, I am afraid -that exultation prevailed over pity. I heard bursting from his lips the -secrets of the underworld, and the word of dread, "Ishakshar," the -signification of which I must be excused from giving. - -But there is one incident I cannot pass over unnoticed. In the waste -hollow of the night I awoke at the sound of those hissing syllables I -knew so well; and on going to the wretched boy's room, I found him -convulsed and foaming at the mouth, struggling on the bed as if he -strove to escape the grasp of writhing demons. I took him down to my -room and lit the lamp, while he lay twisting on the floor, calling on -the power within his flesh to leave him. I saw his body swell and become -distended as a bladder, while the face blackened before my eyes; and -then at the crisis I did what was necessary according to the directions -on the Seal, and putting all scruple on one side, I became a man of -science, observant of what was passing. Yet the sight I had to witness -was horrible, almost beyond the power of human conception and the most -fearful fantasy; something pushed out from the body there on the floor, -and stretched forth, a slimy wavering tentacle, across the room, and -grasped the bust upon the cupboard, and laid it down on my desk. - -When it was over, and I was left to walk up and down all the rest of the -night, white and shuddering, with sweat pouring from my flesh, I vainly -tried to reason with myself; I said, truly enough, that I had seen -nothing really supernatural, that a snail pushing out his horns and -drawing them in was but an instance on a smaller scale of what I had -witnessed; and yet horror broke through all such reasonings and left me -shattered and loathing myself for the share I had taken in the night's -work. - -There is little more to be said. I am going now to the final trial and -encounter; for I have determined that there shall be nothing wanting, -and I shall meet the "Little People" face to face. I shall have the -Black Seal and the knowledge of its secrets to help me, and if I -unhappily do not return from my journey, there is no need to conjure up -here a picture of the awfulness of my fate. - -Pausing a little at the end of Professor Gregg's statement, Miss Lally -continued her tale in the following words:-- - -Such was the almost incredible story that the professor had left behind -him. When I had finished reading it, it was late at night, but the next -morning I took Morgan with me, and we proceeded to search the Gray Hills -for some trace of the lost professor. I will not weary you with a -description of the savage desolation of that tract of country, a tract -of utterest loneliness, of bare green hills dotted over with gray -limestone boulders, worn by the ravage of time into fantastic semblances -of men and beasts. Finally, after many hours of weary searching, we -found what I told you--the watch and chain, the purse, and the -ring--wrapped in a piece of coarse parchment. When Morgan cut the gut -that bound the parcel together, and I saw the professor's property, I -burst into tears, but the sight of the dreaded characters of the Black -Seal repeated on the parchment froze me to silent horror, and I think I -understood for the first time the awful fate that had come upon my late -employer. - -I have only to add that Professor Gregg's lawyer treated my account of -what had happened as a fairy tale, and refused even to glance at the -documents I laid before him. It was he who was responsible for the -statement that appeared in the public press, to the effect that -Professor Gregg had been drowned, and that his body must have been swept -into the open sea. - -Miss Lally stopped speaking and looked at Mr. Phillipps, with a glance -of some enquiry. He, for his part, was sunken in a deep revery of -thought; and when he looked up and saw the bustle of the evening -gathering in the square, men and women hurrying to partake of dinner, -and crowds already besetting the music-halls, all the hum and press of -actual life seemed unreal and visionary, a dream in the morning after an -awakening. - -"I thank you," he said at last, "for your most interesting story, -interesting to me, because I feel fully convinced of its exact truth." - -"Sir," said the lady, with some energy of indignation, "you grieve and -offend me. Do you think I should waste my time and yours by concocting -fictions on a bench in Leicester Square?" - -"Pardon me, Miss Lally, you have a little misunderstood me. Before you -began I knew that whatever you told would be told in good faith, but -your experiences have a far higher value than that of _bona fides_. The -most extraordinary circumstances in your account are in perfect harmony -with the very latest scientific theories. Professor Lodge would, I am -sure, value a communication from you extremely; I was charmed from the -first by his daring hypothesis in explanation of the wonders of -Spiritualism (so called), but your narrative puts the whole matter out -of the range of mere hypothesis." - -"Alas, sir, all this will not help me. You forget, I have lost my -brother under the most startling and dreadful circumstances. Again, I -ask you, did you not see him as you came here? His black whiskers, his -spectacles, his timid glance to right and left; think, do not these -particulars recall his face to your memory?" - -"I am sorry to say I have never seen any one of the kind," said -Phillipps, who had forgotten all about the missing brother. "But let me -ask you a few questions. Did you notice whether Professor Gregg--" - -"Pardon me, sir, I have stayed too long. My employers will be expecting -me. I thank you for your sympathy. Good bye." - -Before Mr. Phillipps had recovered from his amazement at this abrupt -departure, Miss Lally had disappeared from his gaze, passing into the -crowd that now thronged the approaches to the Empire. He walked home in -a pensive frame of mind, and drank too much tea. At ten o'clock he had -made his third brew, and had sketched out the outlines of a little work -to be called _Protoplasmic Reversion_. - - - - -INCIDENT OF THE PRIVATE BAR. - - -Mr. Dyson often meditated at odd moments over the singular tale he had -listened to at the Café de la Touraine. In the first place he cherished -a profound conviction that the words of truth were scattered with a too -niggardly and sparing hand over the agreeable history of Mr. Smith and -the Black Gulf Cañon; and, secondly, there was the undeniable fact of -the profound agitation of the narrator, and his gestures on the -pavement, too violent to be simulated. The idea of a man going about -London haunted by the fear of meeting a young man with spectacles struck -Dyson as supremely ridiculous; he searched his memory for some precedent -in romance, but without success; he paid visits at odd times to the -little café, hoping to find Mr. Wilkins there; and he kept a sharp watch -on the great generation of the spectacled men without much doubt that he -would remember the face of the individual whom he had seen dart out of -the Aerated Bread Shop. All his peregrinations and researches, however, -seemed to lead to nothing of value, and Dyson needed all his warm -conviction of his innate detective powers and his strong scent for -mystery to sustain him in his endeavors. In fact, he had two affairs on -hand; and every day, as he passed through streets crowded or deserted, -and lurked in the obscure districts, and watched at corners, he was more -than surprised to find that the affair of the gold coin persistently -avoided him; while the ingenious Wilkins, and the young man with -spectacles whom he dreaded, seemed to have vanished from the pavements. - -He was pondering these problems one evening in a house of call in the -Strand, and the obstinacy with which the persons he so ardently desired -to meet hung back gave the modest tankard before him an additional touch -of bitter. As it happened, he was alone in his compartment, and, without -thinking, he uttered aloud the burden of his meditations. "How bizarre -it all is!" he said, "a man walking the pavement with the dread of a -timid-looking young man with spectacles continually hovering before his -eyes. And there was some tremendous feeling at work, I could swear to -that." Quick as thought, before he had finished the sentence, a head -popped round the barrier, and was withdrawn again; and while Dyson was -wondering what this could mean, the door of the compartment was swung -open, and a smooth, clean-shaven, and smiling gentleman entered. - -"You will excuse me, sir," he said politely, "for intruding on your -thoughts, but you made a remark a minute ago." - -"I did," said Dyson; "I have been puzzling over a foolish matter, and I -thought aloud. As you heard what I said, and seem interested, perhaps -you may be able to relieve my perplexity?" - -"Indeed. I scarcely know; it is an odd coincidence. One has to be -cautions. I suppose, sir, that you would have no repulsion in assisting -the ends of justice." - -"Justice," replied Dyson, "is a term of such wide meaning, that I too -feel doubtful about giving an answer. But this place is not altogether -fit for such a discussion; perhaps you would come to my rooms?" - -"You are very kind; my name is Burton, but I am sorry to say I have not -a card with me. Do you live near here?" - -"Within ten minutes' walk." - -Mr. Burton took out his watch and seemed to be making a rapid -calculation. - -"I have a train to catch," he said; "but after all, it is a late one. -So, if you don't mind, I think I will come with you. I am sure we should -have a little talk together. We turn up here?" - -The theatres were filling as they crossed the Strand, the street seemed -alive with voices, and Dyson looked fondly about him. The glittering -lines of gas-lamps, with here and there the blinding radiance of an -electric light, the hansoms that flashed to and fro with ringing bells, -the laden buses, and the eager hurrying east and west of the foot -passengers, made his most enchanting picture; and the graceful spire of -St. Mary le Strand, on the one hand, and the last flush of sunset on the -other, were to him a cause of thanksgiving, as the gorse blossom to -Linnæus. Mr. Burton caught his look of fondness as they crossed the -street. - -"I see you can find the picturesque in London," he said. "To me this -great town is as I see it is to you, the study and the love of life. Yet -how few there are that can pierce the veils of apparent monotony and -meanness! I have read in a paper which is said to have the largest -circulation in the world, a comparison between the aspects of London and -Paris, a comparison which should be positively laureat, as the great -masterpiece of fatuous stupidity. Conceive if you can a human being of -ordinary intelligence preferring the Boulevards to our London streets; -imagine a man calling for the wholesale destruction of our most charming -city, in order that the dull uniformity of that whited sepulchre called -Paris should be reproduced here in London. Is it not positively -incredible?" - -"My dear sir," said Dyson, regarding Burton with a good deal of -interest. "I agree most heartily with your opinions, but I really cannot -share your wonder. Have you heard how much George Eliot received for -'Romola'? Do you know what the circulation of 'Robert Elsmere' was? Do -you read 'Tit Bits' regularly? To me, on the contrary, it is constant -matter both for wonder and thanksgiving that London was not -boulevardized twenty years ago. I praise that exquisite jagged sky line -that stands up against the pale greens and fading blues and flushing -clouds of sunset, but I wonder even more than I praise. As for St. Mary -le Strand, its preservation is a miracle, nothing more or less. A thing -of exquisite beauty _versus_ four buses abreast! Really, the conclusion -is too obvious. Didn't you read the letter of the man who proposed that -the whole mysterious system, the immemorial plan of computing Easter, -should, be abolished off-hand because he doesn't like his son having his -holidays as early as March 20th? But shall we be going on?" - -They had lingered at the corner of a street on the north side of the -Strand, enjoying the contrasts and the glamour of the scene. Dyson -pointed the way with a gesture, and they strolled up the comparatively -deserted streets, slanting a little to the right, and thus arriving at -Dyson's lodging on the verge of Bloomsbury. Mr. Burton took a -comfortable armchair by the open window, while Dyson lit the candles and -produced the whiskey and soda and cigarettes. - -"They tell me these cigarettes are very good," he said, "but I know -nothing about it myself. I hold at last that there is only one tobacco, -and that is shag. I suppose I could not tempt you to try a pipeful?" - -Mr. Burton smilingly refused the offer, and picked out a cigarette from -the box. When he had smoked it half through, he said with some -hesitation:-- - -"It is really kind of you to have me here, Mr. Dyson; the fact is that -the interests at issue are far too serious to be discussed in a bar, -where, as you found for yourself, there may be listeners, voluntary or -involuntary, on each side. I think the remark I heard you make was -something about the oddity of an individual going about London in deadly -fear of a young man with spectacles." - -"Yes, that was it." - -"Well, would you mind confiding to me the circumstances that gave rise -to the reflection?" - -"Not in the least; it was like this." And he ran over in brief outline -the adventure in Oxford Street, dwelling on the violence of Mr. -Wilkins's gestures, but wholly suppressing the tale told in the café. -"He told me he lived in constant terror of meeting this man; and I left -him when I thought he was cool enough to look after himself," said -Dyson, ending his narrative. - -"Really," said Mr. Burton. "And you actually saw this mysterious -person." - -"Yes." - -"And could you describe him?" - -"Well, he looked to me a youngish man, pale and nervous. He had small -black side whiskers, and wore rather large spectacles." - -"But this is simply marvellous! You astonish me. For I must tell you -that my interest in the matter is this. I am not in the least in terror -of meeting a dark young man with spectacles, but I shrewdly suspect a -person of that description would much rather not meet me. And yet the -account you give of the man tallies exactly. A nervous glance to right -and left--is it not so? And, as you observed, he wears prominent -spectacles, and has small black whiskers. There cannot be surely two -people exactly identical--one a cause of terror, and the other, I should -imagine, extremely anxious to get out of the way. But have you seen this -man since?" - -"No, I have not; and I have been looking out for him pretty keenly. But, -of course, he may have left London, and England too for the matter of -that." - -Hardly, I think. Well, Mr. Dyson, it is only fair that I should explain -my story, now that I have listened, to yours. I must tell you, then, -that I am an agent for curiosities and precious things of all kinds. An -odd employment, isn't it? Of course I wasn't brought up to the business; -I gradually fell into it. I have always been fond of things queer and -rare, and by the time I was twenty I had made half a dozen collections. -It is not generally known how often farm laborers come upon rarities; -you would be astonished if I told you what I have seen turned up by the -plough. I lived in the country in those days, and I used to buy anything -the men on the farms brought me; and I had the queerest set of rubbish, -as my friends called my collection. But that's how I got the scent of -the business, which means everything; and, later on, it struck me that I -might very well turn my knowledge to account and add to my income. Since -those early days I have been in most quarters of the world, and some -very valuable things have passed through my hands, and I have had to -engage in difficult and delicate negotiations. You have possibly heard -of the Khan opal--called in the East 'The Stone of a Thousand and One -Colors'? Well, perhaps the conquest of that stone was my greatest -achievement. I call it myself the stone of the thousand and one lies, -for I assure you that I had to invent a cycle of folk-lore before the -Rajah who owned it would consent to sell the thing. I subsidized -wandering story-tellers, who told tales in which the opal played a -frightful part; I hired a holy man, a great ascetic, to prophesy against -the thing in the language of Eastern symbolism; in short, I frightened -the Rajah out of his wits. So you see there is room for diplomacy in -the traffic I am engaged in. I have to be ever on my guard, and I have -often been sensible that unless I watched every step and weighed every -word my life would not last me much longer. Last April I became aware of -the existence of a highly valuable antique gem. It was in Southern -Italy, and in the possession of persons who were ignorant of its real -value. It has always been my experience that it is precisely the -ignorant who are most difficult to deal with. I have met farmers who -were under the impression that a shilling of George I. was a find of -almost incalculable value; and all the defeats I have sustained have -been at the hands of people of this description. Reflecting on these -facts, I saw that the acquisition of the gem I have mentioned would be -an affair demanding the nicest diplomacy; I might possibly have got it -by offering a sum approaching its real value, but I need not point out -to you that such a proceeding would be most unbusinesslike. Indeed, I -doubt whether it would have been successful, for the cupidity of such -persons is aroused by a sum which seems enormous, and the low cunning -which serves them in place of intelligence immediately suggests that the -object for which such an amount is offered must be worth at least -double. Of course, when it is a matter of an ordinary curiosity--an old -jug, a carved chest, or a queer brass lantern--one does not much care; -the cupidity of the owner defeats its object, the collector laughs, and -goes away, for he is aware that such things are by no means unique. But -this gem I fervently desired to possess; and as I did not see my way to -giving more than a hundredth part of its value, I was conscious that -all my, let us say, imaginative and diplomatic powers would have to be -exerted. I am sorry to say that I came to the conclusion that I could -not undertake to carry the matter through single-handed, and I -determined to confide in my assistant, a young man named William -Robbins, whom I judged to be by no means devoid of capacity. My idea was -that Robbins should get himself up as a low-class dealer in precious -stones; he could patter a little Italian, and would go to the town in -question and manage to see the gem we were after, possibly by offering -some trifling articles of jewelry for sale, but that I left to be -decided, then my work was to begin, but I will not trouble you with a -tale told twice over. In due course, then, Robbins went off to Italy -with an assortment of uncut stones and a few rings, and some jewelry I -bought in Birmingham, on purpose for his expedition. A week later I -followed him, travelling leisurely, so that I was a fortnight later in -arriving at our common destination. There was a decent hotel in the -town, and on my inquiring of the landlord whether there were many -strangers in the place, he told me very few; he had heard there was an -Englishman staying in a small tavern, a pedlar he said, who sold -beautiful trinkets very cheaply, and wanted to buy old rubbish. For five -or six days I took life leisurely, and I must say I enjoyed myself. It -was part of my plan to make the people think I was an enormously rich -man; and I knew that such items as the extravagance of my meals, and the -price of every bottle of wine I drank, would not be suffered, as Sancho -Panza puts it, to rot in the landlord's breast. At the end of the week I -was fortunate enough to make the acquaintance of Signor Melini, the -owner of the gem I coveted, at the café, and with his ready hospitality -and my geniality I was soon established as a friend of the house. On my -third or fourth visit I managed to make the Italians talk about the -English pedlar, who, they said, spoke a most detestable Italian. 'But -that does not matter,' said the Signora Melini, 'for he has beautiful -things, which he sells very very cheap.' 'I hope you may not find he has -cheated you,' I said, 'for I must tell you that English people give -these fellows a very wide berth. They usually make a great parade of the -cheapness of their goods, which often turn out to be double the price of -better articles in the shops,' They would not hear of this, and Signora -Melini insisted on showing me the three rings and the bracelet she had -bought of the pedlar. She told me the price she had paid; and after -scrutinizing the articles carefully, I had to confess that she had made -a bargain, and indeed Robbins had sold her the things at about fifty per -cent below market value. I admired the trinkets as I gave them back to -the lady, and I hinted that the pedlar must be a somewhat foolish -specimen of his class. Two days later, as I was taking my vermouth at -the café with Signor Melini, he led the conversation back to the pedlar, -and mentioned casually that he had shown the man a little curiosity, for -which he had made rather a handsome offer. 'My dear sir,' I said, 'I -hope you will be careful. I told you that the travelling tradesman does -not bear a very high reputation in England; and notwithstanding his -apparent simplicity, this fellow may turn out to be an arrant cheat. May -I ask you what is the nature of the curiosity you have shown him?' He -told me it was a little thing, a pretty little stone with some figures -cut on it: people said it was old. 'I should like to examine it,' I -replied; 'as it happens I have, seen a good deal of these gems. We have -a fine collection of them in our museum at London.' In due course I was -shown the article, and I held the gem I so coveted between my fingers. I -looked at it coolly, and put it down carelessly on the table. 'Would you -mind telling me, signor,' I said, 'how much my fellow-countryman offered -you for this?' 'Well,' he said, 'my wife says the man must be mad; he -said he would give me twenty lire for it.' - -"I looked at him quietly, and took up the gem and pretended to examine -it in the light more carefully; I turned it over and over, and finally -pulled out a magnifying glass from my pocket, and seemed to search every -line in the cutting with minutest scrutiny. 'My dear sir,' I said at -last, 'I am inclined to agree with Signora Melini. If this gem were -genuine, it would be worth some money; but as it happens to be a rather -bad forgery, it is not worth twenty centesimi. It was sophisticated, I -should imagine, some time in the last century, and by a very unskilful -hand.' 'Then we had better get rid of it,' said Melini. 'I never thought -it was worth anything myself. Of course I am sorry for the pedlar, but -one must let a man know his own trade. I shall tell him we will take the -twenty lire.' 'Excuse me,' I said, 'the man wants a lesson. It would be -a charity to give him one. Tell him that you will not take anything -under eighty lire, and I shall be much surprised if he does not close -with you at once. - -"A day or two later I heard that the English pedlar had gone away, after -debasing the minds of the country people with Birmingham art jewelry; -for I admit that the gold sleeve links like kidney beans, the silver -chains made apparently after the pattern of a dog-chain, and the initial -brooches, have always been heavy on my conscience. I cannot acquit -myself of having indirectly contributed to debauch the taste of a simple -folk; but I hope that the end I had in view may finally outbalance this -heavy charge. Soon afterwards, I paid a farewell visit at the Melinis, -and the signor informed me with an oily chuckle that the plan I had -suggested had been completely successful. I congratulated him on his -bargain, and went away after expressing a wish that heaven might send -many such pedlars in his path. - -"Nothing of interest occurred on my return journey. I had arranged that -Robbins was to meet me at a certain place on a certain day, and I went -to the appointment full of the coolest confidence; the gem had been -conquered, and I had only to reap the fruits of victory. I am sorry to -shake that trust in our common human nature which I am sure you possess, -but I am compelled to tell you that up to the present date I have never -set eyes on my man Robbins, or on the antique gem in his custody. I have -found out that he actually arrived in London, for he was seen three -days before my arrival in England by a pawnbroker of my acquaintance -consuming his favorite beverage, four ale, in the tavern where we met -to-night. Since then he has not been heard of. I hope you will now -pardon my curiosity as to the history and adventures of dark young men -with spectacles. You will, I am sure, feel for me in my position; the -savor of life has disappeared for me; it is a bitter thought that I have -rescued one of the most perfect and exquisite specimens of antique art -from the hands of ignorant, and indeed unscrupulous persons, only to -deliver it into the keeping of a man who is evidently utterly devoid of -the very elements of commercial morality." - -"My dear sir," said Dyson, "you will allow me to compliment you on your -style; your adventures have interested me exceedingly. But, forgive me, -you just now used the word morality; would not some persons take -exception to your own methods of business? I can conceive, myself, flaws -of a moral kind being found in the very original conception you have -described to me. I can imagine the Puritan shrinking in dismay from your -scheme, pronouncing it unscrupulous, nay, dishonest." - -Mr. Burton helped himself, very frankly, to some more whiskey. - -"Your scruples entertain me," he said. "Perhaps you have not gone very -deeply into these questions of ethics. I have been compelled to do so -myself, just as I was forced to master a simple system of book-keeping. -Without book-keeping, and still more without a system of ethics, it is -impossible to conduct a business such as mine. But I assure you that I -am often profoundly saddened as I pass through the crowded streets and -watch the world at work by the thought of how few amongst all these -hurrying individuals, black hatted, well dressed, educated we may -presume sufficiently,--how few amongst them have any reasoned system of -morality. Even you have not weighed the question; although you study -life and affairs, and to a certain extent penetrate the veils and masks -of the comedy of man, even you judge by empty conventions, and the false -money which is allowed to pass current as sterling coin. Allow me to -play the part of Socrates; I shall teach you nothing that you do not -know. I shall merely lay aside the wrappings of prejudice and bad logic, -and show you the real image which you possess in your soul. Come then. -Do you allow that happiness is anything?" - -"Certainly," said Dyson. - -"And happiness is desirable or undesirable?" - -"Desirable of course." - -"And what shall we call the man who gives happiness? Is he not a -philanthropist?" - -"I think so." - -"And such a person is praiseworthy, and the more praiseworthy in the -proportion of the persons whom he makes happy?" - -"By all means." - -"So that he who makes a whole nation happy, is praiseworthy in the -extreme, and the action by which he gives happiness is the highest -virtue?" - -"It appears so, O Burton," said Dyson, who found something very -exquisite in the character of his visitor. - -"Quite so; you find the several conclusions inevitable. Well, apply them -to the story I have told, you. I conferred happiness on myself by -obtaining (as I thought) possession of the gem; I conferred happiness on -the Melinis by getting them eighty lire instead of an object for which -they had not the slightest value, and I intended to confer happiness on -the whole British nation by selling the thing to the British Museum, to -say nothing of the happiness a profit of about nine thousand per cent -would have conferred on me. I assure you I regard Robbins as an -interferer with the cosmos and fair order of things. But that is -nothing; you perceive that I am an apostle of the very highest morality; -you have been forced to yield to argument." - -"There certainly seems a great deal in what you advance," said Dyson. "I -admit that I am a mere amateur of ethics, while you, as you say, have -brought the most acute scrutiny to bear on these perplexed and doubtful -questions. I can well understand your anxiety to meet the fallacious -Robbins, and I congratulate myself on the chance which has made us -acquainted. But you will pardon my seeming inhospitality, I see it is -half past eleven, and I think you mentioned a train." - -"A thousand thanks, Mr. Dyson, I have just time, I see. I will look you -up some evening if I may. Good-night." - - - - -THE DECORATIVE IMAGINATION. - - -In the course of a few weeks Dyson became accustomed, to the constant -incursions of the ingenious Mr. Burton, who showed himself ready to drop -in at all hours, not averse to refreshment, and a profound guide in the -complicated questions of life. His visits at once terrified and -delighted Dyson, who could no longer seat himself at his bureau secure -from interruption while he embarked on literary undertakings, each one -of which was to be a masterpiece. On the other hand, it was a vivid -pleasure to be confronted with views so highly original; and if here and -there Mr. Burton's reasonings seemed tinged with fallacy, yet Dyson -freely yielded to the joy of strangeness, and never failed to give his -visitor a frank and hearty welcome. Mr. Burton's first inquiry was -always after the unprincipled Robbins, and he seemed to feel the stings -of disappointment when Dyson told him that he had failed to meet this -outrage on all morality, as Burton styled him, vowing that sooner or -later he would take vengeance on such a shameless betrayal of trust. - -One evening they had sat together for some time discussing the -possibility of laying down for this present generation and our modern -and intensely complicated order of society, some rules of social -diplomacy, such as Lord Bacon gave to the courtiers of King James I. "It -is a book to make," said Mr. Burton, "but who is there capable of making -it? I tell you people are longing for such a book; it would bring -fortune to its publisher. Bacon's Essays are exquisite, but they have -now no practical application; the modern strategist can find but little -use in a treatise 'De Re Militari,' written by a Florentine in the -fifteenth century. Scarcely more dissimilar are the social conditions of -Bacon's time and our own; the rules that he lays down so exquisitely for -the courtier and diplomatist of James the First's age will avail us -little in the rough-and-tumble struggle of to-day. Life, I am afraid, -has deteriorated; it gives little play for fine strokes such as formerly -advanced men in the state. Except in such businesses as mine, where a -chance does occur now and then, it has all become, as I said, an affair -of rough and tumble; men still desire to attain, it is true, but what is -their _moyen de parvenir_? A mere imitation, and not a gracious one, of -the arts of the soap-vender and the proprietor of baking powder. When I -think of these things, my dear Dyson, I confess that I am tempted to -despair of my century." - -"You are too pessimistic, my dear fellow; you set up too high a -standard. Certainly, I agree with you that the times are decadent in -many ways. I admit a general appearance of squalor; it needs much -philosophy to extract the wonderful and the beautiful from the Cromwell -Road or the Nonconformist conscience. Australian wines of fine Burgundy -character, the novels alike of the old women and the new women, popular -journalism,--these things indeed make for depression. Yet we have our -advantages. Before us is unfolded the greatest spectacle the world has -ever seen,--the mystery of the innumerable unending streets, the strange -adventures that must infallibly arise from so complicated a press of -interests. Nay, I will say that he who has stood in the ways of a suburb -and has seen them stretch before him all shining, void, and desolate at -noonday, has not lived in vain. Such a sight is in reality more -wonderful than any perspective of Bagdad or Grand Cairo. And, to set on -one side the entertaining history of the gem which you told me, surely -you must have had many singular adventures in your own career?" - -"Perhaps not so many as you would think; a good deal--the larger -part--of my business has been as commonplace as linen-drapery. But of -course things happen now and then. It is ten years since I have -established my agency, and I suppose that a house and estate agent who -had been in trade for an equal time could tell you some queer stories. -But I must give you a sample of my experiences some night. - -"Why not to-night?" said Dyson. "This evening seems to me admirably -adapted for an odd chapter. Look out into the street; you can catch a -view of it, if you crane your neck from that chair of yours. Is it not -charming? The double row of lamps growing closer in the distance, the -hazy outline of the plane-tree in the square, and the lights of the -hansoms swimming to and fro, gliding and vanishing; and above, the sky -all clear and blue and shining. Come, let us have one of your _cent -nouvelles nouvelles_." - -"My dear Dyson, I am delighted to amuse you." With these words Mr. -Burton prefaced the - - - - -NOVEL OF THE IRON MAID. - - -I think the most extraordinary event which I can recall took place about -five years ago. I was then still feeling my way; I had declared for -business, and attended regularly at my office, but I had not succeeded -in establishing a really profitable connection, and consequently I had a -good deal of leisure time on my hands. I have never thought fit to -trouble you with the details of my private life; they would be entirely -devoid of interest. I must briefly say, however, that I had a numerous -circle of acquaintance, and was never at a loss as to how to spend my -evenings. I was so fortunate as to have friends in most of the ranks of -the social order; there is nothing so unfortunate, to my mind, as a -specialized circle, wherein a certain round of ideas is continually -traversed and retraversed. I have always tried to find out new types and -persons whose brains contained something fresh to me; one may chance to -gain information even from the conversation of city men on an omnibus. -Amongst my acquaintance I knew a young doctor who lived in a far -outlying suburb, and I used often to brave the intolerably slow railway -journey, to have the pleasure of listening to his talk. One night we -conversed so eagerly together over our pipes and whiskey that the clock -passed unnoticed, and when I glanced up I realized with a shock that I -had just five minutes in which to catch the last tram. I made a dash for -my hat and stick, and jumped out of the house and down the steps, and -tore at full speed up the street. It was no good, however; there was a -shriek of the engine whistle, and I stood there at the station door and -saw far on the long dark line of the embankment a red light shine and -vanish, and a porter came down and shut the door with a bang. - -"How far to London?" I asked him. - -"A good nine miles to Waterloo Bridge;" and with that he went off. - -Before me was the long suburban street, its dreary distance marked by -rows of twinkling lamps, and the air was poisoned by the faint sickly -smell of burning bricks; it was not a cheerful prospect by any means, -and I had to walk through nine miles of such streets, deserted as those -of Pompeii. I knew pretty well what direction to take; so I set out -wearily, looking at the stretch of lamps vanishing in perspective; and -as I walked, street after street branched off to right and left,--some -far reaching to distances that seemed endless, communicating with, other -systems of thoroughfare; and some mere protoplasmic streets, beginning -in orderly fashion with serried two-storied houses, and ending suddenly -in waste, and pits, and rubbish heaps, and fields whence the magic had -departed. I have spoken of systems of thoroughfare, and I assure you -that, walking alone through these silent places, I felt phantasy growing -on me, and some glamour of the infinite. There was here. I felt, an -immensity as in the outer void, of the universe. I passed from unknown -to unknown, my way marked by lamps like stars, and on either band was an -unknown world where myriads of men dwelt and slept, street leading into -street, as it seemed to world's end. At first the road by which I was -travelling was lined with houses of unutterable monotony,--a wall of -gray brick pierced by two stories of windows, drawn close to the very -pavement. But by degrees I noticed an improvement: there were gardens, -and these grew larger. The suburban builder began to allow himself a -wider scope; and for a certain distance each flight of steps was guarded -by twin lions of plaster, and scents of flowers prevailed over the fume -of heated bricks. The road began to climb a hill, and, looking up a side -street, I saw the half moon rise over plane-trees, and there on the -other side was as if a white cloud had fallen, and the air around it was -sweetened as with incense; it was a may-tree in full bloom. I pressed on -stubbornly, listening for the wheels and the clatter of some belated -hansom; but into that land of men who go to the city in the morning and -return in the evening, the hansom rarely enters, and I had resigned -myself once more to the walk, when I suddenly became aware that some one -was advancing to meet me along the sidewalk. The man was strolling -rather aimlessly; and though the time and the place would have allowed -an unconventional style of dress, he was vested in the ordinary frock -coat, black tie, and silk hat of civilization. We met each other under -the lamp, and, as often happens in this great town, two casual -passengers brought face to face found, each in the other an -acquaintance. - -"Mr. Mathias, I think?" I said. - -"Quite so. And you are Frank Burton. You know you are a man with a -Christian name, so I won't apologize for my familiarity. But may I ask -where you are going?" - -I explained the situation to him, saying I had traversed a region as -unknown to me as the darkest recesses of Africa. "I think I have only -about five miles farther," I concluded. - -"Nonsense; you must come home with me. My house is close by; in fact, I -was just taking my evening walk when we met. Come along; I dare say you -will find a makeshift bed easier than a five-mile walk." - -I let him take my arm and lead me along, though I was a good deal -surprised at so much geniality from a man who was, after all, a mere -casual club acquaintance. I suppose I had not spoken to Mr. Mathias -half-a-dozen times; he was a man who would sit silent in an armchair -for hours, neither reading nor smoking, but now and again moistening his -lips with his tongue and smiling queerly to himself. I confess he had -never attracted me, and on the whole I should have preferred to continue -my walk. But he took my arm and led me up a side street, and stopped at -a door in a high wall. We passed through the still moonlit garden, -beneath the black shadow of an old cedar, and into an old red brick -house with many gables. I was tired enough, and I sighed with relief as -I let myself fall into a great leather armchair. You know the infernal -grit with which they strew the sidewalk in those suburban districts; it -makes walking a penance, and I felt my four-mile tramp had made me more -weary than ten miles on an honest country road. I looked about the room -with some curiosity. There was a shaded lamp which threw a circle of -brilliant light on a heap of papers lying on an old brass-bound -secretaire of the last century; but the room was all vague and shadowy, -and I could only see that it was long and low, and that it was filled -with indistinct objects which might be furniture. Mr. Mathias sat down -in a second armchair, and looked about him with that odd smile of his. -He was a queer-looking man, clean-shaven, and white to the lips. I -should think his age was something between fifty and sixty. - -"Now I have got you here," he began, "I must inflict my hobby on you. -You knew I was a collector? Oh, yes, I have devoted many years to -collecting curiosities, which I think are really curious. But we must -have a better light." - -He advanced into the middle of the room, and lit a lamp which hung from -the ceiling; and as the bright light flashed round the wick, from every -corner and space there seemed to start a horror. Great wooden frames -with complicated apparatus of ropes and pulleys stood against the wall; -a wheel of strange shape had a place beside a thing that looked like a -gigantic gridiron. Little tables glittered with bright steel instruments -carelessly put down as if ready for use; a screw and vice loomed out, -casting ugly shadows; and in another nook was a saw with cruel jagged -teeth. - -"Yes," said Mr. Mathias; "they are, as you suggest, instruments of -torture,--of torture and death. Some--many, I may say--have been used; a -few are reproductions after ancient examples. Those knives were used for -flaying; that frame is a rack, and a very fine specimen. Look at this; -it comes from Venice. You see that sort of collar, something like a big -horse-shoe? Well, the patient, let us call him, sat down quite -comfortably, and the horse-shoe was neatly fitted round his neck. Then -the two ends were joined with a silken band, and the executioner began -to turn a handle connected with the band. The horse-shoe contracted very -gradually as the band tightened, and the turning continued till the man -was strangled. It all took place quietly, in one of those queer garrets -under the leads. But these things are all European; the Orientals are, -of course, much more ingenious. These are the Chinese contrivances. You -have heard of the 'heavy death'? It is my hobby, this sort of thing. Do -you know, I often sit here, hour after hour, and meditate over the -collection. I fancy I see the faces of the men who have suffered--faces -lean with agony and wet with sweats of death--growing distinct out of -the gloom, and I hear the echoes of their cries for mercy. But I must -show you my latest acquisition. Come into the next room." - -I followed Mr. Mathias out. The weariness of the walk, the late hour, -and the strangeness of it all, made me feel like a man in a dream; -nothing would have surprised me very much. The second room was as the -first, crowded with ghastly instruments; but beneath the lamp was a -wooden platform, and a figure stood on it. It was a large statue of a -naked woman, fashioned in green bronze; the arms were stretched out, and -there was a smile on the lips; it might well have been intended for a -Venus, and yet there was about the thing an evil and a deadly look. - -Mr. Mathias looked at it complacently. "Quite a work of art, isn't it?" -he said. "It's made of bronze, as you see, but it has long had the name -of the Iron Maid. I got it from Germany, and it was only unpacked this -afternoon; indeed, I have not yet had time to open the letter of advice. -You see that very small knob between the breasts? Well, the victim was -bound to the Maid, the knob was pressed, and the arms slowly tightened -round the neck. You can imagine the result." - -As Mr. Mathias talked, he patted the figure affectionately. I had turned -away, for I sickened at the sight of the man and his loathsome treasure. -There was a slight click, of which I took no notice,--it was not much -louder than the tick of a clock; and then I heard a sudden whir, the -noise of machinery in motion, and I faced round. I have never forgotten -the hideous agony on Mathias's face as those relentless arms tightened -about his neck; there was a wild struggle as of a beast in the toils, -and then a shriek that ended in a choking groan. The whirring noise had -suddenly changed into a heavy droning. I tore with all my might at the -bronze arms, and strove to wrench them apart, but I could do nothing. -The head had slowly bent down, and the green lips were on the lips of -Mathias. - -Of course I had to attend at the inquest. The letter which had -accompanied the figure was found unopened on the study table. The German -firm of dealers cautioned their client to be most careful in touching -the Iron Maid, as the machinery had been put in thorough working order. - -For many revolving weeks Mr. Burton delighted Dyson by his agreeable -conversation, diversified by anecdote, and interspersed with the -narration of singular adventures. Finally, however, he vanished as -suddenly as he had appeared, and on the occasion of his last visit he -contrived to loot a copy of his namesake's Anatomy. Dyson, considering -this violent attack on the rights of property, and certain glaring -inconsistencies in the talk of his late friend, arrived at the -conclusion that his stories were fabulous, and that the Iron Maid only -existed in the sphere of a decorative imagination. - - - - -THE RECLUSE OF BAYSWATER. - - -Amongst the many friends who were favored with the occasional pleasure -of Mr. Dyson's society was Mr. Edgar Russell, realist and obscure -struggler, who occupied a small back room on the second floor of a house -in Abingdon Grove, Notting Hill. Turning off from the main street and -walking a few paces onward, one was conscious of a certain calm, a -drowsy peace, which made the feet inclined to loiter; and this was ever -the atmosphere of Abingdon Grove. The houses stood a little back, with -gardens where the lilac and laburnum and blood-red may blossomed gayly -in their seasons, and there was a corner where an older house in another -street had managed to keep a back garden of real extent; a walled-in -garden whence there came a pleasant scent of greenness after the rains -of early summer, where old elms held memories of the open fields, where -there was yet sweet grass to walk on. The houses in Abingdon Grove -belonged chiefly to the nondescript stucco period of thirty-five years -ago, tolerably built with passable accommodation for moderate incomes; -they had largely passed into the state of lodgings, and cards bearing -the inscription "Furnished Apartments" were not infrequent over the -doors. Here, then, in a house of sufficiently good appearance, Mr. -Russell had established himself; for he looked upon the traditional -dirt and squalor of Grub Street as a false and obsolete convention, and -preferred, as he said, to live within sight of green leaves. Indeed, -from his room one had a magnificent view of a long line of gardens, and -a screen of poplars shut out the melancholy back premises of Wilton -Street during the summer months. Mr. Russell lived chiefly on bread and -tea, for his means were of the smallest; but when Dyson came to see him, -he would send out the slavey for six-ale, and Dyson was always at -liberty to smoke as much of his own tobacco as he pleased. The landlady -had been so unfortunate as to have her drawing-room floor vacant for -many months; a card had long proclaimed the void within; and Dyson, when -he walked up the steps one evening in early autumn, had a sense that -something was missing, and, looking at the fanlight, saw the appealing -card had disappeared. - -"You have let your first floor, have you?" he said, as he greeted Mr. -Russell. - -"Yes; it was taken about a fortnight ago by a lady." - -"Indeed," said Dyson, always curious; "a young lady?" - -"Yes, I believe so. She is a widow, and wears a thick crape veil. I have -met her once or twice on the stairs and in the street, but I should not -know her face." - -"Well," said Dyson, when the beer had arrived, and the pipes were in -full blast, "and what have you been doing? Do you find the work getting -any easier?" - -"Alas!" said the young man, with an expression of great gloom, "the life -is a purgatory, and all but a hell. I write, picking out my words, -weighing and balancing the force of every syllable, calculating the -minutest effects that language can produce, erasing and rewriting, and -spending a whole evening over a page of manuscript. And then in the -morning when I read what I have written--Well, there is nothing to be -done but to throw it in the waste-paper basket if the verso has been -already written on, or to put it in the drawer if the other side happens -to be clean. When I have written a phrase which undoubtedly embodies a -happy turn of thought, I find it dressed up in feeble commonplace; and -when the style is good, it serves only to conceal the baldness of -superannuated fancies. I sweat over my work, Dyson,--every finished line -means so much agony. I envy the lot of the carpenter in the side street -who has a craft which he understands. When he gets an order for a table, -he does not writhe with anguish; but if I were so unlucky as to get an -order for a book, I think I should go mad." - -"My dear fellow, you take it all too seriously. You should let the ink -flow more readily. Above all, firmly believe, when you sit down to -write, that you are an artist, and that whatever you are about is a -masterpiece. Suppose ideas fail you, say; as I heard one of our most -exquisite artists say, "It's of no consequence; the ideas are all there, -at the bottom of that box of cigarettes." You, indeed, smoke tobacco, -but the application is the same. Besides, you must have some happy -moments, and these should be ample consolation." - -"Perhaps you are right. But such moments are so few; and then there is -the torture of a glorious conception matched, with execution beneath the -standard of the Family Story Paper. For instance, I was happy for two -hours a night or two ago; I lay awake and saw visions. But then the -morning!" - -"What was your idea?" - -"It seemed to me a splendid one; I thought of Balzac and the 'Comédie -Humaine,' of Zola and the Rougon-Macquart family. It dawned upon me that -I would write the history of a street. Every house should form a volume. -I fixed upon the street, I saw each house, and read, as clearly as in -letters, the physiology and psychology of each. The little by-way -stretched before me in its actual shape,--a street that I know and have -passed down a hundred times; with some twenty houses, prosperous and -mean, and lilac bushes in purple blossom; and yet it was at the same -time a symbol, a _via dolorosa_ of hopes cherished and disappointed, of -years of monotonous existence without content or discontent, of -tragedies and obscure sorrows; and on the door of one of those houses I -saw the red stain of blood, and behind a window two shadows, blackened -and faded, on the blind, as they swayed on tightened cords,--the shadows -of a man and a woman hanging in a vulgar, gas-lit parlor. These were my -fancies; but when pen touched paper, they shrivelled and vanished away," - -"Yes," said. Dyson, "there is a lot in that. I envy you the pains of -transmuting vision into reality, and still more I envy you the day when -you will look at your bookshelf and see twenty goodly books upon the -shelves,--the series complete and done forever. Let me entreat you to -have them bound in solid parchment, with gold lettering. It is the only -real cover for a valiant book. When I look in at the windows of some -choice shop, and see the bindings of Levant morocco, with pretty tools -and panellings, and your sweet contrasts of red and green, I say to -myself, 'These are not books, but bibelots.' A book bound so--a true -book, mind you--is like a Gothic statue draped in brocade of Lyons." - -"Alas!" said Russell, "we need not discuss the binding,--the books are -not begun." - -The talk went on as usual till eleven o'clock, when Dyson bade his -friend good-night. He knew the way downstairs, and walked down by -himself; but greatly to his surprise, as he crossed the first-floor -landing, the door opened slightly, and a hand was stretched out, -beckoning. - -Dyson was not the man to hesitate under such circumstances. In a moment -he saw himself involved in adventure; and, as he told himself, the -Dysons had never disobeyed a lady's summons. Softly, then, with due -regard for the lady's honor, he would have entered the room, when a low -but clear voice spoke to him,-- - -"Go downstairs and open the door, and shut it again rather loudly. Then -come up to me; and for heaven's sake, walk softly." - -Dyson obeyed her commands,--not without some hesitation, for he was -afraid of meeting the landlady or the maid on his return journey. But -walking like a cat, and making each step he trod on crack loudly, he -flattered himself that he had escaped observation; and as he gained the -top of the stairs, the door opened wide before him, and he found himself -in the lady's drawing-room, bowing awkwardly. - -"Pray be seated, sir. Perhaps this chair will be the best; it was the -favored chair of my landlady's deceased husband. I would ask you to -smoke, but the odor would betray me. I know my proceedings must seem to -you unconventional; but I saw you arrive this evening, and I do not -think you would refuse to help a woman who is so unfortunate as I am." - -Mr. Dyson looked shyly at the young lady before him. She was dressed in -deep mourning; but the piquant smiling face and charming hazel eyes ill -accorded with the heavy garments, and the mouldering surface of the -crape. - -"Madam," he said gallantly, "your instinct has served you well. We will -not trouble, if you please, about the question of social conventions; -the chivalrous gentleman knows nothing of such matters. I hope I may be -privileged to serve you." - -"You are very kind to me, but I knew it would be so. Alas, sir, I have -had experience of life, and I am rarely mistaken. Yet man is too often -so vile and so misjudging that I trembled even as I resolved to take -this step, which, for all I knew, might prove to be both desperate and -ruinous." - -"With me you have nothing to fear," said Dyson. "I was nurtured in the -faith of chivalry, and I have always endeavored to remember the proud -traditions of my race. Confide in me then, and count upon my secrecy, -and, if it prove possible, you may rely on my help." - -"Sir, I will not waste your time, which I am sure is valuable, by idle -parleyings. Learn, then, that I am a fugitive, and in hiding here. I -place myself in your power; you have but to describe my features, and I -fall into the hands of my relentless enemy." - -Mr. Dyson wondered for a passing instant how this could be; but he only -renewed his promise of silence, repeating that he would be the embodied -spirit of dark concealment. - -"Good," said the lady; "the Oriental fervor of your style is delightful. -In the first place, I must disabuse your mind of the conviction that I -am a widow. These gloomy vestments have been forced on me by strange -circumstance; in plain language, I have deemed it expedient to go -disguised. You have a friend, I think, in the house,--Mr. Russell? He -seems of a coy and retiring nature." - -"Excuse me, madam," said Dyson, "he is not coy, but he is a realist; and -perhaps you are aware that no Carthusian monk can emulate the cloistral -seclusion in which a realistic novelist loves to shroud himself. It is -his way of observing human, nature." - -"Well, well," said the lady; "all this, though deeply interesting is not -germane to our affair. I must tell you my history." - -With these words the young lady proceeded to relate the - - - - -NOVEL OF THE WHITE POWDER. - - -My name is Leicester; my father. Major General Wyn Leicester, a -distinguished officer of artillery, succumbed five years ago to a -complicated liver complaint acquired in the deadly climate of India. A -year later my only brother, Francis, came home after an exceptionally -brilliant career at the University, and settled down with the resolution -of a hermit to master what has been well called the great legend of the -law. He was a man who seemed to live in utter indifference to everything -that is called pleasure; and though he was handsomer than most men, and -could talk as merrily and wittily as if he were a mere vagabond, he -avoided society, and shut himself up in a large room at the top of the -house to make himself a lawyer. Ten hours a day of hard reading was at -first his allotted portion; from the first light in the east to the late -afternoon he remained shut up with his books, taking a hasty half-hour's -lunch with me as if he grudged the wasting of the moments, and going out -for a short walk when it began to grow dusk. I thought that such -relentless application must be injurious, and tried to cajole him from -the crabbed text-books; but his ardor seemed to grow rather than -diminish, and his daily tale of hours increased. I spoke to him -seriously, suggesting some occasional relaxation, if it were but an idle -afternoon with a harmless novel; but he laughed, and said that he read -about feudal tenures when he felt in need of amusement, and scoffed at -the notion of theatres, or a month's fresh confessed that he looked -well, and seemed not to suffer from his labors; but I knew that such -unnatural toil would take revenge at last, and I was not mistaken. A -look of anxiety began to lurk about his eyes, and he seemed languid, and -at last he avowed that he was no longer in perfect health; he was -troubled, he said, with a sensation of dizziness, and awoke now and then -of nights from fearful dreams, terrified and cold with icy sweats. "I am -taking care of myself," he said; "so you must not trouble. I passed the -whole of yesterday afternoon in idleness, leaning back in that -comfortable chair you gave me, and scribbling nonsense on a sheet of -paper. No, no; I will not overdo my work. I shall be well enough in a -week or two, depend upon it." - -Yet, in spite of his assurances, I could see that he grew no better, but -rather worse; he would enter the drawing-room with a face all miserably -wrinkled and despondent, and endeavor to look gayly when my eyes fell on -him, and I thought such symptoms of evil omen, and was frightened -sometimes at the nervous irritation of his movements, and at glances -which I could not decipher. Much against his will, I prevailed on him to -have medical advice, and with an ill grace he called in our old doctor. - -Dr. Haberden cheered me after his examination of his patient. - -"There is nothing really much amiss," he said to me. "No doubt he reads -too hard, and eats hastily, and then goes back again to his books in too -great a hurry; and the natural consequence is some digestive trouble, -and a little mischief in the nervous system. But I think--I do, indeed, -Miss Leicester--that we shall be able to set this all right. I have -written him a prescription which ought to do great things. So you have -no cause for anxiety." - -My brother insisted on having the prescription made up by a chemist in -the neighborhood; it was an odd old-fashioned shop, devoid of the -studied coquetry and calculated glitter that make so gay a show on the -counters and shelves of the modern apothecary; but Francis liked the old -chemist, and believed in the scrupulous purity of his drugs. The -medicine was sent in due course, and I saw that my brother took it -regularly after lunch and dinner. It was an innocent-looking white -powder, of which a little was dissolved, in a glass of cold water. I -stirred it in, and it seemed to disappear, leaving the water clear and -colorless. At first Francis seemed to benefit greatly; the weariness -vanished from his face, and he became more cheerful than he had ever -been since the time when he left school; he talked gayly of reforming -himself, and avowed to me that he had wasted his time. - -"I have given too many hours to law," he said, laughing; "I think you -have saved me in the nick of time. Come, I shall be Lord Chancellor yet, -but I must not forget life. You and I will have a holiday together -before long; we will go to Paris and enjoy ourselves, and keep away from -the Bibliothèque Nationale." - -I confessed myself delighted with the prospect. - -"When shall we go?" I said. "I can start the day after to-morrow, if you -like." - -"Ah, that is perhaps a little too soon; after all, I do not know London -yet, and I suppose a man ought to give the pleasures of his own country -the first choice. But we will go off together in a week or two, so try -and furbish up your French. I only know law French myself, and I am -afraid that wouldn't do." - -We were just finishing dinner, and he quaffed off his medicine with a -parade of carousal as if it had been wine from some choicest bin. - -"Has it any particular taste?" I said. - -"No; I should not know I was not drinking water," and he got up from his -chair, and began to pace up and down the room as if he were undecided as -to what he should do next. - -"Shall we have coffee in the drawing-room," I said, "or would you like -to smoke?" - -"No; I think I will take a turn, it seems a pleasant evening. Look at -the afterglow; why, it is as if a great city were burning in flames, and -down there between the dark houses it is raining blood fast, fast. Yes, -I will go out. I may be in soon, but I shall take my key, so good-night, -dear, if I don't see you again." - -The door slammed behind him, and I saw him walk lightly down the street, -swinging his malacca cane, and I felt grateful to Dr. Haberden for such -an improvement. - -I believe my brother came home very late that night; but he was in a -merry mood the next morning. - -"I walked on without thinking where I was going," he said, "enjoying the -freshness of the air, and livened by the crowds as I reached more -frequented quarters. And then I met an old college friend, Orford, in -the press of the pavement, and then--well, we enjoyed ourselves. I have -felt what it is to be young and a man, I find I have blood in my veins, -as other men have. I made an appointment with Orford for to-night; there -will be a little party of us at the restaurant. Yes, I shall enjoy -myself for a week or two, and hear the chimes at midnight, and then we -will go for our little trip together." - -Such was the transmutation of my brother's character that in a few days -he became a lover of pleasure, a careless and merry idler of western -pavements, a hunter out of snug restaurants, and a fine critic of -fantastic dancing; he grew fat before my eyes, and said no more of -Paris, for he had clearly found his Paradise in London. I rejoiced, and -yet wondered a little, for there was, I thought, something in his gayety -that indefinitely displeased me, though I could not have defined my -feeling. But by degrees there came a change; he returned still in the -cold, hours of the morning, but I heard no more about his pleasures, and -one morning as we sat at breakfast together, I looked suddenly into his -eyes and saw a stranger before me. - -"Oh, Francis!" I cried; "Oh, Francis, Francis, what have you done?" and -rending sobs cut the words short, and I went weeping out of the room, -for though I knew nothing, yet I knew all, and by some odd play of -thought I remembered the evening when he first went abroad to prove his -manhood, and the picture of the sunset sky glowed before me; the clouds -like a city in burning flames, and the rain of blood. Yet I did battle -with such thoughts, resolving that perhaps, after all, no great harm -had been done, and in the evening at dinner I resolved to press him to -fix a day for our holiday in Paris. We had talked easily enough, and my -brother had just taken his medicine, which he had continued all the -while. I was about to begin my topic, when the words forming in my mind -vanished, and I wondered for a second what icy and intolerable weight -oppressed my heart and suffocated me as with the unutterable horror of -the coffin-lid nailed down on the living. - -We had dined without candles, and the room had slowly grown from -twilight to gloom, and the walls and corners were indistinct in the -shadow. But from where I sat I looked out into the street; and as I -thought of what I would say to Francis, the sky began to flush and -shine, as it had done on a well-remembered evening, and in the gap -between two dark masses that were houses an awful pageantry of flame -appeared. Lurid whorls of writhed cloud, and utter depths burning, and -gray masses like the fume blown from a smoking city, and an evil glory -blazing far above shot with tongues of more ardent fire, and below as if -there were a deep pool of blood. I looked down to where my brother sat -facing me, and the words were shaped on my lips, when I saw his hand -resting on the table. Between the thumb and forefinger of the closed -hand, there was a mark, a small patch about the size of a sixpence, and -somewhat of the color of a bad bruise. Yet, by some sense I cannot -define, I knew that what I saw was no bruise at all. Oh, if human flesh -could burn with flame, and if flame could be black as pitch, such was -that before me! Without thought or fashioning of words, gray horror -shaped within me at the sight, and in an inner cell it was known to be a -brand. For a moment the stained sky became dark as midnight, and when -the light returned to me, I was alone in the silent room, and soon after -I heard my brother go out. - -Late as it was, I put on my bonnet and went to Dr. Haberden, and in his -great consulting-room, ill-lighted by a candle which the doctor brought -in with him, with stammering lips, and a voice that would break in spite -of my resolve, I told him all; from the day on which my brother began to -take the medicine down to the dreadful thing I had seen scarcely half an -hour before. - -When I had done, the doctor looked at me for a minute with an expression -of great pity on his face. - -"My dear Miss Leicester," he said, "you have evidently been anxious -about your brother; you have been worrying over him, I am sure. Come, -now, is it not so? - -"I have certainly been anxious," I said. "For the last week or two I -have not felt at ease." - -"Quite so; you know, of course, what a queer thing the brain is?" - -"I understand what you mean; but I was not deceived. I saw what I have -told you with my own eyes." - -"Yes, yes, of course. But your eyes had been staring at that very -curious sunset we had to-night. That is the only explanation. You will -see it in the proper light to-morrow, I am sure. But, remember, I am -always ready to give any help that is in my power; do not scruple to -come to me, or to send for me if you are in any distress." - -I went away but little comforted, all confusion and terror and sorrow, -not knowing where to turn. When my brother and I met the next day, I -looked quickly at him, and noticed, with a sickening at heart, that the -right hand, the hand on which I had clearly seen the patch as of a black -fire, was wrapped up with a handkerchief. - -"What is the matter with your hand, Francis?" I said in a steady voice. - -"Nothing of consequence. I cut a finger last night, and it bled rather -awkwardly, so I did it up roughly to the best of my ability." - -"I will do it neatly for you, if you like." - -"No, thank you, dear, this will answer very well. Suppose we have -breakfast; I am quite hungry." - -We sat down, and I watched him. He scarcely ate or drank at all, but -tossed his meat to the dog when he thought my eyes were turned away; and -there was a look in his eyes that I had never yet seen, and the thought -fled across my mind that it was a look that was scarcely human. I was -firmly convinced that awful and incredible as was the thing I had seen -the night before, yet it was no illusion, no glamour of bewildered -sense, and in the course of the morning I went again to the doctor's -house. - -He shook his head with an air puzzled and incredulous, and seemed to -reflect for a few minutes. - -"And you say he still keeps up the medicine? But why? As I understand, -all the symptoms he complained of have disappeared long ago; why should -he go on taking the stuff when he is quite well? And by the bye where -did he get it made up? At Sayce's? I never send any one there; the old -man is getting careless. Suppose you come with me to the chemist's; I -should like to have some talk with him." - -We walked together to the shop. Old Sayce knew Dr. Haberden, and was -quite ready to give any information. - -"You have been sending that in to Mr. Leicester for some weeks, I think, -on my prescription," said the doctor, giving the old man a pencilled -scrap of paper. - -The chemist put on his great spectacles with trembling uncertainty, and -held up the paper with a shaking hand. - -"Oh, yes," he said, "I have very little of it left; it is rather an -uncommon drug, and I have had it in stock some time. I must get in some -more, if Mr. Leicester goes on with it." - -"Kindly let me have a look at the stuff," said Haberden; and the chemist -gave him a glass bottle. He took out the stopper and smelt the contents, -and looked strangely at the old man. - -"Where did you get this?" he said, "and what is it? For one thing, Mr. -Sayce, it is not what I prescribed. Yes, yes, I see the label is right -enough, but I tell you this is not the drug." - -"I have had it a long time," said the old man, in feeble terror. "I got -it from Burbage's in the usual way. It is not prescribed often, and I -have had it on the shelf for some years. You see there is very little -left." - -"You had better give it to me," said Haberden. "I am afraid something -wrong has happened." - -We went out of the shop in silence, the doctor carrying the bottle -neatly wrapped in paper under his arm. - -"Dr. Haberden," I said when we had walked a little way--"Dr. Haberden." - -"Yes," he said, looking at me gloomily enough. - -"I should like you to tell me what my brother has been taking twice a -day for the last month or so." - -"Frankly, Miss Leicester, I don't know. We will speak of this when we -get to my house," - -We walked on quickly without another word till we reached Dr. -Haberden's. He asked me to sit down, and began pacing up and down the -room, his face clouded over, as I could see, with no common fears. - -"Well," he said at length, "this is all very strange; it is only natural -that you should feel alarmed, and I must confess that my mind is far -from easy. We will put aside, if you please, what you told me last night -and this morning, but the fact remains that for the last few weeks Mr. -Leicester has been impregnating his system with a drug which is -completely unknown to me. I tell you, it is not what I ordered; and what -that stuff in the bottle really is remains to be seen." - -He undid the wrapper, and cautiously tilted a few grains of the white -powder on to a piece of paper, and peered curiously at it. - -"Yes," he said, "it is like the sulphate of quinine, as you say; it is -flaky. But smell it." - -He held the bottle to me, and I bent over it. It was a strange sickly -smell, vaporous and overpowering, like some strong anæsthetic. - -"I shall have it analyzed," said Haberden. "I have a friend who has -devoted his whole life to chemistry as a science. Then we shall have -something to go upon. No, no, say no more about that other matter; I -cannot listen to that, and take my advice and think no more about it -yourself." - -That evening my brother did not go out as usual after dinner. - -"I have had my fling," he said with a queer laugh; "and I must go back -to my old ways. A little law will be quite a relaxation after so sharp a -dose of pleasure," and he grinned to himself, and soon after went up to -his room. His hand was still all bandaged. - -Dr. Haberden called a few days later. - -"I have no special news to give you," he said. "Chambers is out of town, -so I know no more about that stuff than you do. But I should like to see -Mr. Leicester if he is in." - -"He is in his room," I said; "I will tell him you are here." - -"No, no, I will go up to him; we will have a little quiet talk together. -I dare say that we have made a good deal of fuss about very little; for, -after all, whatever the white powder may be, it seems to have done him -good." - -The doctor went upstairs, and standing in the hall I heard his knock, -and the opening and shutting of the door; and then I waited in the -silent house for an hour, and the stillness grew more and more intense -as the hands of the clock crept round. Then there sounded from above the -noise of a door shut sharply, and the doctor was coming down the stairs. -His footsteps crossed the hall, and there was a pause at the door. I -drew a long sick breath with difficulty, and saw my face white in a -little mirror, and he came in and stood at the door. There was an -unutterable horror shining in his eyes; he steadied himself by holding -the back of a chair with one hand, and his lower lip trembled like a -horse's, and he gulped and stammered unintelligible sounds before he -spoke. - -"I have seen that man," he began in a dry whisper. "I have been sitting -in his presence for the last hour. My God! and I am alive and in my -senses! I, who have dealt with death all my life, and have dabbled with -the melting ruins of the earthly tabernacle. But not this! Oh, not this," -and he covered his face with his hands as if to shut out the sight -of something before him. - -"Do not send for me again, Miss Leicester," he said with more composure. -"I can do nothing in this house. Good-bye." - -As I watched him totter down the steps and along the pavement towards -his house, it seemed to me that he had aged by ten years since the -morning. - -My brother remained in his room. He called out to me in a voice I hardly -recognized, that he was very busy, and would like his meals brought to -his door and left there, and I gave the order to the servants. From that -day it seemed as if the arbitrary conception we call time had been -annihilated for me. I lived in an ever present sense of horror, going -through the routine of the house mechanically, and only speaking a few -necessary words to the servants. Now and then I went out and paced the -streets for an hour or two and came home again; but whether I were -without or within, my spirit delayed before the closed door of the upper -room, and, shuddering, waited for it to open. I have said that I -scarcely reckoned time, but I suppose it must have been a fortnight -after Dr. Haberden's visit that I came home from my stroll a little -refreshed and lightened. The air was sweet and pleasant, and the hazy -form of green leaves, floating cloud-like in the square, and the smell -of blossoms, had charmed my senses, and I felt happier and walked more -briskly. As I delayed a moment at the verge of the pavement, waiting for -a van to pass by before crossing over to the house, I happened to look -up at the windows, and instantly there was the rush and swirl of deep -cold waters in my ears, and my heart leapt up, and fell down, down as -into a deep hollow, and I was amazed with a dread and terror without -form or shape. I stretched out a hand blindly through folds of thick -darkness, from the black and shadowy valley, and held myself from -falling, while the stones beneath my feet rocked and swayed and tilted, -and the sense of solid things seemed to sink away from under me. I had -glanced up at the window of my brother's study, and at that moment the -blind was drawn aside, and something that had life stared out into the -world. Nay, I cannot say I saw a face or any human likeness; a living -thing, two eyes of burning flame glared at me, and they were in the -midst of something as formless as my fear, the symbol and presence of -all evil and all hideous corruption. I stood shuddering and quaking as -with the grip of ague, sick with unspeakable agonies of fear and -loathing, and for five minutes I could not summon force or motion to my -limbs. When I was within the door, I ran up the stairs to my brother's -room, and knocked. - -"Francis, Francis," I cried, "for heaven's sake answer me. What is the -horrible thing in your room? Cast it out, Francis, cast it from you!" - -I heard a noise as of feet shuffling slowly and awkwardly, and a -choking, gurgling sound, as if some one was struggling to find -utterance, and then the noise of a voice, broken and stifled, and words -that I could scarcely understand. - -"There is nothing here," the voice said, "Pray do not disturb me. I am -not very well to-day." - -I turned away, horrified and yet helpless. I could do nothing, and I -wondered why Francis had lied to me, for I had seen the appearance -beyond the glass too plainly to be deceived, though it was but the sight -of a moment. And I sat still, conscious that there had been something -else, something I had seen in the first flash of terror before those -burning eyes had looked at me. Suddenly I remembered; as I lifted my -face the blind was being drawn back, and I had had an instant's glance -of the thing that was moving it, and in my recollection I knew that a -hideous image was engraved forever on my brain. It was not a hand: there -were no fingers that held the blind, but a black stump pushed it aside; -the mouldering outline and the clumsy movement as of a beast's paw had -glowed into my senses before the darkling waves of terror had -overwhelmed me as I went down quick into the pit. My mind was aghast at -the thought of this, and of the awful presence that dwelt with my -brother in his room; I went to his door and cried to him again, but no -answer came. That night one of the servants came up to me and told me in -a whisper that for three days food had been regularly placed at the door -and left untouched; the maid had knocked, but had received no answer; -she had heard the noise of shuffling feet that I had noticed. Day after -day went by, and still my brother's meals were brought to his door and -left untouched; and though I knocked and called again and again, I could -get no answer. The servants began to talk to me; it appeared they were -as alarmed as I. The cook said that when my brother first shut himself -up in his room, she used to hear him come out at night and go about the -house; and once, she said, the hall door had opened and closed again, -but for several nights she had heard no sound. The climax came at last. -It was in the dusk of the evening, and I was sitting in the darkening -dreary room when a terrible shriek jarred and rang harshly out of the -silence, and I heard a frightened scurry of feet dashing down the -stairs. I waited, and the servant maid staggered into the room and faced -me, white and trembling. - -"O Miss Helen," she whispered. "Oh, for the Lord's sake, Miss Helen, -what has happened? Look at my hand, miss; look at that hand!" I drew her -to the window, and saw there was a black wet stain upon her hand. - -"I do not understand you," I said. "Will you explain to me?" - -"I was doing your room just now," she began. "I was turning down the -bedclothes, and all of a sudden there was something fell upon my hand -wet, and I looked up, and the ceiling was black and dripping on me." - -I looked bard at her, and bit my lip. "Come with me," I said. "Bring -your candle with you." - -The room I slept in was beneath my brother's, and as I went in I felt I -was trembling. I looked up at the ceiling, and saw a patch, all black -and wet and a dew of black drops upon it, and a pool of horrible liquor -soaking into the white bedclothes. - -I ran upstairs and knocked loudly. - -"O Francis, Francis, my dear brother," I cried, "what has happened to -you?" - -And I listened. There was a sound of choking, and a noise like water -bubbling and regurgitating, but nothing else, and I called louder, but -no answer came. - -In spite of what Dr. Haberden had said, I went to him, and with tears -streaming down my cheeks, I told him of all that had happened, and he -listened to me with a face set hard and grim. - -"For your father's sake," he said at last, "I will go with you, though I -can do nothing." - -We went out together; the streets were dark and silent, and heavy with -heat and a drought of many weeks. I saw the doctor's face white under -the gas-lamps, and when we reached the house his hand was shaking. We -did not hesitate, but went upstairs directly. I held the lamp, and he -called out in a loud, determined voice:-- - -"Mr. Leicester, do you hear me? I insist on seeing you. Answer me at -once." - -There was no answer, but we both heard that choking noise I have -mentioned. - -"Mr. Leicester, I am waiting for you. Open the door this instant, or I -shall break it down." And he called a third time in a voice that rang -and echoed from the walls. - -"Mr. Leicester! For the last time I order you to open the door." - -"Ah!" he said, after a pause of heavy silence, "we are wasting time -here. Will you be so kind as to get me a poker, or something of the -kind?" - -I ran into a little room at the back where odd articles were kept, and -found a heavy adze-like tool that I thought might serve the doctor's -purpose. - -"Very good," he said, "that will do, I dare say. I give you notice, Mr. -Leicester," he cried loudly at the keyhole, "that I am now about to break -into your room." - -Then I heard the wrench of the adze, and the woodwork split and cracked -under it, and with a loud crash the door suddenly burst open; and for a -moment we started back aghast at a fearful screaming cry, no human -voice, but as the roar of a monster, that burst forth inarticulate and -struck at us out of the darkness. - -"Hold the lamp," said the doctor, and we went in and glanced quickly -round the room. "There it is," said Dr. Haberden, drawing a quick -breath; "look, in that corner." - -I looked, and a pang of horror seized my heart as with a white-hot iron. -There upon the floor was a dark and putrid mass, seething with -corruption and hideous rottenness, neither liquid nor solid, but -melting and changing before our eyes, and bubbling with unctuous oily -bubbles like boiling pitch. And out of the midst of it shone two burning -points like eyes, and I saw a writhing and stirring as of limbs, and -something moved and lifted up that might have been an arm. The doctor -took a step forward, and raised the iron bar and struck at the burning -points, and drove in the weapon, and struck again and again in a fury of -loathing. At last the thing was quiet. - - * * * * * - -A week or two later, when I had to some extent recovered from the -terrible shock, Dr. Haberden came to see me. - -"I have sold my practice," he began, "and to-morrow I am sailing on a -long voyage. I do not know whether I shall ever return to England; in -all probability I shall buy a little land in California, and settle -there for the remainder of my life. I have brought you this packet, -which you may open and read when you feel able to do so. It contains the -report of Dr. Chambers on what I submitted to him. Good-bye, Miss -Leicester, good-bye." - -When he was gone, I opened the envelope; I could not wait, and proceeded -to read the papers within. Here is the manuscript; and if you will allow -me, I will read you the astounding story it contains. - -"My dear Haberden," the letter began, "I have delayed inexcusably in -answering your questions as to the white substance you sent me. To tell -you the truth, I have hesitated for some time as to what course I should -adopt, for there is a bigotry and an orthodox standard in physical -science as in theology, and I knew that if I told you the truth I -should offend rooted prejudices which I once held dear myself. However, -I have determined to be plain with you, and first I must enter into a -short personal explanation. - -"You have known me, Haberden, for many years as a scientific man; you -and I have often talked of our profession together, and discussed the -hopeless gulf that opens before the feet of those who think to attain to -truth by any means whatsoever, except the beaten way of experiment and -observation, in the sphere of material things. I remember the scorn with -which you have spoken to me of men of science who have dabbled a little -in the unseen, and have timidly hinted that perhaps the senses are not, -after all, the eternal, impenetrable bounds of all knowledge, the -everlasting walls beyond which no human being has ever passed. We have -laughed together heartily, and I think justly, at the "occult" follies -of the day, disguised under various names,--the mesmerisms, -spiritualisms, materializations, theosophies, all the rabble rant of -imposture, with their machinery of poor tricks and feeble conjuring, the -true back-parlor magic of shabby London streets. Yet, in spite of what I -have said, I must confess to you that I am no materialist, taking the -word of course in its usual signification. It is now many years since I -have convinced myself, convinced myself a sceptic remember, that the old -iron-bound theory is utterly and entirely false. Perhaps this confession -will not wound you so sharply as it would have done twenty years ago; -for I think you cannot have failed to notice that for some time -hypotheses have been advanced by men of pure science which are nothing -less than transcendental, and I suspect that most modern chemists and -biologists of repute would not hesitate to subscribe the _dictum_ of the -old Schoolman, _Omnia exeunt in mysterium_, which means, I take it, that -every branch of human knowledge if traced up to its source and final -principles vanishes into mystery. I need not trouble you now with a -detailed account of the painful steps which led me to my conclusions; a -few simple experiments suggested a doubt as to my then standpoint, and a -train of thought that rose from circumstances comparatively trifling -brought me far. My old conception of the universe has been swept away, -and I stand in a world that seems as strange and awful to me as the -endless waves of the ocean seen for the first time, shining, from a Peak -in Darien. Now I know that the walls of sense that seemed so -impenetrable, that seemed to loom up above the heavens and to be founded -below the depths, and to shut us in forevermore, are no such everlasting -impassable barriers as we fancied, but thinnest and most airy veils that -melt away before the seeker, and dissolve as the early mist of the -morning about the brooks. I know that you never adopted the extreme -materialistic position: you did not go about trying to prove a universal -negative, for your logical sense withheld you from that crowning -absurdity; yet I am sure that you will find all that I am saying strange -and repellent to your habits of thought. Yet, Haberden, what I tell you -is the truth, nay, to adopt our common language, the sole and scientific -truth, verified by experience; and the universe is verily more splendid -and more awful than we used to dream. The whole universe, my friend, is -a tremendous sacrament; a mystic, ineffable force and energy, veiled by -an outward form of matter; and man, and the sun and the other stars, and -the flower of the grass, and the crystal in the test-tube, are each and -every one as spiritual, as material, and subject to an inner working. - -"You will perhaps wonder, Haberden, whence all this tends; but I think a -little thought will make it clear. You will understand that from such a -standpoint the whole view of things is changed, and what we thought -incredible and absurd may be possible enough. In short, we must look at -legend and belief with other eyes, and be prepared to accept tales that -had become mere fables. Indeed, this is no such great demand. After all, -modern science will concede as much, in a hypocritical manner. You must -not, it is true, believe in witchcraft, but you may credit hypnotism; -ghosts are out of date, but there is a good deal to be said for the -theory of telepathy. Give a superstition a Greek name, and believe in -it, should almost be a proverb. - -"So much for my personal explanation. You sent me, Haberden, a phial, -stoppered and sealed, containing a small quantity of a flaky white -powder, obtained from a chemist who has been dispensing it to one of -your patients. I am not surprised to hear that this powder refused to -yield any results to your analysis. It is a substance which was known to -a few many hundred years ago, but which I never expected to have -submitted to me from the shop of a modern apothecary. There seems no -reason to doubt the truth of the man's tale; he no doubt got, as he -says, the rather uncommon salt you prescribed from the wholesale -chemist's; and it has probably remained on his shelf for twenty years, -or perhaps longer. Here what we call chance and coincidence begins to -work; during all these years the salt in the bottle was exposed to -certain recurring variations of temperature, variations probably ranging -from 40° to 80°. And, as it happens, such changes, recurring year after -year at irregular intervals, and with varying degrees of intensity and -duration, have constituted a process, and a process so complicated and -so delicate, that I question whether modern scientific apparatus -directed with the utmost precision could produce the same result. The -white powder you sent me is something very different from the drug you -prescribed; it is the powder from which the wine of the Sabbath, the -_Vinum Sabbati_ was prepared. No doubt you have read of the Witches' -Sabbath, and have laughed at the tales which terrified our ancestors; -the black cats, and the broomsticks, and dooms pronounced against some -old woman's cow. Since I have known the truth I have often reflected -that it is on the whole a happy thing that such burlesque as this is -believed, for it serves to conceal much that it is better should not be -known generally. However, if you care to read the appendix to Payne -Knight's monograph, you will find that the true Sabbath was something -very different, though the writer has very nicely refrained from -printing all he knew. The secrets of the true Sabbath were the secrets -of remote times surviving into the Middle Ages, secrets of an evil -science which existed long before Aryan man entered Europe. Men and -women, seduced from their homes on specious pretences, were met by -beings well qualified to assume, as they did assume, the part of devils, -and taken by their guides to some, desolate and lonely place, known to -the initiate by long tradition and unknown to all else. Perhaps it was a -cave in some bare and wind-swept hill; perhaps some inmost recess of a -great forest, and there the Sabbath was held. There, in the blackest -hour of night, the _Vinum Sabbati_ was prepared, and this evil graal was -poured forth and offered to the neophytes, and they partook of an -infernal sacrament; _sumentes calicem principis inferorum,_ as an old -author well expresses it. And suddenly, each one that had drunk found -himself attended by a companion, a shape of glamour and unearthly -allurement, beckoning him apart to share in joys more exquisite, more -piercing than the thrill of any dream, to the consummation of the -marriage of the Sabbath. It is hard to write of such things as these, -and chiefly because that shape that allured with loveliness was no -hallucination, but, awful as it is to express, the man himself. By the -power of that Sabbath wine, a few grains of white powder thrown into a -glass of water, the house of life was riven asunder, and the human -trinity dissolved, and the worm which never dies, that which lies -sleeping within us all, was made tangible and an external thing, and -clothed with a garment of flesh. And then in the hour of midnight, the -primal fall was repeated and represented, and the awful thing veiled in -the mythos of the Tree in the Garden was done anew. Such was the -_nuptiæ Sabbati_. - -"I prefer to say no more; you, Haberden, know as well as I do that the -most trivial laws of life are not to be broken with impunity; and for so -terrible an act as this, in which the very inmost place of the temple -was broken open and defiled, a terrible vengeance followed. What began -with corruption ended also with corruption." - - * * * * * - -Underneath is the following in Dr. Haberden's writing:-- - -"The whole of the above is unfortunately strictly and entirely true. -Your brother confessed all to me on that morning when I saw him in his -room. My attention was first attracted to the bandaged hand, and I -forced him to show it me. What I saw made me, a medical man of many -years standing, grow sick with loathing; and the story I was forced to -listen to was infinitely more frightful than I could have believed -possible. It has tempted me to doubt the Eternal Goodness which can -permit nature to offer such hideous possibilities; and if you had not -with your own eyes seen the end, I should have said to you--disbelieve -it all. I have not, I think, many more weeks to live, but you are young, -and may forget all this. - - "JOSEPH HABERDEN, M.D." - -In the course of two or three months I heard that Dr. Haberden had died -at sea, shortly after the ship left England. - -Miss Leicester ceased speaking, and looked pathetically at Dyson, who -could not refrain from exhibiting some symptoms of uneasiness. - -He stuttered out some broken phrases expressive of his deep interest in -her extraordinary history, and then said with a better grace-- - -"But, pardon me, Miss Leicester, I understood you were in some -difficulty. You were kind enough to ask me to assist you in some way." - -"Ah," she said, "I had forgotten that. My own present trouble seems of -such little consequence in comparison with what I have told you. But as -you are so good to me, I will go on. You will scarcely believe it, but I -found that certain persons suspected, or rather pretended to suspect -that I had murdered my brother. These persons were relatives of mine, -and their motives were extremely sordid ones; but I actually found -myself subject to the shameful indignity of being watched. Yes, sir, my -steps were dogged when I went abroad, and at home I found myself exposed -to constant if artful observation. With my high spirit this was more -than I could brook, and I resolved to set my wits to work and elude the -persons who were shadowing me. I was so fortunate as to succeed. I -assumed this disguise, and for some time have lain snug and unsuspected. -But of late I have reason to believe that the pursuer is on my track; -unless I am greatly deceived, I saw yesterday the detective who is -charged with the odious duty of observing my movements. You, sir, are -watchful and keen-sighted; tell me, did you see any one lurking about -this evening?" - -"I hardly think so," said Dyson, "but perhaps you would give me some -description of the detective in question." - -"Certainly; he is a youngish man, dark, with dark whiskers. He has -adopted spectacles of large size in the hope of disguising himself -effectually, but he cannot disguise his uneasy manner, and the quick, -nervous glances he casts to right and left." - -This piece of description was the last straw for the unhappy Dyson, who -was foaming with impatience to get out of the house, and would gladly -have sworn eighteenth century oaths if propriety had not frowned on such -a course. - -"Excuse me, Miss Leicester," he said with cold politeness, "I cannot -assist you." - -"Ah!" she said sadly, "I have offended you in some way. Tell me what I -have done, and I will ask you to forgive me." - -"You are mistaken," said Dyson, grabbing his hat, but speaking with some -difficulty; "you have done nothing. But, as I say, I cannot help you. -Perhaps," he added, with some tinge of sarcasm, "my friend Russell might -be of service." - -"Thank you," she replied; "I will try him," and the lady went off into a -shriek of laughter, which filled up Mr. Dyson's cup of scandal and -confusion. - -He left the house shortly afterwards, and had the peculiar delight of a -five-mile walk, through streets which slowly changed from black to gray, -and from gray to shining passages of glory for the sun to brighten. Here -and there he met or overtook strayed revellers, but he reflected that no -one could have spent the night in a more futile fashion than himself; -and when he reached his home he had made resolves for reformation. He -decided that he would abjure all Milesian and Arabian methods of -entertainment, and subscribe to Mudie's for a regular supply of mild and -innocuous romance. - - - - -STRANGE OCCURRENCE IN CLERKENWELL. - - -Mr. Dyson had inhabited for some years a couple of rooms in a moderately -quiet street in Bloomsbury, where, as he somewhat pompously expressed -it, he held his finger on the pulse of life without being deafened with -the thousand rumors of the main arteries of London. It was to him a -source of peculiar, if esoteric gratification, that from the adjacent -corner of Tottenham Court Road a hundred lines of omnibuses went to the -four quarters of the town; he would dilate on the facilities for -visiting Dalston, and dwell on the admirable line that knew extremest -Ealing and the streets beyond Whitechapel. His rooms, which had been -originally "furnished apartments," he had gradually purged of their more -peccant parts; and though one would not find here the glowing splendors -of his old chambers in the street off the Strand, there was something of -severe grace about the appointments which did credit to his taste. The -rugs were old, and of the true faded beauty; the etchings, nearly all of -them proofs printed by the artist, made a good show with broad white -margins and black frames, and there was no spurious black oak. Indeed, -there was but little furniture of any kind: a plain and honest table, -square and sturdy, stood in one corner; a seventeenth century settle -fronted the hearth; and two wooden elbow-chairs, and a bookshelf of the -Empire made up the equipment, with an exception worthy of note. For -Dyson cared for none of these things. His place was at his own bureau, a -quaint old piece of lacquered-work at which he would sit for hour after -hour, with his back to the room, engaged in the desperate pursuit of -literature, or, as he termed his profession, the chase of the phrase. -The neat array of pigeon-holes and drawers teemed and overflowed with -manuscript and note-books, the experiments and efforts of many years; -and the inner well, a vast and cavernous receptacle, was stuffed with -accumulated ideas. Dyson was a craftsman who gloved all the detail and -the technique of his work intensely; and if, as has been hinted, he -deluded himself a little with the name of artist, yet his amusements -were eminently harmless, and, so far as can be ascertained, he (or the -publishers) had chosen the good part of not tiring the world with -printed matter. - -Here, then, Dyson would shut himself up with his fancies, experimenting -with words, and striving, as his friend the recluse of Bayswater strove, -with the almost invincible problem of style, but always with a fine -confidence, extremely different from the chronic depression of the -realist. He had been almost continuously at work on some scheme that -struck him as well-nigh magical in its possibilities since the night of -his adventure with the ingenious tenant of the first floor in Abingdon -Grove; and as he laid down the pen with a glow of triumph, he reflected -that he had not viewed, the streets for five days in succession. With -all the enthusiasm of his accomplished labor still working in his brain, -he put away his papers, and went out, pacing the pavement at first in -that rare mood of exultation which finds in every stone upon the way the -possibilities of a masterpiece. It was growing late, and the autumn -evening was drawing to a close amidst veils of haze and mist, and in the -stilled air the voices, and the roaring traffic, and incessant feet -seemed, to Dyson like the noise upon the stage when all the house is -silent. In the square, the leaves rippled down as quick as summer rain, -and the street beyond was beginning to flare with the lights in the -butcher's shops and the vivid illumination of the green-grocer. It was a -Saturday night, and the swarming populations of the slums were turning -out in force; the battered women in rusty black had begun to paw the -lumps of cagmag, and others gloated over unwholesome cabbages, and there -was a brisk demand for four-ale. Dyson passed through these night-fires -with some relief; he loved to meditate, but his thoughts were not as De -Quincey's after his dose; he cared not two straws whether onions were -dear or cheap, and would not have exulted if meat had fallen to twopence -a pound. Absorbed in the wilderness of the tale he had been writing, -weighing nicely the points of plot and construction, relishing the -recollection of this and that happy phrase, and dreading failure here -and there, he left the rush and the whistle of the gas-flares behind -him, and began to touch upon pavements more deserted. - -He had turned, without taking note, to the northward, and was passing -through an ancient fallen street, where now notices of floors and -offices to let hung out, but still about it there was the grace and the -stiffness of the Age of Wigs; a broad roadway, a broad pavement, and on -each side a grave line of houses with long and narrow windows flush with -the walls, all of mellowed brick-work. Dyson walked with quick steps, as -he resolved that short work must be made of a certain episode; but he -was in that happy humor of invention, and another chapter rose in the -inner chamber of his brain, and he dwelt on the circumstances he was to -write down with curious pleasure. It was charming to have the quiet -streets to walk in, and in his thought he made a whole district the -cabinet of his studies, and vowed he would come again. Heedless of his -course, he struck off to the east again, and soon found himself involved -in a squalid network of gray two-storied houses, and then in the waste -void and elements of brick-work, the passages and unmade roads behind -great factory walls, encumbered with the refuse of the neighborhood, -forlorn, ill-lighted, and desperate. A brief turn, and there rose before -him the unexpected, a hill suddenly lifted from the level ground, its -steep ascent marked by the lighted lamps, and eager as an explorer Dyson -found his way to the place, wondering where his crooked paths had -brought him. Here all was again decorous, but hideous in the extreme. -The builder, some one lost in the deep gloom of the early 'twenties, had -conceived the idea of twin villas in gray brick, shaped in a manner to -recall the outlines of the Parthenon, each with its classic form -broadly marked with raised bands of stucco. The name of the street was -all strange, and for a further surprise, the top of the hill was crowned -with an irregular plot of grass and fading trees, called a square, and -here again the Parthenon-motive had persisted. Beyond the streets were -curious, wild in their irregularities, here a row of sordid, dingy -dwellings, dirty and disreputable in appearance, and there, without -warning, stood a house genteel and prim with wire blinds and brazen -knocker, as clean and trim as if it had been the doctor's house in some -benighted little country town. These surprises and discoveries began to -exhaust Dyson, and he hailed with delight the blazing windows of a -public-house, and went in with the intention of testing the beverage -provided for the dwellers in this region, as remote as Libya and -Pamphylia and the parts about Mesopotamia. The babble of voices from -within warned him that he was about to assist at the true parliament of -the London workman, and he looked about him for that more retired -entrance called private. When he had settled himself on an exiguous -bench, and had ordered some beer, he began to listen to the jangling -talk in the public bar beyond; it was a senseless argument, alternately -furious and maudlin, with appeals to Bill and Tom, and mediæval -survivals of speech, words that Chaucer wrote belched out with zeal and -relish, and the din of pots jerked down and coppers rapped smartly on -the zinc counter made a thorough bass for it all. Dyson was calmly -smoking his pipe between the sips of beer, when an indefinite looking -figure slid rather than walked into the compartment. The man started -violently when he saw Dyson placidly sitting in the corner, and glanced -keenly about him. He seemed to be on wires, controlled by some electric -machine, for he almost bolted out of the door when the barman asked with -what he could serve him, and his hand shivered as he took the glass. -Dyson inspected him with a little curiosity; he was muffled up almost to -the lips, and a soft felt hat was drawn down over his eyes; he looked as -if he shrank from every glance, and a more raucous voice suddenly -uplifted in the public bar seemed to find in him a sympathy that made -him shake and quiver like a jelly. It was pitiable to see any one so -thrilled with nervousness, and Dyson was about to address some trivial -remark of casual inquiry to the man, when another person came into the -compartment, and, laying a hand on his arm, muttered something in an -undertone, and vanished as he came. But Dyson had recognized him as the -smooth-tongued and smooth-shaven Burton, who had displayed so sumptuous -a gift in lying; and yet he thought little of it, for his whole faculty -of observation was absorbed in the lamentable and yet grotesque -spectacle before him. At the first touch of the hand on his arm, the -unfortunate man had wheeled round as if spun on a pivot, and shrank back -with a low, piteous cry, as if some dumb beast were caught in the toils. -The blood fled away from the wretch's face, and the skin became gray as -if a shadow of death had passed in the air and fallen on it, and Dyson -caught a choking whisper-- - -"Mr. Davies! For God's sake, have pity on me, Mr. Davies. On my oath, I -say--" and his voice sank to silence as he heard the message, and strove -in vain to bite his lip; and summon up to his aid some tinge of manhood. -He stood there a moment, wavering as the leaves of an aspen, and then he -was gone out into the street, as Dyson thought silently, with his doom -upon his head. He had not been gone a minute when it suddenly flashed -into Dyson's mind that he knew the man; it was undoubtedly the young man -with spectacles for whom so many ingenious persons were searching; the -spectacles indeed were missing, but the pale face, the dark whiskers, -and the timid glances were enough to identify him, Dyson saw at once -that by a succession of hazards he had unawares hit upon the scent of -some desperate conspiracy, wavering as the track of a loathsome snake in -and out of the highways and byways of the London cosmos; the truth was -instantly pictured before him, and he divined that all unconscious and -unheeding he had been privileged to see the shadows of hidden forms, -chasing and hurrying, and grasping and vanishing across the bright -curtain of common life, soundless and silent, or only babbling fables -and pretences. For him in an instant the jargoning of voices, the garish -splendor, and all the vulgar tumult of the public-house became part of -magic; for here before his eyes a scene in this grim mystery play had -been enacted, and he had seen human flesh grow gray with a palsy of -fear; the very hell of cowardice and terror had gaped wide within an -arm's breadth. In the midst of these reflections, the barman came up and -stared at him as if to hint that he had exhausted his right to take his -ease, and Dyson bought another lease of the seat by an order for more -beer. As he pondered the brief glimpse of tragedy, he recollected that -with his first start of haunted fear the young man with whiskers had -drawn his hand swiftly from his great coat pocket, and that he had heard -something fall to the ground; and pretending to have dropped his pipe, -Dyson began to grope in the corner, searching with his fingers. He -touched some thing, and drew it gently to him, and with one brief -glance, as he put it quietly in his pocket, he saw it was a little -old-fashioned note book, bound in faded green morocco. - -He drank down his beer at a gulp, and left the place, overjoyed at his -fortunate discovery, and busy with conjecture as to the possible -importance of the find. By turns he dreaded to find perhaps mere blank -leaves, or the labored follies of a betting-book, but the faded morocco -cover seemed to promise better things, and hint at mysteries. He piloted -himself with no little difficulty out of the sour and squalid quarter he -had entered with a light heart, and emerging at Gray's Inn Road, struck -off down Guilford Street, and hastened home, only anxious for a lighted -candle and solitude. - -Dyson sat down at his bureau, and placed the little book before him; it -was an effort to open the leaves and dare disappointment. But in -desperation at last he laid his finger between the pages at haphazard, -and rejoiced to see a compact range of writing with a margin, and as it -chanced, three words caught his glance, and stood out apart from the -mass. Dyson read: - - THE GOLD TIBERIUS, - -and his face flushed with fortune and the lust of the hunter. - -He turned at once to the first leaf of the pocket-book, and proceeded to -read with rapt interest the - - - - -HISTORY OF THE YOUNG MAN WITH SPECTACLES - - -From the filthy and obscure lodging, situated, I verily believe, in one -of the foulest slums of Clerkenwell, I indite this history of a life -which, daily threatened, cannot last for very much longer. Every day, -nay, every hour, I know too well my enemies are drawing their nets -closer about me; even now, I am condemned to be a close prisoner in my -squalid room, and I know that when I go out I shall go to my -destruction. This history, if it chance to fall into good hands, may, -perhaps, be of service in warning young men of the dangers and pitfalls -that most surely must accompany any deviation from the ways of -rectitude. - -My name is Joseph Walters. When I came of age I found myself in -possession of a small but sufficient income, and I determined that I -would devote my life to scholarship. I do not mean the scholarship of -these days; I had no intention of associating myself with men whose -lives are spent in the unspeakably degrading occupation of "editing" -classics, befouling the fair margins of the fairest books with idle and -superfluous annotation, and doing their utmost to give a lasting -disgust of all that is beautiful. An abbey church turned to the base use -of a stable or a bake-house is a sorry sight; but more pitiable still is -a masterpiece spluttered over with the commentator's pen, and his -hideous mark "cf." - -For my part I chose the glorious career of scholar in its ancient sense; -I longed to possess encyclopædic learning, to grow old amongst books, to -distil day by day, and year after year, the inmost sweetness of all -worthy writings. I was not rich enough to collect a library, and I was -therefore forced to betake myself to the Reading-Room of the British -Museum. - -O dim, far-lifted and mighty dome, Mecca of many minds, mausoleum of -many hopes, sad house where all desires fail. For there men enter in -with hearts uplifted, and dreaming minds, seeing in those exalted stairs -a ladder to fame, in that pompous portico the gate of knowledge; and -going in, find but vain vanity, and all but in vain. There, when the -long streets are ringing, is silence, there eternal twilight, and the -odor of heaviness. But there the blood flows thin and cold, and the -brain burns adust; there is the hunt of shadows, and the chase of -embattled phantoms; a striving against ghosts, and a war that has no -victory. O dome, tomb of the quick; surely in thy galleries where no -reverberant voice can call, sighs whisper ever, and mutterings of dead -hopes; and there men's souls mount like moths towards the flame, and -fall scorched and blackened beneath thee, O dim, far-lifted, and mighty -dome. - -Bitterly do I now regret the day when I took my place at a desk for the -first time, and began my studies. I had not been an habitué of the place -for many months, when I became acquainted with a serene and benevolent -gentleman, a man somewhat past middle age, who nearly always occupied a -desk next to mine. In the Reading-Room it takes little to make an -acquaintance, a casual offer of assistance, a hint as to the search in -the catalogue, and the ordinary politeness of men who constantly sit -near each other; it was thus I came to know the man calling himself Dr. -Lipsius. By degrees I grew to look for his presence, and to miss him -when he was away, as was sometimes the case, and so a friendship sprang -up between us. His immense range of learning was placed freely at my -service; he would often astonish me by the way in which he would sketch -out in a few minutes the bibliography of a given subject, and before -long I had confided to him my ambitions. - -"Ah," he said, "you should have been a German. I was like that myself -when I was a boy. It is a wonderful resolve, an infinite career. 'I will -know all things;' yes, it is a device indeed. But it means this--a life -of labor without end, and a desire unsatisfied at last. The scholar has -to die, and die saying, 'I know very little.'" - -Gradually, by speeches such as these, Lipsius seduced me: he would -praise the career, and at the same time hint that it was as hopeless as -the search for the philosopher's stone, and so by artful suggestions, -insinuated with infinite address, he by degrees succeeded in undermining -all my principles. "After all," he used to say, "the greatest of all -sciences, the key to all knowledge, is the science and art of pleasure. -Rabelais was perhaps the greatest of all the encyclopædic scholars; and -he, as you know, wrote the most remarkable book that has ever been -written. And what does he teach men in this book? Surely, the joy of -living. I need not remind you of the words, suppressed in most of the -editions, the key of all the Rabelaisian mythology, of all the enigmas -of his grand philosophy, _Vivez joyeux_. There you have all his -learning; his work is the institutes of pleasure as the fine art; the -finest art there is; the art of all arts. Rabelais had all science, but -he had all life too. And we have gone a long way since his time. You are -enlightened, I think; you do not consider all the petty rules and -by-laws that a corrupt society has made for its own selfish convenience -as the immutable decrees of the eternal." - -Such were the doctrines that he preached; and it was by such insidious -arguments, line upon line, here a little and there a little, that he at -last succeeded in making me a man at war with the whole social system. I -used to long for some opportunity to break the chains and to live a free -life, to be my own rule and measure. I viewed existence with the eyes of -a pagan, and Lipsius understood to perfection the art of stimulating the -natural inclinations of a young man hitherto a hermit. As I gazed up at -the great dome I saw it flushed with the flames and colors of a world of -enticement, unknown to me, my imagination played me a thousand wanton -tricks, and the forbidden drew me as surely as a loadstone draws on -iron. At last my resolution was taken, and I boldly asked Lipsius to be -my guide. - -He told me to leave the Museum at my usual hour, half past four, to walk -slowly along the northern pavement of Great Russell Street, and to wait -at the corner of the street till I was addressed, and then to obey in -all things the instructions of the person who came up to me. I carried -out these directions, and stood at the corner looking about me -anxiously, my heart beating fast, and my breath coming in gasps. I -waited there for some time, and had begun to fear I had been made the -object of a joke, when I suddenly became conscious of a gentleman who -was looking at me with evident amusement from the opposite pavement of -Tottenham Court Road. He came over, and raising his hat, politely begged -me to follow him, and I did so without a word, wondering where we were -going, and what was to happen. I was taken to a house of quiet and -respectable aspect in a street lying to the north of Oxford Street, and -my guide rang the bell, and a servant showed us into a large room, -quietly furnished, on the ground floor. We sat there in silence for some -time, and I noticed that the furniture, though unpretending, was -extremely valuable. There were large oak-presses, two book-cases of -extreme elegance, and in one corner a carved chest which must have been -mediæval. Presently Dr. Lipsius came in and welcomed me with his usual -manner, and after some desultory conversation, my guide left the room. -Then an elderly man dropped in and began talking to Lipsius; and from -their conversation I understood that my friend was a dealer in antiques; -they spoke of the Hittite seal, and of the prospects of further -discoveries, and later, when two or three more persons had joined us, -there was an argument as to the possibility of a systematic exploration -of the pre-celtic monuments in England I was; in fact, present at an -archæological reception of an informal kind; and at nine o'clock, when -the antiquaries were gone, I stared at Lipsius in a manner that showed I -was puzzled, and sought an explanation. - -"Now," he said, "we will go upstairs." - -As we passed up the stairs, Lipsius lighting the way with a hand-lamp, I -heard the sound of a jarring lock and bolts and bars shot on at the -front door. My guide drew back a baize door, and we went down a passage, -and I began to hear odd sounds, a noise of curious mirth, and then he -pushed me through a second door, and my initiation began. I cannot write -down what I witnessed that night; I cannot bear to recall what went on -in those secret rooms fast shuttered and curtained so that no light -should escape into the quiet street; they gave me red wine to drink, and -a woman told me as I sipped it that it was wine of the Red Jar that -Avallaunius had made. Another asked me how I liked the Wine of the -Fauns, and I heard a dozen fantastic names, while the stuff boiled in my -veins, and stirred, I think, something that had slept within me from the -moment I was born. It seemed as if my self-consciousness deserted me; I -was no longer a thinking agent, but at once subject and object. I -mingled in the horrible sport and watched the mystery of the Greek -groves and fountains enacted before me, saw the reeling dance, and heard -the music calling as I sat beside my mate, and yet I was outside it all, -and viewed my own part an idle spectator. Thus with strange rites they -made me drink the cup, and when I woke up in the morning I was one of -them, and had sworn to be faithful. At first I was shown the enticing -side of things. I was bidden to enjoy myself and care for nothing but -pleasure, and Lipsius himself indicated to me as the acutest enjoyment -the spectacle of the terrors of the unfortunate persons who were from -time to time decoyed into the evil house. But after a time it was -pointed out to me that I must take my share in the work, and so I found -myself compelled to be in my turn a seducer; and thus it is on my -conscience that I have led many to the depths of the pit. - -One day Lipsius summoned me to his private room, and told me that he had -a difficult task to give me. He unlocked a drawer, and gave me a sheet -of type-written paper, and had me read it. It was without place, or -date, or signature, and ran as follows:-- - -"Mr. James Headley, F.S.A., will receive from his agent in Armenia, on -the 12th inst., a unique coin, the gold Tiberius. It hears on the -reverse a faun, with the legend VICTORIA. It is believed that this coin -is of immense value. Mr. Headley will come up to town to show the coin -to his friend, Professor Memys, of Chenies Street, Oxford Street, on -some date between the 13th and the 18th." - -Dr. Lipsius chuckled at my face of blank surprise when I laid down this -singular communication. - -"You will have a good chance of showing your discretion," he said. "This -is not a common case; it requires great management and infinite tact. I -am sure I wish I had a Panurge in my service, but we will see what you -can do." - -"But is it not a joke?" I asked him. "How can you know, or rather how -can this correspondent of yours know that a coin has been despatched -from Armenia to Mr. Headley? And how is it possible to fix the period in -which Mr. Headley will take it into his head to come up to town? It -seems to me a lot of guess work." - -"My dear Mr. Walters," he replied; "we do not deal in guess work here. -It would bore you if I went into all these little details, the cogs and -wheels, if I may say so, which move the machine. Don't you think it is -much more amusing to sit in front of the house and be astonished, than -to be behind the scenes and see the mechanism? Better tremble at the -thunder, believe me, than see the man rolling the cannon ball. But, -after all, you needn't bother about the how and why; you have your share -to do. Of course, I shall give you full instructions, but a great deal -depends on the way the thing is carried out. I have often heard very -young men maintain that style is everything in literature, and I can -assure you that the same maxim holds good in our far more delicate -profession. With us style is absolutely everything, and that is why we -have friends like yourself." - -I went away in some perturbation; he had no doubt designedly left -everything in mystery, and I did not know what part I should have to -play. Though I had assisted at scenes of hideous revelry, I was not yet -dead to all echo of human feeling, and I trembled lest I should receive -the order to be Mr. Headley's executioner. - -A week later, it was on the sixteenth of the month, Dr. Lipsius made me -a sign to come into his room. - -"It is for to-night," he began. "Please to attend carefully to what I am -going to say, Mr. Walters, and on peril of your life, for it is a -dangerous matter,--on peril of your life I say, follow these -instructions to the letter. You understand? Well, to-night at about -half-past seven you will stroll quietly up the Hampstead Road till you -come to Vincent Street. Turn down here and walk along, taking the third -turning to your right, which is Lambert Terrace. Then follow the -terrace, cross the road, and go along Hertford Street, and so into -Lillington Square. The second turning you will come to in the square is -called Sheen Street; but in reality it is more a passage between blank -walls than a street. Whatever you do, take care to be at the corner of -this street at eight o'clock precisely. You will walk along it, and just -at the bend, where you lose sight of the square, you will find an old -gentleman with white beard and whiskers. He will in all probability be -abusing a cabman for having brought him to Sheen Street instead of -Chenies Street. You will go up to him quietly and offer your services; -he will tell you where he wants to go, and you will be so courteous as -to offer to show him the way. I may say that Professor Memys moved, -into Chenies Street a month ago; thus Mr. Headley has never been to see -him there, and moreover he is very short-sighted, and knows little of -the topography of London. Indeed he has quite lived the life of a -learned hermit at Audley Hall. - -"Well, need I say more to a man of your intelligence? You will bring him -to this house; he will ring the bell, and a servant in quiet livery will -let him in. Then your work will be done, and I am sure done well. You -will leave Mr. Headley at the door, and simply continue your walk, and I -shall hope to see you the next day. I really don't think there is -anything more I can tell you." - -These minute instructions I took care to carry out to the letter. I -confess that I walked up the Tottenham Court Road by no means blindly, -but with an uneasy sense that I was coming to a decisive point in my -life. The noise and rumor of the crowded pavements were to me but -dumb-show. I revolved again and again in ceaseless iteration the task -that had been laid on me, and I questioned myself as to the possible -results. As I got near the point of turning, I asked myself whether -danger were not about my steps; the cold thought struck me that I was -suspected and observed, and every chance foot-passenger who gave me a -second glance seemed to me an officer of police. My time was running -out, the sky had darkened, and I hesitated, half resolved to go no -farther, but to abandon Lipsius and his friends forever. I had almost -determined to take this course, when the conviction suddenly came to me -that the whole thing was a gigantic joke, a fabrication of rank -improbability. Who could have procured the information about the -Armenian agent, I asked myself. By what means could Lipsius have known -the particular day, and the very train that Mr. Headley was to take? How -engage him to enter one special cab amongst the dozens waiting at -Paddington? I vowed it a mere Milesian tale, and went forward merrily, -and turned down Vincent Street, and threaded out the route that Lipsius -had so carefully impressed upon me. The various streets he had named -were all places of silence and an oppressive cheap gentility; it was -dark, and I felt alone in the musty squares and crescents, where people -pattered by at intervals, and the shadows were growing blacker. I -entered Sheen Street, and found it, as Lipsius had said, more a passage -than a street; it was a by-way, on one side a low wall and neglected -gardens and grim backs of a line of houses, and on the other a timber -yard. I turned the corner, and lost sight of the square, and then to my -astonishment I saw the scene of which I had been told. A hansom cab had -come to a stop beside the pavement, and an old man carrying a handbag -was fiercely abusing the cabman, who sat on his perch the image of -bewilderment. - -"Yes, but I'm sure you said Sheen Street, and that's where I brought -you," I heard him saying, as I came up, and the old gentleman boiled in -a fury, and threatened police and suits at law. - -The sight gave me a shock; and in an instant I resolved to go through -with it. I strolled on, and without noticing the cabman, lifted my hat -politely to old Mr. Headley. - -"Pardon me, sir," I said, "but is there any difficulty? I see you are a -traveller; perhaps the cabman has made a mistake. Can I direct you?" - -The old fellow turned to me, and I noticed that he snarled and showed -his teeth like an ill-tempered cur as he spoke. - -"This drunken fool has brought me here," he said. "I told him to drive -to Chenies Street, and he brings me to this infernal place. I won't pay -him a farthing, and I meant to have given him a handsome sum. I am going -to call for the police and give him in charge." - -At this threat the cabman seemed to take alarm. He glanced round as if -to make sure that no policeman was in sight and drove off grumbling -loudly, and Mr. Headley grinned, savagely with satisfaction at having -saved his fare, and put back one and sixpence into his pocket, the -"handsome sum" the cabman had lost. - -"My dear sir," I said, "I am afraid this piece of stupidity has annoyed -you a great deal. It is a long way to Chenies Street, and you will have -some difficulty in finding the place unless you know London pretty -well." - -"I know it very little," he replied. "I never come up except on -important business, and I've never been to Chenies Street in my life." - -"Really? I should be happy to show you the way. I have been for a -stroll, and it will not at all inconvenience me to take you to your -destination." - -"I want to go to Professor Memys, at number 15. It's most annoying to -me. I'm short-sighted, and I can never make out the numbers on the -doors." - -"This way if you please," I said, and we set out. - -I did not find Mr. Headley an agreeable man; indeed, he grumbled the -whole way. He informed me of his name, and I took care to say, "The -well-known antiquary?" and thenceforth I was compelled to listen to the -history of his complicated squabbles with publishers, who had treated -him, as he said, disgracefully. The man was a chapter in the -Irritability of Authors. He told me that he had been on the point of -making the fortune of several firms, but had been compelled to abandon -the design owing to their rank ingratitude. Besides these ancient -histories of wrong and the more recent misadventure of the cabman, he -had another grievous complaint to make. As he came along in the train, -he had been sharpening a pencil, and the sudden jolt of the engine as it -drew up at a station had driven the penknife against his face, -inflicting a small triangular wound just on the cheek-bone, which he -showed me. He denounced the railway company, and heaped imprecations on -the head of the driver, and talked of claiming damages. Thus he grumbled -all the way, not noticing in the least where he was going, and so -inamiable did his conduct appear to me that I began to enjoy the trick I -was playing on him. - -Nevertheless my heart beat a little faster as we turned into the street -where Lipsius was waiting. A thousand accidents, I thought, might -happen. Some chance might bring one of Headley's friends to meet us; -perhaps, though he knew not Chenies Street, he might know the street -where I was taking him; in spite of his short-sight he might possibly -make out the number, or in a sudden fit of suspicion he might make an -inquiry of the policeman at the corner. Thus every step upon the -pavement, as we drew nearer to the goal, was to me a pang and a terror, -and every approaching passenger carried a certain threat of danger. I -gulped down my excitement with an effort, and made shift to say pretty -quietly:-- - -"No. 15, I think you said? That is the third house from this. If you -will allow me, I will leave you now; I have been delayed a little, and -my way lies on the other side of Tottenham Court Road." - -He snarled out some kind of thanks, and I turned my back and walked -swiftly in the opposite direction. A minute or two later, I looked round -and saw Mr. Headley standing on the doorstep, and then the door opened -and he went in. For my part I gave a sigh of relief, and hastened to get -away from the neighborhood and endeavored to enjoy myself in merry -company. - -The whole of the next day I kept away from Lipsius. I felt anxious, but -I did not know what had happened or what was happening, and a reasonable -regard for my own safety told me that I should do well to remain quietly -at home. My curiosity, however, to learn the end of the odd drama in -which I had played a part stung me to the quick, and late in the evening -I made up my mind to go and see how events had turned out. Lipsius -nodded when I came in, and asked me if I could give him five minutes' -talk. We went into his room, and he began to walk up and down, and I sat -waiting for him to speak. - -"My dear Mr. Walters," he said at length, "I congratulate you warmly. -Your work was done in the most thorough and artistic manner. You will go -far. Look." - -He went to his escritoire and pressed a secret spring, and a drawer flew -out, and he laid something on the table. It was a gold coin, and I took -it up and examined it eagerly, and read the legend about the figure of -the faun. - -"Victoria," I said, smiling. - -"Yes, it was a great capture, which we owe to you. I had great -difficulty in persuading Mr. Headley that a little mistake had been -made; that was how I put it. He was very disagreeable, and indeed -ungentlemanly about it; didn't he strike you as a very cross old man?" - -I held the coin, admiring the choice and rare design, clear cut as if -from the mint; and I thought the fine gold glowed and burned like a -lamp. - -"And what finally became of Mr. Headley?" I said at last. - -Lipsius smiled and shrugged his shoulders. - -"What on earth does it matter?" he said. "He might be here, or there, or -anywhere; but what possible consequence could it be? Besides, your -question rather surprises me. You are an intelligent man, Mr. Walters. -Just think it over, and I'm sure you won't repeat the question." - -"My dear sir," I said, "I hardly think you are treating me fairly. You -have paid me some handsome compliments on my share in the capture, and I -naturally wish to know how the matter ended. From what I saw of Mr. -Headley, I should think you must have had some difficulty with him." - -He gave me no answer for the moment, but began again to walk up and down -the room, apparently absorbed in thought. - -"Well," he said at last, "I suppose there is something in what you say. -We are certainly indebted to you. I have said, that I have a high -opinion of your intelligence, Mr. Walters. Just look here, will you." - -He opened a door communicating with another room and pointed. - -There was a great box lying on the floor; a queer coffin-shaped thing. I -looked at it and saw it was a mummy case like those in the British -Museum, vividly painted in the brilliant Egyptian colors, with I knew -not what proclamation of dignity or hopes of life immortal. The mummy, -swathed about in the robes of death, was lying within, and the face had -been uncovered. - -"You are going to send this away?" I said, forgetting the question I had -put. - -"Yes; I have an order from a local museum. Look a little more closely, -Mr. Walters." - -Puzzled by his manner, I peered into the face, while he held up the -lamp. The flesh was black with the passing of the centuries; but as I -looked I saw upon the right cheek-bone a small triangular scar, and the -secret of the mummy flashed upon me. I was looking at the dead body of -the man whom I had decoyed into that house. - -There was no thought or design of action in my mind. I held the accursed -coin in my hand, burning me with a foretaste of hell, and I fled as I -would have fled from pestilence and death, and dashed into the street -in blind horror, not knowing where I went. I felt the gold coin grasped -in my clenched list, and threw it away, I knew not where, and ran on and -on through by-streets and dark ways, till at last I issued out into a -crowded thoroughfare, and checked myself. Then, as consciousness -returned, I realized my instant peril, and understood what would happen -if I fell into the hands of Lipsius. I knew that I had put forth my -finger to thwart a relentless mechanism rather than a man; my recent -adventure with the unfortunate Mr. Headley had taught me that Lipsius -had agents in all quarters, and I foresaw that if I fell into his hands, -he would remain true to his doctrine of style, and cause me to die a -death of some horrible and ingenious torture. I bent my whole mind to -the task of outwitting him and his emissaries, three of whom I knew to -have proved their ability for tracking down persons who for various -reasons preferred to remain obscure. These servants of Lipsius were two -men and a woman, and the woman was incomparably the most subtle and the -most deadly. Yet I considered that I too had some portion of craft, and -I took my resolve. Since then I have matched myself day by day and hour -by hour against the ingenuity of Lipsius and his myrmidons. For a time I -was successful; though they beat furiously after me in the covert of -London, I remained _perdu_, and watched with some amusement their -frantic efforts to recover the scent lost in two or three minutes. Every -lure and wile was put forth to entice me from my hiding-place. I was -informed by the medium of the public prints that what I had taken had -been recovered, and meetings were proposed in which I might hope to -gain a great deal without the slightest risk. I laughed at their -endeavors, and began a little to despise the organization I had so -dreaded, and ventured more abroad. Not once or twice, but several times, -I recognized the two men who were charged with my capture, and I -succeeded in eluding them easily at close quarters; and a little hastily -I decided that I had nothing to dread, and that my craft was greater -than theirs. But in the mean while, while I congratulated myself on my -cunning, the third of Lipsius's emissaries was weaving her nets, and in -an evil hour I paid a visit to an old friend, a literary man named -Russell, who lived in a quiet street in Bayswater. The woman, as I found -out too late, a day or two ago, occupied rooms in the same house, and I -was followed and tracked down. Too late, as I have said, I recognized -that I had made a fatal mistake, and that I was besieged. Sooner or -later I shall find myself in the power of an enemy without pity; and so -surely as I leave this house I shall go to receive doom. I hardly dare -to guess how it will at last fall upon me. My imagination, always a -vivid one, paints to me appalling pictures of the unspeakable torture -which I shall probably endure; and I know that I shall die with Lipsius -standing near and gloating over the refinements of my suffering and my -shame. - -Hours, nay, minutes, have become very precious to me. I sometimes pause -in the midst of anticipating my tortures, to wonder whether even now I -cannot hit upon some supreme stroke, some design of infinite subtlety, -to free myself from the toils. But I find that the faculty of -combination has left me. I am as the scholar in the old myth, deserted -by the power which has helped, me hitherto. I do not know when the -supreme moment will come, but sooner or later it is inevitable, and -before long I shall receive sentence, and from the sentence to execution -will not be long. - - * * * * * - -I cannot remain here a prisoner any longer. I shall go out to-night when -the streets are full of crowds and clamors, and make a last effort to -escape. - - * * * * * - -It was with profound astonishment that Dyson closed the little book, and -thought of the strange series of incidents which had brought him into -touch with the plots and counterplots connected with the Gold Tiberius. -He had bestowed the coin carefully away, and he shuddered at the bare -possibility of its place of deposit becoming known to the evil band who -seemed to possess such extraordinary sources of information. - -It had grown late while he read, and he put the pocket-book away, hoping -with all his heart that the unhappy Walters might even at the eleventh -hour escape the doom he dreaded. - - - - -ADVENTURE OF THE DESERTED RESIDENCE. - - -"A wonderful story, as you say; an extraordinary sequence and play of -coincidence. I confess that your expressions when you first showed me -the Gold Tiberius were not exaggerated. But do you think that Walters -has really some fearful fate to dread?" - -"I cannot say. Who can presume to predict events when life itself puts -on the robe of coincidence and plays at drama? Perhaps we have not yet -reached the last chapter in the queer story. But, look, we are drawing -near to the verge of London; there are gaps, you see, in the serried -ranks of brick, and a vision of green fields beyond." - -Dyson had persuaded the ingenious Mr. Phillipps to accompany him on one -of those aimless walks to which he was himself so addicted. Starting -from the very heart of London, they had made their way westward through -the stony avenues, and were now just emerging from the red lines of an -extreme suburb, and presently the half-finished road ended, a quiet lane -began, and they were beneath the shade of elm-trees. The yellow autumn -sunlight that had lit up the bare distance of the suburban street now -filtered down through the boughs of the trees and shone on the glowing -carpet of fallen leaves, and the pools of rain glittered and shot back -the gleam of light. Over all the broad pastures there was peace and the -happy rest of autumn before the great winds begin, and afar off, London -lay all vague and immense amidst the veiling mist; here and there a -distant window catching the sun and kindling with fire, and a spire -gleaming high, and below the streets in shadow, and the turmoil of life. -Dyson and Phillipps walked on in silence beneath the high hedges, till -at a turn of the lane they saw a mouldering and ancient gate standing -open, and the prospect of a house at the end of a moss-grown carriage -drive. - -"There is a survival for you," said Dyson; "it has come to its last -days, I imagine. Look how the laurels have grown gaunt, and weedy, and -black, and bare, beneath; look at the house, covered with yellow wash -and patched with green damp. Why, the very notice-board which informs -all and singular that the place is to be let has cracked and half -fallen." - -"Suppose we go in and see it," said Phillipps. "I don't think there is -anybody about." - -They turned up the drive, and walked slowly, towards this remnant of old -days. It was a large straggling house, with curved wings at either end, -and behind a series of irregular roofs and projections, showing that the -place had been added to at divers dates; the two wings were roofed in -cupola fashion, and at one side, as they came nearer, they could see a -stable-yard, and a clock turret with a bell, and the dark masses of -gloomy cedars. Amidst all the lineaments of dissolution, there was but -one note of contrast: the sun was setting beyond the elm-trees, and all -the west and the south were in flames, and on the upper windows of the -house the glow shone reflected, and it seemed as if blood and fire were -mingled. Before the yellow front of the mansion, stained, as Dyson had -remarked, with gangrenous patches, green and blackening, stretched what -once had been, no doubt, a well-kept lawn, but it was now rough and -ragged, and nettles and great docks, and all manner of coarse weeds, -struggled in the places of the flower-beds. The urns had fallen from -their pillars beside the walk, and lay broken in shards upon the ground, -and everywhere from grass-plot and path a fungoid growth had sprung up -and multiplied, and lay dank and slimy like a festering sore upon the -earth. In the middle of the rank grass of the lawn was a desolate -fountain; the rim of the basin was crumbling and pulverized with decay, -and within, the water stood stagnant, with green scum for the lilies -that had once bloomed there; and rust had eaten into the bronze flesh of -the Triton that stood in the middle, and the conch-shell he held was -broken. - -"Here," said Dyson, "one might moralize over decay and death. Here all -the stage is decked out with the symbols of dissolution; the cedarn -gloom and twilight hangs heavy around us, and everywhere within the pale -dankness has found a harbor, and the very air is changed and brought to -accord with the scene. To me, I confess, this deserted house is as moral -as a graveyard, and I find something sublime in that lonely Triton, -deserted in the midst of his water-pool. He is the last of the gods; -they have left him and he remembers the sound of water falling on water, -and the days that were sweet." - -"I like your reflections extremely," said Phillipps, "but I may mention -that the door of the house is open.". - -"Let us go in then." - -The door was just ajar, and they passed into the mouldy hall, and looked -in at a room on one side. It was a large room, going far back, and the -rich old red flock paper was peeling from the walls in long strips, and -blackened with vague patches of rising damp; the ancient clay, the dank -reeking earth rising up again, and subduing all the work of men's hands -after the conquest of many years. And the floor was thick with the dust -of decay, and the painted ceiling fading from all gay colors and light -fancies of cupids in a career, and disfigured with sores of dampness, -seemed transmuted into other work. No longer the amorini chased one -another pleasantly, with limbs that sought not to advance, and hands -that merely simulated the act of grasping at the wreathed flowers, but -it appeared some savage burlesque of the old careless world and of its -cherished conventions, and the dance of the loves had become a dance of -Death; black pustules and festering sores swelled and clustered on fair -limbs, and smiling faces showed corruption, and the fairy blood had -boiled with the germs of foul disease; it was a parable of the leaven -working, and worms devouring for a banquet the heart of the rose. - -Strangely, under the painted ceiling, against the decaying walls, two -old chairs still stood alone, the sole furniture of the empty place. -High-backed, with curving arms and twisted legs, covered with faded gold -leaf, and upholstered in tattered damask, they too were a part of the -symbolism, and struck Dyson with surprise. "What have we here?" he said. -"Who has sat in these chairs? Who, clad in peach-bloom satin, with lace -ruffles and diamond buckles, all golden, _a conté fleurettes_ to his -companion? Phillipps, we are in another age. I wish I had some snuff to -offer you, but failing that, I beg to offer you a seat, and we will sit -and smoke tobacco. A horrid practice, but I am no pedant." - -They sat down on the queer old chairs, and looked out of the dim and -grimy panes to the ruined lawn, and the fallen urns, and the deserted -Triton. - -Presently Dyson ceased his imitation of eighteenth century airs; he no -longer pulled forward imaginary ruffles, or tapped a ghostly snuff-box. - -"It's a foolish fancy," he said at last, "but I keep thinking I hear a -noise like some one groaning. Listen; no, I can't hear it now. There it -is again! Did you notice it, Phillipps? - -"No, I can't say I heard anything. But I believe that old places like -this are like shells from the shore, ever echoing with noises. The old -beams, mouldering piecemeal, yield a little and groan, and such a house -as this I can fancy all resonant at night with voices, the voices of -matter so slowly and so surely transformed into other shapes; the voice -of the worm that gnaws at last the very heart of the oak; the voice of -stone grinding on stone, and the voice of the conquest of time." - -They sat still in the old armchairs and grew graver in the musty ancient -air,--the air of a hundred years ago. - -"I don't like the place," said Phillipps, after a long pause. "To me it -seems, as if there were a sickly, unwholesome smell about it, a smell of -something burning." - -"You are right; there is an evil odor here. I wonder what it is! Hark! -Did you hear that?" - -A hollow sound, a noise of infinite sadness and infinite pain broke in -upon the silence; and the two men looked fearfully at one another, -horror and the sense of unknown things glimmering in their eyes. - -"Come," said Dyson, "we must see into this," and they went into the hall -and listened in the silence. - -"Do you know," said Phillipps, "it seems absurd, but I could almost -fancy that the smell is that of burning flesh." - -They went up the hollow-sounding stairs, and the the odor became thick -and noisome, stifling the breath; and a vapor, sickening as the smell of -the chamber of death, choked them. A door was open and they entered the -large upper room, and clung hard to one another, shuddering at the sight -they saw. - -A naked man was lying on the floor, his arms and legs stretched wide -apart, and bound to pegs that had been hammered into the boards. The -body was torn and mutilated in the most hideous fashion, scarred with -the marks of red-hot irons, a shameful ruin of the human shape. But upon -the middle of the body a fire of coals was smouldering; the flesh had -been burned through. The man was dead, but the smoke of his torment -mounted still, a black vapor. - -"The young man with spectacles," said Mr. Dyson. - - -THE END. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 35517 *** diff --git a/old/old-2024-12-14/35517-h/35517-h.htm b/old/old-2024-12-14/35517-h/35517-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index b828877..0000000 --- a/old/old-2024-12-14/35517-h/35517-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5653 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<!-- $Id: header.txt 236 2009-12-07 18:57:00Z vlsimpson $ --> - -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Three Impostors, by Arthur Machen. - </title> - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .75em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .75em; -} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto; - clear: both; -} - -.blockquot { - margin-left: 5%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - -.bb {border-bottom: solid 2px;} - -.bl {border-left: solid 2px;} - -.bt {border-top: solid 2px;} - -.br {border-right: solid 2px;} - -.bbox {border: solid 2px;} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} - -.u {text-decoration: underline;} - -.caption {font-weight: bold;} - -.content {font-size: 0.8em;} - - </style> - </head> -<body> -<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 35517 ***</div> - -<h1>THE THREE IMPOSTORS</h1> - -<h3>or The Transmutations</h3> - -<h3>by</h3> - -<h2>ARTHUR MACHEN</h2> - - -<h4>TRANSLATOR OF 'L'HEPTAMERON' AND</h4> - -<h4>'LE MOYEN DE PARVENIR'; AUTHOR</h4> - -<h4>OF 'THE CHRONICLE OF CLEMENDY'</h4> - -<h4>AND 'THE GREAT GOD PAN'</h4> - - - -<h5>BOSTON: Roberts Bros, 1895</h5> - -<h5>LONDON: John Lane, Vigo st.</h5> - - - -<hr style="width: 65%;" /> - -<p class="caption">CONTENTS</p> - -<p class="content"> -<span style="margin-left: 2em;"><a href="#PROLOGUE">PROLOGUE</a></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2em;"><a href="#ADVENTURE_OF_THE_GOLD_TIBERIUS">ADVENTURE OF THE GOLD TIBERIUS</a></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2em;"><a href="#THE_ENCOUNTER_OF_THE_PAVEMENT">THE ENCOUNTER OF THE PAVEMENT</a></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3.5em;"><a href="#NOVEL_OF_THE_DARK_VALLEY">NOVEL OF THE DARK VALLEY</a></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2em;"><a href="#ADVENTURE_OF_THE_MISSING_BROTHER">ADVENTURE OF THE MISSING BROTHER</a></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3.5em;"><a href="#NOVEL_OF_THE_BLACK_SEAL">NOVEL OF THE BLACK SEAL</a></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2em;"><a href="#INCIDENT_OF_THE_PRIVATE_BAR">INCIDENT OF THE PRIVATE BAR</a></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2em;"><a href="#THE_DECORATIVE_IMAGINATION">THE DECORATIVE IMAGINATION</a></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3.5em;"><a href="#NOVEL_OF_THE_IRON_MAID">NOVEL OF THE IRON MAID</a></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2em;"><a href="#THE_RECLUSE_OF_BAYSWATER">THE RECLUSE OF BAYSWATER</a></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3.5em;"><a href="#NOVEL_OF_THE_WHITE_POWDER">NOVEL OF THE WHITE POWDER</a></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2em;"><a href="#STRANGE_OCCURRENCE_IN_CLERKENWELL">STRANGE OCCURRENCE IN CLERKENWELL</a></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3.5em;"><a href="#HISTORY_OF_THE_YOUNG_MAN_WITH_SPECTACLES">HISTORY OF THE YOUNG MAN WITH SPECTACLES</a></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2em;"><a href="#ADVENTURE_OF_THE_DESERTED_RESIDENCE">ADVENTURE OF THE DESERTED RESIDENCE</a></span><br /> -</p> - -<hr style="width: 95%;" /> - -<h2>THE THREE IMPOSTORS.</h2> - - - -<hr style="width: 65%;" /> -<h3><a name="PROLOGUE" id="PROLOGUE"></a>PROLOGUE.</h3> - - -<p>"And Mr. Joseph Walters is going to stay the night?" said the smooth -clean-shaven man to his companion, an individual not of the most -charming appearance, who had chosen to make his ginger-colored mustache -merge into a pair of short chin-whiskers.</p> - -<p>The two stood at the hall door, grinning evilly at each other; and -presently a girl ran quickly down, the stairs, and joined them. She was -quite young, with a quaint and piquant rather than a beautiful face, and -her eyes were of a shining hazel. She held a neat paper parcel in one -hand, and laughed with her friends.</p> - -<p>"Leave the door open," said the smooth man to the other, as they were -going out. "Yes, by——," he went on with an ugly oath. "We'll leave the -front door on the jar. He may like to see company, you know."</p> - -<p>The other man looked doubtfully about him. "Is it quite prudent do you -think, Davies?" he said, pausing with his hand on the mouldering -knocker. "I don't think Lipsius would like it. What do you say, Helen?"</p> - -<p>"I agree with Davies. Davies is an artist, and you are commonplace, -Richmond, and a bit of a coward. Let the door stand open, of course. But -what a pity Lipsius had to go away! He would have enjoyed himself."</p> - -<p>"Yes," replied the smooth Mr. Davies, "that summons to the west was very -hard on the doctor."</p> - -<p>The three passed out, leaving the hall door, cracked and riven with -frost and wet, half open, and they stood silent for a moment under the -ruinous shelter of the porch.</p> - -<p>"Well," said the girl, "it is done at last. I shall hurry no more on the -track of the young man with spectacles."</p> - -<p>"We owe a great deal to you," said Mr. Davies politely; "the doctor said -so before he left. But have we not all three some farewells to make? I, -for my part, propose to say good-by, here, before this picturesque but -mouldy residence, to my friend Mr. Burton, dealer in the antique and -curious," and the man lifted his hat with an exaggerated bow.</p> - -<p>"And I," said Richmond, "bid adieu to Mr. Wilkins, the private -secretary, whose company has, I confess, become a little tedious."</p> - -<p>"Farewell to Miss Lally, and to Miss Leicester also," said the girl, -making as she spoke a delicious courtesy. "Farewell to all occult -adventure; the farce is played."</p> - -<p>Mr. Davies and the lady seemed full of grim enjoyment, but Richmond -tugged at his whiskers nervously.</p> - -<p>"I feel a bit shaken up," he said. "I've seen rougher things in the -States, but that crying noise he made gave me a sickish feeling. And -then the smell—But my stomach was never very strong."</p> - -<p>The three friends moved away from the door, and began to walk slowly up -and down what had been a gravel path, but now lay green and pulpy with -damp mosses. It was a fine autumn evening, and a faint sunlight shone on -the yellow walls of the old deserted house, and showed the patches of -gangrenous decay, and all the stains, the black drift of rain from the -broken pipes, the scabrous blots where the bare bricks were exposed, the -green weeping of a gaunt laburnum that stood beside the porch, and -ragged marks near the ground where the reeking clay was gaining on the -worn foundations. It was a queer rambling old place, the centre perhaps -two hundred years old, with dormer windows sloping from the tiled roof, -and on each side there were Georgian wings; bow windows had been carried -up to the first floor, and two dome-like cupolas that had once been -painted a bright green were now gray and neutral. Broken urns lay upon -the path, and a heavy mist seemed to rise from the unctuous clay; the -neglected shrubberies, grown all tangled and unshapen, smelt dank and -evil, and there was an atmosphere all about the deserted mansion that -proposed thoughts of an opened grave. The three friends looked dismally -at the rough grasses and the nettles that grew thick over lawn and -flower-beds; and at the sad water-pool in the midst of the weeds. There, -above green and oily scum instead of lilies, stood a rusting Triton on -the rocks, sounding a dirge through a shattered horn; and beyond, beyond -the sunk fence and the far meadows; the sun slid down and shone red -through the bars of the elm trees.</p> - -<p>Richmond shivered and stamped his foot. "We had better be going soon," -he said; "there is nothing else to be done here."</p> - -<p>"No," said Davies, "it is finished at last. I thought for some time we -should never get hold of the gentleman with the spectacles. He was a -clever fellow, but, Lord! he broke up badly at last. I can tell you he -looked white at me when I touched him on the arm in the bar. But where -could he have hidden the thing? We can all swear it was not on him."</p> - -<p>The girl laughed, and they turned away, when Richmond gave a violent -start. "Ah!" he cried, turning to the girl, "what have you got there? -Look, Davies, look! it's all oozing and dripping."</p> - -<p>The young woman glanced down at the little parcel she was carrying, and -partially unfolded the paper.</p> - -<p>"Yes, look both of you," she said; "it's my own idea. Don't you think it -will do nicely for the doctor's museum? It comes from the right hand, -the hand that took the gold Tiberius."</p> - -<p>Mr. Davies nodded with a good deal of approbation, and Richmond lifted -his ugly high-crowned bowler, and wiped his forehead with a dingy -handkerchief.</p> - -<p>"I'm going," he said; "you two can stay if you like."</p> - -<p>The three went round by the stable path, past the withered wilderness of -the old kitchen garden, and struck off by a hedge at the back, making -for a particular point in the road. About five minutes later two -gentlemen, whom idleness had led to explore these forgotten outskirts of -London, came sauntering up the shadowy carriage drive. They had spied -the deserted house from the road, and as they observed all the heavy -desolation of the place they began to moralize in the great style, with -considerable debts to Jeremy Taylor.</p> - -<p>"Look, Dyson," said the one as they drew nearer, "look at those upper -windows; the sun is setting, and though the panes are dusty, yet</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 2.5em;">"The grimy sash an oriel burns."</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>"Phillipps," replied the elder and (it must be said) the more pompous of -the two, "I yield to fantasy, I cannot withstand the influence of the -grotesque. Here, where all is falling into dimness and dissolution, and -we walk in cedarn gloom, and the very air of heaven goes mouldering to -the lungs, I cannot remain commonplace. I look at that deep glow on the -panes, and the house lies all enchanted; that very room, I tell you, is -within all blood and fire."</p> - - - -<hr style="width: 65%;" /> -<h3><a name="ADVENTURE_OF_THE_GOLD_TIBERIUS" id="ADVENTURE_OF_THE_GOLD_TIBERIUS"></a>ADVENTURE OF THE GOLD TIBERIUS.</h3> - - -<p>The acquaintance between Mr. Dyson and Mr. Charles Phillipps arose from -one of those myriad chances which are every day doing their work in the -streets of London. Mr. Dyson was a man of letters, and an unhappy -instance of talents misapplied. With gifts that might have placed him in -the flower of his youth among the most favored of Bentley's favorite -novelists, he had chosen to be perverse; he was, it is true, familiar -with scholastic logic, but he knew nothing of the logic of life, and he -flattered himself with the title of artist, when he was in fact but an -idle and curious spectator of other men's endeavors. Amongst many -delusions, he cherished one most fondly, that he was a strenuous worker; -and it was with a gesture of supreme weariness that he would enter his -favorite resort, a small tobacco shop in Great Queen Street, and -proclaim to any one who cared to listen that he had seen the rising and -setting of two successive suns. The proprietor of the shop, a -middle-aged man of singular civility, tolerated Dyson partly out of good -nature, and partly because he was a regular customer; he was allowed to -sit on an empty cask, and to express his sentiments on literary and -artistic matters till he was tired or the time for closing came; and if -no fresh customers were attracted, it is believed that none were turned -away by his eloquence. Dyson, was addicted to wild experiments in -tobacco; he never wearied of trying new combinations, and one evening he -had just entered the shop and given utterance to his last preposterous -formula, when a young fellow, of about his own age, who had come in a -moment later, asked the shopman to duplicate the order on his account, -smiling politely, as he spoke, to Mr. Dyson's address. Dyson felt -profoundly flattered, and after a few phrases the two entered into -conversation, and in an hour's time the tobacconist saw the new friends -sitting side by side on a couple of casks, deep in talk.</p> - -<p>"My dear sir," said Dyson, "I will give you the task of the literary man -in a phrase. He has got to do simply this: to invent a wonderful story, -and to tell it in a wonderful manner."</p> - -<p>"I will grant you that," said Mr. Phillipps, "but you will allow me to -insist that in the hands of the true artist in words all stories are -marvellous, and every circumstance has its peculiar wonder. The matter -is of little consequence, the manner is everything. Indeed, the highest -skill is shown in taking matter apparently commonplace and transmuting -it by the high alchemy of style into the pure gold of art."</p> - -<p>"That is indeed a proof of great skill, but it is great skill exerted -foolishly, or at least unadvisedly. It is as if a great violinist were -to show us what marvellous harmonies he could draw from a child's -banjo."</p> - -<p>"No, no, you are really wrong. I see you take a radically mistaken view -of life. But we must thresh this out. Come to my rooms; I live not far -from here."</p> - -<p>It was thus that Mr. Dyson became the associate of Mr. Charles -Phillipps, who lived in a quiet square not far from Holborn. Thenceforth -they haunted each other's rooms at intervals, sometimes regular, and -occasionally the reverse, and made appointments to meet at the shop in -Queen Street, where their talk robbed the tobacconist's profit of half -its charm. There was a constant jarring of literary formulas, Dyson -exalting the claims of the pure imagination, while Phillipps, who was a -student of physical science and something of an ethnologist, insisted -that all literature ought to have a scientific basis. By the mistaken -benevolence of deceased relatives both young men were placed out of -reach of hunger, and so, meditating high achievements, idled their time -pleasantly away, and revelled in the careless joys of a Bohemianism -devoid of the sharp seasoning of adversity.</p> - -<p>One night in June Mr. Phillipps was sitting in his room in the calm -retirement of Red Lion Square. He had opened the window, and was smoking -placidly, while he watched the movement of life below. The sky was -clear, and the afterglow of sunset had lingered long about it; and the -flushing twilight of a summer evening, vying with the gas-lamps in the -square, had fashioned a chiaroscuro that had in it something unearthly; -and the children, racing to and fro upon the pavement, the lounging -idlers by the public, and the casual passers-by rather flickered, and -hovered in the play of lights than stood out substantial things. By -degrees in the houses opposite one window after another leaped out a -square of light, now and again a figure would shape itself against a -blind and vanish, and to all this semi-theatrical magic the runs and -flourishes of brave Italian opera played a little distance off on a -piano-organ seemed an appropriate accompaniment, while the deep-muttered -bass of the traffic of Holborn never ceased. Phillipps enjoyed the scene -and its effects; the light in the sky faded and turned to darkness, and -the square gradually grew silent, and still he sat dreaming at the -window, till the sharp peal of the house bell roused him, and looking at -his watch he found that it was past ten o'clock. There was a knock at -the door, and his friend Mr. Dyson entered, and, according to his -custom, sat down in an armchair and began to smoke in silence.</p> - -<p>"You know, Phillipps," he said at length, "that I have always battled -for the marvellous. I remember your maintaining in that chair that one -has no business to make use of the wonderful, the improbable, the odd -coincidence in literature, and you took the ground that it was wrong to -do so, because, as a matter of fact, the wonderful and the improbable -don't happen, and men's lives are not really shaped by odd coincidence. -Now, mind you, if that were so, I would not grant your conclusion, -because I think the "criticism-of-life" theory is all nonsense; but I -deny your premise. A most singular thing has happened to me to-night."</p> - -<p>"Really, Dyson, I am very glad to hear it. Of course I oppose your -argument, whatever it may be; but if you would be good enough to tell me -of your adventure I should be delighted."</p> - -<p>"Well, it came about like this. I have had a very hard day's work; -indeed, I have scarcely moved from my old bureau since seven o'clock -last night. I wanted to work out that idea we discussed last Tuesday, -you know, the notion of the fetish-worshipper."</p> - -<p>"Yes, I remember. Have you been able to do anything with it?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; it came out better than I expected; but there were great -difficulties, the usual agony between the conception and the execution. -Anyhow I got it done at about seven o'clock to-night, and I thought I -should like a little of the fresh air. I went out and wandered rather -aimlessly about the streets; my head was full of my tale, and I didn't -much notice where I was going. I got into those quiet places to the -north of Oxford Street as you go west, the genteel residential -neighborhood of stucco and prosperity. I turned east again without -knowing it, and it was quite dark when I passed along a sombre little -by-street, ill lighted and empty. I did not know at the time in the -least where I was, but I found out afterwards that it was not very far -from Tottenham Court Road. I strolled idly along, enjoying the -stillness; on one side there seemed to be the back premises of some -great shop; tier after tier of dusty windows lifted up into the night, -with gibbet-like contrivances for raising heavy goods, and below large -doors, fast closed and bolted, all dark and desolate. Then there came a -huge pantechnicon warehouse; and over the way a grim blank wall, as -forbidding as the wall of a jail, and then the headquarters of some -volunteer regiment, and afterwards a passage leading to a court where -wagons were standing to be hired. It was, one might almost say, a street -devoid of inhabitants, and scarce a window showed the glimmer of a -light. I was wondering at the strange peace and dimness there, where it -must be close to some roaring main artery of London life, when suddenly -I heard the noise of dashing feet tearing along the pavement at full -speed, and from a narrow passage, a mews or something of that kind, a -man was discharged as from a catapult under my very nose and rushed past -me, flinging something from him as he ran. He was gone and down another -street in an instant, almost before I knew what had happened, but I -didn't much bother about him, I was watching something else. I told you -he had thrown something away; well, I watched what seemed a line of -flame flash through the air and fly quivering over the pavement, and in -spite of myself I could not help tearing after it. The impetus lessened, -and I saw something like a bright half-penny roll slower and slower, and -then deflect towards the gutter, hover for a moment on the edge, and -dance down into a drain. I believe I cried out in positive despair, -though I hadn't the least notion what I was hunting; and then to my joy -I saw that, instead of dropping into the sewer, it had fallen flat -across two bars. I stooped down and picked it up and whipped it into my -pocket, and I was just about to walk on when I heard again that sound of -dashing footsteps. I don't know why I did it, but as a matter of fact I -dived down into the mews, or whatever it was, and stood as much in the -shadow as possible. A man went by with a rush a few paces from where I -was standing, and I felt uncommonly pleased that I was in hiding. I -couldn't make out much feature, but I saw his eyes gleaming and his -teeth showing, and he had an ugly-looking knife in one hand, and I -thought things would be very unpleasant for gentleman number one if the -second robber, or robbed, or what you like, caught him up. I can tell -you, Phillipps, a fox hunt is exciting enough, when the horn blows clear -on a winter morning, and the hounds give tongue, and the red-coats -charge away, but it's nothing to a man hunt, and that's what I had a -slight glimpse of to-night. There was murder in the fellow's eyes as he -went by, and I don't think there was much more than fifty seconds -between the two. I only hope it was enough."</p> - -<p>Dyson leant back in his armchair and relit his pipe, and puffed -thoughtfully. Phillipps began to walk up and down the room, musing over -the story of violent death fleeting in chase along the pavement, the -knife shining in the lamplight, the fury of the pursuer, and the terror -of the pursued.</p> - -<p>"Well," he said at last, "and what was it, after all, that you rescued -from the gutter?"</p> - -<p>Dyson jumped up, evidently quite startled. "I really haven't a notion. I -didn't think of looking. But we shall see."</p> - -<p>He fumbled in his waistcoat pocket and drew out a small and shining -object, and laid it on the table. It glowed there beneath the lamp with -the radiant glory of rare old gold; and the image and the letters stood -out in high relief, clear and sharp, as if it had but left the mint a -month before. The two men bent over it, and Phillipps took it up and -examined it closely.</p> - -<p>"Imp. Tiberius Cæsar Augustus," he read the legend, and then, looking at -the reverse of the coin, he stared in amazement, and at last turned to -Dyson with a look of exultation.</p> - -<p>"Do you know what you have found?" he said.</p> - -<p>"Apparently a gold coin of some antiquity," said Dyson, coolly.</p> - -<p>"Quite so, a gold Tiberius. No, that is wrong. You have found <i>the</i> gold -Tiberius. Look at the reverse."</p> - -<p>Dyson looked and saw the coin was stamped with the figure of a faun -standing amidst reeds and flowing water. The features, minute as they -were, stood out in delicate outline; it was a face lovely and yet -terrible, and Dyson thought of the well-known passage of the lad's -playmate, gradually growing with his growth and increasing with his -stature, till the air was filled with the rank fume of the goat.</p> - -<p>"Yes," he said, "it is a curious coin. Do you know it?"</p> - -<p>"I know about it. It is one of the comparatively few historical objects -in existence; it is all storied like those jewels we have read of. A -whole cycle of legend has gathered round the thing; the tale goes that -it formed part of an issue struck by Tiberius to commemorate an infamous -excess. You see the legend on the reverse: 'Victoria.' It is said that -by an extraordinary accident the whole issue was thrown into the melting -pot, and that only this one coin escaped. It glints through history and -legend, appearing and disappearing, with intervals of a hundred years in -time and continents in place. It was discovered by an Italian humanist, -and lost and rediscovered. It has not been heard of since 1727, when Sir -Joshua Byrde, a Turkey merchant, brought it home from Aleppo, and -vanished with it a month after he had shown it to the virtuosi, no man -knew or knows where. And here it is!"</p> - -<p>"Put it into your pocket, Dyson," he said, after a pause. "I would not -let any one have a glimpse of the thing, if I were you. I would not talk -about it. Did either of the men you saw see you?"</p> - -<p>"Well, I think not. I don't think the first man, the man who was vomited -out of the dark passage, saw anything at all; and I am sure that the -second could not have seen me."</p> - -<p>"And you didn't really see them. You couldn't recognize either the one -or the other if you met him in the street to-morrow?"</p> - -<p>"No, I don't think I could. The street, as I said, was dimly lighted, -and they ran like mad-men."</p> - -<p>The two men sat silent for some time, each weaving his own fancies of -the story; but lust of the marvellous was slowly overpowering Dyson's -more sober thoughts.</p> - -<p>"It is all more strange than I fancied," he said at last. "It was queer -enough what I saw; a man is sauntering along a quiet, sober, every-day -London street, a street of gray houses and blank walls, and there, for a -moment, a veil seems drawn aside, and the very fume of the pit steams up -through the flagstones, the ground glows, red hot, beneath his feet, and -he seems to hear the hiss of the infernal caldron. A man flying in mad -terror for his life, and furious hate pressing hot on his steps with -knife drawn ready; here indeed is horror. But what is all that to what -you have told me? I tell you, Phillipps, I see the plot thicken, our -steps will henceforth be dogged with mystery, and the most ordinary -incidents will teem with significance. You may stand out against it, and -shut your eyes, but they will be forced open; mark my words, you will -have to yield to the inevitable. A clue, tangled if you like, has been -placed by chance in our hands; it will be our business to follow it up. -As for the guilty person or persons in this strange case, they will be -unable to escape us, our nets will be spread far and wide over this -great city, and suddenly, in the streets and places of public resort, we -shall in some way or other be made aware that we are in touch with the -unknown criminal. Indeed, I almost fancy I see him slowly approaching -this quiet square of yours; he is loitering at street corners, -wandering, apparently without aim, down far-reaching thoroughfares, but -all the while coming nearer and nearer, drawn by an irresistible -magnetism, as ships were drawn to the Loadstone Rock in the Eastern -tale."</p> - -<p>"I certainly think," replied Phillipps, "that, if you pull out that coin -and flourish it under people's noses as you are doing at the present -moment, you will very probably find yourself in touch with the criminal, -or a criminal. You will undoubtedly be robbed with violence. Otherwise, -I see no reason why either of us should be troubled. No one saw you -secure the coin, and no one knows you have it. I, for my part, shall -sleep peacefully, and go about my business with a sense of security and -a firm dependence on the natural order of things. The events of the -evening, the adventure in the street, have been odd, I grant you, but I -resolutely decline to have any more to do with the matter, and, if -necessary, I shall consult the police. I will not be enslaved by a gold -Tiberius, even though it swims into my ken in a manner which is somewhat -melodramatic."</p> - -<p>"And I for my part," said Dyson, "go forth like a knight-errant in -search of adventure. Not that I shall need to seek; rather adventure -will seek me; I shall be like a spider in the midst of his web, -responsive to every movement, and ever on the alert."</p> - -<p>Shortly afterwards Dyson took his leave, and Mr. Phillipps spent the -rest of the night in examining some flint arrow-heads which he had -purchased. He had every reason to believe that they were the work of a -modern and not a palæolithic man, still he was far from gratified when a -close scrutiny showed him that his suspicions were well founded. In his -anger at the turpitude which would impose on an ethnologist, he -completely forgot Dyson and the gold Tiberius; and when he went to bed -at first sunlight, the whole tale had faded utterly from his thoughts.</p> - - - -<hr style="width: 65%;" /> -<h3><a name="THE_ENCOUNTER_OF_THE_PAVEMENT" id="THE_ENCOUNTER_OF_THE_PAVEMENT"></a>THE ENCOUNTER OF THE PAVEMENT.</h3> - - -<p>Mr. Dyson, walking leisurely along Oxford. Street, and staring with -bland inquiry at whatever caught his attention, enjoyed in all its rare -flavors the sensation that he was really very hard at work. His -observation of mankind, the traffic, and the shop-windows tickled his -faculties with an exquisite bouquet; he looked serious, as one looks on -whom charges of weight and moment are laid, and he was attentive in his -glances to right and left, for fear lest he should miss some -circumstance of more acute significance. He had narrowly escaped being -run over at a crossing by a charging van, for he hated to hurry his -steps, and indeed the afternoon was warm; and he had just halted by a -place of popular refreshment, when the astounding gestures of a well -dressed individual on the opposite pavement held him enchanted and -gasping like a fish. A treble line of hansoms, carriages, vans, cabs, -and omnibuses, was tearing east and west, and not the most daring -adventurer of the crossings would have cared to try his fortune; but the -person who had attracted Dyson's attention seemed to rage on the very -edge of the pavement, now and then darting forward at the hazard of -instant death, and at each repulse absolutely dancing with excitement, -to the rich amusement of the passers-by. At last, a gap that would, have -tried the courage of a street-boy appeared between the serried lines of -vehicles, and the man rushed across in a frenzy, and escaping by a -hair's breadth pounced upon Dyson as a tiger pounces on her prey. "I saw -you looking about you," he said, sputtering out his words in his intense -eagerness; "would you mind telling me this? Was the man who came out of -the Aerated Bread Shop and jumped, into the hansom three minutes ago a -youngish looking man with dark whiskers and spectacles? Can't you speak, -man? For Heaven's sake can't you speak? Answer me; it's a matter of life -and death."</p> - -<p>The words bubbled and boiled out of the man's mouth in the fury of his -emotion, his face went from red to white, and the beads of sweat stood -out on his forehead, and he stamped his feet as he spoke and tore with -his hand at his coat, as if something swelled and choked him, stopping -the passage of his breath.</p> - -<p>"My dear sir," said Dyson, "I always like to be accurate. Your -observation was perfectly correct. As you say, a youngish man, a man, I -should say, of somewhat timid bearing, ran rapidly out of the shop here, -and bounced into a hansom that must have been waiting for him, as it -went eastwards at once. Your friend also wore spectacles, as you say. -Perhaps you would like me to call a hansom for you to follow the -gentleman?"</p> - -<p>"No, thank you; it would be waste of time." The man gulped down -something which appeared to rise in his throat, and Dyson was alarmed to -see him shaking with hysterical laughter, and he clung hard to a -lamp-post and swayed and staggered like a ship in a heavy gale.</p> - -<p>"How shall I face the doctor?" he murmured to himself. "It is too hard -to fail at the last moment." Then he seemed to recollect himself, and -stood straight again, and looked quietly at Dyson. I owe you an apology -for my violence, he said at last. "Many men would not be so patient as -you have been. Would you mind adding to your kindness by walking with me -a little way? I feel a little sick; I think it's the sun."</p> - -<p>Dyson nodded assent, and devoted himself to a quiet scrutiny of this -strange personage as they moved on together. The man was dressed in -quiet taste, and the most scrupulous observer could find nothing amiss -with the fashion or make of his clothes, yet, from his hat to his boots, -everything seemed inappropriate. His silk hat, Dyson thought, should -have been a high bowler of odious pattern worn with a baggy -morning-coat, and an instinct told him that the fellow did not commonly -carry a clean pocket-handkerchief. The face was not of the most -agreeable pattern, and was in no way improved by a pair of bulbous -chin-whiskers of a ginger hue, into which mustaches of light color -merged imperceptibly. Yet in spite of these signals hung out by nature, -Dyson felt that the individual beside him was something more than -compact of vulgarity. He was struggling with himself, holding his -feelings in check, but now and again passion would mount black to his -face, and it was evidently by a supreme effort that he kept himself -from raging like a madman. Dyson found something curious and a little -terrible in the spectacle of an occult emotion thus striving for the -mastery, and threatening to break out at every instant with violence, -and they had gone some distance before the person whom he had met by so -odd a hazard was able to speak quietly.</p> - -<p>"You are really very good," he said. "I apologize again; my rudeness was -really most unjustifiable. I feel my conduct demands an explanation, and -I shall be happy to give it you. Do you happen to know of any place near -here where one could sit down? I should really be very glad."</p> - -<p>"My dear sir," said Dyson, solemnly, "the only café in London is close -by. Pray do not consider yourself as bound to offer me any explanation, -but at the same time I should be most happy to listen to you. Let us -turn down here."</p> - -<p>They walked down a sober street and turned into what seemed a narrow -passage past an iron-barred gate thrown back. The passage was paved with -flagstones, and decorated with handsome shrubs in pots on either side, -and the shadow of the high walls made a coolness which was very -agreeable after the hot breath of the sunny street. Presently the -passage opened out into a tiny square, a charming place, a morsel of -France transplanted into the heart of London. High walls rose on either -side, covered with glossy creepers, flower-beds beneath were gay with -nasturtiums, geraniums, and marigolds, and odorous with mignonette, and -in the centre of the square a fountain hidden by greenery sent a cool -shower continually plashing into the basin beneath, and the very noise -made this retreat delightful. Chairs and tables were disposed at -convenient intervals, and at the other end of the court broad doors had -been thrown back; beyond was a long, dark room, and the turmoil of -traffic had become a distant murmur. Within the room one or two men were -sitting at the tables, writing and sipping, but the courtyard was empty.</p> - -<p>"You see, we shall be quiet," said Dyson. "Pray sit down here, Mr.—?"</p> - -<p>"Wilkins. My name is Henry Wilkins."</p> - -<p>"Sit here, Mr. Wilkins. I think you will find that a comfortable seat. I -suppose you have not been here before? This is the quiet time; the place -will be like a hive at six o'clock, and the chairs and tables will -overflow into that little alley there."</p> - -<p>A waiter came in response to the bell; and after Dyson had politely -inquired after the health of M. Annibault, the proprietor, he ordered a -bottle of the wine of Champigny.</p> - -<p>"The wine of Champigny," he observed to Mr. Wilkins, who was evidently a -good deal composed by the influence of the place, "is a Tourainian wine -of great merit. Ah, here it is; let me fill your glass. How do you find -it?"</p> - -<p>"Indeed," said Mr. Wilkins, "I should have pronounced it a fine -Burgundy. The bouquet is very exquisite. I am fortunate in lighting upon -such a good Samaritan as yourself. I wonder you did not think me mad. -But if you knew the terrors that assailed me, I am sure you would no -longer be surprised at conduct which was certainly most unjustifiable."</p> - -<p>He sipped his wine, and leant back in his chair, relishing the drip and -trickle of the fountain, and the cool greenness that hedged in this -little port of refuge.</p> - -<p>"Yes," he said at last, "that is indeed an admirable wine. Thank you; -you will allow me to offer you another bottle?"</p> - -<p>The waiter was summoned, and descended through a trap-door in the floor -of the dark apartment, and brought up the wine. Mr. Wilkins lit a -cigarette, and Dyson pulled out his pipe.</p> - -<p>"Now," said Mr. Wilkins, "I promised to give you an explanation of my -strange behavior. It is rather a long story, but I see, sir, that you -are no mere cold observer of the ebb and flow of life. You take, I -think, a warm and an intelligent interest in the chances of your -fellow-creatures, and I believe you will find what I have to tell not -devoid of interest."</p> - -<p>Mr. Dyson signified his assent to these propositions, and though he -thought Mr. Wilkins's diction a little pompous, prepared to interest -himself in his tale. The other, who had so raged with passion half an -hour before, was now perfectly cool, and when he had smoked out his -cigarette, he began in an even voice to relate the</p> - - - -<hr style="width: 65%;" /> -<h3><a name="NOVEL_OF_THE_DARK_VALLEY" id="NOVEL_OF_THE_DARK_VALLEY"></a>NOVEL OF THE DARK VALLEY.</h3> - - -<p>I am the son of a poor but learned clergyman in the West of -England,—but I am forgetting, these details are not of special -interest. I will briefly state, then, that my father, who was, as I -have said, a learned man, had never learnt the specious arts by which -the great are flattered, and would never condescend to the despicable -pursuit of self-advertisement. Though his fondness for ancient -ceremonies and quaint customs, combined with a kindness of heart that -was unequalled and a primitive and fervent piety, endeared him to his -moor-land parishioners, such were not the steps by which clergy then -rose in the Church, and at sixty my father was still incumbent of the -little benefice he had accepted in his thirtieth year. The income of the -living was barely sufficient to support life in the decencies which are -expected of the Anglican parson; and when my father died a few years -ago, I, his only child, found myself thrown upon the world with a -slender capital of less than a hundred pounds, and all the problem of -existence before me. I felt that there was nothing for me to do in the -country, and as usually happens in such eases, London drew me like a -magnet. One day in August, in the early morning, while the dew still -glittered on the turf, and on the high green banks of the lane, a -neighbor drove me to the railway station, and I bade good-bye to the -land of the broad moors and unearthly battlements of the wild tors. It -was six o'clock as we neared London; the faint sickly fume of the -brickfields about Acton came in puffs through the open window, and a -mist was rising from the ground. Presently the brief view of successive -streets, prim and uniform, struck me with a sense of monotony; the hot -air seemed to grow hotter; and when we had rolled beneath the dismal and -squalid houses, whose dirty and neglected back yards border the line -near Paddington, I felt as if I should be stifled in this fainting -breath of London. I got a hansom and drove off, and every street -increased my gloom; gray houses with blinds drawn down, whole -thoroughfares almost desolate, and the foot-passengers who seemed to -stagger wearily along rather than walk, all made me feel a sinking at -heart. I put up for the night at a small hotel in a street leading from -the Strand, where my father had stayed on his few brief visits to town; -and when I went out after dinner, the real gayety and bustle of the -Strand and Fleet Street could cheer me but little, for in all this great -city there was no single human being whom I could claim even as an -acquaintance. I will not weary you with the history of the next year, -for the adventures of a man who sinks are too trite to be worth -recalling. My money did not last me long; I found that I must be neatly -dressed, or no one to whom I applied would so much as listen to me; and -I must live in a street of decent reputation if I wished to be treated -with common civility. I applied for various posts, for which, as I now -see, I was completely devoid of qualification; I tried to become a clerk -without having the smallest notion of business habits, and I found, to -my cost, that a general knowledge of literature and an execrable style -of penmanship are far from being looked upon with favor in commercial -circles. I had read one of the most charming of the works of a famous -novelist of the present day, and I frequented the Fleet Street taverns -in the hope of making literary friends, and so getting the -introductions which I understood were indispensable in the career of -letters. I was disappointed; I once or twice ventured to address -gentlemen who were sitting in adjoining boxes, and I was answered, -politely indeed, but in a manner that told me my advances were unusual. -Pound by pound, my small resources melted; I could no longer think of -appearances; I migrated to a shy quarter, and my meals became mere -observances. I went out at one and returned to my room at two, but -nothing but a milk-cake had occurred in the interval. In short, I became -acquainted with misfortune; and as I sat amidst slush and ice on a seat -in Hyde Park, munching a piece of bread, I realized the bitterness of -poverty, and the feelings of a gentleman reduced to something far below -the condition of a vagrant. In spite of all discouragement I did not -desist in my efforts to earn a living. I consulted advertisement -columns, I kept my eyes open for a chance, I looked in at the windows of -stationers' shops, but all in vain. One evening I was sitting in a Free -Library, and I saw an advertisement in one of the papers. It was -something like this: "Wanted, by a gentleman a person of literary taste -and abilities as secretary and amanuensis. Must not object to travel." -Of course I knew that such an advertisement would have answers by the -hundred, and I thought my own chances of securing the post extremely -small; however, I applied at the address given, and wrote to Mr. Smith, -who was staying at a large hotel at the West End. I must confess that my -heart gave a jump when I received a note a couple of days later, asking -me to call at the Cosmopole at my earliest convenience. I do not know, -sir, what your experiences of life may have been, and so I cannot tell -whether you have known such moments. A slight sickness, my heart beating -rather more rapidly than usual, a choking in the throat, and a -difficulty of utterance; such were my sensations as I walked to the -Cosmopole. I had to mention the name twice before the hall porter could -understand me, and as I went upstairs my hands were wet. I was a good -deal struck by Mr. Smith's appearance; he looked younger than I did, and -there was something mild and hesitating about his expression. He was -reading when I came in, and he looked up when I gave my name. "My dear -sir," he said, "I am really delighted to see you. I have read very -carefully the letter you were good enough to send me. Am I to understand -that this document is in your own handwriting?" He showed me the letter -I had written, and I told him I was not so fortunate as to be able to -keep a secretary myself. "Then, sir," he went on, "the post I advertised -is at your service. You have no objection to travel, I presume?" As you -may imagine, I closed pretty eagerly with the offer he made, and thus I -entered the service of Mr. Smith. For the first few weeks I had no -special duties; I had received a quarter's salary, and a handsome -allowance was made me in lieu of board and lodging. One morning, -however, when I called at the hotel according to instructions, my master -informed me that I must hold myself in readiness for a sea-voyage, and, -to spare unnecessary detail, in the course of a fortnight we had landed -at New York. Mr. Smith told me that he was engaged on a work of a -special nature, in the compilation of which some peculiar researches had -to be made; in short, I was given to understand that we were to travel -to the far West.</p> - -<p>After about a week had been spent in New York we took our seats in the -cars, and began a journey tedious beyond all conception. Day after day, -and night after night, the great train rolled on, threading its way -through cities the very names of which were strange to me, passing at -slow speed over perilous viaducts, skirting mountain ranges and pine -forests, and plunging into dense tracts of wood, where mile after mile -and hour after hour the same monotonous growth of brushwood met the eye, -and all along the continual clatter and rattle of the wheels upon the -ill-laid lines made it difficult to hear the voices of our -fellow-passengers. We were a heterogeneous and ever-changing company; -often I woke up in the dead of night with the sudden grinding jar of the -brakes, and looking out found that we had stopped in the shabby street -of some frame-built town, lighted chiefly by the flaring windows of the -saloon. A few rough-looking fellows would often come out to stare at the -cars, and sometimes passengers got down, and sometimes there was a party -of two or three waiting on the wooden sidewalk to get on board. Many of -the passengers were English; humble households torn up from the moorings -of a thousand years, and bound for some problematical paradise in the -alkali desert or the Rockies. I heard the men talking to one another of -the great profits to be made on the virgin soil of America, and two or -three, who were mechanics, expatiated on the wonderful wages given to -skilled labor on the railways and in the factories of the States. This -talk usually fell dead after a few minutes, and I could see a sickness -and dismay in the faces of these men as they looked at the ugly brush or -at the desolate expanse of the prairie, dotted here and there with -frame-houses, devoid of garden, or flowers or trees, standing all alone -in what might have been a great gray sea frozen into stillness. Day -after day the waving sky line, and the desolation of a land without form -or color or variety, appalled the hearts of such of us as were -Englishmen, and once in the night as I lay awake I heard a woman weeping -and sobbing, and asking what she had done to come to such a place. Her -husband tried to comfort her in the broad speech of Gloucestershire, -telling her the ground was so rich that one had only to plough it up and -it would grow sunflowers of itself, but she cried for her mother and -their old cottage and the beehives, like a little child. The sadness of -it all overwhelmed me, and I had no heart to think of other matters; the -question of what Mr. Smith could have to do in such a country, and of -what manner of literary research could be carried on in the wilderness, -hardly troubled me. Now and again my situation struck me as peculiar; I -had been engaged as a literary assistant at a handsome salary, and yet -my master was still almost a stranger to me; sometimes he would come to -where I was sitting in the cars and make a few banal remarks about the -country, but for the most part of the journey he sat by himself, not -speaking to any one, and so far as I could judge, deep in his thoughts. -It was I think on the fifth day from New York when I received, the -intimation that we should shortly leave the cars; I had been watching -some distant mountains which rose wild and savage before us, and I was -wondering if there were human beings so unhappy as to speak of home in -connection with those piles of lumbered rock, when Mr. Smith touched me -lightly on the shoulder. "You will be glad to be done with, the cars, I -have no doubt, Mr. Wilkins," he said. "You were looking at the -mountains, I think? Well, I hope we shall be there to-night. The train -stops at Reading, and I dare say we shall manage to find our way."</p> - -<p>A few hours later the brakeman brought the tram to a standstill at the -Reading depot and we got out. I noticed that the town, though of course -built almost entirely of frame-houses, was larger and busier than any we -had passed for the last two days. The depot was crowded, and as the bell -and whistle sounded, I saw that a number of persons were preparing to -leave the cars, while an even greater number were waiting to get on -board. Besides the passengers, there was a pretty dense crowd of people, -some of whom had come to meet or to see off their friends and relatives, -while others were mere loafers. Several of our English fellow passengers -got down at Reading, but the confusion was so great that they were lost -to my sight almost immediately. Mr. Smith beckoned to me to follow him, -and we were soon in the thick of the mass; and the continual ringing of -bells, the hubbub of voices, the shrieking of whistles, and the hiss of -escaping steam, confused my senses, and I wondered dimly as I struggled -after my employer, where we were going, and how we should be able to -find our way through an unknown country. Mr. Smith had put on a -wide-brimmed hat, which he had sloped over his eyes, and as all the men -wore hats of the same pattern, it was with some difficulty that I -distinguished him in the crowd. We got free at last, and he struck down -a side street, and made one or two sharp turns to right and left. It was -getting dusk, and we seemed to be passing through a shy portion of the -town, there were few people about in the ill-lighted streets, and these -few were men of the most unprepossessing pattern. Suddenly we stopped -before a corner house, a man was standing at the door, apparently on the -look-out for some one, and I noticed that he and Smith gave sharp -glances one to the other.</p> - -<p>"From New York City, I expect, mister?"</p> - -<p>"From New York!"</p> - -<p>"All right; they 're ready, and you can have 'em when you choose. I know -my orders, you see, and I mean to run this business through."</p> - -<p>"Very well, Mr. Evans, that is what we want. Our money is good, you -know. Bring them round."</p> - -<p>I had stood silent, listening to this dialogue, and wondering what it -meant. Smith began to walk impatiently up and down the street, and the -man Evans was still standing at his door. He had given a sharp whistle, -and I saw him looking me over in a quiet leisurely way, as if to make -sure of my face for another time. I was thinking what all this could -mean, when an ugly, slouching lad came up a side passage, leading two -raw-boned horses.</p> - -<p>"Get up, Mr. Wilkins, and be quick about it," said Smith. "We ought to -be on our way."</p> - -<p>We rode off together into the gathering darkness, and before long I -looked back and saw the far plain behind us, with the lights of the town -glimmering faintly; and in front rose the mountains. Smith guided his -horse on the rough track as surely as if he had been riding along -Piccadilly, and I followed him as well as I could. I was weary and -exhausted, and scarcely took note of anything; I felt that the track was -a gradual ascent, and here and there I saw great boulders by the road. -The ride made but little impression on me; I have a faint recollection -of passing through a dense black pine forest, where our horses had to -pick their way among the rocks, and I remember the peculiar effect of -the rarefied air as we kept still mounting higher and higher. I think I -must have been half asleep for the latter half of the ride, and it was -with a shock that I heard Smith saying—</p> - -<p>"Here we are, Wilkins. This is Blue-Rock Park. You will enjoy the view -to-morrow. To-night we will have something to eat, and then go to bed."</p> - -<p>A man came out of a rough-looking house and took the horses, and we -found some fried steak and coarse whiskey awaiting us inside. I had come -to a strange place. There were three rooms,—the room in which we had -supper, Smith's room and my own. The deaf old man who did the work slept -in a sort of shed, and when I woke up the next morning and walked out I -found that the house stood in a sort of hollow amongst the mountains; -the clumps of pines and some enormous bluish-gray rocks that stood here -and there between the trees had given the place the name of Blue-Rock -Park. On every side the snow-covered mountains surrounded us, the breath -of the air was as wine, and when I climbed the slope and looked down, I -could see that, so far as any human fellowship was concerned I might as -well have been wrecked on some small island in mid-Pacific. The only -trace of man I could see was the rough log-house where I had slept, and -in my ignorance I did not know that there were similar houses within -comparatively easy distance, as distance is reckoned in the Rockies. But -at the moment, the utter, dreadful loneliness rushed upon me, and the -thought of the great plain and the great sea that parted me from the -world I knew, caught me by the throat, and I wondered if I should die -there in that mountain hollow. It was a terrible instant, and I have not -yet forgotten it. Of course I managed to conquer my horror; I said I -should be all the stronger for the experience, and I made up my mind to -make the best of everything. It was a rough life enough, and rough -enough board and lodging. I was left entirely to myself. Smith I -scarcely ever saw, nor did I know when he was in the house. I have often -thought he was far away, and have been surprised to see him walking out -of his room, locking the door behind him and putting the key in his -pocket; and on several occasions when I fancied he was busy in his room, -I have seen him come in with his boots covered with dust and dirt. So -far as work went I enjoyed a complete sinecure; I had nothing to do but -to walk about the valley, to eat, and to sleep. With one thing and -another I grew accustomed, to the life, and managed to make myself -pretty comfortable, and by degrees I began to venture farther away from -the house, and to explore the country. One day I had contrived to get -into a neighboring valley, and suddenly I came upon a group of men -sawing timber. I went up to them, hoping that perhaps some of them might -be Englishmen; at all events they were human beings, and I should hear -articulate speech, for the old man I have mentioned, besides being half -blind and stone deaf, was wholly dumb so far as I was concerned. I was -prepared to be welcomed in a rough and ready fashion, without much, of -the forms of politeness, but the grim glances and the short gruff -answers I received astonished me. I saw the men glancing oddly at each -other, and one of them who had stopped work began fingering a gun, and I -was obliged to return on my path uttering curses on the fate which had -brought me into a land where men were more brutish than the very brutes. -The solitude of the life began to oppress me as with a nightmare, and a -few days later I determined to walk to a kind of station some miles -distant, where a rough inn was kept for the accommodation of hunters and -tourists. English gentlemen occasionally stopped there for the night, -and I thought I might perhaps fall in with some one of better manners -than the inhabitants of the country. I found as I had expected a group -of men lounging about the door of the log-house that served as a hotel, -and as I came nearer I could see that heads were put together and looks -interchanged, and when I walked up the six or seven trappers stared at -me in stony ferocity, and with something of the disgust that one eyes a -loathsome and venomous snake. I felt that I could bear it no longer, and -I called out:—</p> - -<p>"Is there such a thing as an Englishman here, or any one with a little -civilization?"</p> - -<p>One of the men put his hand to his belt, but his neighbor checked him -and answered me.</p> - -<p>"You'll find we've got some of the resources of civilization before very -long, mister, and I expect you'll not fancy them extremely. But anyway, -there's an Englishman tarrying here, and I've no doubt he'll be glad to -see you. There you are, that's Mr. D'Aubernoun."</p> - -<p>A young man, dressed like an English country squire, came and stood at -the door, and looked at me. One of the men pointed to me and said:—</p> - -<p>"That's the individual we were talking about last night. Thought you -might like to have a look at him, squire, and here he is."</p> - -<p>The young fellow's good-natured English face clouded over, and he -glanced sternly at me, and turned away with a gesture of contempt and -aversion.</p> - -<p>"Sir," I cried, "I do not know what I have done to be treated in this -manner. You are my fellow-countryman, and I expected some courtesy."</p> - -<p>He gave me a black look and made as if he would go in, but he changed -his mind, and faced me.</p> - -<p>"You are rather imprudent, I think, to behave in this manner. You must -be counting on a forbearance which cannot last very long; which may last -a very short time, indeed. And let me tell you this, sir, you may call -yourself an Englishman and drag the name of England through the dirt, -but you need not count on any English influence to help you. If I were -you, I would not stay here much longer."</p> - -<p>He went into the inn, and the men quietly watched my face, as I stood -there, wondering whether I was going mad. The woman of the house came -out and stared at me as if I were a wild beast or a savage, and I turned -to her, and spoke quietly.</p> - -<p>"I am very hungry and thirsty, I have walked a long way. I have plenty -of money. Will you give me something to eat and drink?"</p> - -<p>"No, I won't," she said. "You had better quit this."</p> - -<p>I crawled home like a wounded beast, and lay down on my bed. It was all -a hopeless puzzle to me. I knew nothing but rage and shame and terror, -and I suffered little more when I passed by a house in an adjacent -valley, and some children who were playing outside ran from me -shrieking. I was forced to walk to find some occupation. I should have -died if I had sat down quietly in Blue Rock Park and looked all day at -the mountains; but wherever I saw a human being I saw the same glance of -hatred and aversion, and once as I was crossing a thick brake I heard a -shot, and the venomous hiss of a bullet close to my ear.</p> - -<p>One day I heard a conversation which astounded me; I was sitting behind -a rock resting, and two men came along the track and halted. One of them -had got his feet entangled in some wild vines, and swore fiercely, but -the other laughed, and said they were useful things sometimes.</p> - -<p>"What the hell do you mean?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, nothing much. But they 're uncommon tough, these here vines, and -sometimes rope is skerse and dear."</p> - -<p>The man who had sworn chuckled at this, and I heard them sit down and -light their pipes.</p> - -<p>"Have you seen him lately?" asked the humorist.</p> - -<p>"I sighted him the other day, but the darned bullet went high. He's got -his master's luck, I expect, sir, but it can't last much longer. You -heard about him going to Jinks's and trying his brass, but the young -Britisher downed him pretty considerable, I can tell you."</p> - -<p>"What the devil is the meaning of it?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know, but I believe it'll have to be finished, and done in the -old style, too. You know how they fix the niggers?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir, I've seen a little of that. A couple of gallons of -kerosene'll cost a dollar at Brown's store, but I should say it's cheap -anyway."</p> - -<p>They moved off after this, and I lay still behind the rock, the sweat -pouring down my face. I was so sick that I could barely stand, and I -walked home as slowly as an old man, leaning on my stick. I knew that -the two men had been talking about me, and I knew that some terrible -death was in store for me. That night I could not sleep. I tossed on the -rough bed and tortured myself to find out the meaning of it all. At last -in the very dead of night I rose from the bed, and put on my clothes, -and went out. I did not care where I went, but I felt that I must walk -till I had tired myself out. It was a clear moonlight night, and in a -couple of hours I found I was approaching a place of dismal reputation -in the mountains, a deep cleft in the rocks, known as Black Gulf Cañon. -Many years before, an unfortunate party of Englishmen and Englishwomen -had camped here and had been surrounded by Indians. They were captured, -outraged, and put to death with almost inconceivable tortures, and the -roughest of the trappers or woodsmen gave the cañon a wide berth even in -the day-time. As I crushed through the dense brushwood which grew above -the cañon, I heard voices, and wondering who could be in such a place at -such a time, I went on, walking more carefully and making as little -noise as possible. There was a great tree growing on the very edge of -the rocks, and I lay down and looked out from behind the trunk. Black -Gulf Cañon was below me, the moonlight shining bright into its very -depths from midheaven, and casting shadows as black as death from the -pointed rock, and all the sheer rock on the other side, overhanging the -cañon, was in darkness. At intervals a light veil obscured the -moonlight, as a filmy cloud fleeted across the moon; and a bitter wind -blew shrill across the gulf. I looked down as I have said, and saw -twenty men standing in a semicircle round a rock; I counted them one by -one, and knew most of them. They were the very vilest of the vile, more -vile than any den in London could show, and there was murder and worse -than murder on the heads of not a few. Facing them and me stood Mr. -Smith with the rock before him, and on the rock was a great pair of -scales, such, as are used in the stores. I heard his voice ringing down -the cañon as I lay beside the tree, and my heart turned cold as I heard -it.</p> - -<p>"Life for gold," he cried, "a life for gold. The blood and the life of -an enemy for every pound of gold."</p> - -<p>A man stepped out and raised one hand, and with the other flung a bright -lump of something into the pan of the scales, which clanged down, and -Smith muttered something in his ear. Then he cried again:—</p> - -<p>"Blood for gold; for a pound of gold, the life of an enemy. For every -pound of gold upon the scales, a life."</p> - -<p>One by one the men came forward, each lifting up his right hand; and the -gold was weighed in the scales, and each time Smith leaned forward and -spoke to each man in his ear. Then he cried again:—</p> - -<p>"Desire and lust, for gold on the scales. For every pound of gold, -enjoyment of desire."</p> - -<p>I saw the same thing happen as before; the uplifted hand, and the metal -weighed, and the mouth whispering, and black passion on every face.</p> - -<p>Then, one by one, I saw the men again step up to Smith. A muttered -conversation seemed to take place; I could see that Smith was explaining -and directing, and I noticed that he gesticulated a little as one who -points out the way, and once or twice he moved his hands quickly as if -he would show that the path was clear and could not be missed. I kept my -eyes so intently on his figure that I noted little else, and at last it -was with a start that I realized that the cañon was empty. A moment -before I thought I had seen the group of villainous faces, and the two -standing, a little apart by the rock; I had looked down a moment, and -when I glanced again into the cañon there was no one there. In dumb -terror I made my way home, and I fell asleep in an instant from -exhaustion. No doubt I should have slept on for many hours, but when I -woke up, the sun was only rising, and the light shone in on my bed. I -had started up from sleep with the sensation of having received a -violent shock, and as I looked in confusion about me I saw to my -amazement that there were three men in the room. One of them had his -hand on my shoulder and spoke to me.</p> - -<p>"Come, mister, wake up. Your time's up now, I reckon, and the boys are -waiting for you outside, and they 're in a big hurry. Come on; you can -put on your clothes, it's kind of chilly this morning."</p> - -<p>I saw the other two men smiling sourly at each other, but I understood -nothing. I simply pulled on my clothes, and said I was ready.</p> - -<p>"All right, come on then. You go first, Nichols, and Jim and I will give -the gentleman an arm."</p> - -<p>They took me out into the sunlight, and then I understood the meaning of -a dull murmur that had vaguely perplexed me while I was dressing. There -were about two hundred men waiting outside, and some women too, and when -they saw me there was a low muttering growl. I did not know what I had -done, but that noise made my heart beat and the sweat come out on my -face. I saw confusedly, as through a veil, the tumult and tossing of the -crowd, discordant voices were speaking, and amongst all those faces -there was not one glance of mercy, but a fury of lust that I did not -understand. I found myself presently walking in a sort of procession up -the slope of the valley, and on every side of me there were men with -revolvers in their hands. Now and then a voice struck me, and I heard -words and sentences of which I could form no connected story. But I -understood that there was one sentence of execration; I heard scraps of -stories that seemed strange and improbable. Some one was talking of men, -lured by cunning devices from their homes and murdered with hideous -tortures, found writhing like wounded snakes in dark and lonely places, -only crying for some one to stab them to the heart, and so end their -torments; and I heard another voice speaking of innocent girls who had -vanished for a day or two, and then had come back and died, blushing red -with shame even in the agonies of death. I wondered what it all meant, -and what was to happen, but I was so weary that I walked on in a dream, -scarcely longing for anything but sleep. At last we stopped. We had -reached the summit of the hill, overlooking Blue Rock Valley, and I saw -that I was standing beneath a clump of trees where I had often sat. I -was in the midst of a ring of armed men, and I saw that two or three men -were very busy with piles of wood, while others were fingering a rope. -Then there was a stir in the crowd, and a man was pushed forward. His -hands and feet were tightly bound with cord, and though his face was -unutterably villainous I pitied him for the agony that worked his -features and twisted his lips. I knew him; he was amongst those that had -gathered round Smith in Black Gulf Cañon. In an instant he was unbound, -and stripped naked; and borne beneath one of the trees, and his neck -encircled by a noose that went around the trunk. A hoarse voice gave -some kind of order; there was a rush of feet, and the rope tightened; -and there before me I saw the blackened face and the writhing limbs and -the shameful agony of death. One after another, half a dozen men, all of -whom I had seen in the cañon the night before, were strangled before me, -and their bodies were flung forth on the ground. Then there was a pause, -and the man who had roused me a short while before, came up to me and -said:—</p> - -<p>"Now, mister, it's your turn. We give you five minutes to cast up your -accounts, and when that's clocked, by the living God we will burn you -alive at that tree."</p> - -<p>It was then I awoke and understood. I cried out:—</p> - -<p>"Why, what have I done? Why should you hurt me? I am a harmless man, I -never did you any wrong." I covered my face with my hands; it seemed so -pitiful, and it was such a terrible death.</p> - -<p>"What have I done?" I cried again. "You must take me for some other man. -You cannot know me."</p> - -<p>"You black-hearted devil," said the man at my side, "we know you well -enough. There's not a man within thirty miles of this that won't curse -Jack Smith when you are burning in hell."</p> - -<p>"My name is not Smith," I said, with some hope left in me. "My name is -Wilkins. I was Mr. Smith's secretary, but I knew nothing of him."</p> - -<p>"Hark at the black liar," said the man. "Secretary be damned! You were -clever enough, I dare say, to slink out at night, and keep your face in -the dark, but we've tracked you out at last. But your time's up. Come -along."</p> - -<p>I was dragged to the tree and bound to it with chains, and I saw the -piles of wood heaped all about me, and shut my eyes. Then I felt myself -drenched all over with some liquid, and looked again, and a woman -grinned at me. She had just emptied a great can of petroleum over me and -over the wood. A voice shouted, "Fire away," and I fainted and knew -nothing more.</p> - -<p>When I opened my eyes I was lying on a bed in a bare comfortless room. A -doctor was holding some strong salts to my nostrils, and a gentleman -standing by the bed, whom I afterwards found to be the sheriff, -addressed me:—</p> - -<p>"Say, mister," he began, "you've had an uncommon narrow squeak for it. -The boys were just about lighting up when I came along with the posse, -and I had as much as I could do to bring you off, I can tell you. And, -mind you, I don't blame, them; they had made up their minds, you see, -that you were the head of the Black Gulf gang, and at first nothing I -could say would persuade them you weren't Jack Smith. Luckily, a man -from here named Evans, that came along with us, allowed he had seen you -with Jack Smith, and that you were yourself. So we brought you along and -jailed you, but you can go if you like, when you're through with this -faint turn."</p> - -<p>I got on the cars the next day, and in three weeks I was in London; -again almost penniless. But from that time my fortune seemed to change. -I made influential friends in all directions; bank directors courted my -company, and editors positively flung themselves into my arms. I had -only to choose my career, and after a while I determined that I was -meant by nature for a life of comparative leisure. With an ease that -seemed almost ridiculous I obtained a well-paid position in connection -with a prosperous political club. I have charming chambers in a central -neighborhood close to the parks; the club <i>chef</i> exerts himself when I -lunch or dine, and the rarest vintages in the cellar are always at my -disposal. Yet, since my return to London, I have never known a day's -security or peace; I tremble when I awake lest Smith should be standing -at my bed, and every step I take seems to bring me nearer to the edge of -the precipice. Smith, I knew, had escaped free from the raid of the -vigilantes, and I grew faint at the thought that he would in all -probability return to London, and that suddenly and unprepared I should -meet him face to face. Every morning as I left my house, I would peer up -and down the street, expecting to see that dreaded figure awaiting me; I -have delayed at street corners, my heart in my mouth, sickening at the -thought that a few quick steps might bring us together; I could not bear -to frequent the theatres or music halls, lest by some bizarre chance he -should prove to be my neighbor. Sometimes, I have been forced, against -my will, to walk out at night, and then in silent squares the shadows -have made me shudder, and in the medley of meetings in the crowded -thoroughfares, I have said to myself, "It must come sooner or later; he -will surely return to town, and I shall see him when I feel most -secure." I scanned the newspapers for hint or intimation of approaching -danger, and no small type nor report of trivial interest was allowed to -pass unread. Especially I read and re-read the advertisement columns, -but without result. Months passed by and I was undisturbed till, though -I felt far from safe, I no longer suffered from the intolerable -oppression of instant and ever present terror. This afternoon as I was -walking quietly along Oxford Street, I raised my eyes, and looked across -the road, and then at last I saw the man who had so long haunted my -thoughts.</p> - -<hr style="width: 45%;" /> - -<p>Mr. Wilkins finished his wine, and leaned back in his chair, looking -sadly at Dyson; and then, as if a thought struck him, fished out of an -inner pocket a leather letter case, and handed a newspaper cutting -across the table.</p> - -<p>Dyson glanced closely at the slip, and saw that it had been extracted -from the columns of an evening paper. It ran as follows:—</p> - -<p class="center"> -WHOLESALE LYNCHING.<br /> -<br /> -SHOCKING STORY.<br /> -</p> - -<p>A Dalziel telegram from Reading (Colorado) states that advices received -there from Blue Rock Park report a frightful instance of popular -vengeance. For some time the neighborhood has been terrorized by the -crimes of a gang of desperadoes, who, under the cover of a carefully -planned organization, have perpetrated the most infamous cruelties on -men and women. A Vigilance Committee was formed, and it was found that -the leader of the gang was a person named Smith, living in Blue Rock -Park. Action was taken, and six of the worst in the band were summarily -strangled in the presence of two or three hundred men and women. Smith -is said to have escaped.</p> - -<hr style="width: 45%;" /> - -<p>"This is a terrible story," said Dyson; "I can well believe that your -days and nights are haunted by such fearful scenes as you have -described. But surely you have no need to fear Smith? He has much, more -cause to fear you. Consider, you have only to lay your information -before the police, and a warrant would be immediately issued for his -arrest. Besides, you will, I am sure, excuse me for what I am going to -say."</p> - -<p>"My dear sir," said Mr. Wilkins, "I hope you will speak to me with -perfect freedom."</p> - -<p>"Well, then, I must confess that my impression was that you were rather -disappointed at not being able to stop the man before he drove off. I -thought you seemed annoyed that you could not get across the street."</p> - -<p>"Sir, I did not know what I was about. I caught sight of the man, but it -was only for a moment, and the agony you witnessed was the agony of -suspense. I was not perfectly certain of the face; and the horrible -thought that Smith was again in London overwhelmed me. I shuddered at -the idea of this incarnate fiend, whose soul is black with shocking -crimes, mingling free and unobserved amongst the harmless crowds, -meditating perhaps a new and more fearful cycle of infamies. I tell -you, sir, that an awful being stalks through the streets, a being before -whom the sunlight itself should blacken, and the summer air grow chill -and dank. Such thoughts as these rushed upon me with the force of a -whirlwind; I lost my senses."</p> - -<p>"I see. I partly understand your feelings, but I would impress on you -that you have nothing really to fear. Depend upon it, Smith will not -molest you in any way. You must remember he himself has had a warning; -and indeed from the brief glance I had of him, he seemed to me to be a -frightened-looking man. However, I see it is getting late, and if you -will excuse me, Mr. Wilkins, I think I will be going. I dare say we -shall often meet here."</p> - -<p>Dyson walked off smartly, pondering the strange story chance had brought -him, and finding on cool reflection that there was something a little -strange in Mr. Wilkins's manner, for which not even so weird a catalogue -of experiences could altogether account.</p> - - - -<hr style="width: 65%;" /> -<h3><a name="ADVENTURE_OF_THE_MISSING_BROTHER" id="ADVENTURE_OF_THE_MISSING_BROTHER"></a>ADVENTURE OF THE MISSING BROTHER.</h3> - - -<p>Mr. Charles Phillipps was, as has been hinted, a gentleman of pronounced -scientific tastes. In his early days he had devoted himself with fond -enthusiasm to the agreeable study of biology, and a brief monograph on -the Embryology of the Microscopic Holothuria had formed his first -contribution to the belles lettres. Later, he had somewhat relaxed the -severity of his pursuits, and had dabbled in the more frivolous subjects -of palæontology and ethnology; he had a cabinet in his sitting-room -whose drawers were stuffed with rude flint implements, and a charming -fetish from the South Seas was the dominant note in the decorative -scheme of the apartment. Flattering himself with the title of -materialist, he was in truth one of the most credulous of men, but he -required a marvel to be neatly draped in the robes of science before he -would give it any credit, and the wildest dreams took solid shape to him -if only the nomenclature were severe and irreproachable; he laughed at -the witch, but quailed before the powers of the hypnotist, lifting his -eyebrows when Christianity was mentioned, but adoring protyle and the -ether. For the rest, he prided himself on a boundless scepticism; the -average tale of wonder he heard with nothing but contempt, and he would -certainly not have credited a word or syllable of Dyson's story of the -pursuer and pursued unless the gold coin had been produced as visible -and tangible evidence. As it was he half suspected that Dyson had -imposed on him; he knew his friend's disordered fancies, and his habit -of conjuring up the marvellous to account for the entirely commonplace; -and on the whole he was inclined to think that the so-called facts in -the odd adventure had been gravely distorted in the telling. Since the -evening on which he had listened to the tale, he had paid Dyson a visit, -and had delivered himself of some serious talk on the necessity of -accurate observation, and the folly, as he put it, of using a -kaleidoscope instead of a telescope in the view of things, to which -remarks his friend had listened with a smile that was extremely sardonic -"My dear fellow," Dyson had remarked at last, "you will allow me to tell -you that I see your drift perfectly. However, you will be astonished to -hear that I consider you to be the visionary, while I am a sober and -serious spectator of human life. You have gone round the circle, and -while you fancy yourself far in the golden land of new philosophies, you -are in reality a dweller in a metaphorical Clapham; your scepticism has -defeated itself and become a monstrous credulity; you are in fact in the -position of the bat or owl, I forget which it was, who denied the -existence of the sun at noonday, and I shall be astonished if you do not -one day come to me full of contrition for your manifold intellectual -errors, with a humble resolution to see things in their true light for -the future." This tirade had left Mr. Phillipps unimpressed; he -considered Dyson as hopeless, and he went home to gloat over some -primitive stone implements that a friend had sent him from India. He -found that his landlady, seeing them displayed in all their rude -formlessness upon the table, had removed the collection to the dustbin, -and had replaced it by lunch; and the afternoon was spent in malodorous -research. Mrs. Brown, hearing these stones spoken of as very valuable -knives, had called him in his hearing "poor Mr. Phillipps," and between -rage and evil odors he spent a sorry afternoon. It was four o'clock -before he had completed his work of rescue; and, overpowered with the -flavors of decaying cabbage-leaves, Phillipps felt that he must have a -walk to gain an appetite for the evening meal. Unlike Dyson, he walked -fast, with his eyes on the pavement, absorbed in his thoughts and -oblivious of the life around him; and he could not have told by what -streets he had passed, when he suddenly lifted up his eyes and found -himself in Leicester Square. The grass and flowers pleased him, and he -welcomed the opportunity of resting for a few minutes, and glancing -round, he saw a bench which had only one occupant, a lady, and as she -was seated at one end, Phillipps took up a position at the other -extremity, and began to pass in angry review the events of the -afternoon. He had noticed as he came up to the bench that the person -already there was neatly dressed, and to all appearance young; her face -he could not see, as it was turned away in apparent contemplation of the -shrubs, and moreover shielded with her hand; but it would be doing -wrong to Mr. Phillipps to imagine that his choice of a seat was dictated -by any hopes of an affair of the heart; he had simply preferred the -company of one lady to that of five dirty children, and having seated -himself was immersed directly in thoughts of his misfortunes. He had -meditated changing his lodgings; but now, on a judicial review of the -case in all its bearings, his calmer judgment told him that the race of -landladies is like to the race of the leaves, and that there was but -little to choose between them. He resolved, however, to talk to Mrs. -Brown, the offender, very coolly and yet severely, to point out the -extreme indiscretion of her conduct, and to express a hope for better -things in the future. With this decision registered in his mind, -Phillipps was about to get up from the seat and move off, when he was -intensely annoyed to hear a stifled sob, evidently from the lady, who -still continued her contemplation of the shrubs and flower-beds. He -clutched his stick desperately, and in a moment would have been in full -retreat, when the lady turned her face towards him, and with a mute -entreaty bespoke his attention. She was a young girl with a quaint and -piquant rather than a beautiful face, and she was evidently in the -bitterest distress, and Mr. Phillipps sat down again, and cursed his -chances heartily. The young lady looked at him with a pair of charming -eyes of a shining hazel, which showed no trace of tears, though a -handkerchief was in her hand; she bit her lip, and seemed to struggle -with some overpowering grief, and her whole attitude was all beseeching -and imploring. Phillipps sat on the edge of the bench gazing awkwardly -at her, and wondering what was to come next, and she looked at him still -without speaking.</p> - -<p>"Well, madam," he said at last, "I understood from your gesture that you -wished to speak to me. Is there anything I can do for you? Though, if -you will pardon me, I cannot help saying that that seems highly -improbable."</p> - -<p>"Ah, sir," she said in a low murmuring voice, "do not speak harshly to -me. I am in sore straits, and I thought from your face that I could -safely ask your sympathy, if not your help."</p> - -<p>"Would you kindly tell me what is the matter?" said Phillipps. "Perhaps -you would like some tea?"</p> - -<p>"I knew I could not be mistaken," the lady replied. "That offer of -refreshment bespeaks a generous mind. But tea, alas! is powerless to -console me. If you will let me, I will endeavor to explain my trouble."</p> - -<p>"I should be glad if you would."</p> - -<p>"I will do so, and I will try and be brief, in spite of the numerous -complications which have made me, young as I am, tremble before what -seems the profound and terrible mystery of existence. Yet the grief -which now racks my very soul is but too simple; I have lost my brother."</p> - -<p>"Lost your brother! How on earth can that be?"</p> - -<p>"I see I must trouble you with a few particulars. My brother, then, who -is by some years my elder, is a tutor in a private school in the extreme -north of London. The want of means deprived him of the advantages of a -University education; and lacking the stamp of a degree, he could not -hope for that position which his scholarship and his talents entitled -him to claim. He was thus forced to accept the post of classical master -at Dr. Saunderson's Highgate Academy for the sons of gentlemen, and he -has performed his duties with perfect satisfaction to his principal for -some years. My personal history need not trouble you; if will be enough -if I tell you that for the last month I have been governess in a family -residing at Tooting. My brother and I have always cherished the warmest -mutual affection; and though circumstances into which I need not enter -have kept us apart for some time, yet we have never lost sight of one -another. We made up our minds that unless one of us was absolutely -unable to rise from a bed of sickness, we would never let a week pass by -without meeting, and some time ago we chose this square as our -rendezvous on account of its central position and its convenience of -access. And indeed, after a week of distasteful toil, my brother felt -little inclination for much walking, and we have often spent two or -three hours on this bench, speaking of our prospects and of happier -days, when we were children. In the early spring it was cold and chilly; -still we enjoyed the short respite, and I think that we were often taken -for a pair of lovers, as we sat close together, eagerly talking. -Saturday after Saturday we have met each other here, and though the -doctor told him it was madness, my brother would not allow the influenza -to break the appointment. That was some time ago; last Saturday we had -a long and happy afternoon, and separated more cheerfully than usual, -feeling that the coming week would be bearable, and resolving that our -next meeting should be if possible still more pleasant. I arrived here -at the time agreed upon, four o'clock, and sat down and watched for my -brother, expecting every moment to see him advancing towards me from -that gate at the north side of the square. Five minutes passed by, and -he had not arrived; I thought he must have missed his train, and the -idea that our interview would be cut short by twenty minutes, or perhaps -half an hour, saddened me; I had hoped we should be so happy together -to-day. Suddenly, moved by I know not what impulse, I turned abruptly -round, and how can I describe to you my astonishment when I saw my -brother advancing slowly towards me from the southern side of the -square, accompanied by another person. My first thought, I remember, had -in it something of resentment that this man, whoever he was, should -intrude himself into our meeting; I wondered who it could possibly be, -for my brother had, I may say, no intimate friends. Then as I looked -still at the advancing figures, another feeling took possession of me; -it was a sensation of bristling fear, the fear of the child in the dark, -unreasonable and unreasoning, but terrible, clutching at my heart as -with the cold grip of a dead man's hands. Yet I overcame the feeling, -and looked steadily at my brother, waiting for him to speak, and more -closely at his companion. Then I noticed that this man was leading my -brother rather than walking arm-in-arm with him; he was a tall man, -dressed in quite ordinary fashion. He wore a high bowler hat, and, in -spite of the warmth of the day, a plain black overcoat, tightly -buttoned, and I noticed his trousers, of a quiet black and gray stripe. -The face was commonplace too, and indeed I cannot recall any special -features, or any trick of expression; for though I looked at him as he -came near, curiously enough his face made no impression on me, it was as -though I had seen a well-made mask. They passed in front of me, and to -my unutterable astonishment I heard my brother's voice speaking to me, -though his lips did not move, nor his eyes look into mine. It was a -voice I cannot describe, though I knew it, but the words came to my ears -as if mingled with plashing water and the sound of a shallow brook -flowing amidst stones. I heard, then, the words, 'I cannot stay,' and -for a moment the heavens and the earth seemed to rush together with the -sound of thunder, and I was thrust forth from the world into a black -void without beginning and without end. For, as my brother passed me, I -saw the hand that held him by the arm, and seemed to guide him, and in -one moment of horror I realized that it was as a formless thing that has -mouldered for many years in the grave. The flesh was peeled in strips -from the bones, and hung apart dry and granulated, and the fingers that -encircled my brother's arm were all unshapen, claw-like things, and one -was but a stump from which the end had rotted off. When I recovered my -senses I saw the two passing out by that gate. I paused for a moment, -and then with a rush as of fire to my heart I knew that no horror -could, stay me, but that I must follow my brother and save him, even -though all hell rose up against me. I ran out and looked up the -pavement, and saw the two figures walking amidst the crowd. I ran across -the road, and saw them turn up that side street, and I reached the -corner a moment later. In vain I looked to right and left, for neither -my brother nor his strange guardian was in sight; two elderly men were -coming down arm-in-arm, and a telegraph boy was walking lustily along -whistling. I remained there a moment horror-struck, and then I bowed my -head and returned to this seat, where you found me. Now, sir, do you -wonder at my grief? Oh, tell me what has happened to my brother, or I -feel I shall go mad."</p> - -<p>Mr. Phillipps, who had listened with exemplary patience to this tale, -hesitated a moment before he spoke.</p> - -<p>"My dear madam," he said at length, "you have known how to engage me in -your service, not only as a man, but as a student of science. As a -fellow-creature I pity you most profoundly; you must have suffered -extremely from what you saw, or rather from what you fancied you saw. -For, as a scientific observer, it is my duty to tell you the plain -truth, which, indeed, besides being true, must also console you. Allow -me to ask you then to describe your brother."</p> - -<p>"Certainly," said the lady, eagerly; "I can describe him accurately. My -brother is a somewhat young-looking man; he is pale, has small black -whiskers, and wears spectacles. He has rather a timid, almost a -frightened expression, and looks about him nervously from side to side. -Think, think! Surely you must have seen him. Perhaps you are an -<i>habitué</i> of this engaging quarter; you may have met him on some -previous Saturday. I may have been mistaken in supposing that he turned -up that side street; he may have gone on, and you may have passed each -other. Oh, tell me, sir, whether you have not seen him?"</p> - -<p>"I am afraid I do not keep a very sharp lookout when I am walking," said -Phillipps, who would have passed his mother unnoticed; "but I am sure -your description is admirable. And now will you describe the person, -who, you say, held your brother by the arm?"</p> - -<p>"I cannot do so. I told you, his face seemed devoid of expression or -salient feature. It was like a mask."</p> - -<p>"Exactly; you cannot describe what you have never seen. I need hardly -point out to you the conclusion to be drawn; you have been the victim of -an hallucination. You expected to see your brother, you were alarmed -because you did not see him, and unconsciously, no doubt, your brain -went to work, and finally you saw a mere projection of your own morbid -thoughts; a vision of your absent brother, and a mere confusion of -terrors incorporated in a figure which you can't describe. Of course -your brother has been in some way prevented from coming to meet you as -usual. I expect you will hear from him in a day or two."</p> - -<p>The lady looked seriously at Mr. Phillipps, and then for a second there -seemed almost a twinkling as of mirth about her eyes, but her face -clouded sadly at the dogmatic conclusions to which the scientist was -led so irresistibly.</p> - -<p>"Ah," she said, "you do not know. I cannot doubt the evidence of my -waking senses. Besides, perhaps I have had experiences even more -terrible. I acknowledge the force of your arguments, but a woman has -intuitions which never deceive her. Believe me, I am not hysterical; -feel my pulse, it is quite regular."</p> - -<p>She stretched out her hand with a dainty gesture, and a glance that -enraptured Phillipps in spite of himself. The hand held out to him was -soft and white and warm, and as, in some confusion, he placed his -fingers on the purple vein, he felt profoundly touched by the spectacle -of love and grief before him.</p> - -<p>"No," he said, as he released her wrist, "as you say, you are evidently -quite yourself. Still, you must be aware that living men do not possess -dead hands. That sort of thing doesn't happen. It is, of course, barely -possible that you did see your brother with another gentleman, and that -important business prevented him from stopping. As for the wonderful -hand, there may have been some deformity, a finger shot off by accident, -or something of that sort."</p> - -<p>The lady shook her head mournfully.</p> - -<p>"I see you are a determined rationalist," she said. "Did you not hear me -say that I have had experiences even more terrible? I too was once a -sceptic, but after what I have known I can no longer affect to doubt."</p> - -<p>"Madam," replied Mr. Phillipps, "no one shall make me deny my faith. I -will never believe, nor will I pretend to believe, that two and two make -five, nor will I on any pretences admit the existence of two-sided -triangles."</p> - -<p>"You are a little hasty," rejoined the lady. "But may I ask you if you -ever heard the name of Professor Gregg, the authority on ethnology and -kindred subjects?"</p> - -<p>"I have done much more than merely hear of Professor Gregg," said -Phillipps. "I always regarded him as one of our most acute and -clear-headed observers; and his last publication, the 'Text-book of -Ethnology,' struck me as being quite admirable in its kind. Indeed, the -book had but come into my hands when I heard of the terrible accident -which cut short Gregg's career. He had, I think, taken a country house -in the West of England for the summer, and is supposed to have fallen -into a river. So far as I remember, his body was never recovered."</p> - -<p>"Sir, I am sure that you are discreet. Your conversation seems to -declare as much, and the very title of that little work of yours which -you mentioned, assures me that you are no empty trifler. In a word, I -feel that I may depend on you. You appear to be under the impression -that Professor Gregg is dead; I have no reason to believe that that is -the case."</p> - -<p>"What?" cried Phillipps, astonished and perturbed. "You do not hint that -there was anything disgraceful? I cannot believe it. Gregg was a man of -clearest character; his private life was one of great benevolence; and -though I myself am free from delusions, I believe him to have been a -sincere and devout Christian. Surely you cannot mean to insinuate that -some disreputable history forced him to flee the country?"</p> - -<p>"Again you are in a hurry," replied the lady. "I said nothing of all -this. Briefly, then, I must tell you that Professor Gregg left his house -one morning in full health both of mind and body. He never returned, but -his watch and chain, a purse containing three sovereigns in gold and -some loose silver, with a ring that he wore habitually, were found three -days later on a wild and savage hillside, many miles from the river. -These articles were placed beside a limestone rock of fantastic form; -they had been wrapped into a parcel with a kind of rough parchment which -was secured with gut. The parcel was opened, and the inner side of the -parchment bore an inscription done with some red substance; the -characters were undecipherable, but seemed to be a corrupt cuneiform."</p> - -<p>"You interest me intensely," said Phillips. "Would you mind continuing -your story? The circumstance you have mentioned seems to me of the most -inexplicable character, and I thirst for an elucidation."</p> - -<p>The young lady seemed to meditate for a moment, and she then proceeded -to relate the</p> - - - -<hr style="width: 65%;" /> -<h3><a name="NOVEL_OF_THE_BLACK_SEAL" id="NOVEL_OF_THE_BLACK_SEAL"></a>NOVEL OF THE BLACK SEAL.</h3> - - -<p>I must now give you some fuller particulars of my history. I am the -daughter of a civil engineer, Steven Lally by name, who was so -unfortunate as to die suddenly at the outset of his career, and before -he had accumulated sufficient means to support his wife and her two -children. My mother contrived to keep the small household going on -resources which must have been incredibly small; we lived in a remote -country village, because most of the necessaries of life were cheaper -than in a town, but even so we were brought up with the severest -economy. My father was a clever and well-read man, and left behind him a -small but select collection of books, containing the best Greek, Latin, -and English classics, and these books were the only amusement we -possessed. My brother, I remember, learned Latin out of Descartes' -"Meditationes," and I, in place of the little tales which children are -usually told to read, had nothing more charming than a translation of -the "Gesta Romanorum." We grew up thus, quiet and studious children, and -in course of time my brother provided for himself in the manner I have -mentioned. I continued to live at home; my poor mother had become an -invalid, and demanded my continual care, and about two years ago she -died after many months of painful illness. My situation was a terrible -one; the shabby furniture barely sufficed to pay the debts I had been -forced to contract, and the books I despatched to my brother, knowing -how he would value them. I was absolutely alone. I was aware how poorly -my brother was paid; and though I came up to London in the hope of -finding employment, with the understanding that he would defray my -expenses, I swore it should only be for a month, and that if I could not -in that time find some work, I would starve rather than deprive him of -the few miserable pounds he had laid by for his day of trouble. I took a -little room in a distant suburb, the cheapest that I could find. I lived -on bread and tea, and I spent my time in vain answering of -advertisements, and vainer walks to addresses I had noted. Day followed -on day, and week on week, and still I was unsuccessful, till at last the -term I had appointed drew to a close, and I saw before me the grim -prospect of slowly dying of starvation. My landlady was good-natured in -her way; she knew the slenderness of my means, and I am sure that she -would not have turned me out of doors. It remained for me then to go -away, and to try and die in some quiet place. It was winter then, and a -thick white fog gathered in the early part of the afternoon, becoming -more dense as the day wore on; it was a Sunday, I remember, and the -people of the house were at chapel. At about three o'clock I crept out -and walked away as quickly as I could, for I was weak from abstinence. -The white mist wrapped all the streets in silence, and a hard frost had -gathered thick upon the bare branches of the trees, and frost crystals -glittered on the wooden fences, and on the cold cruel ground beneath my -feet. I walked on, turning to right and left in utter haphazard, without -caring to look up at the names of the streets, and all that I remember -of my walk on that Sunday afternoon seems but the broken fragments of an -evil dream. In a confused vision I stumbled on, through roads half town -and half country; gray fields melting into the cloudy world of mist on -one side of me, and on the other comfortable villas with a glow of -firelight flickering on the walls; but all unreal, red brick walls, and -lighted windows, vague trees, and glimmering country, gas-lamps -beginning to star the white shadows, the vanishing perspectives of the -railway line beneath high embankments, the green and red of the signal -lamps,—all these were but momentary pictures flashed on my tired brain -and senses numbed by hunger. Now and then I would hear a quick step -ringing on the iron road, and men would pass me well wrapped up, walking -fast for the sake of warmth, and no doubt eagerly foretasting the -pleasures of a glowing hearth, with curtains tightly drawn about the -frosted panes, and the welcomes of their friends; but as the early -evening darkened and night approached, foot-passengers got fewer and -fewer, and I passed through street after street alone. In the white -silence I stumbled on, as desolate as if I trod the streets of a buried -city; and as I grew more weak and exhausted, something of the horror of -death was folding thickly round my heart. Suddenly, as I turned a -corner, some one accosted me courteously beneath the lamp-post, and I -heard a voice asking if I could kindly point the way to Avon Road. At -the sudden shock of human accents I was prostrated and my strength gave -way, and I fell all huddled on the side-walk and wept and sobbed and -laughed in violent hysteria. I had gone out prepared to die, and as I -stepped across the threshold that had sheltered me, I consciously bade -adieu to all hopes and all remembrances; the door clanged behind me with -the noise of thunder, and I felt that an iron curtain had fallen on the -brief passages of my life, and that henceforth I was to walk a little -way in a world, of gloom and shadow; I entered on the stage of the first -act of death. Then came my wandering in the mist, the whiteness wrapping -all things, the void streets, and muffled silence, till when that voice -spoke to me, it was as if I had died and life returned to me. In a few -minutes I was able to compose my feelings, and as I rose I saw that I -was confronted by a middle-aged gentleman of specious appearance, neatly -and correctly dressed. He looked at me with an expression of great pity, -but before I could stammer out my ignorance of the neighborhood, for -indeed I had not the slightest notion of where I had wandered, he spoke.</p> - -<p>"My dear madam," he said, "you seem in some terrible distress. You -cannot think how you alarmed me. But may I inquire the nature of your -trouble? I assure you that you can safely confide in me."</p> - -<p>"You are very kind," I replied; "but, I fear there is nothing to be -done. My condition seems a hopeless one."</p> - -<p>"Oh, nonsense, nonsense! You are too young to talk like that. Come, let -us walk down here, and you must tell me your difficulty. Perhaps I may -be able to help you."</p> - -<p>There was something very soothing and persuasive in his manner, and as -we walked together, I gave him an outline of my story, and told of the -despair that had oppressed me almost to death.</p> - -<p>"You were wrong to give in so completely," he said, when I was silent. -"A month is too short a time in which to feel one's way in London. -London, let me tell you, Miss Lally, does not lie open and undefended; -it is a fortified place, fossed and double-moated with curious -intricacies. As must always happen in large towns, the conditions of -life have become hugely artificial; no mere simple palisade is run up to -oppose the man or woman who would take the place by storm, but serried -lines of subtle contrivances, mines, and pitfalls which it needs a -strange skill to overcome. You, in your simplicity, fancied you had only -to shout for these walls to sink into nothingness, but the time is gone -for such startling victories as these. Take courage; you will learn the -secret of success before very long."</p> - -<p>"Alas, sir," I replied, "I have no doubt your conclusions are correct, -but at the present moment I seem to be in a fair way to die of -starvation. You spoke of a secret; for heaven's sake, tell it me, if you -have any pity for my distress."</p> - -<p>He laughed genially. "There lies the strangeness of it all. Those who -know the secret cannot tell it if they would; it is positively as -ineffable as the central doctrine of Freemasonry. But I may say this, -that you yourself have penetrated at least the outer husk of the -mystery," and he laughed again.</p> - -<p>"Pray do not jest with me," I said. "What have I done, <i>que sais-je</i>? I -am so far ignorant that I have not the slightest idea of how my next -meal is to be provided."</p> - -<p>"Excuse me. You ask what you have done? You have met me. Come, we will -fence no longer. I see you have self-education, the only education -which is not infinitely pernicious, and I am in want of a governess for -my two children. I have been a widower for some years; my name is Gregg. -I offer you the post I have named, and shall we say a salary of a -hundred a year?"</p> - -<p>I could only stutter out my thanks, and slipping a card with his address -and a bank-note by way of earnest into my hand, Mr. Gregg bade me -good-bye, asking me to call in a day or two.</p> - -<p>Such was my introduction to Professor Gregg, and can you wonder that the -remembrance of despair and the cold blast that had blown from the gates -of death upon me, made me regard him as a second father? Before the -close of the week. I was installed in my new duties; the professor had -leased an old brick manor house in a western suburb of London, and here, -surrounded by pleasant lawns and orchards, and soothed with the murmur -of the ancient elms that rocked their boughs above the roof, the new -chapter of my life began. Knowing as you do the nature of the -professor's occupations, you will not be surprised to hear that the -house teemed with books; and cabinets full of strange and even hideous -objects filled every available nook in the vast low rooms. Gregg was a -man whose one thought was for knowledge, and I too before long caught -something of his enthusiasm, and strove to enter into his passion for -research. In a few months I was perhaps more his secretary than the -governess of the two children, and many a night I have sat at the desk -in the glow of the shaded lamp while he, pacing up and down in the rich, -gloom of the firelight, dictated to me the substance of his "Text-book -of Ethnology." But amidst these more sober and accurate studies I always -detected a something hidden, a longing and desire for some object to -which he did not allude, and now and then he would break short in what -he was saying and lapse into revery, entranced, as it seemed to me, by -some distant prospect of adventurous discovery. The text-book was at -last finished, and we began to receive proofs from the printers, which -were intrusted to me for a first reading, and then underwent the final -revision of the professor. All the while his weariness of the actual -business he was engaged on increased, and it was with the joyous laugh -of a schoolboy when term is over that he one day handed me a copy of the -book. "There," he said, "I have kept my word; I promised to write it, -and it is done with. Now I shall be free to live for stranger things; I -confess it, Miss Lally, I covet the renown of Columbus. You will, I -hope, see me play the part of an explorer."</p> - -<p>"Surely," I said, "there is little left to explore. You have been born a -few hundred years too late for that."</p> - -<p>"I think you are wrong," he replied; "there are still, depend upon it, -quaint undiscovered countries and continents of strange extent. Ah, Miss -Lally, believe me, we stand amidst sacraments and mysteries full of awe, -and it doth not yet appear what we shall be. Life, believe me, is no -simple thing, no mass of gray matter and congeries of veins and muscles -to be laid naked by the surgeon's knife; man is the secret which I am -about to explore, and before I can discover him I must cross over -weltering seas indeed, and oceans and the mists of many thousand years. -You know the myth of the lost Atlantis; what if it be true, and I am -destined to be called the discoverer of that wonderful land?"</p> - -<p>I could see excitement boiling beneath his words, and in his face was -the heat of the hunter; before me stood a man who believed himself -summoned to tourney with the unknown. A pang of joy possessed me when I -reflected that I was to be in a way associated with him in the -adventure, and I too burned with the lust of the chase, not pausing to -consider that I knew not what we were to unshadow.</p> - -<p>The next morning Professor Gregg took me into his inner study, where -ranged against the wall stood a nest of pigeon-holes, every drawer -neatly labelled, and the results of years of toil classified in a few -feet of space.</p> - -<p>"Here," he said, "is my life; here are all the facts which I have -gathered together with so much pains, and yet it is all nothing. No, -nothing to what I am about to attempt. Look at this;" and he took me to -an old bureau, a piece fantastic and faded, which stood in a corner of -the room. He unlocked the front and opened one of the drawers.</p> - -<p>"A few scraps of paper," he went on, pointing to the drawer, "and a lump -of black stone, rudely annotated with queer marks and scratches,—that -is all that drawer holds. Here you see is an old envelope with the dark -red stamp of twenty years ago, but I have pencilled a few lines at the -back; here is a sheet of manuscript, and here some cuttings from -obscure local journals. And if you ask me the subject matter of the -collection, it will not seem extraordinary. A servant girl at a -farmhouse, who disappeared from her place and has never been heard of, a -child supposed to have slipped down some old working on the mountains, -some queer scribbling on a limestone rock, a man murdered with a blow -from a strange weapon; such is the scent I have to go upon. Yes, as you -say, there is a ready explanation for all this; the girl may have run -away to London, or Liverpool, or New York; the child may be at the -bottom of the disused shaft; and the letters on the rock may be the idle -whims of some vagrant. Yes, yes, I admit all that; but I know I hold the -true key. Look!" and he held me out a slip of yellow paper.</p> - -<p>"Characters found inscribed on a limestone rock on the Gray Hills," I -read, and then there was a word erased, presumably the name of a county, -and a date some fifteen years back. Beneath was traced a number of -uncouth characters, shaped somewhat like wedges or daggers, as strange -and outlandish as the Hebrew alphabet.</p> - -<p>"Now the seal," said Professor Gregg, and he handed me the black stone, -a thing about two inches long, and something like an old-fashioned -tobacco stopper, much enlarged.</p> - -<p>I held it up to the light, and saw to my surprise the characters on the -paper repeated on the seal.</p> - -<p>"Yes," said the professor, "they are the same. And the marks on the -limestone rock were made fifteen years ago, with some red substance. And -the characters on the seal are four thousand years old at least. Perhaps -much more."</p> - -<p>"Is it a hoax?" I said.</p> - -<p>"No, I anticipated that. I was not to be led to give my life to a -practical joke. I have tested the matter very carefully. Only one person -besides myself knows of the mere existence of that black seal. Besides, -there are other reasons which I cannot enter into now."</p> - -<p>"But what does it all mean?" I said. "I cannot understand to what -conclusion all this leads."</p> - -<p>"My dear Miss Lally, that is a question I would rather leave unanswered -for some little time. Perhaps I shall never be able to say what secrets -are held here in solution; a few vague hints, the outlines of village -tragedies, a few marks done with red earth upon a rock, and an ancient -seal. A queer set of data to go upon? Half-a-dozen pieces of evidence, -and twenty years before even so much could be got together; and who -knows what mirage or terra incognita may be beyond all this? I look -across deep waters, Miss Lally, and the land beyond may be but a haze -after all. But still I believe it is not so, and a few months will show -whether I am right or wrong."</p> - -<p>He left me, and alone I endeavored to fathom the mystery, wondering to -what goal such eccentric odds and ends of evidence could lead. I myself -am not wholly devoid of imagination, and I had reason to respect the -professor's solidity of intellect; yet I saw in the contents of the -drawer but the materials of fantasy, and vainly tried to conceive what -theory could be founded on the fragments that had been placed before me. -Indeed, I could discover in what I had heard and seen but the first -chapter of an extravagant romance; and yet deep in my heart I burned -with curiosity, and day after day I looked eagerly in Professor Gregg's -face for some hint of what was to happen.</p> - -<p>It was one evening after dinner that the word came.</p> - -<p>"I hope you can make your preparations without much trouble," he said -suddenly to me. "We shall be leaving here in a week's time."</p> - -<p>"Really!" I said in astonishment. "Where are we going?"</p> - -<p>"I have taken a country house in the west of England, not far from -Caermaen, a quiet little town, once a city, and the headquarters of a -Roman legion. It is very dull there, but the country is pretty, and the -air is wholesome."</p> - -<p>I detected a glint in his eyes, and guessed that this sudden move had -some relation to our conversation of a few days before.</p> - -<p>"I shall just take a few books with me," said Professor Gregg, "that is -all. Everything else will remain here for our return. I have got a -holiday," he went on, smiling at me, "and I shan't be sorry to be quit -for a time of my old bones and stones and rubbish. Do you know," he went -on, "I have been grinding away at facts for thirty years; it is time for -fancies."</p> - -<p>The days passed quickly; I could see that the professor was all -quivering with suppressed excitement, and I could scarce credit the -eager appetence of his glance as we left the old manor house behind us, -and began our journey. We set out at mid-day, and it was in the dusk of -the evening that we arrived at a little country station. I was tired, -and excited, and the drive through, the lanes seems all a dream. First -the deserted streets of a forgotten village, while I heard Professor -Gregg's voice talking of the Augustan Legion and the clash of arms, and -all the tremendous pomp that followed the eagles; then the broad river -swimming to full tide with the last afterglow glimmering duskily in the -yellow water, the wide meadows, and the cornfields whitening, and the -deep lane winding on the slope between the hills and the water. At last -we began to ascend, and the air grew rarer; I looked down and saw the -pure white mist tracking the outline of the river like a shroud, and a -vague and shadowy country, imaginations and fantasy of swelling hills -and hanging woods, and half-shaped outlines of hills beyond, stand in -the distance the glare of the furnace fire on the mountain, growing by -turns a pillar of shining flame, and fading to a dull point of red. We -were slowly mounting a carriage drive, and then there came to me the -cool breath and the scent of the great wood that was above us; I seemed -to wander in its deepest depths, and there was the sound of trickling -water, the scent of the green leaves, and the breath of the summer -night. The carriage stopped at last, and I could scarcely distinguish -the form of the house as I waited a moment at the pillared porch; and -the rest of the evening seemed a dream of strange things bounded by the -great silence of the wood and the valley and the river.</p> - -<p>The next morning when I awoke and looked out of the bow window of the -big old-fashioned bedroom, I saw under a gray sky a country that was -still all mystery. The long, lovely valley, with the river winding in -and out below, crossed, in mid vision by a mediæval bridge of vaulted -and buttressed stone, the clear presence of the rising ground beyond, -and the woods that I had only seen in shadow the night before, seemed -tinged with enchantment, and the soft breath, of air that sighed in at -the opened pane was like no other wind. I looked across the valley, and -beyond, hill followed on hill as wave on wave, and here a faint blue -pillar of smoke rose still in the morning air from the chimney of an -ancient gray farmhouse, there was a rugged height crowned with dark -firs, and in the distance I saw the white streak of a road that climbed -and vanished into some unimagined country. But the boundary of all was a -great wall of mountain, vast in the west, and ending like a fortress -with a steep ascent and a domed tumulus clear against the sky.</p> - -<p>I saw Professor Gregg walking up and down the terrace path below the -windows, and it was evident that he was revelling in the sense of -liberty, and the thought that he had, for a while, bidden good-bye to -task-work. When I joined him there was exultation in his voice as he -pointed out the sweep of valley and the river that wound beneath the -lovely hills.</p> - -<p>"Yes," he said, "it is a strangely beautiful country; and to me, at -least, it seems full of mystery. You have not forgotten the drawer I -showed you, Miss Lally? No; and you have guessed that I have come here -not merely for the sake of the children and the fresh air?"</p> - -<p>"I think I have guessed as much as that," I replied; "but you must -remember I do not know the mere nature of your investigations; and as -for the connection between the search and this wonderful valley, it is -past my guessing."</p> - -<p>He smiled queerly at me. "You must not think I am making a mystery for -the sake of mystery," he said. "I do not speak out because, so far, -there is nothing to be spoken, nothing definite I mean, nothing that can -be set down in hard black and white, as dull and sure and irreproachable -as any blue book. And then I have another reason: many years ago a -chance paragraph in a newspaper caught my attention, and focussed in an -instant the vagrant thoughts and half-formed fancies of many idle and -speculative hours into a certain hypothesis. I saw at once that I was -treading on a thin crust; my theory was wild and fantastic in the -extreme, and I would not for any consideration have written a hint of it -for publication. But I thought that in the company of scientific men -like myself, men who knew the course of discovery, and were aware that -the gas that blazes and flares in the gin-palace was once a wild -hypothesis; I thought that with such men as these I might hazard my -dream—let us say Atlantis, or the philosopher's stone, or what you -like—without danger of ridicule. I found I was grossly mistaken; my -friends looked blankly at me and at one another, and I could see -something of pity, and something also of insolent contempt, in the -glances they exchanged. One of them called on me next day, and hinted -that I must be suffering from overwork and brain exhaustion. 'In plain -terms,' I said, 'you think I am going mad. I think not;' and I showed -him out with some little appearance of heat. Since that day I vowed that -I would never whisper the nature of my theory to any living soul; to no -one but yourself have I ever shown the contents of that drawer. After -all, I may be following a rainbow; I may have been misled by the play of -coincidence; but as I stand here in this mystic hush and silence amidst -the woods and wild hills, I am more than ever sure that I am hot on the -scent. Come, it is time we went in."</p> - -<p>To me in all this there was something both of wonder and excitement; I -knew how in his ordinary work Professor Gregg moved step by step, -testing every inch of the way, and never venturing on assertion without -proof that was impregnable. Yet I divined more from his glance and the -vehemence of his tone than from the spoken word that he had in his every -thought the vision of the almost incredible continually with him; and I, -who was with some share of imagination no little of a sceptic, offended -at a hint of the marvellous, could not help asking myself whether he was -cherishing a monomania, and barring out from this one subject all the -scientific method of his other life.</p> - -<p>Yet, with, this image of mystery haunting my thoughts, I surrendered -wholly to the charm of the country. Above the faded house on the -hillside began the great forest; a long dark line seen from the opposing -hills, stretching above the river for many a mile from north to south, -and yielding in the north to even wilder country, barren and savage -hills, and ragged common land, a territory all strange and unvisited, -and more unknown to Englishmen than the very heart of Africa. The space -of a couple of steep fields alone separated the house from the wood, and -the children were delighted to follow me up the long alleys of -undergrowth, between smooth pleached walls of shining beech, to the -highest point in the wood, whence one looked on one side across the -river and the rise and fall of the country to the great western mountain -wall, and on the other, over the surge and dip of the myriad trees of -the forest, over level meadows and the shining yellow sea to the faint -coast beyond. I used to sit at this point on the warm sunlit turf which -marked the track of the Roman Road, while the two children raced about -hunting for the whinberries that grew here and there on the banks. Here -beneath the deep blue sky and the great clouds rolling, like olden -galleons with sails full-bellied, from the sea to the hills, as I -listened to the whispered charm of the great and ancient wood, I lived -solely for delight, and only remembered strange things when we would -return to the house, and find Professor Gregg either shut up in the -little room he had made his study, or else pacing the terrace with the -look, patient and enthusiastic, of the determined seeker.</p> - -<p>One morning, some eight or nine days after our arrival, I looked out of -my window and saw the whole landscape transmuted before me. The clouds -had dipped low and hidden the mountain in the west, and a southern wind -was driving the rain in shifting pillars up the valley, and the little -brooklet that burst the hill below the house now raged, a red torrent, -down to the river. We were perforce obliged to keep snug within doors, -and when I had attended to my pupils, I sat down in the morning-room -where the ruins of a library still encumbered an old-fashioned bookcase. -I had inspected the shelves once or twice, but their contents had failed -to attract me; volumes of eighteenth century sermons, an old book on -farriery, a collection of "Poems" by "persons of quality," Prideaux's -"Connection," and an odd volume of Pope were the boundaries of the -library, and there seemed little doubt that everything of interest or -value had been removed. Now, however, in desperation, I began to -re-examine the musty sheepskin and calf bindings, and found, much to my -delight, a fine old quarto printed by the Stephani, containing the three -books of Pomponius Mela, "De Situ Orbis," and other of the ancient -geographers. I knew enough of Latin to steer my way through an ordinary -sentence, and I soon became absorbed in the odd mixture of fact and -fancy; light shining on a little of the space of the world, and beyond -mist and shadow and awful forms. Glancing over the clear-printed pages, -my attention was caught by the heading of a chapter in Solinus, and I -read the words:—</p> - -<p class="center"> -MIRA DE INTIMIS GENTIBUS LIBYAE, DE LAPIDE<br /> -HEXECONTALITHO.<br /> -</p> - -<p>"The wonders of the people that inhabit the inner parts of Libya, and of -the stone called Sixtystone."</p> - -<p>The odd title attracted me and I read on:—</p> - -<p>"Gens ista avia et secreta habitat, in montibus horrendis fÅ“da -mysteria celebrat. De hominibus nihil aliud illi præferunt quam -figuram, ab humano ritu prorsus exulant, oderunt deum lucis. Stridunt -potius quam loquuntur; vox absona nec sine horrore auditur. Lapide -quodam gloriantur, quem Hexecontalithon vocant, dicunt enim hunc lapidem -sexaginta notas ostendere. Cujus lapidis nomen secretum ineffabile -colunt: quod Ixaxar."</p> - -<p>"This folk," I translated to myself, "dwells in remote and secret -places, and celebrates foul mysteries on savage hills. Nothing have they -in common with men save the face, and the customs of humanity are wholly -strange to them; and they hate the sun. They hiss rather than speak; -their voices are harsh, and not to be heard without fear. They boast of -a certain stone, which they call Sixtystone; for they say that it -displays sixty characters. And this stone has a secret unspeakable name; -which is Ixaxar."</p> - -<p>I laughed at the queer inconsequence of all this, and thought it fit for -Sinbad the Sailor or other of the supplementary Nights. When I saw -Professor Gregg in the course of the day, I told him of my find in the -bookcase, and the fantastic rubbish I had been reading. To my surprise, -he looked up at me with an expression of great interest.</p> - -<p>"That is really very curious," he said. "I have never thought it worth -while to look into the old geographers, and I daresay I have missed a -good deal. Ah, that is the passage, is it. It seems a shame to rob you -of your entertainment, but I really think I must carry off the book."</p> - -<p>The next day the professor called to me to come to the study. I found -him sitting at a table in the full light of the window, scrutinizing -something very attentively with a magnifying-glass.</p> - -<p>"Ah, Miss Lally," he began, "I want to use your eyes. This glass is -pretty good, but not like my old one that I left in town. Would you -mind examining the thing yourself, and telling me how many characters -are cut on it?"</p> - -<p>He handed me the object in his hand, and I saw that it was the black -seal he had shown me in London, and my heart began to beat with the -thought that I was presently to know something. I took the seal, and -holding it up to the light checked off the grotesque dagger-shaped -characters one by one.</p> - -<p>"I make sixty-two," I said at last.</p> - -<p>"Sixty-two? Nonsense; it's impossible. Ah, I see what you have done, you -have counted that and that," and he pointed to two marks which I had -certainly taken as letters with the rest.</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes," Professor Gregg went on; "but those are obvious scratches, -done accidentally; I saw that at once. Yes, then that's quite right. -Thank you very much, Miss Lally."</p> - -<p>I was going away, rather disappointed at my having been called in merely -to count a number of marks on the black seal, when suddenly there -flashed into my mind what I had read in the morning.</p> - -<p>"But, Professor Gregg, I cried, breathless, the seal, the seal. Why, it -is the stone Hexecontalithos that Solinus writes of; it is Ixaxar."</p> - -<p>"Yes," he said, "I suppose it is. Or it maybe a mere coincidence. It -never does to be too sure, you know, in these matters. Coincidence -killed the professor."</p> - -<p>I went away puzzled by what I had heard, and as much as ever at a loss -to find the ruling clew in this maze of strange evidence. For three days -the bad weather lasted, changing from driving rain to a dense mist, fine -and dripping, and we seemed to be shut up in a white cloud that veiled -all the world away from us. All the while Professor Gregg was darkling -in his room, unwilling, it appeared, to dispense confidences or talk of -any kind, and I heard him walking to and fro with a quick, impatient -step, as if he were in some way wearied of inaction. The fourth morning -was fine, and at breakfast the professor said briskly:—</p> - -<p>"We want some extra help about the house; a boy of fifteen or sixteen, -you know. There are a lot of little odd jobs that take up the maids' -time, which a boy could do much better."</p> - -<p>"The girls have not complained to me in any way," I replied. "Indeed, -Anne said there was much less work than in London, owing to there being -so little dust."</p> - -<p>"Ah, yes, they are very good girls. But I think we shall do much better -with a boy. In fact, that is what has been bothering me for the last two -days."</p> - -<p>"Bothering you?" I said in astonishment, for as a matter of fact the -professor never took the slightest interest in the affairs of the house.</p> - -<p>"Yes," he said, "the weather, you know. I really couldn't go out in that -Scotch mist; I don't know the country very well, and I should have lost -my way. But I am going to get the boy this morning."</p> - -<p>"But how do you know there is such a boy as you want anywhere about?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, I have no doubt as to that. I may have to walk a mile or two at the -most, but I am sure to find just the boy I require."</p> - -<p>I thought the professor was poking, but though his tone was airy enough -there was something grim and set about his features that puzzled me. He -got his stick, and stood at the door looking meditatively before him, -and as I passed through the hall he called to me.</p> - -<p>"By the way, Miss Lally, there was one thing I wanted to say to you. I -daresay you may have heard that some of these country lads are not over -bright; idiotic would be a harsh word to use, and they are usually -called 'naturals,' or something of the kind, I hope you won't mind if -the boy I am after should turn out not too keen-witted; he will be -perfectly harmless, of course, and blacking boots doesn't need much -mental effort."</p> - -<p>With that he was gone, striding up the road that led to the wood; and I -remained stupefied, and then for the first time my astonishment was -mingled with a sudden note of terror, arising I knew not whence, and all -unexplained even to myself, and yet I felt about my heart for an instant -something of the chill of death, and that shapeless, formless dread of -the unknown that is worse than death itself. I tried to find courage in -the sweet air that blew up from the sea, and in the sunlight after rain, -but the mystic woods seemed to darken around me; and the vision of the -river coiling between the reeds, and the silver gray of the ancient -bridge, fashioned in my mind symbols of vague dread, as the mind of a -child fashions terror from things harmless and familiar.</p> - -<p>Two hours later Professor Gregg returned. I met him as he came down the -road, and asked quietly if he had been able to find a boy.</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes," he answered; "I found one easily enough. His name is Jervase -Cradock, and I expect he will make himself very useful. His father has -been dead for many years, and the mother, whom I saw, seemed very glad -at the prospect of a few shillings extra coming in on Saturday nights. -As I expected, he is not too sharp, has fits at times, the mother said; -but as he will not be trusted with the china, that doesn't much matter, -does it? And he is not in any way dangerous, you know, merely a little -weak."</p> - -<p>"When is he coming?"</p> - -<p>"To-morrow morning at eight o'clock. Anne will show him what he has to -do, and how to do it. At first he will go home every night, but perhaps -it may ultimately turn out more convenient for him to sleep here, and -only go home for Sundays."</p> - -<p>I found nothing to say to all this. Professor Gregg spoke in a quiet -tone of matter-of-fact, as indeed was warranted by the circumstance; and -yet I could not quell my sensation of astonishment at the whole affair. -I knew that in reality no assistance was wanted in the housework, and -the professor's prediction that the boy he was to engage might prove a -little "simple," followed by so exact a fulfilment, struck me as bizarre -in the extreme. The next morning I heard from, the housemaid that the -boy Cradock had come at eight, and that she had been trying to make him -useful. "He doesn't seem quite all there, I don't think, miss," was her -comment; and later in the day I saw him helping the old man who worked -in the garden. He was a youth of about fourteen, with black hair and -black eyes, and an olive skin, and I saw at once from the curious -vacancy of his expression that he was mentally weak. He touched his -forehead awkwardly as I went by, and I heard him answering the gardener -in a queer, harsh voice that caught my attention; it gave me the -impression of some one speaking deep below under the earth, and there -was a strange sibilance, like the hissing of the phonograph as the -pointer travels over the cylinder. I heard that he seemed anxious to do -what he could, and was quite docile and obedient, and Morgan the -gardener, who knew his mother, assured me he was perfectly harmless. -"He's always been a bit queer," he said, "and no wonder, after what his -mother went through before he was born. I did know his father, Thomas -Cradock, well, and a very fine workman he was too, indeed. He got -something wrong with his lungs owing to working in the wet woods, and -never got over it, and went off quite sudden like. And they do say as -how Mrs. Cradock was quite off her head; anyhow, she was found by Mr. -Hillyer, Ty Coch, all crouched up on the Gray Hills, over there, crying -and weeping like a lost soul. And Jervase he was born about eight months -afterwards, and as I was saying, he was a bit queer always; and they do -say when he could scarcely walk he would frighten the other children -into fits with the noises he would make."</p> - -<p>A word in the story had stirred up some remembrance within me, and -vaguely curious, I asked the old man where the Gray Hills were.</p> - -<p>"Up there," he said, with the same gesture he had used before; "you go -past the Fox and Hounds, and through the forest, by the old ruins. It's -a good five mile from here, and a strange sort of a place. The poorest -soil between this and Monmouth, they do say, though it's good feed for -sheep. Yes, it was a sad thing for poor Mrs. Cradock."</p> - -<p>The old man turned to his work, and I strolled on down the path between -the espaliers, gnarled and gouty with age, thinking of the story I had -heard, and groping for the point in it that had some key to my memory. -In an instant it came before me; I had seen the phrase "Gray Hills" on -the slip of yellowed paper that Professor Gregg had taken from the -drawer in his cabinet. Again I was seized with pangs of mingled -curiosity and fear; I remembered the strange characters copied from the -limestone rock, and then again their identity with the inscription on -the age-old seal, and the fantastic fables of the Latin geographer. I -saw beyond doubt that, unless coincidence had set all the scene and -disposed all these bizarre events with curious art, I was to be a -spectator of things far removed from the usual and customary traffic and -jostle of life. Professor Gregg I noted day by day. He was hot on his -trail, growing lean with eagerness; and in the evenings, when the sun -was swimming on the verge of the mountain, he would pace the terrace to -and fro with his eyes on the ground, while the mist grew white in the -valley, and the stillness of the evening brought far voices near, and -the blue smoke rose a straight column from the diamond-shaped chimney of -the gray farmhouse, just as I had seen it on the first morning. I have -told you I was of sceptical habit; but though I understood little or -nothing, I began to dread, vainly proposing to myself the iterated -dogmas of science that all life is material, and that in the system of -things there is no undiscovered land even beyond the remotest stars, -where the supernatural can find a footing. Yet there struck in on this -the thought that matter is as really awful and unknown as spirit, that -science itself but dallies on the threshold, scarcely gaining more than -a glimpse of the wonders of the inner place.</p> - -<p>There is one day that stands up from amidst the others as a grim red -beacon, betokening evil to come. I was sitting on a bench in the garden, -watching the boy Cradock weeding, when I was suddenly alarmed by a harsh -and choking sound, like the cry of a wild beast in anguish, and I was -unspeakably shocked to see the unfortunate lad standing in full view -before me, his whole body quivering and shaking at short intervals as -though shocks of electricity were passing through him, and his teeth -grinding, and foam gathering on his lips, and his face all swollen and -blackened to a hideous mask of humanity. I shrieked with terror, and -Professor Gregg came running; and as I pointed to Cradock, the boy with -one convulsive shudder fell face forward, and lay on the wet earth, his -body writhing like a wounded blind-worm, and an inconceivable babble of -sounds bursting and rattling and hissing from his lips; he seemed to -pour forth an infamous jargon, with words, or what seemed words, that -might have belonged to a tongue dead since untold ages, and buried deep -beneath Nilotic mud, or in the inmost recesses of the Mexican forest. -For a moment the thought passed through my mind, as my ears were still -revolted with that infernal clamor, "Surely this is the very speech of -hell," and then I cried out again and again, and ran away shuddering to -my inmost soul. I had seen Professor Gregg's face as he stooped over the -wretched boy and raised him, and I was appalled by the glow of -exultation that shone on every lineament and feature. As I sat in my -room with drawn blinds, and my eyes hidden in my hands, I heard heavy -steps beneath, and I was told afterwards that Professor Gregg had -carried Cradock to his study, and had locked the door. I heard voices -murmur indistinctly, and I trembled to think of what might be passing -within a few feet of where I sat; I longed to escape to the woods and -sunshine, and yet I dreaded the sights that might confront me on the -way. And at last, as I held the handle of the door nervously, I heard -Professor Gregg's voice calling to me with a cheerful ring: "It's all -right now, Miss Lally," he said. "The poor fellow has got over it, and I -have been arranging for him to sleep here after to-morrow. Perhaps I may -be able to do something for him."</p> - -<p>"Yes," he said later, "it was a very painful sight, and I don't wonder -you were alarmed. We may hope that good food will build him up a little, -but I am afraid he will never be really cured;" and he affected the -dismal and conventional air with which one speaks of hopeless illness, -and yet beneath it I detected the delight that leapt up rampant within -him, and fought and struggled to find utterance. It was as if one -glanced down on the even surface of the sea, clear and immobile, and saw -beneath raging depths, and a storm of contending billows. It was indeed -to me a torturing and offensive problem that this man, who had so -bounteously rescued me from the sharpness of death, and showed himself -in all the relations of life full of benevolence and pity and kindly -forethought, should so manifestly be for once on the side of the demons, -and take a ghastly pleasure in the torments of an afflicted -fellow-creature. Apart, I struggled with the horned difficulty, and -strove to find the solution, but without the hint of a clue; beset by -mystery and contradiction, I saw nothing that might help me, and began -to wonder whether, after all, I had not escaped from the white mist of -the suburb at too dear a rate. I hinted something of my thought to the -professor; I said enough to let him know that I was in the most acute -perplexity, but the moment after regretted what I had done, when I saw -his face contort with a spasm of pain.</p> - -<p>"My dear Miss Lally," he said, "you surely do not wish to leave us? No, -no, you would not do it. You do not know how I rely on you; how -confidently I go forward, assured that you are here to watch over my -children. You, Miss Lally, are my rear-guard; for, let me tell you, that -the business in which I am engaged is not wholly devoid of peril. You -have not forgotten what I said the first morning here; my lips are shut -by an old and firm resolve, till they can open to utter no ingenious -hypothesis or vague surmise but irrefragable fact, as certain as a -demonstration in mathematics. Think over it, Miss Lally, not for a -moment would I endeavor to keep you here against your own instincts, and -yet I tell you frankly that I am persuaded that it is here, here amidst -the woods, that your duty lies."</p> - -<p>I was touched by the eloquence of his tone, and by the remembrance that -the man, after all, had been my salvation, and I gave him my hand on a -promise to serve him loyally and without question. A few days later the -rector of our church, a little church, gray and severe and quaint, that -hovered on the very banks of the river and watched the tides swim and -return, came to see us, and Professor Gregg easily persuaded him to stay -and share our dinner. Mr. Meyrick was a member of an antique family of -squires, whose old manor house stood amongst the hills some seven miles -away, and thus rooted in the soil, the rector was a living store of all -the old fading customs and lore of the country. His manner, genial with -a deal of retired oddity, won on Professor Gregg; and towards the -cheese, when a curious Burgundy had begun its incantations, the two men -glowed like the wine, and talked of philology with the enthusiasm of a -burgess over the peerage. The parson was expounding the pronunciation of -the Welsh <i>ll</i>, and producing sounds like the gurgle of his native -brooks, when Professor Gregg struck in.</p> - -<p>"By the way," he said, "that was a very odd word I met with the other -day. You know my boy, poor Jervase Cradock. Well, he has got the bad -habit of talking to himself, and the day before yesterday I was walking -in the garden here and heard him; he was evidently quite unconscious of -my presence. A lot of what he said I couldn't make out, but one word, -struck me distinctly. It was such an odd sound; half-sibilant, -half-guttural, and as quaint as those double <i>ll</i>'s you have been -demonstrating. I do not know whether I can give you an idea of the -sound. "Ishakshar" is perhaps as near as I can get; but the <i>k</i> ought to -be a Greek <i>chi</i> or a Spanish <i>j</i>. Now what does it mean in Welsh?"</p> - -<p>"In Welsh?" said the parson. "There is no such word in Welsh, nor any -word remotely resembling it. I know the book-Welsh, as they call it, and -the colloquial dialects as well as any man, but there's no word like -that from Anglesea to Usk. Besides, none of the Cradocks speak a word of -Welsh; it's dying out about here."</p> - -<p>"Really. You interest me extremely, Mr. Meyrick. I confess the word -didn't strike me as having the Welsh ring. But I thought it might be -some local corruption."</p> - -<p>"No, I never heard such a word, or anything like it. Indeed," he added, -smiling whimsically, "if it belongs to any language, I should say it -must be that of the fairies,—the Tylwydd Têg, as we call them."</p> - -<p>The talk went on to the discovery of a Roman villa in the neighborhood; -and soon after I left the room, and sat down apart to wonder at the -drawing together of such strange clues of evidence. As the professor had -spoken of the curious word, I had caught the glint of his eye upon me; -and though the pronunciation he gave was grotesque in the extreme, I -recognized the name of the stone of sixty characters mentioned by -Solinus, the black seal shut up in some secret drawer of the study, -stamped forever by a vanished race with signs that no man could read, -signs that might, for all I knew, be the veils of awful things done long -ago, and forgotten before the hills were moulded into form.</p> - -<p>When, the next morning, I came down, I found Professor Gregg pacing the -terrace in his eternal walk.</p> - -<p>"Look at that bridge," he said when he saw me, "observe the quaint and -Gothic design, the angles between the arches, and the silvery gray of -the stone in the awe of the morning light. I confess it seems to me -symbolic; it should illustrate a mystical allegory of the passage from -one world to another."</p> - -<p>"Professor Gregg," I said quietly, "it is time that I knew something of -what has happened, and of what is to happen."</p> - -<p>For the moment he put me off, but I returned again with the same -question in the evening, and then Professor Gregg flamed with -excitement. "Don't you understand yet?" he cried. "But I have told you a -good deal; yes, and shown you a good deal. You have heard pretty nearly -all that I have heard, and seen what I have seen; or at least," and his -voice chilled as he spoke, "enough to make a good deal clear as noonday. -The servants told you, I have no doubt, that the wretched boy Cradock -had another seizure the night before last; he awoke me with cries in -that voice you heard in the garden, and I went to him, and God forbid -you should see what I saw that night. But all this is useless; my time -here is drawing to a close; I must be back in town in three weeks, as I -have a course of lectures to prepare, and need all my books about me. In -a very few days it will be all over, and I shall no longer hint, and no -longer be liable to ridicule as a madman and a quack. No, I shall speak -plainly, and I shall be heard with such emotions as perhaps no other man -has ever drawn from the breasts of his fellows."</p> - -<p>He paused, and seemed to grow radiant with the joy of great and -wonderful discovery.</p> - -<p>"But all that is for the future, the near future certainly, but still -the future," he went on at length. "There is something to be done yet; -you will remember my telling you that my researches were not altogether -devoid of peril? Yes, there is a certain amount of danger to be faced; I -did not know how much when I spoke on the subject before, and to a -certain extent I am still in the dark. But it will be a strange -adventure, the last of all, the last demonstration in the chain."</p> - -<p>He was walking up and down the room as he spoke, and I could hear in his -voice the contending tones of exultation and despondence, or perhaps I -should say awe, the awe of a man who goes forth on unknown waters, and I -thought of his allusion to Columbus on the night he had laid his book -before me. The evening was a little chilly, and a fire of logs had been -lighted in the study where we were, and the remittent flame and the glow -on the walls reminded me of the old days. I was sitting silent in an -armchair by the fire, wondering over all I had heard, and still vainly -speculating as to the secret springs concealed from me under all the -phantasmagoria I had witnessed, when I became suddenly aware of a -sensation that change of some sort had been at work in the room, and -that there was something unfamiliar in its aspect. For some time I -looked about me, trying in vain to localize the alteration that I knew -had been made; the table by the window, the chairs, the faded settee -were all as I had known them. Suddenly, as a sought-for recollection -flashes into the mind, I knew what was amiss. I was facing the -professor's desk, which stood on the other side of the fire, and above -the desk was a grimy looking bust of Pitt, that I had never seen there -before. And then I remembered the true position of this work of art; in -the furthest corner by the door was an old cupboard, projecting into the -room, and on the top of the cupboard, fifteen feet from the floor, the -bust had been, and there no doubt it had delayed, accumulating dirt -since the early years of the century.</p> - -<p>I was utterly amazed, and sat silent still, in a confusion of thought. -There was, so far as I knew, no such thing as a step-ladder in the -house, for I had asked for one to make some alterations in the curtains -of my room; and a tall man standing on a chair would have found it -impossible to take down the bust. It had been placed not on the edge of -the cupboard, but far back against the wall; and Professor Gregg was, if -anything, under the average height.</p> - -<p>"How on earth did you manage to get down Pitt?" I said at last.</p> - -<p>The professor looked curiously at me, and seemed to hesitate a little.</p> - -<p>"They must have found you a step-ladder, or perhaps the gardener brought -in a short ladder from outside."</p> - -<p>"No, I have had no ladder of any kind. Now, Miss Lally," he went on with -an awkward simulation of jest, "there is a little puzzle for you; a -problem in the manner of the inimitable Holmes; there are the facts, -plain and patent; summon your acuteness to the solution of the puzzle. -For Heaven's sake," he cried with a breaking voice, "say no more about -it. I tell you, I never touched the thing," and he went out of the room -with horror manifest on his face, and his hand shook and jarred the door -behind him.</p> - -<p>I looked round the room in vague surprise, not at all realizing what had -happened, making vain and idle surmises by way of explanation, and -wondering at the stirring of black waters by an idle word, and the -trivial change of an ornament. "This is some petty business, some whim -on which I have jarred," I reflected; "the professor is perhaps -scrupulous and superstitious over trifles, and my question may have -outraged unacknowledged fears, as though one killed a spider or spilled -the salt before the very eyes of a practical Scotchwoman." I was -immersed in these fond suspicions, and began to plume myself a little on -my immunity from such empty fears, when the truth fell heavily as lead -upon my heart, and I recognized with cold terror that some awful -influence had been at work. The bust was simply inaccessible; without a -ladder no one could have touched it.</p> - -<p>I went out to the kitchen and spoke as quietly as I could to the -housemaid.</p> - -<p>"Who moved that bust from the top of the cupboard, Anne?" I said to her. -"Professor Gregg says he has not touched it. Did you find an old -step-ladder in one of the outhouses?"</p> - -<p>The girl looked at me blankly.</p> - -<p>"I never touched it," she said. "I found it where it is now the other -morning when I dusted the room. I remember now, it, was Wednesday -morning, because it was the morning after Cradock was taken bad in the -night. My room is next to his, you know, miss," the girl went on -piteously; "and it was awful to hear how he cried and called out names -that I couldn't understand. It made me feel all afraid, and then master -came, and I heard him speak, and he took down Cradock to the study and -gave him something."</p> - -<p>"And you found that bust moved the next morning?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, miss, there was a queer sort of a smell in the study when I came -down and opened the windows; a bad smell it was, and I wondered what it -could be. Do you know, miss, I went a long time ago to the Zoo in London -with my cousin Thomas Barker, one afternoon that I had off, when I was -at Mrs. Prince's in Stanhope Gate, and we went into the snake-house to -see the snakes, and it was just the same sort of a smell, very sick it -made me feel, I remember, and I got Barker to take me out. And it was -just the same kind of a smell in the study, as I was saying, and I was -wondering what it could be from, when I see that bust with Pitt cut in -it standing on the master's desk, and I thought to myself, now who has -done that, and how have they done it? And when I came to dust the -things, I looked at the bust, and I saw a great mark on it where the -dust was gone, for I don't think it can have been touched with a duster -for years and years, and it wasn't like finger-marks, but a large patch -like, broad and spread out. So I passed my hand over it, without -thinking what I was doing, and where that patch was it was all sticky -and slimy, as if a snail had crawled over it. Very strange, isn't it, -miss? and I wonder who can have done it, and how that mess was made."</p> - -<p>The well-meant gabble of the servant touched me to the quick. I lay down -upon my bed, and bit my lip that I should not cry out loud in the sharp -anguish of my terror and bewilderment. Indeed, I was almost mad with -dread; I believe that if it had been daylight I should have fled hot -foot, forgetting all courage and all the debt of gratitude that was due -to Professor Gregg, not caring whether my fate were that I must starve -slowly so long as I might escape from the net of blind and panic fear -that every day seemed to draw a little closer round me. If I knew, I -thought, if I knew what there were to dread, I could guard against it; -but here, in this lonely house, shut in on all sides by the olden woods -and the vaulted hills, terror seems to spring inconsequent from every -covert, and the flesh is aghast at the half-heard murmurs of horrible -things. All in vain I strove to summon scepticism to my aid, and -endeavored by cool common-sense to buttress my belief in a world of -natural order, for the air that blew in at the open window was a mystic -breath, and in the darkness I felt the silence go heavy and sorrowful -as a mass of requiem, and I conjured images of strange shapes gathering -fast amidst the reeds, beside the wash of the river.</p> - -<p>In the morning, from the moment that I set foot in the breakfast-room I -felt that the unknown plot was drawing to a crisis; the professor's face -was firm and set, and he seemed hardly to hear our voices when we spoke.</p> - -<p>"I am going out for rather a long walk," he said, when the meal was -over. "You mustn't be expecting me, now, or thinking anything has -happened if I don't turn up to dinner. I have been getting stupid -lately, and I dare say a miniature walking tour will do me good. Perhaps -I may even spend the night in some little inn, if I find any place that -looks clean and comfortable."</p> - -<p>I heard this, and knew by my experience of Professor Gregg's manner that -it was no ordinary business or pleasure that impelled him. I knew not, -nor even remotely guessed, where he was bound, nor had I the vaguest -notion of his errand, but all the fear of the night before returned; and -as he stood, smiling, on the terrace, ready to set out, I implored him -to stay, and to forget all his dreams of the undiscovered continent.</p> - -<p>"No, no, Miss Lally," he replied, still smiling, "it's too late now. -<i>Vestigia nulla retrorsum</i>, you know, is the device of all true -explorers, though I hope it won't be literally true in my ease. But, -indeed, you are wrong to alarm yourself so; I look upon my little -expedition as quite commonplace; no more exciting than a day with the -geological hammers. There is a risk, of course, but so there is on the -commonest excursion. I can afford to be jaunty; I am doing nothing so -hazardous as 'Arry does a hundred times over in the course of every Bank -Holiday. Well, then, you must look more cheerfully; and so good-by till -to-morrow at latest."</p> - -<p>He walked briskly up the road, and I saw him open the gate that marks -the entrance of the wood, and then he vanished in the gloom of the -trees.</p> - -<p>All the day passed heavily with a strange darkness in the air, and again -I felt as if imprisoned amidst the ancient woods, shut in an olden land -of mystery and dread, and as if all was long ago and forgotten by the -living outside. I hoped and dreaded, and when the dinner-hour came, I -waited expecting to hear the professor's step in the hall, and his voice -exulting at I knew not what triumph. I composed my face to welcome him -gladly, but the night descended dark, and he did not come.</p> - -<p>In the morning when the maid knocked at my door, I called out to her, -and asked if her master had returned; and when she replied that his -bedroom stood open and empty, I felt the cold clasp of despair. Still, I -fancied he might have discovered genial company, and would return for -luncheon, or perhaps in the afternoon, and I took the children for a -walk in the forest, and tried my best to play and laugh with them, and -to shut out the thoughts of mystery and veiled terror. Hour after hour I -waited, and my thoughts grew darker; again the night came and found me -watching, and at last, as I was making much ado to finish my dinner, I -heard steps outside and the sound of a man's voice.</p> - -<p>The maid came in and looked oddly at me.</p> - -<p>"Please, miss," she began, "Mr. Morgan the gardener wants to speak to -you for a minute, if you didn't mind."</p> - -<p>"Show him in, please," I answered, and I set my lips tight.</p> - -<p>The old man came slowly into the room, and the servant shut the door -behind him.</p> - -<p>"Sit down, Mr. Morgan," I said; "what is it that you want to say to me?"</p> - -<p>"Well, miss, Mr. Gregg he gave me something for you yesterday morning, -just before he went off; and he told me particular not to hand it up -before eight o'clock this evening exactly, if so be as he wasn't back -again home before, and if he should come home before I was just to -return it to him in his own hands. So, you see, as Mr. Gregg isn't here -yet, I suppose I'd better give you the parcel directly."</p> - -<p>He pulled out something from his pocket, and gave it to me, half rising. -I took it silently, and seeing that Morgan seemed doubtful as to what he -was to do next, I thanked him and bade him good-night, and he went out. -I was left alone in the room with the parcel in my hand,—a paper parcel -neatly sealed and directed to me, with the instructions Morgan had -quoted all written in the professor's large loose hand. I broke the -seals with a choking at my heart, and found an envelope inside, -addressed also, but open, and I took the letter out.</p> - -<hr style="width: 45%;" /> - -<p>"MY DEAR MISS LALLY," it began, "To quote the old logic manual, the case -of your reading this note is a case of my having made a blunder of some -sort, and, I am afraid, a blunder that turns these lines into a -farewell. It is practically certain that neither you nor anyone else -will ever see me again. I have made my will with provision for this -eventuality, and I hope you will consent to accept the small remembrance -addressed to you, and my sincere thanks for the way in which you joined -your fortunes to mine. The fate which has come upon me is desperate and -terrible beyond the remotest dreams of man; but this fate you have a -right to know—if you please. If you look in the left-hand drawer of my -dressing-table, you will find the key of the escritoire, properly -labelled. In the well of the escritoire is a large envelope sealed and -addressed to your name. I advise you to throw it forthwith into the -fire; you will sleep better of nights if you do so. But if you must know -the history of what has happened, it is all written down for you to -read."</p> - -<hr style="width: 45%;" /> - -<p>The signature was firmly written below, and again I turned the page and -read out the words one by one, aghast and white to the lips, my hands -cold as ice, and sickness choking me. The dead silence of the room, and -the thought of the dark woods and hills closing me in on every side, -oppressed me, helpless and without capacity, and not knowing where to -turn for counsel. At last I resolved that though knowledge should haunt -my whole life and all the days to come, I must know the meaning of the -strange terrors that had so long tormented me, rising gray, dim, and -awful, like the shadows in the wood at dusk. I carefully carried out -Professor Gregg's directions, and not without reluctance broke the seal -of the envelope, and spread out his manuscript before me. That -manuscript I always carry with me, and I see that I cannot deny your -unspoken request to read it. This, then, was what I read that night, -sitting at the desk, with a shaded lamp beside me.</p> - -<p>The young lady who called herself Miss Lally then proceeded to recite:—</p> - -<hr style="width: 45%;" /> - -<p><i>The Statement of William Gregg, F.R.S., etc.</i></p> - -<p>It is many years since the first glimmer of the theory which is now -almost, if not quite, reduced to fact dawned first on my mind. A -somewhat extensive course of miscellaneous and obsolete reading had done -a good deal to prepare the way, and, later, when I became somewhat of a -specialist and immersed myself in the studies known as ethnological, I -was now and then startled by facts that would not square with orthodox -scientific opinion, and by discoveries that seemed to hint at something -still hidden for all our research. More particularly I became convinced -that much of the folk-lore of the world is but an exaggerated account of -events that really happened, and I was especially drawn to consider the -stories of the fairies, the good folk of the Celtic races. Here I -thought I could detect the fringe of embroidery and exaggeration, the -fantastic guise, the little people dressed in green and gold sporting in -the flowers, and I thought I saw a distinct analogy between the name -given to this race (supposed to be imaginary) and the description of -their appearance and manners. Just as our remote ancestors called the -dreaded beings "fair" and "good" precisely because they dreaded them, so -they had dressed them up in charming forms, knowing the truth to be the -very reverse. Literature, too, had gone early to work, and had lent a -powerful hand in the transformation, so that the playful elves of -Shakespeare are already far removed from the true original, and the real -horror is disguised in a form of prankish mischief. But in the older -tales, the stories that used to make men cross themselves as they sat -round the burning logs, we tread a different stage; I saw a widely -opposed spirit in certain histories of children and of men and women who -vanished strangely from the earth. They would be seen by a peasant in -the fields walking towards some green and rounded hillock, and seen no -more on earth; and there are stories of mothers who have left a child -quietly sleeping with the cottage door rudely barred with a piece of -wood, and have returned, not to find the plump and rosy little Saxon, -but a thin and wizened creature, with sallow skin and black piercing -eyes, the child of another race. Then, again, there were myths darker -still; the dread of witch and wizard, the lurid evil of the Sabbath, and -the hint of demons who mingled with the daughters of men. And just as we -have turned the terrible "fair folk" into a company of benignant, if -freakish, elves, so we have hidden from us the black foulness of the -witch and her companions under a popular <i>diablerie</i> of old women and -broomsticks and a comic cat with tail on end. So the Greeks called the -hideous furies benevolent ladies, and thus the northern nations have -followed their example. I pursued my investigations, stealing odd hours -from other and more imperative labors, and I asked myself the question: -Supposing these traditions to be true, who were the demons who are -reported to have attended the Sabbaths? I need not say that I laid aside -what I may call the supernatural hypothesis of the middle ages, and came -to the conclusion that fairies and devils were of one and the same race -and origin; invention, no doubt, and the Gothic fancy of old days had -done much in the way of exaggeration and distortion; yet I firmly -believed that beneath all this imagery there was a black background of -truth. As for some of the alleged wonders, I hesitated. While I should -be very loth to receive any one specific instance of modern spiritualism -as containing even a grain of the genuine, yet I was not wholly prepared -to deny that human flesh may now and then, once perhaps in ten million -cases, be the veil of powers which seem magical to us; powers which, so -far from proceeding from the heights and leading men thither, are in -reality survivals from the depths of being. The amÅ“ba and the snail -have powers which we do not possess; and I thought it possible that the -theory of reversion might explain many things which seem wholly -inexplicable. Thus stood my position; I saw good reason to believe that -much of the tradition, a vast deal of the earliest and uncorrupted -tradition of the so-called fairies, represented solid fact, and I -thought that the purely supernatural element in these traditions, was to -be accounted for on the hypothesis that a race which had fallen out of -the grand march of evolution might have retained, as a survival, certain -powers which would be to us wholly miraculous. Such was my theory as it -stood conceived in my mind; and working with, this in view, I seemed to -gather confirmation from every side, from the spoils of a tumulus or a -barrow, from a local paper reporting an antiquarian meeting in the -country, and from general literature of all kinds. Amongst other -instances, I remember being struck by the phrase "articulate-speaking -men" in Homer, as if the writer knew or had heard of men whose speech -was so rude that it could hardly be termed articulate; and on my -hypothesis of a race who had lagged far behind the rest, I could easily -conceive that such a folk would speak a jargon but little removed from -the inarticulate noises of brute-beasts.</p> - -<p>Thus I stood, satisfied that my conjecture was at all events not far -removed from fact, when a chance paragraph in a small country print one -day arrested my attention. It was a short account of what was to all -appearance the usual sordid tragedy of the village; a young girl -unaccountably missing, and evil rumor blatant and busy with her -reputation. Yet I could read between the lines that all this scandal was -purely hypothetical, and in all probability invented to account for what -was in any other manner unaccountable. A flight to London or Liverpool, -or an undiscovered body lying with a weight about its neck in the foul -depths of a woodland pool, of perhaps murder,—such were the theories of -the wretched girl's neighbors. But as I idly scanned the paragraph, a -flash of thought passed through me with the violence of an electric -shock: What if the obscure and horrible race of the hills still -survived, still remained haunting wild places, and barren hills, and now -and then repeating the evil of Gothic legend, unchanged and -unchangeable as the Turanian Shelta, or the Basques of Spain. I have -said that the thought came with violence; and indeed I drew in my breath -sharply, and clung with both hands to my elbow-chair, in a strange -confusion of horror and elation. It was as if one of my <i>confrères</i> of -physical science, roaming in a quiet English wood, had been suddenly -stricken aghast by the presence of the slimy and loathsome terror of the -ichthyosaurus, the original of the stories of the awful worms killed by -valorous knights, or had seen the sun darkened by the pterodactyl, the -dragon of tradition. Yet as a resolute explorer of knowledge, the -thought of such a discovery threw me into a passion of joy, and I cut -out the slip from the paper, and put it in a drawer in my old bureau, -resolved that it should be but the first piece in a collection of the -strangest significance. I sat long that evening dreaming of the -conclusions I should establish, nor did cooler reflection at first dash -my confidence. Yet as I began to put the case fairly, I saw that I might -be building on an unstable foundation; the facts might possibly be in -accordance with local opinion; and I regarded the affair with a mood of -some reserve. Yet I resolved to remain perched on the look-out, and I -hugged to myself the thought that I alone was watching and wakeful, -while the great crowd of thinkers and searchers stood heedless and -indifferent, perhaps letting the most prerogative facts pass by -unnoticed.</p> - -<p>Several years elapsed before I was enabled to add to the contents of the -drawer; and the second find was in reality not a valuable one, for it -was a mere repetition of the first, with only the variation of another -and distant locality. Yet I gained something; for in the second case, as -in the first, the tragedy took place in a desolate and lonely country, -and so far my theory seemed justified. But the third piece was to me far -more decisive. Again, amongst outland hills, far even from a main road -of traffic, an old man was found done to death, and the instrument of -execution was left beside him. Here, indeed, there was rumor and -conjecture, for the deadly tool was a primitive stone axe, bound by gut -to the wooden handle, and surmises the most extravagant and improbable -were indulged in. Yet, as I thought with a kind of glee, the wildest -conjectures went far astray; and I took the pains to enter into -correspondence with the local doctor, who was called at the inquest. He, -a man of some acuteness, was dumfoundered. "It will not do to speak of -these things in country places, he wrote to me; but, frankly, Professor -Gregg, there is some hideous mystery here. I have obtained possession of -the stone axe, and have been so curious as to test its powers. I took it -into the back-garden of my house one Sunday afternoon when my family and -the servants were all out, and there, sheltered by the poplar hedges, I -made my experiments. I found the thing utterly unmanageable. Whether -there is some peculiar balance, some nice adjustment of weights, which -require incessant practice, or whether an effectual blow can be struck -only by a certain trick of the muscles, I do not know; but I assure you -that I went into the house with but a sorry opinion of my athletic -capacities. It was like an inexperienced man trying 'putting the -hammer;' the force exerted seemed to return on oneself, and I found -myself hurled backwards with violence, while the axe fell harmless to -the ground. On another occasion I tried the experiment with a clever -woodman of the place; but this man, who had handled his axe for forty -years, could do nothing with the stone implement, and missed every -stroke most ludicrously. In short, if it were not so supremely absurd, I -should say that for four thousand years no one on earth could have -struck an effective blow with the tool that undoubtedly was used to -murder the old man." This, as may be imagined, was to me rare news; and -afterwards, when I heard the whole story, and learned that the -unfortunate old man had babbled tales of what might be seen at night on -a certain wild hillside, hinting at unheard-of wonders, and that he had -been found cold one morning on the very hill in question, my exultation -was extreme, for I felt I was leaving conjecture far behind me. But the -next step was of still greater importance. I had possessed for many -years an extraordinary stone seal,—a piece of dull black stone, two -inches long from the handle to the stamp, and the stamping end a rough -hexagon an inch and a quarter in diameter. Altogether, it presented the -appearance of an enlarged tobacco-stopper of an old-fashioned make. It -had been sent to me by an agent in the East, who informed me that it had -been found near the site of the ancient Babylon. But the characters -engraved on the seal were to me an intolerable puzzle. Somewhat of the -cuneiform pattern, there were yet striking differences, which I -detected at the first glance, and all efforts to read the inscription on -the hypothesis that the rules for deciphering the arrow-headed writing -would apply proved futile. A riddle such as this stung my pride, and at -odd moments I would take the Black Seal out of the cabinet, and -scrutinize it with so much idle perseverance that every letter was -familiar to my mind, and I could have drawn the inscription from memory -without the slightest error. Judge then of my surprise, when I one day -received from a correspondent in the west of England a letter and an -enclosure that positively left me thunderstruck. I saw carefully traced -on a large piece of paper the very characters of the Black Seal, without -alteration of any kind, and above the inscription my friend had written: -<i>Inscription found on a limestone rock on the Grey Hills, Monmouthshire. -Done in some red earth and quite recent</i>. I turned to the letter. My -friend wrote: "I send you the enclosed inscription with all due reserve. -A shepherd who passed by the stone a week ago swears that there was then -no mark of any kind. The characters, as I have noted, are formed by -drawing some red earth over the stone, and are of an average height of -one inch. They look to me like a kind of cuneiform character, a good -deal altered, but this of course is impossible. It may be either a hoax -or more probably some scribble of the gypsies, who are plentiful enough -in this wild country. They have, as you are aware, many hieroglyphics -which they use in communicating with one another. I happened to visit -the stone in question two days ago in connection with a rather painful -incident which has occurred here."</p> - -<p>As may be supposed, I wrote immediately to my friend, thanking him for -the copy of the inscription, and asking him in a casual manner, the -history of the incident he mentioned. To be brief, I heard that a woman -named Cradock, who had lost her husband a day before, had set out to -communicate the sad news to a cousin who lived some five miles away. She -took a short cut which led by the Gray Hills. Mrs. Cradock, who was then -quite a young woman, never arrived at her relative's house. Late that -night a farmer who had lost a couple of sheep, supposed to have wandered -from the flock, was walking over the Gray Hills, with a lantern and his -dog. His attention was attracted by a noise, which he described as a -kind of wailing, mournful and pitiable to hear; and, guided by the -sound, he found the unfortunate Mrs. Cradock crouched on the ground by -the limestone rock, swaying her body to and fro, and lamenting and -crying in so heart-rending a manner that the farmer was, as he says, at -first obliged to stop his ears, or he would have run away. The woman -allowed herself to be taken home, and a neighbor came to see to her -necessities. All the night she never ceased her crying, mixing her -lament with words of some unintelligible jargon, and when the doctor -arrived he pronounced her insane. She lay on her bed for a week, now -wailing, as people said, like one lost and damned for eternity, and now -sunk in a heavy coma; it was thought that grief at the loss of her -husband had unsettled her mind, and the medical man did not at one time -expect her to live. I need not say that I was deeply interested in this -story, and I made my friend write to me at intervals with all the -particulars of the case. I heard then that in the course of six weeks -the woman gradually recovered the use of her faculties and some months -later she gave birth to a son, christened Jervase, who unhappily proved -to be of weak intellect. Such were the facts known to the village; but -to me while I whitened at the suggested thought of the hideous -enormities that had doubtless been committed, all this was nothing short -of conviction, and I incautiously hazarded a hint of something like the -truth to some scientific friends. The moment the words had left my lips -I bitterly regretted having spoken, and thus given away the great secret -of my life, but with a good deal of relief mixed with indignation, I -found my fears altogether misplaced, for my friends ridiculed me to my -face, and I was regarded as a madman; and beneath a natural anger I -chuckled to myself, feeling as secure amidst these blockheads, as if I -had confided what I knew to the desert sands.</p> - -<p>But now, knowing so much, I resolved I would know all, and I -concentrated my efforts on the task of deciphering the inscription on -the Black Seal. For many years I made this puzzle the sole object of my -leisure moments; for the greater portion of my time was, of course, -devoted to other duties, and it was only now and then that I could -snatch a week of clear research. If I were to tell the full history of -this curious investigation, this statement would be wearisome in the -extreme, for it would contain simply the account of long and tedious -failure. By what I knew already of ancient scripts I was well-equipped -for the chase, as I always termed it to myself. I had correspondents -amongst all the scientific men in Europe, and, indeed, in the world, and -I could not believe that in these days any character, however ancient -and however perplexed, could long resist the search-light I should bring -to bear upon it. Yet, in point of fact, it was fully fourteen years -before I succeeded. With every year my professional duties increased, -and my leisure became smaller. This no doubt retarded me a good deal; -and yet, when I look back on those years I am astonished at the vast -scope of my investigation of the Black Seal. I made my bureau a centre, -and from all the world and from all the ages I gathered transcripts of -ancient writing. Nothing, I resolved, should pass me unawares, and the -faintest hint should be welcomed and followed up. But as one covert -after another was tried and proved empty of result, I began in the -course of years to despair, and to wonder whether the Black Seal were -the sole relic of some race that had vanished from the world and left no -other trace of its existence,—had perished, in fine, as Atlantis is -said to have done, in some great cataclysm, its secrets perhaps drowned -beneath the ocean or moulded into the heart of the hills. The thought -chilled my warmth a little, and though I still persevered, it was no -longer with the same certainty of faith. A chance came to the rescue. I -was staying in a considerable town in the north of England, and took the -opportunity of going over the very creditable museum that had for some -time been established in the place. The curator was one of my -correspondents; and, as we were looking through one of the mineral -cases, my attention was struck by a specimen, a piece of black stone -some four inches square, the appearance of which reminded me in a -measure of the Black Seal. I took it up carelessly, and was turning it -over in my hand, when I saw, to my astonishment, that the under side was -inscribed. I said, quietly enough, to my friend the curator that the -specimen interested me, and that I should be much obliged if he would -allow me to take it with me to my hotel for a couple of days. He, of -course, made no objection, and I hurried to my rooms, and found that my -first glance had not deceived me. There were two inscriptions; one in -the regular cuneiform character, another in the character of the Black -Seal, and I realized that my task was accomplished. I made an exact copy -of the two inscriptions; and when I got to my London study, and had the -Seal before me, I was able seriously to grapple with the great problem. -The interpreting inscription on the museum specimen, though in itself -curious enough, did not bear on my quest, but the transliteration made -me master of the secret of the Black Seal. Conjecture, of course, had to -enter into my calculations; there was here and there uncertainty about a -particular ideograph, and one sign recurring again and again on the Seal -baffled me for many successive nights. But at last the secret stood open -before me in plain English, and I read the key of the awful -transmutation of the hills. The last word was hardly written, when with -fingers all trembling and unsteady I tore the scrap of paper into the -minutest fragments, and saw them flame and blacken in the red hollow of -the fire, and then I crushed the gray films that remained into finest -powder. Never since then have I written those words; never will I write -the phrases which tell me how man can be reduced to the slime from which -he came, and be forced to put on the flesh of the reptile and the snake. -There was now but one thing remaining. I knew; but I desired to see, and -I was after some time able to take a house in the neighborhood of the -Gray Hills, and not far from the cottage where Mrs. Cradock and her son -Jervase resided. I need not go into a full and detailed account of the -apparently inexplicable events which have occurred here, where I am -writing this. I knew that I should find in Jervase Cradock something of -the blood of the "Little People," and I found later that he had more -than once encountered his kinsmen in lonely places in that lonely land. -When I was summoned one day to the garden, and found him in a seizure -speaking or hissing the ghastly jargon of the Black Seal, I am afraid -that exultation prevailed over pity. I heard bursting from his lips the -secrets of the underworld, and the word of dread, "Ishakshar," the -signification of which I must be excused from giving.</p> - -<p>But there is one incident I cannot pass over unnoticed. In the waste -hollow of the night I awoke at the sound of those hissing syllables I -knew so well; and on going to the wretched boy's room, I found him -convulsed and foaming at the mouth, struggling on the bed as if he -strove to escape the grasp of writhing demons. I took him down to my -room and lit the lamp, while he lay twisting on the floor, calling on -the power within his flesh to leave him. I saw his body swell and become -distended as a bladder, while the face blackened before my eyes; and -then at the crisis I did what was necessary according to the directions -on the Seal, and putting all scruple on one side, I became a man of -science, observant of what was passing. Yet the sight I had to witness -was horrible, almost beyond the power of human conception and the most -fearful fantasy; something pushed out from the body there on the floor, -and stretched forth, a slimy wavering tentacle, across the room, and -grasped the bust upon the cupboard, and laid it down on my desk.</p> - -<p>When it was over, and I was left to walk up and down all the rest of the -night, white and shuddering, with sweat pouring from my flesh, I vainly -tried to reason with myself; I said, truly enough, that I had seen -nothing really supernatural, that a snail pushing out his horns and -drawing them in was but an instance on a smaller scale of what I had -witnessed; and yet horror broke through all such reasonings and left me -shattered and loathing myself for the share I had taken in the night's -work.</p> - -<p>There is little more to be said. I am going now to the final trial and -encounter; for I have determined that there shall be nothing wanting, -and I shall meet the "Little People" face to face. I shall have the -Black Seal and the knowledge of its secrets to help me, and if I -unhappily do not return from my journey, there is no need to conjure up -here a picture of the awfulness of my fate.</p> - -<p>Pausing a little at the end of Professor Gregg's statement, Miss Lally -continued her tale in the following words:—</p> - -<p>Such was the almost incredible story that the professor had left behind -him. When I had finished reading it, it was late at night, but the next -morning I took Morgan with me, and we proceeded to search the Gray Hills -for some trace of the lost professor. I will not weary you with a -description of the savage desolation of that tract of country, a tract -of utterest loneliness, of bare green hills dotted over with gray -limestone boulders, worn by the ravage of time into fantastic semblances -of men and beasts. Finally, after many hours of weary searching, we -found what I told you—the watch and chain, the purse, and the -ring—wrapped in a piece of coarse parchment. When Morgan cut the gut -that bound the parcel together, and I saw the professor's property, I -burst into tears, but the sight of the dreaded characters of the Black -Seal repeated on the parchment froze me to silent horror, and I think I -understood for the first time the awful fate that had come upon my late -employer.</p> - -<p>I have only to add that Professor Gregg's lawyer treated my account of -what had happened as a fairy tale, and refused even to glance at the -documents I laid before him. It was he who was responsible for the -statement that appeared in the public press, to the effect that -Professor Gregg had been drowned, and that his body must have been swept -into the open sea.</p> - -<p>Miss Lally stopped speaking and looked at Mr. Phillipps, with a glance -of some enquiry. He, for his part, was sunken in a deep revery of -thought; and when he looked up and saw the bustle of the evening -gathering in the square, men and women hurrying to partake of dinner, -and crowds already besetting the music-halls, all the hum and press of -actual life seemed unreal and visionary, a dream in the morning after an -awakening.</p> - -<p>"I thank you," he said at last, "for your most interesting story, -interesting to me, because I feel fully convinced of its exact truth."</p> - -<p>"Sir," said the lady, with some energy of indignation, "you grieve and -offend me. Do you think I should waste my time and yours by concocting -fictions on a bench in Leicester Square?"</p> - -<p>"Pardon me, Miss Lally, you have a little misunderstood me. Before you -began I knew that whatever you told would be told in good faith, but -your experiences have a far higher value than that of <i>bona fides</i>. The -most extraordinary circumstances in your account are in perfect harmony -with the very latest scientific theories. Professor Lodge would, I am -sure, value a communication from you extremely; I was charmed from the -first by his daring hypothesis in explanation of the wonders of -Spiritualism (so called), but your narrative puts the whole matter out -of the range of mere hypothesis."</p> - -<p>"Alas, sir, all this will not help me. You forget, I have lost my -brother under the most startling and dreadful circumstances. Again, I -ask you, did you not see him as you came here? His black whiskers, his -spectacles, his timid glance to right and left; think, do not these -particulars recall his face to your memory?"</p> - -<p>"I am sorry to say I have never seen any one of the kind," said -Phillipps, who had forgotten all about the missing brother. "But let me -ask you a few questions. Did you notice whether Professor Gregg—"</p> - -<p>"Pardon me, sir, I have stayed too long. My employers will be expecting -me. I thank you for your sympathy. Good bye."</p> - -<p>Before Mr. Phillipps had recovered from his amazement at this abrupt -departure, Miss Lally had disappeared from his gaze, passing into the -crowd that now thronged the approaches to the Empire. He walked home in -a pensive frame of mind, and drank too much tea. At ten o'clock he had -made his third brew, and had sketched out the outlines of a little work -to be called <i>Protoplasmic Reversion</i>.</p> - - - -<hr style="width: 65%;" /> -<h3><a name="INCIDENT_OF_THE_PRIVATE_BAR" id="INCIDENT_OF_THE_PRIVATE_BAR"></a>INCIDENT OF THE PRIVATE BAR.</h3> - - -<p>Mr. Dyson often meditated at odd moments over the singular tale he had -listened to at the Café de la Touraine. In the first place he cherished -a profound conviction that the words of truth were scattered with a too -niggardly and sparing hand over the agreeable history of Mr. Smith and -the Black Gulf Cañon; and, secondly, there was the undeniable fact of -the profound agitation of the narrator, and his gestures on the -pavement, too violent to be simulated. The idea of a man going about -London haunted by the fear of meeting a young man with spectacles struck -Dyson as supremely ridiculous; he searched his memory for some precedent -in romance, but without success; he paid visits at odd times to the -little café, hoping to find Mr. Wilkins there; and he kept a sharp watch -on the great generation of the spectacled men without much doubt that he -would remember the face of the individual whom he had seen dart out of -the Aerated Bread Shop. All his peregrinations and researches, however, -seemed to lead to nothing of value, and Dyson needed all his warm -conviction of his innate detective powers and his strong scent for -mystery to sustain him in his endeavors. In fact, he had two affairs on -hand; and every day, as he passed through streets crowded or deserted, -and lurked in the obscure districts, and watched at corners, he was more -than surprised to find that the affair of the gold coin persistently -avoided him; while the ingenious Wilkins, and the young man with -spectacles whom he dreaded, seemed to have vanished from the pavements.</p> - -<p>He was pondering these problems one evening in a house of call in the -Strand, and the obstinacy with which the persons he so ardently desired -to meet hung back gave the modest tankard before him an additional touch -of bitter. As it happened, he was alone in his compartment, and, without -thinking, he uttered aloud the burden of his meditations. "How bizarre -it all is!" he said, "a man walking the pavement with the dread of a -timid-looking young man with spectacles continually hovering before his -eyes. And there was some tremendous feeling at work, I could swear to -that." Quick as thought, before he had finished the sentence, a head -popped round the barrier, and was withdrawn again; and while Dyson was -wondering what this could mean, the door of the compartment was swung -open, and a smooth, clean-shaven, and smiling gentleman entered.</p> - -<p>"You will excuse me, sir," he said politely, "for intruding on your -thoughts, but you made a remark a minute ago."</p> - -<p>"I did," said Dyson; "I have been puzzling over a foolish matter, and I -thought aloud. As you heard what I said, and seem interested, perhaps -you may be able to relieve my perplexity?"</p> - -<p>"Indeed. I scarcely know; it is an odd coincidence. One has to be -cautions. I suppose, sir, that you would have no repulsion in assisting -the ends of justice."</p> - -<p>"Justice," replied Dyson, "is a term of such wide meaning, that I too -feel doubtful about giving an answer. But this place is not altogether -fit for such a discussion; perhaps you would come to my rooms?"</p> - -<p>"You are very kind; my name is Burton, but I am sorry to say I have not -a card with me. Do you live near here?"</p> - -<p>"Within ten minutes' walk."</p> - -<p>Mr. Burton took out his watch and seemed to be making a rapid -calculation.</p> - -<p>"I have a train to catch," he said; "but after all, it is a late one. -So, if you don't mind, I think I will come with you. I am sure we should -have a little talk together. We turn up here?"</p> - -<p>The theatres were filling as they crossed the Strand, the street seemed -alive with voices, and Dyson looked fondly about him. The glittering -lines of gas-lamps, with here and there the blinding radiance of an -electric light, the hansoms that flashed to and fro with ringing bells, -the laden buses, and the eager hurrying east and west of the foot -passengers, made his most enchanting picture; and the graceful spire of -St. Mary le Strand, on the one hand, and the last flush of sunset on the -other, were to him a cause of thanksgiving, as the gorse blossom to -Linnæus. Mr. Burton caught his look of fondness as they crossed the -street.</p> - -<p>"I see you can find the picturesque in London," he said. "To me this -great town is as I see it is to you, the study and the love of life. Yet -how few there are that can pierce the veils of apparent monotony and -meanness! I have read in a paper which is said to have the largest -circulation in the world, a comparison between the aspects of London and -Paris, a comparison which should be positively laureat, as the great -masterpiece of fatuous stupidity. Conceive if you can a human being of -ordinary intelligence preferring the Boulevards to our London streets; -imagine a man calling for the wholesale destruction of our most charming -city, in order that the dull uniformity of that whited sepulchre called -Paris should be reproduced here in London. Is it not positively -incredible?"</p> - -<p>"My dear sir," said Dyson, regarding Burton with a good deal of -interest. "I agree most heartily with your opinions, but I really cannot -share your wonder. Have you heard how much George Eliot received for -'Romola'? Do you know what the circulation of 'Robert Elsmere' was? Do -you read 'Tit Bits' regularly? To me, on the contrary, it is constant -matter both for wonder and thanksgiving that London was not -boulevardized twenty years ago. I praise that exquisite jagged sky line -that stands up against the pale greens and fading blues and flushing -clouds of sunset, but I wonder even more than I praise. As for St. Mary -le Strand, its preservation is a miracle, nothing more or less. A thing -of exquisite beauty <i>versus</i> four buses abreast! Really, the conclusion -is too obvious. Didn't you read the letter of the man who proposed that -the whole mysterious system, the immemorial plan of computing Easter, -should, be abolished off-hand because he doesn't like his son having his -holidays as early as March 20th? But shall we be going on?"</p> - -<p>They had lingered at the corner of a street on the north side of the -Strand, enjoying the contrasts and the glamour of the scene. Dyson -pointed the way with a gesture, and they strolled up the comparatively -deserted streets, slanting a little to the right, and thus arriving at -Dyson's lodging on the verge of Bloomsbury. Mr. Burton took a -comfortable armchair by the open window, while Dyson lit the candles and -produced the whiskey and soda and cigarettes.</p> - -<p>"They tell me these cigarettes are very good," he said, "but I know -nothing about it myself. I hold at last that there is only one tobacco, -and that is shag. I suppose I could not tempt you to try a pipeful?"</p> - -<p>Mr. Burton smilingly refused the offer, and picked out a cigarette from -the box. When he had smoked it half through, he said with some -hesitation:—</p> - -<p>"It is really kind of you to have me here, Mr. Dyson; the fact is that -the interests at issue are far too serious to be discussed in a bar, -where, as you found for yourself, there may be listeners, voluntary or -involuntary, on each side. I think the remark I heard you make was -something about the oddity of an individual going about London in deadly -fear of a young man with spectacles."</p> - -<p>"Yes, that was it."</p> - -<p>"Well, would you mind confiding to me the circumstances that gave rise -to the reflection?"</p> - -<p>"Not in the least; it was like this." And he ran over in brief outline -the adventure in Oxford Street, dwelling on the violence of Mr. -Wilkins's gestures, but wholly suppressing the tale told in the café. -"He told me he lived in constant terror of meeting this man; and I left -him when I thought he was cool enough to look after himself," said -Dyson, ending his narrative.</p> - -<p>"Really," said Mr. Burton. "And you actually saw this mysterious -person."</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"And could you describe him?"</p> - -<p>"Well, he looked to me a youngish man, pale and nervous. He had small -black side whiskers, and wore rather large spectacles."</p> - -<p>"But this is simply marvellous! You astonish me. For I must tell you -that my interest in the matter is this. I am not in the least in terror -of meeting a dark young man with spectacles, but I shrewdly suspect a -person of that description would much rather not meet me. And yet the -account you give of the man tallies exactly. A nervous glance to right -and left—is it not so? And, as you observed, he wears prominent -spectacles, and has small black whiskers. There cannot be surely two -people exactly identical—one a cause of terror, and the other, I should -imagine, extremely anxious to get out of the way. But have you seen this -man since?"</p> - -<p>"No, I have not; and I have been looking out for him pretty keenly. But, -of course, he may have left London, and England too for the matter of -that."</p> - -<p>Hardly, I think. Well, Mr. Dyson, it is only fair that I should explain -my story, now that I have listened, to yours. I must tell you, then, -that I am an agent for curiosities and precious things of all kinds. An -odd employment, isn't it? Of course I wasn't brought up to the business; -I gradually fell into it. I have always been fond of things queer and -rare, and by the time I was twenty I had made half a dozen collections. -It is not generally known how often farm laborers come upon rarities; -you would be astonished if I told you what I have seen turned up by the -plough. I lived in the country in those days, and I used to buy anything -the men on the farms brought me; and I had the queerest set of rubbish, -as my friends called my collection. But that's how I got the scent of -the business, which means everything; and, later on, it struck me that I -might very well turn my knowledge to account and add to my income. Since -those early days I have been in most quarters of the world, and some -very valuable things have passed through my hands, and I have had to -engage in difficult and delicate negotiations. You have possibly heard -of the Khan opal—called in the East 'The Stone of a Thousand and One -Colors'? Well, perhaps the conquest of that stone was my greatest -achievement. I call it myself the stone of the thousand and one lies, -for I assure you that I had to invent a cycle of folk-lore before the -Rajah who owned it would consent to sell the thing. I subsidized -wandering story-tellers, who told tales in which the opal played a -frightful part; I hired a holy man, a great ascetic, to prophesy against -the thing in the language of Eastern symbolism; in short, I frightened -the Rajah out of his wits. So you see there is room for diplomacy in -the traffic I am engaged in. I have to be ever on my guard, and I have -often been sensible that unless I watched every step and weighed every -word my life would not last me much longer. Last April I became aware of -the existence of a highly valuable antique gem. It was in Southern -Italy, and in the possession of persons who were ignorant of its real -value. It has always been my experience that it is precisely the -ignorant who are most difficult to deal with. I have met farmers who -were under the impression that a shilling of George I. was a find of -almost incalculable value; and all the defeats I have sustained have -been at the hands of people of this description. Reflecting on these -facts, I saw that the acquisition of the gem I have mentioned would be -an affair demanding the nicest diplomacy; I might possibly have got it -by offering a sum approaching its real value, but I need not point out -to you that such a proceeding would be most unbusinesslike. Indeed, I -doubt whether it would have been successful, for the cupidity of such -persons is aroused by a sum which seems enormous, and the low cunning -which serves them in place of intelligence immediately suggests that the -object for which such an amount is offered must be worth at least -double. Of course, when it is a matter of an ordinary curiosity—an old -jug, a carved chest, or a queer brass lantern—one does not much care; -the cupidity of the owner defeats its object, the collector laughs, and -goes away, for he is aware that such things are by no means unique. But -this gem I fervently desired to possess; and as I did not see my way to -giving more than a hundredth part of its value, I was conscious that -all my, let us say, imaginative and diplomatic powers would have to be -exerted. I am sorry to say that I came to the conclusion that I could -not undertake to carry the matter through single-handed, and I -determined to confide in my assistant, a young man named William -Robbins, whom I judged to be by no means devoid of capacity. My idea was -that Robbins should get himself up as a low-class dealer in precious -stones; he could patter a little Italian, and would go to the town in -question and manage to see the gem we were after, possibly by offering -some trifling articles of jewelry for sale, but that I left to be -decided, then my work was to begin, but I will not trouble you with a -tale told twice over. In due course, then, Robbins went off to Italy -with an assortment of uncut stones and a few rings, and some jewelry I -bought in Birmingham, on purpose for his expedition. A week later I -followed him, travelling leisurely, so that I was a fortnight later in -arriving at our common destination. There was a decent hotel in the -town, and on my inquiring of the landlord whether there were many -strangers in the place, he told me very few; he had heard there was an -Englishman staying in a small tavern, a pedlar he said, who sold -beautiful trinkets very cheaply, and wanted to buy old rubbish. For five -or six days I took life leisurely, and I must say I enjoyed myself. It -was part of my plan to make the people think I was an enormously rich -man; and I knew that such items as the extravagance of my meals, and the -price of every bottle of wine I drank, would not be suffered, as Sancho -Panza puts it, to rot in the landlord's breast. At the end of the week I -was fortunate enough to make the acquaintance of Signor Melini, the -owner of the gem I coveted, at the café, and with his ready hospitality -and my geniality I was soon established as a friend of the house. On my -third or fourth visit I managed to make the Italians talk about the -English pedlar, who, they said, spoke a most detestable Italian. 'But -that does not matter,' said the Signora Melini, 'for he has beautiful -things, which he sells very very cheap.' 'I hope you may not find he has -cheated you,' I said, 'for I must tell you that English people give -these fellows a very wide berth. They usually make a great parade of the -cheapness of their goods, which often turn out to be double the price of -better articles in the shops,' They would not hear of this, and Signora -Melini insisted on showing me the three rings and the bracelet she had -bought of the pedlar. She told me the price she had paid; and after -scrutinizing the articles carefully, I had to confess that she had made -a bargain, and indeed Robbins had sold her the things at about fifty per -cent below market value. I admired the trinkets as I gave them back to -the lady, and I hinted that the pedlar must be a somewhat foolish -specimen of his class. Two days later, as I was taking my vermouth at -the café with Signor Melini, he led the conversation back to the pedlar, -and mentioned casually that he had shown the man a little curiosity, for -which he had made rather a handsome offer. 'My dear sir,' I said, 'I -hope you will be careful. I told you that the travelling tradesman does -not bear a very high reputation in England; and notwithstanding his -apparent simplicity, this fellow may turn out to be an arrant cheat. May -I ask you what is the nature of the curiosity you have shown him?' He -told me it was a little thing, a pretty little stone with some figures -cut on it: people said it was old. 'I should like to examine it,' I -replied; 'as it happens I have, seen a good deal of these gems. We have -a fine collection of them in our museum at London.' In due course I was -shown the article, and I held the gem I so coveted between my fingers. I -looked at it coolly, and put it down carelessly on the table. 'Would you -mind telling me, signor,' I said, 'how much my fellow-countryman offered -you for this?' 'Well,' he said, 'my wife says the man must be mad; he -said he would give me twenty lire for it.'</p> - -<p>"I looked at him quietly, and took up the gem and pretended to examine -it in the light more carefully; I turned it over and over, and finally -pulled out a magnifying glass from my pocket, and seemed to search every -line in the cutting with minutest scrutiny. 'My dear sir,' I said at -last, 'I am inclined to agree with Signora Melini. If this gem were -genuine, it would be worth some money; but as it happens to be a rather -bad forgery, it is not worth twenty centesimi. It was sophisticated, I -should imagine, some time in the last century, and by a very unskilful -hand.' 'Then we had better get rid of it,' said Melini. 'I never thought -it was worth anything myself. Of course I am sorry for the pedlar, but -one must let a man know his own trade. I shall tell him we will take the -twenty lire.' 'Excuse me,' I said, 'the man wants a lesson. It would be -a charity to give him one. Tell him that you will not take anything -under eighty lire, and I shall be much surprised if he does not close -with you at once.</p> - -<p>"A day or two later I heard that the English pedlar had gone away, after -debasing the minds of the country people with Birmingham art jewelry; -for I admit that the gold sleeve links like kidney beans, the silver -chains made apparently after the pattern of a dog-chain, and the initial -brooches, have always been heavy on my conscience. I cannot acquit -myself of having indirectly contributed to debauch the taste of a simple -folk; but I hope that the end I had in view may finally outbalance this -heavy charge. Soon afterwards, I paid a farewell visit at the Melinis, -and the signor informed me with an oily chuckle that the plan I had -suggested had been completely successful. I congratulated him on his -bargain, and went away after expressing a wish that heaven might send -many such pedlars in his path.</p> - -<p>"Nothing of interest occurred on my return journey. I had arranged that -Robbins was to meet me at a certain place on a certain day, and I went -to the appointment full of the coolest confidence; the gem had been -conquered, and I had only to reap the fruits of victory. I am sorry to -shake that trust in our common human nature which I am sure you possess, -but I am compelled to tell you that up to the present date I have never -set eyes on my man Robbins, or on the antique gem in his custody. I have -found out that he actually arrived in London, for he was seen three -days before my arrival in England by a pawnbroker of my acquaintance -consuming his favorite beverage, four ale, in the tavern where we met -to-night. Since then he has not been heard of. I hope you will now -pardon my curiosity as to the history and adventures of dark young men -with spectacles. You will, I am sure, feel for me in my position; the -savor of life has disappeared for me; it is a bitter thought that I have -rescued one of the most perfect and exquisite specimens of antique art -from the hands of ignorant, and indeed unscrupulous persons, only to -deliver it into the keeping of a man who is evidently utterly devoid of -the very elements of commercial morality."</p> - -<p>"My dear sir," said Dyson, "you will allow me to compliment you on your -style; your adventures have interested me exceedingly. But, forgive me, -you just now used the word morality; would not some persons take -exception to your own methods of business? I can conceive, myself, flaws -of a moral kind being found in the very original conception you have -described to me. I can imagine the Puritan shrinking in dismay from your -scheme, pronouncing it unscrupulous, nay, dishonest."</p> - -<p>Mr. Burton helped himself, very frankly, to some more whiskey.</p> - -<p>"Your scruples entertain me," he said. "Perhaps you have not gone very -deeply into these questions of ethics. I have been compelled to do so -myself, just as I was forced to master a simple system of book-keeping. -Without book-keeping, and still more without a system of ethics, it is -impossible to conduct a business such as mine. But I assure you that I -am often profoundly saddened as I pass through the crowded streets and -watch the world at work by the thought of how few amongst all these -hurrying individuals, black hatted, well dressed, educated we may -presume sufficiently,—how few amongst them have any reasoned system of -morality. Even you have not weighed the question; although you study -life and affairs, and to a certain extent penetrate the veils and masks -of the comedy of man, even you judge by empty conventions, and the false -money which is allowed to pass current as sterling coin. Allow me to -play the part of Socrates; I shall teach you nothing that you do not -know. I shall merely lay aside the wrappings of prejudice and bad logic, -and show you the real image which you possess in your soul. Come then. -Do you allow that happiness is anything?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly," said Dyson.</p> - -<p>"And happiness is desirable or undesirable?"</p> - -<p>"Desirable of course."</p> - -<p>"And what shall we call the man who gives happiness? Is he not a -philanthropist?"</p> - -<p>"I think so."</p> - -<p>"And such a person is praiseworthy, and the more praiseworthy in the -proportion of the persons whom he makes happy?"</p> - -<p>"By all means."</p> - -<p>"So that he who makes a whole nation happy, is praiseworthy in the -extreme, and the action by which he gives happiness is the highest -virtue?"</p> - -<p>"It appears so, O Burton," said Dyson, who found something very -exquisite in the character of his visitor.</p> - -<p>"Quite so; you find the several conclusions inevitable. Well, apply them -to the story I have told, you. I conferred happiness on myself by -obtaining (as I thought) possession of the gem; I conferred happiness on -the Melinis by getting them eighty lire instead of an object for which -they had not the slightest value, and I intended to confer happiness on -the whole British nation by selling the thing to the British Museum, to -say nothing of the happiness a profit of about nine thousand per cent -would have conferred on me. I assure you I regard Robbins as an -interferer with the cosmos and fair order of things. But that is -nothing; you perceive that I am an apostle of the very highest morality; -you have been forced to yield to argument."</p> - -<p>"There certainly seems a great deal in what you advance," said Dyson. "I -admit that I am a mere amateur of ethics, while you, as you say, have -brought the most acute scrutiny to bear on these perplexed and doubtful -questions. I can well understand your anxiety to meet the fallacious -Robbins, and I congratulate myself on the chance which has made us -acquainted. But you will pardon my seeming inhospitality, I see it is -half past eleven, and I think you mentioned a train."</p> - -<p>"A thousand thanks, Mr. Dyson, I have just time, I see. I will look you -up some evening if I may. Good-night."</p> - - - -<hr style="width: 65%;" /> -<h3><a name="THE_DECORATIVE_IMAGINATION" id="THE_DECORATIVE_IMAGINATION"></a>THE DECORATIVE IMAGINATION.</h3> - - -<p>In the course of a few weeks Dyson became accustomed, to the constant -incursions of the ingenious Mr. Burton, who showed himself ready to drop -in at all hours, not averse to refreshment, and a profound guide in the -complicated questions of life. His visits at once terrified and -delighted Dyson, who could no longer seat himself at his bureau secure -from interruption while he embarked on literary undertakings, each one -of which was to be a masterpiece. On the other hand, it was a vivid -pleasure to be confronted with views so highly original; and if here and -there Mr. Burton's reasonings seemed tinged with fallacy, yet Dyson -freely yielded to the joy of strangeness, and never failed to give his -visitor a frank and hearty welcome. Mr. Burton's first inquiry was -always after the unprincipled Robbins, and he seemed to feel the stings -of disappointment when Dyson told him that he had failed to meet this -outrage on all morality, as Burton styled him, vowing that sooner or -later he would take vengeance on such a shameless betrayal of trust.</p> - -<p>One evening they had sat together for some time discussing the -possibility of laying down for this present generation and our modern -and intensely complicated order of society, some rules of social -diplomacy, such as Lord Bacon gave to the courtiers of King James I. "It -is a book to make," said Mr. Burton, "but who is there capable of making -it? I tell you people are longing for such a book; it would bring -fortune to its publisher. Bacon's Essays are exquisite, but they have -now no practical application; the modern strategist can find but little -use in a treatise 'De Re Militari,' written by a Florentine in the -fifteenth century. Scarcely more dissimilar are the social conditions of -Bacon's time and our own; the rules that he lays down so exquisitely for -the courtier and diplomatist of James the First's age will avail us -little in the rough-and-tumble struggle of to-day. Life, I am afraid, -has deteriorated; it gives little play for fine strokes such as formerly -advanced men in the state. Except in such businesses as mine, where a -chance does occur now and then, it has all become, as I said, an affair -of rough and tumble; men still desire to attain, it is true, but what is -their <i>moyen de parvenir</i>? A mere imitation, and not a gracious one, of -the arts of the soap-vender and the proprietor of baking powder. When I -think of these things, my dear Dyson, I confess that I am tempted to -despair of my century."</p> - -<p>"You are too pessimistic, my dear fellow; you set up too high a -standard. Certainly, I agree with you that the times are decadent in -many ways. I admit a general appearance of squalor; it needs much -philosophy to extract the wonderful and the beautiful from the Cromwell -Road or the Nonconformist conscience. Australian wines of fine Burgundy -character, the novels alike of the old women and the new women, popular -journalism,—these things indeed make for depression. Yet we have our -advantages. Before us is unfolded the greatest spectacle the world has -ever seen,—the mystery of the innumerable unending streets, the strange -adventures that must infallibly arise from so complicated a press of -interests. Nay, I will say that he who has stood in the ways of a suburb -and has seen them stretch before him all shining, void, and desolate at -noonday, has not lived in vain. Such a sight is in reality more -wonderful than any perspective of Bagdad or Grand Cairo. And, to set on -one side the entertaining history of the gem which you told me, surely -you must have had many singular adventures in your own career?"</p> - -<p>"Perhaps not so many as you would think; a good deal—the larger -part—of my business has been as commonplace as linen-drapery. But of -course things happen now and then. It is ten years since I have -established my agency, and I suppose that a house and estate agent who -had been in trade for an equal time could tell you some queer stories. -But I must give you a sample of my experiences some night.</p> - -<p>"Why not to-night?" said Dyson. "This evening seems to me admirably -adapted for an odd chapter. Look out into the street; you can catch a -view of it, if you crane your neck from that chair of yours. Is it not -charming? The double row of lamps growing closer in the distance, the -hazy outline of the plane-tree in the square, and the lights of the -hansoms swimming to and fro, gliding and vanishing; and above, the sky -all clear and blue and shining. Come, let us have one of your <i>cent -nouvelles nouvelles</i>."</p> - -<p>"My dear Dyson, I am delighted to amuse you." With these words Mr. -Burton prefaced the</p> - - - -<hr style="width: 65%;" /> -<h3><a name="NOVEL_OF_THE_IRON_MAID" id="NOVEL_OF_THE_IRON_MAID"></a>NOVEL OF THE IRON MAID.</h3> - - -<p>I think the most extraordinary event which I can recall took place about -five years ago. I was then still feeling my way; I had declared for -business, and attended regularly at my office, but I had not succeeded -in establishing a really profitable connection, and consequently I had a -good deal of leisure time on my hands. I have never thought fit to -trouble you with the details of my private life; they would be entirely -devoid of interest. I must briefly say, however, that I had a numerous -circle of acquaintance, and was never at a loss as to how to spend my -evenings. I was so fortunate as to have friends in most of the ranks of -the social order; there is nothing so unfortunate, to my mind, as a -specialized circle, wherein a certain round of ideas is continually -traversed and retraversed. I have always tried to find out new types and -persons whose brains contained something fresh to me; one may chance to -gain information even from the conversation of city men on an omnibus. -Amongst my acquaintance I knew a young doctor who lived in a far -outlying suburb, and I used often to brave the intolerably slow railway -journey, to have the pleasure of listening to his talk. One night we -conversed so eagerly together over our pipes and whiskey that the clock -passed unnoticed, and when I glanced up I realized with a shock that I -had just five minutes in which to catch the last tram. I made a dash for -my hat and stick, and jumped out of the house and down the steps, and -tore at full speed up the street. It was no good, however; there was a -shriek of the engine whistle, and I stood there at the station door and -saw far on the long dark line of the embankment a red light shine and -vanish, and a porter came down and shut the door with a bang.</p> - -<p>"How far to London?" I asked him.</p> - -<p>"A good nine miles to Waterloo Bridge;" and with that he went off.</p> - -<p>Before me was the long suburban street, its dreary distance marked by -rows of twinkling lamps, and the air was poisoned by the faint sickly -smell of burning bricks; it was not a cheerful prospect by any means, -and I had to walk through nine miles of such streets, deserted as those -of Pompeii. I knew pretty well what direction to take; so I set out -wearily, looking at the stretch of lamps vanishing in perspective; and -as I walked, street after street branched off to right and left,—some -far reaching to distances that seemed endless, communicating with, other -systems of thoroughfare; and some mere protoplasmic streets, beginning -in orderly fashion with serried two-storied houses, and ending suddenly -in waste, and pits, and rubbish heaps, and fields whence the magic had -departed. I have spoken of systems of thoroughfare, and I assure you -that, walking alone through these silent places, I felt phantasy growing -on me, and some glamour of the infinite. There was here. I felt, an -immensity as in the outer void, of the universe. I passed from unknown -to unknown, my way marked by lamps like stars, and on either band was an -unknown world where myriads of men dwelt and slept, street leading into -street, as it seemed to world's end. At first the road by which I was -travelling was lined with houses of unutterable monotony,—a wall of -gray brick pierced by two stories of windows, drawn close to the very -pavement. But by degrees I noticed an improvement: there were gardens, -and these grew larger. The suburban builder began to allow himself a -wider scope; and for a certain distance each flight of steps was guarded -by twin lions of plaster, and scents of flowers prevailed over the fume -of heated bricks. The road began to climb a hill, and, looking up a side -street, I saw the half moon rise over plane-trees, and there on the -other side was as if a white cloud had fallen, and the air around it was -sweetened as with incense; it was a may-tree in full bloom. I pressed on -stubbornly, listening for the wheels and the clatter of some belated -hansom; but into that land of men who go to the city in the morning and -return in the evening, the hansom rarely enters, and I had resigned -myself once more to the walk, when I suddenly became aware that some one -was advancing to meet me along the sidewalk. The man was strolling -rather aimlessly; and though the time and the place would have allowed -an unconventional style of dress, he was vested in the ordinary frock -coat, black tie, and silk hat of civilization. We met each other under -the lamp, and, as often happens in this great town, two casual -passengers brought face to face found, each in the other an -acquaintance.</p> - -<p>"Mr. Mathias, I think?" I said.</p> - -<p>"Quite so. And you are Frank Burton. You know you are a man with a -Christian name, so I won't apologize for my familiarity. But may I ask -where you are going?"</p> - -<p>I explained the situation to him, saying I had traversed a region as -unknown to me as the darkest recesses of Africa. "I think I have only -about five miles farther," I concluded.</p> - -<p>"Nonsense; you must come home with me. My house is close by; in fact, I -was just taking my evening walk when we met. Come along; I dare say you -will find a makeshift bed easier than a five-mile walk."</p> - -<p>I let him take my arm and lead me along, though I was a good deal -surprised at so much geniality from a man who was, after all, a mere -casual club acquaintance. I suppose I had not spoken to Mr. Mathias -half-a-dozen times; he was a man who would sit silent in an armchair -for hours, neither reading nor smoking, but now and again moistening his -lips with his tongue and smiling queerly to himself. I confess he had -never attracted me, and on the whole I should have preferred to continue -my walk. But he took my arm and led me up a side street, and stopped at -a door in a high wall. We passed through the still moonlit garden, -beneath the black shadow of an old cedar, and into an old red brick -house with many gables. I was tired enough, and I sighed with relief as -I let myself fall into a great leather armchair. You know the infernal -grit with which they strew the sidewalk in those suburban districts; it -makes walking a penance, and I felt my four-mile tramp had made me more -weary than ten miles on an honest country road. I looked about the room -with some curiosity. There was a shaded lamp which threw a circle of -brilliant light on a heap of papers lying on an old brass-bound -secretaire of the last century; but the room was all vague and shadowy, -and I could only see that it was long and low, and that it was filled -with indistinct objects which might be furniture. Mr. Mathias sat down -in a second armchair, and looked about him with that odd smile of his. -He was a queer-looking man, clean-shaven, and white to the lips. I -should think his age was something between fifty and sixty.</p> - -<p>"Now I have got you here," he began, "I must inflict my hobby on you. -You knew I was a collector? Oh, yes, I have devoted many years to -collecting curiosities, which I think are really curious. But we must -have a better light."</p> - -<p>He advanced into the middle of the room, and lit a lamp which hung from -the ceiling; and as the bright light flashed round the wick, from every -corner and space there seemed to start a horror. Great wooden frames -with complicated apparatus of ropes and pulleys stood against the wall; -a wheel of strange shape had a place beside a thing that looked like a -gigantic gridiron. Little tables glittered with bright steel instruments -carelessly put down as if ready for use; a screw and vice loomed out, -casting ugly shadows; and in another nook was a saw with cruel jagged -teeth.</p> - -<p>"Yes," said Mr. Mathias; "they are, as you suggest, instruments of -torture,—of torture and death. Some—many, I may say—have been used; a -few are reproductions after ancient examples. Those knives were used for -flaying; that frame is a rack, and a very fine specimen. Look at this; -it comes from Venice. You see that sort of collar, something like a big -horse-shoe? Well, the patient, let us call him, sat down quite -comfortably, and the horse-shoe was neatly fitted round his neck. Then -the two ends were joined with a silken band, and the executioner began -to turn a handle connected with the band. The horse-shoe contracted very -gradually as the band tightened, and the turning continued till the man -was strangled. It all took place quietly, in one of those queer garrets -under the leads. But these things are all European; the Orientals are, -of course, much more ingenious. These are the Chinese contrivances. You -have heard of the 'heavy death'? It is my hobby, this sort of thing. Do -you know, I often sit here, hour after hour, and meditate over the -collection. I fancy I see the faces of the men who have suffered—faces -lean with agony and wet with sweats of death—growing distinct out of -the gloom, and I hear the echoes of their cries for mercy. But I must -show you my latest acquisition. Come into the next room."</p> - -<p>I followed Mr. Mathias out. The weariness of the walk, the late hour, -and the strangeness of it all, made me feel like a man in a dream; -nothing would have surprised me very much. The second room was as the -first, crowded with ghastly instruments; but beneath the lamp was a -wooden platform, and a figure stood on it. It was a large statue of a -naked woman, fashioned in green bronze; the arms were stretched out, and -there was a smile on the lips; it might well have been intended for a -Venus, and yet there was about the thing an evil and a deadly look.</p> - -<p>Mr. Mathias looked at it complacently. "Quite a work of art, isn't it?" -he said. "It's made of bronze, as you see, but it has long had the name -of the Iron Maid. I got it from Germany, and it was only unpacked this -afternoon; indeed, I have not yet had time to open the letter of advice. -You see that very small knob between the breasts? Well, the victim was -bound to the Maid, the knob was pressed, and the arms slowly tightened -round the neck. You can imagine the result."</p> - -<p>As Mr. Mathias talked, he patted the figure affectionately. I had turned -away, for I sickened at the sight of the man and his loathsome treasure. -There was a slight click, of which I took no notice,—it was not much -louder than the tick of a clock; and then I heard a sudden whir, the -noise of machinery in motion, and I faced round. I have never forgotten -the hideous agony on Mathias's face as those relentless arms tightened -about his neck; there was a wild struggle as of a beast in the toils, -and then a shriek that ended in a choking groan. The whirring noise had -suddenly changed into a heavy droning. I tore with all my might at the -bronze arms, and strove to wrench them apart, but I could do nothing. -The head had slowly bent down, and the green lips were on the lips of -Mathias.</p> - -<p>Of course I had to attend at the inquest. The letter which had -accompanied the figure was found unopened on the study table. The German -firm of dealers cautioned their client to be most careful in touching -the Iron Maid, as the machinery had been put in thorough working order.</p> - -<p>For many revolving weeks Mr. Burton delighted Dyson by his agreeable -conversation, diversified by anecdote, and interspersed with the -narration of singular adventures. Finally, however, he vanished as -suddenly as he had appeared, and on the occasion of his last visit he -contrived to loot a copy of his namesake's Anatomy. Dyson, considering -this violent attack on the rights of property, and certain glaring -inconsistencies in the talk of his late friend, arrived at the -conclusion that his stories were fabulous, and that the Iron Maid only -existed in the sphere of a decorative imagination.</p> - - - -<hr style="width: 65%;" /> -<h3><a name="THE_RECLUSE_OF_BAYSWATER" id="THE_RECLUSE_OF_BAYSWATER"></a>THE RECLUSE OF BAYSWATER.</h3> - - -<p>Amongst the many friends who were favored with the occasional pleasure -of Mr. Dyson's society was Mr. Edgar Russell, realist and obscure -struggler, who occupied a small back room on the second floor of a house -in Abingdon Grove, Notting Hill. Turning off from the main street and -walking a few paces onward, one was conscious of a certain calm, a -drowsy peace, which made the feet inclined to loiter; and this was ever -the atmosphere of Abingdon Grove. The houses stood a little back, with -gardens where the lilac and laburnum and blood-red may blossomed gayly -in their seasons, and there was a corner where an older house in another -street had managed to keep a back garden of real extent; a walled-in -garden whence there came a pleasant scent of greenness after the rains -of early summer, where old elms held memories of the open fields, where -there was yet sweet grass to walk on. The houses in Abingdon Grove -belonged chiefly to the nondescript stucco period of thirty-five years -ago, tolerably built with passable accommodation for moderate incomes; -they had largely passed into the state of lodgings, and cards bearing -the inscription "Furnished Apartments" were not infrequent over the -doors. Here, then, in a house of sufficiently good appearance, Mr. -Russell had established himself; for he looked upon the traditional -dirt and squalor of Grub Street as a false and obsolete convention, and -preferred, as he said, to live within sight of green leaves. Indeed, -from his room one had a magnificent view of a long line of gardens, and -a screen of poplars shut out the melancholy back premises of Wilton -Street during the summer months. Mr. Russell lived chiefly on bread and -tea, for his means were of the smallest; but when Dyson came to see him, -he would send out the slavey for six-ale, and Dyson was always at -liberty to smoke as much of his own tobacco as he pleased. The landlady -had been so unfortunate as to have her drawing-room floor vacant for -many months; a card had long proclaimed the void within; and Dyson, when -he walked up the steps one evening in early autumn, had a sense that -something was missing, and, looking at the fanlight, saw the appealing -card had disappeared.</p> - -<p>"You have let your first floor, have you?" he said, as he greeted Mr. -Russell.</p> - -<p>"Yes; it was taken about a fortnight ago by a lady."</p> - -<p>"Indeed," said Dyson, always curious; "a young lady?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I believe so. She is a widow, and wears a thick crape veil. I have -met her once or twice on the stairs and in the street, but I should not -know her face."</p> - -<p>"Well," said Dyson, when the beer had arrived, and the pipes were in -full blast, "and what have you been doing? Do you find the work getting -any easier?"</p> - -<p>"Alas!" said the young man, with an expression of great gloom, "the life -is a purgatory, and all but a hell. I write, picking out my words, -weighing and balancing the force of every syllable, calculating the -minutest effects that language can produce, erasing and rewriting, and -spending a whole evening over a page of manuscript. And then in the -morning when I read what I have written—Well, there is nothing to be -done but to throw it in the waste-paper basket if the verso has been -already written on, or to put it in the drawer if the other side happens -to be clean. When I have written a phrase which undoubtedly embodies a -happy turn of thought, I find it dressed up in feeble commonplace; and -when the style is good, it serves only to conceal the baldness of -superannuated fancies. I sweat over my work, Dyson,—every finished line -means so much agony. I envy the lot of the carpenter in the side street -who has a craft which he understands. When he gets an order for a table, -he does not writhe with anguish; but if I were so unlucky as to get an -order for a book, I think I should go mad."</p> - -<p>"My dear fellow, you take it all too seriously. You should let the ink -flow more readily. Above all, firmly believe, when you sit down to -write, that you are an artist, and that whatever you are about is a -masterpiece. Suppose ideas fail you, say; as I heard one of our most -exquisite artists say, "It's of no consequence; the ideas are all there, -at the bottom of that box of cigarettes." You, indeed, smoke tobacco, -but the application is the same. Besides, you must have some happy -moments, and these should be ample consolation."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps you are right. But such moments are so few; and then there is -the torture of a glorious conception matched, with execution beneath the -standard of the Family Story Paper. For instance, I was happy for two -hours a night or two ago; I lay awake and saw visions. But then the -morning!"</p> - -<p>"What was your idea?"</p> - -<p>"It seemed to me a splendid one; I thought of Balzac and the 'Comédie -Humaine,' of Zola and the Rougon-Macquart family. It dawned upon me that -I would write the history of a street. Every house should form a volume. -I fixed upon the street, I saw each house, and read, as clearly as in -letters, the physiology and psychology of each. The little by-way -stretched before me in its actual shape,—a street that I know and have -passed down a hundred times; with some twenty houses, prosperous and -mean, and lilac bushes in purple blossom; and yet it was at the same -time a symbol, a <i>via dolorosa</i> of hopes cherished and disappointed, of -years of monotonous existence without content or discontent, of -tragedies and obscure sorrows; and on the door of one of those houses I -saw the red stain of blood, and behind a window two shadows, blackened -and faded, on the blind, as they swayed on tightened cords,—the shadows -of a man and a woman hanging in a vulgar, gas-lit parlor. These were my -fancies; but when pen touched paper, they shrivelled and vanished away,"</p> - -<p>"Yes," said. Dyson, "there is a lot in that. I envy you the pains of -transmuting vision into reality, and still more I envy you the day when -you will look at your bookshelf and see twenty goodly books upon the -shelves,—the series complete and done forever. Let me entreat you to -have them bound in solid parchment, with gold lettering. It is the only -real cover for a valiant book. When I look in at the windows of some -choice shop, and see the bindings of Levant morocco, with pretty tools -and panellings, and your sweet contrasts of red and green, I say to -myself, 'These are not books, but bibelots.' A book bound so—a true -book, mind you—is like a Gothic statue draped in brocade of Lyons."</p> - -<p>"Alas!" said Russell, "we need not discuss the binding,—the books are -not begun."</p> - -<p>The talk went on as usual till eleven o'clock, when Dyson bade his -friend good-night. He knew the way downstairs, and walked down by -himself; but greatly to his surprise, as he crossed the first-floor -landing, the door opened slightly, and a hand was stretched out, -beckoning.</p> - -<p>Dyson was not the man to hesitate under such circumstances. In a moment -he saw himself involved in adventure; and, as he told himself, the -Dysons had never disobeyed a lady's summons. Softly, then, with due -regard for the lady's honor, he would have entered the room, when a low -but clear voice spoke to him,—</p> - -<p>"Go downstairs and open the door, and shut it again rather loudly. Then -come up to me; and for heaven's sake, walk softly."</p> - -<p>Dyson obeyed her commands,—not without some hesitation, for he was -afraid of meeting the landlady or the maid on his return journey. But -walking like a cat, and making each step he trod on crack loudly, he -flattered himself that he had escaped observation; and as he gained the -top of the stairs, the door opened wide before him, and he found himself -in the lady's drawing-room, bowing awkwardly.</p> - -<p>"Pray be seated, sir. Perhaps this chair will be the best; it was the -favored chair of my landlady's deceased husband. I would ask you to -smoke, but the odor would betray me. I know my proceedings must seem to -you unconventional; but I saw you arrive this evening, and I do not -think you would refuse to help a woman who is so unfortunate as I am."</p> - -<p>Mr. Dyson looked shyly at the young lady before him. She was dressed in -deep mourning; but the piquant smiling face and charming hazel eyes ill -accorded with the heavy garments, and the mouldering surface of the -crape.</p> - -<p>"Madam," he said gallantly, "your instinct has served you well. We will -not trouble, if you please, about the question of social conventions; -the chivalrous gentleman knows nothing of such matters. I hope I may be -privileged to serve you."</p> - -<p>"You are very kind to me, but I knew it would be so. Alas, sir, I have -had experience of life, and I am rarely mistaken. Yet man is too often -so vile and so misjudging that I trembled even as I resolved to take -this step, which, for all I knew, might prove to be both desperate and -ruinous."</p> - -<p>"With me you have nothing to fear," said Dyson. "I was nurtured in the -faith of chivalry, and I have always endeavored to remember the proud -traditions of my race. Confide in me then, and count upon my secrecy, -and, if it prove possible, you may rely on my help."</p> - -<p>"Sir, I will not waste your time, which I am sure is valuable, by idle -parleyings. Learn, then, that I am a fugitive, and in hiding here. I -place myself in your power; you have but to describe my features, and I -fall into the hands of my relentless enemy."</p> - -<p>Mr. Dyson wondered for a passing instant how this could be; but he only -renewed his promise of silence, repeating that he would be the embodied -spirit of dark concealment.</p> - -<p>"Good," said the lady; "the Oriental fervor of your style is delightful. -In the first place, I must disabuse your mind of the conviction that I -am a widow. These gloomy vestments have been forced on me by strange -circumstance; in plain language, I have deemed it expedient to go -disguised. You have a friend, I think, in the house,—Mr. Russell? He -seems of a coy and retiring nature."</p> - -<p>"Excuse me, madam," said Dyson, "he is not coy, but he is a realist; and -perhaps you are aware that no Carthusian monk can emulate the cloistral -seclusion in which a realistic novelist loves to shroud himself. It is -his way of observing human, nature."</p> - -<p>"Well, well," said the lady; "all this, though deeply interesting is not -germane to our affair. I must tell you my history."</p> - -<p>With these words the young lady proceeded to relate the</p> - - - -<hr style="width: 65%;" /> -<h3><a name="NOVEL_OF_THE_WHITE_POWDER" id="NOVEL_OF_THE_WHITE_POWDER"></a>NOVEL OF THE WHITE POWDER.</h3> - - -<p>My name is Leicester; my father. Major General Wyn Leicester, a -distinguished officer of artillery, succumbed five years ago to a -complicated liver complaint acquired in the deadly climate of India. A -year later my only brother, Francis, came home after an exceptionally -brilliant career at the University, and settled down with the resolution -of a hermit to master what has been well called the great legend of the -law. He was a man who seemed to live in utter indifference to everything -that is called pleasure; and though he was handsomer than most men, and -could talk as merrily and wittily as if he were a mere vagabond, he -avoided society, and shut himself up in a large room at the top of the -house to make himself a lawyer. Ten hours a day of hard reading was at -first his allotted portion; from the first light in the east to the late -afternoon he remained shut up with his books, taking a hasty half-hour's -lunch with me as if he grudged the wasting of the moments, and going out -for a short walk when it began to grow dusk. I thought that such -relentless application must be injurious, and tried to cajole him from -the crabbed text-books; but his ardor seemed to grow rather than -diminish, and his daily tale of hours increased. I spoke to him -seriously, suggesting some occasional relaxation, if it were but an idle -afternoon with a harmless novel; but he laughed, and said that he read -about feudal tenures when he felt in need of amusement, and scoffed at -the notion of theatres, or a month's fresh confessed that he looked -well, and seemed not to suffer from his labors; but I knew that such -unnatural toil would take revenge at last, and I was not mistaken. A -look of anxiety began to lurk about his eyes, and he seemed languid, and -at last he avowed that he was no longer in perfect health; he was -troubled, he said, with a sensation of dizziness, and awoke now and then -of nights from fearful dreams, terrified and cold with icy sweats. "I am -taking care of myself," he said; "so you must not trouble. I passed the -whole of yesterday afternoon in idleness, leaning back in that -comfortable chair you gave me, and scribbling nonsense on a sheet of -paper. No, no; I will not overdo my work. I shall be well enough in a -week or two, depend upon it."</p> - -<p>Yet, in spite of his assurances, I could see that he grew no better, but -rather worse; he would enter the drawing-room with a face all miserably -wrinkled and despondent, and endeavor to look gayly when my eyes fell on -him, and I thought such symptoms of evil omen, and was frightened -sometimes at the nervous irritation of his movements, and at glances -which I could not decipher. Much against his will, I prevailed on him to -have medical advice, and with an ill grace he called in our old doctor.</p> - -<p>Dr. Haberden cheered me after his examination of his patient.</p> - -<p>"There is nothing really much amiss," he said to me. "No doubt he reads -too hard, and eats hastily, and then goes back again to his books in too -great a hurry; and the natural consequence is some digestive trouble, -and a little mischief in the nervous system. But I think—I do, indeed, -Miss Leicester—that we shall be able to set this all right. I have -written him a prescription which ought to do great things. So you have -no cause for anxiety."</p> - -<p>My brother insisted on having the prescription made up by a chemist in -the neighborhood; it was an odd old-fashioned shop, devoid of the -studied coquetry and calculated glitter that make so gay a show on the -counters and shelves of the modern apothecary; but Francis liked the old -chemist, and believed in the scrupulous purity of his drugs. The -medicine was sent in due course, and I saw that my brother took it -regularly after lunch and dinner. It was an innocent-looking white -powder, of which a little was dissolved, in a glass of cold water. I -stirred it in, and it seemed to disappear, leaving the water clear and -colorless. At first Francis seemed to benefit greatly; the weariness -vanished from his face, and he became more cheerful than he had ever -been since the time when he left school; he talked gayly of reforming -himself, and avowed to me that he had wasted his time.</p> - -<p>"I have given too many hours to law," he said, laughing; "I think you -have saved me in the nick of time. Come, I shall be Lord Chancellor yet, -but I must not forget life. You and I will have a holiday together -before long; we will go to Paris and enjoy ourselves, and keep away from -the Bibliothèque Nationale."</p> - -<p>I confessed myself delighted with the prospect.</p> - -<p>"When shall we go?" I said. "I can start the day after to-morrow, if you -like."</p> - -<p>"Ah, that is perhaps a little too soon; after all, I do not know London -yet, and I suppose a man ought to give the pleasures of his own country -the first choice. But we will go off together in a week or two, so try -and furbish up your French. I only know law French myself, and I am -afraid that wouldn't do."</p> - -<p>We were just finishing dinner, and he quaffed off his medicine with a -parade of carousal as if it had been wine from some choicest bin.</p> - -<p>"Has it any particular taste?" I said.</p> - -<p>"No; I should not know I was not drinking water," and he got up from his -chair, and began to pace up and down the room as if he were undecided as -to what he should do next.</p> - -<p>"Shall we have coffee in the drawing-room," I said, "or would you like -to smoke?"</p> - -<p>"No; I think I will take a turn, it seems a pleasant evening. Look at -the afterglow; why, it is as if a great city were burning in flames, and -down there between the dark houses it is raining blood fast, fast. Yes, -I will go out. I may be in soon, but I shall take my key, so good-night, -dear, if I don't see you again."</p> - -<p>The door slammed behind him, and I saw him walk lightly down the street, -swinging his malacca cane, and I felt grateful to Dr. Haberden for such -an improvement.</p> - -<p>I believe my brother came home very late that night; but he was in a -merry mood the next morning.</p> - -<p>"I walked on without thinking where I was going," he said, "enjoying the -freshness of the air, and livened by the crowds as I reached more -frequented quarters. And then I met an old college friend, Orford, in -the press of the pavement, and then—well, we enjoyed ourselves. I have -felt what it is to be young and a man, I find I have blood in my veins, -as other men have. I made an appointment with Orford for to-night; there -will be a little party of us at the restaurant. Yes, I shall enjoy -myself for a week or two, and hear the chimes at midnight, and then we -will go for our little trip together."</p> - -<p>Such was the transmutation of my brother's character that in a few days -he became a lover of pleasure, a careless and merry idler of western -pavements, a hunter out of snug restaurants, and a fine critic of -fantastic dancing; he grew fat before my eyes, and said no more of -Paris, for he had clearly found his Paradise in London. I rejoiced, and -yet wondered a little, for there was, I thought, something in his gayety -that indefinitely displeased me, though I could not have defined my -feeling. But by degrees there came a change; he returned still in the -cold, hours of the morning, but I heard no more about his pleasures, and -one morning as we sat at breakfast together, I looked suddenly into his -eyes and saw a stranger before me.</p> - -<p>"Oh, Francis!" I cried; "Oh, Francis, Francis, what have you done?" and -rending sobs cut the words short, and I went weeping out of the room, -for though I knew nothing, yet I knew all, and by some odd play of -thought I remembered the evening when he first went abroad to prove his -manhood, and the picture of the sunset sky glowed before me; the clouds -like a city in burning flames, and the rain of blood. Yet I did battle -with such thoughts, resolving that perhaps, after all, no great harm -had been done, and in the evening at dinner I resolved to press him to -fix a day for our holiday in Paris. We had talked easily enough, and my -brother had just taken his medicine, which he had continued all the -while. I was about to begin my topic, when the words forming in my mind -vanished, and I wondered for a second what icy and intolerable weight -oppressed my heart and suffocated me as with the unutterable horror of -the coffin-lid nailed down on the living.</p> - -<p>We had dined without candles, and the room had slowly grown from -twilight to gloom, and the walls and corners were indistinct in the -shadow. But from where I sat I looked out into the street; and as I -thought of what I would say to Francis, the sky began to flush and -shine, as it had done on a well-remembered evening, and in the gap -between two dark masses that were houses an awful pageantry of flame -appeared. Lurid whorls of writhed cloud, and utter depths burning, and -gray masses like the fume blown from a smoking city, and an evil glory -blazing far above shot with tongues of more ardent fire, and below as if -there were a deep pool of blood. I looked down to where my brother sat -facing me, and the words were shaped on my lips, when I saw his hand -resting on the table. Between the thumb and forefinger of the closed -hand, there was a mark, a small patch about the size of a sixpence, and -somewhat of the color of a bad bruise. Yet, by some sense I cannot -define, I knew that what I saw was no bruise at all. Oh, if human flesh -could burn with flame, and if flame could be black as pitch, such was -that before me! Without thought or fashioning of words, gray horror -shaped within me at the sight, and in an inner cell it was known to be a -brand. For a moment the stained sky became dark as midnight, and when -the light returned to me, I was alone in the silent room, and soon after -I heard my brother go out.</p> - -<p>Late as it was, I put on my bonnet and went to Dr. Haberden, and in his -great consulting-room, ill-lighted by a candle which the doctor brought -in with him, with stammering lips, and a voice that would break in spite -of my resolve, I told him all; from the day on which my brother began to -take the medicine down to the dreadful thing I had seen scarcely half an -hour before.</p> - -<p>When I had done, the doctor looked at me for a minute with an expression -of great pity on his face.</p> - -<p>"My dear Miss Leicester," he said, "you have evidently been anxious -about your brother; you have been worrying over him, I am sure. Come, -now, is it not so?</p> - -<p>"I have certainly been anxious," I said. "For the last week or two I -have not felt at ease."</p> - -<p>"Quite so; you know, of course, what a queer thing the brain is?"</p> - -<p>"I understand what you mean; but I was not deceived. I saw what I have -told you with my own eyes."</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes, of course. But your eyes had been staring at that very -curious sunset we had to-night. That is the only explanation. You will -see it in the proper light to-morrow, I am sure. But, remember, I am -always ready to give any help that is in my power; do not scruple to -come to me, or to send for me if you are in any distress."</p> - -<p>I went away but little comforted, all confusion and terror and sorrow, -not knowing where to turn. When my brother and I met the next day, I -looked quickly at him, and noticed, with a sickening at heart, that the -right hand, the hand on which I had clearly seen the patch as of a black -fire, was wrapped up with a handkerchief.</p> - -<p>"What is the matter with your hand, Francis?" I said in a steady voice.</p> - -<p>"Nothing of consequence. I cut a finger last night, and it bled rather -awkwardly, so I did it up roughly to the best of my ability."</p> - -<p>"I will do it neatly for you, if you like."</p> - -<p>"No, thank you, dear, this will answer very well. Suppose we have -breakfast; I am quite hungry."</p> - -<p>We sat down, and I watched him. He scarcely ate or drank at all, but -tossed his meat to the dog when he thought my eyes were turned away; and -there was a look in his eyes that I had never yet seen, and the thought -fled across my mind that it was a look that was scarcely human. I was -firmly convinced that awful and incredible as was the thing I had seen -the night before, yet it was no illusion, no glamour of bewildered -sense, and in the course of the morning I went again to the doctor's -house.</p> - -<p>He shook his head with an air puzzled and incredulous, and seemed to -reflect for a few minutes.</p> - -<p>"And you say he still keeps up the medicine? But why? As I understand, -all the symptoms he complained of have disappeared long ago; why should -he go on taking the stuff when he is quite well? And by the bye where -did he get it made up? At Sayce's? I never send any one there; the old -man is getting careless. Suppose you come with me to the chemist's; I -should like to have some talk with him."</p> - -<p>We walked together to the shop. Old Sayce knew Dr. Haberden, and was -quite ready to give any information.</p> - -<p>"You have been sending that in to Mr. Leicester for some weeks, I think, -on my prescription," said the doctor, giving the old man a pencilled -scrap of paper.</p> - -<p>The chemist put on his great spectacles with trembling uncertainty, and -held up the paper with a shaking hand.</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes," he said, "I have very little of it left; it is rather an -uncommon drug, and I have had it in stock some time. I must get in some -more, if Mr. Leicester goes on with it."</p> - -<p>"Kindly let me have a look at the stuff," said Haberden; and the chemist -gave him a glass bottle. He took out the stopper and smelt the contents, -and looked strangely at the old man.</p> - -<p>"Where did you get this?" he said, "and what is it? For one thing, Mr. -Sayce, it is not what I prescribed. Yes, yes, I see the label is right -enough, but I tell you this is not the drug."</p> - -<p>"I have had it a long time," said the old man, in feeble terror. "I got -it from Burbage's in the usual way. It is not prescribed often, and I -have had it on the shelf for some years. You see there is very little -left."</p> - -<p>"You had better give it to me," said Haberden. "I am afraid something -wrong has happened."</p> - -<p>We went out of the shop in silence, the doctor carrying the bottle -neatly wrapped in paper under his arm.</p> - -<p>"Dr. Haberden," I said when we had walked a little way—"Dr. Haberden."</p> - -<p>"Yes," he said, looking at me gloomily enough.</p> - -<p>"I should like you to tell me what my brother has been taking twice a -day for the last month or so."</p> - -<p>"Frankly, Miss Leicester, I don't know. We will speak of this when we -get to my house,"</p> - -<p>We walked on quickly without another word till we reached Dr. -Haberden's. He asked me to sit down, and began pacing up and down the -room, his face clouded over, as I could see, with no common fears.</p> - -<p>"Well," he said at length, "this is all very strange; it is only natural -that you should feel alarmed, and I must confess that my mind is far -from easy. We will put aside, if you please, what you told me last night -and this morning, but the fact remains that for the last few weeks Mr. -Leicester has been impregnating his system with a drug which is -completely unknown to me. I tell you, it is not what I ordered; and what -that stuff in the bottle really is remains to be seen."</p> - -<p>He undid the wrapper, and cautiously tilted a few grains of the white -powder on to a piece of paper, and peered curiously at it.</p> - -<p>"Yes," he said, "it is like the sulphate of quinine, as you say; it is -flaky. But smell it."</p> - -<p>He held the bottle to me, and I bent over it. It was a strange sickly -smell, vaporous and overpowering, like some strong anæsthetic.</p> - -<p>"I shall have it analyzed," said Haberden. "I have a friend who has -devoted his whole life to chemistry as a science. Then we shall have -something to go upon. No, no, say no more about that other matter; I -cannot listen to that, and take my advice and think no more about it -yourself."</p> - -<p>That evening my brother did not go out as usual after dinner.</p> - -<p>"I have had my fling," he said with a queer laugh; "and I must go back -to my old ways. A little law will be quite a relaxation after so sharp a -dose of pleasure," and he grinned to himself, and soon after went up to -his room. His hand was still all bandaged.</p> - -<p>Dr. Haberden called a few days later.</p> - -<p>"I have no special news to give you," he said. "Chambers is out of town, -so I know no more about that stuff than you do. But I should like to see -Mr. Leicester if he is in."</p> - -<p>"He is in his room," I said; "I will tell him you are here."</p> - -<p>"No, no, I will go up to him; we will have a little quiet talk together. -I dare say that we have made a good deal of fuss about very little; for, -after all, whatever the white powder may be, it seems to have done him -good."</p> - -<p>The doctor went upstairs, and standing in the hall I heard his knock, -and the opening and shutting of the door; and then I waited in the -silent house for an hour, and the stillness grew more and more intense -as the hands of the clock crept round. Then there sounded from above the -noise of a door shut sharply, and the doctor was coming down the stairs. -His footsteps crossed the hall, and there was a pause at the door. I -drew a long sick breath with difficulty, and saw my face white in a -little mirror, and he came in and stood at the door. There was an -unutterable horror shining in his eyes; he steadied himself by holding -the back of a chair with one hand, and his lower lip trembled like a -horse's, and he gulped and stammered unintelligible sounds before he -spoke.</p> - -<p>"I have seen that man," he began in a dry whisper. "I have been sitting -in his presence for the last hour. My God! and I am alive and in my -senses! I, who have dealt with death all my life, and have dabbled with -the melting ruins of the earthly tabernacle. But not this! Oh, not this," -and he covered his face with his hands as if to shut out the sight -of something before him.</p> - -<p>"Do not send for me again, Miss Leicester," he said with more composure. -"I can do nothing in this house. Good-bye."</p> - -<p>As I watched him totter down the steps and along the pavement towards -his house, it seemed to me that he had aged by ten years since the -morning.</p> - -<p>My brother remained in his room. He called out to me in a voice I hardly -recognized, that he was very busy, and would like his meals brought to -his door and left there, and I gave the order to the servants. From that -day it seemed as if the arbitrary conception we call time had been -annihilated for me. I lived in an ever present sense of horror, going -through the routine of the house mechanically, and only speaking a few -necessary words to the servants. Now and then I went out and paced the -streets for an hour or two and came home again; but whether I were -without or within, my spirit delayed before the closed door of the upper -room, and, shuddering, waited for it to open. I have said that I -scarcely reckoned time, but I suppose it must have been a fortnight -after Dr. Haberden's visit that I came home from my stroll a little -refreshed and lightened. The air was sweet and pleasant, and the hazy -form of green leaves, floating cloud-like in the square, and the smell -of blossoms, had charmed my senses, and I felt happier and walked more -briskly. As I delayed a moment at the verge of the pavement, waiting for -a van to pass by before crossing over to the house, I happened to look -up at the windows, and instantly there was the rush and swirl of deep -cold waters in my ears, and my heart leapt up, and fell down, down as -into a deep hollow, and I was amazed with a dread and terror without -form or shape. I stretched out a hand blindly through folds of thick -darkness, from the black and shadowy valley, and held myself from -falling, while the stones beneath my feet rocked and swayed and tilted, -and the sense of solid things seemed to sink away from under me. I had -glanced up at the window of my brother's study, and at that moment the -blind was drawn aside, and something that had life stared out into the -world. Nay, I cannot say I saw a face or any human likeness; a living -thing, two eyes of burning flame glared at me, and they were in the -midst of something as formless as my fear, the symbol and presence of -all evil and all hideous corruption. I stood shuddering and quaking as -with the grip of ague, sick with unspeakable agonies of fear and -loathing, and for five minutes I could not summon force or motion to my -limbs. When I was within the door, I ran up the stairs to my brother's -room, and knocked.</p> - -<p>"Francis, Francis," I cried, "for heaven's sake answer me. What is the -horrible thing in your room? Cast it out, Francis, cast it from you!"</p> - -<p>I heard a noise as of feet shuffling slowly and awkwardly, and a -choking, gurgling sound, as if some one was struggling to find -utterance, and then the noise of a voice, broken and stifled, and words -that I could scarcely understand.</p> - -<p>"There is nothing here," the voice said, "Pray do not disturb me. I am -not very well to-day."</p> - -<p>I turned away, horrified and yet helpless. I could do nothing, and I -wondered why Francis had lied to me, for I had seen the appearance -beyond the glass too plainly to be deceived, though it was but the sight -of a moment. And I sat still, conscious that there had been something -else, something I had seen in the first flash of terror before those -burning eyes had looked at me. Suddenly I remembered; as I lifted my -face the blind was being drawn back, and I had had an instant's glance -of the thing that was moving it, and in my recollection I knew that a -hideous image was engraved forever on my brain. It was not a hand: there -were no fingers that held the blind, but a black stump pushed it aside; -the mouldering outline and the clumsy movement as of a beast's paw had -glowed into my senses before the darkling waves of terror had -overwhelmed me as I went down quick into the pit. My mind was aghast at -the thought of this, and of the awful presence that dwelt with my -brother in his room; I went to his door and cried to him again, but no -answer came. That night one of the servants came up to me and told me in -a whisper that for three days food had been regularly placed at the door -and left untouched; the maid had knocked, but had received no answer; -she had heard the noise of shuffling feet that I had noticed. Day after -day went by, and still my brother's meals were brought to his door and -left untouched; and though I knocked and called again and again, I could -get no answer. The servants began to talk to me; it appeared they were -as alarmed as I. The cook said that when my brother first shut himself -up in his room, she used to hear him come out at night and go about the -house; and once, she said, the hall door had opened and closed again, -but for several nights she had heard no sound. The climax came at last. -It was in the dusk of the evening, and I was sitting in the darkening -dreary room when a terrible shriek jarred and rang harshly out of the -silence, and I heard a frightened scurry of feet dashing down the -stairs. I waited, and the servant maid staggered into the room and faced -me, white and trembling.</p> - -<p>"O Miss Helen," she whispered. "Oh, for the Lord's sake, Miss Helen, -what has happened? Look at my hand, miss; look at that hand!" I drew her -to the window, and saw there was a black wet stain upon her hand.</p> - -<p>"I do not understand you," I said. "Will you explain to me?"</p> - -<p>"I was doing your room just now," she began. "I was turning down the -bedclothes, and all of a sudden there was something fell upon my hand -wet, and I looked up, and the ceiling was black and dripping on me."</p> - -<p>I looked bard at her, and bit my lip. "Come with me," I said. "Bring -your candle with you."</p> - -<p>The room I slept in was beneath my brother's, and as I went in I felt I -was trembling. I looked up at the ceiling, and saw a patch, all black -and wet and a dew of black drops upon it, and a pool of horrible liquor -soaking into the white bedclothes.</p> - -<p>I ran upstairs and knocked loudly.</p> - -<p>"O Francis, Francis, my dear brother," I cried, "what has happened to -you?"</p> - -<p>And I listened. There was a sound of choking, and a noise like water -bubbling and regurgitating, but nothing else, and I called louder, but -no answer came.</p> - -<p>In spite of what Dr. Haberden had said, I went to him, and with tears -streaming down my cheeks, I told him of all that had happened, and he -listened to me with a face set hard and grim.</p> - -<p>"For your father's sake," he said at last, "I will go with you, though I -can do nothing."</p> - -<p>We went out together; the streets were dark and silent, and heavy with -heat and a drought of many weeks. I saw the doctor's face white under -the gas-lamps, and when we reached the house his hand was shaking. We -did not hesitate, but went upstairs directly. I held the lamp, and he -called out in a loud, determined voice:—</p> - -<p>"Mr. Leicester, do you hear me? I insist on seeing you. Answer me at -once."</p> - -<p>There was no answer, but we both heard that choking noise I have -mentioned.</p> - -<p>"Mr. Leicester, I am waiting for you. Open the door this instant, or I -shall break it down." And he called a third time in a voice that rang -and echoed from the walls.</p> - -<p>"Mr. Leicester! For the last time I order you to open the door."</p> - -<p>"Ah!" he said, after a pause of heavy silence, "we are wasting time -here. Will you be so kind as to get me a poker, or something of the -kind?"</p> - -<p>I ran into a little room at the back where odd articles were kept, and -found a heavy adze-like tool that I thought might serve the doctor's -purpose.</p> - -<p>"Very good," he said, "that will do, I dare say. I give you notice, Mr. -Leicester," he cried loudly at the keyhole, "that I am now about to break -into your room."</p> - -<p>Then I heard the wrench of the adze, and the woodwork split and cracked -under it, and with a loud crash the door suddenly burst open; and for a -moment we started back aghast at a fearful screaming cry, no human -voice, but as the roar of a monster, that burst forth inarticulate and -struck at us out of the darkness.</p> - -<p>"Hold the lamp," said the doctor, and we went in and glanced quickly -round the room. "There it is," said Dr. Haberden, drawing a quick -breath; "look, in that corner."</p> - -<p>I looked, and a pang of horror seized my heart as with a white-hot iron. -There upon the floor was a dark and putrid mass, seething with -corruption and hideous rottenness, neither liquid nor solid, but -melting and changing before our eyes, and bubbling with unctuous oily -bubbles like boiling pitch. And out of the midst of it shone two burning -points like eyes, and I saw a writhing and stirring as of limbs, and -something moved and lifted up that might have been an arm. The doctor -took a step forward, and raised the iron bar and struck at the burning -points, and drove in the weapon, and struck again and again in a fury of -loathing. At last the thing was quiet.</p> - -<hr style="width: 45%;" /> - -<p>A week or two later, when I had to some extent recovered from the -terrible shock, Dr. Haberden came to see me.</p> - -<p>"I have sold my practice," he began, "and to-morrow I am sailing on a -long voyage. I do not know whether I shall ever return to England; in -all probability I shall buy a little land in California, and settle -there for the remainder of my life. I have brought you this packet, -which you may open and read when you feel able to do so. It contains the -report of Dr. Chambers on what I submitted to him. Good-bye, Miss -Leicester, good-bye."</p> - -<p>When he was gone, I opened the envelope; I could not wait, and proceeded -to read the papers within. Here is the manuscript; and if you will allow -me, I will read you the astounding story it contains.</p> - -<p>"My dear Haberden," the letter began, "I have delayed inexcusably in -answering your questions as to the white substance you sent me. To tell -you the truth, I have hesitated for some time as to what course I should -adopt, for there is a bigotry and an orthodox standard in physical -science as in theology, and I knew that if I told you the truth I -should offend rooted prejudices which I once held dear myself. However, -I have determined to be plain with you, and first I must enter into a -short personal explanation.</p> - -<p>"You have known me, Haberden, for many years as a scientific man; you -and I have often talked of our profession together, and discussed the -hopeless gulf that opens before the feet of those who think to attain to -truth by any means whatsoever, except the beaten way of experiment and -observation, in the sphere of material things. I remember the scorn with -which you have spoken to me of men of science who have dabbled a little -in the unseen, and have timidly hinted that perhaps the senses are not, -after all, the eternal, impenetrable bounds of all knowledge, the -everlasting walls beyond which no human being has ever passed. We have -laughed together heartily, and I think justly, at the "occult" follies -of the day, disguised under various names,—the mesmerisms, -spiritualisms, materializations, theosophies, all the rabble rant of -imposture, with their machinery of poor tricks and feeble conjuring, the -true back-parlor magic of shabby London streets. Yet, in spite of what I -have said, I must confess to you that I am no materialist, taking the -word of course in its usual signification. It is now many years since I -have convinced myself, convinced myself a sceptic remember, that the old -iron-bound theory is utterly and entirely false. Perhaps this confession -will not wound you so sharply as it would have done twenty years ago; -for I think you cannot have failed to notice that for some time -hypotheses have been advanced by men of pure science which are nothing -less than transcendental, and I suspect that most modern chemists and -biologists of repute would not hesitate to subscribe the <i>dictum</i> of the -old Schoolman, <i>Omnia exeunt in mysterium</i>, which means, I take it, that -every branch of human knowledge if traced up to its source and final -principles vanishes into mystery. I need not trouble you now with a -detailed account of the painful steps which led me to my conclusions; a -few simple experiments suggested a doubt as to my then standpoint, and a -train of thought that rose from circumstances comparatively trifling -brought me far. My old conception of the universe has been swept away, -and I stand in a world that seems as strange and awful to me as the -endless waves of the ocean seen for the first time, shining, from a Peak -in Darien. Now I know that the walls of sense that seemed so -impenetrable, that seemed to loom up above the heavens and to be founded -below the depths, and to shut us in forevermore, are no such everlasting -impassable barriers as we fancied, but thinnest and most airy veils that -melt away before the seeker, and dissolve as the early mist of the -morning about the brooks. I know that you never adopted the extreme -materialistic position: you did not go about trying to prove a universal -negative, for your logical sense withheld you from that crowning -absurdity; yet I am sure that you will find all that I am saying strange -and repellent to your habits of thought. Yet, Haberden, what I tell you -is the truth, nay, to adopt our common language, the sole and scientific -truth, verified by experience; and the universe is verily more splendid -and more awful than we used to dream. The whole universe, my friend, is -a tremendous sacrament; a mystic, ineffable force and energy, veiled by -an outward form of matter; and man, and the sun and the other stars, and -the flower of the grass, and the crystal in the test-tube, are each and -every one as spiritual, as material, and subject to an inner working.</p> - -<p>"You will perhaps wonder, Haberden, whence all this tends; but I think a -little thought will make it clear. You will understand that from such a -standpoint the whole view of things is changed, and what we thought -incredible and absurd may be possible enough. In short, we must look at -legend and belief with other eyes, and be prepared to accept tales that -had become mere fables. Indeed, this is no such great demand. After all, -modern science will concede as much, in a hypocritical manner. You must -not, it is true, believe in witchcraft, but you may credit hypnotism; -ghosts are out of date, but there is a good deal to be said for the -theory of telepathy. Give a superstition a Greek name, and believe in -it, should almost be a proverb.</p> - -<p>"So much for my personal explanation. You sent me, Haberden, a phial, -stoppered and sealed, containing a small quantity of a flaky white -powder, obtained from a chemist who has been dispensing it to one of -your patients. I am not surprised to hear that this powder refused to -yield any results to your analysis. It is a substance which was known to -a few many hundred years ago, but which I never expected to have -submitted to me from the shop of a modern apothecary. There seems no -reason to doubt the truth of the man's tale; he no doubt got, as he -says, the rather uncommon salt you prescribed from the wholesale -chemist's; and it has probably remained on his shelf for twenty years, -or perhaps longer. Here what we call chance and coincidence begins to -work; during all these years the salt in the bottle was exposed to -certain recurring variations of temperature, variations probably ranging -from 40° to 80°. And, as it happens, such changes, recurring year after -year at irregular intervals, and with varying degrees of intensity and -duration, have constituted a process, and a process so complicated and -so delicate, that I question whether modern scientific apparatus -directed with the utmost precision could produce the same result. The -white powder you sent me is something very different from the drug you -prescribed; it is the powder from which the wine of the Sabbath, the -<i>Vinum Sabbati</i> was prepared. No doubt you have read of the Witches' -Sabbath, and have laughed at the tales which terrified our ancestors; -the black cats, and the broomsticks, and dooms pronounced against some -old woman's cow. Since I have known the truth I have often reflected -that it is on the whole a happy thing that such burlesque as this is -believed, for it serves to conceal much that it is better should not be -known generally. However, if you care to read the appendix to Payne -Knight's monograph, you will find that the true Sabbath was something -very different, though the writer has very nicely refrained from -printing all he knew. The secrets of the true Sabbath were the secrets -of remote times surviving into the Middle Ages, secrets of an evil -science which existed long before Aryan man entered Europe. Men and -women, seduced from their homes on specious pretences, were met by -beings well qualified to assume, as they did assume, the part of devils, -and taken by their guides to some, desolate and lonely place, known to -the initiate by long tradition and unknown to all else. Perhaps it was a -cave in some bare and wind-swept hill; perhaps some inmost recess of a -great forest, and there the Sabbath was held. There, in the blackest -hour of night, the <i>Vinum Sabbati</i> was prepared, and this evil graal was -poured forth and offered to the neophytes, and they partook of an -infernal sacrament; <i>sumentes calicem principis inferorum,</i> as an old -author well expresses it. And suddenly, each one that had drunk found -himself attended by a companion, a shape of glamour and unearthly -allurement, beckoning him apart to share in joys more exquisite, more -piercing than the thrill of any dream, to the consummation of the -marriage of the Sabbath. It is hard to write of such things as these, -and chiefly because that shape that allured with loveliness was no -hallucination, but, awful as it is to express, the man himself. By the -power of that Sabbath wine, a few grains of white powder thrown into a -glass of water, the house of life was riven asunder, and the human -trinity dissolved, and the worm which never dies, that which lies -sleeping within us all, was made tangible and an external thing, and -clothed with a garment of flesh. And then in the hour of midnight, the -primal fall was repeated and represented, and the awful thing veiled in -the mythos of the Tree in the Garden was done anew. Such was the -<i>nuptiæ Sabbati</i>.</p> - -<p>"I prefer to say no more; you, Haberden, know as well as I do that the -most trivial laws of life are not to be broken with impunity; and for so -terrible an act as this, in which the very inmost place of the temple -was broken open and defiled, a terrible vengeance followed. What began -with corruption ended also with corruption."</p> - -<hr style="width: 45%;" /> - -<p>Underneath is the following in Dr. Haberden's writing:—</p> - -<p>"The whole of the above is unfortunately strictly and entirely true. -Your brother confessed all to me on that morning when I saw him in his -room. My attention was first attracted to the bandaged hand, and I -forced him to show it me. What I saw made me, a medical man of many -years standing, grow sick with loathing; and the story I was forced to -listen to was infinitely more frightful than I could have believed -possible. It has tempted me to doubt the Eternal Goodness which can -permit nature to offer such hideous possibilities; and if you had not -with your own eyes seen the end, I should have said to you—disbelieve -it all. I have not, I think, many more weeks to live, but you are young, -and may forget all this.</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 12em;">"JOSEPH HABERDEN, M.D."</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>In the course of two or three months I heard that Dr. Haberden had died -at sea, shortly after the ship left England.</p> - -<p>Miss Leicester ceased speaking, and looked pathetically at Dyson, who -could not refrain from exhibiting some symptoms of uneasiness.</p> - -<p>He stuttered out some broken phrases expressive of his deep interest in -her extraordinary history, and then said with a better grace—</p> - -<p>"But, pardon me, Miss Leicester, I understood you were in some -difficulty. You were kind enough to ask me to assist you in some way."</p> - -<p>"Ah," she said, "I had forgotten that. My own present trouble seems of -such little consequence in comparison with what I have told you. But as -you are so good to me, I will go on. You will scarcely believe it, but I -found that certain persons suspected, or rather pretended to suspect -that I had murdered my brother. These persons were relatives of mine, -and their motives were extremely sordid ones; but I actually found -myself subject to the shameful indignity of being watched. Yes, sir, my -steps were dogged when I went abroad, and at home I found myself exposed -to constant if artful observation. With my high spirit this was more -than I could brook, and I resolved to set my wits to work and elude the -persons who were shadowing me. I was so fortunate as to succeed. I -assumed this disguise, and for some time have lain snug and unsuspected. -But of late I have reason to believe that the pursuer is on my track; -unless I am greatly deceived, I saw yesterday the detective who is -charged with the odious duty of observing my movements. You, sir, are -watchful and keen-sighted; tell me, did you see any one lurking about -this evening?"</p> - -<p>"I hardly think so," said Dyson, "but perhaps you would give me some -description of the detective in question."</p> - -<p>"Certainly; he is a youngish man, dark, with dark whiskers. He has -adopted spectacles of large size in the hope of disguising himself -effectually, but he cannot disguise his uneasy manner, and the quick, -nervous glances he casts to right and left."</p> - -<p>This piece of description was the last straw for the unhappy Dyson, who -was foaming with impatience to get out of the house, and would gladly -have sworn eighteenth century oaths if propriety had not frowned on such -a course.</p> - -<p>"Excuse me, Miss Leicester," he said with cold politeness, "I cannot -assist you."</p> - -<p>"Ah!" she said sadly, "I have offended you in some way. Tell me what I -have done, and I will ask you to forgive me."</p> - -<p>"You are mistaken," said Dyson, grabbing his hat, but speaking with some -difficulty; "you have done nothing. But, as I say, I cannot help you. -Perhaps," he added, with some tinge of sarcasm, "my friend Russell might -be of service."</p> - -<p>"Thank you," she replied; "I will try him," and the lady went off into a -shriek of laughter, which filled up Mr. Dyson's cup of scandal and -confusion.</p> - -<p>He left the house shortly afterwards, and had the peculiar delight of a -five-mile walk, through streets which slowly changed from black to gray, -and from gray to shining passages of glory for the sun to brighten. Here -and there he met or overtook strayed revellers, but he reflected that no -one could have spent the night in a more futile fashion than himself; -and when he reached his home he had made resolves for reformation. He -decided that he would abjure all Milesian and Arabian methods of -entertainment, and subscribe to Mudie's for a regular supply of mild and -innocuous romance.</p> - - - -<hr style="width: 65%;" /> -<h3><a name="STRANGE_OCCURRENCE_IN_CLERKENWELL" id="STRANGE_OCCURRENCE_IN_CLERKENWELL"></a>STRANGE OCCURRENCE IN CLERKENWELL.</h3> - - -<p>Mr. Dyson had inhabited for some years a couple of rooms in a moderately -quiet street in Bloomsbury, where, as he somewhat pompously expressed -it, he held his finger on the pulse of life without being deafened with -the thousand rumors of the main arteries of London. It was to him a -source of peculiar, if esoteric gratification, that from the adjacent -corner of Tottenham Court Road a hundred lines of omnibuses went to the -four quarters of the town; he would dilate on the facilities for -visiting Dalston, and dwell on the admirable line that knew extremest -Ealing and the streets beyond Whitechapel. His rooms, which had been -originally "furnished apartments," he had gradually purged of their more -peccant parts; and though one would not find here the glowing splendors -of his old chambers in the street off the Strand, there was something of -severe grace about the appointments which did credit to his taste. The -rugs were old, and of the true faded beauty; the etchings, nearly all of -them proofs printed by the artist, made a good show with broad white -margins and black frames, and there was no spurious black oak. Indeed, -there was but little furniture of any kind: a plain and honest table, -square and sturdy, stood in one corner; a seventeenth century settle -fronted the hearth; and two wooden elbow-chairs, and a bookshelf of the -Empire made up the equipment, with an exception worthy of note. For -Dyson cared for none of these things. His place was at his own bureau, a -quaint old piece of lacquered-work at which he would sit for hour after -hour, with his back to the room, engaged in the desperate pursuit of -literature, or, as he termed his profession, the chase of the phrase. -The neat array of pigeon-holes and drawers teemed and overflowed with -manuscript and note-books, the experiments and efforts of many years; -and the inner well, a vast and cavernous receptacle, was stuffed with -accumulated ideas. Dyson was a craftsman who gloved all the detail and -the technique of his work intensely; and if, as has been hinted, he -deluded himself a little with the name of artist, yet his amusements -were eminently harmless, and, so far as can be ascertained, he (or the -publishers) had chosen the good part of not tiring the world with -printed matter.</p> - -<p>Here, then, Dyson would shut himself up with his fancies, experimenting -with words, and striving, as his friend the recluse of Bayswater strove, -with the almost invincible problem of style, but always with a fine -confidence, extremely different from the chronic depression of the -realist. He had been almost continuously at work on some scheme that -struck him as well-nigh magical in its possibilities since the night of -his adventure with the ingenious tenant of the first floor in Abingdon -Grove; and as he laid down the pen with a glow of triumph, he reflected -that he had not viewed, the streets for five days in succession. With -all the enthusiasm of his accomplished labor still working in his brain, -he put away his papers, and went out, pacing the pavement at first in -that rare mood of exultation which finds in every stone upon the way the -possibilities of a masterpiece. It was growing late, and the autumn -evening was drawing to a close amidst veils of haze and mist, and in the -stilled air the voices, and the roaring traffic, and incessant feet -seemed, to Dyson like the noise upon the stage when all the house is -silent. In the square, the leaves rippled down as quick as summer rain, -and the street beyond was beginning to flare with the lights in the -butcher's shops and the vivid illumination of the green-grocer. It was a -Saturday night, and the swarming populations of the slums were turning -out in force; the battered women in rusty black had begun to paw the -lumps of cagmag, and others gloated over unwholesome cabbages, and there -was a brisk demand for four-ale. Dyson passed through these night-fires -with some relief; he loved to meditate, but his thoughts were not as De -Quincey's after his dose; he cared not two straws whether onions were -dear or cheap, and would not have exulted if meat had fallen to twopence -a pound. Absorbed in the wilderness of the tale he had been writing, -weighing nicely the points of plot and construction, relishing the -recollection of this and that happy phrase, and dreading failure here -and there, he left the rush and the whistle of the gas-flares behind -him, and began to touch upon pavements more deserted.</p> - -<p>He had turned, without taking note, to the northward, and was passing -through an ancient fallen street, where now notices of floors and -offices to let hung out, but still about it there was the grace and the -stiffness of the Age of Wigs; a broad roadway, a broad pavement, and on -each side a grave line of houses with long and narrow windows flush with -the walls, all of mellowed brick-work. Dyson walked with quick steps, as -he resolved that short work must be made of a certain episode; but he -was in that happy humor of invention, and another chapter rose in the -inner chamber of his brain, and he dwelt on the circumstances he was to -write down with curious pleasure. It was charming to have the quiet -streets to walk in, and in his thought he made a whole district the -cabinet of his studies, and vowed he would come again. Heedless of his -course, he struck off to the east again, and soon found himself involved -in a squalid network of gray two-storied houses, and then in the waste -void and elements of brick-work, the passages and unmade roads behind -great factory walls, encumbered with the refuse of the neighborhood, -forlorn, ill-lighted, and desperate. A brief turn, and there rose before -him the unexpected, a hill suddenly lifted from the level ground, its -steep ascent marked by the lighted lamps, and eager as an explorer Dyson -found his way to the place, wondering where his crooked paths had -brought him. Here all was again decorous, but hideous in the extreme. -The builder, some one lost in the deep gloom of the early 'twenties, had -conceived the idea of twin villas in gray brick, shaped in a manner to -recall the outlines of the Parthenon, each with its classic form -broadly marked with raised bands of stucco. The name of the street was -all strange, and for a further surprise, the top of the hill was crowned -with an irregular plot of grass and fading trees, called a square, and -here again the Parthenon-motive had persisted. Beyond the streets were -curious, wild in their irregularities, here a row of sordid, dingy -dwellings, dirty and disreputable in appearance, and there, without -warning, stood a house genteel and prim with wire blinds and brazen -knocker, as clean and trim as if it had been the doctor's house in some -benighted little country town. These surprises and discoveries began to -exhaust Dyson, and he hailed with delight the blazing windows of a -public-house, and went in with the intention of testing the beverage -provided for the dwellers in this region, as remote as Libya and -Pamphylia and the parts about Mesopotamia. The babble of voices from -within warned him that he was about to assist at the true parliament of -the London workman, and he looked about him for that more retired -entrance called private. When he had settled himself on an exiguous -bench, and had ordered some beer, he began to listen to the jangling -talk in the public bar beyond; it was a senseless argument, alternately -furious and maudlin, with appeals to Bill and Tom, and mediæval -survivals of speech, words that Chaucer wrote belched out with zeal and -relish, and the din of pots jerked down and coppers rapped smartly on -the zinc counter made a thorough bass for it all. Dyson was calmly -smoking his pipe between the sips of beer, when an indefinite looking -figure slid rather than walked into the compartment. The man started -violently when he saw Dyson placidly sitting in the corner, and glanced -keenly about him. He seemed to be on wires, controlled by some electric -machine, for he almost bolted out of the door when the barman asked with -what he could serve him, and his hand shivered as he took the glass. -Dyson inspected him with a little curiosity; he was muffled up almost to -the lips, and a soft felt hat was drawn down over his eyes; he looked as -if he shrank from every glance, and a more raucous voice suddenly -uplifted in the public bar seemed to find in him a sympathy that made -him shake and quiver like a jelly. It was pitiable to see any one so -thrilled with nervousness, and Dyson was about to address some trivial -remark of casual inquiry to the man, when another person came into the -compartment, and, laying a hand on his arm, muttered something in an -undertone, and vanished as he came. But Dyson had recognized him as the -smooth-tongued and smooth-shaven Burton, who had displayed so sumptuous -a gift in lying; and yet he thought little of it, for his whole faculty -of observation was absorbed in the lamentable and yet grotesque -spectacle before him. At the first touch of the hand on his arm, the -unfortunate man had wheeled round as if spun on a pivot, and shrank back -with a low, piteous cry, as if some dumb beast were caught in the toils. -The blood fled away from the wretch's face, and the skin became gray as -if a shadow of death had passed in the air and fallen on it, and Dyson -caught a choking whisper—</p> - -<p>"Mr. Davies! For God's sake, have pity on me, Mr. Davies. On my oath, I -say—" and his voice sank to silence as he heard the message, and strove -in vain to bite his lip; and summon up to his aid some tinge of manhood. -He stood there a moment, wavering as the leaves of an aspen, and then he -was gone out into the street, as Dyson thought silently, with his doom -upon his head. He had not been gone a minute when it suddenly flashed -into Dyson's mind that he knew the man; it was undoubtedly the young man -with spectacles for whom so many ingenious persons were searching; the -spectacles indeed were missing, but the pale face, the dark whiskers, -and the timid glances were enough to identify him, Dyson saw at once -that by a succession of hazards he had unawares hit upon the scent of -some desperate conspiracy, wavering as the track of a loathsome snake in -and out of the highways and byways of the London cosmos; the truth was -instantly pictured before him, and he divined that all unconscious and -unheeding he had been privileged to see the shadows of hidden forms, -chasing and hurrying, and grasping and vanishing across the bright -curtain of common life, soundless and silent, or only babbling fables -and pretences. For him in an instant the jargoning of voices, the garish -splendor, and all the vulgar tumult of the public-house became part of -magic; for here before his eyes a scene in this grim mystery play had -been enacted, and he had seen human flesh grow gray with a palsy of -fear; the very hell of cowardice and terror had gaped wide within an -arm's breadth. In the midst of these reflections, the barman came up and -stared at him as if to hint that he had exhausted his right to take his -ease, and Dyson bought another lease of the seat by an order for more -beer. As he pondered the brief glimpse of tragedy, he recollected that -with his first start of haunted fear the young man with whiskers had -drawn his hand swiftly from his great coat pocket, and that he had heard -something fall to the ground; and pretending to have dropped his pipe, -Dyson began to grope in the corner, searching with his fingers. He -touched some thing, and drew it gently to him, and with one brief -glance, as he put it quietly in his pocket, he saw it was a little -old-fashioned note book, bound in faded green morocco.</p> - -<p>He drank down his beer at a gulp, and left the place, overjoyed at his -fortunate discovery, and busy with conjecture as to the possible -importance of the find. By turns he dreaded to find perhaps mere blank -leaves, or the labored follies of a betting-book, but the faded morocco -cover seemed to promise better things, and hint at mysteries. He piloted -himself with no little difficulty out of the sour and squalid quarter he -had entered with a light heart, and emerging at Gray's Inn Road, struck -off down Guilford Street, and hastened home, only anxious for a lighted -candle and solitude.</p> - -<p>Dyson sat down at his bureau, and placed the little book before him; it -was an effort to open the leaves and dare disappointment. But in -desperation at last he laid his finger between the pages at haphazard, -and rejoiced to see a compact range of writing with a margin, and as it -chanced, three words caught his glance, and stood out apart from the -mass. Dyson read:</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 7em;">THE GOLD TIBERIUS,</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>and his face flushed with fortune and the lust of the hunter.</p> - -<p>He turned at once to the first leaf of the pocket-book, and proceeded to -read with rapt interest the</p> - - - -<hr style="width: 65%;" /> -<h3><a name="HISTORY_OF_THE_YOUNG_MAN_WITH_SPECTACLES" id="HISTORY_OF_THE_YOUNG_MAN_WITH_SPECTACLES"></a>HISTORY OF THE YOUNG MAN WITH SPECTACLES</h3> - - -<p>From the filthy and obscure lodging, situated, I verily believe, in one -of the foulest slums of Clerkenwell, I indite this history of a life -which, daily threatened, cannot last for very much longer. Every day, -nay, every hour, I know too well my enemies are drawing their nets -closer about me; even now, I am condemned to be a close prisoner in my -squalid room, and I know that when I go out I shall go to my -destruction. This history, if it chance to fall into good hands, may, -perhaps, be of service in warning young men of the dangers and pitfalls -that most surely must accompany any deviation from the ways of -rectitude.</p> - -<p>My name is Joseph Walters. When I came of age I found myself in -possession of a small but sufficient income, and I determined that I -would devote my life to scholarship. I do not mean the scholarship of -these days; I had no intention of associating myself with men whose -lives are spent in the unspeakably degrading occupation of "editing" -classics, befouling the fair margins of the fairest books with idle and -superfluous annotation, and doing their utmost to give a lasting -disgust of all that is beautiful. An abbey church turned to the base use -of a stable or a bake-house is a sorry sight; but more pitiable still is -a masterpiece spluttered over with the commentator's pen, and his -hideous mark "cf."</p> - -<p>For my part I chose the glorious career of scholar in its ancient sense; -I longed to possess encyclopædic learning, to grow old amongst books, to -distil day by day, and year after year, the inmost sweetness of all -worthy writings. I was not rich enough to collect a library, and I was -therefore forced to betake myself to the Reading-Room of the British -Museum.</p> - -<p>O dim, far-lifted and mighty dome, Mecca of many minds, mausoleum of -many hopes, sad house where all desires fail. For there men enter in -with hearts uplifted, and dreaming minds, seeing in those exalted stairs -a ladder to fame, in that pompous portico the gate of knowledge; and -going in, find but vain vanity, and all but in vain. There, when the -long streets are ringing, is silence, there eternal twilight, and the -odor of heaviness. But there the blood flows thin and cold, and the -brain burns adust; there is the hunt of shadows, and the chase of -embattled phantoms; a striving against ghosts, and a war that has no -victory. O dome, tomb of the quick; surely in thy galleries where no -reverberant voice can call, sighs whisper ever, and mutterings of dead -hopes; and there men's souls mount like moths towards the flame, and -fall scorched and blackened beneath thee, O dim, far-lifted, and mighty -dome.</p> - -<p>Bitterly do I now regret the day when I took my place at a desk for the -first time, and began my studies. I had not been an habitué of the place -for many months, when I became acquainted with a serene and benevolent -gentleman, a man somewhat past middle age, who nearly always occupied a -desk next to mine. In the Reading-Room it takes little to make an -acquaintance, a casual offer of assistance, a hint as to the search in -the catalogue, and the ordinary politeness of men who constantly sit -near each other; it was thus I came to know the man calling himself Dr. -Lipsius. By degrees I grew to look for his presence, and to miss him -when he was away, as was sometimes the case, and so a friendship sprang -up between us. His immense range of learning was placed freely at my -service; he would often astonish me by the way in which he would sketch -out in a few minutes the bibliography of a given subject, and before -long I had confided to him my ambitions.</p> - -<p>"Ah," he said, "you should have been a German. I was like that myself -when I was a boy. It is a wonderful resolve, an infinite career. 'I will -know all things;' yes, it is a device indeed. But it means this—a life -of labor without end, and a desire unsatisfied at last. The scholar has -to die, and die saying, 'I know very little.'"</p> - -<p>Gradually, by speeches such as these, Lipsius seduced me: he would -praise the career, and at the same time hint that it was as hopeless as -the search for the philosopher's stone, and so by artful suggestions, -insinuated with infinite address, he by degrees succeeded in undermining -all my principles. "After all," he used to say, "the greatest of all -sciences, the key to all knowledge, is the science and art of pleasure. -Rabelais was perhaps the greatest of all the encyclopædic scholars; and -he, as you know, wrote the most remarkable book that has ever been -written. And what does he teach men in this book? Surely, the joy of -living. I need not remind you of the words, suppressed in most of the -editions, the key of all the Rabelaisian mythology, of all the enigmas -of his grand philosophy, <i>Vivez joyeux</i>. There you have all his -learning; his work is the institutes of pleasure as the fine art; the -finest art there is; the art of all arts. Rabelais had all science, but -he had all life too. And we have gone a long way since his time. You are -enlightened, I think; you do not consider all the petty rules and -by-laws that a corrupt society has made for its own selfish convenience -as the immutable decrees of the eternal."</p> - -<p>Such were the doctrines that he preached; and it was by such insidious -arguments, line upon line, here a little and there a little, that he at -last succeeded in making me a man at war with the whole social system. I -used to long for some opportunity to break the chains and to live a free -life, to be my own rule and measure. I viewed existence with the eyes of -a pagan, and Lipsius understood to perfection the art of stimulating the -natural inclinations of a young man hitherto a hermit. As I gazed up at -the great dome I saw it flushed with the flames and colors of a world of -enticement, unknown to me, my imagination played me a thousand wanton -tricks, and the forbidden drew me as surely as a loadstone draws on -iron. At last my resolution was taken, and I boldly asked Lipsius to be -my guide.</p> - -<p>He told me to leave the Museum at my usual hour, half past four, to walk -slowly along the northern pavement of Great Russell Street, and to wait -at the corner of the street till I was addressed, and then to obey in -all things the instructions of the person who came up to me. I carried -out these directions, and stood at the corner looking about me -anxiously, my heart beating fast, and my breath coming in gasps. I -waited there for some time, and had begun to fear I had been made the -object of a joke, when I suddenly became conscious of a gentleman who -was looking at me with evident amusement from the opposite pavement of -Tottenham Court Road. He came over, and raising his hat, politely begged -me to follow him, and I did so without a word, wondering where we were -going, and what was to happen. I was taken to a house of quiet and -respectable aspect in a street lying to the north of Oxford Street, and -my guide rang the bell, and a servant showed us into a large room, -quietly furnished, on the ground floor. We sat there in silence for some -time, and I noticed that the furniture, though unpretending, was -extremely valuable. There were large oak-presses, two book-cases of -extreme elegance, and in one corner a carved chest which must have been -mediæval. Presently Dr. Lipsius came in and welcomed me with his usual -manner, and after some desultory conversation, my guide left the room. -Then an elderly man dropped in and began talking to Lipsius; and from -their conversation I understood that my friend was a dealer in antiques; -they spoke of the Hittite seal, and of the prospects of further -discoveries, and later, when two or three more persons had joined us, -there was an argument as to the possibility of a systematic exploration -of the pre-celtic monuments in England I was; in fact, present at an -archæological reception of an informal kind; and at nine o'clock, when -the antiquaries were gone, I stared at Lipsius in a manner that showed I -was puzzled, and sought an explanation.</p> - -<p>"Now," he said, "we will go upstairs."</p> - -<p>As we passed up the stairs, Lipsius lighting the way with a hand-lamp, I -heard the sound of a jarring lock and bolts and bars shot on at the -front door. My guide drew back a baize door, and we went down a passage, -and I began to hear odd sounds, a noise of curious mirth, and then he -pushed me through a second door, and my initiation began. I cannot write -down what I witnessed that night; I cannot bear to recall what went on -in those secret rooms fast shuttered and curtained so that no light -should escape into the quiet street; they gave me red wine to drink, and -a woman told me as I sipped it that it was wine of the Red Jar that -Avallaunius had made. Another asked me how I liked the Wine of the -Fauns, and I heard a dozen fantastic names, while the stuff boiled in my -veins, and stirred, I think, something that had slept within me from the -moment I was born. It seemed as if my self-consciousness deserted me; I -was no longer a thinking agent, but at once subject and object. I -mingled in the horrible sport and watched the mystery of the Greek -groves and fountains enacted before me, saw the reeling dance, and heard -the music calling as I sat beside my mate, and yet I was outside it all, -and viewed my own part an idle spectator. Thus with strange rites they -made me drink the cup, and when I woke up in the morning I was one of -them, and had sworn to be faithful. At first I was shown the enticing -side of things. I was bidden to enjoy myself and care for nothing but -pleasure, and Lipsius himself indicated to me as the acutest enjoyment -the spectacle of the terrors of the unfortunate persons who were from -time to time decoyed into the evil house. But after a time it was -pointed out to me that I must take my share in the work, and so I found -myself compelled to be in my turn a seducer; and thus it is on my -conscience that I have led many to the depths of the pit.</p> - -<p>One day Lipsius summoned me to his private room, and told me that he had -a difficult task to give me. He unlocked a drawer, and gave me a sheet -of type-written paper, and had me read it. It was without place, or -date, or signature, and ran as follows:—</p> - -<p>"Mr. James Headley, F.S.A., will receive from his agent in Armenia, on -the 12th inst., a unique coin, the gold Tiberius. It hears on the -reverse a faun, with the legend VICTORIA. It is believed that this coin -is of immense value. Mr. Headley will come up to town to show the coin -to his friend, Professor Memys, of Chenies Street, Oxford Street, on -some date between the 13th and the 18th."</p> - -<p>Dr. Lipsius chuckled at my face of blank surprise when I laid down this -singular communication.</p> - -<p>"You will have a good chance of showing your discretion," he said. "This -is not a common case; it requires great management and infinite tact. I -am sure I wish I had a Panurge in my service, but we will see what you -can do."</p> - -<p>"But is it not a joke?" I asked him. "How can you know, or rather how -can this correspondent of yours know that a coin has been despatched -from Armenia to Mr. Headley? And how is it possible to fix the period in -which Mr. Headley will take it into his head to come up to town? It -seems to me a lot of guess work."</p> - -<p>"My dear Mr. Walters," he replied; "we do not deal in guess work here. -It would bore you if I went into all these little details, the cogs and -wheels, if I may say so, which move the machine. Don't you think it is -much more amusing to sit in front of the house and be astonished, than -to be behind the scenes and see the mechanism? Better tremble at the -thunder, believe me, than see the man rolling the cannon ball. But, -after all, you needn't bother about the how and why; you have your share -to do. Of course, I shall give you full instructions, but a great deal -depends on the way the thing is carried out. I have often heard very -young men maintain that style is everything in literature, and I can -assure you that the same maxim holds good in our far more delicate -profession. With us style is absolutely everything, and that is why we -have friends like yourself."</p> - -<p>I went away in some perturbation; he had no doubt designedly left -everything in mystery, and I did not know what part I should have to -play. Though I had assisted at scenes of hideous revelry, I was not yet -dead to all echo of human feeling, and I trembled lest I should receive -the order to be Mr. Headley's executioner.</p> - -<p>A week later, it was on the sixteenth of the month, Dr. Lipsius made me -a sign to come into his room.</p> - -<p>"It is for to-night," he began. "Please to attend carefully to what I am -going to say, Mr. Walters, and on peril of your life, for it is a -dangerous matter,—on peril of your life I say, follow these -instructions to the letter. You understand? Well, to-night at about -half-past seven you will stroll quietly up the Hampstead Road till you -come to Vincent Street. Turn down here and walk along, taking the third -turning to your right, which is Lambert Terrace. Then follow the -terrace, cross the road, and go along Hertford Street, and so into -Lillington Square. The second turning you will come to in the square is -called Sheen Street; but in reality it is more a passage between blank -walls than a street. Whatever you do, take care to be at the corner of -this street at eight o'clock precisely. You will walk along it, and just -at the bend, where you lose sight of the square, you will find an old -gentleman with white beard and whiskers. He will in all probability be -abusing a cabman for having brought him to Sheen Street instead of -Chenies Street. You will go up to him quietly and offer your services; -he will tell you where he wants to go, and you will be so courteous as -to offer to show him the way. I may say that Professor Memys moved, -into Chenies Street a month ago; thus Mr. Headley has never been to see -him there, and moreover he is very short-sighted, and knows little of -the topography of London. Indeed he has quite lived the life of a -learned hermit at Audley Hall.</p> - -<p>"Well, need I say more to a man of your intelligence? You will bring him -to this house; he will ring the bell, and a servant in quiet livery will -let him in. Then your work will be done, and I am sure done well. You -will leave Mr. Headley at the door, and simply continue your walk, and I -shall hope to see you the next day. I really don't think there is -anything more I can tell you."</p> - -<p>These minute instructions I took care to carry out to the letter. I -confess that I walked up the Tottenham Court Road by no means blindly, -but with an uneasy sense that I was coming to a decisive point in my -life. The noise and rumor of the crowded pavements were to me but -dumb-show. I revolved again and again in ceaseless iteration the task -that had been laid on me, and I questioned myself as to the possible -results. As I got near the point of turning, I asked myself whether -danger were not about my steps; the cold thought struck me that I was -suspected and observed, and every chance foot-passenger who gave me a -second glance seemed to me an officer of police. My time was running -out, the sky had darkened, and I hesitated, half resolved to go no -farther, but to abandon Lipsius and his friends forever. I had almost -determined to take this course, when the conviction suddenly came to me -that the whole thing was a gigantic joke, a fabrication of rank -improbability. Who could have procured the information about the -Armenian agent, I asked myself. By what means could Lipsius have known -the particular day, and the very train that Mr. Headley was to take? How -engage him to enter one special cab amongst the dozens waiting at -Paddington? I vowed it a mere Milesian tale, and went forward merrily, -and turned down Vincent Street, and threaded out the route that Lipsius -had so carefully impressed upon me. The various streets he had named -were all places of silence and an oppressive cheap gentility; it was -dark, and I felt alone in the musty squares and crescents, where people -pattered by at intervals, and the shadows were growing blacker. I -entered Sheen Street, and found it, as Lipsius had said, more a passage -than a street; it was a by-way, on one side a low wall and neglected -gardens and grim backs of a line of houses, and on the other a timber -yard. I turned the corner, and lost sight of the square, and then to my -astonishment I saw the scene of which I had been told. A hansom cab had -come to a stop beside the pavement, and an old man carrying a handbag -was fiercely abusing the cabman, who sat on his perch the image of -bewilderment.</p> - -<p>"Yes, but I'm sure you said Sheen Street, and that's where I brought -you," I heard him saying, as I came up, and the old gentleman boiled in -a fury, and threatened police and suits at law.</p> - -<p>The sight gave me a shock; and in an instant I resolved to go through -with it. I strolled on, and without noticing the cabman, lifted my hat -politely to old Mr. Headley.</p> - -<p>"Pardon me, sir," I said, "but is there any difficulty? I see you are a -traveller; perhaps the cabman has made a mistake. Can I direct you?"</p> - -<p>The old fellow turned to me, and I noticed that he snarled and showed -his teeth like an ill-tempered cur as he spoke.</p> - -<p>"This drunken fool has brought me here," he said. "I told him to drive -to Chenies Street, and he brings me to this infernal place. I won't pay -him a farthing, and I meant to have given him a handsome sum. I am going -to call for the police and give him in charge."</p> - -<p>At this threat the cabman seemed to take alarm. He glanced round as if -to make sure that no policeman was in sight and drove off grumbling -loudly, and Mr. Headley grinned, savagely with satisfaction at having -saved his fare, and put back one and sixpence into his pocket, the -"handsome sum" the cabman had lost.</p> - -<p>"My dear sir," I said, "I am afraid this piece of stupidity has annoyed -you a great deal. It is a long way to Chenies Street, and you will have -some difficulty in finding the place unless you know London pretty -well."</p> - -<p>"I know it very little," he replied. "I never come up except on -important business, and I've never been to Chenies Street in my life."</p> - -<p>"Really? I should be happy to show you the way. I have been for a -stroll, and it will not at all inconvenience me to take you to your -destination."</p> - -<p>"I want to go to Professor Memys, at number 15. It's most annoying to -me. I'm short-sighted, and I can never make out the numbers on the -doors."</p> - -<p>"This way if you please," I said, and we set out.</p> - -<p>I did not find Mr. Headley an agreeable man; indeed, he grumbled the -whole way. He informed me of his name, and I took care to say, "The -well-known antiquary?" and thenceforth I was compelled to listen to the -history of his complicated squabbles with publishers, who had treated -him, as he said, disgracefully. The man was a chapter in the -Irritability of Authors. He told me that he had been on the point of -making the fortune of several firms, but had been compelled to abandon -the design owing to their rank ingratitude. Besides these ancient -histories of wrong and the more recent misadventure of the cabman, he -had another grievous complaint to make. As he came along in the train, -he had been sharpening a pencil, and the sudden jolt of the engine as it -drew up at a station had driven the penknife against his face, -inflicting a small triangular wound just on the cheek-bone, which he -showed me. He denounced the railway company, and heaped imprecations on -the head of the driver, and talked of claiming damages. Thus he grumbled -all the way, not noticing in the least where he was going, and so -inamiable did his conduct appear to me that I began to enjoy the trick I -was playing on him.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless my heart beat a little faster as we turned into the street -where Lipsius was waiting. A thousand accidents, I thought, might -happen. Some chance might bring one of Headley's friends to meet us; -perhaps, though he knew not Chenies Street, he might know the street -where I was taking him; in spite of his short-sight he might possibly -make out the number, or in a sudden fit of suspicion he might make an -inquiry of the policeman at the corner. Thus every step upon the -pavement, as we drew nearer to the goal, was to me a pang and a terror, -and every approaching passenger carried a certain threat of danger. I -gulped down my excitement with an effort, and made shift to say pretty -quietly:—</p> - -<p>"No. 15, I think you said? That is the third house from this. If you -will allow me, I will leave you now; I have been delayed a little, and -my way lies on the other side of Tottenham Court Road."</p> - -<p>He snarled out some kind of thanks, and I turned my back and walked -swiftly in the opposite direction. A minute or two later, I looked round -and saw Mr. Headley standing on the doorstep, and then the door opened -and he went in. For my part I gave a sigh of relief, and hastened to get -away from the neighborhood and endeavored to enjoy myself in merry -company.</p> - -<p>The whole of the next day I kept away from Lipsius. I felt anxious, but -I did not know what had happened or what was happening, and a reasonable -regard for my own safety told me that I should do well to remain quietly -at home. My curiosity, however, to learn the end of the odd drama in -which I had played a part stung me to the quick, and late in the evening -I made up my mind to go and see how events had turned out. Lipsius -nodded when I came in, and asked me if I could give him five minutes' -talk. We went into his room, and he began to walk up and down, and I sat -waiting for him to speak.</p> - -<p>"My dear Mr. Walters," he said at length, "I congratulate you warmly. -Your work was done in the most thorough and artistic manner. You will go -far. Look."</p> - -<p>He went to his escritoire and pressed a secret spring, and a drawer flew -out, and he laid something on the table. It was a gold coin, and I took -it up and examined it eagerly, and read the legend about the figure of -the faun.</p> - -<p>"Victoria," I said, smiling.</p> - -<p>"Yes, it was a great capture, which we owe to you. I had great -difficulty in persuading Mr. Headley that a little mistake had been -made; that was how I put it. He was very disagreeable, and indeed -ungentlemanly about it; didn't he strike you as a very cross old man?"</p> - -<p>I held the coin, admiring the choice and rare design, clear cut as if -from the mint; and I thought the fine gold glowed and burned like a -lamp.</p> - -<p>"And what finally became of Mr. Headley?" I said at last.</p> - -<p>Lipsius smiled and shrugged his shoulders.</p> - -<p>"What on earth does it matter?" he said. "He might be here, or there, or -anywhere; but what possible consequence could it be? Besides, your -question rather surprises me. You are an intelligent man, Mr. Walters. -Just think it over, and I'm sure you won't repeat the question."</p> - -<p>"My dear sir," I said, "I hardly think you are treating me fairly. You -have paid me some handsome compliments on my share in the capture, and I -naturally wish to know how the matter ended. From what I saw of Mr. -Headley, I should think you must have had some difficulty with him."</p> - -<p>He gave me no answer for the moment, but began again to walk up and down -the room, apparently absorbed in thought.</p> - -<p>"Well," he said at last, "I suppose there is something in what you say. -We are certainly indebted to you. I have said, that I have a high -opinion of your intelligence, Mr. Walters. Just look here, will you."</p> - -<p>He opened a door communicating with another room and pointed.</p> - -<p>There was a great box lying on the floor; a queer coffin-shaped thing. I -looked at it and saw it was a mummy case like those in the British -Museum, vividly painted in the brilliant Egyptian colors, with I knew -not what proclamation of dignity or hopes of life immortal. The mummy, -swathed about in the robes of death, was lying within, and the face had -been uncovered.</p> - -<p>"You are going to send this away?" I said, forgetting the question I had -put.</p> - -<p>"Yes; I have an order from a local museum. Look a little more closely, -Mr. Walters."</p> - -<p>Puzzled by his manner, I peered into the face, while he held up the -lamp. The flesh was black with the passing of the centuries; but as I -looked I saw upon the right cheek-bone a small triangular scar, and the -secret of the mummy flashed upon me. I was looking at the dead body of -the man whom I had decoyed into that house.</p> - -<p>There was no thought or design of action in my mind. I held the accursed -coin in my hand, burning me with a foretaste of hell, and I fled as I -would have fled from pestilence and death, and dashed into the street -in blind horror, not knowing where I went. I felt the gold coin grasped -in my clenched list, and threw it away, I knew not where, and ran on and -on through by-streets and dark ways, till at last I issued out into a -crowded thoroughfare, and checked myself. Then, as consciousness -returned, I realized my instant peril, and understood what would happen -if I fell into the hands of Lipsius. I knew that I had put forth my -finger to thwart a relentless mechanism rather than a man; my recent -adventure with the unfortunate Mr. Headley had taught me that Lipsius -had agents in all quarters, and I foresaw that if I fell into his hands, -he would remain true to his doctrine of style, and cause me to die a -death of some horrible and ingenious torture. I bent my whole mind to -the task of outwitting him and his emissaries, three of whom I knew to -have proved their ability for tracking down persons who for various -reasons preferred to remain obscure. These servants of Lipsius were two -men and a woman, and the woman was incomparably the most subtle and the -most deadly. Yet I considered that I too had some portion of craft, and -I took my resolve. Since then I have matched myself day by day and hour -by hour against the ingenuity of Lipsius and his myrmidons. For a time I -was successful; though they beat furiously after me in the covert of -London, I remained <i>perdu</i>, and watched with some amusement their -frantic efforts to recover the scent lost in two or three minutes. Every -lure and wile was put forth to entice me from my hiding-place. I was -informed by the medium of the public prints that what I had taken had -been recovered, and meetings were proposed in which I might hope to -gain a great deal without the slightest risk. I laughed at their -endeavors, and began a little to despise the organization I had so -dreaded, and ventured more abroad. Not once or twice, but several times, -I recognized the two men who were charged with my capture, and I -succeeded in eluding them easily at close quarters; and a little hastily -I decided that I had nothing to dread, and that my craft was greater -than theirs. But in the mean while, while I congratulated myself on my -cunning, the third of Lipsius's emissaries was weaving her nets, and in -an evil hour I paid a visit to an old friend, a literary man named -Russell, who lived in a quiet street in Bayswater. The woman, as I found -out too late, a day or two ago, occupied rooms in the same house, and I -was followed and tracked down. Too late, as I have said, I recognized -that I had made a fatal mistake, and that I was besieged. Sooner or -later I shall find myself in the power of an enemy without pity; and so -surely as I leave this house I shall go to receive doom. I hardly dare -to guess how it will at last fall upon me. My imagination, always a -vivid one, paints to me appalling pictures of the unspeakable torture -which I shall probably endure; and I know that I shall die with Lipsius -standing near and gloating over the refinements of my suffering and my -shame.</p> - -<p>Hours, nay, minutes, have become very precious to me. I sometimes pause -in the midst of anticipating my tortures, to wonder whether even now I -cannot hit upon some supreme stroke, some design of infinite subtlety, -to free myself from the toils. But I find that the faculty of -combination has left me. I am as the scholar in the old myth, deserted -by the power which has helped, me hitherto. I do not know when the -supreme moment will come, but sooner or later it is inevitable, and -before long I shall receive sentence, and from the sentence to execution -will not be long.</p> - -<hr style="width: 45%;" /> - -<p>I cannot remain here a prisoner any longer. I shall go out to-night when -the streets are full of crowds and clamors, and make a last effort to -escape.</p> - -<hr style="width: 45%;" /> - -<p>It was with profound astonishment that Dyson closed the little book, and -thought of the strange series of incidents which had brought him into -touch with the plots and counterplots connected with the Gold Tiberius. -He had bestowed the coin carefully away, and he shuddered at the bare -possibility of its place of deposit becoming known to the evil band who -seemed to possess such extraordinary sources of information.</p> - -<p>It had grown late while he read, and he put the pocket-book away, hoping -with all his heart that the unhappy Walters might even at the eleventh -hour escape the doom he dreaded.</p> - - - -<hr style="width: 65%;" /> -<h3><a name="ADVENTURE_OF_THE_DESERTED_RESIDENCE" id="ADVENTURE_OF_THE_DESERTED_RESIDENCE"></a>ADVENTURE OF THE DESERTED RESIDENCE.</h3> - - -<p>"A wonderful story, as you say; an extraordinary sequence and play of -coincidence. I confess that your expressions when you first showed me -the Gold Tiberius were not exaggerated. But do you think that Walters -has really some fearful fate to dread?"</p> - -<p>"I cannot say. Who can presume to predict events when life itself puts -on the robe of coincidence and plays at drama? Perhaps we have not yet -reached the last chapter in the queer story. But, look, we are drawing -near to the verge of London; there are gaps, you see, in the serried -ranks of brick, and a vision of green fields beyond."</p> - -<p>Dyson had persuaded the ingenious Mr. Phillipps to accompany him on one -of those aimless walks to which he was himself so addicted. Starting -from the very heart of London, they had made their way westward through -the stony avenues, and were now just emerging from the red lines of an -extreme suburb, and presently the half-finished road ended, a quiet lane -began, and they were beneath the shade of elm-trees. The yellow autumn -sunlight that had lit up the bare distance of the suburban street now -filtered down through the boughs of the trees and shone on the glowing -carpet of fallen leaves, and the pools of rain glittered and shot back -the gleam of light. Over all the broad pastures there was peace and the -happy rest of autumn before the great winds begin, and afar off, London -lay all vague and immense amidst the veiling mist; here and there a -distant window catching the sun and kindling with fire, and a spire -gleaming high, and below the streets in shadow, and the turmoil of life. -Dyson and Phillipps walked on in silence beneath the high hedges, till -at a turn of the lane they saw a mouldering and ancient gate standing -open, and the prospect of a house at the end of a moss-grown carriage -drive.</p> - -<p>"There is a survival for you," said Dyson; "it has come to its last -days, I imagine. Look how the laurels have grown gaunt, and weedy, and -black, and bare, beneath; look at the house, covered with yellow wash -and patched with green damp. Why, the very notice-board which informs -all and singular that the place is to be let has cracked and half -fallen."</p> - -<p>"Suppose we go in and see it," said Phillipps. "I don't think there is -anybody about."</p> - -<p>They turned up the drive, and walked slowly, towards this remnant of old -days. It was a large straggling house, with curved wings at either end, -and behind a series of irregular roofs and projections, showing that the -place had been added to at divers dates; the two wings were roofed in -cupola fashion, and at one side, as they came nearer, they could see a -stable-yard, and a clock turret with a bell, and the dark masses of -gloomy cedars. Amidst all the lineaments of dissolution, there was but -one note of contrast: the sun was setting beyond the elm-trees, and all -the west and the south were in flames, and on the upper windows of the -house the glow shone reflected, and it seemed as if blood and fire were -mingled. Before the yellow front of the mansion, stained, as Dyson had -remarked, with gangrenous patches, green and blackening, stretched what -once had been, no doubt, a well-kept lawn, but it was now rough and -ragged, and nettles and great docks, and all manner of coarse weeds, -struggled in the places of the flower-beds. The urns had fallen from -their pillars beside the walk, and lay broken in shards upon the ground, -and everywhere from grass-plot and path a fungoid growth had sprung up -and multiplied, and lay dank and slimy like a festering sore upon the -earth. In the middle of the rank grass of the lawn was a desolate -fountain; the rim of the basin was crumbling and pulverized with decay, -and within, the water stood stagnant, with green scum for the lilies -that had once bloomed there; and rust had eaten into the bronze flesh of -the Triton that stood in the middle, and the conch-shell he held was -broken.</p> - -<p>"Here," said Dyson, "one might moralize over decay and death. Here all -the stage is decked out with the symbols of dissolution; the cedarn -gloom and twilight hangs heavy around us, and everywhere within the pale -dankness has found a harbor, and the very air is changed and brought to -accord with the scene. To me, I confess, this deserted house is as moral -as a graveyard, and I find something sublime in that lonely Triton, -deserted in the midst of his water-pool. He is the last of the gods; -they have left him and he remembers the sound of water falling on water, -and the days that were sweet."</p> - -<p>"I like your reflections extremely," said Phillipps, "but I may mention -that the door of the house is open.".</p> - -<p>"Let us go in then."</p> - -<p>The door was just ajar, and they passed into the mouldy hall, and looked -in at a room on one side. It was a large room, going far back, and the -rich old red flock paper was peeling from the walls in long strips, and -blackened with vague patches of rising damp; the ancient clay, the dank -reeking earth rising up again, and subduing all the work of men's hands -after the conquest of many years. And the floor was thick with the dust -of decay, and the painted ceiling fading from all gay colors and light -fancies of cupids in a career, and disfigured with sores of dampness, -seemed transmuted into other work. No longer the amorini chased one -another pleasantly, with limbs that sought not to advance, and hands -that merely simulated the act of grasping at the wreathed flowers, but -it appeared some savage burlesque of the old careless world and of its -cherished conventions, and the dance of the loves had become a dance of -Death; black pustules and festering sores swelled and clustered on fair -limbs, and smiling faces showed corruption, and the fairy blood had -boiled with the germs of foul disease; it was a parable of the leaven -working, and worms devouring for a banquet the heart of the rose.</p> - -<p>Strangely, under the painted ceiling, against the decaying walls, two -old chairs still stood alone, the sole furniture of the empty place. -High-backed, with curving arms and twisted legs, covered with faded gold -leaf, and upholstered in tattered damask, they too were a part of the -symbolism, and struck Dyson with surprise. "What have we here?" he said. -"Who has sat in these chairs? Who, clad in peach-bloom satin, with lace -ruffles and diamond buckles, all golden, <i>a conté fleurettes</i> to his -companion? Phillipps, we are in another age. I wish I had some snuff to -offer you, but failing that, I beg to offer you a seat, and we will sit -and smoke tobacco. A horrid practice, but I am no pedant."</p> - -<p>They sat down on the queer old chairs, and looked out of the dim and -grimy panes to the ruined lawn, and the fallen urns, and the deserted -Triton.</p> - -<p>Presently Dyson ceased his imitation of eighteenth century airs; he no -longer pulled forward imaginary ruffles, or tapped a ghostly snuff-box.</p> - -<p>"It's a foolish fancy," he said at last, "but I keep thinking I hear a -noise like some one groaning. Listen; no, I can't hear it now. There it -is again! Did you notice it, Phillipps?</p> - -<p>"No, I can't say I heard anything. But I believe that old places like -this are like shells from the shore, ever echoing with noises. The old -beams, mouldering piecemeal, yield a little and groan, and such a house -as this I can fancy all resonant at night with voices, the voices of -matter so slowly and so surely transformed into other shapes; the voice -of the worm that gnaws at last the very heart of the oak; the voice of -stone grinding on stone, and the voice of the conquest of time."</p> - -<p>They sat still in the old armchairs and grew graver in the musty ancient -air,—the air of a hundred years ago.</p> - -<p>"I don't like the place," said Phillipps, after a long pause. "To me it -seems, as if there were a sickly, unwholesome smell about it, a smell of -something burning."</p> - -<p>"You are right; there is an evil odor here. I wonder what it is! Hark! -Did you hear that?"</p> - -<p>A hollow sound, a noise of infinite sadness and infinite pain broke in -upon the silence; and the two men looked fearfully at one another, -horror and the sense of unknown things glimmering in their eyes.</p> - -<p>"Come," said Dyson, "we must see into this," and they went into the hall -and listened in the silence.</p> - -<p>"Do you know," said Phillipps, "it seems absurd, but I could almost -fancy that the smell is that of burning flesh."</p> - -<p>They went up the hollow-sounding stairs, and the the odor became thick -and noisome, stifling the breath; and a vapor, sickening as the smell of -the chamber of death, choked them. A door was open and they entered the -large upper room, and clung hard to one another, shuddering at the sight -they saw.</p> - -<p>A naked man was lying on the floor, his arms and legs stretched wide -apart, and bound to pegs that had been hammered into the boards. The -body was torn and mutilated in the most hideous fashion, scarred with -the marks of red-hot irons, a shameful ruin of the human shape. But upon -the middle of the body a fire of coals was smouldering; the flesh had -been burned through. The man was dead, but the smoke of his torment -mounted still, a black vapor.</p> - -<p>"The young man with spectacles," said Mr. Dyson.</p> - - -<p>THE END.</p> - -<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 35517 ***</div> -</body> -</html> |